Name: YouTube Shorts API: Viral Clip Finder and SRT Captions
Brand: martindata
SKU: api-martindata-youtube-shorts-api
Availability: InStock
Author: API Market

# YouTube Shorts API

## Overview

The YouTube Shorts API has two endpoints. The clip finder reads long YouTube videos and returns the moments that would work best as Shorts, Reels or TikToks: start and end times, the hook line, a virality score, the reason the clip was picked, a suggested title and hashtags, the transcript and SRT captions. The captions endpoint returns the captions of YouTube Shorts, or of the latest Shorts of a channel, as SRT, VTT and plain text with a suggested caption and hashtags.

It is built for video editors, podcast and creator teams, social media agencies and clipping tools that turn long videos into short clips.

## Features

*   **2 endpoints**: a viral clip finder and a Shorts captions downloader.
*   **Clip suggestions**: start and end seconds, hook, virality score, reason, suggested title and hashtags.
*   **Captions**: SRT and VTT captions plus plain text for each clip or Short.
*   **Clip length control**: minimum and maximum clip length and a minimum virality score.
*   **Languages**: choose caption languages, with optional translation for Shorts captions.
*   **Rate limit**: 10 requests per second on every plan.

## Use Cases

*   **Podcast clipping**: find the best moments of an episode for Shorts.
*   **Social agencies**: plan short clips for clients from their long videos.
*   **Captioning**: download SRT files for Shorts.
*   **Content research**: study the hooks of popular Shorts.

## API Documentation

### Base URL

All requests go through the API.market proxy at this base URL:

```
https://prod.api.market/api/v1/martindata/youtube-shorts-api
```

### Authentication

Every request needs your API.market key in the `x-api-market-key` header:

```
x-api-market-key: YOUR_API_KEY
```

Replace `YOUR_API_KEY` with your actual API key.

### Endpoints

#### 1. Find viral clips in a video

Returns the suggested clips for each video, with timestamps, hook, virality score, captions and suggested title and hashtags. The response is `{"count": N, "items": [...]}` with one object per result.

**Method:** `POST`

**Endpoint:** `/m/youtube-shorts-clip-finder`

**Parameters:**

| Name | In | Description | Type | Required | Default | Max Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| `videoUrls` | body | Podcasts, interviews, streams or talks: a video URL or ID, a playlist URL, or a channel URL / @handle (its newest videos are used). | array of strings | No | - | - |
| `clipsPerVideo` | body | How many of the best moments to return for each video. | integer | No | - | - |
| `minClipSeconds` | body | Shortest clip to return. | integer | No | - | - |
| `maxClipSeconds` | body | Longest clip. 55-60 for YouTube Shorts and Reels, up to 180 for TikTok. | integer | No | - | - |
| `minViralityScore` | body | Skip weaker moments. 0 returns all requested clips. | integer | No | - | - |
| `hashtags` | body | Your own hashtags added to every suggestion, e.g. #podcast. | array of strings | No | - | - |
| `includeSrt` | body | Ready-to-use subtitles for every clip, timed from 0. | boolean | No | - | - |
| `languages` | body | Preferred caption languages, e.g. en, es, de. Falls back to any available language. | array of strings | No | - | - |
| `maxVideosPerSource` | body | How many of the newest videos to take from each playlist or channel. | integer | No | - | - |
| `maxItems` | body | Hard limit on how many clips the run saves (and you pay for). | integer | No | `20` | 100 |

**Example Request:**

```bash
curl -X POST 'https://prod.api.market/api/v1/martindata/youtube-shorts-api/m/youtube-shorts-clip-finder' \
  -H 'x-api-market-key: YOUR_API_KEY' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
  "videoUrls": [
    "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc",
    "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arj7oStGLkU"
  ],
  "clipsPerVideo": 2,
  "minClipSeconds": 20,
  "maxClipSeconds": 55,
  "minViralityScore": 0,
  "includeSrt": true,
  "languages": [
    "en"
  ],
  "maxVideosPerSource": 1,
  "maxItems": 3
}'
```

**Example Response (200 OK):**

```json
{
  "count": 3,
  "items": [
    {
      "channelName": "Stanford",
      "clipUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc&t=351s",
      "durationSeconds": 36.8,
      "embedUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/embed/UF8uR6Z6KLc?start=351&end=389",
      "endSeconds": 388.7,
      "hook": "We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees.",
      "language": "en",
      "rank": 1,
      "scrapedAt": "2026-11-01T20:51:49Z",
      "srt": "1\n00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,360\nWe worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of\n\n2\n00:00:03,360 --> 00:00:07,680\nus in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees....",
      "startSeconds": 351.9,
      "suggestedHashtags": [
        "#company",
        "#apple"
      ],
      "suggestedTitle": "How can you get fired from a company you started?",
      "transcript": "We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation the Macintosh a year ea...",
      "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc&t=351s",
      "videoId": "UF8uR6Z6KLc",
      "videoTitle": "Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address",
      "videoUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc",
      "viralityScore": 10,
      "whyThisClip": "strong opening line, concrete numbers, emotional words, a twist/contrast, a question that creates curiosity, ends on a complete thought, fast, clear pace"
    },
    {
      "channelName": "Stanford",
      "clipUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc&t=434s",
      "durationSeconds": 35.1,
      "embedUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/embed/UF8uR6Z6KLc?start=434&end=471",
      "endSeconds": 470,
      "hook": "I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me.",
      "language": "en",
      "rank": 2,
      "scrapedAt": "2026-11-01T20:51:49Z",
      "srt": "1\n00:00:00,010 --> 00:00:03,010\nI didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from\n\n2\n00:00:03,010 --> 00:00:05,420\nApple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me.\n\n3\n00:00:...",
      "startSeconds": 434.9,
      "suggestedHashtags": [
        "#successful",
        "#next"
      ],
      "suggestedTitle": "I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired…",
      "transcript": "I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a...",
      "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc&t=434s",
      "videoId": "UF8uR6Z6KLc",
      "videoTitle": "Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address",
      "videoUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc",
      "viralityScore": 6.9,
      "whyThisClip": "strong opening line, emotional words, a twist/contrast, ends on a complete thought, fast, clear pace"
    }
  ]
}
```

#### 2. Get Shorts captions

Returns the captions of each Short, or of the latest Shorts of each channel, as SRT, VTT and text. The response is `{"count": N, "items": [...]}` with one object per result.

**Method:** `POST`

**Endpoint:** `/m/youtube-shorts-captions`

**Parameters:**

| Name | In | Description | Type | Required | Default | Max Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| `shortsUrls` | body | Shorts URLs or IDs, or channel URLs / @handles (their newest Shorts are used). | array of strings | No | - | - |
| `maxShortsPerChannel` | body | How many of the newest Shorts to take from each channel. | integer | No | - | - |
| `languages` | body | Preferred caption languages, e.g. en, es. Falls back to any language. | array of strings | No | - | - |
| `translateTo` | body | Language code to translate captions into using YouTube translation, e.g. en. | string | No | - | - |
| `hashtags` | body | Your hashtags added to every suggested caption. | array of strings | No | - | - |
| `maxItems` | body | Hard limit on saved results (and cost). | integer | No | `20` | 100 |

**Example Request:**

```bash
curl -X POST 'https://prod.api.market/api/v1/martindata/youtube-shorts-api/m/youtube-shorts-captions' \
  -H 'x-api-market-key: YOUR_API_KEY' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
  "shortsUrls": [
    "https://www.youtube.com/@TED"
  ],
  "maxShortsPerChannel": 2,
  "languages": [
    "en"
  ],
  "maxItems": 3
}'
```

**Example Response (200 OK):**

```json
{
  "count": 2,
  "items": [
    {
      "channelName": "TED",
      "channelUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAuUUnT6oDeKwE6v1NGQxug",
      "durationSeconds": 40.2,
      "hook": "You are out to dinner with a friend.",
      "isAutoGenerated": true,
      "language": "English (auto-generated)",
      "languageCode": "en",
      "scrapedAt": "2026-11-01T20:52:12Z",
      "sentences": [
        {
          "start": 0,
          "text": "You are out to dinner with a friend. As the evening wraps up, you learn your friend took care of the bill. Do you A."
        },
        {
          "start": 5.8,
          "text": "Thank them and let it be a gift. B."
        }
      ],
      "srt": "1\n00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,320\nYou are out to dinner with a friend. As\n\n2\n00:00:01,800 --> 00:00:05,800\nthe evening wraps up, you learn your\n\n3\n00:00:03,320 --> 00:00:07,960\nfriend took care of the b...",
      "suggestedCaption": "Would you let your friend pay for dinner? #TEDTalks\n\n#friend #time #dinner #gift #insist #paying",
      "suggestedHashtags": [
        "#friend",
        "#time"
      ],
      "text": "You are out to dinner with a friend. As the evening wraps up, you learn your friend took care of the bill. Do you A. Thank them and let it be a gift. B. Insist on paying. Or C. Plan to treat them next...",
      "title": "Would you let your friend pay for dinner? #TEDTalks",
      "url": "https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Uhk5S8rByUk",
      "videoId": "Uhk5S8rByUk",
      "vtt": "WEBVTT\n\n00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.320\nYou are out to dinner with a friend. As\n\n00:00:01.800 --> 00:00:05.800\nthe evening wraps up, you learn your\n\n00:00:03.320 --> 00:00:07.960\nfriend took care of the...",
      "wordCount": 143,
      "wordsPerSecond": 3.56
    },
    {
      "channelName": "TED",
      "channelUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAuUUnT6oDeKwE6v1NGQxug",
      "durationSeconds": 144.3,
      "hook": "The top 1% of Americans control as much wealth as the entire bottom 90% of the country combined.",
      "isAutoGenerated": true,
      "language": "English (auto-generated)",
      "languageCode": "en",
      "scrapedAt": "2026-11-01T20:52:18Z",
      "sentences": [
        {
          "start": 0,
          "text": "The top 1% of Americans control as much wealth as the entire bottom 90% of the country combined."
        },
        {
          "start": 13.32,
          "text": "And according to one source, CEOs now make 281 times more than average workers."
        }
      ],
      "srt": "1\n00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:07,680\nThe top 1% of Americans control as much\n\n2\n00:00:04,040 --> 00:00:13,320\nwealth as the entire\n\n3\n00:00:07,680 --> 00:00:16,640\nbottom 90% of the country combined.\n\n4\n00...",
      "suggestedCaption": "Authoritarianism isn’t winning, democracy is failing, says Sally Kohn #TEDTalks\n\n#democracy #times #means #something #country #equal",
      "suggestedHashtags": [
        "#democracy",
        "#times"
      ],
      "text": "The top 1% of Americans control as much wealth as the entire bottom 90% of the country combined. And according to one source, CEOs now make 281 times more than average workers. 281 times more? What th...",
      "title": "Authoritarianism isn’t winning, democracy is failing, says Sally Kohn #TEDTalks",
      "url": "https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ZVGS33A0nK0",
      "videoId": "ZVGS33A0nK0",
      "vtt": "WEBVTT\n\n00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.680\nThe top 1% of Americans control as much\n\n00:00:04.040 --> 00:00:13.320\nwealth as the entire\n\n00:00:07.680 --> 00:00:16.640\nbottom 90% of the country combined.\n\n00...",
      "wordCount": 250,
      "wordsPerSecond": 1.73
    }
  ]
}
```

## Status Codes

| Code | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 200 | OK | The request succeeded and the response body holds the result. |
| 400 | Bad Request | The body is not valid JSON or no video or Shorts URL was given. |
| 401 | Unauthorized | The `x-api-market-key` header is missing or the key is not valid. |
| 403 | Forbidden | Your key is valid but has no active subscription to this API, or your plan quota is used up. |
| 404 | Not Found | The path does not exist. Check the endpoint path against this page. |
| 429 | Too Many Requests | You sent more than your plan's per-second limit (10 requests per second). Wait and retry, honouring the `Retry-After` header when present. |
| 500 | Internal Server Error | An unexpected error on the provider side. Retry after a short wait. |
| 503 | Service Unavailable | YouTube could not be reached, or the video has no captions. Retry later. |

## Rate Limits

Each plan has a per-second limit (10 requests per second on every plan) and a monthly call quota shown on the pricing page. Requests over the per-second limit get a 429 response. Throttle your client, back off when you get a 429, and honour the `Retry-After` header when it is present. Each call collects live data, so it can take from a few seconds to about 30 seconds; set your client timeout to at least 60 seconds.

## FAQ

*   **Does the clip finder cut the video?**

    No. It returns timestamps and captions; you cut the clip in your own editor.

*   **Can I pass a channel to the captions endpoint?**

    Yes. Pass a channel URL in `shortsUrls` and set `maxShortsPerChannel`.

*   **How many results does one call return?**

    Up to `maxItems` results (20 by default, up to 100 per request).

*   **Is the data live?**

    Yes. Each call collects fresh data, and every item carries a `scrapedAt` time.

## Contact Us

If you have any questions or need assistance, you can reach out to us through the embedded chat on the bottom right corner of the page or send an email to hello@magicapi.com.


Find the best Shorts moments in long YouTube videos with timestamps, hooks and virality scores, and download Shorts captions as SRT, VTT and text.

YouTube Shorts API: Viral Clip Finder and SRT Captions

PAYG

martindata

Free

Find the best Shorts/Reels/TikTok moments in any long YouTube video (timestamps, hook, virality score, title, hashtags, SRT) and get captions of any Short as 