YouTube → notes
Turn YouTube videos into searchable notes
A video save is useful when you can search what was said, jump back to the moment, ask with citations, and export the transcript—without pretending every video has captions.
Start with public captions
LinkWise reads creator captions or public auto-captions. It does not download the video file and does not invent a transcript when YouTube exposes no public track.
If captions are missing or blocked, keep the save as a resource card and note that boundary—then rely on title, description, and your own notes.
From watch page to knowledge asset
- Save via extension while watching, Add dialog, or /try.
- Open Reading when processing finishes: player + timestamped transcript.
- Use keywords you confirm so Free search still finds the talk later.
- Ask with citations on Pro when you need a grounded answer from the spoken content.
- Export Markdown including the transcript when you move notes to Obsidian—see export to Obsidian.
Where this fits the product mainline
YouTube is one node type inside the same path as articles: capture → enrich → find → ask → export. It is not a separate video product.
Category framing: AI-powered bookmark knowledge base. Comparison with reading apps that prioritize queues: Readwise Reader alternative.
Limits to expect
- Public captions required for transcript generation
- Free has a monthly public-caption minute allowance; Pro removes that processing gate when billing is enabled
- Cited Ask and semantic search across the library are Pro
FAQ
- Can LinkWise transcribe audio without captions?
- Not today. Without a public caption track, LinkWise does not invent transcript text.
- Does /try work for YouTube?
- Yes for a preview when public captions are available. Saving still creates or uses your library account.
- Can I export YouTube notes to Obsidian?
- Yes. Markdown export can include timestamped transcripts when captions were processed. Website/tool cards stay out of Markdown by design.