Distill: YouTube AI Summaries & Chat — Direct API, No Servers

Tracking since Apr 6, 2026.

Changelog

• Apr 26, 2026
  description

  *Requires your own OpenAI or Anthropic API key* 
  You bring the key, Distill does the rest. No accounts, no subscriptions, no middleman servers.
  
  Extract the full transcript from any YouTube video with captions. Get an AI-generated summary. Ask follow-up questions in a built-in chat — all in a floating panel right on YouTube.
  
  How it works:
  - Click the Distill button or the floating pill on the video page
  - The full transcript appears with timestamps
  - With an API key configured, an AI summary generates automatically
  - Ask follow-up questions in the chat below the summary
  
  Your key, your data. API calls go directly from your browser to OpenAI or Anthropic. Nothing passes through our servers because there are no servers. Your API key is stored in Chrome's encrypted storage and only sent to the provider you chose.
  
  Features:
  - Full transcript extraction with timestamps
  - AI summaries via GPT-4o, GPT-5, Claude Haiku, Sonnet, Opus, and more
  - Multi-turn chat about the video
  - Streaming responses
  - Local caching — revisit a video and everything loads instantly
  - Copy as formatted text
  - Matches YouTube's light/dark theme
  - Entirely in-page, no disruptive popups
  
  What it costs:
  The extension is free. Transcript extraction is free. AI features use your API key at your provider's rates — typically a cent per summary depending on the model used.
  
  Setup:
  1. Install the extension
  2. Open settings and paste your API key
  3. Pick your model
  4. Click Distill on any YouTube video

  *Requires your own OpenAI or Anthropic API key* 
  You bring the key, Distill does the rest. No accounts, no subscriptions, no middleman servers.
  
  Extract the full transcript from any YouTube video with captions. Get an AI-generated summary. Ask follow-up questions in a built-in chat — all in a floating panel right on YouTube.
  
  How it works:
  - Click the Distill button or the floating pill on the video page
  - The full transcript appears with timestamps
  - With an API key configured, an AI summary generates automatically
  - Ask follow-up questions in the chat below the summary
  
  Your key, your data. API calls go directly from your browser to OpenAI or Anthropic. Nothing passes through our servers because there are no servers. Your API key is stored in Chrome's encrypted storage and only sent to the provider you chose.
  
  Features:
  - Full transcript extraction with timestamps
  - AI summaries via GPT-4o, GPT-5, Claude Haiku, Sonnet, Opus, and more
  - Multi-turn chat about the video
  - Streaming responses
  - Local caching — revisit a video and everything loads instantly
  - Copy as formatted text
  - Matches YouTube's light/dark theme
  - Entirely in-page, no disruptive popups
  
  What it costs:
  The extension is free. Transcript extraction is free. AI features use your API key at your provider's rates — typically a cent per summary depending on the model used. The code is fully open sourced: https://github.com/jon-builds/distill
  
  Setup:
  1. Install the extension
  2. Open settings and paste your API key
  3. Pick your model
  4. Click Distill on any YouTube video

• Apr 19, 2026
  description

  *Requires your own OpenAI or Anthropic API key* You bring the key, Distill does the rest. No accounts, no subscriptions, no middleman servers.
  
  Extract the full transcript from any YouTube video with captions. Get an AI-generated summary. Ask follow-up questions in a built-in chat — all in a floating panel right on YouTube.
  
  How it works:
  - Click the Distill button or the floating pill on the video page
  - The full transcript appears with timestamps
  - With an API key configured, an AI summary generates automatically
  - Ask follow-up questions in the chat below the summary
  
  Your key, your data. API calls go directly from your browser to OpenAI or Anthropic. Nothing passes through our servers because there are no servers. Your API key is stored in Chrome's encrypted storage and only sent to the provider you chose.
  
  Features:
  - Full transcript extraction with timestamps
  - AI summaries via GPT-4o, GPT-5, Claude Haiku, Sonnet, Opus, and more
  - Multi-turn chat about the video
  - Streaming responses
  - Local caching — revisit a video and everything loads instantly
  - Copy as formatted text
  - Matches YouTube's light/dark theme
  - Entirely in-page, no disruptive popups
  
  What it costs:
  The extension is free. Transcript extraction is free. AI features use your API key at your provider's rates — typically a cent per summary depending on the model used.
  
  Setup:
  1. Install the extension
  2. Open settings and paste your API key
  3. Pick your model
  4. Click Distill on any YouTube video

  *Requires your own OpenAI or Anthropic API key* 
  You bring the key, Distill does the rest. No accounts, no subscriptions, no middleman servers.
  
  Extract the full transcript from any YouTube video with captions. Get an AI-generated summary. Ask follow-up questions in a built-in chat — all in a floating panel right on YouTube.
  
  How it works:
  - Click the Distill button or the floating pill on the video page
  - The full transcript appears with timestamps
  - With an API key configured, an AI summary generates automatically
  - Ask follow-up questions in the chat below the summary
  
  Your key, your data. API calls go directly from your browser to OpenAI or Anthropic. Nothing passes through our servers because there are no servers. Your API key is stored in Chrome's encrypted storage and only sent to the provider you chose.
  
  Features:
  - Full transcript extraction with timestamps
  - AI summaries via GPT-4o, GPT-5, Claude Haiku, Sonnet, Opus, and more
  - Multi-turn chat about the video
  - Streaming responses
  - Local caching — revisit a video and everything loads instantly
  - Copy as formatted text
  - Matches YouTube's light/dark theme
  - Entirely in-page, no disruptive popups
  
  What it costs:
  The extension is free. Transcript extraction is free. AI features use your API key at your provider's rates — typically a cent per summary depending on the model used.
  
  Setup:
  1. Install the extension
  2. Open settings and paste your API key
  3. Pick your model
  4. Click Distill on any YouTube video

Permissions & access

Permissions

activeTabscriptingclipboardWritestorage

Host access

https://www.youtube.com/*, https://api.openai.com/*, https://api.anthropic.com/*

Screenshots

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