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Summarize YouTube videos with GPT-4o-mini and Apify transcripts

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Important notice

This workflow is provided as-is. Please review and test before using in production.

1. Workflow Overview

This workflow contains community nodes that are only compatible with the self hosted version of n8n. This workflow automates summarizing YouTube videos by accepting a YouTube URL via a form, fetchi...

Best for

  • Content Creation automation workflows
  • AI Summarization automation workflows
  • intermediate n8n builders looking for reusable templates

Tools used

n8n-nodes-base.formtrigger, @apify/n8n-nodes-apify.apify, @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.chainsummarization, @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.lmchatopenai, n8n-nodes-base.set, n8n-nodes-base.stickynote

Source and attribution

This workflow is cataloged by N8N Workflows and links back to its original n8n.io source page by WeblineIndia.

Original n8n.io source

1.1 Workflow description

Title
Summarize YouTube videos with GPT-4o-mini and Apify transcripts
Workflow name
Summarize YouTube videos with GPT-4o-mini and Apify transcripts

This workflow contains community nodes that are only compatible with the self-hosted version of n8n.

This workflow automates summarizing YouTube videos by accepting a YouTube URL via a form, fetching the video transcript using Apify, and then generating a concise summary with OpenAI GPT.

Setup Instructions

Prerequisites:

  • Apify account with access to the YouTube Transcript actor.
  • OpenAI API key (for GPT-4o-mini model).
  • n8n instance with the Apify and OpenAI credentials configured.

Configuration Steps

Apify Setup:
  • Configure Apify API credentials in the Apify node.
  • Ensure the YouTube Transcript actor ID (1s7eXiaukVuOr4Ueg) is correct.
OpenAI Setup:
  • Add your OpenAI API key in the OpenAI Chat Model node.
  • Confirm model selection is set to gpt-4o-mini.

Customization

  • Modify form field to accept additional inputs if needed.
  • Adjust Apify actor input JSON in the Payload node for extra metadata extraction.
  • Customize the summarization options to tweak summary length or style.
  • Change OpenAI prompt or model parameters in the OpenAI Chat Model node for different output quality or tone.

Steps

1. On Form Submission

  • Node: Form Trigger
  • Purpose: Collect the YouTube video URL from the user via a web form.

2. Prepare Payload

  • Node: Set
  • Purpose: Format the YouTube URL and options into the JSON payload for Apify input.

3. Fetch Transcript

  • Node: Apify
  • Purpose: Run the YouTube Transcript actor to retrieve video captions and metadata.

4. Extract Captions

  • Purpose: Isolate the captions field from the Apify response for processing.

5. Summarize Transcript

  • Purpose: Generate a concise summary of the video captions.

1.2 Logical Blocks

This catalog entry is organized from the workflow JSON. The node-level section below shows the executable blocks available for review before importing the template.

2. Block-by-Block Analysis

Block 1 - On form submission

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.formTrigger - formTrigger
Config choices
Version 2.2

Block 2 - Apify

Type / Role
@apify/n8n-nodes-apify.apify - apify
Config choices
Version 1

Block 3 - Summarization Chain

Type / Role
@n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.chainSummarization - chainSummarization
Config choices
Version 2.1

Block 4 - OpenAI Chat Model

Type / Role
@n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.lmChatOpenAi - lmChatOpenAi
Config choices
Version 1.2

Block 5 - Payload

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.set - set
Config choices
Version 3.4

Block 6 - Caption

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.set - set
Config choices
Version 3.4

Block 7 - Sticky Note

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote - stickyNote
Config choices
Version 1

Block 8 - Sticky Note1

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote - stickyNote
Config choices
Version 1

3. Summary Table

Workflow Summarize YouTube videos with GPT-4o-mini and Apify transcripts
Complexity intermediate
Nodes 8
Categories Content Creation, AI Summarization
Author WeblineIndia
Published 21 Jul 2025

4. Reproducing the Workflow from Scratch

  1. 1. Download the workflow JSON

    Use the JSON export at /data/workflows/6225/6225.json as the source template for this automation.

  2. 2. Import the template into n8n

    Open n8n, import the downloaded JSON, and review each node before activating the workflow.

  3. 3. Configure credentials and variables

    Replace placeholder credentials, API keys, webhook URLs, account IDs, and environment-specific values with your own settings.

  4. 4. Test with sample data

    Run the workflow manually or in a staging workspace, inspect node output, and confirm downstream systems receive the expected data.

  5. 5. Activate and monitor

    Enable the workflow only after testing, then monitor executions, errors, and rate limits during the first production runs.

5. General Notes & Resources

Review imported nodes carefully before activation. This catalog entry is intended to help you inspect the workflow structure, understand required services, and find related templates faster.

Node names, credentials, schedules, webhook paths, and external service limits may need adjustment for your workspace.

Frequently asked questions

What does Summarize YouTube videos with GPT-4o-mini and Apify transcripts do?

This workflow contains community nodes that are only compatible with the self hosted version of n8n. This workflow automates summarizing YouTube videos by accepting a YouTube URL via a form, fetchi...

What do I need before importing this workflow?

Review the workflow JSON, configure any required credentials in n8n, and test the automation in a safe workspace before using it in production.

Can I customize this workflow?

Yes. Use the block-by-block analysis and the downloadable JSON to inspect each node, then adjust credentials, prompts, schedules, filters, or destinations for your Content Creation, AI Summarization use case.