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Summaries and chapters

How to read, shape, copy and share a summary, how chapters work in the app and on YouTube, and what to do when something looks off.

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What you get

Every analysis gives you the same two things, from the same transcript:

  • The Summary tab. A short opening on what the video covers and who it is for, then Key Takeaways, then a summary of each section in the order it happens.
  • The Contents tab. Chapters with a short title and a note on what happens there. Some carry a label: Potential sponsor, Potential ad, or Likely to answer the title. When a title promises much more than the video delivers, a Potential clickbait note may appear at the top.

Instagram, TikTok and uploaded files under 3 minutes open on the Summary tab with no Contents tab, since there is little to jump between.

Change the style of your summaries

  1. Open Settings. In the web app, click Settings in the sidebar, then Summary prompt.
  2. Write your instructions. Use the Custom summary instructions box, up to 500 characters. For example: "Use short bullets" or "Skip sponsor segments". It saves by itself.
  3. Run a video. Your instructions apply to the section summaries of every video you run after that. They don't change the opening or the Key Takeaways, and Bulk Summaries ignores them.

The box is saved in your browser, so set it again on another computer. In the extension, the same kind of box sits in Settings under Add Your Own API Key, which only paid plans see. There is no length setting: the opening is the short version, and the sections are the long one.

Use chapters

  • Jump around. Click a chapter and the player moves there. In the extension it moves the YouTube tab.
  • Markers on YouTube. The extension draws chapter dots on YouTube's progress bar, in your browser only. To hide them, open the extension's Settings and switch off Chapter markers on YouTube.
  • Your own video description. In the web app, choose Copy, then Chapters for YouTube. You get one line per chapter, starting at 0:00, which YouTube needs. YouTube also needs at least three chapters, so add one by hand if a short video comes back with two.
  • Instagram and TikTok. Those sites don't let Claras move their player. Use the times with the Watch on Instagram or Watch on TikTok link.

Copy, download and share

In the web app, Copy, then Summary puts it on your clipboard, and Download, then Summary saves a text file. Share makes a public link, or posts it to X, LinkedIn, WhatsApp or email. Files you uploaded get no public link. In the extension, the Summary tab has Download PDF and Share, with Copy as Markdown and Copy as plain text.

The Comments tab

On YouTube videos, the Comments tab reads up to 100 of the top comments and sums up the mood, what people praised, what they complained about and the questions they ask. It is part of the paid plans. Free accounts see a locked preview. A video with fewer than 10 comments shows them as written, with no summary.

Run a video again

A summary can't be edited, and chapters can't be renamed or moved in Claras. For a fresh version, or to read it in another language, run the video again. In the web app, paste the link again. In the extension, use Regenerate AI Analysis under Tools in Settings. A new run can count as another video on the free and Pro plans. History keeps the earlier version.

If something looks wrong

  • "Could not analyze this video. Please try again." The AI step failed. Try again. Nothing is counted until a summary is saved.
  • A message saying you hit a rate limit. Too many requests at once. Wait a moment and try again.
  • Sections but no opening or takeaways. The last step failed, and you still got the section summaries. Run the video again for the full version.
  • A thin summary. Claras reads what is said. Slides, code and anything only shown on screen are invisible to it, so a mostly silent video gets little.
  • A wrong name, or a point pinned on the wrong person. The summary repeats mistakes in the captions, and captions rarely say who is speaking. Check the transcript before you quote it.
  • Only a few chapters. Topics mentioned in passing are skipped, and each chapter must last a minimum time. A video that stays on one subject gets fewer, longer chapters.
  • A chapter starts a little early or late. Each one starts on the caption line where the AI judged the topic begins, and caption lines last a few seconds.
  • Parts missing while using your own API key. Your provider refused some requests. See AI models and keys.

Still need help?

Questions, bug reports and billing all go to one inbox, and every message is read by a person. Write from the contact page and include your account email, the video link, and the exact message you saw. That makes it much faster to help.

AI summariesHow a summary is built, with a worked example.AI chaptersHow chapters are made and checked.Ask AI and bulkAsk about what the summary left out.Export and Send to AIFiles, copies and share links.

The Comments tab and AI transcription for long videos come with the paid plans. Compare plans.