Search FAQs

Filmot indexes individual YouTube videos, so a channel can be listed while some of its videos are missing or have no searchable subtitles. Coverage is substantial but incomplete: Filmot cannot collect and index the captions of every video on YouTube.

Subtitle search and metadata search have different indexing criteria:

• Subtitle search: coverage is selective and favors more popular videos, and the priorities can change over time. Videos with few views may therefore have no indexed subtitles, captions or transcripts.
• Metadata search: there is no minimum view count. Filmot collects the video details it can discover, including records without subtitles. A half-star Partial data icon marks videos that were found but never fully crawled.

Patreon supporters can add channels on Prioritized Channels. Their videos are indexed regardless of view count, improving coverage in both indexes. The available slots depend on tier: Official Patron 1, Silver Patron 4 and VIP Patron 15. Captions must still be available and accessible on YouTube; priority indexing does not generate transcripts or provide access to restricted content.

To inspect a channel's coverage, select it in Metadata search. The AutoSubs and ManualSubs columns show which subtitle languages Filmot has collected for each video.

Select the channel in Metadata search, or find it through Channel Search and open its Filmot channel page. These listings show the videos Filmot has discovered; they do not guarantee complete coverage of every upload.

In metadata results, AutoSubs and ManualSubs list the subtitle languages collected for each video. An empty column means no captions of that type are indexed. A half-star Partial data icon identifies an incomplete video record.

On a channel page, Metadata/Sort opens that channel's videos in metadata search ordered by upload date, view count or duration. You can also sort the metadata table by Last fetch in either direction. This indicates when Filmot last encountered information about the video; it does not necessarily mean that its statistics or subtitles were updated then, or that this was its first indexing date.

If the channel is missing from subtitle lookup, try metadata search instead. The home-page and subtitle-search lookup only includes channels with searchable captions; metadata and unlisted search include known channels without them.

Patreon supporters can submit a channel on Prioritized Channels for better coverage. If it is already in the priority list, the page says so and does not add it again; otherwise it is placed in the priority queue.

No. Filmot does not provide a submission form for playlist links, individual video IDs or missing video details, and it is not set up to ingest user-supplied records for indexing. Its API also has no endpoint for requesting a video recrawl.

Patreon supporters can add whole channels on Prioritized Channels, using a name, @handle or UC channel ID. Priority indexing improves coverage regardless of view count; it is a channel-level feature rather than a way to submit individual videos.

Filmot's discovery of unlisted videos is incomplete, and it cannot guarantee that any particular unlisted video will be found.

Filmot stores snapshots of subtitles collected when a video was accessible. The stored text may differ from the captions currently available on YouTube; Filmot does not generate its own transcripts.

Captions added or regenerated later may not yet appear in Filmot. Conversely, previously collected text may remain even if YouTube subsequently changes or disables the caption track.

Patreon channel prioritization can improve coverage of newly accessible captions but cannot generate them.

Filmot's basic search features are free. You do not need a Patreon subscription or an account to search subtitles, captions, transcripts and video metadata, or to export results within the standard limits. Anonymous visitors and accounts without patron benefits can export up to 60 rows from subtitle search or 100 rows from metadata search. An account is required for saved searches, private video notes and API keys.

Sign in with your linked Patreon account to receive supporter benefits. Official Patron, Silver Patron and VIP Patron members receive:

• Priority indexing for channels you add on Prioritized Channels: 1, 4 or 15 active channels, respectively. You can change your selections later.
• Larger exports: up to 10,000 rows per export, or 2,500 when full subtitles are included, with stored video descriptions.
• A larger monthly API credit allowance, according to tier.
• More saved searches with automatic daily email digests: 5, 18 or 60, respectively, compared with 1 without patron benefits.
• No captchas on searches.

Abusing the access provided with a Patreon linked account may limit benefits. Verification may still be required for other actions, such as signing in or using the contact form. You can check the recognized Patreon Tier on Settings and support the project through the support page.

Patreon supporters can add channels to the priority indexing queue on Prioritized Channels. Sign in with your linked Patreon account, search for a channel by name and select a suggestion, or paste @handles or UC channel IDs. You can also submit a list. A channel does not need to be in Filmot already, but it must still be accessible on YouTube.

Priority indexing includes the channel's videos regardless of view count and picks up new uploads faster. It improves coverage in both subtitle search and metadata search, particularly for smaller channels whose videos would not normally meet the subtitle crawling threshold. Supporting Filmot does not automatically prioritize a channel: you need to add it to your list. Captions must still exist on YouTube and be accessible for Filmot to collect them; prioritization cannot create missing subtitles or guarantee discovery of every unlisted video.

The number of channels you can keep active at once depends on your tier:

• Official Patron: 1 channel.
• Silver Patron: 4 channels.
• VIP Patron: 15 channels.

The page shows your quota and remaining slots. Very large channels may require additional review before they are added.

To change your selection, remove a channel from the list to free a slot, then add another. Videos already indexed remain in Filmot; future uploads from the removed channel follow the normal indexing criteria without priority. Priority affects indexing speed and coverage, rather than the channel's ranking in search results.