#!/usr/bin/env python3 """Clean YouTube auto-caption VTT into a flat SRT with no rolling-window dupes.""" import re, sys, pathlib def parse_vtt(text): """Yield (start, end, line) tuples, dropping inline timing tags and empty lines.""" blocks = re.split(r'\n\n+', text.strip()) for b in blocks: if 'WEBVTT' in b or b.startswith('Kind:') or b.startswith('Language:'): continue m = re.search(r'(\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}[.,]\d{3})\s*-->\s*(\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}[.,]\d{3})', b) if not m: continue start, end = m.group(1), m.group(2) # Strip cue settings and inline <00:..>... tags body = b[m.end():].strip() body = re.sub(r'<\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}\.\d{3}>', '', body) body = re.sub(r']*>', '', body) body = re.sub(r'align:\S+|position:\S+', '', body).strip() # Last non-empty line is "new" content (rolling window puts the freshly spoken line at bottom) lines = [ln.strip() for ln in body.split('\n') if ln.strip()] if not lines: continue yield start, end, lines[-1] def to_srt_time(t): return t.replace('.', ',') def merge(events): """Drop the 10ms 'gap' cues and merge consecutive identical text.""" out = [] for s, e, txt in events: # Skip the bridge cue with same text already on top if out and out[-1][2] == txt: out[-1] = (out[-1][0], to_srt_time(e), txt) # extend continue out.append([to_srt_time(s), to_srt_time(e), txt]) # second pass to drop micro-cues final = [] for s, e, txt in out: sh, sm, ssms = s.split(':'); ssec, sms = ssms.split(',') eh, em, esms = e.split(':'); esec, ems = esms.split(',') sm_total = int(sh)*3600+int(sm)*60+int(ssec)+int(sms)/1000 em_total = int(eh)*3600+int(em)*60+int(esec)+int(ems)/1000 if em_total - sm_total < 0.05: continue # 50ms bridge cue final.append((s, e, txt)) return final def write_srt(events, path): with open(path, 'w') as f: for i, (s, e, txt) in enumerate(events, 1): f.write(f"{i}\n{s} --> {e}\n{txt}\n\n") if __name__ == '__main__': vtt = pathlib.Path(sys.argv[1]).read_text() events = list(merge(parse_vtt(vtt))) write_srt(events, sys.argv[2]) print(f"wrote {len(events)} cues -> {sys.argv[2]}")