Workflow Overview: This Zapier workflow automates the process of summarizing newly uploaded YouTube videos and saving those summaries into Notion usingVideoDB. The goal is to create an end-to-end pipeline that detects channel uploads, sends videos to VideoDB for indexing, requests an automated summary, and stores the Markdown-formatted summary as a new Notion page.
Goals
Automatically detect new YouTube uploads on a specific channel. Upload and index each new video in VideoDB and tag it with a target label (e.g., YT summary). Generate a Markdown-formatted summary of the indexed video using VideoDB. Create a new Notion page containing the summary and relevant metadata for easy storage and reference. Prerequisites
A Zapier account to create and manage the two workflows (zaps). Access to VideoDB with an active API key. A Notion account and a parent Notion page (e.g., YouTube video summaries) where new pages will be created. The YouTube channel ID (Zapier expects the channel ID; a converter/tool may be required if you only have a handle or @name). Basic familiarity with Zapier actions (triggers, async jobs, delay/flow control) and dynamic field mapping. Detailed Steps
Workflow 1: YouTube Upload → VideoDB Upload & Index
Create a new Zap with the trigger New Video in Channel (YouTube). Provide the correct YouTube channel ID (note: YouTube sometimes shows handles/@names — convert to the required channel ID if necessary). Test the trigger to ensure Zapier can fetch a recent video from the channel. Upload & Index with VideoDB Add a Zapier action: VideoDB → Upload an Index job. Authenticate using your VideoDB API key (retrieve from the VideoDB console / Access Control). Map fields: video title, video URL (YouTube link), and a descriptive prompt (e.g., “informative video — summarize accordingly”). Set a target label (e.g., YT summary) so VideoDB knows which downstream workflow(s) to trigger when indexing completes. Test the step and confirm VideoDB returns a Job ID (indexing is asynchronous). Activate (publish) the zap so that every new upload on the specified channel triggers this upload/index job automatically. Workflow 2: VideoDB Done → Summarize → Notion Page
Create a second Zap with trigger New video uploaded & indexed from VideoDB. Filter by the same target label (YT summary) to ensure only relevant indexing jobs trigger this workflow. Test to obtain a sample payload (includes video_id, stream/download URLs, length, etc.). Request Video Summarization Add an action: VideoDB → Summarize Video. Use the dynamic video_id from the VideoDB trigger (do not use a static video id). Provide a summarization prompt tailored for Notion, for example: “Summarize the technical content of this video. Provide the final notes in Markdown format suitable for Notion.” Run the step — VideoDB returns a summary job id because summarization is asynchronous. Wait / Poll for Completion Insert a Zapier Delay (Flow Control) — e.g., Delay for 3 minutes — to allow time for the async summarization job. After the delay, add VideoDB → Check Job Status and pass the summary job id (dynamic). Test the check step; once complete it will return the summarized text (already formatted per the prompt). Add an action: Notion → Create Page under the parent page YouTube video summaries. Authenticate and grant Zapier access to that Notion page. Title: map dynamically from the original YouTube upload (video name from the first trigger). Body/content: use the Markdown summary returned by the VideoDB Check Job Status step (Notion supports Markdown import). Optionally map metadata (video URL, video length, VideoDB job id) into properties or content for traceability. Test creating the page to confirm formatting and placement are correct. Activate (publish) the zap so VideoDB completion events automatically trigger summarization and Notion page creation. Links to workflows:
Generate and Store YouTube Video Summaries in Notion