Transcript Search

FastDrop lets you search across all transcribed videos in a batch using keyword, semantic, or hybrid search. Search is free (0 credits per query) after the initial transcription cost.

How it works

Transcribe your videos using the /transcribe endpoint or include transcribe in batch capabilities
Search the batch using POST /v1/batch/{id}/search

Each transcribed video is broken into timestamped segments. When you search, FastDrop finds the segments that match your query and returns them with the video filename, timestamps, and a relevance score.

Search works on any transcribed batch. Classification is not required. You can transcribe and search without ever running classify.

Search modes

Keyword

Full-text search using PostgreSQL with language-aware stemming. Best for finding exact phrases, names, or specific terms.

{
  "query": "machine learning",
  "mode": "keyword"
}

Semantic

Embedding-based similarity search. Understands meaning, not just words. Best for finding topics discussed in different phrasing.

{
  "query": "how to improve video quality",
  "mode": "semantic"
}

Hybrid (default)

Combines keyword and semantic search with score fusion (0.4 keyword + 0.6 semantic). Best overall accuracy for most queries.

{
  "query": "color grading tips",
  "mode": "hybrid"
}

Multilingual search

When videos are transcribed with translation enabled, each segment is stored in both the source language and English. This means you can:

Search Arabic footage using English queries
Search Japanese interviews for English keywords
Find content across languages in a single query

Semantic search searches all languages by default. Keyword search works across both source and translated text.

Credit costs

Action	Credits
Transcribe a video (standalone)	5
Transcribe for search (batch add-on)	3/video
Search query	0

Code examples

Search a batch

import httpx

API_KEY = "fd_live_your_key_here"
BATCH_ID = "a1b2c3d4-5678-90ab-cdef-1234567890ab"

response = httpx.post(
    f"https://api.fastdrop.io/api/v1/batch/{BATCH_ID}/search",
    headers={"X-API-Key": API_KEY},
    json={
        "query": "talking about deadlines",
        "mode": "hybrid",
        "max_results": 10,
    },
)

data = response.json()
for result in data["results"]:
    print(f'{result["filename"]} [{result["start_time"]:.1f}s - {result["end_time"]:.1f}s]')
    print(f'  "{result["text"]}"')
    print(f'  Score: {result["relevance_score"]}, Language: {result["language"]}')

const API_KEY = "fd_live_your_key_here";
const BATCH_ID = "a1b2c3d4-5678-90ab-cdef-1234567890ab";

const response = await fetch(
  `https://api.fastdrop.io/api/v1/batch/${BATCH_ID}/search`,
  {
    method: "POST",
    headers: {
      "Content-Type": "application/json",
      "X-API-Key": API_KEY,
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      query: "talking about deadlines",
      mode: "hybrid",
      max_results: 10,
    }),
  }
);

const data = await response.json();
for (const result of data.results) {
  console.log(`${result.filename} [${result.start_time}s - ${result.end_time}s]`);
  console.log(`  "${result.text}"`);
  console.log(`  Score: ${result.relevance_score}, Language: ${result.language}`);
}

Example response

{
  "query": "talking about deadlines",
  "total_results": 3,
  "results": [
    {
      "video_id": "f8e7d6c5-...",
      "filename": "GH010087.MP4",
      "role": null,
      "start_time": 42.5,
      "end_time": 49.2,
      "text": "We need to push the deadline back by at least two weeks.",
      "relevance_score": 0.8721,
      "match_type": "hybrid",
      "language": "en",
      "thumbnail_url": "https://storage.fastdrop.io/thumbs/..."
    }
  ]
}

Response fields

Field	Type	Description
`video_id`	string	UUID of the matched video
`filename`	string	Original filename
`role`	string \| null	Classification role (null if not classified)
`start_time`	float	Segment start time in seconds
`end_time`	float	Segment end time in seconds
`text`	string	Transcript text of the matched segment
`relevance_score`	float	0.0 to 1.0 relevance score
`match_type`	string	`keyword`, `semantic`, or `hybrid`
`language`	string	ISO 639-1 code of the segment language
`thumbnail_url`	string \| null	Video thumbnail URL

What works well

Finding specific topics discussed across many videos
Locating quotes or key moments by content
Searching multilingual footage in English
Building searchable archives of interviews, lectures, or meetings

Limitations

Search requires transcription first — silent or music-only videos won’t have searchable content
Domain-specific jargon may affect keyword search accuracy
Semantic search works best with natural language queries, not single keywords

Error responses

Status	Code	Meaning
404	Batch not found	Batch doesn’t exist or doesn’t belong to your API key
409	Batch not completed	Batch is still processing — wait for completion
400	Search not enabled	Batch was not transcribed with search enabled

Get Started

Understanding video defects

Guides

Transcript Search

How it works

Search modes

Keyword

Semantic

Hybrid (default)

Multilingual search

Credit costs

Code examples

Search a batch

Example response

Response fields

What works well

Limitations

Error responses

​How it works

​Search modes

​Keyword

​Semantic

​Hybrid (default)

​Multilingual search

​Credit costs

​Code examples

​Search a batch

​Example response

​Response fields

​What works well

​Limitations

​Error responses

How it works

Search modes

Keyword

Semantic

Hybrid (default)

Multilingual search

Credit costs

Code examples

Search a batch

Example response

Response fields

What works well

Limitations

Error responses