Podcast Generator Skill

Use this skill when converting blog posts to podcast audio or generating TTS-optimized transcripts for enhanced audio quality.

What I Do

• •Creates TTS-optimized transcripts for better audio quality
• •Generates podcast audio files using Kokoro TTS engine
• •Supports both English and Traditional Chinese posts
• •Automatically updates RSS feeds for podcast distribution
• •Manages multi-language podcast feeds

When to Use Me

Use this skill when you need to:

• •Convert blog posts to podcast audio
• •Generate TTS-optimized transcripts
• •Create multilingual podcast content
• •Update podcast feeds
• •Improve audio quality for specific posts
• •Troubleshoot podcast generation issues

Key Features

• •Multi-language support: Automatic English and Chinese processing
• •TTS optimization: Create transcripts optimized for natural speech
• •Transcript management: Support for language-specific and generic transcripts
• •RSS feed generation: Automatic feed updates for podcast distribution
• •Auto chunking: Handles long posts with automatic audio chunking
• •Voice configuration: Customizable voices for different languages

Quick Start

Basic Generation

uv run podcast-generate --posts "my-post-slug"

Force Regeneration

uv run podcast-generate --posts "my-post-slug" --force

All Posts

uv run podcast-generate --all

Transcript Management

File Organization

Place transcripts in: src/content/blog/transcripts/

Naming conventions:

• •slug.en.txt - English transcript (preferred)
• •slug.zh-hant.txt - Chinese transcript (preferred)
• •slug.txt - Generic transcript (fallback)

Transcript Priority

1. •Language-specific (if exists)
2. •Generic (if exists)
3. •Auto-derived from post markdown

Creating Transcripts

Convert blog post markdown to spoken text:

• •Remove markdown syntax (headers, lists, code fences)
• •Describe code blocks in plain language
• •Expand abbreviations ("e.g." → "for example")
• •Add natural punctuation for pauses
• •Keep sentences short for better pacing

Output Structure

public/podcasts/
├── feed.xml                    # Main feed (all languages)
├── post-slug.mp3              # English audio
├── post-slug.zh-hant.mp3      # Chinese audio
├── en/
│   └── feed.xml               # English-specific feed
└── zh-hant/
    └── feed.xml               # Chinese-specific feed

Language Support

English:

• •Voice: af_sarah
• •Model: Kokoro v1.0
• •Auto-detected from lang: "en"

Traditional Chinese:

• •Default voice: zf_001 (female)
• •Alternative: zm_009 (male)
• •Model: Kokoro v1.1-zh
• •Auto-detected from lang: "zh-hant"
• •90+ voice options available

Verification Commands

# Check audio file
ls -lh public/podcasts/post-slug*.mp3

# Verify duration
ffprobe public/podcasts/post-slug.mp3 2>&1 | grep Duration

# Check RSS feeds
grep "post-slug" public/podcasts/feed.xml
grep "post-slug" public/podcasts/en/feed.xml
grep "post-slug" public/podcasts/zh-hant/feed.xml

Troubleshooting

"Found 0 posts": Verify frontmatter YAML is valid and pubDatetime is in the past

Audio not updating: Delete existing file and use --force flag

Model download fails: Check disk space and internet connection, retry download

FFmpeg errors: Verify FFmpeg is installed and in PATH

Prerequisites

• •Python environment: uv sync
• •FFmpeg installed
• •Valid post frontmatter with proper pubDatetime
• •Write permissions to public/podcasts/

Quality Tips

• •Create transcripts for complex/technical posts
• •Use language-specific transcripts for better pronunciation
• •Listen to generated audio for quality assessment
• •Test that RSS feeds validate correctly
• •Monitor podcast subscriber feedback

Integration

Works seamlessly with:

• •Blog Writer (content creation)
• •Translator (multilingual content)
• •Fact Checker (content verification)
• •GitHub Publisher (deployment)