| name | podcast |
| description | Generate a podcast episode from a published edition — two-host dialogue transcript, optional audio render via Voicebox. |
| version | 1.0 |
| updated | "2026-04-17T00:00:00.000Z" |
| tags | ["media","active"] |
| effort | medium |
| disable-model-invocation | true |
| argument-hint | [cycle-number] [format] |
/podcast — Generate a Podcast Episode
Usage
/podcast [cycle] [format]
- cycle: cycle number (e.g., 91)
- format: morning_edition (default), postgame, debrief
The Principle
The podcast is the edition heard, not read. Two hosts react to what happened in the world this cycle — the stories, the people, the texture. They're not reading articles aloud. They're having a conversation about the city.
Mags decides when to produce a podcast. Not every edition gets one.
Prerequisites
- Edition published at
editions/cycle_pulse_edition_{XX}.txt
- World summary exists:
output/world_summary_c{XX}.md
- Unified production log exists:
output/production_log_c{XX}.md (the one-true-cycle source; legacy fallback production_log_edition_c{XX}.md). Civic content lives in its ## /city-hall section (legacy production_log_city_hall_c{XX}.md).
- Newsroom memory:
docs/mags-corliss/NEWSROOM_MEMORY.md — read §Standing Editorial Conventions for character continuity + name corrections (host dialogue must not re-introduce a corrected name or mispronounce a citizen the edition already fixed).
Step 0: Production Log
Read the existing unified production log: output/production_log_c{XX}.md (legacy fallback production_log_edition_c{XX}.md). Append a new section:
## /podcast — {format}
**Started:** {timestamp}
**Format:** {Morning Edition / Postgame / Debrief}
**Hosts:** {Host 1} + {Host 2}
**Status:** IN PROGRESS
### Transcript
[filled in at Step 3]
### Audio
[filled in at Step 5 — Phase 30 pending]
Step 1: Select Format and Hosts
Read docs/media/podcast/SHOW_FORMATS.md for format details.
| Format | Hosts | When to use |
|---|
| Morning Edition | Two citizen hosts | Default — full edition review from citizen perspectives |
| Postgame | P Slayer + Anthony | After a big sports cycle — game results, roster moves |
| Debrief | Mags + Hal | When the edition needs editorial reflection |
Morning Edition host selection:
- Check the edition's CITIZEN USAGE LOG for candidates
- Look up citizen details via MCP:
lookup_citizen(name) (combines world-data card + bay-tribune appearances). See [[../../../docs/SUPERMEMORY|SUPERMEMORY]] §Search/save matrix.
- Select hosts with contrasting perspectives relevant to the lead story
- Present host picks to Mike for approval
Step 2: Assemble Inputs
The podcast agent gets:
- Edition content — first 3000-5000 words of the published edition (headlines, ledes, key details)
- World summary —
output/world_summary_c{XX}.md — the texture the hosts would notice: famous sightings, food, nightlife, weather, streaming, events
- Civic voice statements — relevant quotes from
output/civic-voice/*_c{XX}.json (if civic content matters)
- Show format — from SHOW_FORMATS.md
- Host assignments — Name, Age, Neighborhood, Occupation, Perspective for each host
Do NOT embed the full edition. 3000-5000 words is enough. The agent can Read the full file if it needs deeper quotes.
No calendar dates. Cycle references only.
Step 3: Launch Podcast Agent
Launch using the podcast-desk subagent:
subagent_type: podcast-desk
prompt: |
Write a podcast transcript for Edition {XX}.
**SHOW FORMAT**
{format section from SHOW_FORMATS.md}
**HOST ASSIGNMENTS**
Host 1 (Person1): {Name}, {Age}, {Neighborhood}, {Occupation}. {Perspective}.
Host 2 (Person2): {Name}, {Age}, {Neighborhood}, {Occupation}. {Perspective}.
**EDITION HIGHLIGHTS**
{first 3000-5000 words — headlines, ledes, key details}
**WORLD TEXTURE** (from world summary — the stuff hosts notice)
{Famous people spotted, evening food, nightlife, city events, weather, streaming}
**CIVIC DECISIONS** (if relevant)
{key quotes from voice agent output}
Cycle: {XX}
Write the transcript to output/podcasts/c{XX}_transcript.txt
Use <Person1> and <Person2> tags for dialogue.
Step 4: Review Transcript
Show Mike a preview — first 10-15 exchanges. Check:
- Do hosts sound like real people, not article summaries?
- Do they reference the world texture (food, weather, sightings)?
- Any calendar dates? (should be cycle references)
- Any engine language?
- Does the conversation flow naturally — disagreements, humor, personal reactions?
Mike approves or adjusts.
Step 5: Render Audio (when Phase 30 is built)
Current state: Audio rendering not available. Phase 30 (Voicebox) will provide:
- Different voice profiles per host
- Multi-track composition
- Expressive tags ([sigh], [laugh], [gasp])
- REST API on localhost:17493
- Export to MP3/WAV
When Phase 30 is ready:
node scripts/renderPodcast.js {cycle} {format}
For now: The transcript IS the deliverable. Save to output/podcasts/c{XX}_transcript.txt.
Step 5.5: Ingest to bay-tribune
The podcast is canon — citizen voices reacting to the edition. Post-publish has already run by this point, so podcast handles its own ingest.
cp output/podcasts/c{XX}_transcript.txt /tmp/podcast_edition_{XX}.txt
node scripts/ingestEdition.js /tmp/podcast_edition_{XX}.txt
Known issue: ingestEdition.js filename pattern expects edition format. Copy with detectable name as workaround. Future: podcast-aware ingest path so searches distinguish edition text from podcast transcript.
Step 6: Report
PODCAST — Edition {XX}
Format: {format name}
Hosts: {Host 1} + {Host 2}
Transcript: output/podcasts/c{XX}_transcript.txt ({X} exchanges)
Ingested: bay-tribune [doc ID]
Audio: [not available — Phase 30 pending]
What This Skill Does NOT Do
- Write journalism — the podcast reacts to published content, it doesn't create news
- Run automatically — Mags decides when an edition warrants a podcast
- Generate audio yet — waiting for Phase 30 (Voicebox). Transcript only for now.
