podcast-studio

name

podcast-studio

description

A full production pipeline where an agent team collaborates to generate podcast episode content — planning, research, scripting, show notes, and distribution strategy — all at once. Use this skill for requests like 'plan a podcast episode,' 'write an episode script,' 'podcast scriptwriting,' 'podcast show notes,' 'episode planning,' 'interview script,' 'podcast distribution,' 'audio content planning,' and other podcast production tasks. Also supports show note or distribution package creation when an existing script or research is provided. Note: actual audio recording/editing (Audacity, GarageBand), podcast hosting API integration, and RSS feed technical setup are outside this skill's scope.

Podcast Studio — Full Podcast Production Pipeline

An agent team collaborates to produce podcast episodes through the pipeline of planning → research → scripting → show notes → distribution, all at once.

Execution Mode

Agent Team — 5 members communicate directly via SendMessage and cross-validate each other's work.

Agent Roster

Agent	File	Role	Type
researcher	.claude/agents/researcher.md	Topic investigation, fact-checking, talking point extraction	general-purpose
scriptwriter	.claude/agents/scriptwriter.md	Episode script writing, dialogue cue insertion	general-purpose
shownote-editor	.claude/agents/shownote-editor.md	Show notes, timestamps, reference compilation	general-purpose
distribution-manager	.claude/agents/distribution-manager.md	Platform-specific metadata, promotional copy	general-purpose
production-reviewer	.claude/agents/production-reviewer.md	Cross-validation, consistency checks	general-purpose

Workflow

Phase 1: Preparation (Performed directly by the orchestrator)

1. Extract from user input:
   • Topic/Keywords: The subject the episode will cover
   • Podcast Info (optional): Show tone, listener base, existing episode direction
   • Episode Type (optional): Solo/Interview/Panel/Storytelling/Q&A
   • Guest Info (optional): Guest name, area of expertise
   • Constraints (optional): Episode length, specific requirements
   • Existing Files (optional): Scripts, research materials, etc. provided by the user
2. Create the _workspace/ directory at the project root
3. Organize the input and save it as _workspace/00_input.md
4. If existing files are provided, copy them to _workspace/ and skip the corresponding phase
5. Determine the execution mode based on request scope (see "Scope-Based Modes" below)

Phase 2: Team Assembly and Execution

Assemble the team and assign tasks. Task dependencies are as follows:

Order	Task	Owner	Depends On	Deliverable
1	Topic research	researcher	None	_workspace/01_research_brief.md
2	Script writing	scriptwriter	Task 1	_workspace/02_script.md
3a	Show notes	shownote-editor	Tasks 1, 2	_workspace/03_shownotes.md
3b	Distribution package	distribution-manager	Tasks 1, 2	_workspace/04_distribution_package.md
4	Production review	production-reviewer	Tasks 2, 3a, 3b	_workspace/05_review_report.md

Tasks 3a (show notes) and 3b (distribution) run in parallel. Both depend on Task 2 (script), so they can start simultaneously once the script is complete.

Inter-agent communication flow:

• researcher complete → deliver talking points & facts to scriptwriter, references to shownote-editor, trending keywords to distribution-manager
• scriptwriter complete → deliver segment timecodes to shownote-editor, key quotes to distribution-manager
• shownote-editor complete → deliver episode summary & quotes to distribution-manager
• reviewer cross-validates all deliverables. On 🔴 Must Fix: request revision from the responsible agent → rework → re-validate (up to 2 rounds)

Phase 3: Integration and Final Deliverables

Compile the final deliverables based on the reviewer's report:

1. Verify all files in _workspace/
2. Confirm all 🔴 Must Fix items from the review report have been addressed
3. Report the final summary to the user:
   • Research Brief — 01_research_brief.md
   • Episode Script — 02_script.md
   • Show Notes — 03_shownotes.md
   • Distribution Package — 04_distribution_package.md
   • Review Report — 05_review_report.md

Scope-Based Modes

Adjust the agents deployed based on the scope of the user's request:

User Request Pattern	Execution Mode	Agents Deployed
"Plan a podcast episode," "full production"	Full Pipeline	All 5
"Just write the script," "script only"	Script Mode	researcher + scriptwriter + reviewer
"Create show notes from this script" (existing file)	Show Notes Mode	shownote-editor + reviewer
"Create promo copy for this episode" (existing script)	Distribution Mode	distribution-manager + reviewer
"Review this script"	Review Mode	reviewer only

Using Existing Files: If the user provides a script, research materials, or other existing files, copy them to the appropriate numbered position in _workspace/ and skip that phase's agent.

Data Transfer Protocol

Strategy	Method	Purpose
File-based	_workspace/ directory	Primary deliverable storage and sharing
Message-based	SendMessage	Real-time key information transfer, revision requests
Task-based	TaskCreate/TaskUpdate	Progress tracking, dependency management

File naming convention: {order}_{deliverable}.{extension}

Error Handling

Error Type	Strategy
Web search failure	Researcher works from general knowledge, report notes "data limitation"
Guest info unavailable	Provide generic interview framework, request guest info from user
Agent failure	Retry once → if still failing, proceed without that deliverable, note omission in review report
🔴 found in review	Request revision from responsible agent → rework → re-validate (up to 2 rounds)

Test Scenarios

Happy Path

Prompt: "Plan a 30-minute interview podcast episode on AI ethics. The guest is an AI researcher" Expected Results:

• Research: 5+ latest AI ethics issues, guest background, 5 talking points
• Script: 30-minute length (~4,500 words in English), opening + 3–4 segments + closing, guest questions included
• Show notes: Timestamps, reference links, key quotes
• Distribution: Platform-specific descriptions, 3 social media copy variants, promotional calendar
• Review: All consistency matrix items verified

Existing File Flow

Prompt: "Create show notes and a distribution package from this script" + script file attached Expected Results:

• Existing script copied to _workspace/02_script.md
• Show Notes Mode + Distribution Mode merged: shownote-editor + distribution-manager + reviewer deployed
• researcher, scriptwriter skipped

Error Flow

Prompt: "Just write a podcast script quickly, any topic" Expected Results:

• Switch to Script Mode (researcher + scriptwriter + reviewer)
• Topic is unclear, so researcher proposes 3 trending topics before proceeding
• Review report notes "show notes/distribution package not generated"

Agent Extension Skills

Each agent leverages the following extension skills to enhance deliverable quality:

Agent	Extension Skill	Knowledge Provided
scriptwriter	/interview-techniques	DEPTH question model, emotional arc, type-specific question patterns
scriptwriter, shownote-editor	/audio-storytelling	5 narrative arcs, BPM pacing, 12 audio devices
distribution-manager	/podcast-growth	Platform-specific metadata optimization, 7-day promotional calendar, HIKE copy formula