blog-backup/memory/2026-02-23-podcast-task.md

Daily Digest Podcast - Implementation Complete

Task: Research and build a digital podcast solution for the Daily Digest blog Status: ✅ Complete (Ready for Review) Date: 2026-02-23

What Was Delivered

1. Research Findings

• TTS Providers: OpenAI TTS ($2-4/month, best quality) vs Piper (free, local) vs macOS say (free, basic)
• Audio Storage: Supabase Storage (free tier 1GB)
• RSS Feed: Next.js API route with iTunes extensions
• Integration: Async TTS generation triggered after digest post

2. Implementation

Core Services:

• src/lib/tts.ts - Multi-provider TTS abstraction (OpenAI, Piper, macOS)
• src/lib/storage.ts - Supabase Storage audio upload/management
• src/lib/podcast.ts - RSS generation utilities

API Endpoints:

• GET /api/podcast/rss - RSS 2.0 feed for podcast apps
• POST /api/digest - Updated to trigger async TTS generation

UI Pages:

• /podcast - Web audio player with episode listing
• Updated blog post view with inline audio player
• Added podcast link to header navigation

Scripts:

• npm run generate-tts -- <post_id> - Generate audio for specific post
• npm run generate-tts:all - Batch generate for all missing posts

Documentation:

• PODCAST_SETUP.md - Complete setup guide
• PODCAST_ARCHITECTURE.md - Architecture overview
• PODCAST_SUMMARY.md - Implementation summary

3. Key Features

• ✅ Automatic TTS when new digest posted
• ✅ RSS feed compatible with Apple Podcasts, Spotify
• ✅ Web audio player on podcast page
• ✅ Multiple TTS provider options
• ✅ Free tier coverage (Supabase storage + Piper TTS = $0)
• ✅ Async processing (doesn't block post creation)

4. URLs

• RSS Feed: https://blog-backup-two.vercel.app/api/podcast/rss
• Podcast Page: https://blog-backup-two.vercel.app/podcast

5. Next Steps for Deployment

1. Run SQL to add audio columns to database
2. Add ENABLE_TTS=true and OPENAI_API_KEY to Vercel env vars
3. Deploy: npm run build && vercel --prod
4. Submit RSS to Apple Podcasts, Spotify

6. Files Modified/Created

• 13 files changed, 1792 insertions
• Committed to main branch

Cost Analysis

• OpenAI TTS: ~$2-4/month (optional)
• Piper/macOS TTS: $0
• Supabase Storage: $0 (within free tier)
• Total: $0-4/month depending on TTS provider