AI Podcast Generator 🎙️

A modern web application that automatically generates engaging podcast conversations from URLs or news topics using AI. Powered by podcastfy.ai.

✨ Features

• Two Generation Modes:
  • Custom Podcast: Generate from URLs
  • News Podcast: Generate from news topics
• URL Processing: Paste multiple URLs to generate content from various sources
• Multiple TTS Options:
  • Google TTS (GEMINI) - Required for News Podcasts
  • OpenAI TTS (Custom Podcasts only)
  • ElevenLabs TTS (Custom Podcasts only)
• Customizable Settings:
  • Word count
  • Creativity level
  • Conversation styles
  • Dialogue structure
  • Engagement techniques
• Persistent Settings: All settings are saved locally
• Modern UI: Clean, responsive interface with Apple-inspired design
• Real-time Preview: URL previews with favicons
• Progress Indicator: Visual feedback during generation

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Python 3.9+
• Google (Gemini) API key (required for all features)
• Optional for Custom Podcasts:
  • OpenAI API key
  • ElevenLabs API key

Local Development

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/giulioco/podcastfy-ui.git
cd podcastfy-ui

2. Create a virtual environment and activate it:

python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows use: venv\Scripts\activate

3. Install dependencies:

pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Create a .env file in the root directory:

GEMINI_API_KEY=your_gemini_api_key
OPENAI_API_KEY=your_openai_api_key  # Optional
ELEVENLABS_API_KEY=your_elevenlabs_api_key  # Optional

5. Run the development server:

python dev.py

6. Open http://localhost:8080 in your browser

Production Deployment

This application is configured to deploy on Fly.io. For deployment instructions, please see the Fly.io deployment guide.

1. Install the Fly.io CLI
2. Login to Fly.io: fly auth login
3. Deploy: fly launch
4. Set your secrets: fly secrets set GEMINI_API_KEY=your_key_here
5. Deploy: fly deploy

🛠️ Configuration

Advanced Settings

The application supports various customization options for Custom Podcasts:

conversation_config = {
    'word_count': 4000,
    'creativity': 0.7,
    'conversation_style': [
        'Engaging', 'Fast-paced', 'Enthusiastic', 'Educational'
    ],
    'dialogue_structure': [
        'Topic Introduction', 'Summary of Key Points',
        'Discussions', 'Q&A Session', 'Farewell Messages'
    ],
    'engagement_techniques': [
        'Rhetorical Questions', 'Personal Testimonials',
        'Quotes', 'Anecdotes', 'Analogies', 'Humor'
    ]
}

Environment Variables

Required environment variables:

• GEMINI_API_KEY: For Google's Gemini model (required for all features)

Optional environment variables (for Custom Podcasts):

• OPENAI_API_KEY: For OpenAI's services
• ELEVENLABS_API_KEY: For ElevenLabs TTS

📁 Project Structure

podcast-generator/
├── api/              # Serverless API functions
│   └── index.py      # Main Flask application
├── templates/        # HTML templates
│   └── index.html    # Main UI template
├── static/          # Static files
│   └── audio/       # Generated podcasts
├── dev.py          # Local development server
├── vercel.json     # Vercel configuration
├── requirements.txt # Python dependencies
└── .env            # Environment variables

💡 Usage Tips

1. Mode Selection:

   • Choose between Custom Podcast and News Podcast modes
   • News Podcasts use Google TTS exclusively
   • Custom Podcasts support multiple TTS options

2. URL Input (Custom Podcast mode):

   • Paste multiple URLs separated by newlines or commas
   • URLs are automatically parsed and displayed with favicons
   • Remove URLs by clicking the 'x' button

3. News Topics (News Podcast mode):

   • Enter any news topic to generate a podcast
   • Uses Google TTS for optimal news delivery
   • Automatically fetches and processes latest news

4. API Keys:

   • Keys are stored locally in your browser
   • Never transmitted except during podcast generation
   • Can be cleared using the "Clear Form" button

5. Advanced Settings (Custom Podcast mode):

   • Click "Advanced Settings" to customize generation
   • All settings persist across page reloads
   • Experiment with different combinations for optimal results

🚀 Deployment

Deploy to Vercel

1. Install Vercel CLI:

npm install -g vercel

2. Login to Vercel:

vercel login

3. Deploy:

vercel

4. Add environment variables in Vercel dashboard:
   • GEMINI_API_KEY: For Google's Gemini model (required)
   • OPENAI_API_KEY: For OpenAI's services (optional)
   • ELEVENLABS_API_KEY: For ElevenLabs TTS (optional)

Local Development

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/giulioco/podcastfy-ui.git
cd podcastfy-ui

2. Install dependencies:

pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Create a .env file with your API keys

4. Run the development server:

python dev.py

5. Open http://localhost:5000 in your browser

🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch: git checkout -b feature-name
3. Commit changes: git commit -am 'Add feature'
4. Push to branch: git push origin feature-name
5. Submit a Pull Request

📝 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see LICENSE for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Powered by podcastfy.ai
• UI inspired by Apple's design guidelines
• Icons from Google's favicon service

🔒 Security

• API keys are stored in browser's localStorage
• Keys are only used during podcast generation
• No data is permanently stored on servers
• Generated audio files are temporary

🚧 Known Issues

• Generation time varies with content length
• Some TTS services have rate limits
• Audio quality depends on chosen TTS provider

🗺 Roadmap

• Multiple language support
• Custom voice selection
• Batch processing
• Audio post-processing
• Podcast hosting integration