gencast

# gencast - Podcast Generation from Documents

## Quick Example

```bash
gencast chapter.md --minimal --style interview --audience technical -o chapter.mp3
# Generates chapter.mp3 with interview style for technical audience
```

Generate conversational podcasts from documents using gencast CLI. ALWAYS uses `--minimal` flag to reduce context usage.

## When to Use This Skill

Auto-invoke when the user mentions:
- "podcast", "generate podcast", "convert to podcast"
- "audio", "convert to audio", "make an audio version"
- "dialogue", "conversation", "generate dialogue"
- "lecture recording", "educational audio"
- Document conversion to spoken format

## How to Use

CRITICAL: ALWAYS include `--minimal` flag in every gencast command to avoid context bloat.

### Basic Pattern

```bash
gencast <input-file> --minimal -o <output.mp3>
```

### With Style and Audience

```bash
gencast document.md --minimal --style educational --audience general -o podcast.mp3
```

### With Planning for Comprehensive Coverage

```bash
gencast document.md --minimal --with-planning --save-plan -o podcast.mp3
```

## Core Workflows

### 1. Check gencast Installation

Before running gencast, verify it's installed:

```bash
which gencast
```

If not found, inform the user:
```
gencast is not installed. Install with: pip install gencast
```

### 2. Validate Input File

Check the input file exists before running:

```bash
if [[ -f "document.md" ]]; then
  gencast document.md --minimal -o podcast.mp3
else
  echo "[ERROR] Input file not found: document.md"
fi
```

### 3. Generate Basic Podcast

Default style (educational) and audience (general):

```bash
gencast lecture.md --minimal -o lecture_podcast.mp3
```

### 4. Generate with Custom Style and Audience

```bash
# Interview style for technical audience
gencast chapter.md --minimal --style interview --audience technical -o chapter.mp3

# Casual style for beginners
gencast intro.md --minimal --style casual --audience beginner -o intro.mp3

# Debate sty