Read-along transcript synced to playback #7

New Issue

admin · 2026-07-01T17:05:46Z

admin commented

2026-07-01 17:05:46 +00:00

Summary

Surface the AI-generated dialogue script alongside playback, synced to the audio
so tapping a line seeks to it. This leans into the app's unique angle — we
generate the script, so we can do read-along for arbitrary articles, which
Apple Podcasts can't.

Motivation

Strong differentiator and reuses backend output. Great for noisy environments,
accessibility, and skimming/seeking to a specific point.

Current state of the code

ClaudeService.podcastStatus currently returns only status, progress,
title, error. The transcript (and ideally per-line timestamps) would need to
be returned by the generation backend and stored — e.g. a new field on
PodcastEntry or a sibling file next to the cached mp3.
The player (PodcastPlayerViewModel) already emits currentTime via a periodic
time observer — the sync/highlight can hang off that.

Behavior

Full player gains a transcript view (sheet or expandable panel).
Highlight the active line as audio plays; tap a line to seek(to:).
Degrade gracefully to a plain, unsynced transcript when timestamps are absent.

Dependencies

Backend change: generation must return the script (+ timing). Coordinate
with the magicive.api podcast pipeline. Track the API addition as a sub-task.

## Summary Surface the AI-generated dialogue script alongside playback, synced to the audio so tapping a line seeks to it. This leans into the app's unique angle — we *generate* the script, so we can do read-along for arbitrary articles, which Apple Podcasts can't. ## Motivation Strong differentiator and reuses backend output. Great for noisy environments, accessibility, and skimming/seeking to a specific point. ## Current state of the code - `ClaudeService.podcastStatus` currently returns only `status`, `progress`, `title`, `error`. The transcript (and ideally per-line timestamps) would need to be returned by the generation backend and stored — e.g. a new field on `PodcastEntry` or a sibling file next to the cached mp3. - The player (`PodcastPlayerViewModel`) already emits `currentTime` via a periodic time observer — the sync/highlight can hang off that. ## Behavior - Full player gains a transcript view (sheet or expandable panel). - Highlight the active line as audio plays; tap a line to `seek(to:)`. - Degrade gracefully to a plain, unsynced transcript when timestamps are absent. ## Dependencies - **Backend change**: generation must return the script (+ timing). Coordinate with the magicive.api podcast pipeline. Track the API addition as a sub-task.

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Reference: admin/linkding-ios#7