OneTaskBy Tim King · Updated
Podcast Chapter Marker
Add Podcasting 2.0 Chapters, YouTube Timestamps and Show Notes to an Episode
OneTask is free, with no sign-up, and built by one person.
If this tool saved you time, a coffee helps keep new ones coming.
How the Podcast Chapter Marker works
This podcast chapter marker turns a plain list of times and titles into chapters your listeners can use. Load the episode, click the waveform while previewing to find each segment, type one chapter per line, and export a Podcasting 2.0 chapters file, a YouTube description list, or timestamps for show notes. The audio stays in your browser.
Chapters let listeners skip to the part of an episode they care about. Apps that support them show a chapter list and often a title and link for each one, and they are one of the simplest ways to make a long episode easier to come back to.
Formats the podcast chapter marker exports
Podcasting 2.0 JSON. The open chapters format defined by the Podcast Namespace. You host
the file next to your episode and point to it from your RSS feed with a
<podcast:chapters url="…" type="application/json+chapters" /> tag inside the item. Apps such
as Podcast Addict, Fountain, Castamatic and Podverse read it, and many hosts accept it as an
upload. Each chapter gets a startTime in seconds and a title, plus a url when you add a
link at the end of the line.
YouTube description. YouTube builds chapters from timestamps in the video description.
It needs the first one at 0:00, at least three chapters, and each at least ten seconds long.
The panel warns you when a chapter is shorter than that.
Show-notes timestamps. Lines like (14:40) Interview, which read well on a website or in
the notes Apple Podcasts and Spotify display. Apple and Spotify also turn timestamps in the
description into tappable links on many clients. Episodes over an hour get hh:mm:ss so the
times line up.
Typing chapters. Write a time, a space and a title. Times can be seconds (95), minutes
and seconds (1:35) or hours too (1:02:10). A link at the end of the line starting with
http is kept as that chapter's URL. Lines are sorted by time, anything past the end of the
file is dropped, and if the first chapter starts after zero an Intro chapter is added, since
most apps expect one at the start.
Finding the times. Press Preview and click on the waveform to jump around; the position is shown under the waveform. Quiet gaps in the waveform usually mark segment changes.
Embedding in the MP3. Some apps, including Apple Podcasts, read chapters embedded in the MP3 file itself as ID3 chapter frames instead of a separate file. This tool writes text and JSON only; your hosting service or an ID3 editor can embed them from the same list.
FAQ
How do I add Podcasting 2.0 chapters to my feed?
Upload the exported JSON file to your web host or podcast host, then add a podcast:chapters tag with its URL and the type application/json+chapters inside the episode's item in your RSS feed. Many hosts have a chapters field that does this for you.
Why are my YouTube chapters not showing?
YouTube needs the list to start at 0:00, have at least three timestamps in ascending order, and give each chapter at least ten seconds. The export adds the 0:00 line for you and the stats panel flags short chapters, so the remaining cause is usually fewer than three entries.
Do chapters change the audio file?
No. Every export is a separate text or JSON file that sits alongside the episode, so the audio is untouched and you can edit the chapter list at any time without re-uploading the episode.
See also: all Audio tools, Images, Video & Screen, PDF, SVG, Simulations & Screensavers, Generative Art, Chart Makers, 3D Model Viewers, Drawing Pads, Mockups & 3D Making, Diagram Makers, 3D Science, Tracker Music.
Related tools
Audio Markers To Cue List
Type markers against a waveform, export cue sheet, chapters or labels.
Audio Bookmark Player
Bookmark moments in long audio and jump straight back to them.
Loudness Meter
Measure LUFS and true peak and check them against Spotify, YouTube and broadcast targets.
Silence Finder
Find and timestamp every silent gap in a recording.
Podcast RSS Item Builder
Build a valid podcast RSS item with enclosure and iTunes tags.