> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.podigee.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.podigee.com/documentation/start-here/ai-agents/manage-episodes/understand-episode-fields-and-states.md).

# Understand episode fields and states

Reference the episode metadata, publication states, media indicators, and collection behavior.

Episode data combines editorial metadata, publication timing, media state, and replaceable collections.

## Publication states

| State     | Meaning                                                                      |
| --------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Draft     | `published_at` is empty. The episode is offline.                             |
| Scheduled | `published_at` is in the future.                                             |
| Published | `published_at` is in the past or present and the episode is live in Podigee. |

The episode `publication_type` is different from publication state. It describes the RSS episode type: `full`, `trailer`, or `bonus`.

## Editorial fields

Supported metadata includes title, subtitle, description, HTML or Markdown show notes, authors, episode and season numbers, slug, explicit setting, GUID, external URL, cover and social artwork, labels, keywords, and contributors.

## Media and production fields

* `has_media` reports whether playable audio or video is attached.
* `production_id` identifies related media processing when present.
* `duration` reports media duration when available.
* An episode without media cannot be published successfully.

## Replaceable collections

When supplied in an update, chapter marks, transcript segments, keywords, labels, and contributor IDs represent the complete intended collection. Send the merged set. An empty `chapter_marks` array clears the chapter marks, an empty `transcription` array leaves the stored transcript unchanged, and an omitted field remains unchanged.

Chapter mark start times use `HH:MM:SS` with optional milliseconds. Transcript segments can include start, end, text, and speaker ID.

## Related tasks

* [Inspect an episode](/documentation/start-here/ai-agents/manage-episodes/inspect-an-episode.md)
* [Update episode metadata](/documentation/start-here/ai-agents/manage-episodes/update-episode-metadata.md)
* [Change an episode publication state](/documentation/start-here/ai-agents/manage-episodes/change-an-episode-publication-state.md)


---

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