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Chapters

Chapters divide an episode into titled segments, linked from the feed with <podcast:chapters> as an external JSON file rather than baked into the audio.

Why it matters

The external file is the whole point. Chapters have historically lived in ID3 tags inside the mp3, which means fixing a typo requires re-encoding and re-uploading the episode, and anything that cannot read ID3 — a browser, a web player — sees nothing.

Pulling them into a JSON file means chapters can be corrected after publishing, and chapter images can be fetched during playback instead of inflating the download.

How it works

<podcast:chapters> is item-level and appears once per episode. Both attributes are required: url pointing at the file, and type, where application/json+chapters is the preferred value.

The file itself is a JSON document listing chapters with start times, titles, and optional images and links. It coexists with ID3 chapters rather than replacing them, so a publisher can ship both.

Sources

Who implements it

71 of 136 apps in the Podcast Index directory support Chapters — 52%.

  • AiPodNav
  • Alitu
  • AntennaPod
  • Anytime Podcast Player
  • Apple Podcasts
  • Argo
  • Audiomeans
  • Blubrry
  • Bòcan Music
  • boxcast
  • Breez
  • Bubbl
  • and 59 more

From the Podcast Index apps directory, as of 2026-08-17.

Heard on the show

53 moments across 49 episodes.

  1. E237 · 10 Oct 2025 · FF-P-MEG

    • Apple adds chapterstimeline

  2. E233 · 5 Sep 2025 · Daniel J Lewis in a Can

    • DJL releases Podchapterstimeline

  3. E179 · 10 May 2024 · Swiss Army App

    • 10:00The swiss army knife of chapters, Dreb Scotttimeline

  4. E142 · 21 Jul 2023 · Bottom Funnel

    • 11:46Opportunity for Chapterschapter
    • 50:52Adam loves chapterschapter

  5. E137 · 16 Jun 2023 · Wonk Factor

  6. E135 · 2 Jun 2023 · Maximizing the Pull

    • 38:24🙌 Adam loves my chapters! 🙌chapter

  7. E134 · 26 May 2023 · ChapterGPT

    • 0:01non-A.I. Cloud chapters created with Hypercatcherchapter

  8. E132 · 12 May 2023 · Felt-Manhood

    • 32:00Splits v. chapters?chapter

  9. E241 · 7 Nov 2025 · RSS NutJobs

    • 35:40and chapters also in that?transcript

  10. E234 · 12 Oct 2025 · Slopcasting

    • 27:29is indeed slurping in the the Jason chapterstranscript

  11. E152 · 27 Oct 2023 · Drop the TOC

    • 0:23chapters and all the goings on and podcasts index dot socialtranscript

  12. E49 · 6 Aug 2021 · BOTG

    • 28:24chapters and all that stuff. But yeah, we'll get to that. Buttranscript

and 37 more episodes, back to E8 (23 Oct 2020).

Show all 53 moments across 49 episodes

  1. E241 · 7 Nov 2025 · RSS NutJobs

    • 35:40and chapters also in that?transcript

  2. E237 · 10 Oct 2025 · FF-P-MEG

    • Apple adds chapterstimeline

  3. E234 · 12 Oct 2025 · Slopcasting

    • 27:29is indeed slurping in the the Jason chapterstranscript

  4. E233 · 5 Sep 2025 · Daniel J Lewis in a Can

    • DJL releases Podchapterstimeline

  5. E179 · 10 May 2024 · Swiss Army App

    • 10:00The swiss army knife of chapters, Dreb Scotttimeline

  6. E152 · 27 Oct 2023 · Drop the TOC

    • 0:23chapters and all the goings on and podcasts index dot socialtranscript

  7. E142 · 21 Jul 2023 · Bottom Funnel

    • 11:46Opportunity for Chapterschapter
    • 50:52Adam loves chapterschapter

  8. E137 · 16 Jun 2023 · Wonk Factor

  9. E135 · 2 Jun 2023 · Maximizing the Pull

    • 38:24🙌 Adam loves my chapters! 🙌chapter

  10. E134 · 26 May 2023 · ChapterGPT

    • 0:01non-A.I. Cloud chapters created with Hypercatcherchapter

  11. E132 · 12 May 2023 · Felt-Manhood

    • 32:00Splits v. chapters?chapter

  12. E130 · 21 Apr 2023 · For All The Drummers

    • 55:15Music & Chapter value blockschapter

  13. E127 · 31 Mar 2023 · Fortress of Freedom

    • 0:01Chapters are a big 2.0 feature and Dreb does 'em!chapter

  14. E125 · 10 Mar 2023 · Wolf Nuts

    • 10:00Baller of the Decade Dreb is serving up chapters soon!chapter

  15. E118 · 20 Jan 2023 · No Malaise

    • 1:33:14Boosting it live! (more chapters coming later tonight)chapter

  16. E110 · 11 Nov 2022 · Paws & Claws

    • 14:00Vizzy podcast chapterschapter

  17. E108 · 28 Oct 2022 · Hard Out

    • 10:00Boardroom chapters are on the way!chapter

  18. E104 · 30 Sep 2022 · A New Dump

    • 34:32Transcripts and chapters and stats oh mychapter

  19. E101 · 9 Sep 2022 · Loops, not Lists

    • 0:03Master Dreb is architechting your chapters!chapter

  20. E100 · 2 Sep 2022 · Streamers and Dreamers

    • 10:00Thank you Dreb Scott for 100 episodes of awesome chapters!!!chapter

  21. E98 · 19 Aug 2022 · Girl Friday

    • 10:00Baller Booster Dreb Scott is working on the chapters for ya!chapter

  22. E97 · 12 Aug 2022 · Forever Fifteen

    • 10:00These chapter coming wihin the year to Apple Podcasts! :-)chapter

  23. E96 · 5 Aug 2022 · Foie Gras

    • Chapter Images full screenshow notes

  24. E95 · 29 Jul 2022 · We Are The Jazz

    • Chapter Images full screenshow notes

  25. E93 · 15 Jul 2022 · Motion of Positivity

    • Chapter Images full screenshow notes

  26. E92 · 1 Jul 2022 · Space Boost

    • 10:00The Bruce Wayne of Podcasting 2.0, Dreb Scott will have the chapters up soon! He's staycationing with his family, so they'll be a little later than normal.chapter

  27. E88 · 3 Jun 2022 · Hittin' the Hockey Stick

  28. E87 · 27 May 2022 · Freerange & Unsupervised

    • Sovereignfeeds.com chaptersshow notes

  29. E85 · 13 May 2022 · Loot The Room!

    • 1:40:00More chapters on the waychapter

  30. E84 · 6 May 2022 · All Aboard to On-Board!

    • 10:16What are these chapters? How do I do that?chapter

  31. E81 · 9 Apr 2022 · Nodes of Joy

  32. E80 · 1 Apr 2022 · Wheels Up

    • Chapter Image Searchshow notes

  33. E77 · 11 Mar 2022 · Is that a minipub in your pocket?

    • 0:01Today's chapters are gonna be fun!chapter

  34. E74 · 18 Feb 2022 · Confetti Canon

    • 1:48:00more chapters will be released tonightchapter

  35. E70 · 21 Jan 2022 · Testing the TAM

    • 10:00Follow @dreb for notifications on chapters!chapter

  36. E69 · 14 Jan 2022 · All Aboard!

    • 24:53Go Chapters!! Boost!chapter
    • 27:07Chapters! Chapters! Chapters!chapter

  37. E66 · 17 Dec 2021 · Drop The Gate

    • Adam begging for money chapter artshow notes
    • Search, Transcript, Funding, Chapters, Location, Person, Seasonshow notes

  38. E49 · 6 Aug 2021 · BOTG

    • 28:24chapters and all that stuff. But yeah, we'll get to that. Buttranscript

  39. E47 · 23 Jul 2021 · Mongo in the Congo

    • Chapter link behind paywallshow notes

  40. E29 · 19 Mar 2021 · The Castaways

    • Chapters Galoreshow notes

  41. E24 · 12 Feb 2021 · Value Economics

    • The genius behind in-app community chapters of Hypercatcher ... David Normanshow notes

  42. E23 · 5 Feb 2021 · Moving to Milli's

    • 0:01Add Chapters with Hypercatcher!chapter

  43. E19 · 8 Jan 2021 · Scaling Up

    • Why no chapter creation?! LOLshow notes

  44. E15 · 11 Dec 2020 · We're with the Band!

    • 1:12:37transcripts. I mean, chapters are a little we don't supporttranscript

  45. E14 · 4 Dec 2020 · Stats and Facts

    • Community Chaptersshow notes

  46. E13 · 27 Nov 2020 · Fire in the Hole

    • 29:00with chapters, and people never really asked like, I'd really,transcript

  47. E12 · 20 Nov 2020 · Breaking Code

    • Chaptershow notes

  48. E9 · 30 Oct 2020 · Here come the pioneers

    • Chapters now being made with Hypercatchertimeline
    • chaptersshow notes

  49. E8 · 23 Oct 2020 · Chapter 8

    • Chapters and interactivityshow notes

From chapter titles, show notes, the PC 2.0 Timeline and the clip notes. Where those say nothing, from the episode transcript — which reaches further but only records that a word was said. 214 of 266 episodes have curated notes; 177 moments come from transcripts.