# Podcast/RSS Feed Preflight (`checksmithcats/podcast-rss-feed-preflight`) Actor

Examines public podcast RSS feeds for channel, episode enclosure, GUID, date, and duplicate signals. Public feeds only.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/checksmithcats/podcast-rss-feed-preflight.md
- **Developed by:** [Checksmith Cats](https://apify.com/checksmithcats) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools, Automation
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.30 / podcast rss report generated

This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## Podcast/RSS Feed Preflight

Bulk QA for public podcast RSS feeds.

This Actor does not reproduce Apple Podcasts Connect, Spotify, or any directory validator and does not guarantee submission, approval, listing, delivery, playback, ranking, analytics, or platform decisions. It lists machine-readable RSS, podcast channel, episode enclosure, GUID, date, and duplicate signals across public feeds.

### What it checks

- Input from `feedUrls`
- RSS 2.0 root and channel shape
- Required channel fields such as `title`, `link`, `description`, and podcast artwork via `itunes:image`
- Recommended channel fields such as `language`, `itunes:category`, `itunes:explicit`, and `lastBuildDate`
- Episode item presence
- Episode `guid`, title/description, enclosure `url`, `length`, and `type`
- Episode `pubDate` RFC 822 format
- Duplicate episode GUID values
- Duplicate enclosure URLs
- URL and media type format signals

### Findings

Each finding includes:

- `severity`
- `confidence`
- `evidence`
- `caveat`
- source feed URL with query strings redacted
- documentation references where applicable

Primary finding IDs include:

- `feed.missing_required.<field>`
- `feed.missing_recommended.<field>`
- `feed.invalid_format.<field>`
- `episode.duplicate.guid`
- `episode.duplicate.enclosure_url`

### Boundaries

This is an informational diagnostic tool for public RSS feeds. It does not certify a feed, submit a feed, reproduce platform validation, promise directory listing, promise playback, promise distribution, or represent Apple, Spotify, or any podcast directory.

The scanner inspects static RSS/XML. It does not log in, render websites, download media files, measure artwork dimensions, or evaluate private, login-gated, CAPTCHA-gated, or non-public feeds.

### Billing note

Pay-per-event billing is based on reachable feeds only. Unreachable feeds are reported as findings, but they are not counted as checked feeds.

### References

- Apple Podcasts RSS requirements: https://podcasters.apple.com/support/823-podcast-requirements
- Apple Podcasts RSS validation overview: https://podcasters.apple.com/support/829-validate-your-podcast
- RSS 2.0 specification: https://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification

### Related tools

- Social Card / Open Graph Bulk QA - Use when episode pages also need Open Graph and social-preview metadata checks.
- Canonical / Hreflang Bulk QA - Use when feed entries point to pages with canonical or language-signal risk.
- Agency Evidence Pack - Use when podcast feed checks are one part of a recurring multi-site record.

### Minimal input

```json
{
  "feedUrls": [
    "https://podcast.example.com/feed-valid.xml"
  ],
  "sampleLimit": 10,
  "maxEpisodes": 50
}
```

### API and scheduled use

Run the same validated input from Apify Console, the Actor API, CLI, schedules, or integrations. The run writes machine-readable findings to the default dataset and the complete report to the run storage.

### Common input errors

Start with the published example and keep `feedUrls`, `sampleLimit`, `maxEpisodes` in the documented JSON shape. Malformed JSON, unsupported URL schemes, missing required values, and inputs above the stated limits are rejected rather than repaired silently.

# Actor input Schema

## `feedUrls` (type: `array`):

Public podcast RSS feed URLs to check.

## `sampleLimit` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of submitted feed URLs to inspect.

## `maxEpisodes` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of episode items to inspect per reachable feed.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "feedUrls": [
    "https://example.com/podcast/feed.xml"
  ],
  "sampleLimit": 25,
  "maxEpisodes": 50
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

## `report` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "feedUrls": [
        "https://example.com/podcast/feed.xml"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("checksmithcats/podcast-rss-feed-preflight").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "feedUrls": ["https://example.com/podcast/feed.xml"] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("checksmithcats/podcast-rss-feed-preflight").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "feedUrls": [
    "https://example.com/podcast/feed.xml"
  ]
}' |
apify call checksmithcats/podcast-rss-feed-preflight --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,checksmithcats/podcast-rss-feed-preflight"
        }
    }
}

```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/D7w8xlqtbqBbprdHw/builds/iRWkOelJbnf3sozJd/openapi.json