# Podcast RSS Enclosure Checker Validate podcast episode audio against hosting expectations and cross-check it with your RSS feed: enclosure URL / length / type attributes, itunes:duration, GUID uniqueness, RFC 2822 dates, platform codecs and bitrates — byte-exact enclosure lengths included. > Canonical page: https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/audio-podcast-rss-enclosure-checker - **Category:** Media - **Keywords:** podcast rss, enclosure, rss 2.0, itunes tags, apple podcasts, spotify, feed validator, guid, pubdate, rfc 2822, audio/mpeg, podcast hosting, episode metadata, itunes:duration ## Overview A podcast episode is a contract between three things: the audio file, the RSS that points at it, and the platform that fetches both. This checker audits all three. The feed side follows RSS 2.0 and the Apple Podcasts requirements: every episode needs a unique with all three required attributes — url (http/https), length in bytes, and a MIME type — plus a globally unique that never changes; Apple ignores duplicate enclosure URLs, so duplicated media URLs are flagged. Dates must parse as RFC 2822, only '/" entity escapes are accepted (HTML-named ones like ’ break strict XML parsers), filenames should be ASCII, and should agree with the audio. The audio side checks each file against the target platform profile (Apple Podcasts: MP3/AAC in MP3/M4A at 44.1 or 48 kHz, at least 64 kbps; Spotify: MP3/M4A/OGG/OPUS/FLAC, at least 96 kbps; generic RSS 2.0: container sanity only). When you provide both the feed and the audio, the two are cross-validated: enclosure length must equal the real file size byte for byte, the declared MIME type must match what the container actually is, and must track the measured duration. Files and feeds are only read; nothing is uploaded or fetched. ## Inputs - **Episode audio files (or ZIP)** (file) - **RSS feed XML (optional)** (file) - **Target platform** (select) ## When to use - Before publishing an episode to confirm RSS enclosure byte lengths and MIME types match physical audio files. - When troubleshooting podcast ingestion rejections or playback errors on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. - Prior to migrating feeds or changing podcast CMS scripts to ensure GUID permanence and strict XML compliance. ## How it works - Select your target platform profile (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Generic RSS 2.0). - Select your episode audio files or a ZIP archive alongside your RSS feed XML file. - The tool parses feed metadata—enclosure tags, GUIDs, pubDates, and iTunes duration—while probing audio containers, sample rates, and bitrates. - Review the interactive HTML report detailing format compliance, byte-exact length parity, and XML syntax findings. ## Use cases - Cross-checking generated RSS enclosure byte lengths and duration tags against newly mastered episode MP3s. - Auditing self-hosted RSS feeds for duplicate GUIDs, non-RFC 2822 dates, and unescaped XML entities. - Verifying batch audio files for Spotify codec and minimum 96 kbps bitrate compliance before launch. ## Frequently asked questions ### Why must the enclosure length match the audio file size byte for byte? Platforms like Apple Podcasts use byte-exact lengths to verify media integrity and handle HTTP byte-range streaming requests without fetching entire files. ### Are audio files or RSS feeds uploaded to an external server? No. All XML parsing, audio probing, and metadata cross-checks occur entirely within your browser. ### What audio requirements does Apple Podcasts enforce? It requires MP3 or AAC (in MP3 or M4A containers), a 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz sample rate, and a minimum bitrate of 64 kbps. ### Why are HTML-named entities like ’ flagged as errors? Strict XML parsers only recognize standard XML entities like ' and ". Named HTML entities cause feed parsing crashes. ### Can I check audio files without uploading an RSS feed XML? Yes. 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