Vibecode Riverside
track this build5 steps, step by step0%A consolation build is possible, but the paid product's decisive value sits outside a solo rebuild. For Riverside, assemble locally recorded guest tracks and produce a polished remote interview after the files exist. The hard boundary is browser recording reliability, isolated uploads, backups, live studio, and global media infrastructure, plus audio infrastructure, distribution, and production polish.
You are building a lean indie version of Riverside. Create the following project files first, then implement the application by following them. Keep the files updated as decisions change. Do not collapse this into a single README or prompt. ===== README.md ===== # Riverside indie build ## Goal Build the smallest trustworthy replacement for the core Riverside workflow for one developer or a tiny team. ## Scope Import locally recorded guest tracks, perform practical cleanup, assemble a polished remote interview episode, and export production files plus show notes. ## Quick start 1. Install the documented dependencies. 2. Copy `.env.example` to `.env`. 3. Run the development command chosen during implementation. 4. Complete the acceptance checks in `BUILD_PLAN.md`. ## Honest limits This build deliberately does not replace: - browser recording reliability, isolated uploads, backups, live studio, and global media infrastructure - remote studio reliability - licensed music libraries - hosting distribution - advanced mastering and support If those capabilities are essential, use Audacity instead of pretending the gap is solved. ===== AGENTS.md ===== # Agent instructions - Optimize for a working, understandable weekend build. - Prefer the fewest moving parts that satisfy the brief. - Do not invent cryptography, security guarantees, APIs, or compliance claims. - Keep secrets out of source control and logs. - Add focused tests for destructive, security-sensitive, and data-loss paths. - Run the project checks before declaring the build complete. - Record any deliberate shortcut in the README under "Tradeoffs". ===== BUILD_PLAN.md ===== # Build plan ## Original build brief Build a closest honest personal substitute for Riverside in an empty repository. Use Python 3.12, FastAPI, ffmpeg, SQLite, and an HTMX interface; do not offer alternative stacks. The core loop is: import locally recorded guest tracks, perform practical cleanup, assemble a polished remote interview episode, and export production files plus show notes. Make the first run work locally with one documented command. Store all user data locally by default and make export straightforward. Put secrets in .env, ship .env.example, and never commit credentials. Create an upload queue and preserve originals in a read-only media folder. Generate waveforms and non-destructive edit markers instead of rewriting source files. Implement silence trimming, loudness normalization to -16 LUFS, fades, and noise-gate presets. Add chapter markers, intro and outro slots, and a simple two-track timeline. Produce a transcript and draft title, description, chapters, and social excerpts. Export MP3, WAV, transcript, chapters JSON, and a complete project manifest. Include clear empty, loading, success, and recoverable error states. Add input validation, safe filenames, and graceful handling of unavailable APIs. Write focused tests for the core transformation and one end-to-end happy path. Create a README with setup, architecture, permissions, data location, and backup steps. Do not add accounts, billing, telemetry, analytics, or a hosted control plane. Do not claim to reproduce proprietary data, network liquidity, regulated access, or frontier infrastructure. Deliberately leave out real-time remote recording. Deliberately leave out podcast hosting and directory analytics. Deliberately leave out licensed stock music and voice cloning. Finish by running the tests and listing the exact commands used. ## Required capabilities - ffmpeg - local audio files - optional transcription API key - sufficient disk space ## Delivery order 1. Scaffold the smallest runnable application and document its commands. 2. Implement the primary data model and core workflow. 3. Add validation, safe failure states, and persistence. 4. Cover the critical path with automated tests. 5. Exercise a clean install from the README and fix every missing step. ## Done when - A new user can go from clone to first successful workflow using only the README. - The core workflow works without paid infrastructure unless the brief requires it. - Tests cover the highest-risk behavior. - Known limitations are explicit rather than hidden. ===== .env.example ===== # Copy to .env and document every variable when it is introduced. # Never put real credentials in this file. APP_ENV=development # Add only values required by the selected implementation.
You are building a lean indie version of Riverside. Create the following project files first, then implement the application by following them. Keep the files updated as decisions change. Do not collapse this into a single README or prompt. ===== README.md ===== # Riverside indie build ## Goal Build the smallest trustworthy replacement for the core Riverside workflow for one developer or a tiny team. ## Scope Import locally recorded guest tracks, perform practical cleanup, assemble a polished remote interview episode, and export production files plus show notes. ## Quick start 1. Install the documented dependencies. 2. Copy `.env.example` to `.env`. 3. Run the development command chosen during implementation. 4. Complete the acceptance checks in `BUILD_PLAN.md`. ## Honest limits This build deliberately does not replace: - browser recording reliability, isolated uploads, backups, live studio, and global media infrastructure - remote studio reliability - licensed music libraries - hosting distribution - advanced mastering and support If those capabilities are essential, use Audacity instead of pretending the gap is solved. ===== AGENTS.md ===== # Agent instructions - Optimize for a working, understandable weekend build. - Prefer the fewest moving parts that satisfy the brief. - Do not invent cryptography, security guarantees, APIs, or compliance claims. - Keep secrets out of source control and logs. - Add focused tests for destructive, security-sensitive, and data-loss paths. - Run the project checks before declaring the build complete. - Record any deliberate shortcut in the README under "Tradeoffs". ===== BUILD_PLAN.md ===== # Build plan ## Original build brief Build a closest honest personal substitute for Riverside in an empty repository. Use Python 3.12, FastAPI, ffmpeg, SQLite, and an HTMX interface; do not offer alternative stacks. The core loop is: import locally recorded guest tracks, perform practical cleanup, assemble a polished remote interview episode, and export production files plus show notes. Make the first run work locally with one documented command. Store all user data locally by default and make export straightforward. Put secrets in .env, ship .env.example, and never commit credentials. Create an upload queue and preserve originals in a read-only media folder. Generate waveforms and non-destructive edit markers instead of rewriting source files. Implement silence trimming, loudness normalization to -16 LUFS, fades, and noise-gate presets. Add chapter markers, intro and outro slots, and a simple two-track timeline. Produce a transcript and draft title, description, chapters, and social excerpts. Export MP3, WAV, transcript, chapters JSON, and a complete project manifest. Include clear empty, loading, success, and recoverable error states. Add input validation, safe filenames, and graceful handling of unavailable APIs. Write focused tests for the core transformation and one end-to-end happy path. Create a README with setup, architecture, permissions, data location, and backup steps. Do not add accounts, billing, telemetry, analytics, or a hosted control plane. Do not claim to reproduce proprietary data, network liquidity, regulated access, or frontier infrastructure. Deliberately leave out real-time remote recording. Deliberately leave out podcast hosting and directory analytics. Deliberately leave out licensed stock music and voice cloning. Finish by running the tests and listing the exact commands used. ## Required capabilities - ffmpeg - local audio files - optional transcription API key - sufficient disk space ## Delivery order 1. Scaffold the smallest runnable application and document its commands. 2. Implement the primary data model and core workflow. 3. Add validation, safe failure states, and persistence. 4. Cover the critical path with automated tests. 5. Exercise a clean install from the README and fix every missing step. ## Done when - A new user can go from clone to first successful workflow using only the README. - The core workflow works without paid infrastructure unless the brief requires it. - Tests cover the highest-risk behavior. - Known limitations are explicit rather than hidden. ===== .env.example ===== # Copy to .env and document every variable when it is introduced. # Never put real credentials in this file. APP_ENV=development # Add only values required by the selected implementation.
You are building a production product version of Riverside. Create the following project files first, then implement the application by following them. Keep the files updated as decisions change. Do not collapse this into a single README or prompt. ===== PRODUCT.md ===== # Riverside product brief ## Problem A consolation build is possible, but the paid product's decisive value sits outside a solo rebuild. For Riverside, assemble locally recorded guest tracks and produce a polished remote interview after the files exist. The hard boundary is browser recording reliability, isolated uploads, backups, live studio, and global media infrastructure, plus audio infrastructure, distribution, and production polish. ## Product outcome Import locally recorded guest tracks, perform practical cleanup, assemble a polished remote interview episode, and export production files plus show notes. ## Target user A serious builder who needs a maintainable product foundation rather than a one-off demo. ## Required capabilities - ffmpeg - local audio files - optional transcription API key - sufficient disk space ## Explicit non-goals for v1 - browser recording reliability, isolated uploads, backups, live studio, and global media infrastructure - remote studio reliability - licensed music libraries - hosting distribution - advanced mastering and support ## Success criteria - The primary workflow is measurable end to end. - Setup is reproducible in a clean environment. - Failure, recovery, and support paths are documented. - Product claims match what the implementation actually guarantees. ===== ARCHITECTURE.md ===== # Architecture ## Starting brief Build a closest honest personal substitute for Riverside in an empty repository. Use Python 3.12, FastAPI, ffmpeg, SQLite, and an HTMX interface; do not offer alternative stacks. The core loop is: import locally recorded guest tracks, perform practical cleanup, assemble a polished remote interview episode, and export production files plus show notes. Make the first run work locally with one documented command. Store all user data locally by default and make export straightforward. Put secrets in .env, ship .env.example, and never commit credentials. Create an upload queue and preserve originals in a read-only media folder. Generate waveforms and non-destructive edit markers instead of rewriting source files. Implement silence trimming, loudness normalization to -16 LUFS, fades, and noise-gate presets. Add chapter markers, intro and outro slots, and a simple two-track timeline. Produce a transcript and draft title, description, chapters, and social excerpts. Export MP3, WAV, transcript, chapters JSON, and a complete project manifest. Include clear empty, loading, success, and recoverable error states. Add input validation, safe filenames, and graceful handling of unavailable APIs. Write focused tests for the core transformation and one end-to-end happy path. Create a README with setup, architecture, permissions, data location, and backup steps. Do not add accounts, billing, telemetry, analytics, or a hosted control plane. Do not claim to reproduce proprietary data, network liquidity, regulated access, or frontier infrastructure. Deliberately leave out real-time remote recording. Deliberately leave out podcast hosting and directory analytics. Deliberately leave out licensed stock music and voice cloning. Finish by running the tests and listing the exact commands used. ## Boundaries Separate the product into replaceable modules for interface, application logic, persistence, external integrations, and operational concerns. Keep domain logic independent from delivery frameworks and vendors. ## Production baseline - Configuration: validated at startup with safe local defaults where possible. - Security: least privilege, input validation, secret redaction, rate limits on abuse-prone paths, and no invented security primitives. - Data: explicit schema and migrations, transactional writes where integrity matters, backup and restore instructions. - Integrations: adapters around third-party providers, idempotent webhook or job processing, bounded retries, and timeouts. - Observability: structured logs with request or operation IDs, an error-tracking hook, and health/readiness checks where a server exists. - Quality: unit tests for domain rules, integration tests at module boundaries, and one end-to-end critical-path test. ## Decision records For each major dependency, document why it was chosen, its failure mode, and how it can be replaced. Do not introduce infrastructure until a requirement justifies it. ===== AGENTS.md ===== # Agent instructions - Read `PRODUCT.md` and `ARCHITECTURE.md` before changing code. - Implement milestone by milestone; keep each change reviewable and leave the application runnable. - Treat authentication, payments, encryption, imports, webhooks, and destructive actions as high-risk boundaries when present. - Never invent cryptography or silently weaken a requirement to make a test pass. - Use provider interfaces for external services and deterministic fakes in tests. - Add migrations and rollback or recovery notes for persistent data changes. - Log useful operational context without credentials, tokens, passwords, or personal data. - Update documentation and run all checks before completing a milestone. ===== MILESTONES.md ===== # Delivery milestones ## M0 — Decisions and scaffold - Confirm the runtime, persistence model, threat boundaries, and deployment target. - Create a reproducible local environment and continuous checks. ## M1 — Core workflow - Implement the smallest end-to-end product path with validation and tests. - Keep integrations behind interfaces. ## M2 — Trust layer - Add secure failure behavior, recovery paths, audit-relevant events, and data safeguards. - Test abuse cases and destructive operations. ## M3 — Operability - Add structured logs, error reporting hooks, health signals, backup/restore documentation, and deployment configuration. ## M4 — Release gate - Run a clean-install test, critical-path end-to-end test, dependency review, and documented rollback exercise. - Compare the shipped behavior with `PRODUCT.md` and publish remaining limitations. ===== OPERATIONS.md ===== # Operations ## Before release - Validate configuration and secrets at startup. - Define backup, restore, and rollback procedures and test them. - Document logs, error tracking, health signals, and alert ownership. - Set dependency update and vulnerability review expectations. ## Incident checklist 1. Contain the issue without destroying evidence or user data. 2. Record the timeline and affected scope. 3. Rotate exposed secrets and revoke compromised sessions or credentials. 4. Restore from a verified source when needed. 5. Document the root cause, remediation, and regression test. ## Launch constraint Do not market omitted Riverside capabilities as implemented. The v1 non-goals in `PRODUCT.md` remain user-visible limitations until they are deliberately delivered.
# Riverside indie build ## Goal Build the smallest trustworthy replacement for the core Riverside workflow for one developer or a tiny team. ## Scope Import locally recorded guest tracks, perform practical cleanup, assemble a polished remote interview episode, and export production files plus show notes. ## Quick start 1. Install the documented dependencies. 2. Copy `.env.example` to `.env`. 3. Run the development command chosen during implementation. 4. Complete the acceptance checks in `BUILD_PLAN.md`. ## Honest limits This build deliberately does not replace: - browser recording reliability, isolated uploads, backups, live studio, and global media infrastructure - remote studio reliability - licensed music libraries - hosting distribution - advanced mastering and support If those capabilities are essential, use Audacity instead of pretending the gap is solved.
# Agent instructions - Optimize for a working, understandable weekend build. - Prefer the fewest moving parts that satisfy the brief. - Do not invent cryptography, security guarantees, APIs, or compliance claims. - Keep secrets out of source control and logs. - Add focused tests for destructive, security-sensitive, and data-loss paths. - Run the project checks before declaring the build complete. - Record any deliberate shortcut in the README under "Tradeoffs".
# Build plan ## Original build brief Build a closest honest personal substitute for Riverside in an empty repository. Use Python 3.12, FastAPI, ffmpeg, SQLite, and an HTMX interface; do not offer alternative stacks. The core loop is: import locally recorded guest tracks, perform practical cleanup, assemble a polished remote interview episode, and export production files plus show notes. Make the first run work locally with one documented command. Store all user data locally by default and make export straightforward. Put secrets in .env, ship .env.example, and never commit credentials. Create an upload queue and preserve originals in a read-only media folder. Generate waveforms and non-destructive edit markers instead of rewriting source files. Implement silence trimming, loudness normalization to -16 LUFS, fades, and noise-gate presets. Add chapter markers, intro and outro slots, and a simple two-track timeline. Produce a transcript and draft title, description, chapters, and social excerpts. Export MP3, WAV, transcript, chapters JSON, and a complete project manifest. Include clear empty, loading, success, and recoverable error states. Add input validation, safe filenames, and graceful handling of unavailable APIs. Write focused tests for the core transformation and one end-to-end happy path. Create a README with setup, architecture, permissions, data location, and backup steps. Do not add accounts, billing, telemetry, analytics, or a hosted control plane. Do not claim to reproduce proprietary data, network liquidity, regulated access, or frontier infrastructure. Deliberately leave out real-time remote recording. Deliberately leave out podcast hosting and directory analytics. Deliberately leave out licensed stock music and voice cloning. Finish by running the tests and listing the exact commands used. ## Required capabilities - ffmpeg - local audio files - optional transcription API key - sufficient disk space ## Delivery order 1. Scaffold the smallest runnable application and document its commands. 2. Implement the primary data model and core workflow. 3. Add validation, safe failure states, and persistence. 4. Cover the critical path with automated tests. 5. Exercise a clean install from the README and fix every missing step. ## Done when - A new user can go from clone to first successful workflow using only the README. - The core workflow works without paid infrastructure unless the brief requires it. - Tests cover the highest-risk behavior. - Known limitations are explicit rather than hidden.
# Copy to .env and document every variable when it is introduced. # Never put real credentials in this file. APP_ENV=development # Add only values required by the selected implementation.
# Riverside product brief ## Problem A consolation build is possible, but the paid product's decisive value sits outside a solo rebuild. For Riverside, assemble locally recorded guest tracks and produce a polished remote interview after the files exist. The hard boundary is browser recording reliability, isolated uploads, backups, live studio, and global media infrastructure, plus audio infrastructure, distribution, and production polish. ## Product outcome Import locally recorded guest tracks, perform practical cleanup, assemble a polished remote interview episode, and export production files plus show notes. ## Target user A serious builder who needs a maintainable product foundation rather than a one-off demo. ## Required capabilities - ffmpeg - local audio files - optional transcription API key - sufficient disk space ## Explicit non-goals for v1 - browser recording reliability, isolated uploads, backups, live studio, and global media infrastructure - remote studio reliability - licensed music libraries - hosting distribution - advanced mastering and support ## Success criteria - The primary workflow is measurable end to end. - Setup is reproducible in a clean environment. - Failure, recovery, and support paths are documented. - Product claims match what the implementation actually guarantees.
# Architecture ## Starting brief Build a closest honest personal substitute for Riverside in an empty repository. Use Python 3.12, FastAPI, ffmpeg, SQLite, and an HTMX interface; do not offer alternative stacks. The core loop is: import locally recorded guest tracks, perform practical cleanup, assemble a polished remote interview episode, and export production files plus show notes. Make the first run work locally with one documented command. Store all user data locally by default and make export straightforward. Put secrets in .env, ship .env.example, and never commit credentials. Create an upload queue and preserve originals in a read-only media folder. Generate waveforms and non-destructive edit markers instead of rewriting source files. Implement silence trimming, loudness normalization to -16 LUFS, fades, and noise-gate presets. Add chapter markers, intro and outro slots, and a simple two-track timeline. Produce a transcript and draft title, description, chapters, and social excerpts. Export MP3, WAV, transcript, chapters JSON, and a complete project manifest. Include clear empty, loading, success, and recoverable error states. Add input validation, safe filenames, and graceful handling of unavailable APIs. Write focused tests for the core transformation and one end-to-end happy path. Create a README with setup, architecture, permissions, data location, and backup steps. Do not add accounts, billing, telemetry, analytics, or a hosted control plane. Do not claim to reproduce proprietary data, network liquidity, regulated access, or frontier infrastructure. Deliberately leave out real-time remote recording. Deliberately leave out podcast hosting and directory analytics. Deliberately leave out licensed stock music and voice cloning. Finish by running the tests and listing the exact commands used. ## Boundaries Separate the product into replaceable modules for interface, application logic, persistence, external integrations, and operational concerns. Keep domain logic independent from delivery frameworks and vendors. ## Production baseline - Configuration: validated at startup with safe local defaults where possible. - Security: least privilege, input validation, secret redaction, rate limits on abuse-prone paths, and no invented security primitives. - Data: explicit schema and migrations, transactional writes where integrity matters, backup and restore instructions. - Integrations: adapters around third-party providers, idempotent webhook or job processing, bounded retries, and timeouts. - Observability: structured logs with request or operation IDs, an error-tracking hook, and health/readiness checks where a server exists. - Quality: unit tests for domain rules, integration tests at module boundaries, and one end-to-end critical-path test. ## Decision records For each major dependency, document why it was chosen, its failure mode, and how it can be replaced. Do not introduce infrastructure until a requirement justifies it.
# Agent instructions - Read `PRODUCT.md` and `ARCHITECTURE.md` before changing code. - Implement milestone by milestone; keep each change reviewable and leave the application runnable. - Treat authentication, payments, encryption, imports, webhooks, and destructive actions as high-risk boundaries when present. - Never invent cryptography or silently weaken a requirement to make a test pass. - Use provider interfaces for external services and deterministic fakes in tests. - Add migrations and rollback or recovery notes for persistent data changes. - Log useful operational context without credentials, tokens, passwords, or personal data. - Update documentation and run all checks before completing a milestone.
# Delivery milestones ## M0 — Decisions and scaffold - Confirm the runtime, persistence model, threat boundaries, and deployment target. - Create a reproducible local environment and continuous checks. ## M1 — Core workflow - Implement the smallest end-to-end product path with validation and tests. - Keep integrations behind interfaces. ## M2 — Trust layer - Add secure failure behavior, recovery paths, audit-relevant events, and data safeguards. - Test abuse cases and destructive operations. ## M3 — Operability - Add structured logs, error reporting hooks, health signals, backup/restore documentation, and deployment configuration. ## M4 — Release gate - Run a clean-install test, critical-path end-to-end test, dependency review, and documented rollback exercise. - Compare the shipped behavior with `PRODUCT.md` and publish remaining limitations.
# Operations ## Before release - Validate configuration and secrets at startup. - Define backup, restore, and rollback procedures and test them. - Document logs, error tracking, health signals, and alert ownership. - Set dependency update and vulnerability review expectations. ## Incident checklist 1. Contain the issue without destroying evidence or user data. 2. Record the timeline and affected scope. 3. Rotate exposed secrets and revoke compromised sessions or credentials. 4. Restore from a verified source when needed. 5. Document the root cause, remediation, and regression test. ## Launch constraint Do not market omitted Riverside capabilities as implemented. The v1 non-goals in `PRODUCT.md` remain user-visible limitations until they are deliberately delivered.
$ choose a build depth, inspect the files, then open the complete pack in your agent · this prompt is generated from the build plan · improve it via PR
People still pay for Riverside because creators pay to remove fragile audio plumbing and publishing chores from a release schedule. The recurring cost buys codec support, loudness standards, transcription, storage, feeds, analytics, and deliverability to directories, not just the visible interface.
xbrowser recording reliability, isolated uploads, backups, live studio, and global media infrastructure
xremote studio reliability
xlicensed music libraries
xhosting distribution
xadvanced mastering and support
Don't feel like building it? These folks already made it free.
all 3 free alternatives to Riverside →· no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real
Riverside pricing
| plan | monthly | annual (per mo) | what you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| free | $0/workspace | $0/workspace | 2 separate-track download hours total; 720p; watermark; 44.1 kHz audio; unlimited single-track recording |
| pro + live studio | $29/workspace | $24/workspace | 1 studio; 15 separate-track hours/month; 4K/48 kHz; 20 starting AI credits |
| grow | $39/workspace | $34/workspace | 2 studios; 20 separate-track hours/month; 2 shows; 1080p live streaming; unlimited destinations |
| webinar | $99/workspace | $79/workspace | 3 studios; 25 separate-track hours/month; 100 registrants; unlimited sessions with no time limit |
| business | custom | — | Unlimited studios and separate-track downloads; up to 10,000 registrants; unlimited shows and storage |
free tier2 separate-track download hours total, 720p watermarked output and 44.1 kHz audio; single-track recording is unlimited
billingmonthly + annual; 14-day trial on paid plans
hidden costsAI features consume credits and require top-ups after the included balance; higher registrant, studio and recording-volume needs push users to Business.
verified 2026-08-14 · source ↗
Vibecode Riverside
Not really. Riverside's value is not the code: Recheck price before merge. See the honest breakdown above.
How much does Riverside cost?
Riverside costs about $29/month (Standard, checked 2026-07-31), which is $348 per year.
What do I lose by replacing Riverside?
Honestly: browser recording reliability, isolated uploads, backups, live studio, and global media infrastructure; remote studio reliability; licensed music libraries; hosting distribution; advanced mastering and support. If any of those are load-bearing for you, keep paying.
Is there an open-source alternative to Riverside?
Yes: Audacity (A multitrack editor for the files you already have; remote capture remains somebody else’s problem.) Shotcut (A local interview editor with captions and noise tools; none of the remote-recording magic survives.) Kdenlive (A full video editor for locally recorded tracks; sync and polish are manual, but real.) All 3 curated free alternatives are at vibecodeit.com/riverside/alternatives. The prompt is for when you want it exactly your way.