An episode can show the Draft pill for three different reasons. They look identical on screen, so this article walks through how to tell them apart. See Episode lifecycle states for the full definition of every pill; this article is about the Draft case specifically.
Reason 1: the script is still being written
Draft is what an episode shows for its entire life until something moves it forward. A script's default status is pending, and it stays that way for the whole time Mato is writing it. Pending scripts do not get their own pill, so a brand-new episode simply reads Draft while generation runs in the background.
Open the episode. If the script is still pending, there is nothing to fix here. Wait for it to finish, at which point the pill either changes to Awaiting approval (if your publish rule is set to wait for review) or moves straight through publishing on its own.
Reason 2: your publish rule is set to wait for review
If your podcast's publish rule is Wait for my review, a finished, approved episode does not publish itself. It sits in Episodes, and once you have approved the script, it stays Draft until you click Publish on the episode detail page.
Check the publish rule in Settings > Distribution. If you want new episodes to go out without a manual step, switch it to Publish it right away. See Set up Mato Distribution for where this lives and what it affects.
Reason 3: audio generation failed, and there is no earlier banner to warn you
This is the one that catches people out. If audio generation fails on an episode that never had audio before, the episode's pill still shows Draft. There is no separate "Failed" pill. The only visible sign is a red banner in the episode's Overview tab: "Audio generation failed." If Mato has a specific reason, it shows there; otherwise you will see a generic note to review the script or retry.
If your episode has been sitting in Draft longer than a normal generation run should take, open it and check the Overview tab for that banner before assuming the script is simply still writing. See Why did generation fail? for what to do about it.
Quick checklist
- Open the episode. Is the script status still pending? Wait.
- Is the script approved but the publish rule is set to review? Click Publish yourself.
- Is there a red audio-failure banner in the Overview tab? Follow Why did generation fail?.
- Still stuck after checking all three? Contact Mato support with the episode's URL.