release: 0.102.0 (improvement/e37-player)

The cards, the up-next card and the mark-next label printed a question
mark where Plex has no number; the player's header already showed the
title alone. One helper (episodeNumbers/episodeName) for every place.

.env.example

@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ ALLOWED_EMAILS=
 # Admin emails (subset of the above) get the admin role.
 ADMIN_EMAILS=
 
-# Logging (E22). LOG_LEVEL is the BOOTSTRAP level — the level a process starts at and the only one
+# Logging. LOG_LEVEL is the BOOTSTRAP level — the level a process starts at and the only one
 # the worker/download child read; the API's running level is the admin Configuration page's
 # `log_level` knob, which takes effect without a restart. TRACE | DEBUG | INFO | WARNING | ERROR, in
 # any letter case; any other value stops the boot with an error. LOG_FORMAT is "json" (one object per

.git-blame-ignore-revs

@@ -2,8 +2,11 @@
 # whole-repo reformatting does not bury the real authorship of each line.
 # Configure once per clone:  git config blame.ignoreRevsFile .git-blame-ignore-revs
 #
-# Prettier one-time repo-wide format pass (R2 S1b, 2026-07-21)
+# Prettier one-time repo-wide format pass (2026-07-21)
 51c36c2071728d2cd7ae580b7bfdf21f6867a347
 
 # ruff format one-time backend + scripts pass (line-length 100, 2026-08-23)
 b1832afd180866b922521148603db447020c57a4
+
+# Plan-code purge from comments, one-time (2026-10-04)
+4aaaaa786017278460e0b4f94cc0d3374e0e37e2

.gitignore

@@ -42,3 +42,4 @@ Thumbs.db
 # TypeScript incremental build artifacts — machine-local, absolute-path-bearing, and no gate lane
 # reads or regenerates them, so a committed one is stale from the commit that adds it.
 *.tsbuildinfo
+frontend/e2e/.speed/

.trivyignore.yaml

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# The CVE gate's allowlist (E32). The publish gate scans the built image and the committed tree with
+# The CVE gate's allowlist. The publish gate scans the built image and the committed tree with
 # Trivy and fails on any HIGH or CRITICAL finding that has a fix available. A finding that cannot be
 # fixed yet is let through ONLY by an entry here, and every entry carries both:
 #   statement   — why it is acceptable for now (what is exposed, what is not)

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -7,6 +7,40 @@ edit the release notes and re-run the generator.
 
 Upgrading, pinning a version and rolling back: [docs/self-hosting.md](docs/self-hosting.md#upgrading).
 
+## 0.102.0 — 2026-10-08
+
+### New
+
+- The library and shared-link players answer the keyboard's and the system's media keys, and resume where you stopped.
+
+### Fixed
+
+- Plex player: the browser Back closes the panels over the video one at a time, and only the credits at the very end move on to the next episode. Plus smaller fixes around resume points and stopping a stream.
+
+## 0.101.0 — 2026-10-06
+
+### New
+
+- A shared link plays on any phone, iPhone and iPad included: downloads, clips and uploads are kept in a format every phone plays, and an upload in another format is converted after it arrives.
+- A shared link opens much faster: its page no longer loads the whole app.
+
+### Fixed
+
+- The YouTube player keeps its size on a short window and when maximised — before, it could shrink to a thin strip. Plus smaller fixes around uploads and clips.
+
+## 0.100.0 — 2026-10-05
+
+### New
+
+- Direct messages are gone: the Messages page, the chat dock and their encryption keys were removed with their stored messages, and the privacy policy no longer describes end-to-end encrypted chat.
+- The shared demo account is gone, with its sign-in entry and its whitelist.
+
+### Fixed
+
+- Sign-in security without email: when a Google sign-in takes over an account someone else registered first, or makes it an admin through the admin list, its password is cleared and its sessions end. The owner sets a new one in Settings.
+- Pressing Back onto a page that no longer exists opens the feed instead of breaking the app.
+- Behind the scenes: tidier checks and comments across the code.
+
 ## 0.99.2 — 2026-10-04
 
 ### Fixed

CLAUDE.md

@@ -13,15 +13,15 @@ router-free navigation provider.
 ## The gate — never merge or ship red
 
 The local gate is **ruff (`check` + `format --check`) + basedpyright (backend) + the lock check + typecheck (3 tsc projects) +
-eslint + prettier --check + knip (both modes) + vitest + vite build + pytest + pip-audit + npm audit**, then a coverage report (no threshold). It runs
+eslint + prettier --check + knip + vitest + vite build + pytest + pip-audit + npm audit**. It runs
 before every `release` merges and on every `publish`, which **refuses to build on failure — there is deliberately no `--skip`
 flag**; a release also requires the Playwright suite, and the image must pass a Trivy scan before it is pushed. Run it and get it
 green **before** any merge, release, or handing work to review.
 
 - Full gate: `bash scripts/check.sh` (`lint` for the static lanes only); the private ops dispatcher's `siftlode check` runs the same script. Single lanes: [`docs/development.md`](docs/development.md) § The gate.
 - **There is no CI** (owner, 2026-10-04): this gate, run here, is the only one — green before every hand-over, and `release` refuses to merge without it.
-- **A gate with any real hit is never switched off or narrowed** — not a lint rule, a compiler flag, a lane or a release step. Fix the sites, or suppress each one inline naming its invariant (`-- why`, lint-enforced). What stays narrowed is in [`docs/gates.md`](docs/gates.md), and a contract test fails when a narrowing is missing from it. The effective ESLint config of every file and the gate/lane lines are pinned in `frontend/src/lib/gates.snapshot.json`: a new code file or any gate change fails until you regenerate it (`GATE_SNAPSHOT=update`, see gates.md) — then read that diff as a gate change. A comment saying "X is enforced by Y" is checked by running Y (E32: one such comment hid 95 functions the React Compiler skipped).
-- **The backend type lane runs in the test image, not on the host** — `requirements.lock` cannot be installed on Windows (uvloop), and a type checker without the real packages reports nonsense. It fails on NEW errors only; the pre-existing ones sit in `backend/.basedpyright/baseline.json` and burn down epic by epic. Fixed some? Regenerate with `--writebaseline`.
+- **A gate with any real hit is never switched off or narrowed** — not a lint rule, a compiler flag, a lane or a release step. Fix the sites, or suppress each one inline naming its invariant (`-- why`, lint-enforced). What stays narrowed is in [`docs/gates.md`](docs/gates.md), and a contract test fails when a narrowing is missing from it. The effective ESLint config of every scope and the gate/lane lines are pinned in `frontend/src/lib/gates.snapshot.json`: any gate change fails until you regenerate it (`GATE_SNAPSHOT=update`, see gates.md) — then read that diff as a gate change. A comment saying "X is enforced by Y" is checked by running Y (E32: one such comment hid 95 functions the React Compiler skipped).
+- **The backend type lane runs in the test image, not on the host** — `requirements.lock` cannot be installed on Windows (uvloop), and a type checker without the real packages reports nonsense. It fails on NEW errors only; the pre-existing ones sit in `backend/.basedpyright/baseline.json` (no burn-down mandate, but none was ever triaged: a `reportOptional*` entry in code you touch may be a real bug). A run that fixed some rewrites it — commit that.
 - New DB-backed test? It must actually run, not silently skip — assume `SIFTLODE_TEST_REQUIRE_DB=1`.
 
 ## Workflow
@@ -63,9 +63,10 @@ how it gets built. Concretely:
 
 `routes/*` (HTTP only: validation, auth-dependency, serialization) → domain packages `sync/`, `plex/`,
 `downloads/`, `youtube/`, `issues/` (shared by routes + scheduler + worker) → flat core (`auth`, `quota`,
-`sysconfig`, `state`, `audit`, `notifications`, `userscope`, `realtime`, `ratelimit`, `bodylimit`, `progress`, `collation`,
+`sysconfig`, `state`, `audit`, `notifications`, `userscope`, `ratelimit`, `bodylimit`, `progress`, `collation`,
 `security`, `logs`, `logsink`, `diagnostics`, `debugsession`) → `models/db/config`. **Dependency direction is one-way: core never imports routes.**
-Frontend: `main.tsx` provider tree → `App.tsx` shell → `moduleRegistry` route-chunks → module
+Frontend: `main.tsx` provider tree → `App.tsx` shell (a shared `/watch` link boots from its own
+entry, `watch.html` → `watchMain.tsx`, held app-free by a contract test) → `moduleRegistry` route-chunks → module
 components → the **platform layer `components/ui/`** (domain-free primitives: the popover engine and
 its menus, `Modal`/`Overlay`, `Button`/`form`, `DataTable`/`VirtualGrid`, `QueryState`, …). That
 boundary is one-way and **lint-enforced**, not just described: a platform component may not import a
@@ -95,17 +96,13 @@ CQRS, a repository/DI framework, a router library, a generic CRUD-router factory
 | Job status word                      | the `downloads/status.py` StrEnum                                                                                                                                                                 | loose `"canceled"`/`"cancelled"` literals                                                                                                               |
 | Current time                         | inline `datetime.now(timezone.utc)`                                                                                                                                                               | new `now_utc`/`_now` helpers                                                                                                                            |
 | FE per-account state                 | `usePref`                                                                                                                                                                                         | raw `readAccount`/`writeAccount` or bespoke hooks                                                                                                       |
-| FE button                            | `ui/Button` (a `SIZES` rung) · `IconButton` · `Pressable` (a clickable card/row) · `Chip` · `DragHandle`                                                                                          | a raw `<button>` or `FocusSafeButton` outside the control primitives (lint-enforced)                                                                    |
 | FE keyboard shortcut                 | a row in `lib/keymap.ts` + `dispatch()`                                                                                                                                                           | a private `keydown` listener with its own key literals                                                                                                  |
 | FE list/grid keys                    | `NavGrid`/`keyboardNav` + `navItemAttrs` + `data-nav-open`                                                                                                                                        | a private arrow-key / roving-tabindex handler                                                                                                           |
 | FE view push (history)               | `rememberNavPosition()` right before `history.pushState`                                                                                                                                          | a push that forgets: Back strands focus on `<body>`                                                                                                     |
-| FE text field / checkbox / slider    | `ui/Input` · `Textarea` · `InnerInput` in a `fieldClass` frame · `Checkbox`/`CheckRow` · `Slider`                                                                                                 | a raw `<input>`/`<textarea>` anywhere but those primitives (lint-enforced)                                                                              |
-| FE glass surface                     | a role: `SURFACE.panel` / `card` / `menu` / `popover` / `tooltip` (`ui/surfaces.ts`)                                                                                                              | a bare `glass`/`glass-card`/`glass-menu` beside a hand-picked radius (lint-enforced)                                                                    |
 | FE static label / button-like link   | `Badge` (flat, no edge) · `LinkButton` / `IconLink`                                                                                                                                               | a glass pill that reads as a chip; an `<a>` hand-painted like a button                                                                                  |
-| FE control                           | `SegmentedToggle`; a long or user's list: `FilterSelect`                                                                                                                                          | a native `<select>` (lint-enforced)                                                                                                                     |
 | FE loading/empty/error               | `QueryState` / `StateMessage`                                                                                                                                                                     | ad-hoc conditionals                                                                                                                                     |
 | FE failed write                      | `meta.failTitle`, else `notifyActionError(err, title)`                                                                                                                                            | a bare `catch {}` or `notify()` with no error attached                                                                                                  |
-| FE network call                      | `req`/`uploadReq`/`beacon`, or `lib/http.ts` `send` (public pages)                                                                                                                                | a bare `fetch`/`XMLHttpRequest`/`WebSocket` (lint-enforced)                                                                                             |
+| FE player on a native media element  | `lib/mediaSession` (`useMediaSession`) + `lib/mediaKeys` + `lib/resume` (`useResume`), the element held as STATE                                                                                  | a private `navigator.mediaSession` / `keydown` / position-saving effect per player                                                                      |
 | FE diagnostics                       | `lib/log.ts` (`log.info("event.code", msg, attrs)`); a filter change → `lib/filterLog.ts`, a player → `lib/mediaLog.ts`                                                                           | `console.*` (lint-enforced); a value only a higher level may carry, logged unguarded                                                                    |
 | FE state that MIRRORS a prop/query   | derive it, or hold a draft (`draft ?? server`)                                                                                                                                                    | a copy an effect re-syncs — that paints the stale value first                                                                                           |
 | FE state reset on a key change       | adjust it DURING render against a remembered key                                                                                                                                                  | `useEffect(() => setX(init), [key])`                                                                                                                    |
@@ -114,6 +111,11 @@ CQRS, a repository/DI framework, a router library, a generic CRUD-router factory
 | FE popover / scroll-fade ref         | destructure it: `const { setReference } = pop.refs`, then `ref={setReference}`                                                                                                                    | `ref={pop.refs.setReference}` / `ref={fade.ref}` — the compiler then treats the whole object as a ref and skips                                         |
 | FE async handler with cleanup        | `try { … } catch { … }`, then the cleanup after it (steps that `return` early go in their own function); a conditional, loop or `?.` the `try` needs goes before it or into a module-level helper | `try/finally`, or a `?:` / `??` / loop / `?.` inside `try` — the React Compiler skips the whole component (and `react-hooks/todo` misses most of these) |
 
+Not repeated here, because a lint rule refuses the wrong one and its message names the right one:
+buttons (`ui/Button`, `IconButton`, `Pressable`, `Chip`, `DragHandle`), text fields and native
+controls (`ui/Input`, `Checkbox`, `Slider`, …), glass surfaces (`SURFACE.*`), a native `<select>`
+(`SegmentedToggle` / `FilterSelect`), and network calls (`req` / `uploadReq` / `beacon`, `lib/http.ts`).
+
 ## House rules that bite (learned from real bugs)
 
 - **A rule stated in a comment must also be enforced in code.** The worst bugs here came from a comment
@@ -125,7 +127,8 @@ CQRS, a repository/DI framework, a router library, a generic CRUD-router factory
   "no results". Reads degrade honestly; writes are conditional (`UPDATE … WHERE status='running'`).
 - **i18n parity.** HU/EN, zero key drift. Every user-facing string is translated.
 - **Comment the "why", keep it current.** This codebase uses comments as its architecture doc; a stale
-  "why" is a liability, so update it when the behavior changes.
+  "why" is a liability, so update it when the behavior changes. Say the why itself, never the plan
+  step that produced it: no epic, sprint or review-round ids in the code (`planCodes.contract.test.ts`).
 
 ---
 

Dockerfile

@@ -47,13 +47,13 @@ RUN adduser --disabled-password --gecos "" appuser \
     && mkdir -p /downloads \
     && chown appuser /app /downloads
 
-# ffmpeg: merge separate video+audio streams + postprocessing, and the Plex VAAPI transcode (E6 S1).
+# ffmpeg: merge separate video+audio streams + postprocessing, and the Plex VAAPI transcode.
 # intel-media-va-driver (iHD): the VA driver ffmpeg's h264_vaapi needs — libva2 ships in the base but
 # no driver, so without this `vainfo`/`h264_vaapi` fail and transcode silently falls back to libx264.
 # Harmless on hosts with no /dev/dri (the driver just goes unused). Deno: the JavaScript runtime yt-dlp
 # uses to solve YouTube's "n" signature challenge for the web player clients (required alongside the PO
 # token, else only storyboards are offered). yt-dlp auto-detects deno on PATH.
-# `apt-get upgrade` (E32): the base image is a snapshot, and the Debian security fixes released since it
+# `apt-get upgrade`: the base image is a snapshot, and the Debian security fixes released since it
 # was cut are only in the archive — the first Trivy scan found one (pcre2) fixed upstream but not in it.
 ARG DENO_VERSION=v2.9.1
 RUN apt-get update \
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ RUN printf 'Types: deb\nURIs: http://deb.debian.org/debian\nSuites: bookworm\nCo
 # Install from the PINNED lock (requirements.lock, generated from requirements.txt) so the image is
 # byte-reproducible and the exact versions are the ones the gate's pip-audit scanned — not whatever
 # floats up from the floor ranges on build day. Regenerate the lock when requirements.txt changes (see its header).
-# pip itself is removed once it has installed the lock (E32): nothing runs it at runtime, and it carries
+# pip itself is removed once it has installed the lock: nothing runs it at runtime, and it carries
 # its own VENDORED copies of urllib3, msgpack and setuptools, which Trivy reports as the image's own —
 # an attack surface and a CVE stream for a tool the running app never calls.
 COPY backend/requirements.lock .

README.md

@@ -23,8 +23,9 @@ blocker and SponsorBlock keep working.
 - **Playlists with two-way YouTube sync** — build them locally, keep them in sync in both directions.
 - **In-app player** with resume, plus keyboard/scroll controls.
 - **Download Center** — save videos to the server with yt-dlp in a Plex-friendly layout (format
-  presets, per-user storage quota), trim / crop / split & join them in a built-in editor, then save
-  to your device, share with another user, or hand out a public watch link.
+  presets, per-user storage quota), trim / crop / split & join them in a built-in editor, play them
+  where you left off, then save to your device, share with another user, or hand out a public watch
+  link.
 - **Plex library** *(optional)* — point Siftlode at your own Plex server to browse and play its
   movies and shows alongside your feed, with watch state kept in sync.
 - **Multi-user** with per-user private state, a shared catalog, and a fair daily API-quota guard.

VERSION

@@ -1 +1 @@
-0.99.2
+0.102.0

backend/.basedpyright/baseline.json

@@ -743,14 +743,6 @@
                     "lineCount": 1
                 }
             },
-            {
-                "code": "reportArgumentType",
-                "range": {
-                    "startColumn": 37,
-                    "endColumn": 47,
-                    "lineCount": 1
-                }
-            },
             {
                 "code": "reportArgumentType",
                 "range": {
@@ -824,96 +816,6 @@
                 }
             }
         ],
-        "./app/routes/messages.py": [
-            {
-                "code": "reportCallIssue",
-                "range": {
-                    "startColumn": 11,
-                    "endColumn": 43,
-                    "lineCount": 1
-                }
-            },
-            {
-                "code": "reportArgumentType",
-                "range": {
-                    "startColumn": 23,
-                    "endColumn": 27,
-                    "lineCount": 1
-                }
-            },
-            {
-                "code": "reportCallIssue",
-                "range": {
-                    "startColumn": 13,
-                    "endColumn": 5,
-                    "lineCount": 7
-                }
-            },
-            {
-                "code": "reportArgumentType",
-                "range": {
-                    "startColumn": 8,
-                    "endColumn": 15,
-                    "lineCount": 5
-                }
-            },
-            {
-                "code": "reportReturnType",
-                "range": {
-                    "startColumn": 15,
-                    "endColumn": 72,
-                    "lineCount": 1
-                }
-            },
-            {
-                "code": "reportCallIssue",
-                "range": {
-                    "startColumn": 30,
-                    "endColumn": 48,
-                    "lineCount": 1
-                }
-            },
-            {
-                "code": "reportArgumentType",
-                "range": {
-                    "startColumn": 41,
-                    "endColumn": 44,
-                    "lineCount": 1
-                }
-            },
-            {
-                "code": "reportOptionalMemberAccess",
-                "range": {
-                    "startColumn": 36,
-                    "endColumn": 38,
-                    "lineCount": 1
-                }
-            },
-            {
-                "code": "reportOptionalMemberAccess",
-                "range": {
-                    "startColumn": 71,
-                    "endColumn": 73,
-                    "lineCount": 1
-                }
-            },
-            {
-                "code": "reportArgumentType",
-                "range": {
-                    "startColumn": 30,
-                    "endColumn": 39,
-                    "lineCount": 1
-                }
-            },
-            {
-                "code": "reportOptionalMemberAccess",
-                "range": {
-                    "startColumn": 27,
-                    "endColumn": 29,
-                    "lineCount": 1
-                }
-            }
-        ],
         "./app/routes/playlists.py": [
             {
                 "code": "reportOptionalOperand",

backend/alembic/versions/0097_drop_messages.py

@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+"""messages: drop direct messaging (the owner's decision, 2026-10-04)
+
+Chat — end-to-end encrypted direct messages plus the server's welcome note — was never used: prod held
+two welcome notes, no message between people, and one key. Its tables go with its code. The rows are
+not migrated anywhere; the nightly backup holds them.
+
+The downgrade restores the schema as it stood (0026 + 0027), empty: a message can't be brought back
+from a migration, and the E2EE key blobs were only ever readable by their owner's browser anyway.
+"""
+
+import sqlalchemy as sa
+from alembic import op
+
+revision: str = "0097_drop_messages"
+down_revision: str | None = "0096_videos_sort_indexes"
+branch_labels: str | None = None
+depends_on: str | None = None
+
+
+def upgrade() -> None:
+    op.drop_table("message_keys")
+    op.drop_index("ix_messages_created_at", table_name="messages")
+    op.drop_index("ix_messages_recipient_id", table_name="messages")
+    op.drop_index("ix_messages_sender_id", table_name="messages")
+    op.drop_table("messages")
+
+
+def downgrade() -> None:
+    op.create_table(
+        "messages",
+        sa.Column("id", sa.Integer(), primary_key=True),
+        sa.Column(
+            "sender_id", sa.Integer(), sa.ForeignKey("users.id", ondelete="CASCADE"), nullable=True
+        ),
+        sa.Column(
+            "recipient_id",
+            sa.Integer(),
+            sa.ForeignKey("users.id", ondelete="CASCADE"),
+            nullable=False,
+        ),
+        sa.Column("body", sa.Text(), nullable=True),
+        sa.Column("read_at", sa.DateTime(timezone=True), nullable=True),
+        sa.Column(
+            "created_at", sa.DateTime(timezone=True), server_default=sa.func.now(), nullable=False
+        ),
+        sa.Column("kind", sa.String(length=16), nullable=False, server_default="user"),
+        sa.Column("ciphertext", sa.Text(), nullable=True),
+        sa.Column("iv", sa.String(length=32), nullable=True),
+    )
+    op.create_index("ix_messages_sender_id", "messages", ["sender_id"])
+    op.create_index("ix_messages_recipient_id", "messages", ["recipient_id"])
+    op.create_index("ix_messages_created_at", "messages", ["created_at"])
+    op.create_table(
+        "message_keys",
+        sa.Column(
+            "user_id",
+            sa.Integer(),
+            sa.ForeignKey("users.id", ondelete="CASCADE"),
+            primary_key=True,
+        ),
+        sa.Column("public_key", sa.Text(), nullable=False),
+        sa.Column("wrapped_private_key", sa.Text(), nullable=False),
+        sa.Column("salt", sa.String(length=64), nullable=False),
+        sa.Column("wrap_iv", sa.String(length=32), nullable=False),
+        sa.Column("key_check", sa.Text(), nullable=False),
+        sa.Column(
+            "created_at", sa.DateTime(timezone=True), server_default=sa.func.now(), nullable=False
+        ),
+    )

backend/alembic/versions/0098_drop_demo_account.py

@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+"""demo: drop the shared demo account (the owner's decision, 2026-10-04)
+
+The demo account — one shared user that whitelisted emails entered from the login page, reset on a
+schedule — goes with its code. Prod held the demo user and 10 whitelist rows.
+
+The upgrade deletes the demo user first (its playlists, states and subscriptions cascade; audit and
+quota rows keep their history with the actor nulled, as for any deleted account), then the traces
+that only the demo code could render: its audit rows (whitelist edits, manual resets, and every row
+about the reset job — its runs and its interval changes), the reset job's interval override and its
+completion notices. Nothing is migrated anywhere; the nightly backup holds the rows.
+
+The downgrade restores the schema as it stood (0014), empty: the demo user is created lazily on its
+first sign-in, so an empty `demo_whitelist` is the whole of its state.
+"""
+
+import sqlalchemy as sa
+from alembic import op
+
+revision: str = "0098_drop_demo_account"
+down_revision: str | None = "0097_drop_messages"
+branch_labels: str | None = None
+depends_on: str | None = None
+
+
+def upgrade() -> None:
+    op.execute("DELETE FROM users WHERE is_demo")
+    op.execute(
+        "DELETE FROM audit_log WHERE action IN ('demo_add', 'demo_remove', 'demo_reset')"
+        " OR (target_type = 'job' AND target_id = 'demo_reset')"
+    )
+    op.execute("DELETE FROM scheduler_settings WHERE job_id = 'demo_reset'")
+    op.execute("DELETE FROM notifications WHERE data->>'job_id' = 'demo_reset'")
+    op.drop_index("ix_demo_whitelist_email", table_name="demo_whitelist")
+    op.drop_table("demo_whitelist")
+    op.drop_index("ix_users_is_demo", table_name="users")
+    op.drop_column("users", "is_demo")
+
+
+def downgrade() -> None:
+    op.add_column(
+        "users",
+        sa.Column("is_demo", sa.Boolean(), nullable=False, server_default=sa.false()),
+    )
+    op.create_index("ix_users_is_demo", "users", ["is_demo"])
+    op.create_table(
+        "demo_whitelist",
+        sa.Column("id", sa.Integer(), primary_key=True),
+        sa.Column("email", sa.String(length=320), nullable=False),
+        sa.Column("note", sa.Text(), nullable=True),
+        sa.Column("added_by", sa.String(length=320), nullable=True),
+        sa.Column(
+            "created_at", sa.DateTime(timezone=True), server_default=sa.func.now(), nullable=False
+        ),
+    )
+    op.create_index("ix_demo_whitelist_email", "demo_whitelist", ["email"], unique=True)

backend/alembic/versions/0099_library_states.py

@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+"""library: a resume point per user and library item
+
+The library player opened every item at 0:00. `library_states` keeps where a user stopped, per job
+(their own download, or one shared with them) — the same shape as `video_states`' position, without a
+status: the library has no "watched". It starts empty; the downgrade drops it.
+"""
+
+import sqlalchemy as sa
+from alembic import op
+
+revision: str = "0099_library_states"
+down_revision: str | None = "0098_drop_demo_account"
+branch_labels: str | None = None
+depends_on: str | None = None
+
+
+def upgrade() -> None:
+    op.create_table(
+        "library_states",
+        sa.Column("id", sa.Integer(), primary_key=True),
+        sa.Column(
+            "user_id",
+            sa.Integer(),
+            sa.ForeignKey("users.id", ondelete="CASCADE"),
+            nullable=False,
+        ),
+        sa.Column(
+            "job_id",
+            sa.Integer(),
+            sa.ForeignKey("download_jobs.id", ondelete="CASCADE"),
+            nullable=False,
+        ),
+        sa.Column("position_seconds", sa.Integer(), nullable=False),
+        sa.Column("progress_updated_at", sa.DateTime(timezone=True), nullable=False),
+        sa.UniqueConstraint("user_id", "job_id", name="uq_library_user_job"),
+    )
+    op.create_index("ix_library_states_job_id", "library_states", ["job_id"])
+
+
+def downgrade() -> None:
+    op.drop_index("ix_library_states_job_id", table_name="library_states")
+    op.drop_table("library_states")

backend/alembic/versions/0100_drop_plex_item_markers.py

@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+"""plex_items: drop `markers`, a column nothing writes or reads
+
+Intro/credits markers are read live from Plex for the item the player opens (with Plex's `final` flag
+on the block that ends it); this cached copy was never filled — every row is NULL. The downgrade
+restores the empty column.
+"""
+
+import sqlalchemy as sa
+from alembic import op
+
+revision: str = "0100_drop_plex_item_markers"
+down_revision: str | None = "0099_library_states"
+branch_labels: str | None = None
+depends_on: str | None = None
+
+
+def upgrade() -> None:
+    op.drop_column("plex_items", "markers")
+
+
+def downgrade() -> None:
+    op.add_column("plex_items", sa.Column("markers", sa.JSON(), nullable=True))

backend/app/README.md

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # Backend conventions
 
 The rules below are already followed across `backend/app` — they lived only in a few module
-docstrings (`demo.py`, `userscope.py`, `routes/_common.py`) until this file collected them (E3 S3,
+docstrings (`userscope.py`, `routes/_common.py`) until this file collected them (E3 S3,
 B-core-20). When you add code, match these so the next reader doesn't have to guess "which pattern do
 I copy".
 
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ Three layers, by *who* runs the code — not by feature:
    `issues/bundle.py` is the one definition of a bug report's files, for the zip export and the tracker.
 
 3. **Flat `app/*.py` core modules — cross-cutting primitives.** `auth`, `sysconfig`, `quota`, `audit`,
-   `notifications`, `userscope`, `realtime`, `ratelimit`, `progress`, `logs` (the one logging
+   `notifications`, `userscope`, `ratelimit`, `progress`, `logs` (the one logging
    configuration), `logsink` (its `log_events` table), `diagnostics` (a user's consented log
    level), `debugsession` (a recording that tags its user's lines, E16) and `collation` (A→Z in the
    reader's alphabet, E30), … are single-file primitives many layers import. They depend on nothing above them (a core

backend/app/audit.py

@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ class AuditAction:
     USER_SUSPEND = "user_suspend"
     USER_UNSUSPEND = "user_unsuspend"
     USER_DELETE = "user_delete"
-    # E9.5 S5: an admin let a stuck registrant in, or re-sent their confirmation link. Both are
+    # An admin let a stuck registrant in, or re-sent their confirmation link. Both are
     # recorded because both are the admin acting ON someone's access, not merely reading a list.
     USER_ACTIVATE = "user_activate"
     USER_VERIFY_RESEND = "user_verify_resend"
@@ -36,12 +36,9 @@ class AuditAction:
     INVITE_DENY = "invite_deny"
     INVITE_ADD = "invite_add"
     INVITE_DELETE = "invite_delete"
-    # E9.5 S6: the admin chose to tell someone their address is whitelisted. Adding the address is
+    # The admin chose to tell someone their address is whitelisted. Adding the address is
     # silent, so this is the act that actually reaches a person — and the one worth a record.
     INVITE_SEND = "invite_send"
-    DEMO_ADD = "demo_add"
-    DEMO_REMOVE = "demo_remove"
-    DEMO_RESET = "demo_reset"
     DISCOVERY_PURGE = "discovery_purge"
     # Config
     CONFIG_SET = "config_set"
@@ -58,7 +55,7 @@ class AuditAction:
     DOWNLOAD_CREDENTIAL_DELETE = "download_credential_delete"
     # The log itself was cleared (a single row survives the clear as tamper-evidence)
     AUDIT_CLEAR = "audit_clear"
-    # E16: a user sent a debug session's issue to the tracker — the one act that takes their log
+    # A user sent a debug session's issue to the tracker — the one act that takes their log
     # off this instance, so it is recorded (target = the session, summary = the issue's URL).
     ISSUE_CREATE = "issue_create"
 

backend/app/auth.py

@@ -24,8 +24,6 @@ def operator_contact() -> str | None:
     return next(iter(sorted(settings.admin_email_set)), None)
 
 
-DEMO_GOOGLE_SUB = "__demo__"
-DEMO_EMAIL = "demo@siftlode.local"
 MAX_SESSION_ACCOUNTS = 6
 
 # OAuth scope vocabulary — the atoms + the request bundles, kept together as core. has_*_scope check
@@ -69,7 +67,7 @@ def has_write_scope(user: User) -> bool:
 def env_allowed_canonicals() -> set[str]:
     """The env bootstrap allow-list, in CANONICAL form — the only shape it may be compared in.
 
-    S3 canonicalised the Invite branch of `is_allowed` and left this one matching the literal string,
+    Canonicalising only the Invite branch of `is_allowed` left this one matching the literal string,
     which is the 2026-09-03 lockout with a different source of truth: an operator who writes
     `first.last@gmail.com` into ALLOWED_EMAILS is refused when Google answers with the undotted
     primary, and a `+tag`ged entry can never match at all, because a Google account cannot contain a
@@ -129,7 +127,7 @@ def can_activate(db: Session, user: User) -> bool:
     Lives in core so the admin surface and the /api/me badge count answer from ONE definition; a
     button that appears and a number that counts must never disagree about who is stuck.
     """
-    if user.is_demo or user.is_suspended or user.is_active:
+    if user.is_suspended or user.is_active:
         return False
     return is_allowed(db, user.email)
 
@@ -147,7 +145,6 @@ def count_pending_activations(db: Session) -> int:
     rows = (
         db.execute(
             select(User).where(
-                User.is_demo.is_(False),
                 User.is_suspended.is_(False),
                 User.is_active.is_(False),
             )
@@ -188,24 +185,6 @@ def find_user_by_email(db: Session, email: str) -> User | None:
     return candidates[0] if len(candidates) == 1 else None
 
 
-def get_or_create_demo_user(db: Session) -> User:
-    """The one shared demo user, created on first use. No OAuth token / YouTube scope, so
-    has_read_scope/has_write_scope are False and every YouTube-touching path is closed to it."""
-    user = db.query(User).filter(User.is_demo.is_(True)).one_or_none()
-    if user is None:
-        user = User(
-            google_sub=DEMO_GOOGLE_SUB,
-            email=DEMO_EMAIL,
-            display_name="Demo",
-            role="user",
-            is_demo=True,
-            preferences={"language": "en"},
-        )
-        db.add(user)
-        db.commit()
-    return user
-
-
 def revoke_google_token(token: str | None) -> None:
     """Best-effort revocation of a Google OAuth grant at Google's endpoint. Revoking the refresh
     token tears down the whole grant, so a later sign-in starts from a clean consent (no scopes
@@ -278,8 +257,7 @@ ACTIVE_ACCOUNT_HEADER = "x-siftlode-account"
 
 def resolved_user_id(conn: HTTPConnection, *, strict: bool = True) -> tuple[int | None, bool]:
     """Which account this connection acts as, and whether that's the session's default account.
-    Takes any HTTPConnection — an HTTP Request OR a WebSocket — so the WS push channel shares this
-    exact per-tab resolution instead of re-implementing it.
+    Takes an HTTPConnection rather than a Request: it reads only the session and the headers.
 
     The signed cookie holds the *wallet* (`account_ids`, every account signed into this browser)
     plus a default `user_id`. A caller may name its account with the X-Siftlode-Account header (or
@@ -297,8 +275,8 @@ def resolved_user_id(conn: HTTPConnection, *, strict: bool = True) -> tuple[int
     """
     default_id = conn.session.get("user_id")
     wallet = conn.session.get("account_ids") or []
-    # Header for normal XHR; ?account= for contexts that can't set headers (WebSocket, and a
-    # plain <a> file download). Both are wallet-gated below.
+    # Header for normal XHR; ?account= for a context that can't set headers (a plain <a> file
+    # download). Both are wallet-gated below.
     hdr = conn.headers.get(ACTIVE_ACCOUNT_HEADER) or conn.query_params.get("account")
     if hdr:
         try:
@@ -362,12 +340,12 @@ def _session_user(request: Request, db: Session, user_id: int | None, is_default
     if default_id and default_id not in accounts:
         accounts.append(default_id)
         request.session["account_ids"] = accounts[-MAX_SESSION_ACCOUNTS:]
-    # Attribute this request's log lines to the account (E22). Here, not in the request middleware:
+    # Attribute this request's log lines to the account. Here, not in the request middleware:
     # this is the one place a session becomes an account, and the middleware runs outside both the
     # session middleware and this task's context. `request.state` is shared across middleware layers
     # (it lives on the ASGI scope), so the access-log line can read it back. The user's consented
-    # diagnostics level rides along: their requests are logged — and stored — in that detail (S5).
-    # So does a debug session the request names (E16): only the caller's own open one counts, and a
+    # diagnostics level rides along: their requests are logged — and stored — in that detail.
+    # So does a debug session the request names: only the caller's own open one counts, and a
     # header naming anything else is ignored rather than refused — a stale tab must keep working.
     session = debugsession.from_header(db, user, request.headers.get(debugsession.HEADER))
     level, until = debugsession.level_for(user, session)
@@ -403,25 +381,10 @@ def optional_current_user(request: Request, db: Session = Depends(get_db)) -> Us
         return None
 
 
-def require_human(user: User = Depends(current_user)) -> User:
-    """Reject the shared demo account from actions that need a real Google/YouTube identity
-    or spend the shared quota. Most YouTube paths are already closed to it implicitly (it has
-    no token, so has_read_scope/has_write_scope are False); this makes the boundary explicit
-    where there's no scope check to lean on."""
-    if user.is_demo:
-        # Structured, because `req` leaves 403 to the caller and `notifyActionError` only shows a
-        # STRUCTURED detail — a plain string here reached the demo user as their caller's generic
-        # "couldn't do that", with no hint that the demo account is the reason (round 6). Affordances
-        # this gate sits behind are not all UI-gated on `is_demo` (the comfort shelf is not).
-        raise HTTPException(status_code=403, detail={"code": "demo"})
-    return user
-
-
-def require_write_scope(user: User = Depends(require_human)) -> User:
+def require_write_scope(user: User = Depends(current_user)) -> User:
     """Dependency: require the YouTube write scope (subscribe/unsubscribe, playlist export/edit).
     Single source of truth for the write gate — replaces the inline `if not has_write_scope(user)`
-    checks that had drifted into three different 403 messages across channels/playlists. Layers on
-    `require_human` because writing to YouTube needs a real, non-demo identity."""
+    checks that had drifted into three different 403 messages across channels/playlists."""
     if not has_write_scope(user):
         raise refused(403, "youtube_editing_off")
     return user

backend/app/bodylimit.py

@@ -59,9 +59,9 @@ DEFAULT_MAX_BODY_BYTES = 1024 * 1024
 # a say.
 #
 # Both listed routes now satisfy that. The screenshot route always did (`capped_body` streams it,
-# and the owner check resolves first). The upload route did NOT until P1: it declared
+# and the owner check resolves first). The upload route did NOT at first: it declared
 # `file: UploadFile = File(...)`, so an anonymous caller could make the process write the whole
-# per-file allowance to temp before `require_human` refused them — this middleware bounded that
+# per-file allowance to temp before the auth dependency refused them — this middleware bounded that
 # number but could not stop the writing. It now reads its own body from a dependency declared after
 # the auth one, so its in-handler cap measures bytes as they arrive, like everything else here.
 #
@@ -73,12 +73,12 @@ DEFAULT_MAX_BODY_BYTES = 1024 * 1024
 # `POST /api/diagnostics/events` is absent: its `capped_body` limit is 512 KiB, already below the
 # default, so listing it could only widen what it accepts.
 ROUTE_MAX_BODY_BYTES: dict[tuple[str, str], int] = {
-    # Ingesting a local file. The body IS the file since P1 — no multipart envelope to allow for —
+    # Ingesting a local file. The body IS the file now — no multipart envelope to allow for —
     # so this ceiling and the route's own cap count exactly the same bytes. `sysconfig`'s
     # `download_upload_max_bytes` is bounded by this same constant (see sysconfig.SPECS), so an
     # admin can only ever LOWER the route's cap below the edge, never raise it past one.
     #
-    # WHICH LAYER ANSWERS, measured rather than assumed (deep-review round 1):
+    # WHICH LAYER ANSWERS, measured rather than assumed:
     #   * knob LOWERED (an override below the default) — the route's cap is the smaller number, so
     #     `capped_stream_to` trips first and answers 422 `upload_too_large` carrying the admin's own
     #     figure, after draining the rest of the body so the client can read it.

backend/app/collation.py

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-"""Alphabetical order in the reader's language (E30 S3).
+"""Alphabetical order in the reader's language.
 
 Why not the database default: the Postgres image is Alpine, and musl's `en_US.utf8` collation is BYTE
 order — every accented initial sorted after "Z" ("Zorró < Életrajzi < Ötödik"), in every A→Z list the

backend/app/config.py

@@ -146,8 +146,6 @@ class Settings(BaseSettings):
     autotag_interval_minutes: int = 30
     subscriptions_resync_minutes: int = 360
     playlist_sync_minutes: int = 360
-    # How often the shared demo account is auto-reset to a clean baseline (communal sandbox).
-    demo_reset_minutes: int = 720
     # --- Maintenance / validation job ---
     # Runs once a day by default (admin-tunable via the Scheduler dashboard). Grace periods
     # are in days because that's the granularity that matters; the rolling re-validation
@@ -244,7 +242,7 @@ class Settings(BaseSettings):
     download_default_max_bytes: int = 5_368_709_120  # 5 GiB
     download_default_max_concurrent: int = 2
     download_default_max_jobs: int = 50
-    # Per-file cap for local uploads (E7). Unlike a download (whose size is unknown until the worker
+    # Per-file cap for local uploads. Unlike a download (whose size is unknown until the worker
     # finishes), an upload's size is known at ingest, so this bounds a single file directly; the
     # user's overall byte footprint is still governed by download_default_max_bytes.
     # ge=1: this number is also the EDGE ceiling (`bodylimit.ROUTE_MAX_BODY_BYTES`), where 0 is a
@@ -268,7 +266,7 @@ class Settings(BaseSettings):
     # Default SponsorBlock (skip sponsor segments) for new custom profiles.
     sponsorblock_default: bool = False
 
-    # --- Diagnostics / logging (E22) ---
+    # --- Diagnostics / logging ---
     # BOOTSTRAP level only: the running level is the `log_level` admin knob (sysconfig), applied at
     # startup and on change without a restart. This is what a process logs at before it can reach
     # the database — and the only knob the worker/runner children read, since they are short-lived.
@@ -301,7 +299,7 @@ class Settings(BaseSettings):
     plex_path_map: str = ""
     # Which Plex library section keys are exposed (comma-separated). Empty = all enabled sections.
     plex_libraries: str = ""
-    # HU-overlay mapping (E5 S5): comma-separated `huSectionKey:enSectionKey` pairs. Each named HU
+    # HU-overlay mapping: comma-separated `huSectionKey:enSectionKey` pairs. Each named HU
     # section is synced as a non-browsable overlay whose Hungarian metadata is written onto the EN
     # twin section's rows (matched by guid). Empty = no overlays. E.g. "3:4,5:1".
     plex_overlay_map: str = ""
@@ -311,7 +309,7 @@ class Settings(BaseSettings):
     plex_sync_interval_min: int = 360
     # How often the incremental Plex→Siftlode watch-state reconcile runs, in minutes (Phase C):
     # a cheap history + on-deck pull plus a re-push of any states that failed their immediate push.
-    # 15 min (S2): with Plex now the source of truth (prompt write-back on the ~10s checkpoint +
+    # 15 min: with Plex now the source of truth (prompt write-back on the ~10s checkpoint +
     # Plex-authoritative pull), a faster incremental pull keeps Siftlode close to Plex-side changes.
     plex_watch_sync_interval_min: int = 15
     # How often the FULL watch-state reconcile runs, in minutes (Phase C). A whole-section rescan
@@ -326,7 +324,7 @@ class Settings(BaseSettings):
     # each one is a whole segmented copy of the film on the scratch volume, written faster than
     # realtime. One account holds at most two regardless (plex/stream.py `_MAX_SESSIONS_PER_USER`).
     plex_max_sessions: int = 8
-    # --- Transcode (playable="transcode") re-encode tuning (E6 S1) ---
+    # --- Transcode (playable="transcode") re-encode tuning ---
     # Hardware-encoder policy: "auto" = VAAPI (h264_vaapi) when the iGPU render node is present AND the
     # source codec is hardware-decodable, else libx264 software; "on" = force VAAPI wherever the render
     # node exists (skip the decodability gate); "off" = always software. See plex/stream.py `_select_encode`.
@@ -349,7 +347,7 @@ class Settings(BaseSettings):
     # local disk, so the default is fine there.
     plex_hls_dir: str = ""
 
-    # --- TMDB enrichment (E5 S2; optional — enriches the Plex catalog from TMDB) ---
+    # --- TMDB enrichment (optional — enriches the Plex catalog from TMDB) ---
     # TMDB API key (v3 api_key, 32 hex chars). Server-side only; stored encrypted when set via the
     # admin Config page. Empty → the TMDB enrichment job no-ops. Feeds keywords / crew / budget /
     # revenue / TMDb score / recommendations / backdrops onto the mirrored Plex rows, matched by the
@@ -359,7 +357,7 @@ class Settings(BaseSettings):
     # Metadata language for TMDB fetches (keyword/overview locale). Stored EN by default.
     tmdb_language: str = "en-US"
 
-    # --- Bug reports (E16): where a debug session's issue goes. All three empty = no tracker; the
+    # --- Bug reports: where a debug session's issue goes. All three empty = no tracker; the
     # composer still exports a zip. The repository must be PRIVATE — an issue carries the reporter's
     # log — and app/issues/gitea.py refuses a public one. Runtime knobs (sysconfig, admin UI). ---
     issues_gitea_url: str = ""
@@ -369,7 +367,7 @@ class Settings(BaseSettings):
     tmdb_enrich_interval_min: int = 120
     # Titles fetched per TMDB enrichment run (TMDB is fast + generously rate-limited).
     tmdb_enrich_batch: int = 100
-    # How often the people job (E30 S6) fetches a batch of person bios from TMDB and portraits through Plex,
+    # How often the people job fetches a batch of person bios from TMDB and portraits through Plex,
     # in minutes, and how many of each per run: ~18k linked people at 300 per 10 min is about ten hours
     # once, then only the newcomers.
     people_enrich_interval_min: int = 10

backend/app/debugsession.py

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-"""Debug sessions (E16): Start → reproduce → Stop, and the evidence a bug report is built from.
+"""Debug sessions: Start → reproduce → Stop, and the evidence a bug report is built from.
 
 While a session is open its user's browser names it in `X-Debug-Session` on every request. The auth
 dependency accepts the header only for the caller's OWN open session (anything else is ignored, never
@@ -269,7 +269,7 @@ def set_delivery(db: Session, session: DebugSession, state: dict, token: str) ->
     every step. It is stamped from `token` here instead, and only after the ROW confirms the claim
     is still ours. Without that check the write is a full-column overwrite with no WHERE: a send
     that lost its lease came back and stomped the take-over send's committed links, then put its
-    own dead token back on an idle session (deep-review round 4). `release_send` has always made
+    own dead token back on an idle session. `release_send` has always made
     the same check; this is the other half of it."""
     if claim_owner(db, session) != token:
         raise SendClaimLost(session.id)

backend/app/demo.py

@@ -1,82 +0,0 @@
-"""Demo-account service: reset the shared demo sandbox to a clean, seeded baseline.
-
-Shared by the admin's manual reset endpoint (routes/admin.py) and the scheduled demo-reset job
-(scheduler.py). Lives in the service layer, not routes, so the scheduler can call it without an
-`app.routes -> app.scheduler` import cycle (the reason its import used to be lazy).
-"""
-
-from sqlalchemy import delete, func, select
-from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
-
-from app.models import Playlist, PlaylistItem, Subscription, User, Video, VideoState
-
-
-def _seed_demo_playlists(db: Session, demo: User) -> int:
-    """Seed a few sample playlists from the shared catalog so a freshly-reset demo isn't
-    empty — gives visitors something to play with. Best-effort: skips silently if the
-    catalog is too small."""
-    recent = (
-        db.execute(
-            select(Video.id)
-            .where(Video.is_short.is_(False), Video.live_status == "none")
-            .order_by(Video.published_at.desc().nullslast())
-            .limit(60)
-        )
-        .scalars()
-        .all()
-    )
-    if not recent:
-        return 0
-    samples = [
-        ("Fresh picks", recent[0:10]),
-        ("Quick watch", recent[10:18]),
-        ("Saved for later", recent[18:26]),
-    ]
-    created = 0
-    for pos, (name, vids) in enumerate(samples):
-        if not vids:
-            continue
-        pl = Playlist(user_id=demo.id, name=name, position=pos)
-        db.add(pl)
-        db.flush()
-        for ipos, vid in enumerate(vids):
-            db.add(PlaylistItem(playlist_id=pl.id, video_id=vid, position=ipos))
-        created += 1
-    return created
-
-
-def _seed_demo_subscriptions(db: Session, demo: User, n: int = 14) -> int:
-    """Seed the demo with a handful of catalog channels (the ones with the most videos) so its
-    Channel manager isn't empty — gives visitors something to explore and matches the landing-page
-    screenshot. Idempotent: clears the demo's subscriptions first, then re-adds the top N."""
-    db.execute(delete(Subscription).where(Subscription.user_id == demo.id))
-    top = (
-        db.execute(
-            select(Video.channel_id)
-            .where(Video.channel_id.is_not(None))
-            .group_by(Video.channel_id)
-            .order_by(func.count().desc())
-            .limit(n)
-        )
-        .scalars()
-        .all()
-    )
-    for channel_id in top:
-        db.add(Subscription(user_id=demo.id, channel_id=channel_id))
-    return len(top)
-
-
-def reset_demo_state(db: Session, demo: User) -> int:
-    """Wipe the demo account's per-user state (watch/save/hide states, playlists, preferences)
-    back to a clean baseline and re-seed a few sample playlists + channel subscriptions. Returns
-    the seeded playlist count. Shared by the admin's manual reset button and the scheduled demo
-    reset (see scheduler)."""
-    db.execute(delete(VideoState).where(VideoState.user_id == demo.id))
-    # Playlist items cascade on playlist delete (ondelete="CASCADE").
-    db.execute(delete(Playlist).where(Playlist.user_id == demo.id))
-    demo.preferences = {"language": "en"}
-    db.commit()
-    seeded = _seed_demo_playlists(db, demo)
-    _seed_demo_subscriptions(db, demo)
-    db.commit()
-    return seeded

backend/app/diagnostics.py

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-"""A user's diagnostics level (E22 S5): what they consented to, and for how long.
+"""A user's diagnostics level: what they consented to, and for how long.
 
 Three levels, named in the UI Alap / Részletes / Teljes:
 
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ Three levels, named in the UI Alap / Részletes / Teljes:
 
 A raised level always lapses after `ELEVATION_HOURS`: the expiry is computed HERE at consent time,
 never taken from the client, and an expired level reads as INFO without anything having to clear it.
-The shared demo account cannot raise its level — its log would mix every visitor's session.
 
 Core layer: imports `models` and `sysconfig`.
 """
@@ -27,7 +26,7 @@ DiagnosticsLevel = Literal["INFO", "DEBUG", "TRACE"]
 LEVELS: tuple[str, ...] = get_args(DiagnosticsLevel)
 BASE: DiagnosticsLevel = "INFO"
 ELEVATION_HOURS = 24
-# How long a debug session records at most (E16, app/debugsession.py). Here, beside the other
+# How long a debug session records at most (app/debugsession.py). Here, beside the other
 # consent window, because the start dialog's consent text states it and reads it from `state`.
 SESSION_MINUTES = 60
 

backend/app/discover/__init__.py

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-"""E24 — the read-model behind the Home surface ("Mit nézzek most?").
+"""The read-model behind the Home surface ("Mit nézzek most?").
 
 The anti-paralysis answer layer: one hero suggestion, a cross-source resume rail, and the user's own
 comfort shelf, all served from our own Postgres with no upstream call at serve time (the same rule

backend/app/discover/budget.py

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-"""The time budget — E24's replacement for "what mood are you in?".
+"""The time budget — the replacement for "what mood are you in?".
 
 `random-gondolatok` 15/D asked for a mood questionnaire before the recommendations. The same file's
 later BA-interview note (#23) says the mood half is not what makes this work: the friction is

backend/app/discover/pins.py

@@ -46,8 +46,8 @@ def resolve_ref(db: Session, user: User, kind: str, ref: str) -> tuple[str, obje
     translation belongs here rather than in five call sites.
 
     The COLUMN half of every answer comes from `PIN_COLUMNS`; only the LOOKUP differs per kind
-    (a direct `db.get`, a rating-key translation, an int parse plus an ownership check). Before the
-    E24 review the branches spelled the column names out again and `PIN_COLUMNS` had no readers at
+    (a direct `db.get`, a rating-key translation, an int parse plus an ownership check). Before a
+    review the branches spelled the column names out again and `PIN_COLUMNS` had no readers at
     all — a constant that called itself the one vocabulary while nothing spoke it."""
     col = PIN_COLUMNS.get(kind)
     if col is None:

backend/app/downloads/adapters.py

@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@ class YouTubeAdapter(SourceAdapter):
 
 class FacebookAdapter(SourceAdapter):
     key = "facebook"
-    # Measured (E11.5, yt-dlp 2026.07.04): with the user's cookie, some reels answer a plain request
+    # Measured (yt-dlp 2026.07.04): with the user's cookie, some reels answer a plain request
     # with "Cannot parse data" and parse only when the request looks like Chrome. Impersonation is a
     # SECOND attempt behind that one error, not the default: the links that already download with the
     # cookie keep their proven path, and only the ones stuck at the wall go through curl_cffi. Without
@@ -166,7 +166,7 @@ class FacebookAdapter(SourceAdapter):
     _POST_PAGE_MAX_BYTES = 16 * 1024 * 1024
 
     def resolve_url(self, url: str, ydl_opts: dict) -> str:
-        # Measured (E11.5 S4): given a group post's link, yt-dlp either finds no formats or — worse —
+        # Measured: given a group post's link, yt-dlp either finds no formats or — worse —
         # downloads ANOTHER video from the page's feed data. The post's own video is the one Video node
         # in the page scripts that carry the post id; its watch link downloads (plain first, then the
         # Chrome retry above). Needs the cookie: signed out, the page is the login wall.
@@ -176,7 +176,7 @@ class FacebookAdapter(SourceAdapter):
         with yt_dlp.YoutubeDL(ydl_opts) as ydl:
             raw = ydl.urlopen(url).read(self._POST_PAGE_MAX_BYTES)
         page = raw.decode("utf-8", "replace")
-        # Measured (E11.5 review): a refused or expired cookie gets the login page (~450 KB, a login
+        # Measured: a refused or expired cookie gets the login page (~450 KB, a login
         # form, no post id at all), which is not a post without a video — the user's cookie is the cause.
         if _quoted(post_id) not in page:
             raise StatedFailure(POST_NOT_SHOWN_MESSAGE)

backend/app/downloads/credentials.py

@@ -249,8 +249,8 @@ def usable_cookie(
 
     If (2) fails the asset is the SHARED (unsalted) one — attaching the cookie would poison the
     global cache with a private-group video, so we attach nothing. An unreadable blob (rotated key →
-    InvalidToken) also yields None; the download then fails honestly on the login wall (S3's
-    `login_required`)."""
+    InvalidToken) also yields None; the download then fails honestly on the login wall (the
+    `login_required` category)."""
     host_key = host_key_for_url(url)
     if host_key is None:
         return None

backend/app/downloads/edit.py

@@ -188,6 +188,51 @@ def clip_duration(spec: dict, source_duration: int | None) -> int | None:
 
 # --- ffmpeg: trim / crop --------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+# Every libx264 / aac re-encode in this package uses these, so a re-encoded file is always the
+# phone-safe shape (`playable`): `-pix_fmt yuv420p` pins 8-bit 4:2:0 — without it libx264 keeps a
+# 10-bit or 4:4:4 source's pixel format and writes H.264 High 10 / High 4:4:4, which browsers decode
+# only patchily (the one safe H.264 is 8-bit 4:2:0).
+X264_ARGS = ["-c:v", "libx264", "-preset", "veryfast", "-crf", "20", "-pix_fmt", "yuv420p"]
+AAC_ARGS = ["-c:a", "aac", "-b:a", "192k"]
+# The last step of every video filter chain a libx264 re-encode runs: 4:2:0 halves the chroma, so
+# libx264 refuses an odd width or height ("width not divisible by 2") — measured on an odd source
+# that is not 4:2:0 already (a 4:4:4 or RGB screen capture, 1365x767). A crop of a 4:2:0 source is
+# rounded to its chroma grid by ffmpeg itself; this holds every other path to the encoder to the same
+# even frame. Rounding down to even costs at most one pixel row/column.
+EVEN_FRAME = "scale=trunc(iw/2)*2:trunc(ih/2)*2"
+
+# The demuxers ffmpeg/ffprobe may use to open a library file — single-file containers only. Without
+# it ffmpeg picks the demuxer from the file's CONTENT and NAME, and an upload's name is the user's:
+# a playlist-type demuxer (HLS, DASH, concat) opens whatever local paths its entries name, so a
+# crafted upload could copy another user's clip or a Plex file into its own converted asset. A file
+# no demuxer here can open fails the probe, and an unprobeable upload is a download-only 'file'.
+MEDIA_DEMUXERS = (
+    "mov",  # mp4, m4a, mov, 3gp
+    "matroska",  # mkv, webm
+    "mpegts",
+    "mpeg",
+    "avi",
+    "asf",
+    "flv",
+    "ogg",
+    "mp3",
+    "aac",
+    "ac3",
+    "eac3",
+    "flac",
+    "wav",
+    "w64",
+    "aiff",
+    "caf",
+    "amr",
+)
+INPUT_GUARD = ["-format_whitelist", ",".join(MEDIA_DEMUXERS)]
+# A downloaded thumbnail is the remote site's bytes under the suffix yt-dlp gave it (`.png`, `.webp`,
+# `.jpg` — `pipeline._THUMB_SUFFIXES`): only the single-image demuxers those open, so a "thumbnail"
+# that is really a playlist cannot pull a local file into the poster. Anything else fails, and the
+# poster falls back to a cut frame (`ensure_poster`).
+THUMB_GUARD = ["-format_whitelist", "png_pipe,jpeg_pipe,webp_pipe"]
+
 
 def build_edit_cmd(src: Path, dest: Path, spec: dict, out_ext: str) -> list[str]:
     """ffmpeg command for a trim/crop edit. `-progress pipe:1` streams machine-readable progress.
@@ -214,7 +259,7 @@ def build_edit_cmd(src: Path, dest: Path, spec: dict, out_ext: str) -> list[str]
     ]
     if start:
         cmd += ["-ss", f"{start:.3f}"]
-    cmd += ["-i", str(src)]
+    cmd += [*INPUT_GUARD, "-i", str(src)]
     if end is not None:
         dur = end - start
         if dur > 0:
@@ -222,21 +267,9 @@ def build_edit_cmd(src: Path, dest: Path, spec: dict, out_ext: str) -> list[str]
 
     if reencode:
         # Input -ss + re-encode is frame-accurate (decodes from the prior keyframe, discards up to
-        # the exact cut). A crop adds the filter; an accurate trim re-encodes with no filter.
-        if crop:
-            cmd += ["-vf", f"crop={crop['w']}:{crop['h']}:{crop['x']}:{crop['y']}"]
-        cmd += [
-            "-c:v",
-            "libx264",
-            "-preset",
-            "veryfast",
-            "-crf",
-            "20",
-            "-c:a",
-            "aac",
-            "-b:a",
-            "192k",
-        ]
+        # the exact cut). A crop adds the filter; an accurate trim only evens the frame.
+        cropf = f"crop={crop['w']}:{crop['h']}:{crop['x']}:{crop['y']}," if crop else ""
+        cmd += ["-vf", cropf + EVEN_FRAME, *X264_ARGS, *AAC_ARGS]
     else:
         cmd += ["-c", "copy", "-avoid_negative_ts", "make_zero"]
 
@@ -284,11 +317,14 @@ def build_concat_plan(src: Path, dest: Path, spec: dict, out_ext: str, staging:
         parts, labels = [], []
         for i, s in enumerate(segs):
             st, en = s["start_s"], s["end_s"]
-            parts.append(f"[0:v]trim=start={st}:end={en},setpts=PTS-STARTPTS{cropf}[v{i}]")
+            parts.append(
+                f"[0:v]trim=start={st}:end={en},setpts=PTS-STARTPTS{cropf},{EVEN_FRAME}[v{i}]"
+            )
             parts.append(f"[0:a]atrim=start={st}:end={en},asetpts=PTS-STARTPTS[a{i}]")
             labels.append(f"[v{i}][a{i}]")
         parts.append(f"{''.join(labels)}concat=n={len(segs)}:v=1:a=1[v][a]")
         cmd = head + [
+            *INPUT_GUARD,
             "-i",
             str(src),
             "-filter_complex",
@@ -297,26 +333,23 @@ def build_concat_plan(src: Path, dest: Path, spec: dict, out_ext: str, staging:
             "[v]",
             "-map",
             "[a]",
-            "-c:v",
-            "libx264",
-            "-preset",
-            "veryfast",
-            "-crf",
-            "20",
-            "-c:a",
-            "aac",
-            "-b:a",
-            "192k",
+            *X264_ARGS,
+            *AAC_ARGS,
         ]
     else:
         listp = staging / "concat.txt"
-        lines = []
+        lines = ["ffconcat version 1.0"]
         for s in segs:
             lines.append(f"file '{_concat_quote(src)}'")
+            # ffmpeg hands the list's whitelist (which must name `concat` to read the list) down to
+            # the file it names, so a library file whose bytes are a concat list would be read as one
+            # and open the paths inside it. Each entry's own whitelist replaces the inherited one.
+            lines.append(f"option format_whitelist {INPUT_GUARD[1]}")
             lines.append(f"inpoint {s['start_s']}")
             lines.append(f"outpoint {s['end_s']}")
         prep[listp] = "\n".join(lines) + "\n"
-        cmd = head + ["-f", "concat", "-safe", "0", "-i", str(listp), "-c", "copy"]
+        guard = ["-format_whitelist", "concat," + INPUT_GUARD[1]]
+        cmd = head + ["-f", "concat", "-safe", "0", *guard, "-i", str(listp), "-c", "copy"]
 
     if out_ext in ("mp4", "m4a", "mov"):
         cmd += ["-movflags", "+faststart"]
@@ -474,14 +507,7 @@ def run_ffmpeg(
         raise StatedFailure(f"ffmpeg failed ({ret}): {''.join(err_tail)[-300:]}")
 
 
-# --- ffmpeg: universal browser playability --------------------------------------------------
-# A downloaded file must play in EVERY browser, whatever the source shipped. Universal = H.264
-# video + AAC/MP3 audio in an mp4 container: H.264 is the only video codec all browsers decode
-# (VP9/AV1 fail on Safari/iOS; HEVC fails on Chrome/Firefox), and mp4/AAC is the safe pairing.
-# Anything else is fixed post-download: re-encode the offending stream(s), or just remux when the
-# codecs are already fine but the container isn't.
-_BROWSER_SAFE_VCODEC = ("h264",)
-_BROWSER_SAFE_ACODEC = ("aac", "mp3")
+# --- ffprobe ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
 def run_ffprobe_json(
@@ -493,10 +519,10 @@ def run_ffprobe_json(
 ) -> dict | None:
     """One ffprobe call → its parsed JSON dict, or None on any failure (timeout, non-zero exit,
     missing binary, unparseable output). The SINGLE ffprobe-JSON-invocation point in the downloads
-    package: the browser-playability codec probe here and the shared media probe (`probe.probe_media`,
-    used by both the download worker's finalize and the upload ingest) both go through it, so the
+    package: the shared media probe (`probe.probe_json`: the stored facts and the phone-safe rule) goes
+    through it, so the
     subprocess flags/timeout/error handling live in one place instead of drifting copies."""
-    args = ["ffprobe", "-v", "error"]
+    args = ["ffprobe", "-v", "error", *INPUT_GUARD]
     if show_streams:
         args.append("-show_streams")
     if show_format:
@@ -517,35 +543,6 @@ def run_ffprobe_json(
         return None
 
 
-def _codecs_from_streams(streams: list) -> tuple[str | None, str | None]:
-    """(video_codec, audio_codec) lowercased from an ffprobe JSON stream list — the first of each kind.
-
-    Parsed from the JSON `streams` list, NOT ffprobe's flat `default=nw=1` output: there the fields
-    arrive in ffprobe's own struct order, which puts `codec_name` BEFORE `codec_type`, so a line-by-line
-    "remember the last codec_type" parser attributes every name to the PREVIOUS stream. Measured on real
-    downloads: an ordinary H.264+AAC mp4 probed as `v=aac a=None` — the browser-playability check then
-    believed the video stream was AAC and re-encoded a perfectly fine file on every download. Reading each
-    stream dict by its own `codec_type` is immune to that ordering."""
-    vcodec = acodec = None
-    for s in streams:
-        name = (s.get("codec_name") or "").lower() or None
-        ctype = (s.get("codec_type") or "").lower()
-        if ctype == "video" and vcodec is None:
-            vcodec = name
-        elif ctype == "audio" and acodec is None:
-            acodec = name
-    return vcodec, acodec
-
-
-def probe_codecs(path: Path) -> tuple[str | None, str | None]:
-    """Return (video_codec, audio_codec) lowercased via one ffprobe call; None for a missing
-    stream or if ffprobe fails (a failed probe is treated as 'leave it alone' upstream)."""
-    data = run_ffprobe_json(path, entries="stream=codec_type,codec_name")
-    if data is None:
-        return None, None
-    return _codecs_from_streams(data.get("streams") or [])
-
-
 def probe_duration(path: Path) -> int:
     """Media duration in whole seconds via ffprobe, or 0 if unknown — a progress denominator for a
     re-encode when the yt-dlp info dict carried no `duration` (some URL/live extractions)."""
@@ -555,6 +552,7 @@ def probe_duration(path: Path) -> int:
                 "ffprobe",
                 "-v",
                 "error",
+                *INPUT_GUARD,
                 "-show_entries",
                 "format=duration",
                 "-of",
@@ -577,49 +575,6 @@ def probe_duration(path: Path) -> int:
         return 0
 
 
-def browser_transcode_flags(
-    vcodec: str | None, acodec: str | None, is_mp4: bool
-) -> tuple[bool, bool, bool]:
-    """Decide what (if anything) makes a file universally browser-playable. Returns
-    (needs_change, reencode_video, reencode_audio). needs_change=False => already H.264 + AAC/MP3
-    in mp4. A None codec (no such stream, or a failed probe) is never re-encoded."""
-    rv = bool(vcodec) and vcodec not in _BROWSER_SAFE_VCODEC
-    ra = bool(acodec) and acodec not in _BROWSER_SAFE_ACODEC
-    return (rv or ra or not is_mp4), rv, ra
-
-
-def build_browser_safe_cmd(
-    src: Path, dest: Path, reencode_video: bool, reencode_audio: bool, threads: int | None = None
-) -> list[str]:
-    """ffmpeg command that lands `src` as a browser-safe mp4 (faststart): re-encode only the
-    stream(s) that need it (libx264 / aac), stream-copy the rest, always into mp4. `-progress
-    pipe:1` streams machine-readable progress for run_ffmpeg. `threads` caps the encoder so a
-    re-encode can't claim every core on the shared box (see the worker-child de-prioritization)."""
-    cmd = [
-        "ffmpeg",
-        "-y",
-        "-hide_banner",
-        "-loglevel",
-        "error",
-        "-nostdin",
-        "-progress",
-        "pipe:1",
-        "-nostats",
-        "-i",
-        str(src),
-    ]
-    cmd += (
-        ["-c:v", "libx264", "-preset", "veryfast", "-crf", "20"]
-        if reencode_video
-        else ["-c:v", "copy"]
-    )
-    cmd += ["-c:a", "aac", "-b:a", "192k"] if reencode_audio else ["-c:a", "copy"]
-    if threads and threads > 0:
-        cmd += ["-threads", str(threads)]
-    cmd += ["-movflags", "+faststart", str(dest)]
-    return cmd
-
-
 # --- filmstrip (editor scrub track) ---------------------------------------------------------
 
 _SB_COLS = 12
@@ -655,6 +610,7 @@ def build_storyboard_cmd(src: Path, dest: Path, duration_s: int | None, geom: di
         "-loglevel",
         "error",
         "-nostdin",
+        *INPUT_GUARD,
         "-i",
         str(src),
         "-frames:v",
@@ -678,6 +634,7 @@ def build_poster_cmd(src: Path, dest: Path, at_s: float) -> list[str]:
         "-nostdin",
         "-ss",
         f"{max(0.0, at_s):.3f}",
+        *INPUT_GUARD,
         "-i",
         str(src),
         "-frames:v",
@@ -699,6 +656,7 @@ def build_thumbnail_jpg_cmd(src: Path, dest: Path) -> list[str]:
         "-loglevel",
         "error",
         "-nostdin",
+        *THUMB_GUARD,
         "-i",
         str(src),
         "-frames:v",
@@ -734,7 +692,7 @@ def _step_failure(err: BaseException) -> str:
 
 
 def _is_jpeg(path: Path) -> bool:
-    """True if the file starts with the JPEG SOI marker (FF D8 FF)."""
+    """True if the file starts with the JPEG SOI marker (0xFF 0xD8 0xFF)."""
     try:
         with path.open("rb") as f:
             return f.read(3) == b"\xff\xd8\xff"

backend/app/downloads/errors.py

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ explanation (and decides whether a retry makes sense). The raw text stays availa
 "details" disclosure. This is the same string-matching approach the worker already trusts for
 `_RETRIABLE_MARKERS` — kept here as the single source of truth for "what kind of failure is this".
 
-**The failure catalog** (`_CATALOG`, E11.5). A category is generic: "Sign-in required" cannot tell a
+**The failure catalog** (`_CATALOG`). A category is generic: "Sign-in required" cannot tell a
 Facebook user that the cookie they already gave was refused, and yt-dlp words several different
 Facebook walls identically (`Cannot parse data`). A catalog entry is scoped to ONE host and may also
 depend on whether a cookie was attached and on the kind of link, and names a `detail` code the UI has
@@ -49,10 +49,11 @@ from app.downloads.credentials import host_key_for_url
 # "produced no output file" have markers here; the urlguard refusal deliberately has none and
 # classifies as `unknown` — it is a refusal, not a diagnosis, and no category would say more.
 #
-# A source adapter's verdicts on a link (`SourceAdapter.resolve_url`, E11.5 S4) are adapters.py's
+# A source adapter's verdicts on a link (`SourceAdapter.resolve_url`) are adapters.py's
 # constants, imported above; each has a rule below that gives its category back, and a catalog entry
 # that gives the site's sentence.
 QUOTA_FULL_MESSAGE = "Your download storage is full — free up space, then try again."
+UPLOAD_MISSING_MESSAGE = "The uploaded file is missing."
 NETWORK_REDACTED_MESSAGE = "The server could not reach that address."
 
 # (marker, category) — first match wins, so order most-specific → most-general. Matching is
@@ -98,6 +99,8 @@ _RULES: tuple[tuple[str, str], ...] = (
     # An edit's source download went away — our own wording, and MORE specific than the generic
     # "no longer available" below, so it must be matched first.
     ("source download is no longer available", "source_missing"),
+    # An upload's original went away before its conversion ran — our wording (UPLOAD_MISSING_MESSAGE).
+    (UPLOAD_MISSING_MESSAGE.lower().rstrip("."), "upload_missing"),
     ("source file is missing", "source_missing"),
     # Private / deleted / removed / terminated.
     ("private video", "unavailable"),
@@ -263,6 +266,15 @@ def classify(msg: str | None) -> str:
     return "unknown"
 
 
+def classify_conversion(msg: str | None) -> str:
+    """The category of an upload's failed conversion. The generic ffmpeg categories speak of a
+    download ("the video downloaded but…"), which an upload never was: a failed encode or an
+    unrecognised failure of one is `convert_failed`; a category of its own (a full quota, a missing
+    original) stays as it is."""
+    code = classify(msg)
+    return "convert_failed" if code in ("postprocess", "unknown") else code
+
+
 def diagnose(
     msg: str | None, *, url: str | None = None, cookie_attached: bool = False
 ) -> Diagnosis:

backend/app/downloads/formats.py

@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ spec shape (all keys optional; defaults + browser-playability clamp applied by `
     vcodec         always coerced to null → H.264 selected (see `normalize`); no opt-out
     embed_subs     bool     embed_chapters bool     embed_thumbnail bool     sponsorblock bool
 
-`normalize` clamps container/vcodec/audio_format so EVERY download plays in-browser (E7); the
+`normalize` clamps container/vcodec/audio_format so EVERY download plays in-browser; the
 `container`/`vcodec` keys survive only so an old stored profile deserializes without error.
 """
 
@@ -182,7 +182,9 @@ _DEFAULTS = {
 # v4: EVERY download is clamped to the mp4/H.264/AAC compat profile (no more mkv/webm/VP9/AV1/Opus
 # opt-out), so any asset cached under an old non-compat spec — or a stale non-H.264 mp4 that slipped
 # the v3 net — must re-derive through the current browser-safe guarantee.
-_SIG_VERSION = 4
+# v5: the phone-safe rule (`playable`) also judges the pixel format, so a cached 10-bit / 4:4:4 H.264
+# asset (which v4 let through as "H.264") re-derives as 8-bit 4:2:0 instead of being reused.
+_SIG_VERSION = 5
 # Audio-only downloads version on their own, so a change to the audio bytes doesn't re-download every
 # cached video. v5: an extracted .mp3/.m4a is stored as itself instead of remuxed into an .mp4 that
 # iPad's WebKit refuses to play, so a cached remuxed audio asset must re-derive.
@@ -217,14 +219,15 @@ def normalize(spec: dict) -> dict:
     # Audio-only files can't embed subtitles/thumbnails as video; keep the flags meaningful.
     if s["mode"] == "a":
         s["embed_subs"] = False
-    # Browser-playability guarantee (E7): the Download module exists to download → share → PLAY
+    # Browser-playability guarantee: the Download module exists to download → share → PLAY
     # in-browser, so every output must play in EVERY browser, iOS/Safari/WebKit included. The only
-    # universally-safe combo is mp4 + H.264 + AAC/MP3, so we CLAMP the spec to it HERE — the single
-    # point every path (picker, stored profile, raw API) flows through — instead of only hiding
-    # options in the UI. Non-mp4 containers (mkv doesn't play at all; webm/VP9/AV1 fail iOS) and any
-    # explicit vcodec are coerced to the compat profile; Opus audio (Safari-flaky as a bare file)
-    # falls back to AAC/m4a. A source that exposes no H.264 is still caught by the worker's
-    # browser-safe re-encode (`_ensure_browser_playable`), so playback is guaranteed end-to-end.
+    # universally-safe combo is mp4 + H.264 + AAC (an .mp3/.m4a for audio), so we CLAMP the spec to
+    # it HERE — the single point every path (picker, stored profile, raw API) flows through — instead
+    # of only hiding options in the UI. Non-mp4 containers (mkv plays nowhere on iOS; AV1 fails there,
+    # and webm/VP9 plays only on recent devices) and any explicit vcodec are coerced to the compat
+    # profile; Opus audio falls back to AAC/m4a. A source that exposes no H.264 (or a 10-bit one) is
+    # still caught by the worker's phone-safe step (`downloads.playable`), so playback is guaranteed
+    # end-to-end.
     s["container"] = "mp4"
     s["vcodec"] = None
     if s["audio_format"] not in ("m4a", "mp3"):
@@ -274,7 +277,7 @@ def build_ydl_opts(
     `extractor_args` with the player-client set + bgutil PO-token base_url); it is merged onto the
     generic options below. Everything here is source-agnostic.
 
-    `cookiefile` is the acting user's per-host cookies.txt path (S6), attached ONLY by the worker
+    `cookiefile` is the acting user's per-host cookies.txt path, attached ONLY by the worker
     after the host-scope + private-asset gate in `downloads.credentials`. It is set AFTER the `extra`
     merge so a source adapter can never clobber it.
 
@@ -329,7 +332,7 @@ def build_ydl_opts(
     if max_bytes and max_bytes > 0:
         opts["max_filesize"] = max_bytes
 
-    # The acting user's per-host cookie (S6). AFTER the adapter merge on purpose: an adapter must not
+    # The acting user's per-host cookie. AFTER the adapter merge on purpose: an adapter must not
     # be able to override the authenticated session the worker resolved for this specific user.
     if cookiefile:
         opts["cookiefile"] = cookiefile
@@ -351,7 +354,7 @@ def build_ydl_opts(
         # inside mp4 — a VP9/AV1-in-mp4 file shows a broken player there — so H.264 is selected at the
         # SELECTION level, not merely preferred: a sort key can't conjure an H.264 stream a source
         # doesn't expose as video-only. A source that ships only non-H.264 is caught after download by
-        # the worker's browser-safe re-encode (`_ensure_browser_playable`).
+        # the worker's phone-safe step (`downloads.playable`).
         if s["mode"] == "v":
             # Video-only: keep it audio-free. Prefer an H.264 video-only stream, then any video-only,
             # and only fall to a progressive (audio-bearing) `best` as a last resort.

backend/app/downloads/gc.py

@@ -6,12 +6,13 @@ Five passes each run:
   2. Expiry deletion — delete assets past their TTL (files + row). The FK SET NULL nulls the
      holders' jobs' asset_id, so those jobs surface as "expired" (re-downloadable) in the UI.
   3. LRU eviction — if a total cache cap is set and exceeded, delete least-recently-accessed
-     ready assets until back under it.
+     ready assets (never an upload) until back under it.
   4. Orphan reap — delete errored, fileless, unreferenced asset rows (they carry no TTL, so
      passes 1-3 skip them; benign row-count hygiene).
   5. Orphan FILE sweep — delete on-disk files/dirs no surviving asset owns (cruft left when a
-     re-download renames an asset, e.g. old accented channel dirs), skipping system trees and
-     anything newer than an hour so an in-flight download is never touched.
+     re-download renames an asset, e.g. old accented channel dirs, or an upload's stranded file).
+     It skips the dot-prefixed system trees (all but `.uploads`) and anything newer than an hour,
+     so an in-flight download is never touched.
 
 Runs in the API process (which mounts DOWNLOAD_ROOT). Pure disk/DB work — no YouTube quota.
 """
@@ -20,19 +21,19 @@ import time
 from datetime import datetime, timedelta, timezone
 from pathlib import Path
 
-from sqlalchemy import func, select
+from sqlalchemy import func, or_, select
 from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
 
 from app import logs, sysconfig
 from app.config import settings
-from app.downloads import storage
+from app.downloads import quota, storage
 from app.models import DownloadJob, MediaAsset
 from app.notifications import create_notification
 
 log = logs.get_logger(__name__)
-# Dot-prefixed top-level trees that are NOT part of the Plex/flat asset layout — the orphan sweep
-# never touches them (user clips, Plex HLS/img caches, in-progress staging, editor storyboards).
-_SYSTEM_TREE = {".edits", ".plex-hls", ".plex-img-cache", ".staging", ".storyboards"}
+# The one dot-prefixed top-level tree the orphan sweep enters. The others are not part of the asset
+# layout (user clips, Plex HLS/img caches, in-progress staging, editor storyboards) and are skipped.
+_UPLOAD_TREE = ".uploads"
 _ORPHAN_MIN_AGE_S = 3600  # only sweep files older than this, so an in-flight download is never hit
 
 
@@ -67,16 +68,20 @@ def _delete_asset(db: Session, asset: MediaAsset, ntype: str) -> None:
 def _sweep_orphan_files(db: Session, download_root: str) -> int:
     """Delete media/sidecar files (and now-empty dirs) under DOWNLOAD_ROOT that no `ready` asset
     owns — cruft left when a re-download changes an asset's on-disk name (e.g. an old accented
-    channel dir, or a poster from a superseded naming scheme). Skips the dot-prefixed system trees
-    and only removes files older than `_ORPHAN_MIN_AGE_S`, so a just-completed or in-flight download
-    is never deleted, and only files NOT owned by a surviving asset."""
+    channel dir, or a poster from a superseded naming scheme) — or, under `.uploads`, that no upload
+    row names at all. Skips the other dot-prefixed system trees and only removes files older than
+    `_ORPHAN_MIN_AGE_S`, so a just-completed or in-flight download is never deleted, and only files
+    NOT owned by a surviving asset."""
     root = Path(download_root)
     if not root.is_dir():
         return 0
     keep: set[Path] = set()
+    # An upload's file is on disk from ingest on, whatever its state (a queued conversion's original,
+    # a failed one kept for Retry), so every upload row keeps its file — not only a ready one.
     for rel in db.execute(
         select(MediaAsset.rel_path).where(
-            MediaAsset.status == "ready", MediaAsset.rel_path.is_not(None)
+            or_(MediaAsset.status == "ready", MediaAsset.source_kind == "upload"),
+            MediaAsset.rel_path.is_not(None),
         )
     ).scalars():
         media = (root / rel).resolve()
@@ -99,7 +104,10 @@ def _sweep_orphan_files(db: Session, download_root: str) -> int:
 
     unreclaimed = 0
     for entry in root.iterdir():
-        if entry.name.startswith("."):  # .edits / .plex-* / .staging / .storyboards + any dotfile
+        # .edits / .plex-* / .staging / .storyboards + any dotfile — but `.uploads` is swept: a
+        # conversion stopped between placing the new file and the commit that points at it (or the
+        # unlink of the original after it) leaves a file no row names, and nothing else finds it.
+        if entry.name.startswith(".") and entry.name != _UPLOAD_TREE:
             continue
         files = [entry] if entry.is_file() else [p for p in entry.rglob("*") if p.is_file()]
         for f in files:
@@ -188,17 +196,17 @@ def run_download_gc(db: Session) -> dict:
     if cap > 0:
         total = (
             db.execute(
-                select(func.coalesce(func.sum(MediaAsset.size_bytes), 0)).where(
-                    MediaAsset.status == "ready"
-                )
+                select(func.coalesce(func.sum(MediaAsset.size_bytes), 0)).where(quota.ON_DISK)
             ).scalar()
             or 0
         )
         if total > cap:
+            # An upload counts toward the total (it is disk like any other) but is never evicted:
+            # it has no source to fetch again, and it lives until its owner deletes it.
             candidates = (
                 db.execute(
                     select(MediaAsset)
-                    .where(MediaAsset.status == "ready")
+                    .where(MediaAsset.status == "ready", MediaAsset.source_kind != "upload")
                     .order_by(MediaAsset.last_access_at.asc().nulls_first())
                 )
                 .scalars()
@@ -232,6 +240,29 @@ def run_download_gc(db: Session) -> dict:
     if orphans:
         db.commit()
 
+    # 4b. Reap unheld uploads. An upload carries no expires_at, is never evicted and never re-enqueued,
+    #     so the passes above never free one that lost its last holder outside `release_asset` — a
+    #     conversion that finished after its job was cancelled, or one cancelled mid-run (the asset
+    #     was `downloading` then). Its file, ready or still the unconverted original, is at `rel_path`.
+    unheld = (
+        db.execute(
+            select(MediaAsset).where(
+                MediaAsset.source_kind == "upload",
+                MediaAsset.ref_count == 0,
+                MediaAsset.status != "downloading",
+            )
+        )
+        .scalars()
+        .all()
+    )
+    for asset in unheld:
+        if asset.rel_path:  # no holder is left to tell, so no notice — just the file and the row
+            storage.delete_asset_files(settings.download_root, asset.rel_path)
+        db.delete(asset)
+        reaped += 1
+    if unheld:
+        db.commit()
+
     # 5. Orphan FILE sweep — remove on-disk cruft no surviving asset owns (old accented dirs, stale
     #    posters). Runs last so the keep-set reflects the assets that survived passes 2-4.
     swept = _sweep_orphan_files(db, settings.download_root)

backend/app/downloads/og.py

@@ -147,13 +147,14 @@ def _watch_tags(token: str, db: Session) -> str | None:
     return "\n    ".join(tags)
 
 
-def render_watch_html(token: str, index_html: Path, db: Session) -> str | None:
-    """Return index.html with the OG block replaced for this watch token, or None to serve the
-    generic page unchanged (invalid/expired/not-ready link, or a template without the markers)."""
+def render_watch_html(token: str, page_html: Path, db: Session) -> str | None:
+    """Return the watch page (watch.html) with the OG block replaced for this token, or None to
+    serve the generic page unchanged (invalid/expired/not-ready link, or a template without the
+    markers)."""
     tags = _watch_tags(token, db)
     if tags is None:
         return None
-    text = index_html.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+    text = page_html.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
     if "<!--OG:START-->" not in text:
         return None
     # A function replacement avoids re.sub interpreting backslashes/group refs in `tags`.

backend/app/downloads/pipeline.py

@@ -13,7 +13,8 @@ from app.config import settings
 from app.db import SessionLocal
 from app.downloads import edit as editmod
 from app.downloads import errors as dlerrors
-from app.downloads import adapters, credentials, formats, mediakind, probe, quota, service, storage
+from app.downloads import adapters, credentials, formats, mediakind, playable, probe, quota
+from app.downloads import service, storage
 from app.downloads import urlguard
 from app.downloads.jobdb import (
     _edit_staging_dir,
@@ -58,6 +59,10 @@ _DB_WRITE_INTERVAL_S = 1.0
 _CANCEL_POLL_INTERVAL_S = 1.0
 
 _THUMB_SUFFIXES = (".jpg", ".jpeg", ".png", ".webp")
+# The job phase while a file is brought into the phone-safe shape (`_ensure_phone_safe`) for a
+# download or an upload. Its own word, not yt-dlp's "processing": it reports ffmpeg's real progress,
+# so the queue row shows a % for it, where yt-dlp's post-steps only get an indeterminate pulse.
+CONVERTING = "converting"
 # yt-dlp's working files in the staging dir. None of them is ever the finished media, but several
 # CAN be the biggest file there (a video-only per-format stream, an abandoned fragment run), so the
 # staging fallback must exclude them by name — picking one would store e.g. a silent video-only
@@ -73,9 +78,9 @@ _YTDLP_TEMP_RE = re.compile(
 
 def _notify_download_done(db, user_id: int | None, title: str | None, job_id, *, kind: str) -> None:
     """Post a best-effort 'ready' notice to the owner's inbox — downloads/edits used to finish
-    silently while scheduler jobs and playlist-push already notified (R11 feedback symmetry). A
+    silently while scheduler jobs and playlist-push already notified (feedback symmetry). A
     notification failure must never mask the completed job, so it is isolated + rolled back (mirrors
-    scheduler._notify_done). `kind` ("download"/"edit") lets the inbox pick accurate copy; the
+    scheduler._notify_done). `kind` ("download"/"edit"/"upload") lets the inbox pick accurate copy; the
     English title here is only a fallback for an unknown type. `user_id`/`title` are captured by the
     caller BEFORE its commit, so reading them here needs no post-commit refresh of an expired row."""
     if user_id is None:
@@ -219,7 +224,7 @@ def _ffmpeg_progress_writer(job_id: int, phase: str, *, now=time.monotonic):
     when the whole-percent value changed (the bar shows integers), plus a separate once-per-interval
     heartbeat while the percent is stuck (so a slow re-encode isn't mistaken for a stall)."""
     # Progress writes have their OWN 1/interval budget so a heartbeat can never delay a real write (the
-    # round-1 concern). The heartbeat, in turn, is gated on `last_touch` — the last DB write OR beat —
+    # original concern). The heartbeat, in turn, is gated on `last_touch` — the last DB write OR beat —
     # so a progress write (which already refreshes updated_at) suppresses a redundant heartbeat that
     # same interval, keeping active downloads at ~1 write/interval, not two.
     allow_write = _rate_limiter(_DB_WRITE_INTERVAL_S, now=now)
@@ -341,7 +346,7 @@ def _extract_with_fallback(
     (adapters.POST_*_MESSAGE) instead of letting yt-dlp guess, and a failed page read fails the
     download as itself.
 
-    `cookiefile` (S6) is the acting user's per-host cookies.txt, already gated by
+    `cookiefile` is the acting user's per-host cookies.txt, already gated by
     `credentials.resolve_cookiefile`; passed to every attempt so the fallback stays authenticated.
 
     `max_bytes` (SEC-13) is the owner's remaining storage budget, applied to every attempt."""
@@ -416,48 +421,50 @@ def _download_settings() -> tuple[str, int]:
         )
 
 
-def _ensure_browser_playable(job_id: int, produced: Path, spec: dict, info: dict) -> Path:
-    """Make an mp4-compat-profile download play in every browser: H.264 + AAC/MP3 in mp4. If the
-    download (whatever the source shipped) isn't already that, re-encode the offending stream(s) —
-    or just remux when the codecs are fine but the container isn't. **Scope:** only the mp4 compat
-    profile is normalized; an explicit `vcodec` or a non-mp4 custom profile is the user opting out
-    of the guarantee and is left as-is (so a `webm` profile can still ship VP9/Opus). Returns the
-    file to store (converted, or the original) and corrects `info`'s codec fields to match disk.
+def _ensure_phone_safe(
+    job_id: int,
+    produced: Path,
+    out_dir: Path,
+    phase: str,
+    total_s: int | None = None,
+    *,
+    keep_source: bool = False,
+) -> Path:
+    """Bring a file that is about to become a ready library asset into the phone-safe shape
+    (`playable`), writing any converted copy into `out_dir`. Returns the file to store — `produced`
+    itself when it already is that shape, or isn't media at all — and removes `produced` once a
+    converted copy exists, unless `keep_source` (an upload's original, which must outlive the
+    conversion until the database points at the new file). The job shows `phase` with real ffmpeg
+    progress while it converts.
 
-    An audio download (mode "a") is never touched: yt-dlp already extracted it to .mp3 / .m4a, which
-    every browser plays as audio/mpeg / audio/mp4. Remuxing it into .mp4 served an mp3 as video/mp4,
-    which iPad's WebKit refuses to play (prod job 268)."""
-    if spec.get("mode") == "a" or spec.get("container") != "mp4" or spec.get("vcodec"):
+    Every ready path calls this — a download, an upload's worker conversion and an editor clip — so
+    a share link can only ever serve the one shape every phone and browser plays."""
+    p = playable.plan(probe.probe_json(produced), produced.suffix)
+    if p is None or not p.needs_change:
         return produced
-    vcodec, acodec = editmod.probe_codecs(produced)
-    is_mp4 = produced.suffix.lower() == ".mp4"
-    needs, reenc_v, reenc_a = editmod.browser_transcode_flags(vcodec, acodec, is_mp4)
-    if not needs:
-        return produced
-
-    dest = produced.with_name(produced.stem + ".browser.mp4")
-    action = "re-encode" if (reenc_v or reenc_a) else "remux"
+    dest = out_dir / f"{produced.stem}.safe.{p.ext}"
+    action = "re-encode" if (p.reencode_video or p.reencode_audio) else "remux"
     log.info(
-        "job %s: %s (v=%s a=%s mp4=%s) -> browser-safe mp4", job_id, action, vcodec, acodec, is_mp4
+        "job %s: %s (video=%s audio=%s) -> phone-safe .%s",
+        job_id,
+        action,
+        p.reencode_video,
+        p.reencode_audio,
+        p.ext,
+        extra=logs.event("download.phone_safe", job_id=job_id, action=action, ext=p.ext),
     )
-    _set_job(job_id, phase="processing", progress=0, speed_bps=None, eta_s=None)
-    # Prefer the info duration; probe the file when the extractor didn't provide one, so a long
-    # re-encode still shows real progress instead of a frozen 0%.
-    total_s = int(info["duration"]) if info.get("duration") else editmod.probe_duration(produced)
+    _set_job(job_id, phase=phase, progress=0, speed_bps=None, eta_s=None)
+    # A re-encode with no known length would hold a frozen 0%; probe the file for a denominator.
     editmod.run_ffmpeg(
-        editmod.build_browser_safe_cmd(
-            produced, dest, reenc_v, reenc_a, threads=editmod.encode_thread_cap()
-        ),
-        total_s=total_s,
-        on_progress=_ffmpeg_progress_writer(job_id, "processing"),
+        playable.build_cmd(produced, dest, p, threads=editmod.encode_thread_cap()),
+        total_s=total_s or editmod.probe_duration(produced),
+        on_progress=_ffmpeg_progress_writer(job_id, phase),
         should_cancel=_cancel_poll(job_id),
     )
-    produced.unlink(missing_ok=True)
-    # Keep the stored asset metadata truthful about what's now on disk.
-    if reenc_v:
-        info["vcodec"] = "h264"
-    if reenc_a:
-        info["acodec"] = "aac"
+    if not dest.exists():
+        raise StatedFailure("ffmpeg produced no output file")
+    if not keep_source:
+        produced.unlink(missing_ok=True)
     return dest
 
 
@@ -483,7 +490,7 @@ def _download(
                 urlguard.check_url(url)
             except urlguard.BlockedUrl as e:
                 raise StatedFailure(f"Refusing to download from this address ({e.reason}).") from e
-        # S6: attach the acting user's per-host cookie ONLY when it's host-scoped to this URL AND
+        # Attach the acting user's per-host cookie ONLY when it's host-scoped to this URL AND
         # this asset is that user's private, salted identity (the double gate lives in credentials).
         remaining_bytes: int | None = None
         with SessionLocal() as cdb:
@@ -522,7 +529,13 @@ def _download(
         adapter = adapters.resolve_adapter(source_kind, source_ref, info)
 
         produced = _produced_file(info, staging)
-        produced = _ensure_browser_playable(job_id, produced, spec, info)
+        produced = _ensure_phone_safe(
+            job_id,
+            produced,
+            staging,
+            CONVERTING,
+            int(info["duration"]) if info.get("duration") else None,
+        )
         ext = produced.suffix.lstrip(".").lower()
         # Codecs/dims/duration come from a PROBE of the produced file — the ground truth — NOT yt-dlp's
         # `info` dict, whose fields are absent for some sources (Facebook among them): deriving
@@ -722,9 +735,12 @@ def _log_download_failed(job_id: int, msg: str, code: str | None, exc: BaseExcep
     )
 
 
-def _fail_edit(job_id: int, asset_id: int, msg: str, exc: BaseException | None = None) -> None:
-    """Fail an edit job, and say so ONCE — every way an edit fails comes through here, so this is
-    where its line and its event code live. `exc` is the exception when there was one.
+def _fail_edit(
+    job_id: int, asset_id: int, msg: str, exc: BaseException | None = None, *, what: str = "edit"
+) -> None:
+    """Fail a local ffmpeg job — an edit, or an upload's conversion (`what="upload"`) — and say so
+    ONCE: every way one fails comes through here, so this is where its line and its event code
+    (`<what>.job.failed`) live. `exc` is the exception when there was one.
 
     Its traceback goes with the line unless the message already tells it all (`_failure_stack`).
     Logged after the write, as on the download error path."""
@@ -739,19 +755,22 @@ def _fail_edit(job_id: int, asset_id: int, msg: str, exc: BaseException | None =
             job_id,
             status=JobStatus.ERROR,
             error=msg,
-            error_code=dlerrors.classify(msg),
+            error_code=dlerrors.classify_conversion(msg)
+            if what == "upload"
+            else dlerrors.classify(msg),
             phase=None,
         )
         db.commit()
     # `msg` is the user's copy; ffmpeg's stderr tail in it can name the source file, whose path is
     # built from the channel and the title.
     log.warning(
-        "edit job %s failed: %s",
+        "%s job %s failed: %s",
+        what,
         job_id,
         formats.log_safe(msg),
         extra={
             **logs.event(
-                "edit.job.failed",
+                f"{what}.job.failed",
                 job_id=job_id,
                 asset_id=asset_id,
                 **({"error_type": type(exc).__name__} if exc is not None else {}),
@@ -811,11 +830,17 @@ def _process_edit(job_id: int, asset_id: int) -> None:
         )
         if not dest_staging.exists():
             raise StatedFailure("ffmpeg produced no output file")
+        # A fast trim stream-copies the source's codecs and container, so the clip is only as
+        # playable as its source: hold it to the same rule as every other ready file.
+        dest_staging = _ensure_phone_safe(job_id, dest_staging, staging, "editing", total_s)
+        out_ext = dest_staging.suffix.lstrip(".").lower() or out_ext
 
         rel = storage.edit_rel_path(user_id, asset_id, out_ext)
         storage.place_file(dest_staging, settings.download_root, rel)
         final = storage.abs_path(settings.download_root, rel)
         size = final.stat().st_size if final.exists() else None
+        # The clip's real frame: a re-encode evens an odd crop or source (`editmod.EVEN_FRAME`).
+        _, _, out_w, out_h, _ = probe.probe_media(final)
         _, retention_days = _download_settings()
         expires = datetime.now(timezone.utc) + timedelta(days=retention_days)
 
@@ -827,7 +852,9 @@ def _process_edit(job_id: int, asset_id: int) -> None:
                 asset.size_bytes = size
                 asset.container = out_ext
                 asset.duration_s = total_s or asset.duration_s
-                if crop:
+                if out_w and out_h:
+                    asset.width, asset.height = out_w, out_h
+                elif crop:
                     asset.width = edit_spec["crop"]["w"]
                     asset.height = edit_spec["crop"]["h"]
                 else:
@@ -867,3 +894,163 @@ def _process_edit(job_id: int, asset_id: int) -> None:
         _fail_edit(job_id, asset_id, str(exc)[:500], exc)
     finally:
         shutil.rmtree(staging, ignore_errors=True)
+
+
+def _check_converted_fits(owner_id: int | None, old_size: int, new_size: int) -> None:
+    """Refuse a converted upload that would push its owner over the storage cap: the upload was
+    charged at its original size, and a re-encode can come out larger. The original stays, counted,
+    for the owner to delete or keep."""
+    if owner_id is None:
+        return
+    with SessionLocal() as db:
+        if not quota.fits_after_conversion(db, owner_id, old_size, new_size):
+            raise StatedFailure(dlerrors.QUOTA_FULL_MESSAGE)
+
+
+def _unplace(placed: Path | None) -> None:
+    """Remove a converted upload that was placed at its new rel but never committed: the row still
+    names the original, so nothing else would ever find this file."""
+    if placed is not None:
+        placed.unlink(missing_ok=True)
+
+
+def _conversion_landed(asset_id: int, new_rel: str) -> bool | None:
+    """After the commit that makes a converted upload ready RAISED: did it land anyway? A commit can
+    reach the server and lose its answer (the connection drops after COMMIT). True/False by what the
+    row now says; None when the row cannot be read either."""
+    try:
+        with SessionLocal() as db:
+            asset = db.get(MediaAsset, asset_id)
+            return asset is not None and asset.status == "ready" and asset.rel_path == new_rel
+    except Exception:  # noqa: BLE001 — "cannot tell" is the answer, the caller acts on it
+        # silent-ok: the caller re-raises the commit's own error, which `_fail_edit` reports.
+        return None
+
+
+def _drop_original(job_id: int, src: Path) -> None:
+    """Remove an upload's original once the converted file is committed in its place. Best effort:
+    the job is done and its file is ready, so a failure here must not fail it — the original is
+    named by no row now, and the GC's `.uploads` sweep takes it."""
+    try:
+        src.unlink(missing_ok=True)
+    except OSError as exc:
+        log.warning(
+            "upload job %s: original not removed, left to the GC sweep: %s",
+            job_id,
+            exc,
+            extra=logs.event("upload.original.unlink_failed", job_id=job_id),
+        )
+
+
+def _free_unheld_upload(asset_id: int) -> bool:
+    """Free an upload no job holds any more — cancelled or deleted while its conversion ran, when
+    `release_asset` had to leave it because the conversion still read its file. Once that has
+    stopped, free it as the release would have; left alone, its file would sit on disk counted by no
+    owner's footprint until the GC's upload pass. False when a job still holds it (paused)."""
+    with SessionLocal() as db:
+        asset = db.get(MediaAsset, asset_id)
+        if asset is None or asset.ref_count != 0:
+            return False
+        if asset.rel_path:
+            storage.delete_asset_files(settings.download_root, asset.rel_path)
+        db.delete(asset)
+        db.commit()
+    return True
+
+
+def _convert_upload(job_id: int, asset_id: int) -> None:
+    """Convert a queued upload into the phone-safe shape (`playable`) and make it ready.
+
+    The original sits at the asset's `rel_path` (see `upload`); the converted file replaces it there
+    under the new extension, and only then is the original removed — so a failed or stopped
+    conversion leaves the original in place for Retry, and a delete still finds it by `rel_path`.
+    A converted file placed but never committed is removed again on the way out. When the commit's
+    own outcome is unknown neither file is removed: the row names one of them, and the GC's `.uploads`
+    sweep takes the one it does not — as it does an original whose unlink after the commit failed."""
+    with SessionLocal() as db:
+        asset = db.get(MediaAsset, asset_id)
+        old_rel = asset.rel_path if asset else None
+        old_ext = asset.container if asset else None
+        old_size = (asset.size_bytes or 0) if asset else 0
+        duration = asset.duration_s if asset else None
+        job = db.get(DownloadJob, job_id)
+        owner_id = job.user_id if job else None
+    src = storage.safe_abs_path(settings.download_root, old_rel) if old_rel else None
+    if old_rel is None or src is None or not src.exists():
+        _fail_edit(job_id, asset_id, dlerrors.UPLOAD_MISSING_MESSAGE, what="upload")
+        return
+    staging = _staging_dir(asset_id)
+    placed: Path | None = None  # the converted file while it is at its new rel, uncommitted
+    try:
+        shutil.rmtree(staging, ignore_errors=True)
+        staging.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+        safe = _ensure_phone_safe(job_id, src, staging, CONVERTING, duration, keep_source=True)
+        ext = safe.suffix.lstrip(".").lower()
+        new_rel = storage.with_ext(old_rel, old_ext, ext)
+        if safe != src:
+            _check_converted_fits(owner_id, old_size, safe.stat().st_size)
+            storage.place_file(safe, settings.download_root, new_rel)
+            if new_rel != old_rel:
+                placed = storage.abs_path(settings.download_root, new_rel)
+        final = storage.abs_path(settings.download_root, new_rel)
+        vcodec, acodec, width, height, dur = probe.probe_media(final)
+        with SessionLocal() as db:
+            asset = db.get(MediaAsset, asset_id)
+            if asset:
+                asset.status = "ready"
+                asset.rel_path = new_rel
+                asset.container = ext
+                asset.size_bytes = final.stat().st_size
+                asset.vcodec, asset.acodec = vcodec, acodec
+                asset.width, asset.height = width or asset.width, height or asset.height
+                asset.duration_s = dur or asset.duration_s
+                asset.error = None
+                asset.last_access_at = datetime.now(timezone.utc)
+            title = asset.title if asset else None
+            finalized = service.finalize_if_running(
+                db, job_id, status=JobStatus.DONE, progress=100, phase=None
+            )
+            try:
+                db.commit()
+            except Exception:
+                landed = _conversion_landed(asset_id, new_rel)
+                if landed is False:
+                    raise  # rolled back: the original is still the asset's file — fail as any step
+                # Landed, or cannot tell: the converted file may be the asset's file now, so it is
+                # never removed blind (the sweep takes whichever file no row names).
+                placed = None
+                if landed is None:
+                    raise
+                db.rollback()
+            placed = None
+            if finalized:
+                _notify_download_done(db, owner_id, title, job_id, kind="upload")
+        if new_rel != old_rel:
+            _drop_original(job_id, src)
+        if not finalized:
+            _free_unheld_upload(asset_id)  # finished after its job was cancelled or deleted
+        if finalized:
+            log.info(
+                "upload job %s converted: asset %s",
+                job_id,
+                asset_id,
+                extra=logs.event("upload.job.done", job_id=job_id, asset_id=asset_id, ext=ext),
+            )
+    except editmod.EditAborted:
+        # Paused/canceled mid-encode: the original is untouched. A paused job keeps it for its
+        # resume; one cancelled or deleted holds it no more, so it is freed now.
+        _unplace(placed)
+        if not _free_unheld_upload(asset_id):
+            _reset_asset_pending(asset_id)
+        log.info(
+            "upload job %s conversion aborted (pause/cancel)",
+            job_id,
+            extra=logs.event("upload.job.aborted", job_id=job_id),
+        )
+    except Exception as exc:  # noqa: BLE001 — surface the failure, keep the worker alive
+        # silent-ok: not silent — `_fail_edit` is the report, and it takes `exc` for its stack.
+        _unplace(placed)
+        _fail_edit(job_id, asset_id, str(exc)[:500], exc, what="upload")
+
+    finally:
+        shutil.rmtree(staging, ignore_errors=True)

backend/app/downloads/playable.py

@@ -0,0 +1,103 @@
+"""The phone-safe rule: what a library file must be so it plays wherever a share link lands.
+
+A shared `/watch` link is opened by whoever got it, on whatever they hold: an iPhone's WebKit, an
+Android Chrome, a desktop Firefox. The one shape every one of them plays:
+
+  * video → H.264, 8-bit 4:2:0 (`yuv420p`, or its full-range twin `yuvj420p`), AAC audio, in .mp4
+  * audio only → MP3 in .mp3, or AAC in .m4a
+
+Measured on the owner's iPhone + iPad (2026-10-05): AV1, Matroska, HEVC tagged `hev1` and MP3
+inside an .mp4 all fail there. VP9/WebM, HEVC `hvc1` and 10-bit H.264 played on those devices, but
+Chrome and Firefox do not decode HEVC and browsers decode 10-bit / 4:4:4 H.264 only patchily, so the
+rule is the shape every browser plays, not the shape one device plays.
+
+Every file that becomes a ready library asset passes through here — a download, an upload (the
+worker converts it, see `upload`), and an editor clip — so a link can only ever serve this shape.
+`plan` says what (if anything) must change; `build_cmd` is the one ffmpeg command that changes it:
+re-encode only the stream that fails, copy the rest, or just remux when only the container is wrong.
+"""
+
+from dataclasses import dataclass
+from pathlib import Path
+
+from app.downloads import edit as editmod
+from app.downloads import probe
+
+_SAFE_VCODEC = "h264"
+_SAFE_PIX_FMTS = frozenset({"yuv420p", "yuvj420p"})
+_VIDEO_EXT = "mp4"
+# An audio-only file: the codec, and the extension it plays in. Anything else becomes AAC in .m4a.
+_AUDIO_HOME = {"mp3": "mp3", "aac": "m4a"}
+_AUDIO_FALLBACK_EXT = "m4a"
+
+
+@dataclass(frozen=True)
+class Plan:
+    """What makes one file phone-safe. `ext` is the extension the safe file has (no dot)."""
+
+    ext: str
+    has_video: bool
+    reencode_video: bool
+    reencode_audio: bool
+    needs_change: bool
+
+
+def plan(data: dict | None, ext: str) -> Plan | None:
+    """The phone-safe plan for a file whose `probe.probe_json` is `data` and whose extension is
+    `ext`; None when it is not media at all (an unreadable probe, a still image, no audio or video
+    stream) — such a file is a download-only 'file' and never plays inline, so there is nothing to
+    make safe."""
+    if data is None:
+        return None
+    video, audio = probe.primary_streams(data)
+    ext = ext.lower().lstrip(".")
+    if video is not None:
+        rv = (video.get("codec_name") or "").lower() != _SAFE_VCODEC or (
+            video.get("pix_fmt") or ""
+        ).lower() not in _SAFE_PIX_FMTS
+        ra = audio is not None and (audio.get("codec_name") or "").lower() != "aac"
+        return Plan(_VIDEO_EXT, True, rv, ra, rv or ra or ext != _VIDEO_EXT)
+    if audio is not None:
+        home = _AUDIO_HOME.get((audio.get("codec_name") or "").lower())
+        target = home or _AUDIO_FALLBACK_EXT
+        return Plan(target, False, False, home is None, home is None or ext != target)
+    return None
+
+
+def build_cmd(src: Path, dest: Path, p: Plan, threads: int | None = None) -> list[str]:
+    """The ffmpeg command that writes `src` to `dest` (whose suffix is `p.ext`) in the phone-safe
+    shape: the failing stream(s) re-encoded with the package's shared encoder settings, the rest
+    stream-copied. An audio-only result drops any cover-art stream. `-progress pipe:1`
+    streams machine-readable progress; `threads` caps the encoder so a re-encode cannot claim every
+    core on the shared box (see the worker-child de-prioritization)."""
+    cmd = [
+        "ffmpeg",
+        "-y",
+        "-hide_banner",
+        "-loglevel",
+        "error",
+        "-nostdin",
+        "-progress",
+        "pipe:1",
+        "-nostats",
+        *editmod.INPUT_GUARD,
+        "-i",
+        str(src),
+    ]
+    # Exactly the two streams `plan` judged: `V` is a video stream that is not cover art. Nothing
+    # else rides along — a subtitle or data track the .mp4 muxer cannot take would fail the run.
+    if p.has_video:
+        cmd += ["-map", "0:V:0", "-map", "0:a:0?"]
+        if p.reencode_video:
+            cmd += ["-vf", editmod.EVEN_FRAME, *editmod.X264_ARGS]
+        else:
+            cmd += ["-c:v", "copy"]
+    else:
+        cmd += ["-map", "0:a:0"]
+    cmd += editmod.AAC_ARGS if p.reencode_audio else ["-c:a", "copy"]
+    if threads and threads > 0:
+        cmd += ["-threads", str(threads)]
+    if p.ext in ("mp4", "m4a"):
+        cmd += ["-movflags", "+faststart"]
+    cmd += [str(dest)]
+    return cmd

backend/app/downloads/probe.py

@@ -34,6 +34,28 @@ _IMAGE_FORMATS = {
 }
 
 
+def primary_streams(data: dict) -> tuple[dict | None, dict | None]:
+    """(video stream, audio stream) — the first of each kind — from a NON-None ffprobe JSON dict, by
+    the same reading the stored facts use: a still image / image-sequence container has neither (it
+    is a generic 'file'), and a video stream flagged `attached_pic` (an mp3/m4a's cover art) is not a
+    video track. The phone-safe rule (`playable`) judges exactly these two streams."""
+    fmt_names = {
+        n.strip() for n in ((data.get("format") or {}).get("format_name") or "").split(",")
+    }
+    if fmt_names & _IMAGE_FORMATS:
+        return None, None
+    video = audio = None
+    for stream in data.get("streams", []):
+        kind = stream.get("codec_type")
+        if kind == "video" and video is None:
+            if (stream.get("disposition") or {}).get("attached_pic"):
+                continue  # cover art, not a video track
+            video = stream
+        elif kind == "audio" and audio is None:
+            audio = stream
+    return video, audio
+
+
 def _facts_from_probe(
     data: dict,
 ) -> tuple[str | None, str | None, int | None, int | None, int | None]:
@@ -45,19 +67,11 @@ def _facts_from_probe(
     fmt_names = {n.strip() for n in (fmt.get("format_name") or "").split(",")}
     if fmt_names & _IMAGE_FORMATS:
         return None, None, None, None, None
-
-    vcodec = acodec = None
-    width = height = None
-    for stream in data.get("streams", []):
-        kind = stream.get("codec_type")
-        if kind == "video" and vcodec is None:
-            if (stream.get("disposition") or {}).get("attached_pic"):
-                continue  # cover art, not a video track
-            vcodec = stream.get("codec_name")
-            width = stream.get("width")
-            height = stream.get("height")
-        elif kind == "audio" and acodec is None:
-            acodec = stream.get("codec_name")
+    video, audio = primary_streams(data)
+    vcodec = video.get("codec_name") if video else None
+    width = video.get("width") if video else None
+    height = video.get("height") if video else None
+    acodec = audio.get("codec_name") if audio else None
 
     duration = None
     try:
@@ -71,16 +85,29 @@ def _facts_from_probe(
     return vcodec, acodec, width, height, duration
 
 
-def probe_media(path: Path) -> tuple[str | None, str | None, int | None, int | None, int | None]:
-    """(vcodec, acodec, width, height, duration_s) from one ffprobe call; all None if ffprobe fails
-    or the file isn't playable media (an unprobeable file — or a still image — is treated as a generic
-    non-media file, so it becomes a download-only 'file' rather than a broken 'video')."""
-    data = editmod.run_ffprobe_json(path, show_streams=True, show_format=True)
+def probe_json(path: Path) -> dict | None:
+    """The full ffprobe JSON (streams + format) of `path`, or None when ffprobe could not read it —
+    the one call both the stored facts (`facts`) and the phone-safe rule read from."""
+    return editmod.run_ffprobe_json(path, show_streams=True, show_format=True)
+
+
+def facts(
+    data: dict | None,
+) -> tuple[str | None, str | None, int | None, int | None, int | None]:
+    """(vcodec, acodec, width, height, duration_s) of a `probe_json` result; all None when it is None
+    (an unprobeable file is treated as a generic non-media file, so it becomes a download-only 'file'
+    rather than a broken 'video')."""
     if data is None:
         return None, None, None, None, None
     return _facts_from_probe(data)
 
 
+def probe_media(path: Path) -> tuple[str | None, str | None, int | None, int | None, int | None]:
+    """(vcodec, acodec, width, height, duration_s) from one ffprobe call; all None if ffprobe fails
+    or the file isn't playable media (a still image is a generic 'file', see `primary_streams`)."""
+    return facts(probe_json(path))
+
+
 def resolve_media_facts(
     path: Path, info: dict
 ) -> tuple[str | None, str | None, int | None, int | None, int | None]:
@@ -94,18 +121,18 @@ def resolve_media_facts(
     is authoritative — INCLUDING a deliberate None (cover-art-only audio, a still image). A per-field
     `probe or info` fallback would let `info`'s stale vcodec resurrect a video track the file doesn't
     have (yt-dlp reports a progressive `vcodec` for an audio-mode download whose video it then strips),
-    mislabelling an audio download as a broken in-app 'video'. Only when ffprobe could NOT read the
-    file at all do we fall back to `info` (the pre-probe behaviour, a safety net); the cosmetic
-    dimensions and the duration still gap-fill from `info` in either case."""
+    mislabelling an audio download as a broken in-app 'video'. When ffprobe could NOT read the file
+    at all, no codec is reported: the probe runs with the media demuxer whitelist, so a file it
+    cannot open is one the player and the editor cannot open either — and taking `info`'s codecs
+    for it would make it an editable 'video' whose bytes are whatever the remote site served. The
+    cosmetic dimensions and the duration still gap-fill from `info` in either case."""
     data = editmod.run_ffprobe_json(path, show_streams=True, show_format=True)
-    info_v = info.get("vcodec") if info.get("vcodec") not in (None, "none") else None
-    info_a = info.get("acodec") if info.get("acodec") not in (None, "none") else None
     info_w = int(info["width"]) if info.get("width") else None
     info_h = int(info["height"]) if info.get("height") else None
     info_d = int(info["duration"]) if info.get("duration") else None
     if data is None:
-        # ffprobe could not read the file — fall back to the extractor's info entirely.
-        return info_v, info_a, info_w, info_h, info_d
+        # Unreadable to the guarded probe: a download-only 'file' (no codecs → media_kind FILE).
+        return None, None, info_w, info_h, info_d
     pv, pa, pw, ph, pd = _facts_from_probe(data)
     # Probe ran → its codecs win outright (a None means "no such track", not "unknown"); info only
     # gap-fills the width/height/duration the probe couldn't read.

backend/app/downloads/quota.py

@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
 """Per-user download limits + footprint accounting.
 
 A user's *footprint* is the total size of the ready assets their library references (cache hits
-count — it's "how much disk you're responsible for", not "how much you personally downloaded").
+count — it's "how much disk you're responsible for", not "how much you personally downloaded"). An
+upload counts from the moment it lands, ready or not: its original is on disk while its conversion
+waits, and stays there when the conversion fails (for Retry) — bytes a ready-only sum never saw.
 Limits come from a per-user DownloadQuota row if the admin set one, else the sysconfig defaults.
 `unlimited` (e.g. the admin's own account) bypasses the byte cap.
 
@@ -18,16 +20,24 @@ is unknown until it finishes. Edit jobs do not consult it at all (tracked as SEC
 
 from dataclasses import dataclass
 
-from sqlalchemy import func, select
+from sqlalchemy import and_, func, or_, select
 from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
 
 from app import sysconfig
+from app.downloads.status import JobStatus
 from app.models import DownloadJob, DownloadQuota, MediaAsset
 
 # Jobs a user is considered to be "holding" (occupy a job slot / footprint). Terminal failures
 # (error, canceled) don't count.
-_HOLDING = ("queued", "running", "paused", "done")
-_RUNNING = ("queued", "running")
+_HOLDING = (JobStatus.QUEUED, JobStatus.RUNNING, JobStatus.PAUSED, JobStatus.DONE)
+_RUNNING = (JobStatus.QUEUED, JobStatus.RUNNING)
+# An asset whose file is on disk: a ready one, or an upload in any state (its original lands at
+# ingest, see the module docstring). Every byte sum — a user's footprint, the GC's total-cap pass,
+# the admin's storage view — reads it, so they all count the same disk.
+ON_DISK = or_(
+    MediaAsset.status == "ready",
+    and_(MediaAsset.source_kind == "upload", MediaAsset.rel_path.is_not(None)),
+)
 
 
 @dataclass
@@ -67,12 +77,17 @@ def resolve(db: Session, user_id: int) -> QuotaLimits:
 
 
 def footprint(db: Session, user_id: int) -> int:
-    """Total bytes of the distinct ready assets this user's active jobs reference."""
+    """Total bytes of the distinct assets this user's jobs hold on disk: the ready ones their active
+    jobs reference, and every upload of theirs — including one whose conversion failed, which keeps
+    its original (see the module docstring)."""
     held_assets = (
         select(DownloadJob.asset_id)
         .where(
             DownloadJob.user_id == user_id,
-            DownloadJob.status.in_(_HOLDING),
+            or_(
+                DownloadJob.status.in_(_HOLDING),
+                and_(DownloadJob.job_kind == "upload", DownloadJob.status == JobStatus.ERROR),
+            ),
             DownloadJob.asset_id.is_not(None),
         )
         .distinct()
@@ -80,7 +95,7 @@ def footprint(db: Session, user_id: int) -> int:
     return int(
         db.execute(
             select(func.coalesce(func.sum(MediaAsset.size_bytes), 0)).where(
-                MediaAsset.id.in_(held_assets), MediaAsset.status == "ready"
+                MediaAsset.id.in_(held_assets), ON_DISK
             )
         ).scalar()
         or 0
@@ -111,7 +126,7 @@ def at_concurrency_limit(db: Session, user_id: int) -> bool:
     lim = resolve(db, user_id)
     if lim.unlimited:
         return False
-    running = _count(db, user_id, ("running",))
+    running = _count(db, user_id, (JobStatus.RUNNING,))
     return running >= lim.max_concurrent
 
 
@@ -160,6 +175,18 @@ def check_upload(db: Session, user_id: int, add_bytes: int) -> None:
         raise QuotaExceeded("max_bytes", lim.max_bytes, projected)
 
 
+def fits_after_conversion(db: Session, user_id: int, old_bytes: int, new_bytes: int) -> bool:
+    """Whether an upload converted from `old_bytes` (what it is charged at now) to `new_bytes` keeps
+    its owner within the cap. A re-encode can come out larger than the original, and nothing else
+    re-checks it once the upload was let in."""
+    if new_bytes <= old_bytes:  # a smaller file never breaks a cap the larger one was let in under
+        return True
+    lim = resolve(db, user_id)
+    if lim.unlimited:
+        return True
+    return footprint(db, user_id) - old_bytes + new_bytes <= lim.max_bytes
+
+
 def usage(db: Session, user_id: int) -> dict:
     """Compact usage snapshot for the UI (footprint + counts vs limits)."""
     lim = resolve(db, user_id)

backend/app/downloads/runner.py

@@ -95,12 +95,14 @@ def _run(job_id, asset_id, job_kind, source_kind, source_ref, spec, user_id) ->
     (`cause=child_exit`)."""
     # Imported here (not at module top) so the child pays the yt-dlp import cost only when it has
     # real work, and to keep the import graph obvious: runner is a thin entry over the pipeline.
-    from app.downloads.pipeline import _download, _process_edit
+    from app.downloads.pipeline import _convert_upload, _download, _process_edit
 
     with formats.hiding(source_ref):
         try:
             if job_kind == "edit":
                 _process_edit(job_id, asset_id)
+            elif job_kind == "upload":
+                _convert_upload(job_id, asset_id)
             else:
                 _download(job_id, asset_id, source_kind, source_ref, spec, user_id)
         except Exception as exc:  # noqa: BLE001 — whatever it is, it is reported here or raw

backend/app/downloads/service.py

@@ -318,14 +318,22 @@ def release_asset(db: Session, job: DownloadJob) -> None:
     re-enqueuing the same (source,format) — get_or_create_asset would reset that row to `pending` and
     +1 it, and deleting it under that would FK-null the new job's asset (a lost update on ref_count).
     A ready asset is still freed at ref==0 (its file is the point); an orphaned errored row is cheap
-    (no file) and gets reused+reset by the next enqueue, or reclaimed by a later GC pass."""
+    (no file) and gets reused+reset by the next enqueue, or reclaimed by a later GC pass.
+
+    An UPLOAD is the exception: it is never shared or re-enqueued (its ref is unique), and while it
+    waits for or failed its phone-safe conversion the original file already sits at `rel_path` — so
+    it is freed at ref==0 whatever its state, except mid-conversion (`downloading`: the worker child
+    still reads it; the GC upload pass takes it once the child has stopped)."""
     if not job.asset_id or job.status not in HOLDING:
         return
     asset = db.get(MediaAsset, job.asset_id)
     if asset is None:
         return
     new_count = decr_ref_count(db, asset.id)
-    if new_count == 0 and asset.status == "ready":
+    freeable = asset.status == "ready" or (
+        asset.source_kind == "upload" and asset.status != "downloading"
+    )
+    if new_count == 0 and freeable:
         if asset.rel_path:
             storage.delete_asset_files(settings.download_root, asset.rel_path)
         db.delete(asset)

backend/app/downloads/storage.py

@@ -168,13 +168,25 @@ def upload_rel_path(user_id: int, asset_id: int, filename: str) -> str:
     episode sidecars). The name is system-decided and bound to the asset id (`_a{id}` keeps two
     same-named uploads apart); the original filename is display metadata only. The extension is
     preserved (shell-safe, bounded) so the served file + its Content-Disposition carry a correct
-    suffix; an extensionless upload stays extensionless."""
-    stem = sanitize(Path(filename).stem, 80)
+    suffix; an extensionless upload stays extensionless.
+
+    The stem holds no dot, so the last dot of the name is always the extension's: every sibling
+    derived by swapping it (`with_suffix` — the poster, the converted file) keeps `_a{id}`. A dotted
+    stem with no extension ('Holiday.2024.ä') once lost it, and two such uploads shared one file."""
+    stem = sanitize(Path(filename).stem, 80).replace(".", "_")
     ext = _clean_upload_ext(filename)
     suffix = f".{ext}" if ext else ""
     return f".uploads/{user_id}/{stem}_a{asset_id}{suffix}"
 
 
+def with_ext(rel: str, old_ext: str | None, ext: str) -> str:
+    """`rel` with its extension — `old_ext`, the stored `container`, None for a bare name — swapped
+    for `ext`. Not `Path.with_suffix`: on a bare name whose stem holds a dot (an upload placed before
+    the stems lost their dots) that would take the stem's tail for the extension, and `_a{id}` with it."""
+    base = rel[: -len(old_ext) - 1] if old_ext and rel.endswith(f".{old_ext}") else rel
+    return f"{base}.{ext}"
+
+
 def upload_ext(filename: str) -> str | None:
     """The stored `container` for an uploaded file: its shell-safe lowercased extension, or None when
     the upload has no extension (a bare name). Shares `_clean_upload_ext` with `upload_rel_path` so the

backend/app/downloads/upload.py

@@ -1,15 +1,24 @@
-"""Local file ingest for the download center (E7 S5) — the non-yt-dlp path into the media library.
+"""Local file ingest for the download center — the non-yt-dlp path into the media library.
 
 A user-uploaded file joins the SAME library as a downloaded one, so it inherits the whole function
 set already built (metadata chips, share links, and — for media — in-app play/edit). Unlike a
-download it bypasses yt-dlp AND the worker entirely: the file is already on the host, so ingest
-probes it, places it on disk, and creates an already-`ready` MediaAsset + `done` DownloadJob in one
-step — the same "the file exists, mark it done now" shortcut `service.enqueue` takes on a cache hit.
+download it bypasses yt-dlp: the file is already on the host, so ingest probes it and places it on
+disk. A file that already is the phone-safe shape (`playable`) — or is not media at all — becomes an
+already-`ready` MediaAsset + `done` DownloadJob in one step, the same "the file exists, mark it done
+now" shortcut `service.enqueue` takes on a cache hit.
+
+Media that is NOT phone-safe (an iPhone's HEVC .mov, a VP9 .webm, an .mkv) is placed as it came and
+queued: the asset stays `pending` and the job `queued`, and the download worker converts it
+(`pipeline._convert_upload`) — so a share link never hands a friend a file their phone cannot play.
+Only the converted file is kept (the owner's choice: one file per upload). A 10-bit HDR original
+becomes 8-bit H.264 with its colour tags kept — still tagged HDR (HLG/PQ, BT.2020), not tone-mapped
+to SDR (the owner's choice too). Until then the original sits at the asset's `rel_path`, which is
+what a failed conversion's Retry starts from again, and what a delete removes
+(`service.release_asset`).
 
 Kinds (the invariant lives in `mediakind`): a probe with a real video stream -> video, audio-only
 -> audio, neither -> a generic 'file' (pdf/zip/docx/…) that is download-only and never rendered
-inline (see the force-download serving in the file/watch routes). This module is the ingest seam a
-future sub-function (e.g. convert) plugs a new adapter into, mirroring how it sidesteps the worker.
+inline (see the force-download serving in the file/watch routes).
 
 An upload does NOT get an `expires_at`: it's user-provided and may be irreplaceable (there's no
 source to re-download), so it doesn't age out on the retention clock the way a re-fetchable download
@@ -24,7 +33,8 @@ from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
 
 from app.config import settings
 from app.downloads import edit as editmod
-from app.downloads import mediakind, probe, quota, service, storage
+from app.downloads import mediakind, playable, probe, quota, service, storage
+from app.downloads.status import JobStatus
 from app.models import DownloadJob, MediaAsset, display_text
 
 
@@ -44,15 +54,22 @@ def ingest_upload(
     size: int,
     display_name: str | None = None,
 ) -> DownloadJob:
-    """Ingest an already-uploaded file at `src_path` into `user_id`'s library and return the `done`
-    job. `src_path` is MOVED into place on success (the caller stages it to a temp file first).
+    """Ingest an already-uploaded file at `src_path` into `user_id`'s library and return its job —
+    `done`, or `queued` for the worker's phone-safe conversion (see the module docstring). `src_path`
+    is MOVED into place on success (the caller stages it to a temp file first).
 
     Raises quota.QuotaExceeded (holdings/footprint cap) — checked BEFORE any disk write, so a
     rejected upload leaves nothing behind and the caller just cleans up its temp file."""
     quota.check_upload(db, user_id, size)  # the file's size is known → charge it up front
 
-    vcodec, acodec, width, height, duration = probe.probe_media(src_path)
+    data = probe.probe_json(src_path)
+    vcodec, acodec, width, height, duration = probe.facts(data)
     kind = mediakind.derive(vcodec, acodec)
+    # Judged by the extension the file is PLACED under (and the worker re-judges), not the raw one:
+    # 'clip.mp4~' is stored as .mp4, and judging 'mp4~' queued a conversion with nothing to convert.
+    ext = storage.upload_ext(filename) or ""
+    safe = playable.plan(data, ext) if kind != mediakind.FILE else None
+    convert = safe is not None and safe.needs_change
 
     # An upload never dedups (each file is its own asset): a random ref makes the cache key unique,
     # so `format_sig` is a constant marker rather than a format hash.
@@ -66,17 +83,18 @@ def ingest_upload(
     rel = storage.upload_rel_path(user_id, asset.id, filename)
     storage.place_file(src_path, settings.download_root, rel)
     # From here the file is on disk under `.uploads/`. If the transaction fails before it commits, the
-    # asset/job rows roll back but the placed file would be ORPHANED — nothing references it, the
-    # per-user delete path keys off asset.rel_path (which is gone), and the GC orphan sweep skips the
-    # dot-prefixed `.uploads/` tree. So roll back the on-disk side too on any failure.
+    # asset/job rows roll back and nothing names the placed file: the per-user delete path keys off
+    # asset.rel_path (which is gone), and the GC's `.uploads` sweep reaches it only an hour later. So
+    # roll back the on-disk side too — unless the commit itself raised after it landed (see below).
+    asset_id = asset.id
     try:
         final = storage.abs_path(settings.download_root, rel)
         actual_size = final.stat().st_size if final.exists() else size
 
-        asset.status = "ready"
+        asset.status = "pending" if convert else "ready"
         asset.rel_path = rel
         asset.size_bytes = actual_size
-        asset.container = storage.upload_ext(filename)
+        asset.container = ext or None
         asset.vcodec = vcodec
         asset.acodec = acodec
         asset.width = width
@@ -100,8 +118,8 @@ def ingest_upload(
             source_ref=ref,
             profile_snapshot={},
             display_name=display_text(display_name),
-            status="done",
-            progress=100,
+            status=JobStatus.QUEUED if convert else JobStatus.DONE,
+            progress=0 if convert else 100,
             queue_pos=service.next_queue_pos(db),
         )
         db.add(job)
@@ -109,6 +127,11 @@ def ingest_upload(
         db.commit()
     except Exception:
         db.rollback()
+        if _row_landed(db, asset_id) is not False:
+            # The commit reached the server and lost its answer, or the row cannot be read: the file
+            # may be the asset's now, so it is never removed blind — the sweep takes it if no row
+            # names it.
+            raise
         # The rows are gone; remove the now-unreferenced file so no bytes leak. Clean the poster by its
         # DETERMINISTIC path (rel with a .jpg suffix, the same path ensure_poster writes to) rather than
         # ensure_poster's return value: it writes the frame directly to that path and returns None on an
@@ -120,3 +143,13 @@ def ingest_upload(
         raise
     db.refresh(job)
     return job
+
+
+def _row_landed(db: Session, asset_id: int) -> bool | None:
+    """After the ingest transaction raised: is the asset row there anyway? A commit can reach the
+    server and lose its answer (the connection drops after COMMIT). None when it cannot be read."""
+    try:
+        return db.get(MediaAsset, asset_id) is not None
+    except Exception:  # noqa: BLE001 — "cannot tell" is the answer, the caller acts on it
+        # silent-ok: the caller re-raises the ingest's own error.
+        return None

backend/app/email.py

@@ -197,7 +197,7 @@ def _next_step(verify_link: str | None, has_account: bool, hours: int, lang: str
 
     Three states, because a mail that guesses wrong sends someone looking for a link that isn't
     coming — or worse, tells them to sign in when their address is still unconfirmed and sign-in will
-    refuse them (E9.5 S4 named that state on screen; the mail must not contradict it).
+    refuse them (the sign-in screen names that state; the mail must not contradict it).
 
     The link branch is the point of the C option: in the common ordering — approve first, the person
     signs up later, or signs up and waits — they would otherwise have to find and open TWO separate
@@ -253,7 +253,7 @@ def send_access_invitation(
     the closing line offers no deadline — nudging is the one thing this mail must not do.
 
     Its language is the one place the app has no signal to read: the admin typed this address in, so
-    nobody has ever told us how to address its owner. That is why the send button asks (E9.5 S7).
+    nobody has ever told us how to address its owner. That is why the send button asks.
     """
     admin, contact = _reply_contact(lang)
     body = mailtext.text(

backend/app/feedquery.py

@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ def _tag_visible(user: User):
 # The pseudo-category of a selected tag id no Tag row answers (a saved view or the feed state outlives
 # a deleted tag). It filters like a category whose tags no channel carries — to nothing, in the SQL and
 # in feed_summary's mirror alike — instead of the id being dropped, which showed the WHOLE feed under
-# the view's old name (E32 S2). No real category is called this (language/topic/other).
+# the view's old name. No real category is called this (language/topic/other).
 MISSING_TAG_CATEGORY = "missing"
 
 
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ def tags_by_category(db: Session, user: User, tag_ids: list[int]) -> dict[str, l
     shared by the feed's tag WHERE (filtered_query) and the facet/count summary (feed_summary), so the
     two can't disagree on which selected tag belongs to which category. An unknown id lands in
     MISSING_TAG_CATEGORY — and so does another user's private tag: resolving it to its real category
-    told the caller which foreign ids exist (E32 review)."""
+    told the caller which foreign ids exist."""
     if not tag_ids:
         return {}  # skip the pointless `WHERE id IN ()` round-trip on the no-tag-filter hot path
     out: dict[str, list[int]] = {}
@@ -463,7 +463,7 @@ def feed_summary(db: Session, user: User, **params) -> dict:
 
 
 def feed_years(db: Session, user: User, **params) -> list[dict]:
-    """Per-year video counts for the current filter context (item 8 / E8·S2): powers the year control's
+    """Per-year video counts for the current filter context: powers the year control's
     quick chips + the "more…" per-year-counts dialog. Every OTHER filter (tags, channels, content type,
     search, watch state, scope) still applies, but the publish-date narrowing itself is DROPPED —
     published_after/before and max_age_days — so the year list is the full set of years available and
@@ -559,7 +559,7 @@ def sort_keys(sort: str, seed: int, rank_expr=None, lang: str | None = None) ->
     return table.get(sort) or table["newest"]
 
 
-# Relevance ranks only the newest RANK_WINDOW matches (E31): ts_rank reads every match's tsvector, and
+# Relevance ranks only the newest RANK_WINDOW matches: ts_rank reads every match's tsvector, and
 # a broad word matches most of the library ("a" ranked 193k rows in 6.8 s on prod, against 1.1 s to just
 # find them). The rows past the window keep rank 0, so they follow the ranked ones newest first; a word
 # that broad has no meaningful relevance order anyway, and a specific one fits the window whole.
@@ -671,7 +671,7 @@ def encode_cursor(keys: list[dict], row, window: datetime | None = None) -> str:
 def _cursor_dt(v):
     """A cursor's timestamp: aware or refused. The server writes only aware ones (timestamptz), and
     windowed_relevance_rows compares them in Python, where a naive one beside an aware one raises — a
-    500 for a hand-made cursor instead of the 400 (E31 review 2)."""
+    500 for a hand-made cursor instead of the 400."""
     if v is None:
         return None
     dt = datetime.fromisoformat(v)

backend/app/issues/__init__.py

@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
-"""Bug reports built from debug sessions (E16): the files an issue carries, and where they go —
-downloaded as a zip, or (S4) sent to a Gitea issue tracker. The session itself — what is recorded
+"""Bug reports built from debug sessions: the files an issue carries, and where they go —
+downloaded as a zip, or sent to a Gitea issue tracker. The session itself — what is recorded
 and tagged — is the core module `app/debugsession.py`."""

backend/app/issues/bundle.py

@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ Gitea upload, so the two cannot drift apart.
     in their language; the server does not rewrite it);
   * `client.log` / `server.log` — the session's evidence (`debugsession.bundle`) minus the rows the
     user took out, one JSON object per line, browser rows and server rows apart. `.log`, not
-    `.jsonl`: Gitea refuses that extension (measured, plans/e16 S0);
+    `.jsonl`: Gitea refuses that extension (measured);
   * the screenshots, in the order they were taken.
 
 Every row is already redacted twice (at capture, and again when stored), and nothing here adds a

backend/app/issues/gitea.py

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-"""The Gitea issue tracker a debug session's issue goes to (E16 S4) — measured against Gitea 1.27.1
-before a line of this was written (plans/e16-debug-issue.md, S0).
+"""The Gitea issue tracker a debug session's issue goes to — measured against Gitea 1.27.1
+before a line of this was written.
 
 Configured by an admin (sysconfig `issues_gitea_url` / `_repo` / `_token`, the token encrypted at
 rest). The repository must be PRIVATE: an issue carries its reporter's log — page titles, filter
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ def target(db: Session) -> dict | None:
 @contextmanager
 def _client(settings: tuple[str, str, str]) -> Iterator[tuple[httpx.Client, str]]:
     # Takes the settings already read, not the session: reading them HERE opened a transaction one
-    # line after `deliver` had ended one, and held it across the calls below (deep-review round 4).
+    # line after `deliver` had ended one, and held it across the calls below.
     url, repo, token = settings
     if not (url and repo and token):
         raise GiteaError("not_configured")
@@ -203,7 +203,7 @@ def deliver(
     # call, so nothing holds a snapshot (and an idle connection) across minutes of tracker I/O.
     # The settings are read HERE and handed to `_client`, not read inside it: reading them there
     # was a SELECT one line after this commit, which reopened the transaction and held it — idle,
-    # with its snapshot pinned — across the repository check and the create (deep-review round 4
+    # with its snapshot pinned — across the repository check and the create (a review
     # measured it in pg_stat_activity). A comment saying otherwise sat right here.
     checkpoint()
     with _client(settings) as (client, repo):
@@ -223,7 +223,7 @@ def deliver(
             )
             # Built ON the state read at the start so nothing already in it is dropped. The claim
             # is NOT among those things, whatever this comment used to say: `set_delivery` strips
-            # any `sending` passed to it and stamps the row's own from `token` (round 4 — removing
+            # any `sending` passed to it and stamps the row's own from `token` (removing
             # the spread left the whole suite green, because the claim never travelled here).
             state = {
                 **state,

backend/app/logs.py

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ the logs were both unjoinable and leaky. `configure_logging()` replaces all four
 Event shape — the OpenTelemetry log data model, without the SDK; one JSON object per line:
     ts · level · sev · source · logger · event · msg · attrs
 plus whatever correlation the context carries (`request_id`, `user_id`, `debug_session_id`,
-`job_id`) and the app version. That shape is what E22.6's admin console filters on and what a Gitea
+`job_id`) and the app version. That shape is what the admin log console filters on and what a Gitea
 issue attachment will carry, so it is deliberately flat and stable.
 
 Call sites stay ordinary stdlib logging:
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ class _RequestScope:
         self.user_id: int | None = None
         # The user's consented diagnostics level as a logging number; None at the base level.
         self.level: int | None = None
-        # The user's own open debug session this request named (E16), else None.
+        # The user's own open debug session this request named, else None.
         self.debug_session_id: str | None = None
 
 
@@ -122,11 +122,11 @@ def set_user(
     debug_session: str | None = None,
 ) -> None:
     """Attribute the rest of this request's log lines to `user_id`, and log them at the user's
-    consented diagnostics `level` until `until` (E22 S5; "INFO" = no elevation). Called from the
+    consented diagnostics `level` until `until` ("INFO" = no elevation). Called from the
     auth dependency — the one place the session is actually resolved into an account — rather than
     from the request middleware, which runs OUTSIDE the session middleware.
 
-    `debug_session` tags every line with the user's open debug session (E16). The caller has
+    `debug_session` tags every line with the user's open debug session. The caller has
     already checked it is theirs and open; a session's level arrives here as `level`/`until`.
 
     The root logger's floor is tracked per elevation: a request without the session's header (an
@@ -334,7 +334,7 @@ _RECORD_STANDARD = frozenset(
 class ContextFilter(logging.Filter):
     """Copies the correlation contextvars onto the record. A Filter (not the formatter) so the
     values are captured at emit time, before a QueueHandler can move the record to another
-    thread — the DB sink in S3 depends on that."""
+    thread — the DB sink depends on that."""
 
     def filter(self, record: logging.LogRecord) -> bool:
         for name, var in _CONTEXT_VARS.items():
@@ -355,7 +355,7 @@ class ContextFilter(logging.Filter):
 
 class LevelGate(logging.Filter):
     """The configured level, enforced at the HANDLER, with one exception: the lines of a request
-    whose user raised their diagnostics level (E22 S5).
+    whose user raised their diagnostics level.
 
     The root logger's level cannot do this alone: it is one number for the whole process, and the
     point is to log ONE user's requests in detail while everyone else's stay at the base level. So
@@ -457,7 +457,7 @@ class TextFormatter(logging.Formatter):
 # --- configuration -------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Third-party loggers that are noisy at our own level. Pinned explicitly so the diagnostics knob can
 # lower the ROOT level to DEBUG/TRACE without drowning the output in SQL statements and HTTP chatter
-# — raising THESE is a deliberate, separate act (E22.6's console).
+# — raising THESE is a deliberate, separate act (the admin log console).
 _THIRD_PARTY_LEVELS = {
     "sqlalchemy": "WARNING",
     "sqlalchemy.engine": "WARNING",
@@ -481,7 +481,7 @@ def get_logger(name: str) -> logging.Logger:
     `siftlode.plex.sync`.
 
     The names were literals before, and 25 of them covered 34 modules — six different Plex modules
-    all called themselves `siftlode.plex`, so neither a level pinned per logger nor E22.6's console
+    all called themselves `siftlode.plex`, so neither a level pinned per logger nor the console's
     filter could tell a sync line from a stream line. Derived from `__name__` there is exactly one
     name per module, it cannot drift from the file it sits in, and `test_logger_names.py` fails if a
     module hand-rolls one again.
@@ -562,12 +562,12 @@ def current_level() -> str:
     return logging.getLevelName(_base_level or logging.getLogger().getEffectiveLevel())
 
 
-# --- per-user elevation (E22 S5) -----------------------------------------------------------
+# --- per-user elevation -----------------------------------------------------------
 # The base level (`LOG_LEVEL`, then the admin knob). NOTSET until configure_logging runs — a unit
 # test, a script — so the gate lets everything through there, as it did before the gate existed.
 _base_level = logging.NOTSET
 # → (level number, expiry) for every elevation this process has seen and not yet expired: a user's
-# own, by user id, and a debug session's (E16), by (user id, session id) — its requests alone carry
+# own, by user id, and a debug session's, by (user id, session id) — its requests alone carry
 # its level, so it is tracked apart from the user's own requests.
 _ElevationKey = int | tuple[int, str]
 _elevations: dict[_ElevationKey, tuple[int, datetime]] = {}
@@ -667,7 +667,7 @@ def current_source() -> str:
 
 
 # --- request logging -----------------------------------------------------------------------
-# A client may supply its own request id so a browser log line and a server line join up (E22 S4).
+# A client may supply its own request id so a browser log line and a server line join up.
 # Accepted only in this shape: it ends up in a log field, and an unbounded header would be a way to
 # write arbitrary text into the log.
 _REQUEST_ID_RE = re.compile(r"^[A-Za-z0-9._-]{8,64}$")
@@ -688,7 +688,6 @@ _POLLED_ROUTES = frozenset(
     {
         "/api/me",
         "/api/me/notifications/unread_count",
-        "/api/messages/unread_count",
         "/api/downloads",
         "/api/downloads/index",
         "/api/downloads/usage",

backend/app/logsink.py

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-"""The `log_events` sink (E22 S3): the stored copy of the log the diagnostics console reads.
+"""The `log_events` sink: the stored copy of the log the diagnostics console reads.
 
 stdout stays the complete log (docker keeps 3×50 MB of it); this table keeps the part worth querying
 for `log_retention_days`:
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ for `log_retention_days`:
   * every WARNING and above,
   * the `http.request` line of every request at INFO or above (not the DEBUG-level health checks and
     static files),
-  * every line of a request whose user raised their diagnostics level (E22 S5 — `logs.LevelGate`
+  * every line of a request whose user raised their diagnostics level (`logs.LevelGate`
     marks them), which is the detail they consented to have kept,
   * nothing a caller marked `extra={logs.PERSIST: False}` — how the request log caps anonymous
     traffic per client.
@@ -347,8 +347,8 @@ def gc(db: Session, retention_days: int) -> int:
 
 
 def serialize(row: LogEvent) -> dict:
-    """A stored row as the API sends it — one shape for every reader: the admin console (E22.6) and
-    a debug session's evidence list (E16)."""
+    """A stored row as the API sends it — one shape for every reader: the admin console and
+    a debug session's evidence list."""
     return {
         "id": row.id,
         "ts": iso(row.ts),

backend/app/mailtext.py

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 """Bilingual text for every outbound mail, and the one resolver that decides which language a
-recipient gets (E9.5 S7).
+recipient gets.
 
 Why a catalog instead of literals in `email.py`: HU/EN parity is a house rule for every user-facing
 string, and a mail is the one user-facing surface the reader CANNOT re-render by switching the UI
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ def lang_for_user(user: User | None) -> str:
 
 def lang_for_email(db: Session, email: str) -> str:
     """The language for an address that may not have an account yet: their own account preference,
-    else the language they filled our access-request form in, else English.
+    else the language their access request came in (the locale Google reported), else English.
 
     Matched CANONICALLY like every other identity lookup in this epic, and it walks past rows that
     carry no usable code instead of stopping at the first one — prod really does hold two accounts
@@ -82,8 +82,8 @@ def lang_for_email(db: Session, email: str) -> str:
 # a name, not a translated string, and giving them keys would invite someone to "translate" them.
 MAIL_TEXT: dict[str, dict[str, str]] = {
     # ── How long a link lasts ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-    # Rendered, not interpolated as a raw hour count: the approval mail's token lives seven days
-    # (E9.5 S6), and "expires in 168 hours" is a unit no reader converts.
+    # Rendered, not interpolated as a raw hour count: the approval mail's token lives seven days,
+    # and "expires in 168 hours" is a unit no reader converts.
     "duration.hours": {"en": "{n} hours", "hu": "{n} óra"},
     "duration.days": {"en": "{n} days", "hu": "{n} nap"},
     # ── Shared closing fragments ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

backend/app/main.py

@@ -44,7 +44,6 @@ from app.routes import (  # noqa: E402 — logging is configured first
     feed,
     health,
     me,
-    messages,
     notifications,
     playlists,
     plex as plex_routes,
@@ -132,7 +131,7 @@ async def _reap_hls_sessions() -> None:
     A FINISHED session is reaped on the short rule here, not kept for the full idle window: an open
     player checkpoints every 10 s and that route touches the session, so a paused viewer is no longer
     invisible to this pass (see `reap_idle`). Keeping every finished session for ten minutes instead
-    held one whole segmented copy of a film per item on the download volume (round 5)."""
+    held one whole segmented copy of a film per item on the download volume."""
     while True:
         await asyncio.sleep(_HLS_REAP_EVERY_S)
         try:
@@ -188,8 +187,8 @@ async def _nul_in_text(request: Request, exc: DataError) -> JSONResponse:
     NUL in text, so the driver refuses to even send the query — and a `%00` in a query parameter or
     an escaped NUL in a JSON body (a playlist's `contains=`, a reorder's key list, a collection
     search) was a 500 with a traceback wherever it reached a comparison. Guarding each site did not
-    hold: round 3 guarded the by-rating_key lookup and missed the rest. Any other DataError is left
-    alone — re-raised, it stays the 500 it always was."""
+    hold: an earlier fix guarded the by-rating_key lookup and missed the rest. Any other DataError
+    is left alone — re-raised, it stays the 500 it always was."""
     if "NUL (0x00)" not in str(exc.orig):
         raise exc
     return JSONResponse(
@@ -311,7 +310,6 @@ app.include_router(me.router)
 app.include_router(diagnostics_routes.router)
 app.include_router(debug_sessions_routes.router)
 app.include_router(notifications.router)
-app.include_router(messages.router)
 app.include_router(channels.router)
 app.include_router(playlists.router)
 app.include_router(saved_views.router)
@@ -341,6 +339,8 @@ STATIC_DIR = Path(__file__).parent / "static_spa"
 # stay cached but forces revalidation (cheap 304 via the FileResponse ETag) on every load. The
 # hashed bundles under /assets can cache forever (a new build changes their filename).
 INDEX_HTML = STATIC_DIR / "index.html"
+# A public share link's own page: the player alone, without the app's bundle (frontend/watch.html).
+WATCH_HTML = STATIC_DIR / "watch.html"
 INDEX_HEADERS = {"Cache-Control": "no-cache"}
 app.mount(
     "/assets",
@@ -356,16 +356,16 @@ async def index() -> FileResponse:
 
 @app.get("/watch/{token}")
 async def watch_page(token: str):
-    """Serve the SPA for a public share link, but with per-video Open Graph tags injected so the
+    """Serve the public player page for a share link, with per-video Open Graph tags injected so the
     link unfurls richly (title/channel/thumbnail) in Messenger/social crawlers. A real browser
-    ignores the extra tags and hydrates WatchPage as usual; invalid/expired/password links fall
-    back to the generic card."""
+    ignores the extra tags and boots WatchPage; invalid/expired/password links fall back to the
+    generic card."""
     from app.downloads import og
 
     with SessionLocal() as db:
-        rendered = og.render_watch_html(token, INDEX_HTML, db)
+        rendered = og.render_watch_html(token, WATCH_HTML, db)
     if rendered is None:
-        return FileResponse(INDEX_HTML, headers=INDEX_HEADERS)
+        return FileResponse(WATCH_HTML, headers=INDEX_HEADERS)
     return HTMLResponse(rendered, headers=INDEX_HEADERS)
 
 
@@ -383,4 +383,8 @@ async def spa_fallback(full_path: str) -> FileResponse:
             # Real SPA-root assets (welcome images, favicon, robots.txt) rarely change and have
             # stable names, so a moderate cache is safe and satisfies the cache-lifetime audit.
             return FileResponse(candidate, headers={"Cache-Control": "public, max-age=604800"})
+    # A /watch/ path the route above does not match (a trailing segment, no token) is still the
+    # player's: WatchPage reads the token off the path and says when a link is gone.
+    if full_path.startswith("watch/"):
+        return FileResponse(WATCH_HTML, headers=INDEX_HEADERS)
     return FileResponse(INDEX_HTML, headers=INDEX_HEADERS)

backend/app/models.py

@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ POSITION_MAX_S = 2**31 - 1
 
 class TimestampMixin:
     """Adds a server-defaulted `created_at`. Models that index created_at or order it
-    differently (QuotaEvent, Notification, Message) keep their own column on purpose."""
+    differently (QuotaEvent, Notification) keep their own column on purpose."""
 
     created_at: Mapped[datetime] = mapped_column(DateTime(timezone=True), server_default=func.now())
 
@@ -101,15 +101,15 @@ class User(Base, TimestampMixin, CanonicalEmailMixin):
     # Google sign-in that failed to find it), and a migration must not merge accounts on its own.
     email_canonical: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(String(320), index=True, server_default="")
     # The address Google asserted for this account, recorded at sign-in / link time. NOT the same
-    # thing as `email`: since E9.5 S3 a Google sign-in no longer overwrites the address the user
+    # thing as `email`: a Google sign-in no longer overwrites the address the user
     # registered with, so a deliberate `me+siftlode@gmail.com` survives — and this is where the other
     # half of the truth lives, for the UI to show when the two differ. NULL until the next Google
     # sign-in for accounts linked before this column existed.
     google_email: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(String(320))
-    # argon2id hash for email+password login; NULL for Google-only / demo accounts.
+    # argon2id hash for email+password login; NULL for Google-only accounts.
     password_hash: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(String(255))
     # When SEC-10 dropped a preset password on Google adoption (see the single caller of
-    # auth.revoke_preset_password_if_unverified; admin approval no longer revokes — E9.5 S1). Without
+    # auth.revoke_untrusted_preset_password; admin approval no longer revokes). Without
     # this trace a revoked account was indistinguishable from a Google-only one, so it failed the
     # password-reset eligibility check and could never be recovered — it could neither sign in nor
     # reset. Set = "had a password, lost it to the guard" -> reset-eligible. Cleared whenever a
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ class User(Base, TimestampMixin, CanonicalEmailMixin):
     is_active: Mapped[bool] = mapped_column(Boolean, default=True, server_default="true")
     # Admin-imposed access block, distinct from is_active (approval lifecycle). A suspended
     # account can't sign in by any method and its live sessions are rejected; the user is told
-    # why and pointed at the operator's contact. The demo account is never suspendable.
+    # why and pointed at the operator's contact.
     is_suspended: Mapped[bool] = mapped_column(Boolean, default=False, server_default="false")
     # Server-side session revocation (SA4): a monotonic counter bumped on password reset, password
     # change, or "log out everywhere". A signed session cookie records the epoch it was minted under;
@@ -132,9 +132,9 @@ class User(Base, TimestampMixin, CanonicalEmailMixin):
     session_epoch: Mapped[int] = mapped_column(Integer, default=0, server_default="0")
     # When this account last signed in (Google or password), stamped by the one sign-in path,
     # routes/auth._establish_session. NULL = not since the column existed (0085; no backfill is
-    # possible). The shared demo account is never stamped — its "last login" would mean nobody.
+    # possible).
     last_login_at: Mapped[datetime | None] = mapped_column(DateTime(timezone=True))
-    # The diagnostics level this user consented to (E22 S5) and when it lapses back to the base
+    # The diagnostics level this user consented to and when it lapses back to the base
     # level. Both NULL = base. Written only by `PUT /api/me/diagnostics`, which computes the expiry
     # itself; read through `app.diagnostics.effective_level`, never directly (an expired level is
     # not cleared eagerly — it simply stops counting).
@@ -146,12 +146,6 @@ class User(Base, TimestampMixin, CanonicalEmailMixin):
     # The user's own YouTube channel id, resolved lazily (channels.list?mine=true) and
     # cached. Used to exclude their own channel from playlist discovery. NULL = unresolved.
     yt_channel_id: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(String(32))
-    # The single shared "demo" account: signed into without Google OAuth (via a whitelisted
-    # email on the login page), has no OAuth token / YouTube scope, and its per-user state is
-    # shared by everyone who enters this way. Exactly one such row is expected.
-    is_demo: Mapped[bool] = mapped_column(
-        Boolean, default=False, server_default="false", index=True
-    )
     # Free-form UI preferences (theme, color scheme, font scale, default filters…).
     preferences: Mapped[dict | None] = mapped_column(JSON)
 
@@ -218,25 +212,12 @@ class Invite(Base, CanonicalEmailMixin):
     # The language this person asked us in ("en"/"hu"), captured when the request was made: the page
     # their form was on, or the locale Google reported for a refused sign-in. NULL for a row the
     # admin whitelisted by hand — nobody has told us anything about that mailbox, which is exactly
-    # why the invitation send asks (E9.5 S7). Captured rather than derived for the same reason
+    # why the invitation send asks. Captured rather than derived for the same reason
     # `preferences.language` and `google_email` are: the signal exists only in that one moment and
     # cannot be backfilled afterwards.
     lang: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(String(8))
 
 
-class DemoWhitelist(Base, TimestampMixin):
-    """Emails that may enter the shared demo account from the login page (no Google OAuth).
-    A hidden, admin-curated list of "keys to the same door" — every entry logs into the one
-    shared demo user. Distinct from Invite (which gates real Google sign-in)."""
-
-    __tablename__ = "demo_whitelist"
-
-    id: Mapped[int] = mapped_column(primary_key=True)
-    email: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(String(320), unique=True, index=True)
-    note: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(Text)
-    added_by: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(String(320))  # admin email
-
-
 class Channel(Base, TimestampMixin):
     """A YouTube channel. Shared across all users (one channel's videos are the same
     for everyone), so its expensive metadata is fetched and stored only once."""
@@ -481,6 +462,27 @@ class VideoState(Base, UpdatedAtMixin):
     progress_updated_at: Mapped[datetime | None] = mapped_column(DateTime(timezone=True))
 
 
+class LibraryState(Base):
+    """Where a user stopped in a library item (their own download, or one shared with them) — the
+    library player's resume point. Keyed by the JOB, not the file: a job is the user's library entry,
+    a re-download keeps it, and deleting the job deletes the row; the shared file under it may outlive
+    both. A revoked share leaves its recipient's row behind, unread — only a job the user can still
+    reach is ever read or written — and it is back if the item is shared again. Rows exist only for a
+    position worth keeping (see `routes._common.kept_position`); no row means "from the start"."""
+
+    __tablename__ = "library_states"
+    __table_args__ = (UniqueConstraint("user_id", "job_id", name="uq_library_user_job"),)
+
+    id: Mapped[int] = mapped_column(primary_key=True)
+    user_id: Mapped[int] = mapped_column(ForeignKey("users.id", ondelete="CASCADE"))
+    job_id: Mapped[int] = mapped_column(
+        ForeignKey("download_jobs.id", ondelete="CASCADE"), index=True
+    )
+    # int4: a checkpoint body must stay under POSITION_MAX_S, or the flush is a DataError (a 500).
+    position_seconds: Mapped[int] = mapped_column(Integer, nullable=False)
+    progress_updated_at: Mapped[datetime] = mapped_column(DateTime(timezone=True), nullable=False)
+
+
 class SearchFind(Base, TimestampMixin):
     """Per-user record of a video the user surfaced via their own live YouTube search.
 
@@ -586,7 +588,7 @@ class AuditLog(Base):
 
 
 class LogEvent(Base):
-    """One stored log event (E22 S3) — the `log_events` table the diagnostics console reads. Rows are
+    """One stored log event — the `log_events` table the diagnostics console reads. Rows are
     written by app/logsink.py's background writer, never inside a request's transaction, already
     redacted (the same `logs.record_fields` the stdout line is built from).
 
@@ -599,7 +601,7 @@ class LogEvent(Base):
     __tablename__ = "log_events"
     __table_args__ = (
         Index("ix_log_events_user_ts", "user_id", "ts"),
-        # E16: an issue's bundle is `WHERE debug_session_id = …`; nearly every row has none.
+        # An issue's bundle is `WHERE debug_session_id = …`; nearly every row has none.
         Index(
             "ix_log_events_debug_session",
             "debug_session_id",
@@ -625,7 +627,7 @@ class LogEvent(Base):
 
 
 class DebugSession(Base):
-    """One recording: Start → reproduce → Stop (E16, app/debugsession.py). While it is open, every
+    """One recording: Start → reproduce → Stop (app/debugsession.py). While it is open, every
     request of its user that names it (`X-Debug-Session`) is logged at `level` and tagged with `id`,
     and the issue it ends in is built from the rows carrying that tag. `until` is the hard cap the
     server set at Start; an open session past it is over whether or not the sweep has closed it yet.
@@ -650,12 +652,12 @@ class DebugSession(Base):
     # app/debugsession.py `EndReason`: stopped by the user, or past `until`.
     ended_reason: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(String(16))
     issue_url: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(String(512))
-    # The issue being written from it (E16 S3; app/debugsession.py `save_draft` holds its shape).
+    # The issue being written from it (app/debugsession.py `save_draft` holds its shape).
     draft: Mapped[dict | None] = mapped_column(JSONB)
 
 
 class DebugScreenshot(Base):
-    """A screenshot attached to a debug session (E16) — pasted, dropped, or captured from the pill.
+    """A screenshot attached to a debug session — pasted, dropped, or captured from the pill.
     Stored in the row: bounded per session (app/debugsession.py), and gone with it by cascade."""
 
     __tablename__ = "debug_screenshots"
@@ -814,44 +816,6 @@ class Notification(Base):
     )
 
 
-class Message(Base):
-    """A message in the notification module (phase 2).
-
-    Two kinds share this table:
-      - `kind="user"`: a private, END-TO-END ENCRYPTED direct message between two users. The
-        server only ever stores `ciphertext` + `iv` (base64); it never holds the plaintext or
-        the keys, so not even an admin can read it. A conversation is just the set of messages
-        between two users — no separate thread entity; queries group by the {sender, recipient}
-        pair.
-      - `kind="system"`: a server-authored plaintext message (e.g. the welcome, or future admin
-        announcements). `sender_id` is NULL and `body` holds the text. These are non-private
-        boilerplate, readable without any E2EE key setup, and surface as a "Siftlode" conversation.
-
-    `read_at` is stamped when the recipient opens the thread (NULL = unread, feeds the nav
-    badge). The recipient FK cascades (and sender, for user messages) so a GDPR account erasure
-    removes that user's messages outright."""
-
-    __tablename__ = "messages"
-
-    id: Mapped[int] = mapped_column(primary_key=True)
-    kind: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(String(16), default="user", server_default="user")
-    # NULL for system messages (no human sender).
-    sender_id: Mapped[int | None] = mapped_column(
-        ForeignKey("users.id", ondelete="CASCADE"), index=True
-    )
-    recipient_id: Mapped[int] = mapped_column(
-        ForeignKey("users.id", ondelete="CASCADE"), index=True
-    )
-    # System messages carry plaintext `body`; user messages carry `ciphertext`+`iv` (base64).
-    body: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(Text)
-    ciphertext: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(Text)
-    iv: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(String(32))
-    read_at: Mapped[datetime | None] = mapped_column(DateTime(timezone=True))
-    created_at: Mapped[datetime] = mapped_column(
-        DateTime(timezone=True), server_default=func.now(), index=True
-    )
-
-
 class MediaAsset(Base, TimestampMixin):
     """A physical downloaded media file — the SHARED cache layer of the download center.
 
@@ -946,8 +910,8 @@ class DownloadJob(Base, TimestampMixin, UpdatedAtMixin):
     """A user's request to download one source — the per-user layer over `MediaAsset`.
 
     The worker claims `queued` jobs with ``FOR UPDATE SKIP LOCKED`` and writes live
-    `progress`/`speed_bps`/`eta_s`/`phase` here (the frontend polls via useLiveQuery — the
-    worker is a separate process and can't reach the in-process WS registry). `profile_snapshot`
+    `progress`/`speed_bps`/`eta_s`/`phase` here (the frontend polls via useLiveQuery: there is
+    no server push channel, and the worker is a separate process anyway). `profile_snapshot`
     freezes the spec at enqueue so later edits/deletion of the profile don't change this job.
     `display_name` is the user's own name for the file (display + the Content-Disposition on
     local download); the on-disk asset is never renamed. `asset_id` links to the shared file
@@ -969,7 +933,8 @@ class DownloadJob(Base, TimestampMixin, UpdatedAtMixin):
     )
     source_kind: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(String(16))  # "youtube" | "url"
     source_ref: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(String(512))
-    # "download" (default) or "edit" (a per-user trim/crop derivative of another job).
+    # "download" (default), "edit" (a per-user trim/crop derivative of another job) or "upload" (a
+    # user's own file, converted by the worker when it is not phone-safe — see `downloads.upload`).
     job_kind: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(String(16), default="download", server_default="download")
     # For edit jobs: the parent download this clip is cut from (SET NULL if the parent is deleted).
     source_job_id: Mapped[int | None] = mapped_column(
@@ -1094,29 +1059,6 @@ class DownloadCredential(Base, TimestampMixin, UpdatedAtMixin):
     cookies_enc: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(Text)  # Fernet ciphertext — never returned/logged
 
 
-class MessageKey(Base, TimestampMixin):
-    """A user's end-to-end-encryption key material for direct messaging (phase 2).
-
-    One row per user. `public_key` (base64 SPKI, ECDH P-256) is shared with others so they can
-    derive the pairwise conversation key. `wrapped_private_key` is the user's private key
-    encrypted IN THE BROWSER with a key derived (PBKDF2) from a message passphrase the server
-    never sees — so the server stores only an opaque blob it cannot unwrap. `salt`/`wrap_iv`
-    parameterise that derivation; `key_check` is a small ciphertext the client decrypts to
-    verify a passphrase on unlock. The server is purely a key directory + blob store; it can
-    never read any message."""
-
-    __tablename__ = "message_keys"
-
-    user_id: Mapped[int] = mapped_column(
-        ForeignKey("users.id", ondelete="CASCADE"), primary_key=True
-    )
-    public_key: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(Text)
-    wrapped_private_key: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(Text)
-    salt: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(String(64))
-    wrap_iv: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(String(32))
-    key_check: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(Text)
-
-
 # --- Plex integration (optional) -------------------------------------------------------------
 # A dedicated, self-contained catalog mirrored from a locally-reachable Plex server. Playback is
 # from the LOCAL physical file (Plex is metadata only); per-user watch state lives in plex_states
@@ -1137,7 +1079,7 @@ class PlexLibrary(Base, TimestampMixin, UpdatedAtMixin):
     kind: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(String(16))  # "movie" | "show"
     enabled: Mapped[bool] = mapped_column(Boolean, default=True, server_default="true")
     synced_at: Mapped[datetime | None] = mapped_column(DateTime(timezone=True))
-    # HU-overlay support (E5 S5). `metadata_lang` tags the section's metadata language. An OVERLAY
+    # HU-overlay support. `metadata_lang` tags the section's metadata language. An OVERLAY
     # library (overlay_of set) is the Hungarian-metadata twin of another section: it is never browsable
     # on its own — its titles' HU fields are written onto the matched EN rows (paired by `guid`).
     metadata_lang: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(String(8), default="en", server_default="en")
@@ -1166,7 +1108,7 @@ class PlexShow(Base, TimestampMixin, UpdatedAtMixin):
         ForeignKey("plex_libraries.id", ondelete="CASCADE"), index=True
     )
     # Canonical external id (e.g. "tmdb:12345") — the key that pairs this EN row with its HU-overlay
-    # twin during sync (E5 S5). Indexed for the guid->row overlay match.
+    # twin during sync. Indexed for the guid->row overlay match.
     guid: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(String(64), index=True)
     title: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(String(512))
     summary: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(Text)
@@ -1196,7 +1138,7 @@ class PlexShow(Base, TimestampMixin, UpdatedAtMixin):
     )  # cast+directors, folded into search_vector
     # Set once the show's FULL cast has been rich-fetched by the backfill; NULL = still the listing top-3.
     people_enriched_at: Mapped[datetime | None] = mapped_column(DateTime(timezone=True))
-    # Rich-fetch-only detail fields, persisted by the same backfill that fills the full cast (E5 S5b) so
+    # Rich-fetch-only detail fields, persisted by the same backfill that fills the full cast so
     # the info page serves from this row instead of a live plex.metadata() call. NULL until enriched.
     imdb_rating: Mapped[float | None] = mapped_column(
         Float
@@ -1206,7 +1148,7 @@ class PlexShow(Base, TimestampMixin, UpdatedAtMixin):
     full_cast: Mapped[list | None] = mapped_column(
         JSONB(none_as_null=True)
     )  # ordered [{name, role, thumb}]
-    # --- TMDB enrichment (E5 S2): see the identical block on plex_items for the full rationale. Additive;
+    # --- TMDB enrichment: see the identical block on plex_items for the full rationale. Additive;
     #     served from the row; NULL until enriched. (`budget`/`revenue` stay NULL for shows — TV has none.) ---
     tmdb_id: Mapped[int | None] = mapped_column(Integer)
     tmdb_enriched_at: Mapped[datetime | None] = mapped_column(DateTime(timezone=True))
@@ -1224,10 +1166,10 @@ class PlexShow(Base, TimestampMixin, UpdatedAtMixin):
     production_countries: Mapped[list | None] = mapped_column(JSONB(none_as_null=True))  # [str]
     recommendations: Mapped[list | None] = mapped_column(JSONB(none_as_null=True))
     backdrops: Mapped[list | None] = mapped_column(JSONB(none_as_null=True))
-    # Hungarian-metadata twin fields, written by the overlay sync (E5 S5). NULL = no HU twin matched,
+    # Hungarian-metadata twin fields, written by the overlay sync. NULL = no HU twin matched,
     # so serving falls back to the EN columns. `people_text` is language-neutral, reused for both vectors.
     title_hu: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(String(512))
-    tagline_hu: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(Text)  # the HU overlay's tagline (E30)
+    tagline_hu: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(Text)  # the HU overlay's tagline
     summary_hu: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(Text)
     genres_hu: Mapped[list | None] = mapped_column(JSONB(none_as_null=True))
     search_vector: Mapped[object | None] = mapped_column(
@@ -1289,7 +1231,7 @@ class PlexItem(Base, TimestampMixin, UpdatedAtMixin):
     )
     kind: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(String(16), index=True)  # "movie" | "episode"
     # Canonical external id (e.g. "tmdb:12345") — pairs a MOVIE row with its HU-overlay twin during
-    # sync (E5 S5); indexed for the guid->row match. Episodes carry it too but it's unused for them.
+    # sync; indexed for the guid->row match. Episodes carry it too but it's unused for them.
     guid: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(String(64), index=True)
     show_id: Mapped[int | None] = mapped_column(
         ForeignKey("plex_shows.id", ondelete="CASCADE"), index=True
@@ -1316,7 +1258,7 @@ class PlexItem(Base, TimestampMixin, UpdatedAtMixin):
     # Browser-playability class from ffprobe: "direct" | "remux" | "transcode" (None = unprobed).
     playable: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(String(12), index=True)
     probed_at: Mapped[datetime | None] = mapped_column(DateTime(timezone=True))
-    # Transcode HW-capability facet (E7 playback-class filter). NULL for non-transcode items; for a
+    # Transcode HW-capability facet (the playback-class filter). NULL for non-transcode items; for a
     # `playable="transcode"` item: True = the prod iGPU can hardware-transcode it (codec is HW-decodable
     # AND the source is 8-bit SDR), False = software libx264 only (AV1/XviD, or a 10-bit/HDR source that
     # breaks the VAAPI nv12 pipeline — see plex/stream.py). Derived by `plex.sync.transcode_hw_capable`:
@@ -1332,8 +1274,6 @@ class PlexItem(Base, TimestampMixin, UpdatedAtMixin):
     # bit-depth/HDR. NULL = never (the backfill's work-list). Only HW-decodable transcode items are
     # probed (the rest are SW-only by codec and need no bit-depth); see `_probe_media_batch`.
     media_probed_at: Mapped[datetime | None] = mapped_column(DateTime(timezone=True))
-    # Intro/credit markers: [{"type": "intro"|"credits", "start_s": int, "end_s": int}, ...]
-    markers: Mapped[list | None] = mapped_column(JSON)
     added_at: Mapped[datetime | None] = mapped_column(DateTime(timezone=True), index=True)
     # Filterable / orderable metadata mirrored from the Plex section listing (no extra API calls;
     # `rating` = Plex audienceRating, which is ~the IMDb score). The arrays back genre/person/studio
@@ -1352,7 +1292,7 @@ class PlexItem(Base, TimestampMixin, UpdatedAtMixin):
     people_text: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(Text)
     # Set once the movie's FULL cast has been rich-fetched by the backfill; NULL = still the listing top-3.
     people_enriched_at: Mapped[datetime | None] = mapped_column(DateTime(timezone=True))
-    # Rich-fetch-only detail fields, persisted by the same backfill that fills the full cast (E5 S5b) so
+    # Rich-fetch-only detail fields, persisted by the same backfill that fills the full cast so
     # the info page serves from this row instead of a live plex.metadata() call. NULL until enriched.
     imdb_rating: Mapped[float | None] = mapped_column(
         Float
@@ -1362,7 +1302,7 @@ class PlexItem(Base, TimestampMixin, UpdatedAtMixin):
     full_cast: Mapped[list | None] = mapped_column(
         JSONB(none_as_null=True)
     )  # ordered [{name, role, thumb}]
-    # --- TMDB enrichment (E5 S2): matched by the canonical `guid` ("tmdb:12345"), filled by the TMDB
+    # --- TMDB enrichment: matched by the canonical `guid` ("tmdb:12345"), filled by the TMDB
     #     backfill job, SERVED FROM THIS ROW (never a live TMDB call). Additive — imdb_rating/rating
     #     above stay Plex-sourced; `tmdb_rating` is the distinct TMDb community score. NULL until enriched;
     #     `tmdb_enriched_at` is the "tried" watermark (stamped on a definitive no-match too, so an
@@ -1385,11 +1325,11 @@ class PlexItem(Base, TimestampMixin, UpdatedAtMixin):
     recommendations: Mapped[list | None] = mapped_column(JSONB(none_as_null=True))
     backdrops: Mapped[list | None] = mapped_column(
         JSONB(none_as_null=True)
-    )  # TMDB backdrop file_paths [str] (crossfade pool, S8)
-    # Hungarian-metadata twin fields, written by the overlay sync (E5 S5). NULL = no HU twin matched
+    )  # TMDB backdrop file_paths [str] (crossfade pool)
+    # Hungarian-metadata twin fields, written by the overlay sync. NULL = no HU twin matched
     # (serving falls back to the EN columns). `people_text` is language-neutral, reused for both vectors.
     title_hu: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(String(512))
-    tagline_hu: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(Text)  # the HU overlay's tagline (E30)
+    tagline_hu: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(Text)  # the HU overlay's tagline
     summary_hu: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(Text)
     genres_hu: Mapped[list | None] = mapped_column(JSONB(none_as_null=True))
     search_vector: Mapped[object | None] = mapped_column(
@@ -1428,15 +1368,15 @@ class PlexPerson(Base, TimestampMixin, UpdatedAtMixin):
     id: Mapped[int] = mapped_column(primary_key=True)
     name: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(String(255), unique=True, index=True)
     photo_thumb: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(Text)  # proxied /person-image URL, or None
-    # TMDB person id, linked by name from a title's TMDB credits (E5 S2 lays the foundation; the /person
-    # biography fetch + person-page render land in S6). NULL until a TMDB-enriched title names this person.
+    # TMDB person id, linked by name from a title's TMDB credits (the /person
+    # biography fetch builds on it). NULL until a TMDB-enriched title names this person.
     tmdb_person_id: Mapped[int | None] = mapped_column(Integer)
-    # --- TMDB person enrichment (E5 S6): fetched from /person/{tmdb_person_id} by the people_enrich job
-    #     (E30 S6), or by the first person-page open the job hasn't reached, then SERVED FROM THE ROW. `tmdb_enriched_at` is the watermark (set even on a
+    # --- TMDB person enrichment: fetched from /person/{tmdb_person_id} by the people_enrich job,
+    #     or by the first person-page open the job hasn't reached, then SERVED FROM THE ROW. `tmdb_enriched_at` is the watermark (set even on a
     #     no-op fetch so it isn't retried every open). `known_for` = top combined-credits [{tmdb_id,
     #     media_type, title}], resolved to library rows by guid at serve time (like recommendations). ---
     biography: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(Text)
-    # TMDB's Hungarian biography (E30 S4), from the same request's `translations`; a Hungarian reader is
+    # TMDB's Hungarian biography, from the same request's `translations`; a Hungarian reader is
     # served it, and the instance-language `biography` when TMDB has none. Birthplace, aliases and
     # keywords have no Hungarian on TMDB, so they stay in the instance language.
     biography_hu: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(Text)
@@ -1477,7 +1417,7 @@ class PlexCollection(Base, TimestampMixin, UpdatedAtMixin):
 class PlexState(Base, UpdatedAtMixin):
     """Per-user watch state for a Plex item — mirrors VideoState. Lives in Siftlode's own DB so
     it works for users WITHOUT a Plex account (the whole point of the access-layer design).
-    `synced_to_plex` marks whether this state was pushed back to a linked Plex account (P5)."""
+    `synced_to_plex` marks whether this state was pushed back to a linked Plex account."""
 
     __tablename__ = "plex_states"
     __table_args__ = (UniqueConstraint("user_id", "item_id", name="uq_plex_user_item"),)
@@ -1556,7 +1496,7 @@ class PlexPlaylistItem(Base):
 
 
 class ComfortPin(Base, TimestampMixin):
-    """One entry on a user's comfort shelf — the anti-paralysis fallback: "just put on X" (E24).
+    """One entry on a user's comfort shelf — the anti-paralysis fallback: "just put on X".
 
     Deliberately NOT a boolean on `VideoState`/`PlexState`, and NOT a polymorphic `(kind, ref)` string
     pair. A flag cannot ORDER a shelf and cannot hold a channel or a show — and comfort media is

backend/app/plex/cards.py

@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ def norm_lang(lang: str | None) -> str:
     return "hu" if lang == "hu" else "en"
 
 
-# Every card speaks the reader's language (E30): `lang="hu"` serves the HU overlay twin's title and
+# Every card speaks the reader's language: `lang="hu"` serves the HU overlay twin's title and
 # summary, falling back to EN where a row has none — the same rule as browse.unified_library's
 # `title_col`/`summary_col`. These rails once served English to a Hungarian reader.
 def display_title(row: PlexItem | PlexShow, lang: str) -> str:

backend/app/plex/client.py

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 Server-side ONLY: uses the admin ``X-Plex-Token`` from sysconfig. Playback never goes through
 this client — Siftlode plays the LOCAL physical file (see app.plex.paths). Plex is used purely for
-metadata, image proxying, and (P5) optional watch-state write-back. Requests JSON via the
+metadata, image proxying, and optional watch-state write-back. Requests JSON via the
 ``Accept: application/json`` header (Plex serves XML by default).
 """
 
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ class PlexClient:
         except ValueError as e:
             raise PlexError("Plex returned a non-JSON response") from e
 
-    # --- Connectivity + sections (P0) ---
+    # --- Connectivity + sections ---
     def server_info(self) -> dict:
         """Root identity (friendlyName / version) — used by the admin 'Test connection'."""
         return self._get("/")
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ class PlexClient:
         mc = self._get("/library/sections")
         return mc.get("Directory", []) or []
 
-    # --- Catalog mirror (P1) ---
+    # --- Catalog mirror ---
     def section_items(
         self, key: str, item_type: int, start: int = 0, size: int = 200
     ) -> tuple[list[dict], int | None]:
@@ -88,14 +88,14 @@ class PlexClient:
                 "type": item_type,
                 # includeGuids=1 carries each item's Guid array (tmdb/imdb/tvdb ids) in the cheap
                 # listing, so the sync can capture the canonical guid without a per-item rich fetch —
-                # the pairing key for the HU overlay (E5 S5).
+                # the pairing key for the HU overlay.
                 "includeGuids": 1,
                 "X-Plex-Container-Start": start,
                 "X-Plex-Container-Size": size,
             },
         )
         # `totalSize` only: `size` is THIS page's count, and read as the total it made a single
-        # page look like the whole section — "complete" to a prune or a reconcile (E32 review).
+        # page look like the whole section — "complete" to a prune or a reconcile.
         total = mc.get("totalSize")
         return mc.get("Metadata", []) or [], None if total is None else int(total)
 
@@ -137,12 +137,12 @@ class PlexClient:
         mc = self._get(f"/library/collections/{rating_key}/children")
         return mc.get("Metadata", []) or []
 
-    # --- Collection editing (P2 — write-back to Plex; all shared/global, admin-gated in the routes) ---
+    # --- Collection editing (write-back to Plex; all shared/global, admin-gated in the routes) ---
     @property
     def machine_id(self) -> str:
         """Server machineIdentifier — needed in the `uri` of collection add/create calls. Cached.
         Without one the uri would read `server:///…`, a malformed write Plex answers in its own way;
-        it is refused here, by name (E32 S2)."""
+        it is refused here, by name."""
         if not getattr(self, "_machine_id", None):
             mid = self._get("/identity").get("machineIdentifier")
             if not mid:
@@ -206,7 +206,7 @@ class PlexClient:
         items = mc.get("Metadata", []) or []
         return items[0] if items else None
 
-    # --- Watch-state write-back (P5 Phase B — Siftlode→Plex push; acts on the token's account) ---
+    # --- Watch-state write-back (Siftlode→Plex push; acts on the token's account) ---
     _LIBRARY_IDENTIFIER = "com.plexapp.plugins.library"
 
     def scrobble(self, rating_key: str) -> None:
@@ -243,7 +243,7 @@ class PlexClient:
             f"&state={state}&time={int(time_ms)}&duration={int(duration_ms)}",
         )
 
-    # --- Watch-state read for incremental sync (P5 Phase C) ---
+    # --- Watch-state read for incremental sync ---
     def accounts(self) -> list[dict]:
         """Server accounts (the owner + any managed/home users): id, name. Used to resolve the
         owner's accountID so the shared watch-history feed can be filtered to just their views."""

backend/app/plex/detail.py

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 """Parse the "info page" rich metadata out of a full Plex metadata dict, and persist the subset that
-the detail endpoints serve from the DB row (E5 S5b).
+the detail endpoints serve from the DB row.
 
 Shared by the live info-page path (routes.plex.browse) and the background rich re-sync (plex.sync) so
 the two never diverge — the same one-parser rule that keeps `people.py`'s cast handling consistent.

backend/app/plex/genres.py

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-"""One Hungarian word per Plex genre (E30).
+"""One Hungarian word per Plex genre.
 
 Plex's Hungarian agent returns a MIXED vocabulary: some genres come back translated ("Dráma",
 "Vígjáték"), others stay English ("Action", "Adventure", "Biography"), and a title with no HU twin has

backend/app/plex/imgcache.py

@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ _CT_EXT = {ct: ext for ext, ct in _EXT_CT}
 # Target box per variant — Plex resizes to these server-side. The full poster (400px) covers a detail
 # page's ≤224px poster at 2× DPR, the full art (1280px) a hero backdrop. A card is much smaller: a grid
 # poster is ~144px and a shelf's landscape art ~212px, so the `_sm` pair serves those at 1.33× DPR
-# (E31 S4e: cards fetched the 400 poster, 42 KB, and the 1280 art for a 212px picture). The browser
+# (cards used to fetch the 400 poster, 42 KB, and the 1280 art for a 212px picture). The browser
 # picks between a pair itself (`srcset`, built by the frontend's `lib/plexImage` cardImage, whose
 # widths plexImage.contract.test holds to these).
 SIZES = {

backend/app/plex/overlay.py

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-"""The HU overlay: a Hungarian Plex section written onto its English twin's rows (E30), split out of
-`plex/sync.py` (E32 S2), which runs it once per paired section during the full sync.
+"""The HU overlay: a Hungarian Plex section written onto its English twin's rows, split out of
+`plex/sync.py`, which runs it once per paired section during the full sync.
 
 The pairing is admin-configured (`plex_overlay_map`, ``huKey:enKey,...``). An overlay section creates
 no browsable rows of its own; it only fills the `*_hu` columns of the EN rows it matches by guid.
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ def sync_overlay(
     """Write an overlay section's Hungarian metadata onto its EN twin's rows, matched by guid. Creates
     NO browsable rows — an overlay library is never listed on its own. Only title/summary/tagline/genres
     differ by language; the language-neutral people_text feeds both search vectors. A show section's
-    episodes are overlaid too (E30): the HU section lists every episode with its Hungarian title and
+    episodes are overlaid too: the HU section lists every episode with its Hungarian title and
     summary, and the episode rows live in the EN show library.
 
     This is a full RECONCILE: after a COMPLETE HU listing every guid-bearing EN row's HU fields are
@@ -141,7 +141,7 @@ def _clear_hu(by_guid: dict, episodes: bool) -> None:
     cheap. The genres are the exception: every row gets Hungarian ones, from its HU twin or, lacking
     one, from its own English list — otherwise the HU genre list mixed "Drama" (no twin) with "Dráma".
     Only after a COMPLETE listing: one a Plex hiccup cut short would clear the HU text of every title
-    it failed to reach, until the next full sync (E32 S2, the watch reconcile's twin)."""
+    it failed to reach, until the next full sync (the watch reconcile's twin)."""
     for group in by_guid.values():
         for row in group:
             row.title_hu = row.summary_hu = None

backend/app/plex/people.py

@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ def people_by_credits(
     return [r[0] for r in rows]
 
 
-# --- Portraits (E30 S6) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# --- Portraits ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # A Plex CDN headshot is a full-size original (~170 KB on average, measured). Plex's photo transcoder
 # fits it into this box (~13 KB), which covers the largest place a portrait is drawn (the person page's
 # 6rem avatar) at 2x density and a raised text size. The box is part of the cache key, like a poster's:
@@ -226,7 +226,7 @@ _DEAD = frozenset({404, 410})
 
 
 def warm_portraits(db: Session, limit: int) -> dict:
-    """Cache up to `limit` not-yet-cached headshots, the most-credited people first (E30 S6), so a
+    """Cache up to `limit` not-yet-cached headshots, the most-credited people first, so a
     person's face comes from local disk. Needs Plex (the resize) and the Plex module on; without them
     nothing is prefetched — full-size originals for every person would cost gigabytes. A headshot Plex
     answers "not found" for is marked and left for PORTRAIT_RETRY; Plex failing in a row ends the run."""

backend/app/plex/query.py

@@ -31,9 +31,9 @@ PLEX_SORT_KEYS: tuple[str, ...] = (
     "title",
 )
 
-# --- Language-aware column pickers (E5 S6) ----------------------------------
+# --- Language-aware column pickers ----------------------------------
 #
-# The HU-overlay twin (E5 S5) stores Hungarian metadata in `*_hu` columns on the SAME EN row. When
+# The HU-overlay twin stores Hungarian metadata in `*_hu` columns on the SAME EN row. When
 # the app language is `hu` we serve those, falling back to the EN column where a row has no HU twin.
 # Two flavours of picker, on purpose:
 #   * DISPLAY / FILTER (`title_col`/`genres_col`): `coalesce(*_hu, *)` — an EN fallback so a row with
@@ -41,8 +41,8 @@ PLEX_SORT_KEYS: tuple[str, ...] = (
 #     HU summary directly off the loaded row, so no `summary_col` SQL helper is needed.)
 #   * SEARCH (`vector_col` + `field_recheck`): the raw `*_hu` column coalesced to '' — MIRRORING the
 #     generated `search_vector_hu` definition (which uses `coalesce(title_hu, '')`, NOT an EN
-#     fallback), so the field recheck stays a strict subset of the GIN vector prefilter (the S2
-#     invariant). `people_text` is language-neutral and shared by both vectors.
+#     fallback), so the field recheck stays a strict subset of the GIN vector prefilter (the
+#     field-search invariant). `people_text` is language-neutral and shared by both vectors.
 
 
 def title_col(model, lang: str):
@@ -216,7 +216,7 @@ def meta_filter_conds(model, p: dict, lang: str = "en") -> list:
     stds = split_csv(p.get("studios"))
     if stds:  # OR
         conds.append(model.studio.in_(stds))
-    for kw in split_csv(p.get("keywords")):  # AND — TMDB keyword chips from the detail page (E5 S5)
+    for kw in split_csv(p.get("keywords")):  # AND — TMDB keyword chips from the detail page
         conds.append(model.keywords.contains([kw]))
     csel = split_csv(p.get("collections"))
     if (
@@ -232,7 +232,7 @@ def apply_meta_filters(q, model, p: dict, lang: str = "en"):
     return q.where(*conds) if conds else q
 
 
-# --- Playback-class filter (E7) — MOVIE-ONLY (a show is an aggregate with no single class) ---------
+# --- Playback-class filter — MOVIE-ONLY (a show is an aggregate with no single class) ---------
 # The 4 classes the feed filter + facet expose, derived from the stored `playable` + `transcode_hw`.
 # ONE definition (this SQL CASE) so the filter WHERE and the facet counts can't drift: `playable_conds`
 # filters on it, `facets` groups by it. transcode_hw IS NOT True groups NULL (unprobed) with software.
@@ -278,7 +278,7 @@ class LibraryFilters:
     actors: str | None = None
     actor_mode: str = "any"  # how multiple actors combine: any (OR, default) | all (AND)
     studios: str | None = None
-    keywords: str | None = None  # TMDB keyword chips (E5 S5), CSV; language-neutral
+    keywords: str | None = None  # TMDB keyword chips, CSV; language-neutral
     collections: str | None = None  # CSV of collection rating_keys
     collection_mode: str = "any"  # how multiple collections combine: any (OR, default) | all (AND)
     playable: str | None = None  # CSV of playback classes: direct|remux|transcode_hw|transcode_sw
@@ -311,7 +311,7 @@ class LibraryFilters:
 # watch state. The SAME predicate has to be applied in two places — `unified_library` (the grid) and
 # `facets.wsq` (so the facet counts reflect exactly the visible set) — and they MUST stay identical:
 # a hidden movie kept out of the grid must not inflate the facets either. These helpers are the one
-# home for that predicate so the two call sites can't drift (E3 S1; pinned by test_plex_facets_grid_
+# home for that predicate so the two call sites can't drift (pinned by test_plex_facets_grid_
 # parity). Callers pass the already-joined state expressions, so this module stays model-agnostic:
 #   * movies — `st` is an aliased PlexState outer-joined on (item_id, user_id).
 #   * shows  — `tot`/`wat`/`inp` are the coalesced totals from `rollup.agg_subquery`.
@@ -367,9 +367,9 @@ def apply_show_state_filter(query, tot, wat, inp, show: str):
 def content_libs(db: Session) -> tuple[list[int], list[int]]:
     """The BROWSABLE content libraries, partitioned into (movie_lib_ids, show_lib_ids) — the single
     source of the browse scope. Excludes HU overlay libraries (`overlay_of` set): those are never
-    browsed on their own, they only lend their Hungarian metadata to the EN twin's rows (E5 S5).
+    browsed on their own, they only lend their Hungarian metadata to the EN twin's rows.
 
-    Lives here, in the query layer, rather than in `routes/plex/_shared.py` where it started: E24's
+    Lives here, in the query layer, rather than in `routes/plex/_shared.py` where it started: the
     Home surface needs the same scope, and a domain package importing from `routes/` would invert the
     one-way dependency CLAUDE.md draws. It never touched request state, so nothing was lost by the
     move."""

backend/app/plex/rollup.py

@@ -13,10 +13,10 @@ from app.models import PlexItem, PlexState
 # Sort sentinel for a rail row whose timestamp is missing, so `key=lambda r: r[0] or NO_TS` reads the
 # same at every rail that merges two type-homogeneous lists in Python.
 #
-# It is NOT a crash fix, whatever the E24 commit that introduced it says. The `(ts is not None, ts)`
+# It is NOT a crash fix, whatever the commit that introduced it says. The `(ts is not None, ts)`
 # key it replaced cannot raise: tuple comparison finds the first UNEQUAL element via `==`, so two
 # `(False, None)` keys compare equal and `None < None` is never reached — verified by execution
-# during the E24 epic-end review, over every permutation of null/non-null rows. What the sentinel
+# during a review, over every permutation of null/non-null rows. What the sentinel
 # buys is one idiom instead of two, and a key that says "missing sorts last" outright rather than
 # encoding it in a boolean flag. A BARE `r[0]` would genuinely raise, which is the mutation the
 # rails' tests do guard against.

backend/app/plex/stream.py

@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ HLS muxer does the segmentation (the only reliable way to cut a stream-copy at k
 
 Sessions live in this (single) API process; a periodic reaper kills idle ones and frees the temp
 segments. The remux is CPU-light (video copy + a tiny audio transcode), so it runs fine on the
-CPU-only prod host; only P3's full transcode is CPU-heavy.
+CPU-only prod host; only the full transcode is CPU-heavy.
 """
 
 import os
@@ -120,8 +120,8 @@ class HlsSession:
         # Unguessable per-session id, carried in the URLs the client is handed. A seek-restart
         # replaces the viewer's registered session for the item — and the old player's next request
         # for `seg_12.ts`, resolved by (viewer, rating_key) alone, was answered 200 with the NEW session's twelfth segment, produced from a different offset
-        # under `-copyts`. Wrong bytes, not an error, so the client's reclaim never fired on it
-        # (deep-review round 5). A request naming a session that is no longer registered is a 404,
+        # under `-copyts`. Wrong bytes, not an error, so the client's reclaim never fired on it.
+        # A request naming a session that is no longer registered is a 404,
         # which the player recovers from by restarting at the playhead.
         self.id = secrets.token_urlsafe(9)
         self.key = key  # the item's rating_key (what the logs name)
@@ -413,7 +413,7 @@ def _venc_opts(
 def _render_node_present() -> bool:
     """Whether the VAAPI render node is available — i.e. `/dev/dri` was passed into the container.
     Present on prod after the iGPU enablement; absent on the CPU-only dev box and in the localdev
-    Docker. Its own function so the selection is monkeypatchable in tests and one place for S1c's knob."""
+    Docker. Its own function so the selection is monkeypatchable in tests and the one place to change it."""
     return Path(_VAAPI_DEVICE).exists()
 
 
@@ -576,7 +576,7 @@ def _ffmpeg_cmd(
                 entry += ",default:yes"
             var.append(entry)
         # The name patterns come from the vocabulary functions, with ffmpeg's own placeholders passed
-        # through them — so the producer and the parser cannot spell the layout differently (round 7).
+        # through them — so the producer and the parser cannot spell the layout differently.
         args += _HLS_TAIL + [
             "-master_pl_name",
             _MASTER_PL,
@@ -744,8 +744,9 @@ def start_session(
         # `replace_only` makes the supersede identity-aware for the runtime fallback: the whole
         # check-and-replace happens under ONE _lock, so a newer same-key session (a concurrent
         # seek-restart) installed between the fallback's decision and here is never clobbered. When the
-        # registered session is no longer `replace_only`, we abort and return None (the caller yields to
-        # whoever is registered now). The INITIAL spawn never gets None — see its call site.
+        # registered session is no longer `replace_only`, we abort and return None, and the caller
+        # answers with its own dead session — never the newer one, whose id a stale requester would
+        # stop. The INITIAL spawn never gets None — see its call site.
         # Software-fallback encode tuning — read only on the SW transcode path (the VAAPI path and
         # remux ignore preset/crf/max_height, and remux must not touch the DB for them).
         preset, crf, max_height = "veryfast", 20, 0
@@ -840,12 +841,13 @@ def start_session(
         )
         respawned = _spawn(False, False, replace_only=s)
         if respawned is None:
-            # Superseded/culled mid-fallback — yield whoever is registered now (a newer seek-restart), or
-            # our own now-dead session if the key was cap-culled. Never None here: the POST /session route
-            # turns a None return into a "Media file not found on disk" 404 — dishonest for a file that
-            # exists. A (dead) session instead degrades to a retryable 404 ("No active playback session" /
-            # "Not available yet") the client re-requests.
-            return current_session(user_id, key) or s
+            # Superseded/culled mid-fallback — answer with our own now-dead session. Never the newer one
+            # registered meanwhile: this answer goes to the request that LOST, whose player drops it as
+            # stale and stops the session it names (`stop_session`), which stopped the playback that won.
+            # Never None either: the POST /session route turns a None return into a "Media file not found
+            # on disk" 404 — dishonest for a file that exists. A dead session instead degrades to a
+            # retryable 404 ("No active playback session" / "Not available yet") the client re-requests.
+            return s
         s = respawned
         ready = wait_for(_seg(0), timeout=25.0, proc=s.proc)
     if ready:
@@ -887,7 +889,7 @@ def current_session(user_id: int, key: str) -> HlsSession | None:
 # The names ffmpeg writes into a session directory, in ONE place — and "one place" means the argv
 # BUILDS its patterns from these same functions (`segment_name("%d", "%v")`), not that a comment
 # says so. Getting this wrong is invisible in both directions: a name we failed to anticipate used
-# to fall back to "wait and see" (round 6's HIGH), and now that the rule is positive it falls back
+# to fall back to "wait and see", and now that the rule is positive it falls back
 # to a 404 instead — so the producer and the parser have to be literally the same spelling.
 #
 # MEASURED (ffmpeg 7.1.5 in the API container — the binary that actually writes these files — and
@@ -901,7 +903,7 @@ def current_session(user_id: int, key: str) -> HlsSession | None:
 # SESSION and not to HLS in general: a single-audio session can never write `master.m3u8`,
 # `stream_*.m3u8` or any `seg_<variant>_<n>.ts`, and a multi-audio one can never write `index.m3u8`
 # or `seg_<n>.ts`. Accepting the union meant a hopeless name of the other shape was waited out for
-# the full playlist/segment timeout — the threadpool parking this guard exists to end (round 7).
+# the full playlist/segment timeout — the threadpool parking this guard exists to end.
 _MASTER_PL = "master.m3u8"
 _INDEX_PL = "index.m3u8"
 _SEG_NAME_RE = re.compile(r"^seg_(?:([0-9a-z]{1,4})_)?(\d{1,9})\.ts$")
@@ -953,12 +955,12 @@ def artifact_may_arrive(s: "HlsSession", filename: str) -> bool:
     name belonging to the other shape is as hopeless here as a random string. Reading those as "an
     HLS name, so wait and see" left the whole class reachable — measured through the real route
     against a live single-audio session, `master.m3u8` and `stream_q7z.m3u8` were 404s after 30.0 s
-    and `seg_a0_0.ts` / `seg_zzzz_0.ts` after 20.1 s each (deep-review round 7).
+    and `seg_a0_0.ts` / `seg_zzzz_0.ts` after 20.1 s each.
 
     Saying no at once matters because the route that waits is a SYNC one: it holds a thread off the
     ~40-slot pool, and a pooled DB connection with it, for the whole timeout. An ordinary seek past
     the produced region was enough to park one for 20 s, and forty concurrent requests for a name
-    that will never exist parked the whole API (deep-review round 5). Round 5's guard read only
+    that will never exist parked the whole API. An earlier guard read only
     single-audio segment names, so both halves of that were still fully reachable: every multi-audio
     name fell through, and so did any `.m3u8`/`.vtt` name at all."""
     if filename in playlist_names(s.variants):
@@ -1093,15 +1095,15 @@ def reap_idle(finished_idle_s: float = _FINISHED_IDLE_S) -> int:
     A finished session is also what a PAUSED viewer has: a remux runs far faster than realtime, so
     ffmpeg is done a minute or two in and writes ENDLIST; hls.js then stops asking for the playlist,
     and with its forward buffer full a paused player fetches nothing at all. With the 30 s rule that
-    killed a one-minute pause, and playback died ~30 s after resuming (deep-review round 4).
+    killed a one-minute pause, and playback died ~30 s after resuming.
 
     What makes the short rule safe again is that fetching is no longer the only signal: a player
     parked MID-ITEM checkpoints its position every 10 s, and that route calls `touch_session`, so a
-    viewer who is merely paused says so far more often than this rule asks (round 5). The heartbeat
+    viewer who is merely paused says so far more often than this rule asks. The heartbeat
     stops once the item is finished or before a position is known (`usePlexProgress.flush`) — both
     states where reaping is correct, and where the player's 404 → reclaim recovers a viewer who
-    scrubs back in anyway. Do not restate this as "every 10 s whether or not it is playing": round 6
-    found that claim in two comments and not in the code. Round 4's blanket
+    scrubs back in anyway. Do not restate this as "every 10 s whether or not it is playing":
+    a review found that claim in two comments and not in the code. An earlier blanket
     `reap_abandoned` bought the same safety by keeping every finished session for ten minutes — each
     one a whole segmented copy of the film on a volume shared with the download center."""
     now = time.time()
@@ -1117,6 +1119,23 @@ def reap_idle(finished_idle_s: float = _FINISHED_IDLE_S) -> int:
     return dropped
 
 
+def stop_session(user_id: int, key: str, session_id: str) -> bool:
+    """Stop this viewer's session for `key` now, because the player that asked for it is gone (left
+    the item, closed, unloaded the page). Left to `reap_idle`, a transcode ran on to the end of the
+    film first — measured: ~4 cores for a minute after leaving a resumed 480p film.
+
+    Only while `session_id` is still the registered one: the player names the session it played, and
+    a seek-restart or a second tab may have replaced it meanwhile — that newer session is somebody's
+    current playback, not this request's to end."""
+    with _lock:
+        s = _sessions.get((user_id, key))
+        if s is None or s.id != session_id:
+            return False
+        _kill(s)
+        _sessions.pop((user_id, key), None)
+    return True
+
+
 def touch_session(user_id: int, key: str) -> None:
     """Say this viewer is still there for `key`, without fetching anything. `last_access` used to move
     only on an HLS file fetch, which a paused player does not do — so the only way to keep a paused

backend/app/plex/sync.py

@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ on a NON-empty listing — a section that returns zero items is left untouched,
 glitch that yields an empty page can't wipe a library (the metadata is cheap to re-sync; an accidental
 mass-delete is the only real risk). Library-level reconcile (dropping a whole removed section, the
 dead `enabled` column) is a separate follow-up. Cast + intro/credit markers are fetched lazily on the
-item-detail/player path (P2), not here.
+item-detail/player path, not here.
 """
 
 from datetime import datetime, timezone
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ _GUID_PREFERENCE = ("tmdb", "imdb", "tvdb")
 
 
 def _canonical_guid(meta: dict) -> str | None:
-    """The canonical external id used to pair an EN title with its HU-overlay twin (E5 S5). Reads the
+    """The canonical external id used to pair an EN title with its HU-overlay twin. Reads the
     `Guid` array (present only with includeGuids=1 in the listing), preferring tmdb > imdb > tvdb,
     normalised to '<provider>:<id>' (e.g. 'tmdb:12345'). None when no known provider id is present."""
     found: dict[str, str] = {}
@@ -419,7 +419,7 @@ def _paginate(plex: PlexClient, key: str, item_type: int, progress: dict | None
         # A truthy `total` we reached = a trustworthy complete listing. `total` unknown/zero-with-rows
         # (a Plex that doesn't report totalSize) is treated as NOT complete, so prune stays conservative.
         # `total` itself is kept for a caller to whom a server that SAID 0 is news it can trust (the
-        # watch reconcile); an empty mirror or overlay must not read it so (E32 S2).
+        # watch reconcile); an empty mirror or overlay must not read it so.
         progress["complete"] = bool(total) and start >= total
         progress["total"] = total
 
@@ -447,7 +447,7 @@ def _apply_facet_fields(row, meta: dict) -> None:
     # full cast (up to 24, grown by the rich backfill/info-page enrich), silently breaking the
     # person-page cast filter for names past the top ~20. The watermark gate below (`people_enriched_at
     # is None`) normally protects this, but it is NOT enough on its own: a migration that resets the
-    # watermark re-opens the regression (0065 nulled it, which is exactly how the S5b fix got undone in
+    # watermark re-opens the regression (0065 nulled it, which is exactly how a fix got undone in
     # prod). So guard STRUCTURALLY too, by LENGTH against the listing cap: a stored cast LONGER than the
     # cap can only be an enriched fuller list, so keep it (robust to any watermark reset). A stored cast
     # at or below the cap is itself listing-sourced, so take the fresh listing — which tracks Plex cast
@@ -694,7 +694,7 @@ def resync_collection(db: Session, plex: PlexClient, lib: PlexLibrary, rk: str)
 def _believed_children(plex: PlexClient, rk: str, meta: dict) -> list[dict] | None:
     """A collection's members, or None when the answer is not believed: no members from a collection
     whose own listing counts some (`childCount`) is a glitch, not a collection emptied — the same
-    empty-answer rule as the collection listing's (E32 review). Rebuilding on it showed the
+    empty-answer rule as the collection listing's. Rebuilding on it showed the
     collection empty until the next sync."""
     children = plex.collection_children(rk)
     count = str(meta.get("childCount") or "0")
@@ -745,7 +745,7 @@ def _sync_collections(db: Session, plex: PlexClient, lib: PlexLibrary, stats: di
     if not cols and existing:
         # The catalog's own rule (see the module doc): an empty listing while we hold rows is a Plex
         # glitch, not a library emptied of collections. Reconciling on it dropped every collection
-        # (its user-set `editable` flag with it) and every member's keys (E32 S2).
+        # (its user-set `editable` flag with it) and every member's keys.
         log.warning(
             "Plex listed no collections for a library that has some; keeping them this run",
             extra=logs.event("plex.sync.collections_empty", library=lib.plex_key),

backend/app/plex/tmdb.py

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-"""TMDB enrichment for the mirrored Plex catalog (E5 S2).
+"""TMDB enrichment for the mirrored Plex catalog.
 
 A thin synchronous TMDB v3 client plus the parse/persist of the enrichment fields onto plex_items /
 plex_shows, matched by the stored canonical `guid` ("tmdb:12345", or imdb/tvdb resolved via /find).
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ class TmdbClient:
         return cast("list[dict] | None", self._get("/configuration/countries"))
 
     def fetch_person(self, person_id: int) -> dict | None:
-        """One person's bio + combined credits (E5 S6) + the bio's translations (E30 S4), in a single
+        """One person's bio + combined credits + the bio's translations, in a single
         append_to_response request."""
         return self._get(
             f"/person/{person_id}", {"append_to_response": "combined_credits,translations"}
@@ -226,7 +226,7 @@ def parse_tmdb(payload: dict, media_type: str) -> dict:
     crew.sort(key=lambda c: priority.get(c["job"], 99))
     crew = crew[:12]
 
-    # name -> tmdb person id, for the plex_people foundation (S6 fetches bios off these ids).
+    # name -> tmdb person id, for the plex_people foundation (bios are fetched off these ids).
     people: list[dict] = []
     for c in (credits.get("cast") or [])[:30]:
         if c.get("name") and c.get("id"):
@@ -266,7 +266,7 @@ def parse_tmdb(payload: dict, media_type: str) -> dict:
             c.get("name") for c in (payload.get("production_companies") or []) if c.get("name")
         ][:8]
         or None,
-        # The ISO code beside TMDB's English name (E30): the client names the country in the reader's
+        # The ISO code beside TMDB's English name: the client names the country in the reader's
         # language from the code; the name is the fallback for a code it cannot name.
         "production_countries": [
             {"code": c.get("iso_3166_1") or None, "name": c["name"]}
@@ -373,14 +373,14 @@ def enrich_batch(db: Session, tmdb: TmdbClient, limit: int) -> int:
 
 
 def _country(c: dict | str) -> dict:
-    """One stored production country as served: `{code, name}`. A row enriched before E30 stored the
+    """One stored production country as served: `{code, name}`. An older row stored the
     bare English name; until `backfill_country_codes` reaches it, it serves with no code (the client
     shows the name)."""
     return c if isinstance(c, dict) else {"code": None, "name": c}
 
 
 def backfill_country_codes(db: Session, tmdb: TmdbClient) -> int:
-    """Give the countries stored before E30 (bare English names) their ISO codes, from TMDB's own
+    """Give the older countries (bare English names) their ISO codes, from TMDB's own
     country list — the names came from that list, so they match it exactly. One request, and only
     while such a row is left: re-fetching each title instead would take the enrichment batch days.
     A name the list does not hold keeps no code. Returns the number of rows rewritten."""
@@ -418,7 +418,7 @@ def run_enrich(db: Session) -> dict:
 
 
 def run_people_enrich(db: Session) -> dict:
-    """Scheduler entry point of people_enrich (E30 S6): a batch of person bios (the most-credited
+    """Scheduler entry point of people_enrich: a batch of person bios (the most-credited
     first) and a batch of portraits. Each half is a no-op — never an error — without its TMDB key /
     without Plex."""
     batch = settings.people_enrich_batch
@@ -475,7 +475,7 @@ def resolve_recs(db: Session, recs: list[dict] | None, *, lang: str) -> list[dic
     """Tag each recommendation with whether it's in OUR library (matched by guid `tmdb:<id>`, bucketed
     by media_type — see resolve_library_guids) and, if so, its rating_key — so the client can deep-link
     the ones we have and merely display the rest. One we have is named as the library names it, in
-    `lang` (E30); one we lack keeps the title TMDB gave."""
+    `lang`; one we lack keeps the title TMDB gave."""
     if not recs:
         return []
     movies, shows = resolve_library_guids(db, recs)
@@ -515,7 +515,7 @@ def serve_block(db: Session, row, *, lang: str) -> dict | None:
     }
 
 
-# --- Person enrichment (E5 S6) -------------------------------------------------------------------
+# --- Person enrichment -------------------------------------------------------------------
 # A person's bio + birth facts + a "Known for" credit pool, fetched once — by the people_enrich job, or
 # by the first person-page open if the job has not reached them yet — and served from the plex_people row. `known_for` stores the top combined-credits ids; the person
 # endpoint resolves them to library rows by guid at serve time (like recommendations).
@@ -525,7 +525,7 @@ def serve_block(db: Session, row, *, lang: str) -> dict | None:
 # credits are often not the 15 a given library holds.
 _KNOWN_FOR_MAX = 40
 # TMDB genre ids of the shows a person visits as a guest (News, Reality, Talk). Ranked by popularity,
-# talk-show visits crowded out the films (Tom Cruise: 14 of 15 were talk shows; E30 S6).
+# talk-show visits crowded out the films (Tom Cruise: 14 of 15 were talk shows).
 _GUEST_GENRES = {10763, 10764, 10767}
 # A credit in which the person plays themselves ("Self", "Himself - Guest", "Herself (archive footage)").
 _SELF_CREDIT = re.compile(r"^\s*(self|himself|herself|themselves)\b", re.IGNORECASE)
@@ -646,7 +646,7 @@ _PEOPLE_FAILS_IN_A_ROW = 3
 
 
 def enrich_people_batch(db: Session, tmdb: TmdbClient, limit: int) -> dict:
-    """Fetch up to `limit` linked, not-yet-enriched people (E30 S6), the most-credited first, so a
+    """Fetch up to `limit` linked, not-yet-enriched people, the most-credited first, so a
     person page reads its bio from the row instead of waiting on TMDB. Each person is committed as it
     lands: a page open during the run already sees it. A failed lookup is skipped (left unstamped for the
     next run); _PEOPLE_FAILS_IN_A_ROW of them in a row end the batch."""

backend/app/plex/watch_sync.py

@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ already pages) and upsert them into the owner's `plex_states`. Plex wins on over
 exist only in Siftlode are left untouched (union, Plex-authoritative on the intersection).
 
 Phases B (Siftlode→Plex push via scrobble/timeline) and C (incremental Plex→Siftlode via the watch
-history + onDeck) build on this and land in later ships. As of S2 Plex is the source of truth: the
+history + onDeck) build on this and land in later ships. Plex is now the source of truth: the
 player pushes the resume position back to Plex on the periodic checkpoint (not just the final flush),
 and the incremental pull resolves a genuine divergence to Plex's state (see `_pull_apply`) rather than
 running a last-write-wins comparison.
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ def _scan_plex_states(
     The settled keys matter to the reconcile alone: it reads "absent from the scan" as "Plex
     un-watched it", which a walk cut short by a Plex hiccup does not mean (see `_paginate`). Settled
     is decided PER SECTION: one section that never settles (a library emptied on Plex while its
-    mirrored items are kept) must not stop un-watches syncing in all the others (E32 review)."""
+    mirrored items are kept) must not stop un-watches syncing in all the others."""
     item_id_by_rk = _rk_to_id(db)
     wanted = _enabled_section_keys(db)
     # The sections we mirror something from: a total of 0 from one of those contradicts the mirror.
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ def _scan_plex_states(
                 out[item_id] = res
         # A section the server SAYS is empty (total 0, nothing listed) settles too. Believed only for
         # a section we mirror nothing from: one whose items we hold answering 0 is a Plex that lost
-        # the library for a moment, not one that un-watched all of it (E32 review) — so it is left
+        # the library for a moment, not one that un-watched all of it — so it is left
         # unsettled, and its rows are not cleared.
         listed = scanned > before
         said_empty = progress.get("total") == 0 and not listed and key not in mirrored
@@ -402,7 +402,7 @@ def _pull_apply(
         if st is not None and not st.synced_to_plex:
             st.synced_to_plex = True  # already matches Plex → just settle the flag, no churn
         return None
-    # Plex-authoritative (S2): on a genuine divergence for an item Plex knows about, Plex wins — no
+    # Plex-authoritative: on a genuine divergence for an item Plex knows about, Plex wins — no
     # last-write-wins tug-of-war. This is safe because prompt write-back (playback.py pushes the resume
     # position to Plex on the ~10s checkpoint, not just on the final flush) keeps Plex current, so a
     # local edit that's "newer" than Plex has almost always already been pushed and matched above by
@@ -620,9 +620,8 @@ def _clear_unwatched(db: Session, user_id: int, plex_states: dict, settled: set[
     """Clear the user's rows Plex no longer has a record for — the mirrored ones (Plex un-watched
     them); hidden and dirty rows stay (a dirty one is re-pushed by `_repush_dirty`). Only rows of the
     sections the scan SETTLED: a walk a Plex hiccup cut short leaves out rows it merely failed to
-    reach, and clearing those un-watched them here until the next complete run (E32 S2); an item of
-    a library the allowlist leaves out is absent from every scan, and was cleared on every run (E32
-    review)."""
+    reach, and clearing those un-watched them here until the next complete run; an item of
+    a library the allowlist leaves out is absent from every scan, and was cleared on every run."""
     n = 0
     rows = db.execute(
         select(PlexState)

backend/app/progress.py

@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ def report(current: int, total: int | None = None, phase: str | None = None) ->
 
 
 class JobFailed(RuntimeError):
-    """A job's own failure, said so the reader's language can name it (E31): the client reads
+    """A job's own failure, said so the reader's language can name it: the client reads
     `scheduler.failure.<reason>` and interpolates `params` (keep them to values the reader may see —
     numbers, ids, short codes). The message is the English line the log and `last_error` keep. An
     upstream's own error (a timeout, a refused connection) is not one of these: it stays as raised,

backend/app/realtime.py

@@ -1,68 +0,0 @@
-"""In-process WebSocket connection registry for live server→client push.
-
-Generic groundwork (notification module phase 2 is the first user): connections are kept in
-this process's memory, keyed by user_id, so a request handler can push an event to all of a
-user's open tabs/devices. Single-uvicorn-process assumption — if we ever run multiple workers,
-replace the in-memory map with a Redis pub/sub fan-out behind the same `push()` interface (same
-note as app.ratelimit).
-
-`push()` is intentionally SYNC-callable: ordinary (sync) route handlers run in a threadpool, so
-they schedule the actual send onto the WebSocket event loop via run_coroutine_threadsafe. The
-connect/disconnect/_push coroutines all run on that one loop, so the connection map is only ever
-mutated from a single thread.
-"""
-
-import asyncio
-from collections import defaultdict
-
-from starlette.websockets import WebSocket
-from app import logs
-
-log = logs.get_logger(__name__)
-
-
-class ConnectionManager:
-    def __init__(self) -> None:
-        self._conns: dict[int, set[WebSocket]] = defaultdict(set)
-        self._loop: asyncio.AbstractEventLoop | None = None
-
-    async def connect(self, user_id: int, ws: WebSocket) -> None:
-        self._loop = asyncio.get_running_loop()
-        await ws.accept()
-        self._conns[user_id].add(ws)
-
-    async def disconnect(self, user_id: int, ws: WebSocket) -> None:
-        conns = self._conns.get(user_id)
-        if conns:
-            conns.discard(ws)
-            if not conns:
-                self._conns.pop(user_id, None)
-
-    async def _push(self, user_id: int, payload: dict) -> None:
-        for ws in list(self._conns.get(user_id, ())):
-            try:
-                await ws.send_json(payload)
-            except Exception as exc:  # noqa: BLE001 — one dead socket must not stop the others
-                # Stale socket; it'll be cleaned up by its own disconnect handler. But this is
-                # also where a live update goes missing: the UI simply never changes, and there
-                # is no request behind it whose failure anyone could look up.
-                log.debug(
-                    "a live update could not be pushed to a socket",
-                    extra=logs.event(
-                        "realtime.push_failed", user_id=user_id, reason=type(exc).__name__
-                    ),
-                )
-
-    def push(self, user_id: int, payload: dict) -> None:
-        """Schedule a push onto the WebSocket event loop. Safe to call from a sync route
-        handler (threadpool). No-op if no WebSocket has ever connected (no loop captured)."""
-        loop = self._loop
-        if loop is None:
-            return
-        try:
-            asyncio.run_coroutine_threadsafe(self._push(user_id, payload), loop)
-        except Exception:  # noqa: BLE001 — a closed loop or socket must not fail the caller
-            log.debug("ws push failed", exc_info=True)
-
-
-manager = ConnectionManager()

backend/app/routes/_common.py

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-"""Route-layer shared helpers for the API contract (R6 S1a).
+"""Route-layer shared helpers for the API contract.
 
 Small, dependency-light guards that several route modules had hand-rolled with subtle
 drift. Keeping them here (imported by the route modules) means the "fetch a row or 404"
@@ -9,16 +9,52 @@ one existence-leak policy.
 from typing import IO, Any, TypeVar
 
 from fastapi import HTTPException, Request
+from pydantic import BaseModel, ConfigDict, Field
 from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
 
 from app.db import Base
-from app.models import User
+from app.models import POSITION_MAX_S, User
 from app.issues import gitea
 from app.refusal import refused
 from app.youtube.client import YouTubeError, refusal_reason
 
 M = TypeVar("M", bound=Base)
 
+# Resume-position thresholds of a player that only keeps a resume point (the YouTube player, the
+# library's): positions below this are "didn't really start" and within this of the end are
+# "basically finished" — neither is worth storing, so the position is cleared instead (no progress
+# bar). The client's local resume (`lib/resume.ts`) keeps the same two numbers, held equal by
+# `resume.contract.test.ts` beside it. NB: the Plex player intentionally uses a LARGER finish margin
+# (30s) because it marks long-form items watched, not just clears a resume bar — see
+# routes/plex/playback.py.
+PROGRESS_MIN_SECONDS = 5
+FINISH_MARGIN_SECONDS = 10
+
+
+class ProgressIn(BaseModel):
+    """A player's resume checkpoint (sent every few seconds while it plays, and as a beacon when the
+    page goes away)."""
+
+    # Finite only: JSON parsing here accepts `Infinity`/`NaN`, and the handler's `int()` turned
+    # one into a 500.
+    model_config = ConfigDict(allow_inf_nan=False)
+
+    # Accept a float and truncate (`kept_position`) — the player may post a raw currentTime (a float),
+    # which the old `int(payload.get(...))` silently truncated. A plain `int` field would 422 that on
+    # the progress hot path, losing the resume position; `float` keeps the old tolerance.
+    # Bounded above by the int4 column (see POSITION_MAX_S): past it the flush was a 500.
+    position_seconds: float = Field(0, le=POSITION_MAX_S)
+    duration_seconds: float = Field(0, le=POSITION_MAX_S)
+
+
+def kept_position(body: ProgressIn) -> int:
+    """The whole-second resume point worth storing for `body`, or 0 for "clear it" (too early to
+    count as started, or close enough to the end to count as finished)."""
+    position = max(0, int(body.position_seconds))
+    duration = int(body.duration_seconds)
+    near_end = duration > 0 and position > duration - FINISH_MARGIN_SECONDS
+    return position if position >= PROGRESS_MIN_SECONDS and not near_end else 0
+
 
 def not_found(what: str = "generic") -> HTTPException:
     """The 404 for a row that is gone — structured, so the bilingual UI says it in the reader's
@@ -128,7 +164,7 @@ async def capped_stream_to(
 
 
 def issue_refused(exc: gitea.GiteaError) -> HTTPException:
-    """The refusal an issue-tracker failure (E16) answers as — the send, the preview and the
+    """The refusal an issue-tracker failure answers as — the send, the preview and the
     admin's connection test alike. Literal reasons, one per case: the frontend's contract test reads
     them to require a sentence for each in both languages."""
     match exc.reason:

backend/app/routes/admin.py

@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
-"""Admin-only onboarding: review access requests (Invites), approve/deny, manual add.
-Also the demo-account admin surface: the demo email whitelist + a manual state reset."""
+"""Admin-only onboarding: review access requests (Invites), approve/deny, manual add."""
 
 from collections.abc import Iterable
 from datetime import datetime, timezone
@@ -19,15 +18,12 @@ from app.auth import (
     count_admins,
     env_allowed_canonicals,
     find_user_by_email,
-    get_or_create_demo_user,
     is_allowed,
     operator_contact,
     purge_user,
 )
 from app.db import get_db
-from app.demo import reset_demo_state
 from app.models import (
-    DemoWhitelist,
     Invite,
     User,
 )
@@ -131,7 +127,7 @@ def _welcome_mail_parts(db: Session, email: str) -> tuple[str | None, bool, int]
     """
     hours = int(APPROVAL_VERIFY_TTL.total_seconds() // 3600)
     user = find_user_by_email(db, email)
-    if user is None or user.is_demo:
+    if user is None:
         return None, False, hours
     if user.email_verified or not email_mod.email_enabled(db):
         return None, True, hours
@@ -142,20 +138,21 @@ def _activate_user_by_email(db: Session, email: str) -> None:
     """Approving access activates a matching (e.g. pending password-registration) account so
     it can sign in. No-op if no such user exists yet (a Google user is created at first login).
 
-    E9.5 S1: this path deliberately does NOT revoke a preset password. Revoking here destroyed the
+    This path deliberately does NOT revoke a preset password. Revoking here destroyed the
     password a legitimate registrant had just chosen and made "your password was cleared for
     security" the DEFAULT experience, because approve-before-verify is the normal ordering.
 
-    S1 justified that by saying `password_login` refuses an unverified account BEFORE it looks at
-    `is_active`, so a pre-emptor could not sign in "approved or not". A review of the finished epic
-    showed that argument only holds while the address stays unverified — and S6's approval mail
-    hands the real owner a confirmation link precisely so they will end that state. Nothing replaced
-    the revoke, and that is deliberate: round 2 of the same review tried "the newest registration
-    owns an unverified account" and reverted it, because the rule is symmetric — an attacker can
-    always register last — and it handed anonymous callers a write onto a real account's credential.
-    The owner's recourse is password-reset, which proves the mailbox, rewrites the hash and bumps
-    the session epoch. The residual is logged as SEC-16. The revoke also stays on the Google-adoption path
-    (auth.revoke_preset_password_if_unverified), where ownership is actually attested."""
+    That was once justified by saying `password_login` refuses an unverified account BEFORE it
+    looks at `is_active`, so a pre-emptor could not sign in "approved or not". A review of the
+    finished epic showed that argument only holds while the address stays unverified — and the
+    approval mail hands the real owner a confirmation link precisely so they will end that state.
+    Nothing replaced the revoke, and that is deliberate: the same review later tried "the newest
+    registration owns an unverified account" and reverted it, because the rule is symmetric — an
+    attacker can always register last — and it handed anonymous callers a write onto a real
+    account's credential. The owner's recourse is password-reset, which proves the mailbox, rewrites
+    the hash and bumps the session epoch. The residual is logged as SEC-16. The revoke also stays on
+    the Google-adoption path (auth.revoke_untrusted_preset_password), where ownership is
+    actually attested."""
     # Canonical, with the literal spelling preferred when both exist: approving
     # `npeter83.temu@gmail.com` must activate the account that registered as `npeter83temu@gmail.com`,
     # since Gmail delivers both to one mailbox and the admin decided about the mailbox.
@@ -400,19 +397,18 @@ def _serialize_user(u: User) -> dict:
         "is_active": u.is_active,
         "is_suspended": u.is_suspended,
         "email_verified": u.email_verified,
-        "is_demo": u.is_demo,
         "has_password": u.password_hash is not None,
         # Distinguishes "this account never had a password" (Google-only) from "SEC-10 cleared it" —
         # the same distinction _send_reset_if_eligible needs, and the one an admin has to see before
         # deciding what kind of help someone needs.
         "password_revoked_at": iso(u.password_revoked_at),
         "has_google": u.google_sub is not None,
-        # Only when it DIFFERS from the account address (E9.5 S3): "connected" is not the same
+        # Only when it DIFFERS from the account address: "connected" is not the same
         # statement as "connected as someone else", and the second one is the one that explains a
         # confusing sign-in.
         "google_email": u.google_email if u.google_email != u.email else None,
         "created_at": iso(u.created_at),
-        # NULL = no sign-in since the column existed (0085), or the shared demo account.
+        # NULL = no sign-in since the column existed (0085).
         "last_login_at": iso(u.last_login_at),
     }
 
@@ -435,14 +431,12 @@ def set_user_role(
     admin: User = Depends(admin_user),
     db: Session = Depends(get_db),
 ) -> dict:
-    """Promote/demote a user. Guards: can't change your own role, can't touch the demo
-    account, and can't remove the last remaining admin. Emails the user when it actually changes."""
+    """Promote/demote a user. Guards: can't change your own role and can't remove the
+    last remaining admin. Emails the user when it actually changes."""
     role = body.role
     if role not in ("user", "admin"):
         raise refused(400, "invalid_role")
     target = get_or_404(db, User, user_id, what="user")
-    if target.is_demo:
-        raise refused(400, "demo_role")
     if target.id == admin.id:
         raise refused(400, "own_role")
     if (
@@ -490,14 +484,11 @@ def set_user_suspended(
     db: Session = Depends(get_db),
 ) -> dict:
     """Suspend or un-suspend an account. A suspended user can't sign in by any method and any
-    live session is dropped on its next request. Guards: can't suspend the demo account, can't
-    suspend yourself, and can't suspend the last active admin (that would lock admin out). On
+    live session is dropped on its next request. Guards: can't suspend yourself, and can't suspend the last active admin (that would lock admin out). On
     un-suspend the user is emailed they can return (suspend is announced reactively, on a blocked
     sign-in)."""
     suspended = body.suspended
     target = get_or_404(db, User, user_id, what="user")
-    if target.is_demo:
-        raise refused(400, "demo_suspend")
     if target.id == admin.id:
         raise refused(400, "own_suspend")
     if (
@@ -538,10 +529,8 @@ def admin_delete_user(
 ) -> dict:
     """Admin-triggered account deletion — the same full erasure a user can perform on themselves
     (cascade delete of all personal data + access-request cleanup + Google-grant revoke). Guards:
-    not the demo account, not yourself (use Settings → Account), and not the last admin."""
+    not yourself (use Settings → Account), and not the last admin."""
     target = get_or_404(db, User, user_id, what="user")
-    if target.is_demo:
-        raise refused(400, "demo_delete")
     if target.id == admin.id:
         raise refused(400, "own_delete")
     if (
@@ -563,10 +552,7 @@ def admin_delete_user(
     return {"deleted": user_id}
 
 
-# --- Demo account: email whitelist + state reset -------------------------------------
-
-
-# --- Stuck sign-ups: the admin lifeline (E9.5 S5, roadmap UX-25) ---------------------------------
+# --- Stuck sign-ups: the admin lifeline -----------------------------------------------------------
 
 
 def _pending_access_rows(db: Session) -> list[User]:
@@ -587,7 +573,6 @@ def _pending_access_rows(db: Session) -> list[User]:
         db.execute(
             select(User)
             .where(
-                User.is_demo.is_(False),
                 User.is_suspended.is_(False),
                 or_(User.is_active.is_(False), User.email_verified.is_(False)),
             )
@@ -625,7 +610,7 @@ def user_access(
     _: User = Depends(admin_user),
     db: Session = Depends(get_db),
 ) -> dict:
-    """Everything the account panel shows about why this person can or cannot get in (E12 S5).
+    """Everything the account panel shows about why this person can or cannot get in.
 
     Its own endpoint rather than extra columns on /users: `is_allowed` and `can_activate` each run a
     query, and the panel opens for ONE user at a time — folding them into the list would pay that cost
@@ -644,7 +629,7 @@ def create_set_password_link(
     admin: User = Depends(admin_user),
     db: Session = Depends(get_db),
 ) -> dict:
-    """Mint a one-time link that lets this account set a password, with no email involved (E12 S5).
+    """Mint a one-time link that lets this account set a password, with no email involved.
 
     The answer to SEC-15, SEC-16 and "no SMTP and someone forgot their password" at once. The admin
     hands the link over by whatever channel they trust; opening it sets a password and signs out
@@ -653,13 +638,8 @@ def create_set_password_link(
     Deliberately NOT gated on the account's state. It is useful for a pre-empted address, for a
     revoked password, for a Google-only account that wants one, and for a plain forgotten password on
     an instance with no mail — narrowing it to one of those would only make the admin's real case the
-    one it refuses. The demo account is the single exception: it is shared, so handing anyone a way to
-    change its password is handing them everyone else's session."""
+    one it refuses."""
     target = get_or_404(db, User, user_id, what="user")
-    if target.is_demo:
-        raise HTTPException(
-            status_code=400, detail={"code": "setpw", "reason": "demo", "email": target.email}
-        )
     url, expires_at = issue_set_password_link(db, target)
     # The URL itself is NOT recorded: the audit log is read by humans and kept long, and a live
     # credential-setting link is the last thing that belongs in it. That the link was issued, by whom,
@@ -692,8 +672,6 @@ def activate_user(
     already do exactly this by re-entering the address in the whitelist box (`add_invite` →
     `_activate_user_by_email`). What was missing was any way to know they had to."""
     target = get_or_404(db, User, user_id, what="user")
-    if target.is_demo:
-        raise refused(400, "demo_activate")
     if target.is_active:
         return _serialize_user(target)  # idempotent: a double click is not an error
     if not is_allowed(db, target.email):
@@ -731,7 +709,7 @@ def resend_user_verification(
     Not rate-limited: an admin is not a threat model to enumerate against, and the deliberate silence
     of the public endpoint is exactly what this exists to escape."""
     target = get_or_404(db, User, user_id, what="user")
-    if target.is_demo or target.email_verified:
+    if target.email_verified:
         raise HTTPException(
             status_code=409,
             detail={"code": "resend", "reason": "not_applicable", "email": target.email},
@@ -757,93 +735,6 @@ def resend_user_verification(
     return {"ok": True, "email": target.email}
 
 
-def _serialize_demo(row: DemoWhitelist) -> dict:
-    return {
-        "id": row.id,
-        "email": row.email,
-        "note": row.note,
-        "added_by": row.added_by,
-        "created_at": iso(row.created_at),
-    }
-
-
-@router.get("/demo/whitelist")
-def list_demo_whitelist(_: User = Depends(admin_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)) -> list[dict]:
-    rows = (
-        db.execute(select(DemoWhitelist).order_by(DemoWhitelist.created_at.desc())).scalars().all()
-    )
-    return [_serialize_demo(r) for r in rows]
-
-
-class AddDemoWhitelistIn(BaseModel):
-    email: str = ""
-    note: str | None = None
-
-
-@router.post("/demo/whitelist")
-def add_demo_whitelist(
-    body: AddDemoWhitelistIn,
-    admin: User = Depends(admin_user),
-    db: Session = Depends(get_db),
-) -> dict:
-    """Add an email that may enter the shared demo account from the login page (no Google
-    sign-in). Idempotent — re-adding an existing email just returns it."""
-    email = body.email.strip().lower()
-    if not valid_email(email):
-        raise refused(400, "invalid_email")
-    row = db.execute(select(DemoWhitelist).where(DemoWhitelist.email == email)).scalar_one_or_none()
-    if row is None:
-        row = DemoWhitelist(
-            email=email,
-            note=(body.note or "").strip() or None,
-            added_by=admin.email,
-        )
-        db.add(row)
-        audit.record(
-            db, admin.id, AuditAction.DEMO_ADD, target_type="demo", target_id=email, summary=email
-        )
-        db.commit()
-    return _serialize_demo(row)
-
-
-@router.delete("/demo/whitelist/{entry_id}")
-def remove_demo_whitelist(
-    entry_id: int,
-    admin: User = Depends(admin_user),
-    db: Session = Depends(get_db),
-) -> dict:
-    row = db.get(DemoWhitelist, entry_id)
-    if row is not None:
-        audit.record(
-            db,
-            admin.id,
-            AuditAction.DEMO_REMOVE,
-            target_type="demo",
-            target_id=row.email,
-            summary=row.email,
-        )
-        db.delete(row)
-        db.commit()
-    return {"deleted": entry_id}
-
-
-@router.post("/demo/reset")
-def reset_demo(admin: User = Depends(admin_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)) -> dict:
-    """Manually clean up the shared demo sandbox back to a baseline. A scheduled job does the
-    same automatically (admin-tunable interval); this is the admin's on-demand button."""
-    demo = get_or_create_demo_user(db)
-    seeded = reset_demo_state(db, demo)
-    audit.record(
-        db,
-        admin.id,
-        AuditAction.DEMO_RESET,
-        summary=f"{seeded} sample playlists re-seeded",
-        after={"playlists_seeded": seeded},  # the count as data: named in the reader's language
-    )
-    db.commit()
-    return {"ok": True, "reset": True, "playlists_seeded": seeded}
-
-
 @router.post("/purge-discovery")
 def purge_discovery(admin: User = Depends(admin_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)) -> dict:
     """Reclaim all un-kept discovery content NOW (ignoring the grace period): live-search result

backend/app/routes/admin_logs.py

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-"""The admin diagnostics console's read side (E22.6): query `log_events`, the server's stored log.
+"""The admin diagnostics console's read side: query `log_events`, the server's stored log.
 
 Admin-only and read-only — rows leave the table through the retention job (`log_retention_days`),
 never through here. Reading is not audited: it changes nothing, and the console's live tail polls,

backend/app/routes/auth.py

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 """Auth HTTP endpoints (OAuth login/callback, register/verify, password, session mgmt).
 
-Split out of app/auth.py (R12 S2); the core auth surface (current_user, scopes, token
+Split out of app/auth.py; the core auth surface (current_user, scopes, token
 helpers) stays in app/auth.py, imported below."""
 
 import secrets
@@ -29,8 +29,8 @@ from app.auth import (
     WRITE_SCOPES,
     current_user,
     env_admin_canonicals,
+    env_allowed_canonicals,
     find_user_by_email,
-    get_or_create_demo_user,
     google_enabled,
     is_allowed,
     log,
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ from app.auth import (
 )
 from app.config import settings
 from app.db import SessionLocal, get_db
-from app.models import AuthToken, DemoWhitelist, Invite, OAuthToken, User, display_text
+from app.models import AuthToken, Invite, OAuthToken, User, display_text
 from app.ratelimit import RateLimiter, client_key
 from app.security import encrypt, hash_password, hash_token, verify_password
 from app.utils import canonical_email, valid_email
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ VERIFY_TTL = timedelta(hours=24)
 # in and sets no password.
 APPROVAL_VERIFY_TTL = timedelta(days=7)
 RESET_TTL = timedelta(hours=1)
-# An admin-issued set-password link (E12 S5) travels out of band — the admin has to actually reach the
+# An admin-issued set-password link travels out of band — the admin has to actually reach the
 # person and hand it over — so the one-hour reset window is far too short. A day matches VERIFY_TTL and
 # the affordance the admin was shown.
 ADMIN_SETPW_TTL = timedelta(hours=24)
@@ -72,7 +72,6 @@ _reset_limiter = RateLimiter(max_events=5, window_seconds=300)
 # Separate from _reset_limiter on purpose: opening a link must not eat the budget for REQUESTING one.
 _reset_check_limiter = RateLimiter(max_events=10, window_seconds=300)
 _verify_resend_limiter = RateLimiter(max_events=5, window_seconds=300)
-_request_access_limiter = RateLimiter(max_events=5, window_seconds=300)
 _suspend_email_limiter = RateLimiter(max_events=1, window_seconds=3600)
 
 
@@ -92,8 +91,6 @@ def _notify_suspended(background: BackgroundTasks, user: User) -> None:
         )
 
 
-_demo_limiter = RateLimiter(max_events=5, window_seconds=60)
-
 router = APIRouter(prefix="/auth", tags=["auth"])
 
 _oauth = OAuth()
@@ -161,24 +158,12 @@ def notify_admins_of_request(
             background.add_task(email_mod.send_admin_new_request, recipients, lang, requester)
 
 
-def is_demo_allowed(db: Session, email: str) -> bool:
-    """Whether this email may enter the shared demo account (no Google sign-in)."""
-    if not email:
-        return False
-    return (
-        db.execute(
-            select(DemoWhitelist).where(DemoWhitelist.email == email.lower())
-        ).scalar_one_or_none()
-        is not None
-    )
-
-
 class InviteRequest(NamedTuple):
     """What an access request settled on.
 
     `invite` is the row the request now lives under — which is NOT always the address that was just
     typed: one Gmail mailbox spelled two ways settles on whichever row already exists, and that row's
-    address is where mail will go. Callers that tell the user what happened need it (E9.5 S4).
+    address is where mail will go. Callers that tell the user what happened need it.
     `is_new` is the old boolean return in a name: true only when a row was created or a denied one
     reopened, i.e. exactly when admins should hear about it. A repeat request must not re-spam them.
     """
@@ -196,14 +181,14 @@ def upsert_pending_invite(db: Session, email: str, lang: str | None = None) -> I
     not reopen a decision that has already been made for that mailbox. The row is still STORED under
     the address as typed, because that is where mail has to go.
 
-    `lang` is the language of the surface the request came from — the sign-in page, or the locale
-    Google reported for a refused sign-in. The latest one wins: someone who asks again from a
-    Hungarian page is telling us something newer than last time. Anything unsupported is ignored
+    `lang` is the language the request came in — the locale Google reported for a refused sign-in.
+    The latest one wins: someone who asks again under another locale is telling us something newer
+    than last time. Anything unsupported is ignored
     rather than stored, so a forged body cannot put junk in the column.
 
     The commit contract is unchanged: this still commits ONLY when it writes something. Callers rely
     on that — `_register_account` persists its own flushed user precisely because a no-op here
-    commits nothing (E9.5 S6).
+    commits nothing.
     """
     email = (email or "").lower()
     if not valid_email(email):
@@ -215,6 +200,12 @@ def upsert_pending_invite(db: Session, email: str, lang: str | None = None) -> I
         .scalars()
         .all()
     )
+    # An address the env already lets in has nothing to ask for, and a pending row for it would be
+    # worse than nothing: `is_allowed` answers from the invite rows once any exist, so a stranger
+    # registering a sibling spelling (`b.ob@` beside an env-granted `bob@`) would lock the real
+    # owner out of a grant no admin could see.
+    if not rows and canon in env_allowed_canonicals():
+        return InviteRequest(None, False)
     # An approved row wins, so a denied duplicate can't mask an approval. Then a row that is not
     # DENIED, preferring the exact spelling — a denied sibling must never be picked while a pending
     # row exists, or the reopen branch below would fire and put one person in the admin's queue
@@ -254,7 +245,7 @@ def _access_notice_url(kind: str, email: str = "", inv: Invite | None = None) ->
 
     It rides the FRAGMENT, not the query string, for the same reason the verify/reset tokens do
     (SB3): a fragment never reaches the server, a proxy access log or a Referer header — and this
-    notice now carries the user's address. Naming it is the point of E9.5 S4: on 2026-09-03 a
+    notice now carries the user's address. Naming it is the point: on 2026-09-03 a
     registration as `npeter83.temu@` met an OAuth claim of `npeter83temu@`, and a screen that said
     "request recorded" without saying FOR WHAT hid the mismatch for a day.
 
@@ -306,9 +297,10 @@ class EmailPasswordIn(BaseModel):
     password: str | None = None
     # The language the sign-up page was in. Captured at registration because it is the ONLY moment
     # the choice exists anywhere the server can see: it lives in the browser until an account does,
-    # and a preference nobody recorded cannot be backfilled later (the lesson `google_email` taught
-    # in E9.5 S3 — those rows still read NULL until each user signs in again). Nothing reads it yet;
-    # the bilingual mail templates are E9.5 S7.
+    # and a preference nobody recorded cannot be backfilled later (as `google_email` showed: those
+    # rows still read NULL until each user signs in again). It is stored as the account's
+    # `preferences["language"]`, which the UI starts in and every mail to the account is written in
+    # (`mailtext.lang_for_user` / `lang_for_email`).
     lang: str | None = None
 
 
@@ -408,7 +400,7 @@ async def callback(
             return RedirectResponse(url=_access_notice_url("requested", email, req.invite))
         return RedirectResponse(url=_access_notice_url("denied"))
 
-    user = db.query(User).filter(User.google_sub == sub).one_or_none()
+    user = db.execute(select(User).where(User.google_sub == sub)).scalar_one_or_none()
     if user is None:
         # No account carries this Google identity yet. If one already exists for this MAILBOX —
         # e.g. an email+password registration — adopt the Google identity onto it instead of
@@ -421,7 +413,11 @@ async def callback(
         # (ids 13 and 14). Exact spelling still wins when both exist, so an account that already
         # matches literally is never passed over for a canonical sibling.
         canon = canonical_email(email)
-        candidates = db.query(User).filter(User.email_canonical == canon).order_by(User.id).all()
+        candidates = (
+            db.execute(select(User).where(User.email_canonical == canon).order_by(User.id))
+            .scalars()
+            .all()
+        )
         existing = next((u for u in candidates if u.email == email), None) or next(
             iter(candidates), None
         )
@@ -447,9 +443,10 @@ async def callback(
                 return RedirectResponse(url=_access_notice_url("denied"))
             user = existing
             user.google_sub = sub
-            # SEC-10: drop any password pre-set on this account while its email was still unverified,
-            # now that Google attests ownership (bumps the epoch to revoke any session it minted).
-            revoke_preset_password_if_unverified(user)
+            # SEC-10: drop any password nobody proved the mailbox for, now that Google attests
+            # ownership (bumps the epoch to revoke any session it minted). Runs before the
+            # activation below, which is what it reads.
+            revoke_untrusted_preset_password(user)
             # Google verified the email and is_allowed granted access, so finish activating a
             # previously pending password registration (otherwise current_user would bounce it).
             user.email_verified = True
@@ -480,7 +477,16 @@ async def callback(
     # default for a brand-new account (its role attribute is still unset before flush).
     # Canonical, like every other read of the env lists: a dotted or `+tag`ged ADMIN_EMAILS entry
     # would otherwise never bootstrap its admin, because Google answers with the plain primary.
+    #
+    # Becoming admin this way drops any password the account holds, on whichever sign-in it
+    # happens. Nothing here can tell who chose that password: without SMTP registration marks the
+    # address verified with no proof (and SMTP configured later never revisits it), and an admin's
+    # Activate vouches for access, not for the password. So a stranger who registered the address
+    # first, and was let in, would otherwise see their own live session become an admin one. The
+    # real owner, signed in through Google right now, sets a new password in Settings.
     if canonical_email(email) in env_admin_canonicals():
+        if user.role != "admin" and user.password_hash is not None:
+            _revoke_password(user)
         user.role = "admin"
     elif not user.role:
         user.role = "user"
@@ -515,7 +521,7 @@ def _sync_google_email(db: Session, user: User, email: str) -> None:
     of the spelling they chose, because sign-in matches the stored address first. Google returns the
     account's PRIMARY address, which need not be what they registered with — and can never contain a
     `+` at all — so without this guard every plus-tagged registration lost its tag on the first Google
-    sign-in. (E9.5 S3 made that reachable by matching adoption across spellings; the rewrite itself is
+    sign-in. (Matching adoption across spellings made that reachable; the rewrite itself is
     older.)
 
     Never overwrite with an address another account already owns either: that would hit the unique
@@ -525,7 +531,9 @@ def _sync_google_email(db: Session, user: User, email: str) -> None:
         return
     if canonical_email(user.email) == canonical_email(email):
         return  # same mailbox, their spelling — leave it alone
-    clash = db.query(User).filter(User.email == email, User.id != user.id).one_or_none()
+    clash = db.execute(
+        select(User).where(User.email == email, User.id != user.id)
+    ).scalar_one_or_none()
     if clash is None:
         user.email = email
 
@@ -582,9 +590,11 @@ def _complete_link(
     if link_uid != request.session.get("user_id") and link_uid not in accounts:
         return RedirectResponse(url="/?link=error")
     user = db.get(User, link_uid)
-    if user is None or user.is_demo:
+    if user is None:
         return RedirectResponse(url="/?link=error")
-    other = db.query(User).filter(User.google_sub == sub, User.id != user.id).one_or_none()
+    other = db.execute(
+        select(User).where(User.google_sub == sub, User.id != user.id)
+    ).scalar_one_or_none()
     if other is not None:
         return RedirectResponse(url="/?link=conflict")
     if user.google_sub is not None and user.google_sub != sub:
@@ -628,73 +638,12 @@ async def logout(request: Request):
     return JSONResponse({"ok": True, "switched": False})
 
 
-class AccessRequestIn(EmailIn):
-    # The language of the page this request was made from. Same reasoning as registration's `lang`
-    # (and the same shape): it is the ONLY moment this preference exists anywhere the server can
-    # see, since the requester has no account to carry it, and it decides what language the approval
-    # or denial mail is written in.
-    lang: str | None = None
-
-
-@router.post("/request-access")
-async def request_access(
-    body: AccessRequestIn,
-    request: Request,
-    background: BackgroundTasks,
-    db: Session = Depends(get_db),
-) -> dict:
-    """Public: ask for access. Idempotent — repeat requests for the same email don't
-    duplicate or re-spam admins (upsert answers `is_new=False` for an already-pending row).
-
-    Answers a uniform ``"pending"`` for EVERY outcome — already-allowed, newly-pending,
-    already-pending, and rate-limited alike. The old ``"approved"`` reply for an allow-listed
-    address made this a public enumeration oracle for the allow-list (which the rest of the module
-    is careful to avoid, cf. demo_login); an already-allowed user can still just sign in with Google.
-    Rate-limited per client IP like register/login/reset, and a block returns "pending" too so the
-    endpoint can't be probed for throttling either."""
-    email = (body.email or "").strip().lower()
-    if not valid_email(email):
-        raise refused(400, "invalid_email")
-    if not _request_access_limiter.allow(client_key(request)):
-        return {"ok": True, "status": "pending"}
-    if is_allowed(db, email):
-        return {"ok": True, "status": "pending"}  # already allowed — don't reveal it
-    req = upsert_pending_invite(db, email, body.lang)
-    if req.is_new:
-        notify_admins_of_request(db, background, email)
-    return {"ok": True, "status": "pending"}
-
-
-@router.post("/demo")
-def demo_login(body: EmailIn, request: Request, db: Session = Depends(get_db)) -> dict:
-    """Hidden demo entry: a whitelisted email logs straight into the shared demo account,
-    no Google OAuth. The login page fires this quietly (debounced) as the user types/pastes,
-    so there is no visible 'demo login' button. Rate-limited per IP; when blocked it answers
-    exactly like a non-match (authenticated=false) so the field can't be hammered as an
-    enumeration oracle. On a match it sets the session and the client reloads into the app."""
-    if not _demo_limiter.allow(client_key(request)):
-        return {"ok": True, "authenticated": False}
-    email = (body.email or "").strip().lower()
-    if valid_email(email) and is_demo_allowed(db, email):
-        demo = get_or_create_demo_user(db)
-        # Isolate the demo: drop any real-account wallet on this tab first, so the demo session
-        # can't switch to / act as a previously signed-in account via the multi-account header.
-        request.session.clear()
-        request.session["user_id"] = demo.id
-        _remember_epoch(request, demo)
-        # The demo key IS an address, so it is not in the line — see the denied branch above.
-        log.info("signed in", extra=logs.event("auth.login.ok", method="demo", uid=demo.id))
-        return {"ok": True, "authenticated": True}
-    return {"ok": True, "authenticated": False}
-
-
 def _establish_session(request: Request, user: User) -> None:
     """Sign `user` in for this browser session — the ONE sign-in path, shared by the Google callback
     and password login, so both join the same account switcher and both stamp `last_login_at` (the
     caller commits). Multi-session: every account that authenticated in this browser is remembered so
     the user can switch between them; only accounts that actually proved themselves HERE land in that
-    wallet (it is the proof they may be switched to). The demo entry deliberately does not come
-    through here: it clears the wallet instead, and its shared account has no meaningful last login."""
+    wallet (it is the proof they may be switched to)."""
     accounts = [a for a in (request.session.get("account_ids") or []) if a != user.id]
     accounts.append(user.id)
     request.session["account_ids"] = accounts[-MAX_SESSION_ACCOUNTS:]
@@ -784,7 +733,7 @@ def _consume_password_token(db: Session, raw: str | None) -> tuple[User, str] |
 
 
 def issue_set_password_link(db: Session, user: User) -> tuple[str, datetime]:
-    """An admin-issued, single-use link that lets `user` set a password without any email (E12 S5).
+    """An admin-issued, single-use link that lets `user` set a password without any email.
 
     One mechanism answers three things: SEC-15 (on a no-SMTP instance every registration is
     auto-verified, so a pre-empted address cannot be recovered by mail), SEC-16 (a pre-empted address
@@ -866,10 +815,10 @@ def _register_account(email: str, password: str, lang: str | None = None) -> Non
             # for the same input — so it is not a new capability, just the end of a dead end. An
             # account that is already confirmed still gets nothing: there is nothing to confirm.
             #
-            # And a re-send is ALL it does: the submitted password is discarded. E9.5's closing
+            # And a re-send is ALL it does: the submitted password is discarded. A closing
             # review tried "while the address is unverified, the newest registration owns it"
             # (replace the hash, kill the outstanding verify tokens) as a fix for address
-            # pre-emption, and round 2 showed it was worse than the problem — DO NOT REPEAT IT.
+            # pre-emption, and it proved worse than the problem — DO NOT REPEAT IT.
             # The rule is symmetric, and an attacker can always be last: it hands an unauthenticated
             # caller the power to overwrite a real registrant's chosen password and delete the
             # confirmation link already in their inbox, and on a SEC-10-stripped row (password_hash
@@ -878,7 +827,7 @@ def _register_account(email: str, password: str, lang: str | None = None) -> Non
             # primitive: password-reset accepts this account, proves the mailbox, rewrites the hash
             # and bumps the session epoch. The residual is logged as SEC-16.
             user = existing
-            if not user.email_verified and not user.is_demo and email_mod.email_enabled():
+            if not user.email_verified and email_mod.email_enabled():
                 send_verification_link(db, user)
             return
         # Without working SMTP we can't deliver a verification link, so email ownership can't gate
@@ -918,7 +867,7 @@ def _register_account(email: str, password: str, lang: str | None = None) -> Non
         db.commit()
         if email_ok:
             send_verification_link(db, user)
-        # Fired unconditionally, unlike the other two callers which gate on a fresh invite row: for
+        # Fired unconditionally, unlike the Google callback, which gates on a fresh invite row: for
         # an address the admin already approved, nothing lands in the Access-requests queue, so this
         # is the only place the account's existence is announced at all. Delivery is a separate
         # matter — with no working SMTP `_send` drops it, which is why the pre-approved registrant
@@ -928,7 +877,7 @@ def _register_account(email: str, password: str, lang: str | None = None) -> Non
 
 def issue_verification_link(db: Session, user: User, ttl: timedelta | None = None) -> str:
     """A fresh confirmation link for `user`, returned rather than sent — for a mail that carries the
-    link inside a larger message (the branching approval/invitation mails, E9.5 S6).
+    link inside a larger message (the branching approval/invitation mails).
 
     Same token machinery and the same fragment (SB3) as the standalone confirmation mail, so the two
     kinds of link cannot drift apart in shape or in how they are consumed."""
@@ -943,8 +892,8 @@ def send_verification_link(db: Session, user: User) -> bool:
     address is the one its owner chose to be reachable at, and a `+tag` there is usually deliberate.
     The token rides the URL FRAGMENT (#) so it can never reach a proxy/access log or a Referer (SB3).
 
-    One definition, three callers — registration, the self-service resend, and the admin-side resend
-    (E9.5 S5). The link's shape and TTL must not drift between them; a verification mail that differs
+    One definition, three callers — registration, the self-service resend, and the admin-side resend.
+    The link's shape and TTL must not drift between them; a verification mail that differs
     by who triggered it is a bug waiting to be discovered by exactly one user.
 
     Returns whether the mail actually went out, so a caller with a human waiting on the answer (the
@@ -967,8 +916,8 @@ def verify_email_confirm(body: TokenIn, db: Session = Depends(get_db)) -> dict:
     dropped the password this account registered with, so sign-in would answer with the deliberately
     uniform "Invalid email or password" — true, but unreadable to the person who just proved they own
     the mailbox. Saying so leaks nothing: holding a valid single-use verify token for this account
-    already proves that much. Since E9.5 S1 the common source of that state is gone (admin approval no
-    longer revokes), leaving accounts stripped before that change and the Google-adoption path, so this
+    already proves that much. The common source of that state is gone (admin approval no longer
+    revokes), leaving accounts stripped before that change and the Google-adoption path, so this
     flag is rare now — but it must stay, because those users have no other way back in."""
     user = _consume_token(db, body.token, "verify")
     if user is None:
@@ -1012,7 +961,7 @@ def _resend_verify_if_eligible(email: str) -> None:
         return
     with SessionLocal() as db:
         user = find_user_by_email(db, email)
-        if user is not None and not user.email_verified and not user.is_demo:
+        if user is not None and not user.email_verified:
             send_verification_link(db, user)
 
 
@@ -1028,7 +977,7 @@ def _login_refused(status: int, reason: str, user: User | None = None, **extra)
     that proof (`invalid`, `rate_limited`) carry nothing at all, so they stay byte-identical for a
     real account and an unknown one.
 
-    Since E9.5 S1 the two gates are order-independent, so `approved` really can be true while
+    The two gates are order-independent, so `approved` really can be true while
     `email_verified` is false, and vice versa — the SPA renders whichever is actually outstanding
     rather than assuming a sequence.
     """
@@ -1058,11 +1007,11 @@ def password_login(
     email = (body.email or "").strip().lower()
     password = body.password or ""
     user = find_user_by_email(db, email)
-    # Always run the KDF (against a decoy hash for an unknown / passwordless / demo account) so the
+    # Always run the KDF (against a decoy hash for an unknown / passwordless account) so the
     # response time is the same whether or not the email exists — no timing-based enumeration.
-    candidate_hash = user.password_hash if (user and not user.is_demo) else None
+    candidate_hash = user.password_hash if user else None
     password_ok = verify_password(password, candidate_hash or _DECOY_PASSWORD_HASH)
-    if user is None or user.is_demo or not password_ok:
+    if user is None or not password_ok:
         raise _login_refused(401, "invalid")
     if user.is_suspended:
         _notify_suspended(background, user)
@@ -1101,7 +1050,7 @@ def password_reset_request(
 
 def _send_reset_if_eligible(email: str) -> None:
     """Background worker for password_reset_request: issue a reset token + email the link, but ONLY
-    for a real (non-demo) password account. Runs after the response with its own DB session, so the
+    for a password account. Runs after the response with its own DB session, so the
     request's timing never reveals whether the account exists. Token rides the URL FRAGMENT (#) so it
     can't leak into proxy/access logs or a Referer (SB3).
 
@@ -1112,7 +1061,7 @@ def _send_reset_if_eligible(email: str) -> None:
     proves identity through the session rather than by mail."""
     with SessionLocal() as db:
         user = find_user_by_email(db, email)
-        if user is None or user.is_demo:
+        if user is None:
             return
         if user.password_hash or user.password_revoked_at:
             raw = _issue_token(db, user, "reset", RESET_TTL)
@@ -1200,37 +1149,49 @@ def bump_session_epoch(user: User) -> None:
     user.session_epoch = (user.session_epoch or 0) + 1
 
 
-def revoke_preset_password_if_unverified(user: User) -> None:
+def revoke_untrusted_preset_password(user: User) -> None:
     """SEC-10 (account pre-emption): a password set on an account whose email was NEVER verified is
     untrusted — whoever registered the address (to pre-empt the real owner) could have chosen it. When
     the real owner attests ownership through Google, drop that password and bump the epoch to revoke any
-    session it minted; the owner re-sets one via password-reset. No-op for an already-verified account,
-    so a legit no-SMTP registration is unaffected.
+    session it minted; the owner re-sets one via password-reset, or from Settings while the Google
+    session lasts.
 
-    The Google-adoption callback is the ONLY caller (E9.5 S1). Admin approval used to call this too, and
-    dropping it was right for the reason S1 gave — the revoke destroyed the password a legitimate
+    A NEVER-ACTIVATED account is untrusted too, verified or not: without SMTP, registration marks the
+    address verified with no proof at all. For an ADMIN_EMAILS / ALLOWED_EMAILS address no invite row
+    gates the registration, so a stranger who registered it first would otherwise be activated here
+    with their own password still working. (An account the callback makes ADMIN loses its password
+    whatever its state — see the ADMIN_EMAILS block there.)
+
+    The Google-adoption callback is the ONLY caller. Admin approval used to call this too, and
+    dropping it was right for the reason given — the revoke destroyed the password a legitimate
     registrant had just chosen, and since the admin normally decides before the user reads their mail,
     that made the "your password was cleared" detour the DEFAULT path rather than an edge case.
 
-    S1 also claimed the revoke was REDUNDANT there, because `password_login` refuses an unverified
+    The revoke was also called REDUNDANT there, because `password_login` refuses an unverified
     account before it reads `is_active`. That part was wrong, and the epic's own review caught it: the
-    gate holds only while the address is unverified, and S6's approval mail exists to get the real
+    gate holds only while the address is unverified, and the approval mail exists to get the real
     owner to end that state — at which point a pre-emptor's password works. Nothing replaced the
     revoke, and that is deliberate. The review tried "the newest registration owns an unverified
     account" and reverted it: the rule is symmetric, so an attacker can simply register last, and it
     would have handed anonymous callers a write onto a real account's credential. What the owner
     actually has is password-reset, which proves the mailbox, rewrites the hash and bumps the epoch.
     The residual is logged as SEC-16; re-adding a caller here would put "your password was cleared"
-    back in front of every legitimate registrant, which is the whole reason S1 removed it.
+    back in front of every legitimate registrant, which is the whole reason it was removed.
 
     `password_revoked_at` is what makes "the owner re-sets one via password-reset" actually true. The
     revoke leaves `password_hash IS NULL`, which is also what a Google-only account looks like — and
     _send_reset_if_eligible keyed off exactly that, so a revoked account silently got no reset link and
     was locked out for good (it could not sign in either). The stamp separates the two cases."""
-    if not user.email_verified:
-        user.password_hash = None
-        user.password_revoked_at = datetime.now(timezone.utc)
-        bump_session_epoch(user)
+    if not user.email_verified or (not user.is_active and user.password_hash is not None):
+        _revoke_password(user)
+
+
+def _revoke_password(user: User) -> None:
+    """Drop the account's password, stamp why (so password-reset still accepts it) and end every
+    session it signed in."""
+    user.password_hash = None
+    user.password_revoked_at = datetime.now(timezone.utc)
+    bump_session_epoch(user)
 
 
 @router.post("/logout-others")
@@ -1239,9 +1200,7 @@ def logout_others(
 ) -> dict:
     """SA4: sign every OTHER session for this account out — bump the epoch so all existing cookies
     are rejected, then re-stamp THIS cookie so the caller stays signed in. For "I left myself logged
-    in somewhere" / a suspected session compromise. The demo account (shared) is excluded."""
-    if user.is_demo:
-        raise HTTPException(status_code=403, detail={"code": "demo"})
+    in somewhere" / a suspected session compromise."""
     # Commit the bump BEFORE re-stamping this cookie, so a failed commit can't strand the current
     # session at a newer epoch than the DB (see set_password).
     bump_session_epoch(user)
@@ -1260,8 +1219,6 @@ async def link_google(
     """Start linking a Google account to the signed-in (e.g. password) account. Requests only
     the identity scopes — YouTube access is granted separately via /auth/upgrade. The callback
     sees `oauth_link_uid` and attaches the identity instead of creating a new account."""
-    if user.is_demo:
-        return RedirectResponse(url="/")
     client = google_oauth(db)
     if client is None:
         return RedirectResponse(url="/?link=error")
@@ -1287,8 +1244,6 @@ def set_password(
     """Set or change the signed-in account's password. Setting a first password (Google-only
     account) needs no current password — the session already proves identity. Changing an
     existing one requires the current password, so a hijacked session can't silently rotate it."""
-    if user.is_demo:
-        raise HTTPException(status_code=403, detail={"code": "demo"})
     new_password = body.password or ""
     if len(new_password) < PASSWORD_MIN_LEN:
         raise refused(400, "weak_password", min=PASSWORD_MIN_LEN)
@@ -1319,10 +1274,6 @@ async def upgrade(
     (unsubscribe). The shared callback stores whatever Google returns, so `can_read` /
     `can_write` flip on once granted. Anything other than an explicit `write` defaults to
     the least-privileged read scope."""
-    # This is the browser-facing redirect entry point, so the shared demo account is bounced
-    # straight home (no YouTube link is ever attached to it) rather than shown a raw 403.
-    if user.is_demo:
-        return RedirectResponse(url="/")
     client = google_oauth(db)
     if client is None:
         return RedirectResponse(url="/")

backend/app/routes/channels.py

@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
 from app.collation import collated, sorted_words
 from app.mailtext import lang_for_user
 from app import logs, quota
-from app.auth import admin_user, current_user, require_human, require_write_scope
+from app.auth import admin_user, current_user, require_write_scope
 from app.db import get_db
 from app.models import (
     LIVE_OR_UPCOMING,
@@ -67,8 +67,8 @@ def list_channels(user: User = Depends(current_user), db: Session = Depends(get_
 
     # Per-channel aggregates over the shared catalog (channel_aggregates), computed on read rather than
     # denormalised: an Index Only Scan over a ~20 MB index, where it used to read every video's heap page
-    # (681 MB on prod, a 2–6 s first open once something else had pushed it out of memory, E31 S4d).
-    # (The Normal/Shorts/Live breakdown moved to the channel-detail page in R14, so it is no longer
+    # (681 MB on prod, a 2–6 s first open once something else had pushed it out of memory).
+    # (The Normal/Shorts/Live breakdown moved to the channel-detail page, so it is no longer
     # computed here — the manager table dropped its N/S/L column.)
     channel_ids = [c.id for _, c in rows]
     agg: dict[str, dict] = {}
@@ -163,8 +163,8 @@ def discover_channels(
     can judge a channel BEFORE subscribing — but we do NOT pull its videos. Most-present
     channels come first; subscribing is a separate action."""
     # Resolve & cache the user's own channel id so it can be excluded — you don't subscribe
-    # to yourself. Lazy + cached; needs OAuth, so demo / token-less users just skip it.
-    if user.yt_channel_id is None and user.token is not None and not user.is_demo:
+    # to yourself. Lazy + cached; needs OAuth, so token-less users just skip it.
+    if user.yt_channel_id is None and user.token is not None:
         try:
             with (
                 quota.attribute(user.id, quota.QuotaAction.CHANNELS_DISCOVER),
@@ -192,8 +192,7 @@ def discover_channels(
     # (fresh subscriber counts/thumbnails carry through without a re-query). Only the title can
     # change, which affects the tie-break order → re-sort in Python instead of re-hitting the DB.
     need = [ch.id for ch, _, _ in rows if ch.details_synced_at is None][:DISCOVERY_ENRICH_CAP]
-    # Skip the quota-spending enrich for the demo account (it just sees the stub metadata).
-    if need and not user.is_demo:
+    if need:
         try:
             with (
                 quota.attribute(user.id, quota.QuotaAction.CHANNELS_DISCOVER),
@@ -277,7 +276,7 @@ def _channel_detail_dict(
         "explored": explored,
         "blocked": blocked,
         "stored_videos": stored,
-        # Per-type breakdown (Normal / Shorts / Live) — R14 moved it off the manager table onto the
+        # Per-type breakdown (Normal / Shorts / Live) — moved off the manager table onto the
         # channel page. Same aggregation the manager list uses (count_normal = stored − shorts − live).
         "count_normal": count_normal,
         "count_short": count_short,
@@ -311,12 +310,12 @@ def channel_detail(
     Lazily fills the About metadata (view count, join date, banner, links) the first time it's
     needed (a stub) and refreshes it once it is stale (`DETAILS_MAX_AGE`), which is how a channel nobody subscribes to (an explored one, outside the
     subscription import) gets a banner that still resolves. The enrich uses the API key (1 unit,
-    cached after), so it's skipped for the quota-less demo account."""
+    cached after)."""
     channel = get_or_404(db, Channel, channel_id, what="channel")
     # No `published_at is None` sentinel: a terminated channel never gets one, so it re-fetched on
     # every view; rows enriched before that field existed are long past DETAILS_MAX_AGE anyway.
     stale = details_stale(channel, datetime.now(timezone.utc))
-    if stale and not user.is_demo:
+    if stale:
         try:
             with (
                 quota.attribute(user.id, quota.QuotaAction.CHANNELS_DISCOVER),
@@ -350,7 +349,7 @@ def channel_detail(
     )
     blocked = _is_blocked(db, user, channel_id)
     # Stored total + the Normal/Shorts/Live split in one grouped pass (same filters as the manager
-    # list), so the channel page can show the per-type breakdown R14 moved off the table.
+    # list), so the channel page can show the per-type breakdown that moved off the table.
     n_all, n_short, n_live = db.execute(
         select(
             func.count(Video.id),
@@ -389,7 +388,7 @@ def channel_detail(
 def explore_channel(
     channel_id: str,
     page_token: str | None = None,
-    user: User = Depends(require_human),
+    user: User = Depends(current_user),
     db: Session = Depends(get_db),
 ) -> dict:
     """Open an un-subscribed channel for browsing. Records the exploration (a per-user,
@@ -397,7 +396,7 @@ def explore_channel(
     drives the later cleanup), flags the channel ephemeral unless someone organically follows
     it, then ingests one page of its uploads (newest-first) marked via_explore + enriched.
     Returns the next page token so the page can "load more". Guarded against the shared
-    backfill quota reserve; blocked for the demo account (it spends shared quota)."""
+    backfill quota reserve."""
     channel = get_or_404(db, Channel, channel_id, what="channel")
     if _is_blocked(db, user, channel_id):
         raise refused(403, "channel_blocked")
@@ -493,10 +492,7 @@ def update_channel(
         sub.priority = body.priority
     if body.hidden is not None:
         sub.hidden = body.hidden
-    # The demo account is SHARED, so it must not persist deep_requested (a quota-relevant flag) onto
-    # the shared subscription — skip the write entirely for demo, which also keeps deep_turned_on
-    # False so the immediate backfill below can never fire for it.
-    if body.deep_requested is not None and not user.is_demo:
+    if body.deep_requested is not None:
         # Opt this channel into (or out of) full-history backfill. The deep scheduler
         # picks the flag up on its next run; turning it off won't undo already-fetched
         # videos, it just stops further deep paging if nobody else still wants it.
@@ -507,7 +503,7 @@ def update_channel(
 
     # Opting a channel into full history should give an immediate feed: if we haven't even
     # fetched its recent uploads yet, do that one channel now (cheap) instead of waiting for
-    # the scheduler. (deep_turned_on is only ever True for a non-demo user — see the guard above.)
+    # the scheduler.
     if deep_turned_on and channel is not None and channel.recent_synced_at is None:
         with quota.attribute(user.id, quota.QuotaAction.VIDEOS_BACKFILL_RECENT):
             run_recent_backfill(db, [channel], max_channels=1)

backend/app/routes/config.py

@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ def test_issue_tracker(
     _: User = Depends(admin_user),
     db: Session = Depends(get_db),
 ) -> dict:
-    """Check the configured issue tracker (E16): the repository answers with this token, takes
+    """Check the configured issue tracker: the repository answers with this token, takes
     issues, and is PRIVATE — the one it must be, since an issue carries its reporter's log."""
     try:
         return {"ok": True, **gitea.check(db)}

backend/app/routes/debug_sessions.py

@@ -1,9 +1,8 @@
-"""Debug sessions (E16): Start → reproduce → Stop, the screenshots, and the evidence under review.
+"""Debug sessions: Start → reproduce → Stop, the screenshots, and the evidence under review.
 
 The session itself — what tags a request, its cap, its level — is `app/debugsession.py`. These routes
 are the user's handle on their OWN sessions only: another user's id 404s (`owned_or_404`), including
-for an admin, who reads everyone's lines in the diagnostics console instead. The shared demo account
-cannot record: its log would interleave every visitor under one account.
+for an admin, who reads everyone's lines in the diagnostics console instead.
 
 Screenshots arrive as a raw image body (`image/png`, `image/jpeg`, `image/webp`), not a multipart
 form — one image per request, capped while it arrives, and kept only if its bytes really are one of
@@ -21,7 +20,7 @@ from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
 
 from app import audit, debugsession, logs, logsink
 from app.audit import AuditAction
-from app.auth import require_human
+from app.auth import current_user
 from app.db import get_db, release_read_connection
 from app.issues import bundle, gitea
 from app.ratelimit import RateLimiter
@@ -51,7 +50,7 @@ _new_sessions = RateLimiter(max_events=20, window_seconds=3600)
 @router.post("")
 def start_session(
     body: StartIn,
-    user: User = Depends(require_human),
+    user: User = Depends(current_user),
     db: Session = Depends(get_db),
 ) -> dict:
     """Start recording, or join the recording already running (another tab started it)."""
@@ -79,7 +78,7 @@ def start_session(
 
 @router.post("/{sid}/stop")
 def stop_session(
-    sid: str, user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
+    sid: str, user: User = Depends(current_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
 ) -> dict:
     session = owned_or_404(db, DebugSession, sid, user, what="debug_session")
     if session.ended_at is None:
@@ -93,7 +92,7 @@ def stop_session(
 
 
 @router.get("")
-def list_sessions(user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db)) -> dict:
+def list_sessions(user: User = Depends(current_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)) -> dict:
     sessions = db.scalars(
         select(DebugSession)
         .where(DebugSession.user_id == user.id)
@@ -105,14 +104,14 @@ def list_sessions(user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get
 
 @router.get("/{sid}")
 def get_session(
-    sid: str, user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
+    sid: str, user: User = Depends(current_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
 ) -> dict:
     return _view(db, owned_or_404(db, DebugSession, sid, user, what="debug_session"))
 
 
 @router.get("/{sid}/events")
 def session_events(
-    sid: str, user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
+    sid: str, user: User = Depends(current_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
 ) -> dict:
     """The rows an issue from this session would carry — browser and server, in time order."""
     session = owned_or_404(db, DebugSession, sid, user, what="debug_session")
@@ -141,7 +140,7 @@ class DraftIn(BaseModel):
 def save_draft(
     sid: str,
     body: DraftIn,
-    user: User = Depends(require_human),
+    user: User = Depends(current_user),
     db: Session = Depends(get_db),
 ) -> dict:
     session = owned_or_404(db, DebugSession, sid, user, what="debug_session")
@@ -162,7 +161,7 @@ def save_draft(
 
 @router.get("/{sid}/export")
 def export_session(
-    sid: str, user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
+    sid: str, user: User = Depends(current_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
 ) -> Response:
     """The issue as a zip — the text, the two logs and the screenshots — for an instance without an
     issue tracker, or for sending it by hand. Built from the SAVED draft: what the composer shows is
@@ -182,7 +181,7 @@ def export_session(
     )
 
 
-# --- the issue tracker (S4) -----------------------------------------------------------------
+# --- the issue tracker ----------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Issues a user may open per hour — counted once the tracker is ASKED to open one (an answer that
 # goes missing may still have created it, so an attempt cannot be given back); finishing a half-sent
 # one, or an attempt refused before the tracker was asked, is not counted. The composer sends one at
@@ -208,9 +207,7 @@ def _issues_rate_limited() -> HTTPException:
 
 
 @router.post("/{sid}/issue")
-def send_issue(
-    sid: str, user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
-) -> dict:
+def send_issue(sid: str, user: User = Depends(current_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)) -> dict:
     """Send the session's issue to the tracker — from the SAVED draft, as the export is built — or
     finish a send that stopped half-way (the issue exists; only what is missing is sent)."""
     session = owned_or_404(db, DebugSession, sid, user, what="debug_session")
@@ -302,7 +299,7 @@ class PreviewIn(BaseModel):
 def preview_issue(
     sid: str,
     body: PreviewIn,
-    user: User = Depends(require_human),
+    user: User = Depends(current_user),
     db: Session = Depends(get_db),
 ) -> dict:
     """The body as the tracker will render it. Gitea sanitises its own output; the composer still
@@ -323,14 +320,14 @@ def _shot_view(shot: DebugScreenshot) -> dict:
 
 @router.get("/{sid}/screenshots")
 def list_screenshots(
-    sid: str, user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
+    sid: str, user: User = Depends(current_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
 ) -> dict:
     session = owned_or_404(db, DebugSession, sid, user, what="debug_session")
     return {"items": [_shot_view(s) for s in debugsession.screenshots(db, session)]}
 
 
 def _upload_target(
-    sid: str, user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
+    sid: str, user: User = Depends(current_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
 ) -> DebugSession:
     return owned_or_404(db, DebugSession, sid, user, what="debug_session")
 
@@ -393,7 +390,7 @@ def _screenshot_of(db: Session, session: DebugSession, shot_id: int) -> DebugScr
 
 @router.get("/{sid}/screenshots/{shot_id}")
 def get_screenshot(
-    sid: str, shot_id: int, user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
+    sid: str, shot_id: int, user: User = Depends(current_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
 ) -> Response:
     shot = _session_screenshot(db, sid, shot_id, user)
     # `nosniff`: the type was checked against the bytes at upload, and the browser must not guess.
@@ -406,7 +403,7 @@ def get_screenshot(
 
 @router.delete("/{sid}/screenshots/{shot_id}")
 def delete_screenshot(
-    sid: str, shot_id: int, user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
+    sid: str, shot_id: int, user: User = Depends(current_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
 ) -> dict:
     session = owned_or_404(db, DebugSession, sid, user, what="debug_session")
     shot = _screenshot_of(db, session, shot_id)

backend/app/routes/diagnostics.py

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-"""The browser's log, sent while its user has a raised diagnostics level (E22 S5).
+"""The browser's log, sent while its user has a raised diagnostics level.
 
 The client keeps its log in memory (frontend `lib/log.ts`). Only after the user consented to Részletes
 or Teljes in Settings → Diagnosztika does it stream that log here, in batches, and each batch lands in
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ Nothing from the body is trusted as-is:
     modified client would not;
   * an event below the consented level is dropped (a Részletes consent does not store what only
     Teljes may carry), and so is the whole batch once the level has lapsed — where an open debug
-    session the request names counts as consent to ITS level (E16), and only its own events keep
+    session the request names counts as consent to ITS level, and only its own events keep
     its tag;
   * the timestamp is clamped to the consent window, so a row cannot dodge the retention job by
     claiming to come from the future.
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ class ClientEvent(BaseModel):
     attrs: dict[str, Any] | None = None
     request_id: str | None = Field(default=None, pattern=r"^[A-Za-z0-9._-]{8,64}$")
     tab_id: str | None = Field(default=None, pattern=r"^[A-Za-z0-9_-]{1,32}$")
-    # The debug session the event was captured in (E16); kept only when it is the one this request
+    # The debug session the event was captured in; kept only when it is the one this request
     # names in `X-Debug-Session` and the auth dependency found it the caller's own and open.
     debug_session_id: str | None = Field(default=None, pattern=r"^[0-9a-f]{16}$")
     version: str | None = Field(default=None, max_length=64)
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ def ingest_events(
     body: ClientEventsIn = Depends(_parsed_events),
     db: Session = Depends(get_db),
 ) -> dict:
-    # A debug session the request names raises the level for its own events (E16): starting one is
+    # A debug session the request names raises the level for its own events: starting one is
     # the consent to that level for its duration, whatever the user's own level is.
     session = debugsession.from_header(db, user, request.headers.get(debugsession.HEADER))
     level, _ = debugsession.level_for(user, session)

backend/app/routes/discover.py

@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
-"""E24 · the Home surface's HTTP shell.
+"""The Home surface's HTTP shell.
 
 Thin by construction: every decision — what counts as in progress, what fits a time budget, which
 tier the hero comes from — lives in `app/discover/`, so the scheduler, a future CLI or a test can ask
 the same questions without a request. This file validates, gates and serializes.
 
-The consolidated `GET /api/discover` mirrors the Plex Discover route's one-payload shape (E5 S4): a
+The consolidated `GET /api/discover` mirrors the Plex Discover route's one-payload shape: a
 landing page that fires four requests to answer one question would spend its whole budget on the
 thing it exists to remove.
 """
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ from sqlalchemy import select
 from sqlalchemy.exc import IntegrityError
 from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
 
-from app.auth import current_user, require_human
+from app.auth import current_user
 from app.db import get_db
 from app.discover import hero as hero_mod
 from app.discover import pins, rails
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ def get_discover(
 # never reaches SQL — `hero.pick` uses it only as set membership over an already-bounded candidate
 # pool (the resume rail's `RAIL_LIMIT` rows, the shelf, `SURPRISE_DRAW` surprise draws) — so there is
 # no scan for a crafted URL to unbound, and the set is built in full before this slice anyway. The
-# comment that claimed otherwise was corrected in round 2; the request line's own length is what
+# comment that claimed otherwise was later corrected; the request line's own length is what
 # actually bounds a hostile `exclude`.
 MAX_EXCLUDE = 32
 
@@ -127,15 +127,14 @@ def list_pins(
 @router.post("/pins")
 def add_pin(
     body: PinIn,
-    user: User = Depends(require_human),
+    user: User = Depends(current_user),
     db: Session = Depends(get_db),
 ) -> dict:
     """Pin something to the comfort shelf.
 
-    `require_human`, like every other personal-state write: the shared demo account must not be able
-    to curate a communal shelf. Re-pinning something already on the shelf is a no-op that returns the
-    existing pin rather than a 409 — the gesture is "make sure this is on my shelf", and the unique
-    constraint is the mechanism, not the message."""
+    Re-pinning something already on the shelf is a no-op that returns the existing pin rather than
+    a 409 — the gesture is "make sure this is on my shelf", and the unique constraint is the
+    mechanism, not the message."""
     resolved = pins.resolve_ref(db, user, body.kind, body.ref)
     if resolved is None:
         raise not_found("item")
@@ -178,7 +177,7 @@ def add_pin(
 @router.delete("/pins/{pin_id}")
 def remove_pin(
     pin_id: int,
-    user: User = Depends(require_human),
+    user: User = Depends(current_user),
     db: Session = Depends(get_db),
 ) -> dict:
     pin = owned_or_404(db, ComfortPin, pin_id, user, what="pin")
@@ -190,7 +189,7 @@ def remove_pin(
 @router.post("/pins/reorder")
 def reorder_pins(
     body: ReorderIn,
-    user: User = Depends(require_human),
+    user: User = Depends(current_user),
     db: Session = Depends(get_db),
 ) -> dict:
     """Rewrite the shelf order from the list of pin ids the client shows.

backend/app/routes/downloads.py

@@ -1,15 +1,14 @@
 """Download center HTTP API — the per-user surface over the worker/cache/quota layers.
 
-All routes are behind `require_human` (the shared demo account can't spend server disk / needs a
-real identity). Admin routes add `admin_user`. Live job state is polled by the frontend (the
-worker is a separate process); this module never downloads — it enqueues, manages job state,
-serves finished files (range-aware, with the user's custom display name), and shares them.
+All routes are behind `current_user`; admin routes add `admin_user`. Live job state is polled by the
+frontend (the worker is a separate process); this module never downloads — it enqueues, manages job
+state, serves finished files (range-aware, with the user's custom display name), and shares them.
 """
 
 import os
 import re
 import tempfile
-from collections.abc import AsyncIterator
+from collections.abc import AsyncIterator, Sequence
 from dataclasses import dataclass
 from datetime import datetime, timedelta, timezone
 from pathlib import Path
@@ -18,13 +17,14 @@ from urllib.parse import parse_qs, unquote, urlparse
 from fastapi import APIRouter, Depends, HTTPException, Request
 from fastapi.responses import FileResponse
 from pydantic import BaseModel
-from sqlalchemy import func, select
+from sqlalchemy import delete, func, select
+from sqlalchemy.dialects.postgresql import insert as pg_insert
 from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
 
 from app.mailtext import lang_for_user
 from app.collation import collated
 from app import audit, sysconfig
-from app.auth import admin_user, require_human
+from app.auth import admin_user, current_user
 from app.config import settings
 from app.db import get_db, release_read_connection
 from app.downloads import credentials as dlcreds
@@ -33,17 +33,26 @@ from app.downloads import links as linksmod
 from app.downloads import quota, service, storage
 from app.downloads import upload as uploadmod
 from app.downloads import urlguard
+from app.downloads.status import JobStatus
 from app.models import (
     DownloadJob,
     DownloadLink,
     DownloadProfile,
     DownloadQuota,
     DownloadShare,
+    LibraryState,
     MediaAsset,
     User,
     display_text,
 )
-from app.routes._common import capped_stream_to, get_or_404, not_found, owned_or_404
+from app.routes._common import (
+    ProgressIn,
+    capped_stream_to,
+    get_or_404,
+    kept_position,
+    not_found,
+    owned_or_404,
+)
 from app.security import hash_password
 from app.userscope import is_messageable_user, messageable_clauses
 from app.utils import iso
@@ -132,8 +141,8 @@ def _serialize(job: DownloadJob, asset: MediaAsset | None) -> dict:
         "job_kind": job.job_kind,
         "source_job_id": job.source_job_id,
         "edit_spec": job.edit_spec,
-        "can_download": ready and job.status == "done",
-        "expired": job.asset_id is None and job.status == "done",
+        "can_download": ready and job.status == JobStatus.DONE,
+        "expired": job.asset_id is None and job.status == JobStatus.DONE,
         "asset": None
         if asset is None
         else {
@@ -165,6 +174,19 @@ def _assets_for(db: Session, jobs: list[DownloadJob]) -> dict[int, MediaAsset]:
     return {a.id: a for a in rows}
 
 
+def _positions_for(db: Session, user: User, jobs: Sequence[DownloadJob]) -> dict[int, int]:
+    """`user`'s resume point in each of `jobs` that has one (the library player's `library_states`)."""
+    ids = [j.id for j in jobs]
+    if not ids:
+        return {}
+    rows = db.execute(
+        select(LibraryState.job_id, LibraryState.position_seconds).where(
+            LibraryState.user_id == user.id, LibraryState.job_id.in_(ids)
+        )
+    ).all()
+    return {job_id: pos for job_id, pos in rows}
+
+
 def _serialize_job(db: Session, job: DownloadJob) -> dict:
     """Resolve a job's cache asset (if any) and serialize the pair — the resolve-then-serialize step
     every single-job handler shares."""
@@ -212,7 +234,7 @@ def _serialize_profile(p: DownloadProfile) -> dict:
 
 
 @router.get("/profiles")
-def list_profiles(user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db)) -> list[dict]:
+def list_profiles(user: User = Depends(current_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)) -> list[dict]:
     rows = (
         db.execute(
             select(DownloadProfile)
@@ -234,7 +256,7 @@ class CreateProfileIn(BaseModel):
 
 @router.post("/profiles")
 def create_profile(
-    body: CreateProfileIn, user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
+    body: CreateProfileIn, user: User = Depends(current_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
 ) -> dict:
     name = body.name.strip()
     spec = body.spec
@@ -262,7 +284,7 @@ class UpdateProfileIn(BaseModel):
 def update_profile(
     profile_id: int,
     body: UpdateProfileIn,
-    user: User = Depends(require_human),
+    user: User = Depends(current_user),
     db: Session = Depends(get_db),
 ) -> dict:
     p = db.get(DownloadProfile, profile_id)
@@ -284,7 +306,7 @@ def update_profile(
 
 @router.delete("/profiles/{profile_id}")
 def delete_profile(
-    profile_id: int, user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
+    profile_id: int, user: User = Depends(current_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
 ) -> dict:
     p = db.get(DownloadProfile, profile_id)
     if p is None or p.is_builtin or p.user_id != user.id:
@@ -300,7 +322,7 @@ def delete_profile(
 
 
 @router.get("/credentials")
-def list_credentials(user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db)) -> dict:
+def list_credentials(user: User = Depends(current_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)) -> dict:
     return {"hosts": dlcreds.status_list(db, user.id)}
 
 
@@ -312,7 +334,7 @@ class SetCredentialIn(BaseModel):
 def set_credential(
     host_key: str,
     body: SetCredentialIn,
-    user: User = Depends(require_human),
+    user: User = Depends(current_user),
     db: Session = Depends(get_db),
 ) -> dict:
     """Store (encrypted) this user's cookies.txt for one supported host. Write-only: the value is
@@ -337,7 +359,7 @@ def set_credential(
 
 @router.delete("/credentials/{host_key}")
 def delete_credential(
-    host_key: str, user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
+    host_key: str, user: User = Depends(current_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
 ) -> dict:
     if not dlcreds.is_supported_host(host_key):
         raise not_found("host")
@@ -388,7 +410,7 @@ class EnqueueDownloadIn(BaseModel):
 
 @router.post("")
 def enqueue_download(
-    body: EnqueueDownloadIn, user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
+    body: EnqueueDownloadIn, user: User = Depends(current_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
 ) -> dict:
     source_kind, source_ref = resolve_source(body.source)
     # SEC-12: a non-YouTube source is a raw URL the worker will fetch server-side, so refuse the
@@ -413,8 +435,8 @@ def enqueue_download(
 
 # The upload's filename and display name travel as HEADERS, not as multipart parts. That is not a
 # style choice: a DECLARED body parameter (`file: UploadFile = File(...)`) is read and spooled by
-# FastAPI *before the first dependency runs*, so `require_human` could not gate it and an anonymous
-# caller could make the process write the whole per-file allowance to temp, per request (P1; SEC-20
+# FastAPI *before the first dependency runs*, so the auth dependency could not gate it and an anonymous
+# caller could make the process write the whole per-file allowance to temp, per request (SEC-20
 # bounded the number but could not stop the writing). Reading the body ourselves, from a dependency
 # declared AFTER the auth one, is the only shape that closes it — the same one
 # `POST /api/debug-sessions/{sid}/screenshots` uses, and `test_body_limit.py` now enforces it for
@@ -454,13 +476,13 @@ def _header_text(request: Request, name: str) -> str:
 
 async def spool_upload(
     request: Request,
-    user: User = Depends(require_human),
+    user: User = Depends(current_user),
     db: Session = Depends(get_db),
 ) -> AsyncIterator[SpooledUpload]:
     """Stream the request body to a staging temp file, enforcing the per-file cap as it arrives.
 
     `user` is taken but unused: it is the whole point. Dependencies resolve in declaration order, so
-    naming `require_human` here makes the auth check a precondition of reading the body at all — a
+    naming `current_user` here makes the auth check a precondition of reading the body at all — a
     stranger is refused before a byte moves. The `yield` shape owns the temp file's life: ingest
     MOVES it into place on success (the unlink is then a no-op), and on any other exit — cap hit,
     empty, quota, probe or move error, a client that vanished mid-upload — it is removed."""
@@ -499,11 +521,12 @@ def upload_download(
     upload: SpooledUpload = Depends(spool_upload),
     db: Session = Depends(get_db),
 ) -> dict:
-    """Ingest a local file into the caller's library (E7 S5). Any file type is accepted; media
+    """Ingest a local file into the caller's library. Any file type is accepted; media
     (video/audio) gets the full function set, a generic file is download-only. The body IS the file
     (see the header note above); `spool_upload` has already authenticated the caller and streamed it
     to a temp path under the download volume, so what is left here is the non-yt-dlp ingest which
-    probes + places it and returns an already-`done` job.
+    probes + places it and returns its job — `done`, or `queued` for the worker's phone-safe
+    conversion (`downloads.upload`).
 
     A sync (threadpool) handler on purpose: the ingest does blocking work — an ffprobe of up to 30s
     plus sync DB writes — so it must NOT run on the event loop. The streaming half is async because
@@ -532,7 +555,7 @@ class EnqueueEditIn(BaseModel):
 
 @router.post("/edit")
 def enqueue_edit(
-    body: EnqueueEditIn, user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
+    body: EnqueueEditIn, user: User = Depends(current_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
 ) -> dict:
     """Queue a phase-2 editor derivative (trim/crop) of a download this user can access.
 
@@ -540,7 +563,7 @@ def enqueue_edit(
     clip is a NEW per-user derivative in the editor's own library (counts against their quota); the
     source file is only read, never modified, so editing a shared video is safe."""
     source_job = _accessible_job(db, user, body.source_job_id)
-    if source_job.status != "done" or source_job.asset_id is None:
+    if source_job.status != JobStatus.DONE or source_job.asset_id is None:
         raise refused(409, "edit_unfinished")
     spec = body.edit_spec
     display_name = display_text(body.display_name)
@@ -560,9 +583,7 @@ def _quota_detail(e: quota.QuotaExceeded) -> dict:
 
 
 @router.get("")
-def list_downloads(
-    user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
-) -> list[dict]:
+def list_downloads(user: User = Depends(current_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)) -> list[dict]:
     jobs = (
         db.execute(
             select(DownloadJob)
@@ -574,11 +595,18 @@ def list_downloads(
         .all()
     )
     assets = _assets_for(db, jobs)
-    return [_serialize(j, assets.get(j.asset_id)) for j in jobs]
+    positions = _positions_for(db, user, jobs)
+    return [
+        {
+            **_serialize(j, assets.get(j.asset_id) if j.asset_id is not None else None),
+            "position_seconds": positions.get(j.id, 0),
+        }
+        for j in jobs
+    ]
 
 
 @router.get("/usage")
-def my_usage(user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db)) -> dict:
+def my_usage(user: User = Depends(current_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)) -> dict:
     """The caller's download quota, plus the per-file upload cap.
 
     The cap rides here rather than in `quota.usage` because it is not a quota value — it is a
@@ -596,17 +624,22 @@ def my_usage(user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db))
 
 
 # Priority when a source has several jobs (e.g. a done one plus a fresh queued one).
-_INDEX_RANK = {"done": 4, "running": 3, "paused": 2, "queued": 1}
+_INDEX_RANK: dict[str, int] = {
+    JobStatus.DONE: 4,
+    JobStatus.RUNNING: 3,
+    JobStatus.PAUSED: 2,
+    JobStatus.QUEUED: 1,
+}
 
 
 @router.get("/index")
-def my_download_index(user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db)) -> dict:
+def my_download_index(user: User = Depends(current_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)) -> dict:
     """source_ref -> best active status, for the feed's per-card "downloaded / queued" badge.
     Small + cheap so the feed can poll it without loading the full job list."""
     rows = db.execute(
         select(DownloadJob.source_ref, DownloadJob.status).where(
             DownloadJob.user_id == user.id,
-            DownloadJob.status.in_(("queued", "running", "paused", "done")),
+            DownloadJob.status.in_(tuple(_INDEX_RANK)),
         )
     ).all()
     out: dict[str, str] = {}
@@ -617,9 +650,7 @@ def my_download_index(user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends
 
 
 @router.get("/shared")
-def shared_with_me(
-    user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
-) -> list[dict]:
+def shared_with_me(user: User = Depends(current_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)) -> list[dict]:
     jobs = (
         db.execute(
             select(DownloadJob)
@@ -632,10 +663,12 @@ def shared_with_me(
         .all()
     )
     assets = _assets_for(db, jobs)
+    positions = _positions_for(db, user, jobs)
     out = []
     for j in jobs:
         data = _serialize(j, assets.get(j.asset_id))
         data["shared"] = True
+        data["position_seconds"] = positions.get(j.id, 0)
         out.append(data)
     return out
 
@@ -679,7 +712,7 @@ class UpdateDownloadMetaIn(BaseModel):
 def update_download_meta(
     job_id: int,
     body: UpdateDownloadMetaIn,
-    user: User = Depends(require_human),
+    user: User = Depends(current_user),
     db: Session = Depends(get_db),
 ) -> dict:
     """Update a download's display metadata: title, channel name + link, and extra reference URLs.
@@ -702,7 +735,7 @@ def update_download_meta(
 
 @router.post("/{job_id}/pause")
 def pause_download(
-    job_id: int, user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
+    job_id: int, user: User = Depends(current_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
 ) -> dict:
     job = _own_job_for_update(db, user, job_id)
     service.pause(db, job)
@@ -711,7 +744,7 @@ def pause_download(
 
 @router.post("/{job_id}/resume")
 def resume_download(
-    job_id: int, user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
+    job_id: int, user: User = Depends(current_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
 ) -> dict:
     job = _own_job_for_update(db, user, job_id)
     service.resume(db, job)
@@ -720,7 +753,7 @@ def resume_download(
 
 @router.post("/{job_id}/redownload")
 def redownload_download(
-    job_id: int, user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
+    job_id: int, user: User = Depends(current_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
 ) -> dict:
     """Force a fresh re-download of a finished (or failed) job, rebuilding the file + Plex tree.
 
@@ -739,7 +772,7 @@ def redownload_download(
         # Neither has a re-fetchable source: an editor clip is derived locally, an upload IS the
         # source. Re-running yt-dlp against source_kind='upload'/'edit' would just fail.
         raise refused(409, "not_redownloadable")
-    if job.status in ("queued", "running", "paused"):
+    if job.status in (JobStatus.QUEUED, JobStatus.RUNNING, JobStatus.PAUSED):
         raise refused(409, "still_downloading")
     service.redownload(db, job)
     return _serialize_job(db, job)
@@ -747,7 +780,7 @@ def redownload_download(
 
 @router.post("/{job_id}/cancel")
 def cancel_download(
-    job_id: int, user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
+    job_id: int, user: User = Depends(current_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
 ) -> dict:
     job = _own_job_for_update(db, user, job_id)
     service.cancel(db, job)
@@ -756,7 +789,7 @@ def cancel_download(
 
 @router.delete("/{job_id}")
 def delete_download(
-    job_id: int, user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
+    job_id: int, user: User = Depends(current_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
 ) -> dict:
     job = _own_job_for_update(db, user, job_id)
     service.delete(db, job)
@@ -786,7 +819,7 @@ def _accessible_job(db: Session, user: User, job_id: int) -> DownloadJob:
 def download_file(
     job_id: int,
     request: Request,
-    user: User = Depends(require_human),
+    user: User = Depends(current_user),
     db: Session = Depends(get_db),
 ):
     job = _accessible_job(db, user, job_id)
@@ -823,9 +856,42 @@ def download_file(
 # --- editor filmstrip (scrub track) --------------------------------------------------------
 
 
+@router.post("/{job_id}/progress")
+def set_library_progress(
+    job_id: int,
+    body: ProgressIn,
+    user: User = Depends(current_user),
+    db: Session = Depends(get_db),
+) -> dict:
+    """Checkpoint the library player's resume point in a download the caller can play (their own, or
+    one shared with them). A position too early or too close to the end clears it instead."""
+    _accessible_job(db, user, job_id)
+    position = kept_position(body)
+    mine = (LibraryState.user_id == user.id) & (LibraryState.job_id == job_id)
+    if not position:
+        # A statement, not a loaded row's delete: the periodic checkpoint and the pagehide beacon of
+        # one stop may both clear it, and the second then deletes nothing rather than failing.
+        db.execute(delete(LibraryState).where(mine))
+        db.commit()
+        return {"ok": True, "job_id": job_id, "position_seconds": 0}
+    now = datetime.now(timezone.utc)
+    # One row per (user, job) even when two checkpoints race (the same pair): an upsert, not a
+    # read-then-insert that the second would fail on the unique key.
+    db.execute(
+        pg_insert(LibraryState)
+        .values(user_id=user.id, job_id=job_id, position_seconds=position, progress_updated_at=now)
+        .on_conflict_do_update(
+            constraint="uq_library_user_job",
+            set_={"position_seconds": position, "progress_updated_at": now},
+        )
+    )
+    db.commit()
+    return {"ok": True, "job_id": job_id, "position_seconds": position}
+
+
 @router.get("/{job_id}/storyboard")
 def storyboard_meta(
-    job_id: int, user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
+    job_id: int, user: User = Depends(current_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
 ) -> dict:
     """Filmstrip geometry for the editor's scrub track, generating the sprite on first use.
 
@@ -850,7 +916,7 @@ def storyboard_meta(
 
 
 @router.get("/{job_id}/poster.jpg")
-def poster_image(job_id: int, user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db)):
+def poster_image(job_id: int, user: User = Depends(current_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)):
     """The locally-generated poster frame for a download whose source had no thumbnail."""
     job = _accessible_job(db, user, job_id)
     asset = db.get(MediaAsset, job.asset_id) if job.asset_id else None
@@ -864,7 +930,7 @@ def poster_image(job_id: int, user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session =
 
 @router.get("/{job_id}/storyboard.jpg")
 def storyboard_image(
-    job_id: int, user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
+    job_id: int, user: User = Depends(current_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
 ):
     job = _accessible_job(db, user, job_id)
     asset = db.get(MediaAsset, job.asset_id) if job.asset_id else None
@@ -887,11 +953,11 @@ class ShareDownloadIn(BaseModel):
 def share_download(
     job_id: int,
     body: ShareDownloadIn,
-    user: User = Depends(require_human),
+    user: User = Depends(current_user),
     db: Session = Depends(get_db),
 ) -> dict:
     job = owned_or_404(db, DownloadJob, job_id, user, what="download")
-    if job.status != "done" or job.asset_id is None:
+    if job.status != JobStatus.DONE or job.asset_id is None:
         raise refused(409, "share_unfinished")
     target = body.email.strip().lower()
     if not target:
@@ -899,7 +965,7 @@ def share_download(
     recipient = db.execute(
         select(User).where(func.lower(User.email) == target)
     ).scalar_one_or_none()
-    # Uniform "no user" for a missing OR non-messageable (demo/suspended/deactivated) target, so
+    # Uniform "no user" for a missing OR non-messageable (suspended/deactivated) target, so
     # sharing can't be used to probe which addresses exist or to reach a suspended account.
     if not is_messageable_user(recipient):
         raise not_found("recipient")
@@ -919,7 +985,7 @@ def share_download(
             user_id=recipient.id,
             type="download_shared",
             title=(job.display_name or "A download") + " was shared with you",
-            # The client names the notice in the reader's language from `data` (E30); the title is the
+            # The client names the notice in the reader's language from `data`; the title is the
             # English fallback only.
             data={
                 "kind": "download_shared",
@@ -937,7 +1003,7 @@ def share_download(
 def unshare_download(
     job_id: int,
     email: str,
-    user: User = Depends(require_human),
+    user: User = Depends(current_user),
     db: Session = Depends(get_db),
 ) -> dict:
     owned_or_404(
@@ -961,7 +1027,7 @@ def unshare_download(
 
 @router.delete("/shared/{job_id}")
 def remove_shared_with_me(
-    job_id: int, user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
+    job_id: int, user: User = Depends(current_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
 ) -> dict:
     """Remove a download that was shared WITH this user from their 'Shared with me' list. Deletes
     only the recipient's share grant — the owner's job and the physical file are untouched (this is
@@ -982,10 +1048,10 @@ def remove_shared_with_me(
 
 @router.get("/recipients")
 def share_recipients(
-    user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
+    user: User = Depends(current_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
 ) -> list[dict]:
     """Registered users this user can share a download with (excludes self + any non-messageable
-    account — demo, suspended, or deactivated — so the picker never leaks those addresses)."""
+    account — suspended or deactivated — so the picker never leaks those addresses)."""
     rows = (
         db.execute(
             select(User)
@@ -1021,7 +1087,7 @@ def _link_expiry(days: int | None) -> datetime | None:
 
 @router.get("/{job_id}/links")
 def list_links(
-    job_id: int, user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
+    job_id: int, user: User = Depends(current_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
 ) -> list[dict]:
     owned_or_404(db, DownloadJob, job_id, user, what="download")
     rows = (
@@ -1038,7 +1104,7 @@ def list_links(
 
 class CreateLinkIn(BaseModel):
     password: str = ""
-    # D1 (E7 S3): a newly shared download is downloadable by default — the common intent is "let the
+    # A newly shared download is downloadable by default — the common intent is "let the
     # recipient have the file", not stream-only. Forward-only: this only sets the default for links
     # minted from now on; existing links keep whatever `allow_download` they were created with (the
     # column default stays False, so no back-catalogue link silently flips). The owner can still
@@ -1051,11 +1117,11 @@ class CreateLinkIn(BaseModel):
 def create_link(
     job_id: int,
     body: CreateLinkIn,
-    user: User = Depends(require_human),
+    user: User = Depends(current_user),
     db: Session = Depends(get_db),
 ) -> dict:
     job = owned_or_404(db, DownloadJob, job_id, user, what="download")
-    if job.status != "done" or job.asset_id is None:
+    if job.status != JobStatus.DONE or job.asset_id is None:
         raise refused(409, "share_unfinished")
     pw = body.password.strip()
     link = DownloadLink(
@@ -1082,7 +1148,7 @@ class UpdateLinkIn(BaseModel):
 def update_link(
     link_id: int,
     body: UpdateLinkIn,
-    user: User = Depends(require_human),
+    user: User = Depends(current_user),
     db: Session = Depends(get_db),
 ) -> dict:
     link = _own_link(db, user, link_id)
@@ -1103,7 +1169,7 @@ def update_link(
 
 @router.delete("/links/{link_id}")
 def revoke_link(
-    link_id: int, user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
+    link_id: int, user: User = Depends(current_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
 ) -> dict:
     link = _own_link(db, user, link_id)
     db.delete(link)
@@ -1142,10 +1208,10 @@ def admin_list_downloads(
 
 @admin_router.get("/storage")
 def admin_storage(admin: User = Depends(admin_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)) -> dict:
-    ready = db.execute(
-        select(func.count(), func.coalesce(func.sum(MediaAsset.size_bytes), 0)).where(
-            MediaAsset.status == "ready"
-        )
+    # Every file on disk (`quota.ON_DISK`): ready ones, and uploads waiting for or failed in their
+    # conversion — the same disk the footprint and the GC cap count.
+    on_disk = db.execute(
+        select(func.count(), func.coalesce(func.sum(MediaAsset.size_bytes), 0)).where(quota.ON_DISK)
     ).one()
     total_assets = db.execute(select(func.count()).select_from(MediaAsset)).scalar()
     per_user = db.execute(
@@ -1158,8 +1224,8 @@ def admin_storage(admin: User = Depends(admin_user), db: Session = Depends(get_d
         for u in db.execute(select(User).where(User.id.in_([uid for uid, _ in per_user]))).scalars()
     }
     return {
-        "ready_files": ready[0],
-        "total_bytes": int(ready[1]),
+        "files_on_disk": on_disk[0],
+        "total_bytes": int(on_disk[1]),
         "total_assets": total_assets,
         "total_cap_bytes": sysconfig.get_int(db, "download_total_max_bytes"),
         "per_user": [

backend/app/routes/feed.py

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 from datetime import date, datetime, timezone
 
 from fastapi import APIRouter, Depends, Query
-from pydantic import BaseModel, ConfigDict, Field
+from pydantic import BaseModel
 from sqlalchemy import and_, func, or_, select
 from sqlalchemy.dialects.postgresql import insert as pg_insert
 from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
@@ -26,14 +26,19 @@ from app.feedquery import (
     windowed_relevance_rows,
 )
 from app.models import (
-    POSITION_MAX_S,
     ChannelTag,
     Tag,
     User,
     Video,
     VideoState,
 )
-from app.routes._common import get_or_404, youtube_refusal, not_found
+from app.routes._common import (
+    ProgressIn,
+    get_or_404,
+    kept_position,
+    not_found,
+    youtube_refusal,
+)
 from app.sync.videos import parse_iso8601_duration
 from app.utils import iso
 from app.youtube.client import YouTubeClient, YouTubeError
@@ -44,14 +49,6 @@ router = APIRouter(prefix="/api", tags=["feed"])
 # "saved" used to be a status; it's now membership in the built-in Watch later playlist.
 VALID_STATES = {"new", "watched", "hidden"}
 
-# Resume-position thresholds (mirror the client): positions below this are "didn't
-# really start" and within this of the end are "basically finished" — neither is worth
-# storing, so we clear the position instead (the video shows no progress bar).
-# NB: the Plex player intentionally uses a LARGER finish margin (30s) because it marks
-# long-form items watched, not just clears a resume bar — see routes/plex/playback.py.
-PROGRESS_MIN_SECONDS = 5
-FINISH_MARGIN_SECONDS = 10
-
 
 # Shared query parameters for /feed and /feed/count.
 def _feed_params(
@@ -235,7 +232,7 @@ def get_feed_years(
     user: User = Depends(current_user),
     db: Session = Depends(get_db),
 ) -> dict:
-    """Per-year video counts for the year control (item 8 / E8·S2): the quick recent-year chips and the
+    """Per-year video counts for the year control: the quick recent-year chips and the
     "more…" per-year-counts dialog. Every filter EXCEPT the publish-date narrowing applies, so picking a
     year re-queries the feed but not this list. Response: {"years": [{"year": <int>, "count": <int>}]},
     newest year first."""
@@ -326,23 +323,10 @@ def clear_video_state(
     return {"ok": True, "video_id": video_id, "status": "new", "position_seconds": 0}
 
 
-class VideoProgressIn(BaseModel):
-    # Finite only: JSON parsing here accepts `Infinity`/`NaN`, and the handler's `int()` turned
-    # one into a 500.
-    model_config = ConfigDict(allow_inf_nan=False)
-
-    # Accept a float and truncate (below) — the player may post a raw currentTime (a float), which
-    # the old `int(payload.get(...))` silently truncated. A plain `int` field would 422 that on the
-    # 10s progress hot path, losing the resume position; `float` keeps the old tolerance.
-    # Bounded above by the int4 column (see POSITION_MAX_S): past it the flush was a 500.
-    position_seconds: float = Field(0, le=POSITION_MAX_S)
-    duration_seconds: float = Field(0, le=POSITION_MAX_S)
-
-
 @router.post("/videos/{video_id}/progress")
 def set_video_progress(
     video_id: str,
-    body: VideoProgressIn,
+    body: ProgressIn,
     user: User = Depends(current_user),
     db: Session = Depends(get_db),
 ) -> dict:
@@ -350,22 +334,15 @@ def set_video_progress(
     Stores a per-user position on the video_states row without touching watch status, so a
     partially-watched video can render a progress bar and match the "in progress" filter.
     Trivially-early and near-finished positions clear the position rather than store it."""
-    position = int(body.position_seconds)
-    duration = int(body.duration_seconds)
-    if position < 0:
-        position = 0
+    position = kept_position(body)
 
     get_or_404(db, Video, video_id, what="video")
 
-    # Decide whether this position is worth keeping (else clear it).
-    near_end = duration > 0 and position > duration - FINISH_MARGIN_SECONDS
-    keep = position >= PROGRESS_MIN_SECONDS and not near_end
-
     row = db.execute(
         select(VideoState).where(VideoState.user_id == user.id, VideoState.video_id == video_id)
     ).scalar_one_or_none()
 
-    if not keep:
+    if not position:
         # Nothing meaningful to store: drop a status-less row entirely, otherwise just
         # zero the position (a saved/hidden video keeps its status).
         if row is not None:
@@ -419,11 +396,7 @@ def get_video_detail(
             "duration_seconds": v.duration_seconds,
         }
 
-    # The DB path above is free; the off-catalog YouTube lookup below spends a quota unit, so the
-    # demo account can't reach it — it just sees "unknown" for a video we don't already store.
-    if user.is_demo:
-        raise not_found("video")
-
+    # The DB path above is free; the off-catalog YouTube lookup below spends a quota unit.
     try:
         with (
             quota.attribute(user.id, quota.QuotaAction.VIDEOS_LOOKUP),

backend/app/routes/me.py

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 from typing import Any
 
-from fastapi import APIRouter, BackgroundTasks, Depends, HTTPException, Request
+from fastapi import APIRouter, BackgroundTasks, Depends, Request
 from pydantic import BaseModel, RootModel
 from sqlalchemy import func, select
 from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ def my_accounts(
     """The accounts that have authenticated in this browser session (switchable without a
     new Google sign-in). The active one is flagged."""
     ids = request.session.get("account_ids") or [user.id]
-    rows = {u.id: u for u in db.query(User).filter(User.id.in_(ids)).all()}
+    rows = {u.id: u for u in db.execute(select(User).where(User.id.in_(ids))).scalars()}
     out = []
     for uid in ids:  # preserve recency order from the session
         u = rows.get(uid)
@@ -131,7 +131,6 @@ def get_me(
         "display_name": user.display_name,
         "avatar_url": user.avatar_url,
         "role": user.role,
-        "is_demo": user.is_demo,
         "has_google": user.google_sub is not None,
         # The address Google answers with, when it DIFFERS from the account's own. Same string for
         # most people, and then this is None so no surface has to decide whether to show it — the
@@ -141,7 +140,7 @@ def get_me(
         ),
         "has_password": user.password_hash is not None,
         # The account's latest sign-in on any device — shown in Settings → Account, so a sign-in the
-        # user does not recognise is something they can see (null: none since 0.88, or the demo).
+        # user does not recognise is something they can see (null: none since 0.88).
         "last_login_at": iso(user.last_login_at),
         # Instance-wide: whether Google sign-in / YouTube connect is available at all (the UI hides
         # YouTube-access affordances and the onboarding nudge when it isn't configured).
@@ -159,12 +158,12 @@ def get_me(
         "pending_activations": pending_activations,
         "email_configured": email_configured,
         "preferences": user.preferences or {},
-        # The consented diagnostics level in force and when it lapses (E22 S5). The client applies
+        # The consented diagnostics level in force and when it lapses. The client applies
         # it to its own log and streams that log while it is raised.
         "diagnostics": diagnostics.state(db, user),
-        # The live debug session, if one is recording (E16) — a reload resumes it.
+        # The live debug session, if one is recording — a reload resumes it.
         "debug_session": _live_session(db, user),
-        # Where a bug report goes (E16 S4): the tracker's repository, or None — download only.
+        # Where a bug report goes: the tracker's repository, or None — download only.
         "issues": gitea.target(db),
     }
 
@@ -184,15 +183,8 @@ def delete_my_account(
     """GDPR self-service erasure: permanently delete the signed-in account and ALL its personal
     data — OAuth tokens, subscriptions, tags, watch/save/hide states, playlists, notifications —
     which all cascade on the users row. Quota-audit events are kept but anonymised (FK SET NULL).
-    The shared demo account can't be deleted, and the last remaining admin can't delete itself
-    (that would lock everyone out of the admin surfaces)."""
-    # Structured, like the other three demo refusals: `req` leaves 403 to the caller and
-    # `notifyActionError` discards a plain-string detail in favour of the caller's translated
-    # fallback, so a hand-written English sentence here reaches a Hungarian UI as a generic
-    # "couldn't do that" — or, on this affordance, as nothing at all. `reason` distinguishes it
-    # from the other sites' bare `{code: "demo"}` so the UI can say what specifically is refused.
-    if user.is_demo:
-        raise HTTPException(status_code=403, detail={"code": "demo", "reason": "delete_account"})
+    The last remaining admin can't delete itself (that would lock everyone out of the admin
+    surfaces)."""
     if user.role == "admin" and count_admins(db) <= 1:
         raise refused(400, "only_admin_delete")
     user_id = user.id
@@ -242,10 +234,7 @@ def update_diagnostics(
 ) -> dict:
     """Raise the diagnostics level (the user consented in Settings → Diagnosztika) or return to the
     base. The expiry is the server's: a raised level always lapses after
-    `diagnostics.ELEVATION_HOURS`, whatever the client asks. The shared demo account cannot raise
-    it — its log would interleave every visitor's session under one account."""
-    if user.is_demo and body.level != diagnostics.BASE:
-        raise HTTPException(status_code=403, detail={"code": "demo", "reason": "diagnostics"})
+    `diagnostics.ELEVATION_HOURS`, whatever the client asks."""
     diagnostics.set_level(user, body.level)
     db.commit()
     # The rest of THIS request, and the process's elevation registry, follow the new level now.

backend/app/routes/messages.py

@@ -1,479 +0,0 @@
-"""Direct messaging (notification module, phase 2): end-to-end encrypted user-to-user chat
-plus server-authored system messages, with live WebSocket delivery.
-
-E2EE model: every private message is encrypted IN THE BROWSER under a key both parties derive
-from ECDH(their private key, the other's public key). The server only ever stores ciphertext +
-iv and acts as a key directory (public keys) and an opaque blob store (each user's private key,
-wrapped client-side with a passphrase the server never sees). So not even an admin can read a
-user-to-user conversation. `kind="system"` messages (the welcome; future announcements) are
-plain server boilerplate — non-private, readable without any key setup, shown as a "Siftlode"
-conversation.
-
-Every endpoint is gated by `require_human` (the shared demo account can't message). Metadata
-(who messaged whom, when, read state) is NOT encrypted — standard for E2EE and needed for
-routing and unread counts.
-"""
-
-from datetime import datetime, timezone
-
-from fastapi import APIRouter, Depends, WebSocket, WebSocketDisconnect
-from pydantic import BaseModel
-from sqlalchemy import and_, case, delete, func, or_, select
-from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
-
-from app.mailtext import lang_for_user
-from app.collation import collated
-from app.auth import require_human, resolved_user_id
-from app.db import SessionLocal, get_db
-from app.models import Message, MessageKey, User
-from app.ratelimit import RateLimiter
-from app.realtime import manager
-from app.security import verify_password
-from app.userscope import is_messageable_user, messageable_clauses
-from app.utils import iso
-from app.refusal import refused
-from app.routes._common import not_found
-
-router = APIRouter(prefix="/api/messages", tags=["messages"])
-
-MAX_CIPHERTEXT = 8000  # base64 of a generous plaintext + AES-GCM overhead
-SYSTEM_PARTNER_ID = 0  # synthetic conversation partner for system messages
-SYSTEM_NAME = "Siftlode"
-_send_limiter = RateLimiter(max_events=30, window_seconds=60)
-_reset_key_limiter = RateLimiter(max_events=5, window_seconds=300)
-
-# The welcome is rendered server-side at creation time, so it carries its own translations
-# (one per supported UI language). Kept short and non-private (every new user gets the same text).
-WELCOME = {
-    "en": (
-        "Welcome to Siftlode! 👋\n\n"
-        "This is your private message inbox. Conversations with other members are end-to-end "
-        "encrypted — only you and the person you're chatting with can read them, not even an "
-        "admin. To start messaging someone, set up secure messaging with a passphrase first.\n\n"
-        "Enjoy your Feed!"
-    ),
-    "hu": (
-        "Üdv a Siftlode-on! 👋\n\n"
-        "Ez a privát üzenet-postafiókod. A többi taggal folytatott beszélgetések végpontig "
-        "titkosítottak — csak te és a beszélgetőpartnered olvashatja őket, még az admin sem. "
-        "Ha üzenni szeretnél valakinek, előbb állítsd be a biztonságos üzenetküldést egy "
-        "jelszóval.\n\n"
-        "Jó böngészést!"
-    ),
-}
-
-
-class KeySetupIn(BaseModel):
-    public_key: str
-    wrapped_private_key: str
-    salt: str
-    wrap_iv: str
-    key_check: str
-
-
-class KeyResetIn(BaseModel):
-    # Present only for password accounts; a Google-only account has no password to re-verify.
-    current_password: str | None = None
-
-
-class SendIn(BaseModel):
-    recipient_id: int
-    ciphertext: str
-    iv: str
-
-
-def _user_label(u: User) -> str:
-    return u.display_name or u.email.split("@")[0]
-
-
-def _serialize_user(u: User) -> dict:
-    return {"id": u.id, "name": _user_label(u), "avatar_url": u.avatar_url}
-
-
-def _system_partner() -> dict:
-    return {"id": SYSTEM_PARTNER_ID, "name": SYSTEM_NAME, "avatar_url": None}
-
-
-# The welcome's opening line in every language — how a stored copy is recognised. It was rendered
-# once, in the language of the day it was created, so an account that later switched language kept
-# reading it in the old one (E31 S1: the owner's, in English). Recognised here, it is served in the
-# reader's language instead. Derived from WELCOME itself, so a change to an OPENING line, or a
-# language taken out of WELCOME, orphans the copies already stored: they are served as stored. The
-# one retired language (German, 2026-07) left none on prod (checked 2026-10-02).
-_WELCOME_OPENINGS = {text.partition("\n")[0] for text in WELCOME.values()}
-
-
-def _system_body(body: str | None, lang: str | None) -> str | None:
-    """A system message's text for a reader of `lang`: the welcome in their language, any other as
-    stored."""
-    if body is None or lang is None or body.partition("\n")[0] not in _WELCOME_OPENINGS:
-        return body
-    return WELCOME.get(lang, WELCOME["en"])
-
-
-def _serialize_msg(m: Message, lang: str | None = None) -> dict:
-    """`lang`: the reader's language, for a system message's text (a user message is ciphertext)."""
-    return {
-        "id": m.id,
-        "kind": m.kind,
-        "sender_id": m.sender_id,
-        "recipient_id": m.recipient_id,
-        "body": _system_body(m.body, lang) if m.kind == "system" else m.body,
-        "ciphertext": m.ciphertext,
-        "iv": m.iv,
-        "read_at": iso(m.read_at),
-        "created_at": iso(m.created_at),
-    }
-
-
-def ensure_welcome(db: Session, user: User) -> None:
-    """Create the one-time system welcome message for a (human) user the first time it's needed.
-    Idempotent: guarded on whether any system message already exists for them."""
-    if user.is_demo:
-        return
-    exists = db.scalar(
-        select(Message.id).where(Message.recipient_id == user.id, Message.kind == "system").limit(1)
-    )
-    if exists:
-        return
-    lang = (user.preferences or {}).get("language")
-    body = WELCOME.get(lang, WELCOME["en"])
-    m = Message(kind="system", sender_id=None, recipient_id=user.id, body=body)
-    db.add(m)
-    db.commit()
-    db.refresh(m)
-    manager.push(user.id, {"type": "message", "message": _serialize_msg(m, lang_for_user(user))})
-
-
-# --- E2EE key directory / blob store -----------------------------------------
-
-
-@router.get("/keys/me")
-def my_key(user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db)) -> dict:
-    """My own key bundle. `configured` says whether secure messaging is set up; if so the
-    wrapped blob + params are returned so this device can unlock with the passphrase."""
-    k = db.get(MessageKey, user.id)
-    if k is None:
-        return {"configured": False}
-    return {
-        "configured": True,
-        "public_key": k.public_key,
-        "wrapped_private_key": k.wrapped_private_key,
-        "salt": k.salt,
-        "wrap_iv": k.wrap_iv,
-        "key_check": k.key_check,
-    }
-
-
-@router.post("/keys")
-def setup_keys(
-    payload: KeySetupIn,
-    user: User = Depends(require_human),
-    db: Session = Depends(get_db),
-) -> dict:
-    """Store this user's public key + passphrase-wrapped private key. Set-once: changing the
-    key would orphan every existing conversation key, so re-setup is rejected here."""
-    if db.get(MessageKey, user.id) is not None:
-        raise refused(409, "messaging_set_up")
-    db.add(
-        MessageKey(
-            user_id=user.id,
-            public_key=payload.public_key,
-            wrapped_private_key=payload.wrapped_private_key,
-            salt=payload.salt,
-            wrap_iv=payload.wrap_iv,
-            key_check=payload.key_check,
-        )
-    )
-    db.commit()
-    return {"ok": True, "configured": True}
-
-
-@router.post("/keys/reset")
-def reset_keys(
-    payload: KeyResetIn,
-    user: User = Depends(require_human),
-    db: Session = Depends(get_db),
-) -> dict:
-    """Forgotten-passphrase escape hatch: drop this user's secure-messaging key so they can set a
-    NEW passphrase (the set-once guard in setup_keys otherwise makes a lost passphrase a permanent
-    wall). Destroys the user's entire E2EE history BY DESIGN — every conversation key is derived
-    from this keypair, so replacing it orphans every stored ciphertext in both directions. Those
-    now-undecryptable `user` messages are deleted here (a clean slate for both parties) rather than
-    left as permanent "can't decrypt" clutter; `system` messages (plaintext) are untouched.
-
-    An account WITH a password must re-authenticate: a hijacked session must not be able to silently
-    reset messaging and then read the victim's future messages under a new passphrase. A password-
-    less (Google-only) account has nothing to re-verify, so it relies on its live session plus the
-    client-side danger confirmation."""
-    if not _reset_key_limiter.allow(str(user.id)):
-        raise refused(429, "too_many_attempts")
-    if user.password_hash and not verify_password(
-        payload.current_password or "", user.password_hash
-    ):
-        raise refused(403, "wrong_password")
-    # Delete the now-dead ciphertext first (both directions), then the wrapped keypair itself so a
-    # fresh setup is allowed. Order doesn't matter (no FK between them), but do it in one commit.
-    db.execute(
-        delete(Message).where(
-            Message.kind == "user",
-            or_(Message.sender_id == user.id, Message.recipient_id == user.id),
-        )
-    )
-    key = db.get(MessageKey, user.id)
-    if key is not None:
-        db.delete(key)
-    db.commit()
-    return {"ok": True, "configured": False}
-
-
-@router.get("/keys/{user_id}")
-def public_key(
-    user_id: int, user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
-) -> dict:
-    """A member's public key, for deriving the pairwise conversation key. MB2 (like get_thread):
-    resolve the target only if they're messageable OR we already share a thread, else the same
-    "User not found" as a non-existent id — so this can't be probed to enumerate user_ids or to
-    fetch keys for suspended/deactivated/demo accounts."""
-    cond = and_(
-        Message.kind == "user",
-        or_(
-            and_(Message.sender_id == user.id, Message.recipient_id == user_id),
-            and_(Message.sender_id == user_id, Message.recipient_id == user.id),
-        ),
-    )
-    p = db.get(User, user_id)
-    has_history = db.scalar(select(Message.id).where(cond).limit(1))
-    if p is None or (not is_messageable_user(p) and not has_history):
-        raise not_found("user")
-    k = db.get(MessageKey, user_id)
-    if k is None:
-        raise refused(404, "no_messaging")
-    return {"user_id": user_id, "public_key": k.public_key}
-
-
-# --- directory + conversations -----------------------------------------------
-
-
-@router.get("/users")
-def list_recipients(
-    user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
-) -> list[dict]:
-    """Member directory for the recipient picker: messageable members (except me) who have set
-    up secure messaging (so a conversation key can be derived)."""
-    rows = (
-        db.execute(
-            select(User)
-            .join(MessageKey, MessageKey.user_id == User.id)
-            .where(User.id != user.id, *messageable_clauses())
-            .order_by(collated(func.coalesce(User.display_name, User.email), lang_for_user(user)))
-        )
-        .scalars()
-        .all()
-    )
-    return [_serialize_user(u) for u in rows]
-
-
-@router.get("/conversations")
-def list_conversations(user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db)) -> dict:
-    """One entry per conversation: each user partner (E2EE) plus the system "Siftlode" thread,
-    with the latest message + my unread count, newest first. Lazily creates the welcome on the
-    first open. User-message previews are ciphertext — the client decrypts them."""
-    ensure_welcome(db, user)
-    # The conversation partner for a message, from this user's perspective (system → 0).
-    partner_expr = case(
-        (Message.kind == "system", SYSTEM_PARTNER_ID),
-        (Message.sender_id == user.id, Message.recipient_id),
-        else_=Message.sender_id,
-    )
-    mine = or_(Message.sender_id == user.id, Message.recipient_id == user.id)
-    # Latest message per conversation in ONE query (DISTINCT ON, Postgres) instead of loading the
-    # user's whole message history into Python — bounded by the number of conversations.
-    latest = (
-        db.execute(
-            select(Message)
-            .where(mine)
-            .distinct(partner_expr)
-            .order_by(partner_expr, Message.created_at.desc())
-        )
-        .scalars()
-        .all()
-    )
-    # Unread incoming, grouped per conversation.
-    unread = dict(
-        db.execute(
-            select(partner_expr, func.count())
-            .where(mine, Message.recipient_id == user.id, Message.read_at.is_(None))
-            .group_by(partner_expr)
-        ).all()
-    )
-
-    def _pid(m: Message) -> int:
-        if m.kind == "system":
-            return SYSTEM_PARTNER_ID
-        return m.recipient_id if m.sender_id == user.id else m.sender_id
-
-    user_ids = [_pid(m) for m in latest if m.kind != "system"]
-    partners = {}
-    if user_ids:
-        partners = {
-            u.id: u for u in db.execute(select(User).where(User.id.in_(user_ids))).scalars().all()
-        }
-    items = []
-    for m in latest:
-        pid = _pid(m)
-        if pid == SYSTEM_PARTNER_ID:
-            partner = _system_partner()
-        elif pid in partners:
-            partner = _serialize_user(partners[pid])
-        else:
-            continue
-        items.append(
-            {
-                "partner": partner,
-                "last_message": _serialize_msg(m, lang_for_user(user)),
-                "unread": int(unread.get(pid, 0)),
-            }
-        )
-    items.sort(key=lambda x: x["last_message"]["created_at"] or "", reverse=True)
-    return {"items": items}
-
-
-@router.get("/conversations/{partner_id}")
-def get_thread(
-    partner_id: int,
-    mark_read: bool = True,
-    user: User = Depends(require_human),
-    db: Session = Depends(get_db),
-) -> dict:
-    """Full thread with a partner (or the system thread when partner_id == 0), oldest first.
-    Stamps unread incoming messages read unless mark_read=false."""
-    if partner_id == SYSTEM_PARTNER_ID:
-        ensure_welcome(db, user)
-        partner = _system_partner()
-        cond = and_(Message.recipient_id == user.id, Message.kind == "system")
-    else:
-        p = db.get(User, partner_id)
-        cond = and_(
-            Message.kind == "user",
-            or_(
-                and_(Message.sender_id == user.id, Message.recipient_id == partner_id),
-                and_(Message.sender_id == partner_id, Message.recipient_id == user.id),
-            ),
-        )
-        # MB2: don't leak arbitrary user identities. Resolve a partner only if they're messageable
-        # OR we already share a thread (so a conversation with a since-suspended/deactivated user
-        # still opens). Otherwise the same 404 as a non-existent id → no enumeration oracle.
-        has_history = db.scalar(select(Message.id).where(cond).limit(1))
-        if p is None or (not is_messageable_user(p) and not has_history):
-            raise not_found("user")
-        partner = _serialize_user(p)
-    msgs = (
-        db.execute(select(Message).where(cond).order_by(Message.created_at.asc())).scalars().all()
-    )
-    if mark_read:
-        now = datetime.now(timezone.utc)
-        changed = False
-        for m in msgs:
-            if m.recipient_id == user.id and m.read_at is None:
-                m.read_at = now
-                changed = True
-        if changed:
-            db.commit()
-            # MB3: ping this user's OTHER tabs/devices that their unread dropped so the badge
-            # refreshes live instead of waiting for the next 20s poll. The client re-fetches the
-            # count on this signal, so no number is carried here.
-            manager.push(user.id, {"type": "unread"})
-    return {"partner": partner, "items": [_serialize_msg(m, lang_for_user(user)) for m in msgs]}
-
-
-@router.post("")
-def send_message(
-    payload: SendIn,
-    user: User = Depends(require_human),
-    db: Session = Depends(get_db),
-) -> dict:
-    """Send an end-to-end-encrypted message. The server stores only the ciphertext the client
-    produced, then pushes it live to the recipient (and the sender's other devices)."""
-    if not _send_limiter.allow(f"msg:{user.id}"):
-        raise refused(429, "message_rate")
-    ct = (payload.ciphertext or "").strip()
-    iv = (payload.iv or "").strip()
-    if not ct or not iv:
-        raise refused(400, "message_empty")
-    if len(ct) > MAX_CIPHERTEXT:
-        raise refused(400, "message_too_long")
-    if payload.recipient_id == user.id:
-        raise refused(400, "message_self")
-    recipient = db.get(User, payload.recipient_id)
-    if not is_messageable_user(recipient):
-        raise not_found("recipient")
-    if db.get(MessageKey, recipient.id) is None:
-        raise refused(404, "no_messaging")
-    m = Message(kind="user", sender_id=user.id, recipient_id=recipient.id, ciphertext=ct, iv=iv)
-    db.add(m)
-    db.commit()
-    db.refresh(m)
-    # Carry both parties so each recipient can open/flash the right dock window (the partner is
-    # whichever of from/to isn't them).
-    event = {
-        "type": "message",
-        "message": _serialize_msg(m),
-        "from": _serialize_user(user),
-        "to": _serialize_user(recipient),
-    }
-    manager.push(recipient.id, event)
-    manager.push(user.id, event)  # the sender's other open devices
-    return _serialize_msg(m)
-
-
-@router.get("/unread_count")
-def unread_count(user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db)) -> dict:
-    n = db.scalar(
-        select(func.count())
-        .select_from(Message)
-        .where(Message.recipient_id == user.id, Message.read_at.is_(None))
-    )
-    return {"count": n or 0}
-
-
-# --- live delivery -----------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-@router.websocket("/ws")
-async def messages_ws(ws: WebSocket) -> None:
-    """Live push channel: authenticated by the session cookie, registers the connection so
-    sent messages reach this user's open tabs instantly. We don't consume client→server frames
-    (sending goes through POST /api/messages); the receive loop only detects disconnect."""
-    # Which signed-in account this socket acts as — the SHARED per-tab resolution (a wallet-gated
-    # ?account=, the session default when none is named, nobody for an account no longer signed in
-    # here). A browser WebSocket can't send the X-Siftlode-Account header, so resolved_user_id falls
-    # through to the ?account= query param.
-    uid, _ = resolved_user_id(ws)
-    if not uid:
-        await ws.close(code=1008)
-        return
-    db = SessionLocal()
-    try:
-        user = db.get(User, uid)
-        # SA4: honour server-side session revocation on the live channel too — reject a cookie whose
-        # recorded epoch is behind the account's current one (mirrors current_user). Without this a
-        # copied cookie could keep receiving pushes after a password reset / "log out everywhere".
-        epochs = ws.session.get("epochs") or {}
-        epoch_ok = user is not None and int(epochs.get(str(uid), 0)) == (user.session_epoch or 0)
-        ok = epoch_ok and is_messageable_user(user)
-    finally:
-        db.close()
-    if not ok:
-        await ws.close(code=1008)
-        return
-    await manager.connect(uid, ws)
-    try:
-        while True:
-            await ws.receive_text()
-    # silent-ok: the ordinary way a chat socket ends — a closed tab. The `finally` below is the
-    # whole handling, and nothing failed.
-    except WebSocketDisconnect:
-        pass
-    finally:
-        await manager.disconnect(uid, ws)

backend/app/routes/notifications.py

@@ -1,9 +1,5 @@
 """Per-user notification inbox (phase 1): the durable, server-backed center that coexists
-with the client-side transient bell. Read-only listing plus read/dismiss/clear mutations.
-
-All endpoints use `current_user` (not `require_human`): notifications and their read/dismiss
-state are personal UI state with no quota or YouTube involvement, so the shared demo account
-manages its own inbox normally."""
+with the client-side transient bell. Read-only listing plus read/dismiss/clear mutations."""
 
 from fastapi import APIRouter, Depends, Query
 from sqlalchemy import func, select, update

backend/app/routes/plex/__init__.py

@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 """Plex route package — assembles the admin/browse/playback sub-routers.
 
-Read endpoints (libraries/browse/show/image) are available to ANY authenticated user (demo +
-pure-Siftlode included) — this is an access layer to the Plex library WITHOUT requiring a plex.tv
+Read endpoints (libraries/browse/show/image) are available to ANY authenticated user
+(pure-Siftlode included) — this is an access layer to the Plex library WITHOUT requiring a plex.tv
 account, and playback is a local file. Admin endpoints test the connection and run the catalog sync.
 
-Split out of the former single routes/plex.py (R12 S1). `router` keeps the same shape the app
+Split out of the former single routes/plex.py. `router` keeps the same shape the app
 wiring expects (`plex_routes.router`), so main.py is unchanged.
 """
 

backend/app/routes/plex/browse.py

@@ -285,7 +285,7 @@ def unified_library(
     episodes = []
     if tsq is not None and want_shows and field in ("all", "episode"):
         ep_st = aliased(PlexState)
-        # In HU an episode is found by its Hungarian title too (E30: the overlay now fills it) — and
+        # In HU an episode is found by its Hungarian title too (the overlay fills it) — and
         # still by its English one, like `vector_match` does for the grid.
         if field == "episode":
             ep_vec = func.to_tsvector(TS_CONFIG, func.coalesce(PlexItem.title, ""))
@@ -360,8 +360,8 @@ def facets(
 
     # The shows that pass the watch-state scope, asked ONCE. The per-user episode rollup behind it is a
     # full pass over the user's episodes (~10 ms on a prod-sized library), and each of the show groups
-    # (genres, ratings, studios, years, rating max) asked it again: half of a filtered facets call
-    # (E31 S4e). The same filter on the same rows, so the counts do not change
+    # (genres, ratings, studios, years, rating max) asked it again: half of a filtered facets call.
+    # The same filter on the same rows, so the counts do not change
     # (test_plex_facets_grid_parity).
     shows_in_scope: list[int] | None = None
     if show_ids and show in ("watched", "in_progress", "unwatched"):
@@ -545,7 +545,7 @@ def facets(
     for c in split_csv(f.playable):
         if c in PLAYBACK_CLASSES:
             playable_counts.setdefault(c, 0)
-    # Names in the reader's alphabet: the genres are Hungarian words for a Hungarian reader (E30 S1).
+    # Names in the reader's alphabet: the genres are Hungarian words for a Hungarian reader.
     alpha = {w: i for i, w in enumerate(sorted_words(db, [*genre_counts, *studio_counts], lang))}
     return {
         "genres": [

backend/app/routes/plex/detail.py

@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ def show_detail(
         all_cards.append(card)
     show_roll = rollup.rollup(all_cards)
 
-    # Cast + IMDb + tagline are served from the DB row (persisted by the cast backfill, E5 S5b). The one
+    # Cast + IMDb + tagline are served from the DB row (persisted by the cast backfill). The one
     # remaining live call is `related` — a Plex recommendation hub we don't mirror — which also carries
     # the metadata used to lazily fill a not-yet-enriched show. Any live failure just drops `related` and
     # the lazy fill; the row-served detail below still renders (outage-resilient).
@@ -213,7 +213,7 @@ def show_detail(
             "first": show_roll["first"],
             "episode_count": show_roll["episode_count"],
             "collection_keys": sh.collection_keys or [],
-            # TMDB enrichment (E5 S2), served from the row.
+            # TMDB enrichment, served from the row.
             "tmdb": plex_tmdb.serve_block(db, sh, lang=lang),
         },
         "seasons": [_season_block(se, by_season.get(se.id, [])) for se in seasons],
@@ -353,7 +353,7 @@ _TRACK_TAIL = re.compile(r"\(([^()]+)\)\s*$")
 
 
 def _track_naming(s: dict) -> dict:
-    """What the player names a track from (E30). Plex's `displayTitle` is in the SERVER's language
+    """What the player names a track from. Plex's `displayTitle` is in the SERVER's language
     ("English (AC3 5.1)", "magyar Forced", "中文 (EAC3 Stereo)"), so it is sent only as the fallback
     `label`; the client builds the name in the reader's language from the language tag, the
     forced / SDH flags and the codec tail. No title and no language → no label (the client numbers it)."""
@@ -404,6 +404,10 @@ def item_detail(
                         "type": m.get("type"),
                         "start_s": round((m.get("startTimeOffset") or 0) / 1000, 1),
                         "end_s": round((m.get("endTimeOffset") or 0) / 1000, 1),
+                        # An item can carry several credits blocks with scenes between them; Plex
+                        # flags the one that really ends it. Which credits may leave the item is the
+                        # player's rule (`lib/plexMarkers`), so the flag goes over as Plex sent it.
+                        "final": bool(m.get("final")),
                     }
                 )
         # Audio + subtitle tracks (ordinals among their stream type — used to -map the selection).
@@ -538,6 +542,6 @@ def item_detail(
         "prev_id": prev_id,
         "next_id": next_id,
         "collections": _collection_strips(db, it, user.id, lang),
-        # TMDB enrichment (E5 S2), served from the row — movies only (episodes aren't enriched).
+        # TMDB enrichment, served from the row — movies only (episodes aren't enriched).
         "tmdb": plex_tmdb.serve_block(db, it, lang=lang) if it.kind == "movie" else None,
     }

backend/app/routes/plex/discover.py

@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
-"""Plex Discover: the rail-surface read-model (E5 S4).
+"""Plex Discover: the rail-surface read-model.
 
 A consolidated payload for the dedicated Discover landing — a stack of horizontal rails:
 Continue watching · Recently added · Browse-by-genre tiles · Because you watched X — plus a
 separate, reshuffling Surprise-me sample. Serve-from-DB only: the recommendation rail reads the
-recs the S2 TMDB engine already persisted (`PlexItem.recommendations`), never a live TMDB call, and
+recs the TMDB engine already persisted (`PlexItem.recommendations`), never a live TMDB call, and
 every card comes from the same `movie_card`/`show_card` serializers the grid uses (so rails inherit
-S1's `art` + S3's rating/summary for free). The rails carry EN metadata (like the other non-grid
+their `art` + rating/summary for free). The rails carry EN metadata (like the other non-grid
 card paths); the HU overlay coalesces only in the main grid.
 
 The sidebar metadata filters (genre / rating / year / collection / …) narrow EVERY rail too, so the
@@ -114,8 +114,8 @@ def _recently_added(
         else []
     )
     # Merge the two type-homogeneous lists by added_at, then serialize each side in one batch so the
-    # per-card state lookups stay batched (no N+1). Same `or NO_TS` key as the two rails below — the
-    # E24 review found this one still on the older `(is not None, value)` form, i.e. one rule in two
+    # per-card state lookups stay batched (no N+1). Same `or NO_TS` key as the two rails below — a
+    # review found this one still on the older `(is not None, value)` form, i.e. one rule in two
     # spellings, with the two comments explaining it differently.
     tagged = [(m.added_at, "movie", m) for m in movies] + [(s.added_at, "show", s) for s in shows]
     tagged.sort(key=lambda t: t[0] or rollup.NO_TS, reverse=True)

backend/app/routes/plex/people.py

@@ -176,10 +176,10 @@ def person_detail(
     people who share a name share a page. Each section is capped at _PERSON_SECTION_MAX. An unknown name
     simply returns empty sections.
 
-    E5 S6: the first time a page is opened, the person's TMDB bio + "Known for" credits are lazily
-    fetched (from the S2-linked `tmdb_person_id`) and persisted, then served from the row on every open.
+    The first time a page is opened, the person's TMDB bio + "Known for" credits are lazily
+    fetched (from the linked `tmdb_person_id`) and persisted, then served from the row on every open.
     The fetch runs OFF the request path (a background task); the first open serves whatever's in the row
-    with `enriching` set, and the page asks again until the bio lands. E30 S6: the people_enrich job
+    with `enriching` set, and the page asks again until the bio lands. The people_enrich job
     fetches everyone ahead of time, so this lazy path is only for a person the job hasn't reached yet.
     """
     lang = norm_lang(lang)
@@ -187,7 +187,7 @@ def person_detail(
     # Lazy one-time bio enrich, scheduled AFTER the response so the TMDB call is never on the serve path.
     # Gated by a per-person cooldown so concurrent/rapid opens (or repeated opens while TMDB is degraded)
     # can't pile background tasks onto the shared threadpool.
-    # `enriching` tells the page the bio is on its way (E30 S6): it asks again shortly instead of showing
+    # `enriching` tells the page the bio is on its way: it asks again shortly instead of showing
     # an empty page until the next open. True while a fetch is pending, including one an earlier open
     # already reserved.
     enriching = (

backend/app/routes/plex/playback.py

@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ from fastapi import (
     Response,
 )
 from fastapi.responses import FileResponse
-from pydantic import BaseModel, ConfigDict, Field
+from pydantic import BaseModel
 from sqlalchemy import select, update
 from sqlalchemy.dialects.postgresql import insert as pg_insert
 from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
@@ -23,7 +23,6 @@ from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
 from app.auth import current_user, resolved_user_id
 from app.db import SessionLocal, get_db
 from app.models import (
-    POSITION_MAX_S,
     PlexItem,
     PlexSeason,
     PlexShow,
@@ -39,7 +38,7 @@ from app.plex import watch_sync as plex_watch
 from app.plex.client import PlexClient, PlexError, PlexNotConfigured
 from app.routes.plex._shared import item_or_404
 from app.refusal import refused
-from app.routes._common import not_found
+from app.routes._common import ProgressIn, not_found
 
 router = APIRouter(prefix="/api/plex", tags=["plex"])
 
@@ -160,16 +159,16 @@ def subtitle(
     return Response(subtitles.shift_vtt(hit, offset), media_type="text/vtt")
 
 
-# Resume/watched thresholds. _PROGRESS_MIN_S matches the feed's PROGRESS_MIN_SECONDS (5), but
-# _FINISH_MARGIN_S is DELIBERATELY larger than the feed's FINISH_MARGIN_SECONDS (30 vs 10): this is
-# long-form content (movies/episodes with credits) and crossing it MARKS THE ITEM WATCHED, whereas
-# the feed's margin only clears a short video's resume bar — different domains, intentional divergence,
-# not drift. Keep them separate on purpose (see routes/feed.py).
+# Resume/watched thresholds. _PROGRESS_MIN_S matches PROGRESS_MIN_SECONDS (5), but _FINISH_MARGIN_S is
+# DELIBERATELY larger than FINISH_MARGIN_SECONDS (30 vs 10): this is long-form content
+# (movies/episodes with credits) and crossing it MARKS THE ITEM WATCHED, whereas the feed's and the
+# library's margin only clears a resume bar — different domains, intentional divergence, not drift.
+# Keep them separate on purpose (see routes/_common.py).
 _PROGRESS_MIN_S = 5
 
 _FINISH_MARGIN_S = 30
 
-# S2 write-back throttle: the resume position is now pushed to Plex on the periodic (non-final)
+# Write-back throttle: the resume position is now pushed to Plex on the periodic (non-final)
 # checkpoint too — not only on the final pause/unmount flush — so Plex (the source of truth) stays
 # current in near-real-time. To keep a single watch from spraying `/:/timeline` calls, a push is
 # rate-limited to at most one per item per user every _PUSH_THROTTLE_S seconds; a `final` checkpoint
@@ -337,16 +336,9 @@ def _mark_finished(db: Session, user_id: int, item_id: int, now: datetime) -> bo
     return False
 
 
-class ItemProgressIn(BaseModel):
-    # Finite only: JSON parsing here accepts `Infinity`/`NaN`, and the handler's `int()` turned
-    # one into a 500.
-    model_config = ConfigDict(allow_inf_nan=False)
+class ItemProgressIn(ProgressIn):
+    """The shared checkpoint (its bounds included), plus whether the player is leaving the item."""
 
-    # float, truncated in the handler — the player may post a raw currentTime (a float); a plain
-    # `int` field would 422 it on the periodic progress checkpoint (the old `int(...)` truncated).
-    # Bounded above by the int4 column (see POSITION_MAX_S): past it the flush was a 500.
-    position_seconds: float = Field(0, le=POSITION_MAX_S)
-    duration_seconds: float = Field(0, le=POSITION_MAX_S)
     final: bool = False
 
 
@@ -360,7 +352,7 @@ def item_progress(
 ) -> dict:
     """Checkpoint the resume position while playing (near the end → mark watched + clear it).
 
-    S2 write-back: the resume position is mirrored to Plex (the source of truth) on the periodic
+    Write-back: the resume position is mirrored to Plex (the source of truth) on the periodic
     checkpoint too, not only on the final flush — throttled to ≥_PUSH_THROTTLE_S per item (see
     `_should_push_resume`). `final` (sent on pause / seek / pagehide / unmount) pushes immediately and
     resets the throttle window, so Plex sees a settled position the instant the user pauses or seeks."""
@@ -637,12 +629,27 @@ def stream_session(
         # The session id is part of the path (not a query param) so the playlist's RELATIVE segment
         # names resolve back into the same session — see `stream_hls_file` for why it has to.
         "url": f"/api/plex/stream/{it.rating_key}/hls/{s.id}/{s.entry}",
+        # What the player names when it no longer wants the session (POST …/session/{id}/stop).
+        "id": s.id,
         "transcode": s.transcode,
         "hw": s.hw,
         "tonemap": s.tonemap,
     }
 
 
+@router.post("/stream/{rating_key}/session/{session_id}/stop")
+def stream_session_stop(
+    rating_key: str,
+    session_id: str,
+    user: User = Depends(current_user),
+) -> dict:
+    """The player no longer wants this session (it left the item, closed, or the page unloaded):
+    its ffmpeg stops now instead of at the idle reaper. A POST, so the player can send it as a
+    keepalive beacon from a page being unloaded. Stops nothing but the caller's own session, and
+    only while it is still the one registered for the item (see `stop_session`)."""
+    return {"ok": True, "stopped": plex_stream.stop_session(user.id, rating_key, session_id)}
+
+
 @router.get("/stream/{rating_key}/file")
 def stream_file(
     rating_key: str,
@@ -696,7 +703,7 @@ def stream_hls_file(
     (viewer, rating_key) and a seek-restart replaces the viewer's registered one, while the DIRECTORY
     is per (key, viewer, offset, tag) — so resolving by the key alone handed the old player the new
     session's `seg_12.ts`, produced from a different offset under `-copyts`: wrong
-    bytes with a 200, which the player has no way to notice (deep-review round 5). A request for a
+    bytes with a 200, which the player has no way to notice. A request for a
     session that is no longer the registered one is a 404, and the player reclaims at the playhead.
 
     That reclaim is also why a request with no live session is no longer auto-started here: the
@@ -728,7 +735,7 @@ def stream_hls_file(
     # `proc` so a session whose ffmpeg has already exited answers at once instead of polling out the
     # whole timeout: this is a SYNC route on the ~40-slot threadpool, holding a pooled DB connection
     # with it, so every such wait is a worker (and a connection) parked for 20 s — an ordinary seek
-    # past the produced region was enough to do it (round 5).
+    # past the produced region was enough to do it.
     if not plex_stream.wait_for(path, timeout, proc=s.proc):
         raise refused(404, "not_ready")
     try:

backend/app/routes/plex/playlists.py

@@ -296,7 +296,7 @@ def _items_by_rks(db: Session, rks: list) -> list[PlexItem]:
 
 
 class PlexItemAddBulkIn(PlexItemKeysIn):
-    # Where each key goes back (E28 S3e2, the list page's "Undo" of a removal): an index over the
+    # Where each key goes back (the list page's "Undo" of a removal): an index over the
     # ORDERED rows, one per key. The two-call shape (append, then send the whole order) leaves the rows
     # at the end whenever the second call fails, and the order it sends would overwrite anything
     # another tab changed in between.

backend/app/routes/public.py

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 """Public, login-free surface for shared download links (the `/watch/{token}` player page).
 
-These routes are deliberately OUTSIDE the auth/`require_human` gate — the unguessable token IS the
+These routes are deliberately OUTSIDE the auth gate — the unguessable token IS the
 credential (a capability URL). They only ever expose one file's stream + minimal metadata, never
 the app or any account data. Password-protected links exchange the password once at `/unlock` for
 a short-lived signed grant that the media URL carries (a `<video src>` can't send a header).
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ from app.config import settings
 from app.db import get_db
 from app.downloads import links as linksmod
 from app.downloads import storage
+from app.downloads.status import JobStatus
 from app.models import DownloadJob, DownloadLink, MediaAsset
 from app.ratelimit import RateLimiter, client_key
 from app.security import verify_password
@@ -46,6 +47,17 @@ def _link_or_404(db: Session, token: str) -> DownloadLink:
 def _ready_target(db: Session, link: DownloadLink) -> tuple[DownloadJob, MediaAsset]:
     job = db.get(DownloadJob, link.job_id)
     asset = db.get(MediaAsset, job.asset_id) if job and job.asset_id else None
+    if (
+        job is not None
+        and asset is not None
+        and asset.status in ("pending", "downloading")
+        and job.status in (JobStatus.QUEUED, JobStatus.RUNNING)
+    ):
+        # Being (re)made — a re-download, or a conversion — so the link works again once it is ready:
+        # its own reason, so the page can say "try again shortly" rather than "this link is gone".
+        # Only while the job is still going: a cancelled or paused rebuild leaves the asset pending
+        # with nothing working on it, and "try again in a few minutes" would never come true.
+        raise refused(404, "video_preparing")
     if job is None or asset is None or asset.status != "ready" or not asset.rel_path:
         raise refused(404, "video_gone")
     # Verify the file is actually on disk here (not just flagged ready), so the watch page never

backend/app/routes/saved_views.py

@@ -4,15 +4,14 @@ from sqlalchemy import func, select, update
 from sqlalchemy.exc import IntegrityError
 from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
 
-from app.auth import require_human
+from app.auth import current_user
 from app.db import get_db
 from app.models import SavedView, User
 from app.routes._common import owned_or_404
 from app.refusal import refused
 
 # Saved "smart views": per-user named snapshots of a module's filters (feed or plex, keyed by
-# `source`). Gated behind require_human so the shared demo account can't pollute a communal list
-# (mirrors how other personal-state writes are scoped).
+# `source`).
 router = APIRouter(prefix="/api/saved-views", tags=["saved-views"])
 
 # The modules that own saved views. A view is scoped to exactly one; the default is "feed" so a caller
@@ -37,7 +36,7 @@ def _serialize(v: SavedView) -> dict:
 @router.get("")
 def list_views(
     source: str = "feed",
-    user: User = Depends(require_human),
+    user: User = Depends(current_user),
     db: Session = Depends(get_db),
 ) -> list[dict]:
     source = _norm_source(source)
@@ -55,7 +54,7 @@ def list_views(
 
 # A feed view's tag pick is read by more than the feed: the autotag job keeps every tag a view names
 # (sync/autotag.py). Held here to the shape the feed sends — a list of tag ids, at most this many — so
-# a hand-made body (`"tags": 5`, or 60k ids) can't break that job for every user (E32 review).
+# a hand-made body (`"tags": 5`, or 60k ids) can't break that job for every user.
 _MAX_VIEW_TAGS = 500
 
 
@@ -81,7 +80,7 @@ class CreateViewIn(BaseModel):
 @router.post("")
 def create_view(
     body: CreateViewIn,
-    user: User = Depends(require_human),
+    user: User = Depends(current_user),
     db: Session = Depends(get_db),
 ) -> dict:
     name = body.name.strip()
@@ -124,7 +123,7 @@ class UpdateViewIn(BaseModel):
 def update_view(
     view_id: int,
     body: UpdateViewIn,
-    user: User = Depends(require_human),
+    user: User = Depends(current_user),
     db: Session = Depends(get_db),
 ) -> dict:
     view = owned_or_404(db, SavedView, view_id, user, what="view")
@@ -163,7 +162,7 @@ def update_view(
 @router.delete("/{view_id}")
 def delete_view(
     view_id: int,
-    user: User = Depends(require_human),
+    user: User = Depends(current_user),
     db: Session = Depends(get_db),
 ) -> dict:
     view = owned_or_404(db, SavedView, view_id, user, what="view")
@@ -179,7 +178,7 @@ class ReorderViewsIn(BaseModel):
 @router.post("/reorder")
 def reorder_views(
     body: ReorderViewsIn,
-    user: User = Depends(require_human),
+    user: User = Depends(current_user),
     db: Session = Depends(get_db),
 ) -> dict:
     ids = body.ids

backend/app/routes/search.py

@@ -5,8 +5,8 @@ with the normal feed cards + in-app player and gain per-user state (watch / save
 source is admin-selectable (``search_source``): **scrape** (InnerTube, the website's own
 endpoint, zero API quota — the default) or **api** (search.list, **100 quota units per page**).
 Either way it's gated behind a per-user daily cap, the API source additionally behind a budget
-pre-check, and only real users (never the shared demo account) may call it. The result ids are
-enriched through the cheap shared videos.list path (1 unit / 50) regardless of source.
+pre-check. The result ids are enriched through the cheap shared videos.list path (1 unit / 50)
+regardless of source.
 
 Ingested results are flagged (videos.via_search / channels.from_search) so the Library can hide
 this search-discovered "noise" by default. Shorts and currently-live/upcoming videos are never
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ from sqlalchemy.dialects.postgresql import insert as pg_insert
 from sqlalchemy.orm import Session, aliased
 
 from app import logs, quota, sysconfig
-from app.auth import require_human
+from app.auth import current_user
 from app.db import get_db
 from app.models import (
     LIVE_OR_UPCOMING,
@@ -251,7 +251,7 @@ def search_youtube(
     q: str | None = None,
     cursor: str | None = None,
     limit: int = 20,
-    user: User = Depends(require_human),
+    user: User = Depends(current_user),
     db: Session = Depends(get_db),
 ) -> dict:
     """Live YouTube search results materialised into the catalog. `limit` is how many results to
@@ -402,7 +402,7 @@ class ClearSearchIn(BaseModel):
 @router.post("/clear")
 def clear_search(
     body: ClearSearchIn,
-    user: User = Depends(require_human),
+    user: User = Depends(current_user),
     db: Session = Depends(get_db),
 ) -> dict:
     """Discard the given live-search results "as if never added": drop this user's search-finds

backend/app/routes/setup.py

@@ -71,10 +71,10 @@ def setup_admin(body: SetupAdminIn, db: Session = Depends(require_setup)) -> dic
         raise refused(400, "invalid_email")
     if len(password) < PASSWORD_MIN_LEN:
         raise refused(400, "weak_password", min=PASSWORD_MIN_LEN)
-    # Resolve canonically, not by the literal string (DX-17). The wizard can be re-run, and E9.5's
-    # whole point is that two spellings of one Gmail mailbox are one person — matching literally here
-    # would let a second run under the other spelling create the DUPLICATE admin row the epic exists
-    # to prevent. Every other lookup went canonical in S3; this one was outside that diff.
+    # Resolve canonically, not by the literal string (DX-17). The wizard can be re-run, and the
+    # whole point of canonical email is that two spellings of one Gmail mailbox are one person —
+    # matching literally here would let a second run under the other spelling create the DUPLICATE
+    # admin row it exists to prevent. Every other lookup was canonical already; this one was missed.
     user = db.execute(
         select(User).where(User.email_canonical == canonical_email(email))
     ).scalar_one_or_none()

backend/app/routes/sync.py

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
 
 from app import audit, quota, state
 from app.audit import AuditAction
-from app.auth import admin_user, current_user, has_read_scope, require_human
+from app.auth import admin_user, current_user, has_read_scope
 from app.db import get_db
 from app.models import Channel, Subscription, User, Video
 from app.routes._common import youtube_refusal
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ _sync_limiter = RateLimiter(max_events=3, window_seconds=600)
 
 
 @router.post("/subscriptions")
-def sync_subscriptions(user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db)) -> dict:
+def sync_subscriptions(user: User = Depends(current_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)) -> dict:
     if not has_read_scope(user):
         # No YouTube read grant yet — the onboarding wizard hasn't been completed.
         raise refused(403, "youtube_read_scope")
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ def sync_subscriptions(user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depend
             result = import_subscriptions(db, user)
     except YouTubeError as exc:
         # The onboarding wizard's first call: an unguarded failure here was a raw 500 and the
-        # blocking "Server error" dialog, with nothing the user could act on (E9 F1).
+        # blocking "Server error" dialog, with nothing the user could act on.
         db.rollback()
         raise youtube_refusal(exc) from exc
     result["quota_used_estimate"] = m.used
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ def my_status(user: User = Depends(current_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db))
 
 @router.post("/deep-all")
 def deep_all(
-    user: User = Depends(require_human),
+    user: User = Depends(current_user),
     db: Session = Depends(get_db),
     on: bool = True,
 ) -> dict:

backend/app/scheduler.py

@@ -13,9 +13,8 @@ from app import audit, debugsession, logs, logsink, progress, quota
 from app.audit import AuditAction
 from app.config import settings
 from app.db import SessionLocal
-from app.demo import reset_demo_state
 from app.downloads.gc import run_download_gc
-from app.models import SchedulerSetting, User
+from app.models import SchedulerSetting
 from app.plex.sync import sync as run_plex_sync
 from app.plex.tmdb import run_enrich as run_tmdb_enrich
 from app.plex.tmdb import run_people_enrich
@@ -63,7 +62,6 @@ JOB_INTERVALS: dict[str, int] = {
     "subscriptions": settings.subscriptions_resync_minutes,
     "playlist_sync": settings.playlist_sync_minutes,
     "maintenance": settings.maintenance_interval_minutes,
-    "demo_reset": settings.demo_reset_minutes,
     "explore_cleanup": settings.explore_cleanup_minutes,
     "download_gc": settings.download_gc_minutes,
     "plex_sync": settings.plex_sync_interval_min,
@@ -108,10 +106,6 @@ def apply_interval(db, job_id: str, minutes: int) -> int:
     return minutes
 
 
-def _now_iso() -> str:
-    return datetime.now(timezone.utc).isoformat()
-
-
 def _record(name: str, **fields) -> None:
     with _activity_lock:
         _activity.setdefault(name, {}).update(fields)
@@ -139,8 +133,7 @@ def _notify_done(
 def _run_changed(result) -> bool:
     """Did an automatic job run actually do something worth an audit row? (No-op polls don't.)
     A "change" = a truthy NUMERIC count; status-string dicts like {"skipped": "disabled"} (Plex
-    off — the default) or {"skipped": "no demo account"} are no-ops, not changes, so they don't
-    flood the trail every interval."""
+    off — the default) are no-ops, not changes, so they don't flood the trail every interval."""
     if result is None:
         return False
     if isinstance(result, dict):
@@ -161,7 +154,7 @@ def _audit_run(db, actor_id, job_id, status, summary, result) -> None:
     they changed something, so routine no-op polls don't spam the trail. Best-effort."""
     if actor_id is None and status == "ok" and not _run_changed(result):
         return
-    # The result as data too (E30): the audit log names it in the reader's language, as the inbox
+    # The result as data too: the audit log names it in the reader's language, as the inbox
     # does; `summary` stays the English line of the row's own summary column.
     data = _result_data(result)
     try:
@@ -190,7 +183,7 @@ def _job(name: str, fn) -> None:
     db = SessionLocal()
     actor_id = _manual_actor.get()  # set only for a manual "run now" trigger
     _record(
-        name, last_started=_now_iso(), last_error=None, progress=None
+        name, last_started=datetime.now(timezone.utc).isoformat(), last_error=None, progress=None
     )  # running already claimed
 
     def sink(current, total, phase):
@@ -202,7 +195,7 @@ def _job(name: str, fn) -> None:
             _record(
                 name,
                 status="skipped",
-                last_finished=_now_iso(),
+                last_finished=datetime.now(timezone.utc).isoformat(),
                 last_result="paused",
                 result=_PAUSED,
                 progress=None,
@@ -219,7 +212,7 @@ def _job(name: str, fn) -> None:
         _record(
             name,
             status="ok",
-            last_finished=_now_iso(),
+            last_finished=datetime.now(timezone.utc).isoformat(),
             last_result=summary,
             result=data,
             progress=None,
@@ -239,7 +232,7 @@ def _job(name: str, fn) -> None:
         _record(
             name,
             status="error",
-            last_finished=_now_iso(),
+            last_finished=datetime.now(timezone.utc).isoformat(),
             last_error=err,
             result=failure,
             progress=None,
@@ -259,7 +252,7 @@ _PAUSED = {"skipped": "sync paused"}
 
 
 def _result_data(result) -> dict | None:
-    """A job's result as the client names it in the reader's language (E30): the dict itself (counts,
+    """A job's result as the client names it in the reader's language: the dict itself (counts,
     a `skipped` / `reason` word, a nested dict per phase), `enrich`'s bare count as one. The one-line
     `_summarize` is the English fallback."""
     if isinstance(result, dict):
@@ -370,17 +363,6 @@ def _maintenance_job() -> None:
     _job("maintenance", work)
 
 
-def _demo_reset_job() -> None:
-    # Auto-clean the shared demo sandbox. No-op (and never creates one) if there's no demo account.
-    def work(db):
-        demo = db.query(User).filter(User.is_demo.is_(True)).one_or_none()
-        if demo is None:
-            return {"skipped": "no demo account"}
-        return {"playlists_seeded": reset_demo_state(db, demo)}
-
-    _job("demo_reset", work)
-
-
 def _explore_cleanup_job() -> None:
     # Reclaim un-kept ephemeral discovery content (explored channels + live-search results) after
     # their grace periods. 0 quota (pure DB), so no quota attribution.
@@ -419,7 +401,7 @@ def _tmdb_enrich_job() -> None:
 
 
 def _people_enrich_job() -> None:
-    # Make the people local (E30 S6): a batch of person bios from TMDB and a batch of portraits resized
+    # Make the people local: a batch of person bios from TMDB and a batch of portraits resized
     # through Plex, so a person page and a cast strip never wait on an outside service.
     _job("people_enrich", run_people_enrich)
 
@@ -446,7 +428,7 @@ def _log_gc_job() -> None:
 
         days = sysconfig.get_int(db, "log_retention_days")
         reaped = logsink.gc(db, days)
-        # Debug sessions (E16) go with the rows they bundle; an open one past its cap is closed.
+        # Debug sessions go with the rows they bundle; an open one past its cap is closed.
         closed = debugsession.sweep(db)
         sessions = debugsession.gc(db, days)
         db.commit()
@@ -466,7 +448,6 @@ JOB_FUNCS: dict[str, Callable[[], None]] = {
     "subscriptions": _subscriptions_job,
     "playlist_sync": _playlist_sync_job,
     "maintenance": _maintenance_job,
-    "demo_reset": _demo_reset_job,
     "explore_cleanup": _explore_cleanup_job,
     "download_gc": _download_gc_job,
     "plex_sync": _plex_sync_job,

backend/app/sync/autotag.py

@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ _TOPIC_SLUGS = {
     "Fashion": "Fashion & Beauty",
     "Physical_attractiveness": "Fashion & Beauty",
     # YouTube links the British page (…/wiki/Humour); the key was "Humor", so no channel ever got Comedy
-    # from its topic (E30).
+    # from its topic.
     "Humour": "Comedy",
     "Entertainment": "Entertainment",
     "Film": "Film",
@@ -300,11 +300,11 @@ def _cleanup_orphan_system_tags(db: Session) -> int:
     """Delete system tags that no longer link to any channel (e.g. after a mapping change) — but not
     one a saved feed view filters on. Views hold tag IDS, and a deleted tag comes back under a new id
     when a channel earns it again, so the view's filter would point at nothing; the feed drops an
-    unknown id, and the view showed the whole feed under its old name (E32 S2).
+    unknown id, and the view showed the whole feed under its old name.
 
     The views are read defensively, and the kept ids are filtered here rather than in SQL: a view
     stored before its route checked the shape (or written around it) must not raise for everyone's
-    job, nor push a `NOT IN` past the driver's bind-parameter limit (E32 review)."""
+    job, nor push a `NOT IN` past the driver's bind-parameter limit."""
     in_views = {
         t
         for (filters,) in db.execute(select(SavedView.filters).where(SavedView.source == "feed"))

backend/app/sync/explore.py

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ stay private to users who explored (or subscribe to) the channel — the feed qu
 otherwise the cleanup job hard-deletes the channel and its untouched ephemeral videos after a
 grace period (mirrors the maintenance job's grace-then-delete safety)."""
 
-from datetime import timedelta
+from datetime import datetime, timedelta, timezone
 
 from sqlalchemy import delete, or_, select
 from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@ from app.models import (
     VideoState,
 )
 from app.sync.videos import insert_stubs, stub_from_playlist_item, apply_video_details
-from app.utils import now_utc as _now
 from app.youtube.client import YouTubeClient, YouTubeError, is_playlist_gone
 
 log = logs.get_logger(__name__)
@@ -59,7 +58,7 @@ def _enrich_new(db: Session, yt: YouTubeClient, video_ids: list[str]) -> int:
     if not videos:
         return 0
     items = {it["id"]: it for it in yt.get_videos([v.id for v in videos])}
-    now = _now()
+    now = datetime.now(timezone.utc)
     for video in videos:
         item = items.get(video.id)
         if item is None:
@@ -115,7 +114,7 @@ def purge_unkept_explored(db: Session) -> dict:
         or surfaced by the user's own search (SearchFind) — these survive even if the channel goes.
     A channel row is dropped only once it holds no videos at all. 0 quota."""
     grace_days = sysconfig.get_int(db, "explore_grace_days")
-    cutoff = _now() - timedelta(days=grace_days)
+    cutoff = datetime.now(timezone.utc) - timedelta(days=grace_days)
 
     expired = db.execute(
         delete(ExploredChannel).where(ExploredChannel.created_at < cutoff)
@@ -166,7 +165,7 @@ def purge_unkept_search(db: Session, grace_days: int | None = None) -> dict:
     SearchFinds. `grace_days=0` purges immediately (the admin "purge now" path); None uses config.
     0 quota."""
     grace = sysconfig.get_int(db, "search_grace_days") if grace_days is None else grace_days
-    cutoff = _now() - timedelta(days=grace)
+    cutoff = datetime.now(timezone.utc) - timedelta(days=grace)
     state_exists = select(VideoState.id).where(VideoState.video_id == Video.id).exists()
     pl_exists = select(PlaylistItem.id).where(PlaylistItem.video_id == Video.id).exists()
     sub_exists = select(Subscription.id).where(Subscription.channel_id == Video.channel_id).exists()

backend/app/sync/maintenance.py

@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ Quota: phase 1 costs ~(flagged / 50) units, phase 2 ~(batch / 50). Both respect
 backfill reserve as the other jobs so interactive syncs never starve.
 """
 
-from datetime import datetime, timedelta
+from datetime import datetime, timedelta, timezone
 
 from sqlalchemy import or_, select
 from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
@@ -31,7 +31,6 @@ from app.models import Playlist, PlaylistItem, Video
 from app.notifications import create_notification
 from app.sync.runner import get_service_user
 from app.sync.videos import apply_video_details, parse_dt
-from app.utils import now_utc as _now
 from app.youtube.client import YouTubeClient
 
 log = logs.get_logger(__name__)
@@ -60,7 +59,7 @@ def _is_abandoned_upcoming(item: dict) -> bool:
     scheduled = parse_dt(live.get("scheduledStartTime"))
     if scheduled is None:
         return False
-    return _now() - scheduled > timedelta(days=2)
+    return datetime.now(timezone.utc) - scheduled > timedelta(days=2)
 
 
 def _evaluate(video: Video, item: dict | None) -> str | None:
@@ -191,7 +190,7 @@ def _revalidate_rolling(db: Session, yt: YouTubeClient, now: datetime) -> dict:
                 .where(Video.unavailable_since.is_(None))
                 # Not one this run already checked: with fewer available videos than the batch, the
                 # loop used to wrap around and re-fetch the same ones until `checked` reached the
-                # batch, spending quota on answers it already had (E32 S2).
+                # batch, spending quota on answers it already had.
                 .where(or_(Video.last_checked_at.is_(None), Video.last_checked_at < now))
                 # NULLS FIRST = never-checked first, then least-recently-checked; equivalent to the old
                 # `(last_checked_at IS NULL) DESC, last_checked_at ASC` but in the exact shape of the
@@ -225,7 +224,7 @@ def run_maintenance(db: Session) -> dict:
         return {"reason": "no service user"}
     # One `now` for the whole run: each phase taking its own let a video phase 1 had just recovered
     # (stamped with phase 1's) pass phase 2's "not checked this run" test and be fetched twice.
-    now = _now()
+    now = datetime.now(timezone.utc)
     with YouTubeClient(db, user) as yt:
         phase1 = _recheck_flagged(db, yt, now)
         phase2 = (

backend/app/sync/playlists.py

@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ def _load_baseline(pl: Playlist) -> tuple[list[str] | None, set[str]]:
 
 def parse_baseline(pl: Playlist) -> list[str] | None:
     """The last-synced ordered id set, or None when no baseline has been recorded yet (a fresh
-    export, or a link created before S7). None makes the first merge union losslessly."""
+    export, or an older link). None makes the first merge union losslessly."""
     return _load_baseline(pl)[0]
 
 
@@ -209,7 +209,7 @@ def _set_baseline_under_lock(
     meanwhile — lock the list and derive `dirty` from what is there, or the edit would read as
     synced and never reach YouTube. The name too: the lock re-reads a rename made meanwhile, and a
     baseline taken over THAT name matched it, so the list read clean with YouTube's title still the
-    old one (E28 review round 4)."""
+    old one."""
     _lock_or_gone(db, pl)
     _set_baseline(pl, ids, unavailable, name=name)
     recompute_dirty(db, pl)
@@ -322,7 +322,7 @@ def user_sync_claim(db: Session, user_id: int) -> AbstractContextManager[bool]:
 def _mirror_listing(yt: YouTubeClient, ytid: str, count: object, pl_id: int) -> list[str] | None:
     """A mirror's video ids from YouTube, or None when there is nothing to believe: the list was
     deleted between the pull's listing and this read (the next pull drops the mirror as vanished —
-    not a reason to fail every other list, E32 review round 2), or YouTube listed no items for a
+    not a reason to fail every other list), or YouTube listed no items for a
     list it counts as non-empty (`blank_listing`)."""
     try:
         ids = list(yt.iter_my_playlist_video_ids(ytid))

backend/app/sync/runner.py

@@ -187,7 +187,7 @@ def run_rss_poll(db: Session, channels: list[Channel] | None = None) -> dict[str
         # "fix this subscription"; `Connection refused` says "the egress is down".
         # The fallback's count rides along: a red card during an RSS outage should still say
         # whether the uploads are arriving another way.
-        # As data too (E31): the audit log and the inbox say it in the reader's language, the first
+        # As data too: the audit log and the inbox say it in the reader's language, the first
         # failure as its channel and its reason code (`http_404` vs `transport` is that difference).
         first_channel, first_reason = first_failure or ("", "error")
         raise progress.JobFailed(

backend/app/sync/subscriptions.py

@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ def should_prune(fetched_count: int, existing_count: int) -> bool:
 def vanished[K, V](existing: dict[K, V], listed: Collection[K]) -> list[V]:
     """The local mirrors whose key the remote listing no longer has — none at all when the listing
     is an empty answer that contradicts them (`should_prune`). The YouTube playlist mirrors use it:
-    without it, one blip dropped every mirror (E32 S2)."""
+    without it, one blip dropped every mirror."""
     if not should_prune(len(listed), len(existing)):
         return []
     return [row for key, row in existing.items() if key not in listed]
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ def vanished[K, V](existing: dict[K, V], listed: Collection[K]) -> list[V]:
 def blank_listing(listed: Collection, count: object) -> bool:
     """The same rule one level down: no members from a container whose own listing counts some (a
     playlist's `itemCount`) is a blip, not a list emptied. Replacing or merging on it deleted every
-    mirrored item and reset the merge baseline (E32 review)."""
+    mirrored item and reset the merge baseline."""
     return not listed and isinstance(count, int) and count > 0
 
 

backend/app/sync/tagsuggest.py

@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ result (measured on real data: every untagged channel got a suggestion, most on
 alone). Topic overlap is what makes "you tagged similar channels this way" meaningful.
 
 Purely read-only and deterministic — the Channel Manager surfaces the result as one-tap-accept
-"ghost" chips; nothing is written here (D4 = suggest-and-confirm, no silent auto-apply). The
+"ghost" chips; nothing is written here (suggest-and-confirm, never a silent auto-apply). The
 thresholds are tuning constants rather than admin knobs on purpose: they mirror how ``autotag.py``
 keeps its mappings inline, and sysconfig only stores int/str/bool (no float), so a knob would mean
 storing percentages — not worth the surface for values an operator has no reason to tune per-install.