fix(venue): fly in once per set, not before every song

Tester, mid-gig: "the second song in the gig started when the first one ended.
But it showed the flyover intro again."

The flyover is arriving at the venue, and you arrive once. #968 stopped it
replaying on an arrangement SWITCH (same filename), but a gig's song 2 is a
genuinely different file, so it took the full-teardown path and played the
arrival flyover again — the camera flew in from the back of the room before
every track of the set.

The play queue now answers isContinuation(): false for the first song of a set
(or a standalone play — an arrival), true for song 2..N. onSongLoaded carries
the room over to the new song's loop on a continuation, and only a real arrival
plays the intro.

Verified on the built AppImage: isContinuation goes false (song 1) -> true
(song 2) across an advance, and song 2 no longer flies in.

Also confirmed NOT a bug, same session: "didn't show the author for the second
song." The credits card shows on a queue advance whenever the song carries
authors — reproduced with a song that has them as the advanced-to track. The
tester's song 2 simply had no `authors:` metadata (most auto-converted feedpaks
don't). No code change.

Tests: isContinuation across start/advance/clear, and that onSongLoaded gates the
flyover on the continuation check. Both fail on pre-fix source. JS 1214/1214.

.github/pull_request_template.md

@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+## What
+
+<!-- What does this PR do, and why? Link the issue it addresses. -->
+
+## feedpak surface
+
+<!-- The feedpak spec is sacrosanct: the spec defines the format, this app implements it.
+     Delete this section ONLY if your change doesn't touch how the app reads or writes packs. -->
+
+- [ ] This PR does **not** change how the app reads/writes feedpaks (manifest keys, pack files, folder layout)
+- [ ] …or it does, and the spec change landed first via the [FEP process](https://github.com/got-feedback/feedpak-spec/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md) — FEP / spec PR: `got-feedback/feedpak-spec#___` (once it merges, re-run this PR's checks and the gate goes green)
+
+## Checklist
+
+- [ ] `CHANGELOG.md` `[Unreleased]` updated (user-visible changes)
+- [ ] Tests added/updated for new behaviour
+- [ ] Commits are DCO signed off (`git commit -s`)

.github/workflows/ci.yml

@@ -124,6 +124,94 @@ jobs:
           print(f"Validated {len(manifests)} manifest(s) — OK")
           EOF
 
+  feedpak-spec:
+    # Guard that core stays faithful to the feedpak format spec, which lives in
+    # its own repo (got-feedback/feedpak-spec) and is the contract third-party
+    # packers and players build against. Four surface checks: core reads/writes
+    # only manifest keys the spec declares (and the scanned-module list can't
+    # fall behind); the exception allowlist never grows, so the FEP process is
+    # the only way a new key lands; core ingests the spec's example packs; packs
+    # committed here pass the spec's reference validator. Motivated by
+    # #933, where a manifest key (`original_audio`) shipped in core without ever
+    # reaching the spec.
+    #
+    # The gate checks against the spec repo's HEAD, deliberately: the app must
+    # conform to the LIVING spec, always. The dev flow is self-serve — a gated
+    # PR opens a FEP, the spec PR merges, re-running this job goes green; no
+    # pin file to bump, nothing to maintain. Accepted trade-off: a BREAKING
+    # spec change (rare, deliberate, MAJOR per the spec's compatibility policy)
+    # reddens every PR here until core conforms — which is the correct
+    # org-wide signal that the app is out of conformance. The normal FEP is
+    # additive and can never redden this job.
+    name: feedpak-spec
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        # This job runs repository code (tools/check_spec_conformance.py) and
+        # never pushes; don't leave the token in git config for it.
+        # fetch-depth: 0 so the base branch is available — the gate must prove
+        # the exception allowlist didn't grow in this PR.
+        with:
+          persist-credentials: false
+          fetch-depth: 0
+
+      - uses: actions/setup-python@v5
+        with:
+          python-version: '3.12'
+          cache: 'pip'
+
+      - name: Check out feedpak-spec at HEAD
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          repository: got-feedback/feedpak-spec
+          ref: main
+          path: .feedpak-spec
+          persist-credentials: false
+
+      - name: Record the spec commit this run verified against
+        # HEAD-tracking means CI results can differ across time on the same
+        # commit. Log the exact spec SHA so a red run is reproducible.
+        run: git -C .feedpak-spec rev-parse HEAD
+
+      - name: Install dependencies
+        run: |
+          python -m pip install --upgrade pip
+          pip install -r requirements.txt
+          # CI-only: the spec's reference validator needs jsonschema. Not a
+          # runtime dependency — this gate never runs on the serve/Docker path
+          # (constitution Principle I). Pinned for the same reason the spec SHA
+          # is: an upstream release must not turn this job red on a PR that
+          # changed neither this repo nor the spec.
+          pip install 'jsonschema==4.26.0'
+
+      - name: Fetch the base branch's exception allowlist
+        id: baseline
+        run: |
+          # The allowlist is closed: it grandfathers keys that predate this gate
+          # and may only shrink. Prove that by diffing against the base branch —
+          # without this, anyone could append an entry and route around the FEP
+          # process from inside this repo.
+          #
+          # Resolve the base rather than hardcoding `main`: ship-ci.yml also runs
+          # this workflow for PRs into release/** and for pushes to release/**,
+          # where a main baseline would diff against the wrong branch.
+          #   PR   -> the branch it merges into
+          #   push -> the branch itself (its tip already contains the change, so
+          #           this is a no-op; enforcement happens at PR time)
+          BASE="${{ github.event.pull_request.base.ref || github.ref_name }}"
+          echo "diffing the allowlist against origin/$BASE"
+          git fetch --no-tags --depth=1 origin "$BASE"
+          if git cat-file -e FETCH_HEAD:feedpak-spec-exceptions.yml 2>/dev/null; then
+            git show FETCH_HEAD:feedpak-spec-exceptions.yml > "$RUNNER_TEMP/baseline-exceptions.yml"
+            echo "args=--baseline-exceptions $RUNNER_TEMP/baseline-exceptions.yml" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          else
+            # Only true until the PR that introduces this gate lands.
+            echo "args=--bootstrap-allowlist" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          fi
+
+      - name: Check feedpak spec conformance
+        run: python tools/check_spec_conformance.py --spec .feedpak-spec ${{ steps.baseline.outputs.args }}
+
   lint:
     # Maintainer/CI-only size + module-hygiene gate (constitution Principle I:
     # dev tooling, never on the serve/Docker path — same category as

.gitignore

@@ -24,6 +24,9 @@ plugins/*/
 !plugins/achievements/
 !plugins/achievements/**
 plugins/achievements/__pycache__/
+!plugins/career/
+!plugins/career/**
+plugins/career/__pycache__/
 !plugins/highway_3d/
 !plugins/highway_3d/**
 plugins/highway_3d/__pycache__/

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -7,6 +7,191 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+### Added
+- **Gold tier (career passports)** — an earned badge turns **gold** when
+  Virtuoso verifies an improvised jam in the passport's style (the
+  `gold_improv` artifact relays with the drill snapshot; a genre inherits its
+  family's style, gained-only, and gold never substitutes for the badge bar
+  itself). Gold gets its own ceremony, stamp slam, foil chip, and gold ink on
+  the shelf cover, profile wall, and passport card; the bronze page's "Gold
+  rung coming" preview becomes a live invitation to jam it.
+- **Gigs (the career verb, frontend)** — book a gig from any opened passport:
+  a gig poster proposes the setlist (re-roll for a different bill; save or
+  copy the poster as a PNG), "Play the gig" hands the set to the play queue
+  with the venue on stage, a floating strip tracks the set, and finishing it
+  logs dated entries with per-song accuracies in the passport book — with an
+  encore celebration (crowd eruption + confetti) when the whole set clears
+  the bar, and a summary poster to share. Quitting mid-set simply abandons
+  it: no log, no fail state.
+- **Career on the Profile and Home pages** — the Profile gains a passport
+  wall (earned-badge covers per instrument, hours, gig count; absent until a
+  passport exists), injected through the same mount-point + rendered-event
+  seam the achievements plugin uses (now documented in docs/plugin-v3-ui.md).
+  The home page's plugin-count stat tile becomes a career trading card
+  (badges, hours, the closest stamp ask, foil shine) with the old stat as the
+  built-in fallback when career has no state. Earned passports gain **Save
+  card / Copy card** — a natively-drawn PNG passport card, downloadable or
+  copied straight to the clipboard for pasting outside the app (shared
+  `blob-io` helpers replace the download idiom previously duplicated in
+  settings-io and diagnostics-export).
+- **Gigs (backend)** — career mode gains its verb: `POST
+  /api/plugins/career/gigs/propose` builds a playable setlist for an
+  instrument+genre (your qualifying songs plus a couple of stakes songs near
+  the bar; a young passport fills from unplayed genre songs — the first gig
+  is how stubs start; re-roll by calling again), naming the room your stars
+  can book. `POST /gigs` logs a **completed** set — per-song accuracies read
+  from the set's own freshly-recorded stats, an encore flag at the
+  data-driven bar (avg ≥ 75%) — into the career state; abandoned sets never
+  log (no fail state: the gig you finished is the gig you played). Passports
+  carry their gig log; instruments their gig count.
+
+### Changed
+- **`GET /api/song/{f}?stems=1`** (new, opt-in) — returns the pack's playable stem
+  list (`[{id, url, default}]` + `full_mix_url`), the same list the highway's WS
+  `ready` sends. The stems plugin could only learn it from that WS message, which
+  arrives once the highway is already on screen — so it decoded and then copied the
+  whole song's PCM to its audio worklet with the player visible: over half a gigabyte
+  of memcpy in one frame for a 6-stem pack, a measured 698 ms freeze right as the
+  song-credits card appeared. With the list available at `song:loading` the plugin
+  does all of it before the highway is drawn. Built by calling `load_song` itself, so
+  it cannot drift from what the WS sends. Opt-in, so the library's metadata calls pay
+  nothing.
+- **Folder library renders only the songs on screen** (#965) — a song list used to
+  render *every* song it held. On a flat 50,944-song library that was one `<div>`
+  with 50,938 children and ~1.3 **million** DOM nodes (~4.2 GB of renderer memory),
+  built even while another screen was showing. A document that size also punishes
+  unrelated code: any `document.querySelector` that misses has to walk the whole
+  tree — which is how the song-preview menu check ended up eating ~50% of the
+  renderer and dropping the app to 2.7 fps. Lists longer than 200 songs are now
+  windowed (25–31 rows in the DOM instead of 50,000); shorter lists are unchanged.
+- **The full mix is a stem** (#933) — core no longer depends on `original_audio:`, a
+  top-level manifest key this repo invented (#583) that the feedpak spec never had.
+  The format already carried the pre-separation mixdown as a stem; feedpak 1.15.0
+  (feedpak-spec#53) reserves the id **`full`** for it, so that is where core reads it
+  from now.
+
+  `full` is a mixdown, not a layer — it already contains every instrument — so
+  `load_song()` lifts it OUT of `LoadedSloppak.stems` onto `LoadedSloppak.full_mix`.
+  Nothing that sums stems or renders one fader per stem can see it, which is what
+  makes retaining it safe; leaving it in the list would double the whole song and
+  leave "guitar" audible with the guitar fader muted. That trap is exactly why the
+  packer invented the key instead of putting the mixdown where the format says it
+  goes — the bug was in the reader, and this fixes the reader.
+
+  Consequences worth knowing:
+  - The highway WS `song_info` frame gains `full_mix_url` / `has_full_mix`.
+    `original_audio_url` / `has_original_audio` remain as **deprecated aliases**
+    (same values) for one release so a client built against the old frame keeps
+    working; they go with the fallback below (#945).
+  - `stems` on `song_info`, and `stem_ids` / `stem_count` in the library index, now
+    describe *instrument* stems only — a separated pack that retains its mixdown no
+    longer advertises a bogus "full" stem chip or an inflated stem count.
+  - Audio fingerprinting (`lib/enrichment.py`) now resolves the mixdown the same
+    way, which **widens** its coverage: it previously returned `None` for any pack
+    without the invented key, so fingerprinting silently did nothing for the
+    overwhelming majority of packs.
+  - Core still **reads** `original_audio:` as a deprecated fallback, because every
+    pack written before the spec caught up carries it and would otherwise lose its
+    pristine mix. `tools/migrate_full_mix_stem.py` rewrites those packs into the
+    spec shape (moves `original/full.ogg` → `stems/full.ogg`, adds the `full` stem
+    at `default: off`, drops the key); the fallback and the aliases are removed once
+    they are migrated (#945).
+
+### Added
+- **Genres fall back to MusicBrainz enrichment** — the effective genre now
+  resolves override → pack genre → the enrichment match's primary genre
+  (matched or user-pinned manual rows only). Converted packs rarely carry a `genres` manifest key,
+  which starved the library genre facet and career passports on real
+  libraries; with the fallback, every enriched song's genre is browsable and
+  passport-able immediately, and coverage grows as enrichment runs.
+- **Badge ceremony in the venue** — earning a genre badge now stages a moment:
+  the crowd layer erupts (new public `v3VenueCrowd.celebrate()` — instant
+  ecstatic loop bypassing the stability/dwell hysteresis, plus a cheer stinger;
+  a no-op without a venue pack) and a full-screen overlay drops the bronze
+  stamp with a shine sweep and a confetti burst over whatever screen is active
+  (badges land right after `stats:recorded`, while the player is still up).
+  Click or wait ~4s to dismiss; `prefers-reduced-motion` gets the existing
+  chime + notification only. The stamp still slams into the passport book on
+  next open, unchanged.
+- **Hours-per-genre odometer (career passports)** — the app now measures real
+  play time: the stats recorder accrues **wall-clock** seconds across
+  play/resume ↔ pause/stop/end spans (wall time, not song position — position
+  deltas double-count A-B loops and mis-read seeks; single spans clamp at 2h
+  against suspend/sleep inflation) and piggybacks them as `seconds` on the
+  `POST /api/stats` calls it already makes. New additive
+  `song_stats.seconds_total` column; a seconds-only POST banks time for
+  unscored plays that run to the song's natural end without touching the
+  resume position (and still counts as playing today for the streak).
+  Passports surface it honestly: "14.2 h in Blues" under the badge and on the
+  shelf cover — a true fact that only grows, never a target or a meter.
+- **Career passport drills, curated** — Bronze in blues/rock/metal/funk/jazz
+  now also asks for that genre's signature Virtuoso drill (Blues Shuffle,
+  Power Chords & Backbeat, Gallop Picking, 16th Pocket, Shell Voicings — one
+  per genre, data-driven in `passports.json` with display labels). Drill
+  lists are per-instrument (`virtuoso_nodes: {instrument: [nodes]}`; a flat
+  list still means guitar), so a keys passport never demands a guitar drill.
+  A drill counts as cleared on the first real completion artifact — a
+  top-tier clean pass in one key (`keysCleared`), any depth rung, or
+  mastery — rather than only the maxed-speed depth flips. Genres without a
+  curated drill stay songs-only.
+- **Career passport visuals pack** — earned covers and badge stamps become
+  trading cards (pointer-tracked tilt + light glint, hover-capable devices
+  only); the ghost stamp visibly "carves in" as qualifying songs land (a
+  conic ink fill, no numbers added); the Gold rung preview is a small foil
+  chip with a shimmer sweep, still honestly labeled coming. All theatrics
+  disabled under `prefers-reduced-motion`.
+- **Career passports (backend)** — the badge-journey layer on top of career stars.
+  New career-plugin endpoints: `GET /api/plugins/career/passports` (per-instrument
+  passport walls: genre badges computed on read from `song_stats` × the library's
+  effective genre — Bronze = N genre songs at K★, data-driven in
+  `plugins/career/passports.json`, default 5 songs at 2★ — plus qualifying-song
+  "ticket stubs", the library genre list, and drill status), `POST /passports/commit`
+  (instrument commitment), `POST /passports/open` (open a genre
+  passport), and `POST /drill-state` (intake for the relayed Virtuoso
+  `virtuoso.progress` snapshot, so drill requirements can gate badges
+  server-side). Badges are never stored; the only persisted state (commitments,
+  opened passports, drill snapshot) lives under `CONFIG_DIR/career/` and rides the
+  settings export/import bundle via `settings.server_files`. Instruments are
+  attributed via the existing progression arrangement→instrument mapping;
+  non-graded instruments (bass, drums) render shown-not-judged — repertoire
+  without a pass bar, never a false badge denial.
+- **Career passports (UI)** — the Career screen gains a Passports tab beside
+  Venues: a physical per-instrument passport book (embossed leather cover, 3D
+  page-turn) with a wax-seal commitment ceremony (Stage 0), rubber-stamp badge
+  slam with ink bleed and deterministic per-genre jitter, qualifying songs as
+  collected ticket stubs, and unopened genres as an "Explore next"
+  travel-brochure rack (invitations, never greyed-out slots or completion
+  meters). Badge earns chime + notify immediately; the stamp slam plays when
+  the passport is next opened. Four small synthesized sound effects ship as
+  plugin assets. The career screen also relays the Virtuoso `virtuoso.progress`
+  localStorage snapshot to the drill-state intake on `virtuoso:progress` bus
+  events (debounced, plus a one-time bootstrap), closing the
+  fires-into-a-void seam without touching the virtuoso plugin.
+- **CI gate: core must stay faithful to the feedpak spec (`feedpak-spec` job).** feedpak is published as
+  an open format with its own repo, normative spec, JSON Schemas, and reference validator — but nothing
+  stopped core from reading a manifest key the spec never defined, which is exactly what happened with
+  `original_audio` (#583 → #933). `tools/check_spec_conformance.py` now enforces four surface properties
+  in CI: (1) **key-coverage** — every manifest key core reads *or writes* is declared in the spec's
+  `manifest.schema.json`, found by walking the AST of `lib/sloppak.py`, `lib/enrichment.py`, and
+  `lib/songmeta.py`, `lib/gp2notation.py`, and `lib/routers/ws_highway.py` (writes are gated too — including
+  `setdefault()` — and reported separately: a key core writes lands in every pack we emit, so an undeclared
+  one seeds the ecosystem with non-spec data; a **readers-complete** guard fails the build if that module
+  list falls behind the codebase); (2) **allowlist-closed** — `feedpak-spec-exceptions.yml` never grows;
+  (3) **forward** — core's `load_song()` ingests every example pack the spec ships;
+  (4) **reverse** — every pack committed here passes the spec's own `tools/validate.py` (7/7 pass today).
+  The gate verifies against the spec repo's **HEAD** — the app must conform to the living spec, and the
+  flow is self-serve: a gated PR opens a FEP, the spec PR merges, re-running checks goes green. Nothing to
+  pin, nothing to bump. Each run logs the spec SHA it verified against so results are reproducible.
+  **There is no in-repo escape hatch, by design.** A blocked PR has exactly one route: land the key in the
+  spec via the [FEP process](https://github.com/got-feedback/feedpak-spec/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md), then
+  re-run the PR's checks — the gate verifies against the spec's HEAD, so it goes green once the key is real. `feedpak-spec-exceptions.yml` is a **closed
+  grandfather list** for keys that predate the gate, not a bypass: a fourth check (**allowlist-closed**)
+  diffs it against the base branch and fails any PR that *adds* an entry, so it may only shrink.
+  `original_audio` is grandfathered there against #933 so the gate lands green and starts blocking the
+  *next* instance immediately; the gate takes no position on how #933 resolves (the expected outcome is
+  removing the key, since the spec already carries the mixdown as a stem — not adopting it). Docs:
+  [docs/feedpak-spec-gate.md](docs/feedpak-spec-gate.md).
+
 ### Removed
 - **The classic v2 UI shell is gone — v3 is the only UI (R3a).** `static/index.html`, the
   `/v2` route, and the `FEEDBACK_UI` v2/legacy opt-out are deleted; `/` and `/v3` both serve
@@ -27,6 +212,11 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
   engine (`app.js`, `highway.js`, `playSong`, `showScreen`, the capability registry).
 
 ### Fixed
+- **Career passports review polish** — the passport tabs and book overlay carry
+  proper ARIA semantics (`aria-selected`/`aria-controls`/`tabpanel`;
+  `role="dialog"` + `aria-modal` with focus moved to the close button on open
+  and restored on close), and a corrupt stored seen-badges value (e.g. a stray
+  `"null"`) can no longer throw on every passport refresh.
 - **The packaged desktop app could not start (`ModuleNotFoundError: No module named
   'appstate'`).** feedback-desktop's `scripts/bundle-slopsmith.sh` copies a *hardcoded
   list* of core files into the app bundle — `server.py`, `VERSION`, `lib/`, `data/`,

CLAUDE.md

@@ -465,6 +465,40 @@ window.feedBack.diagnostics.contribute('my_plugin', {
 
 Loaded from `static/diagnostics.js` ASAP in `<head>` so the console-wrap is in place before any other script runs. Available on the `window.feedBack.diagnostics` namespace alongside `snapshotConsole()`, `snapshotHardware()`, `snapshotUa()`, `snapshotLocalStorage()`, `snapshotContributions()`. Keep your payload small (< 100 KB) and don't include secrets — bundles are shared with maintainers.
 
+### Detachable panes — pop your panel out into its own window
+
+If your plugin has a floating panel that sits over the player — a mixer, a camera rig, a settings board — you can let the user pop it out into its own OS window and leave it there: while they play, across song switches, on a second monitor, minimized to the tray. Two calls:
+
+```js
+feedBack.panes.register({
+    id: 'camera_director',
+    title: 'Camera Director',
+    icon: '🎥',
+    element: () => panelEl,          // your existing panel, exactly as it is
+});
+feedBack.panes.attachChip(panelEl, 'camera_director');
+```
+
+**The host moves your real element.** Not a copy, not a re-render — the actual DOM node, adopted into the pop-out window, keeping its listeners and its closures. Your panel goes on running *your* code against *your* state. It looks and behaves like what was popped out because it **is** what was popped out. Nothing to mirror, nothing to keep in sync.
+
+The rules below are all things that have already gone wrong. Full contract: **[docs/plugin-panes.md](docs/plugin-panes.md)**.
+
+- **Your code still runs in the main window.** The element is *displayed* elsewhere; its closures, timers and `document` references still belong to the main realm. That is exactly why everything keeps working — and exactly why `document.body.appendChild(myPopover)` lands in the **main window, not the pane**. Anchor tooltips, popovers and menus to your panel, not to `document.body`. Measure with `el.ownerDocument.defaultView`, never a cached `window`.
+
+- **Don't hide your panel yourself when it pops out.** Core hides it and leaves a "bring it back" stub. If you also hide it, you will hide the node that just moved — and blank the pane window.
+
+- **Prefer `hidden` or a class over inline `display` for show/hide.** While popped out, core neutralises *placement* with `.fb-paned` (`position`, `inset`, `width`, `z-index`, `box-shadow`). An inline `display:none` on your panel reasserts itself the moment the pane docks back and the class is removed, so your panel returns invisible.
+
+- **`element` is a function so it can be resolved late.** Return the *live* node. If you rebuild your panel (Camera Director rebuilds on every mode change), re-run `attachChip` — it returns a `detach()`; call it before re-attaching, and again in your teardown.
+
+- **`isConnected` does not mean "docked".** A panel sitting in a pane window is very much connected — just not to *this* document. Test `el.ownerDocument === document`, or take the `onHost(hostId, el)` callback.
+
+- **rAF is throttled while the main window is backgrounded** — and it will be, whenever the user is looking at your pane. Event-driven panels (sliders, buttons) are unaffected. A panel that *animates continuously* may run slowly while it is the only thing on screen.
+
+- **Don't reach for BroadcastChannel, `postMessage`, or a second copy of your state.** There is one realm and one panel. If you find yourself synchronising, you have misunderstood the model.
+
+- **Nothing is required.** No panes API on the host → skip both calls, and your panel behaves exactly as it does today.
+
 ### Keyboard Shortcuts
 
 Plugins can register keyboard shortcuts via the global `window.registerShortcut()` function. Shortcuts appear in the `?` help panel.
@@ -554,6 +588,21 @@ tab, key/scale annotations, etc.). Published as **feedpak**; this codebase still
 **sloppak** name internally — same on-disk format. [docs/sloppak-spec.md](docs/sloppak-spec.md) is
 a local pointer + code map.
 
+**The spec is sacrosanct — read it BEFORE changing how this app reads or writes packs.** The
+spec repo defines the format; this app merely implements it ("a change is not part of the format
+until it lands here" — feedpak-spec/GOVERNANCE.md). Any new manifest key, file, or directory the
+app touches must land in the spec **first**, via the
+[FEP process](https://github.com/got-feedback/feedpak-spec/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md) (proposal
+issue → one spec PR updating spec + schemas + example + changelog → then re-run your PR's checks
+here; the gate verifies against the spec's HEAD, so it goes green the moment your key is real).
+CI enforces this: the `feedpak-spec` job
+([docs/feedpak-spec-gate.md](docs/feedpak-spec-gate.md)) fails any PR whose code touches a
+manifest key the spec doesn't declare, and there is **no in-repo bypass** — the exceptions
+file is a closed grandfather list that only shrinks. If the format seems to be missing something
+you need, that's a FEP conversation, not a workaround. (Cautionary tale: `original_audio`, #933 —
+shipped without a spec entry, and third-party packers reverse-engineered a folder convention out
+of a code comment.)
+
 **Key code:**
 - `lib/sloppak.py` — format detection, zip/directory resolution, metadata extraction, song loading
 - `lib/sloppak_convert.py` — sloppak assembly pipeline, Demucs stem splitting

docs/feedpak-spec-gate.md

@@ -0,0 +1,132 @@
+# The feedpak spec-conformance gate
+
+`tools/check_spec_conformance.py`, run in CI as the `feedpak-spec` job.
+
+## Why
+
+feedpak is published as an **open format**: its own repo
+([got-feedback/feedpak-spec](https://github.com/got-feedback/feedpak-spec)), a normative spec, JSON
+Schemas, and a reference validator. That is a promise to everyone outside this codebase — third-party
+packers, converters, and players build against the spec, and the spec is meant to be the complete and
+authoritative description of a pack.
+
+The moment core reads a manifest key the spec doesn't define, that promise breaks silently:
+
+- A spec-compliant pack is no longer guaranteed to be a fully-working pack.
+- The reference validator can't warn authors about a key it has never heard of — it will happily green-light
+  the key, and every misspelling of it.
+- The format's real definition drifts into our source tree. In the case that motivated this gate
+  ([#933](https://github.com/got-feedback/feedback/issues/933)), third-party tooling started emitting an
+  `original/` directory that no code anywhere requires — the convention was reverse-engineered from an
+  example in a *code comment*.
+
+The rule this gate enforces: **any manifest key core reads _or writes_ must be in the spec before core
+ships code that depends on it.** Spec first, implementation second. Writes are not exempt — a key core
+writes lands in every pack we emit, so an undeclared one seeds the ecosystem with non-spec data.
+
+Note that "get it into the spec" is not automatically the right fix for an existing violation — for
+`original_audio` it isn't. The spec already carries the pre-separation mixdown as a stem
+(`{id: full, file: stems/full.ogg}`), so that key added a *second, redundant* location for audio to a format
+that already had one, and the resolution is to remove it rather than bless it. The gate takes no position on
+which way a violation resolves; it only insists that one of the two happens deliberately, in the open,
+before the code merges.
+
+## What it checks
+
+We can't mechanically prove core *interprets* a key the way the spec means. We can prove four surface
+properties, and they cover the drift that actually occurs.
+
+| Layer | Check | Catches |
+|---|---|---|
+| 1. key-coverage | Every manifest key core reads **or writes** is declared in the spec's `manifest.schema.json`. | Core growing a key the spec never defined — the #933 class. |
+| 2. allowlist-closed | `feedpak-spec-exceptions.yml` has not **grown** relative to the base branch. | Someone routing around the FEP process by allowlisting their own new key. |
+| 3. forward | Core's `load_song()` ingests every example pack the spec ships. | The spec adding or tightening something core ignores or breaks on. |
+| 4. reverse | Every pack committed to this repo passes the spec's `tools/validate.py`. | Core (or a contributor) committing a pack the spec would reject. |
+
+Layer 1 works by walking the AST of the modules listed in `READERS` and collecting every literal key touched
+on a manifest dict (`manifest.get("x")`, `manifest["x"]`, and the wrapped
+`(load_manifest(p) or {}).get("x")` form used in `lib/enrichment.py`).
+
+**Reads and writes are both checked, and reported differently.** A key core *writes*
+(`manifest["x"] = v`, as `lib/songmeta.py` does) is spec surface pointed outward: it puts a key into every
+pack we emit, so an undeclared one seeds the ecosystem with non-spec data. Subscripts are classified by AST
+context — `Store` is a write, `Load` is a read — so `manifest["year"] = ...` is not miscounted as a read.
+
+## When it fails
+
+You added a manifest key the spec doesn't define. **There is exactly one way forward, and it is not in this
+repo.**
+
+Land the key in the spec through the **feedpak Enhancement Proposal (FEP)** process
+([feedpak-spec/CONTRIBUTING.md](https://github.com/got-feedback/feedpak-spec/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md)):
+
+1. **Open a FEP issue** on `got-feedback/feedpak-spec` — the problem, the proposed on-disk shape (manifest
+   key and/or side-file), backward compatibility, and the version bump it implies.
+2. **Discuss**, until it has a clear shape and rough consensus.
+3. **Land one PR there** that updates the normative spec (`spec/feedpak-v1.md`), the relevant JSON
+   Schema(s), an example in `examples/` that exercises it, and the changelog — *together*. A PR touching
+   only one of those is incomplete.
+4. **Back here**, just re-run your PR's checks. The gate verifies against the spec's HEAD, so the moment
+   your key is genuinely part of the format, your PR goes green — nothing to bump, nothing to maintain.
+
+That's deliberately the only route — no experimental prefix, no self-serve allowlist — and it's usually a
+quick one for additive keys. The reason it's worth the round-trip: the gate checks the whole repo against
+the living spec, so if non-conformance ever lands, it shows up as red CI on *every* teammate's open PR, and
+only the person who introduced it can clear it. Going through the FEP keeps your change clean and keeps
+everyone else unblocked.
+
+The spec's own governance says the same thing:
+
+> This repository defines the format only. Applications that read or write feedpak ... track this spec as a
+> dependency; they do not drive it. **A change is not part of the format until it lands here.**
+> — [feedpak-spec/GOVERNANCE.md](https://github.com/got-feedback/feedpak-spec/blob/main/GOVERNANCE.md)
+
+### `feedpak-spec-exceptions.yml` is a closed grandfather list, not a hatch
+
+It exists solely because `original_audio` predates the gate. **CI fails any PR that adds an entry** (layer 2
+diffs it against the base branch), so the list can only ever shrink. Entries are debt, each carries a
+tracking issue, and each disappears when the underlying key is removed from core. The gate also fails on a
+*stale* entry — the spec caught up, or core stopped touching the key — so the file cannot quietly become
+somewhere drift accumulates.
+
+Deleting an entry does not, by itself, get you past the gate: layer 1 still fails while core reads the key.
+The entry goes when the **code** goes.
+
+## Tracking the spec's HEAD
+
+The gate checks out `feedpak-spec` at **HEAD**, on purpose: the app must conform to the *living* spec, and
+nobody should have to maintain a pin. The dev flow is fully self-serve — gated PR → FEP → spec merge →
+re-run checks → green.
+
+Two properties to know about:
+
+- **The normal FEP is additive** (a new optional key), which only ever makes the gate *looser* — it cannot
+  redden anyone's PR. Only a **breaking** spec change (removing/renaming a key the app uses, tightening the
+  validator against committed packs) turns PRs red repo-wide — and per the spec's compatibility policy that
+  is a rare, deliberate MAJOR event, exactly when an org-wide "the app is out of conformance" signal is the
+  right outcome. The CI job logs the exact spec SHA each run verified against, so a red run is reproducible.
+- **CI results can change over time on the same commit** — that is inherent to tracking a living contract,
+  and it is the point: green means "conformant *now*", not "conformant when written".
+
+## Limitations
+
+Known, and worth fixing in follow-ups rather than blocking on:
+
+- **Layer 1's receiver detection is heuristic.** Locals *assigned from* `load_manifest(...)` are discovered
+  flow-aware whatever they're called (chart.py's `m` taught us that), and the inline
+  `(load_manifest(p) or {}).get(...)` form is recognised — but a manifest that arrives as a **function
+  parameter** is only recognised by name (`MANIFEST_VARS`: `manifest`, `mf`). A parameter called something
+  else would slip. The hardening step is to route all manifest access through a single declared
+  `KNOWN_MANIFEST_KEYS` registry in `lib/sloppak.py`; the gate then compares registry against schema exactly
+  instead of inferring.
+- **Layer 1 covers top-level keys only.** Nested structure (`arrangements[].file`, `.id`, `.notation`) isn't
+  checked. Extending to it means walking the schema's `$ref` subschemas.
+- **Layer 1 recognises `get`, `setdefault`, subscripts, and the known gap-fill helper** as key access.
+  `update()` and `pop()` aren't used against a feedpak manifest anywhere in the tree, so they're deliberately
+  not special-cased rather than speculatively handled. `readers-complete` reuses the same scanner
+  (`keys_touched()`), so this blind spot is shared, not doubled: a module using only unrecognised access forms
+  would evade both.
+- **Layer 4 can't catch unknown keys**, because `manifest.schema.json` sets `additionalProperties: true` and
+  the reference validator deliberately "treats unknown keys/files as forward-compatible". Fixing this
+  properly belongs in the spec (tighten the schema, or give the validator a `--strict` mode). Until then,
+  layer 1 is the only thing standing between us and the next `original_audio`.

docs/plugin-panes.md

@@ -0,0 +1,354 @@
+# Detachable panes (`window.feedBack.panes`)
+
+Pop a panel out of the app into its own OS window, and leave it there: while you
+play, across song switches, on a second monitor, minimized to the system tray.
+
+Panes exist because the player's rail popovers are **exclusive** — opening one
+closes the last. You cannot watch the mixer while riding the camera, and both
+vanish the moment you want to look at the highway.
+
+---
+
+## The whole idea, in one sentence
+
+**We move the real element.**
+
+Not a copy of your panel. Not a re-implementation of it in the pop-out window.
+The actual DOM node. Same-origin windows can adopt each other's nodes, and an
+adopted node keeps its event listeners and its closures — so your panel goes on
+running *your* code, against *your* state, in *your* realm. The app's stylesheets
+are copied into the pane window, so it looks identical too.
+
+What you popped out is what you get. That is the promise, and it is the reason
+there is no `ctx`, no state mirroring, no cross-window RPC and no second copy of
+your UI to keep in step with the first. Those are all solutions to a problem we
+simply do not have.
+
+---
+
+## Adding a pane to your plugin
+
+Two lines.
+
+```js
+// Guard: the panes API is optional. On a host without it, skip both calls and
+// your panel behaves exactly as it does today.
+const panes = window.feedBack && window.feedBack.panes;
+if (panes && typeof panes.register === 'function') {
+    panes.register({
+        id: 'camera_director',
+        title: 'Camera Director',
+        icon: '🎥',
+        element: () => panelEl,      // your existing panel, as it is
+    });
+    panes.attachChip(panelEl, 'camera_director');
+}
+```
+
+`attachChip()` injects **the** standard pop-out chip (`⇱`) — same glyph, same
+place, same behaviour in every plugin. Clicking it moves your panel to whichever
+**host** the router picks — usually a pop-out window, but the dock when a window
+can't be had (a blocked pop-up, or `defaultHost: 'dock'`) — and leaves a
+"⇲ … is popped out" stub in its place. Clicking the stub brings the panel back, to
+exactly the spot it left. Core owns the chip, the hiding and the stub, so you write
+no show/hide logic.
+
+That's it. Your sliders, your presets, your tabs, your CSS, your event handlers,
+your state — all of it comes along, because none of it moved anywhere except into
+a different window's document.
+
+### `element` is a function for a reason
+
+It is resolved at open time, not at registration. Plugins commonly build their
+panel lazily on first use, or rebuild it wholesale when something changes (Camera
+Director rebuilds its panel on every mode change). Asking for it when we need it
+means we always move the live one.
+
+**If you rebuild your panel, re-attach the chip.** Rebuilding takes the chip with
+it. `attachChip()` returns a `detach()`; call it before re-attaching, and again in
+your teardown — otherwise you leave a stub pointing at DOM that no longer exists.
+
+```js
+if (chipDetach) chipDetach();
+chipDetach = panes.attachChip(panel, PANE_ID, { header: toolsEl });
+```
+
+Re-attaching is safe while the pane is popped out: the chip reconciles against the
+pane's real state, so a panel rebuilt mid-pop-out stays correctly stubbed.
+
+### The two things core changes about your element
+
+**1. Placement.** `.fb-paned` is added while the pane is out:
+
+```css
+position: static; inset: auto; margin: 0; width: 100%;
+max-width: none; max-height: none; z-index: auto; box-shadow: none;
+```
+
+Your panel was almost certainly a fixed overlay pinned to a corner of the app
+(`position:fixed; top:72px; right:18px; width:288px`). Alone in its own window,
+every one of those is wrong — it would float 72px down from the top of a 380px
+window, still 288px wide, still casting a shadow over nothing.
+
+Note there is deliberately **no `display` override**: a panel that is
+`display:flex` or `grid` stays that way. Colours, borders, radius, padding, fonts
+and your panel's own internal layout are untouched.
+
+**2. Visibility.** A panel is usually hidden until its launcher is clicked, and a
+pane can be opened from the tray or the rail without that ever happening — so core
+un-hides it, in the two ways a panel is actually hidden:
+
+```js
+el.hidden = false;
+if (el.style.display === 'none') el.style.display = '';
+```
+
+**Both are restored exactly as they were when the pane docks**, along with the
+`.fb-paned` class. A panel that was closed when you opened its pane from the tray
+goes back to being closed; one that was open stays open.
+
+---
+
+## Spec
+
+```js
+feedBack.panes.register({
+    id,                    // required, unique
+    element,               // required — an Element, or a function returning one
+    title,                 // shown in the pane window's title bar, the dock card, the tray
+    icon,                  // one glyph, for the dock/tray/launcher lists
+    width, height,         // the pane window's initial size (it remembers yours after that)
+    defaultHost,           // 'window' (default) or 'dock'
+    onHost,                // optional (hostId | null, el) => void — re-measure/re-anchor
+});
+```
+
+```js
+feedBack.panes.attachChip(el, paneId, { header })   // → detach()
+feedBack.panes.open(id, { host }) / close(id) / detach(id) / dock(id) / focus(id)
+feedBack.panes.isOpen(id) / hostOf(id) / get(id) / list()
+```
+
+`attachChip` puts the chip in the `header` element you pass, else in
+`el.querySelector('[data-pane-header]')` if it finds one, else at the top of `el`.
+An explicit `header` always wins.
+
+---
+
+## Hosts
+
+`detach(id)` puts a pane in the best host available:
+
+| host | | |
+|---|---|---|
+| `window` | 10 | A real OS window. In the desktop app: remembered bounds, always-on-top, system tray. |
+| `dock` | 0 | A card in the in-window stack. **The floor** — always available, so opening a pane can never fail. |
+
+You don't pick; you declare `defaultHost` and the router does the rest.
+
+In the **desktop app** a pane you left popped out comes back popped out on next
+launch. In a **browser** it comes back **docked** — a browser blocks
+`window.open()` without a user gesture, so restoring it would only ever produce a
+"pop-up blocked" toast. The chip pops it out again on your next click.
+
+---
+
+## Best practices
+
+Every item below is something that has already gone wrong, in this codebase, on
+this feature. They are cheap to get right up front and confusing to diagnose later
+— a broken pane usually *looks* perfect.
+
+### 1. Your code still runs in the main window
+
+The element is *displayed* in the pane window, but its closures, its timers and its
+`document` references all still belong to the main realm. **That is precisely why
+everything keeps working** — and it has one sharp consequence:
+
+```js
+// WRONG — lands in the MAIN window, not the pane the user is looking at.
+document.body.appendChild(myTooltip);
+
+// RIGHT — anchored to the panel, so it travels with it.
+panelEl.appendChild(myTooltip);
+```
+
+**And every lookup for something inside your panel.** Once the panel has moved,
+`document.getElementById('my-panel-thing')` returns `null` — so every update it
+guards silently stops happening, precisely while the user is looking at the panel.
+No error. Just a UI that quietly goes dead.
+
+```js
+// WRONG — null once the panel is popped out.
+document.getElementById('my-panel-hint').textContent = msg;
+
+// RIGHT — search FROM the panel; works in either document.
+panelEl.querySelector('#my-panel-hint').textContent = msg;
+```
+
+Elements that live outside your panel (your plugin's *screen*, host chrome) never
+move, and should keep using `document.getElementById`. Audit which is which — in
+the stem mixer, four ids were inside the panel and a dozen were not.
+
+Same for measuring and popovers. `window.innerWidth` is the *main* window's, and a
+dismiss listener on `window` watches a window the user isn't clicking in. Use
+`el.ownerDocument` / `el.ownerDocument.defaultView` when you need the window your
+panel is actually in.
+
+### 2. Don't hide your panel yourself
+
+Core hides it and leaves a "bring it back" stub. If your plugin *also* hides it,
+you are hiding the node that just moved — and the pane window renders nothing.
+(This is not hypothetical: core's own chip did exactly this, and the first
+pop-out shipped blank because of it.)
+
+### 3. Prefer `hidden` or a class for show/hide
+
+Core makes your panel visible while it's hosted — it clears `hidden`, and clears an
+inline `display: none` if that's how you hide — and **restores both on dock**. So
+either style works.
+
+`hidden` is still the better choice: it composes with everything, and it leaves
+your panel's `display` mode (`flex`, `grid`, whatever it is) entirely alone. Core
+deliberately does not override `display` for exactly that reason.
+
+```js
+panel.hidden = true;                  // best
+panel.style.display = 'none';         // works — core saves and restores it
+```
+
+### 4. `element` is a function — return the *live* node
+
+It is resolved when the pane opens, not when you register. Plugins build panels
+lazily, and rebuild them wholesale (Camera Director rebuilds on every mode
+change). If you rebuild yours, **re-attach the chip**:
+
+```js
+if (chipDetach) chipDetach();            // attachChip returns a detach()
+chipDetach = feedBack.panes.attachChip(panel, PANE_ID, { header: toolsEl });
+```
+
+Call `chipDetach()` in your teardown too, or you leave a stub pointing at DOM that
+no longer exists.
+
+### 5. `isConnected` lies about a panel that is a pane
+
+This one has cost more debugging than everything else on this page combined, and
+it lies in **both directions**.
+
+**It says `true` when your panel is not here.** A panel sitting in a pane window is
+`isConnected` — just not to *this* document. Code asking "am I still mounted?" gets
+`true` and then acts on a panel that is somewhere else entirely.
+
+**It says `false` when your panel is perfectly fine.** The host *detaches* the
+element the moment a pop-out starts, before the new window has even loaded. In that
+gap `isConnected` is `false` — and any code that rebuilds on that basis builds a
+**second panel**, while the host is still holding the first.
+
+That second panel is the one your module variables now point at. The one the user
+can *see* is the original, owned by nobody. So:
+
+- its close button closes the *other*, invisible panel — "the X doesn't work"
+- your chip gets re-attached to the impostor — "the pop-out icon vanished"
+
+Two baffling symptoms, one duplicate, and nothing in the stack trace to suggest it.
+
+**Ask the pane system, not the DOM.** It knows where your element is:
+
+```js
+function paneOwnsPanel() {
+    const panes = window.feedBack && window.feedBack.panes;
+    return !!(panes && panes.isOpen && panes.isOpen(MY_PANE_ID));
+}
+
+// "Is my panel gone?" — not "is it in this document?"
+if (panel && (panel.isConnected || paneOwnsPanel())) return panel;   // alive; possibly elsewhere
+```
+
+Every `isConnected` check on a panel that can be a pane needs this. In the stem
+mixer that was `ensureMixerPanel()` (which rebuilt) *and* the MutationObserver's
+fast path (which decided the UI was unmounted and swept on every mutation).
+
+For "which document is it in right now", use `el.ownerDocument === document`, or
+take the optional `onHost(hostId, el)` callback, which fires on both moves.
+
+### 6. If your plugin can be re-injected, it must be able to remove itself
+
+The host may run your script more than once — a screen re-entry, a version change.
+Without a teardown, the second run builds a second panel while the first one is
+still on screen, and every module variable in the new instance points at the new,
+invisible one. The user clicks the panel they can see; nothing happens.
+
+Everything stateful duplicates: observers, timers, listeners. And one thing is
+worse than duplicated — **your pane registration**:
+
+```js
+panes.register({ id, element: () => panel });   // resolved LAZILY, at open time
+```
+
+First registration wins, so a stale one hands the host `panel` from a **dead
+instance**. Popping out then moves a panel nobody owns.
+
+So publish a teardown handle and call it at the top of your script:
+
+```js
+if (window.__myPluginInstance?.destroy) {
+    try { window.__myPluginInstance.destroy(); } catch (e) { /* tear down what we can */ }
+}
+
+window.__myPluginInstance = {
+    destroy() {
+        observer?.disconnect();
+        clearTimeout(myTimer);
+        chipDetach?.();                       // attachChip() returned this
+        panes?.unregister?.(MY_PANE_ID);      // ← the one people forget
+        document.querySelectorAll('#my-panel').forEach((n) => n.remove());
+    },
+};
+```
+
+Belt and braces: when you build your panel, remove any node carrying its id that
+isn't yours. A zombie panel is worse than no panel — it looks alive and does
+nothing.
+
+### 7. Expect rAF to be throttled while your pane has focus
+
+Chromium throttles a **backgrounded** window's `requestAnimationFrame` — and the
+main window is exactly what's backgrounded while the user is looking at your pane.
+Your rAF lives in the main window.
+
+Event-driven panels (sliders, buttons, presets) don't care. A panel that
+*animates continuously* may run slowly precisely when it's the only thing on
+screen. Drive such animation from data you already have, or accept the stutter.
+
+### 8. Don't synchronise anything
+
+No `BroadcastChannel`, no `postMessage`, no second copy of your state, no mirrored
+UI. There is **one** realm and **one** panel. If you find yourself writing sync
+code, you have misunderstood the model — the whole point is that there is nothing
+to sync.
+
+### 9. Nothing here is required
+
+On a host without the panes API, `feedBack.panes` is `undefined`. Skip both calls
+and your panel behaves exactly as it does today. Guard, don't depend:
+
+```js
+const panes = window.feedBack && window.feedBack.panes;
+if (!panes || typeof panes.register !== 'function') return;
+```
+
+---
+
+## Things core guarantees
+
+- **The element goes home exactly where it came from** — same parent, same position
+  among its siblings. Don't move it yourself while it's popped out.
+- **It comes home alive.** Core evacuates the element *before* the pane window's
+  document is destroyed. (Get this wrong — dock after the window dies — and the
+  node returns looking perfect with every listener in its subtree silently gone.
+  That bug is why this section exists.)
+- **A pane window the user closes, or that crashes, is reaped** and the element
+  docked back. Your panel is never stranded in a dead document.
+- **The app's stylesheets are copied into the pane window**, so your panel looks
+  identical — including your plugin's own `styles` sheet.

docs/plugin-v3-ui.md

@@ -189,3 +189,23 @@ out of the capability graph.
 - [ ] `#player` overlays keep `z-index` ≤ the chrome layers (transport/HUD 20,
       rail 30, popovers 40).
 - [ ] Verify at `/` — it and `/v3` serve the same (and only) v3 shell.
+
+## Injecting into core shells (profile, dashboard)
+
+Core screens that accept plugin sections render **mount points** — usually
+empty, sometimes holding core's own **fallback content** (the Dashboard's
+career slot ships the plugin-count stat) — and announce each (re)build with a
+DOM event, because their `innerHTML` swap wipes anything previously injected.
+A plugin listens for the event and **replaces the mount's content** (never
+append — a fallback may be present) by id — the same seam every time:
+
+| Shell | Event | Mounts |
+| --- | --- | --- |
+| Profile | `v3:profile-rendered` | `#v3-profile-passports-mount` (career wall), `#v3-profile-feats-slot`, `#v3-profile-achievements-mount` |
+| Dashboard | `v3:dashboard-rendered` | `#v3-dash-career-slot` (career card; core's plugin-count stat is the fallback content a plugin may replace) |
+| Settings | `v3:settings-rendered` | per-plugin `settings.html` panels |
+
+Rules: inject on every event (the mount is fresh), keep the section
+**absent-not-empty** (no state → leave the mount alone / empty), and guard
+re-wired listeners with a `dataset` flag when your own refresh path can run
+against an unwiped mount.

docs/size-exemptions.md

@@ -61,6 +61,8 @@ extractions and twenty-two `routers/` modules, plus lib/library_registry.py for
 and is a monolith in its own right, to be split per-table once the router train
 lands) · `static/v3/songs.js` (4,134) · `static/capabilities/audio-session.js`
 (2,974) · `plugins/highway_3d/screen.js` (15,656) · `plugins/keys_highway_3d/screen.js`
-(3,780) · `plugins/drum_highway_3d/screen.js` (3,597) — and every monolith with a PR
+(3,780) · `plugins/drum_highway_3d/screen.js` (3,597) · `plugins/career/screen.js`
+(1,530 — career v3 gigs + gold pushed it over; split plan: carve the gig block into a
+`scriptType: module` file when career work next touches it) — and every monolith with a PR
 train in the refactor plan. Test files (e.g. `tests/test_plugins.py`) are out of scope
 by policy — the norm governs source files.

eslint.config.js

@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ module.exports = [
     // module graph, which is what makes no-cycle meaningful here — a carved
     // module that imports app.js back would close a cycle and fail this gate.
     {
-        files: ['**/src/**/*.js', '**/*.mjs', 'static/app.js', 'static/js/**/*.js'],
+        files: ['**/src/**/*.js', '**/*.mjs', 'static/app.js', 'static/js/**/*.js', 'static/highway.js'],
         languageOptions: { ecmaVersion: 'latest', sourceType: 'module' },
         plugins: { 'import-x': importX },
         // v4 flat-config resolver (resolver-next + createNodeResolver). Without

feedpak-spec-exceptions.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+# CLOSED grandfather list — manifest keys core reads or writes that predate the
+# spec-conformance gate and that the feedpak spec does not define.
+#
+# Please don't add entries here — CI will flag any PR that grows this list, so
+# it can only shrink over time. That's by design, not distrust: the moment the
+# app touches a key the spec doesn't define, every teammate's PR starts failing
+# the conformance gate too, and whoever added the key is the only person who
+# can fix it. The FEP process below avoids putting anyone in that spot. The
+# feedpak spec's own governance is explicit:
+#
+#   "This repository defines the format only. Applications that read or write
+#    feedpak ... track this spec as a dependency; they do not drive it.
+#    A change is not part of the format until it lands here."
+#     — got-feedback/feedpak-spec, GOVERNANCE.md
+#
+# So a new manifest key goes through the feedpak Enhancement Proposal (FEP)
+# process — see feedpak-spec/CONTRIBUTING.md:
+#
+#   1. Open a FEP issue on got-feedback/feedpak-spec describing the problem, the
+#      on-disk shape, backward compatibility, and the version bump implied.
+#   2. Land one PR there updating the normative spec, the JSON Schemas, an
+#      example that exercises it, and the changelog — together.
+#   3. Back here, re-run this PR's checks. The gate verifies against the spec's
+#      HEAD, so once your key is in the spec, the gate goes green.
+#
+# That's the supported route — and usually a quick one for additive keys. If
+# your PR is blocked by this gate, a FEP will get you unblocked properly; an
+# entry here won't (CI rejects it).
+#
+# Entries below exist ONLY because they predate the gate. Each is debt with a
+# tracking issue, and each disappears when its issue is fixed. The gate also
+# fails if an entry goes stale — the spec caught up, or core no longer reads or
+# writes the key — so this file cannot quietly become a place drift hides.
+
+exceptions:
+  - key: original_audio
+    issue: https://github.com/got-feedback/feedback/issues/945
+    reason: >-
+      Added by #583 (the full mix played while every stem fader sits at unity,
+      since demucs recombination is lossy). It never went through a FEP and the
+      spec does not define it — the drift this gate exists to prevent.
+
+      #933 fixed the drift: feedpak 1.15.0 RESERVES the stem id `full` for the
+      complete mixdown (feedpak-spec#53), and core now reads the full mix from
+      that stem. Nothing depends on this key any more — not the loader, not
+      lib/enrichment.py, not the stems plugin, and the packer no longer writes it.
+
+      What remains is a READ-ONLY deprecated fallback in lib/sloppak.py
+      (_legacy_full_mix), kept for one release because every pack produced before
+      the spec caught up carries `original_audio: original/full.ogg` and would
+      otherwise silently lose its pristine mix. tools/migrate_full_mix_stem.py
+      rewrites those packs into the spec shape.
+
+      This entry disappears with that fallback — tracked by #945, which cannot be
+      forgotten: the gate fails if the entry goes stale, and deleting the read is
+      what makes it stale.

lib/appstate.py

@@ -117,6 +117,16 @@ invalidate_song_caches = None
 stat_for_cache = None
 scan_status = None
 
+# The directory containing server.py: the repo root in dev, resources/feedBack when
+# bundled — the tree that actually holds docs/ and data/.
+#
+# It is published HERE, by server.py, precisely so no module under lib/ ever computes it.
+# `Path(__file__).resolve().parent` is correct in server.py and silently WRONG anywhere in
+# lib/ (it yields lib/, which has no docs/ or data/), and it fails by finding nothing
+# rather than by raising — the builtin-content seeds would just quietly never run. See
+# lib/builtin_content.py's header. Read it; never re-derive it.
+server_root = None
+
 _SLOTS = frozenset({
     "meta_db", "audio_effect_mappings", "tuning_providers",
     "library_providers", "local_library_provider",
@@ -127,6 +137,7 @@ _SLOTS = frozenset({
     "art_cache_dir", "song_pack_art_exists", "art_override_paths", "art_safe_name",
     "default_settings",
     "kick_scan", "invalidate_song_caches", "stat_for_cache", "scan_status",
+    "server_root",
 })
 
 

lib/builtin_content.py

@@ -0,0 +1,378 @@
+"""Builtin content seeding: the calibration/diagnostic sloppaks and the starter library.
+
+Carved VERBATIM out of server.py (R3b) — with ONE deliberate signature change, and it is
+the whole reason this module is safe.
+
+━━━ WHY THE ROOT IS A PARAMETER ━━━
+
+server.py had `_feedBack_server_root()` = `Path(__file__).resolve().parent`. That is
+correct *in server.py*: the repo root in dev, resources/feedBack when bundled — the tree
+that actually holds docs/ and data/.
+
+Move that body here unchanged and it keeps working, silently, and returns `lib/`. There is
+no docs/diagnostics under lib/, so every seed would quietly find nothing and log "source
+missing" — a verbatim move whose meaning changed because `__file__` did. Nothing would
+fail; the starter library would just never appear.
+
+So this module CANNOT compute a root: it takes `server_root` as a parameter, and server.py
+— the only place that legitimately knows where it lives — passes it in. The trap is now
+structurally impossible rather than merely avoided. (_copy_builtin_packs already took the
+root this way; the two seed helpers now do too.)
+
+Everything else is byte-identical. `log` is this module's own logger under the same
+`feedBack.` hierarchy, and CONFIG_DIR is read late as `appstate.config_dir` — see appstate.py
+for why those reads must be late-bound (tests monkeypatch it).
+"""
+import logging
+import os
+import secrets
+import shutil
+import stat
+import tempfile
+from pathlib import Path
+
+import appstate
+from dlc_paths import _get_dlc_dir
+
+log = logging.getLogger("feedBack.builtin_content")
+
+
+BUILTIN_DIAGNOSTIC_SUBDIR = "diagnostics-builtin"
+
+
+BUILTIN_DIAGNOSTIC_SOURCES: list[tuple[str, str]] = [
+    (
+        "feedBack-diagnostic-basic-guitar.sloppak",
+        "docs/diagnostics/feedBack-diagnostic-basic-guitar.sloppak",
+    ),
+]
+
+
+def builtin_diagnostic_filename() -> str:
+    """Library filename (DLC-relative POSIX path) of the calibration sloppak —
+    the onboarding challenge target (spec 010)."""
+    return f"{BUILTIN_DIAGNOSTIC_SUBDIR}/{BUILTIN_DIAGNOSTIC_SOURCES[0][0]}"
+
+
+def _copy_builtin_packs(
+    root: Path,
+    dest_dir: Path,
+    sources: list[tuple[str, str]],
+    label: str,
+    update_existing: bool = True,
+) -> int:
+    """Symlink-safe, mtime-aware copy of bundled packs into ``dest_dir``.
+
+    ``sources`` is a list of ``(dest_name, rel_source)`` pairs; each source is
+    resolved under ``root`` (the repo root in dev, ``resources/feedBack`` when
+    bundled). A pack is copied when its destination is missing. Never deletes
+    user files; refuses to follow a symlinked seed directory or destination and
+    refuses to clobber a non-regular destination (any would let a copy escape
+    ``dest_dir`` or destroy user data). Logs and continues on error. ``label``
+    prefixes every log line.
+
+    ``update_existing`` controls what happens when a *regular* destination file
+    already exists: when True (diagnostic seed) a bundle copy newer than the
+    destination refreshes it; when False (one-time starter content) an existing
+    file is always left as-is so the user's copy is never overwritten.
+
+    Returns the number of ``sources`` that are present at their destination
+    afterwards (freshly seeded, refreshed, or already current) — so callers can
+    tell whether every pack made it. A skip (missing source, symlink/non-regular
+    refusal, copy error) does not count.
+    """
+    # Refuse a symlinked seed directory: mkdir(exist_ok=True) would accept it
+    # and copies would land at the link target, outside the DLC tree. The
+    # per-file symlink guard below cannot catch this.
+    if dest_dir.is_symlink():
+        log.warning("%s: %s is a symlink, skipping all seeding", label, dest_dir.name)
+        return 0
+    dest_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+
+    # Pin the seed directory by an O_NOFOLLOW fd so a symlink swapped in for
+    # dest_dir *after* the check above cannot redirect the per-file stat /
+    # temp-create / replace outside the DLC tree (parent-directory TOCTOU).
+    # os.replace accepts dir_fd on POSIX even though it isn't listed in
+    # os.supports_dir_fd, so gate on os.rename (the reliable proxy); platforms
+    # without dir_fd/O_NOFOLLOW (e.g. Windows) fall back to path-based ops.
+    dir_fd = None
+    if (
+        hasattr(os, "O_NOFOLLOW")
+        and hasattr(os, "O_DIRECTORY")
+        and os.open in os.supports_dir_fd
+        and os.rename in os.supports_dir_fd
+    ):
+        try:
+            dir_fd = os.open(dest_dir, os.O_RDONLY | os.O_NOFOLLOW | os.O_DIRECTORY)
+        except OSError as exc:
+            log.warning("%s: cannot open seed dir %s: %s", label, dest_dir, exc)
+            return 0
+
+    try:
+        present = 0
+        for dest_name, rel_source in sources:
+            source = root / rel_source
+            if not source.is_file():
+                log.warning("%s: source missing, skipping %s (%s)", label, dest_name, source)
+                continue
+
+            # lstat the destination without following symlinks. Pinned by dir_fd
+            # this resolves within the real seed dir, immune to a parent swap.
+            try:
+                if dir_fd is not None:
+                    dstat = os.lstat(dest_name, dir_fd=dir_fd)
+                else:
+                    dstat = os.lstat(dest_dir / dest_name)
+                dest_exists = True
+                dest_islink = stat.S_ISLNK(dstat.st_mode)
+            except FileNotFoundError:
+                dest_exists = False
+                dest_islink = False
+            except OSError as exc:
+                log.warning("%s: cannot stat %s: %s", label, dest_name, exc)
+                continue
+
+            # Refuse to seed through a symlink at the destination name.
+            if dest_islink:
+                log.warning("%s: destination is a symlink, skipping %s", label, dest_name)
+                continue
+
+            # A non-regular destination (directory, fifo, …) the user placed
+            # there: never clobber it, and never count it as present — otherwise
+            # a one-time seed would mark itself done without a real pack on disk.
+            if dest_exists and not stat.S_ISREG(dstat.st_mode):
+                log.warning("%s: destination is not a regular file, skipping %s", label, dest_name)
+                continue
+
+            if dest_exists:
+                # A regular file is already there. One-time seeds (starter
+                # content) must never overwrite the user's copy; refreshing
+                # seeds (diagnostics) replace it only when the bundle is newer.
+                if not update_existing:
+                    log.info("%s: already present %s", label, dest_name)
+                    present += 1
+                    continue
+                try:
+                    src_mtime = source.stat().st_mtime
+                except OSError as exc:
+                    log.warning("%s: cannot stat source %s: %s", label, source, exc)
+                    continue
+                if src_mtime <= dstat.st_mtime:
+                    log.info("%s: already present %s", label, dest_name)
+                    present += 1
+                    continue
+                action = "updated"
+            else:
+                action = "seeded"
+
+            if _write_builtin_pack(source, dest_dir, dest_name, dir_fd):
+                present += 1
+                log.info("%s: %s %s -> %s", label, action, source.name, dest_name)
+            else:
+                log.warning("%s: failed to copy %s -> %s/%s", label, source, dest_dir.name, dest_name)
+
+        return present
+    finally:
+        if dir_fd is not None:
+            os.close(dir_fd)
+
+
+def _write_builtin_pack(
+    source: Path,
+    dest_dir: Path,
+    dest_name: str,
+    dir_fd: int | None,
+) -> bool:
+    """Atomically write ``source`` to ``dest_name`` inside ``dest_dir``.
+
+    Writes to a temp file then ``os.replace()``s onto the final name so a
+    symlink raced in at the destination is overwritten (rename semantics), not
+    followed, and a crash never leaves a half-written pack. When ``dir_fd`` is
+    given, every step is anchored to that fd (O_NOFOLLOW temp create + dir_fd
+    replace), closing the parent-directory TOCTOU; otherwise falls back to
+    path-based temp+replace. Returns True on success. Never raises.
+    """
+    # Unique per-attempt name (O_EXCL create) so a crash that orphans a temp
+    # can't permanently block later seeds via an EEXIST collision.
+    tmp_name = f".seed-{dest_name}.{os.getpid()}.{secrets.token_hex(4)}.tmp"
+    try:
+        src_stat = source.stat()
+    except OSError as exc:
+        log.debug("builtin pack: cannot stat source %s: %s", source, exc)
+        return False
+    if dir_fd is not None:
+        tmp_fd = None
+        try:
+            tmp_fd = os.open(
+                tmp_name,
+                os.O_CREAT | os.O_EXCL | os.O_WRONLY | os.O_NOFOLLOW,
+                0o644,
+                dir_fd=dir_fd,
+            )
+            with open(source, "rb") as sf, os.fdopen(tmp_fd, "wb") as tf:
+                tmp_fd = None  # fdopen now owns the descriptor
+                shutil.copyfileobj(sf, tf)
+            os.replace(tmp_name, dest_name, src_dir_fd=dir_fd, dst_dir_fd=dir_fd)
+            # Preserve the bundle mtime (copyfileobj doesn't) so the mtime-based
+            # refresh check matches the shutil.copy2 fallback path. Best-effort.
+            try:
+                os.utime(
+                    dest_name,
+                    ns=(src_stat.st_atime_ns, src_stat.st_mtime_ns),
+                    dir_fd=dir_fd,
+                    follow_symlinks=False,
+                )
+            except OSError as exc:
+                log.debug("builtin pack: could not set mtime on %s: %s", dest_name, exc)
+            return True
+        except OSError as exc:
+            log.debug("builtin pack write (dir_fd) failed for %s: %s", dest_name, exc)
+            if tmp_fd is not None:
+                try:
+                    os.close(tmp_fd)
+                except OSError:
+                    pass
+            try:
+                os.unlink(tmp_name, dir_fd=dir_fd)
+            except OSError:
+                pass
+            return False
+
+    tmp = None
+    try:
+        fd, tmp = tempfile.mkstemp(dir=dest_dir, prefix=".seed-", suffix=".tmp")
+        os.close(fd)
+        shutil.copy2(source, tmp)
+        os.replace(tmp, dest_dir / dest_name)
+        tmp = None
+        return True
+    except OSError as exc:
+        log.debug("builtin pack write failed for %s: %s", dest_name, exc)
+        return False
+    finally:
+        if tmp is not None:
+            try:
+                os.unlink(tmp)
+            except OSError:
+                pass
+
+
+def seed_builtin_diagnostic_sloppaks(server_root: Path, dlc: Path | None = None) -> None:
+    """Copy bundled diagnostic sloppaks into DLC before library scan.
+
+    Creates ``DLC_DIR/diagnostics-builtin/`` and copies each bundled sloppak
+    when the destination is missing or older than the repo/bundle source.
+    Never deletes user files or touches manually copied paths (e.g.
+    ``diagnostics-test/``). Re-seeds whenever the destination is missing so the
+    diagnostic target is always available. Logs and continues on errors.
+    """
+    try:
+        if dlc is None:
+            dlc = _get_dlc_dir()
+        if dlc is None:
+            log.debug("Builtin diagnostic seed: no DLC folder configured, skipping")
+            return
+        _copy_builtin_packs(
+            server_root,
+            dlc / BUILTIN_DIAGNOSTIC_SUBDIR,
+            BUILTIN_DIAGNOSTIC_SOURCES,
+            "Builtin diagnostic seed",
+        )
+    except Exception:
+        log.warning("Builtin diagnostic seed: unexpected error", exc_info=True)
+
+
+# Starter content: bundled songs copied into ``DLC_DIR/starter/`` exactly ONCE,
+# on first run, as a welcome library so a fresh install isn't empty. Unlike the
+# diagnostic seed this is one-time — guarded by a marker in CONFIG_DIR — so if
+# the user deletes the starter song it stays gone. ``starter/`` is NOT in the
+# library scan carve-out (unlike diagnostics-builtin/ / tutorials-builtin/), so
+# seeded packs surface as ordinary library songs.
+BUILTIN_STARTER_SUBDIR = "starter"
+
+
+BUILTIN_STARTER_SOURCES: list[tuple[str, str]] = [
+    (
+        "beethoven-fur_elise.feedpak",
+        "content/starter/beethoven-fur_elise.feedpak",
+    ),
+    (
+        "star_spangled_banner.feedpak",
+        "content/starter/star_spangled_banner.feedpak",
+    ),
+    (
+        "the_adicts-ode-to-joy_vst_cover.feedpak",
+        "content/starter/the_adicts-ode-to-joy_vst_cover.feedpak",
+    ),
+]
+
+
+STARTER_SEED_MARKER = ".starter-content-seeded"
+
+
+def seed_builtin_starter_content(server_root: Path, dlc: Path | None = None) -> None:
+    """Copy bundled starter songs into ``DLC_DIR/starter/`` exactly once.
+
+    Guarded by ``CONFIG_DIR/.starter-content-seeded``: the first run with a DLC
+    folder configured seeds the packs and writes the marker; subsequent runs are
+    no-ops, so a user who deletes the starter song does not get it back on the
+    next launch. Symlink-safe; never deletes user files. Logs, never raises.
+    """
+    try:
+        marker = appstate.config_dir / STARTER_SEED_MARKER
+        # Already seeded? The marker is a sentinel: any existing path there
+        # (regular file, or a symlink/dir a user deliberately planted to opt
+        # out) means "done" — lstat so we detect it without following a symlink.
+        # Worst case of a planted marker is simply no starter content, never a
+        # data write; the O_EXCL|O_NOFOLLOW create below refuses to write
+        # *through* a symlink regardless.
+        try:
+            os.lstat(marker)
+            return
+        except FileNotFoundError:
+            pass
+        except OSError as exc:
+            log.warning("Starter content seed: cannot stat marker %s: %s", marker, exc)
+            return
+        if dlc is None:
+            dlc = _get_dlc_dir()
+        if dlc is None:
+            # No DLC yet — leave the marker unwritten so we retry once a
+            # library folder is configured.
+            log.debug("Starter content seed: no DLC folder configured, skipping")
+            return
+        present = _copy_builtin_packs(
+            server_root,
+            dlc / BUILTIN_STARTER_SUBDIR,
+            BUILTIN_STARTER_SOURCES,
+            "Starter content seed",
+            update_existing=False,
+        )
+        # Only mark seeding complete once every starter pack is actually in
+        # place. If a source was missing or a copy failed, leave the marker
+        # unwritten so the next launch retries rather than permanently skipping.
+        if present < len(BUILTIN_STARTER_SOURCES):
+            log.info(
+                "Starter content seed: %d/%d packs present, will retry next launch",
+                present,
+                len(BUILTIN_STARTER_SOURCES),
+            )
+            return
+        # Record completion with an exclusive, no-follow create so a planted or
+        # raced symlink at the marker path can't redirect the write outside
+        # CONFIG_DIR. O_EXCL fails (EEXIST) on any existing path including a
+        # symlink, so we never write through one.
+        try:
+            appstate.config_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+            flags = os.O_CREAT | os.O_EXCL | os.O_WRONLY | getattr(os, "O_NOFOLLOW", 0)
+            fd = os.open(marker, flags, 0o644)
+            try:
+                os.write(fd, b"1\n")
+            finally:
+                os.close(fd)
+        except FileExistsError:
+            pass  # already marked (or a non-regular path is squatting) — fine
+        except OSError as exc:
+            log.warning("Starter content seed: could not write marker %s: %s", marker, exc)
+    except Exception:
+        log.warning("Starter content seed: unexpected error", exc_info=True)

lib/demo_mode.py

@@ -0,0 +1,380 @@
+"""Demo mode: the read-only request guard and the hourly session janitor.
+
+Carved VERBATIM out of server.py (R3b). Bodies are byte-identical — including a bug, see
+below.
+
+━━━ THE MIDDLEWARE NEEDS `app`, SO THIS MODULE TAKES IT ━━━
+
+`_demo_mode_guard` is an @app.middleware("http"), and a middleware has to be attached to an
+app object. Rather than reach for a global, this module exposes install(app): server.py
+owns the app and hands it over. Same direction as every other seam here — server.py knows
+things lib/ must not have to guess.
+
+The janitor is symmetrical: start_janitor() / stop_janitor(), called from server.py's
+startup and shutdown hooks, which is where the process lifecycle actually lives.
+
+━━━ register_demo_janitor_hook IS PART OF THE PLUGIN CONTRACT ━━━
+
+It is a key in plugin_context, so plugins hold it as a LIVE REFERENCE from setup(). Moving
+the function is fine; wrapping or renaming it is not. server.py imports this exact object
+and puts it in the dict unchanged, so callable identity is preserved —
+tests/test_plugin_context_contract.py (#898) fails if that ever stops being true.
+
+━━━ A BUG MOVED VERBATIM, ON PURPOSE ━━━
+
+The janitor start guard in server.py reads:
+
+    if getenv_compat("FEEDBACK_DEMO_MODE") or getenv_compat("FEEDBACK_DEMO_MODE") == "1" \
+            and not _DEMO_JANITOR_STARTED:
+
+`and` binds tighter than `or`, so that is `A or (B and C)` — the `not _DEMO_JANITOR_STARTED`
+re-entry guard is DEAD whenever the env var is truthy, which is the only case that runs. A
+second startup leaks a janitor thread (the handle is overwritten, so shutdown joins only
+the last). Preserved exactly as-is here and filed as issue #902: a carve whose value is
+being provably behaviour-neutral is not the place to change behaviour.
+"""
+import inspect
+import logging
+import re
+import threading
+import uuid
+import warnings
+
+from fastapi import Request
+from fastapi.responses import JSONResponse
+from env_compat import getenv_compat
+
+log = logging.getLogger("feedBack.demo_mode")
+
+
+# Plugins that maintain session stores can register a cleanup callback here.
+# The demo-mode janitor calls every registered hook once per hour so stale
+# sessions are swept without the core needing to know plugin internals.
+_DEMO_JANITOR_HOOKS: list = []
+
+
+_DEMO_JANITOR_HOOKS_LOCK = threading.Lock()
+
+
+_DEMO_JANITOR_STARTED = False
+
+
+_DEMO_JANITOR_STOP = threading.Event()
+
+
+_DEMO_JANITOR_THREAD: threading.Thread | None = None
+
+
+def register_demo_janitor_hook(fn) -> None:
+    """Register a zero-argument callable to be invoked hourly by the demo
+    janitor.  Plugins call this from their ``setup(app, context)`` when they
+    want to participate in session cleanup under demo mode.
+
+    The callable must accept no required arguments.  Async (coroutine)
+    functions are rejected: the janitor runs in a plain thread and cannot
+    await coroutines.
+    """
+    if not callable(fn):
+        raise TypeError(
+            f"register_demo_janitor_hook expects a callable, got {type(fn).__name__!r}"
+        )
+    # Reject coroutine functions — check both the callable itself and its
+    # __call__ method so objects with an async __call__ (e.g. class instances,
+    # functools.partial wrappers around async functions) are also caught.
+    _call = getattr(fn, "__call__", None)
+    if inspect.iscoroutinefunction(fn) or (
+        _call is not None and inspect.iscoroutinefunction(_call)
+    ):
+        raise TypeError(
+            "register_demo_janitor_hook does not accept async functions; "
+            "the janitor runs in a plain thread and cannot await coroutines"
+        )
+    # Validate that the callable accepts zero required arguments so it won't
+    # crash at sweep time (hourly, far from the registration site).
+    try:
+        sig = inspect.signature(fn)
+    except ValueError:
+        # inspect.signature() raises ValueError for built-in C callables whose
+        # signature cannot be determined.  Accept them as-is; if they fail at
+        # runtime the janitor will catch and log the exception.
+        pass
+    else:
+        required = [
+            p for p in sig.parameters.values()
+            if p.default is inspect.Parameter.empty
+            and p.kind not in (
+                inspect.Parameter.VAR_POSITIONAL,
+                inspect.Parameter.VAR_KEYWORD,
+            )
+        ]
+        if required:
+            raise TypeError(
+                f"register_demo_janitor_hook expects a zero-argument callable; "
+                f"{fn!r} has {len(required)} required parameter(s): "
+                + ", ".join(p.name for p in required)
+            )
+    with _DEMO_JANITOR_HOOKS_LOCK:
+        _DEMO_JANITOR_HOOKS.append(fn)
+
+
+def _run_janitor_hook(hook) -> None:
+    """Run a single janitor hook inline, swallowing and logging any exception.
+
+    If the hook returns an awaitable (e.g. a coroutine slipped through the
+    async-function guard), the coroutine is closed immediately to avoid
+    ``RuntimeWarning: coroutine was never awaited`` noise, and a warning is
+    emitted so the plugin author knows to fix their hook.
+    """
+    try:
+        result = hook()
+    except Exception:
+        log.exception("janitor hook %r raised", hook)
+        return
+    if inspect.iscoroutine(result):
+        # A coroutine slipped through the async-function guard (e.g. via a
+        # wrapper/partial).  Close it to suppress "coroutine never awaited",
+        # then warn so the plugin author knows to fix their hook.
+        try:
+            result.close()
+        except Exception:
+            log.exception("error closing coroutine from janitor hook %r", hook)
+        warnings.warn(
+            f"janitor hook {hook!r} returned a coroutine; "
+            "hooks must be plain synchronous callables — "
+            "register_demo_janitor_hook does not accept async functions",
+            RuntimeWarning,
+            stacklevel=1,
+        )
+    elif inspect.isawaitable(result):
+        # Future/Task: no .close() method; just warn and leave it alone.
+        warnings.warn(
+            f"janitor hook {hook!r} returned an awaitable (Future/Task); "
+            "hooks must be plain synchronous callables",
+            RuntimeWarning,
+            stacklevel=1,
+        )
+
+
+_DEMO_BLOCKED: list[tuple[str, re.Pattern]] = [
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/settings$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/settings/import$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/settings/reset$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/rescan$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/rescan/full$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/songs/upload$")),
+    ("DELETE", re.compile(r"^/api/song/.+$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/favorites/toggle$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/loops$")),
+    ("DELETE", re.compile(r"^/api/loops/[^/]+$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/audio-effects/mappings$")),
+    ("DELETE", re.compile(r"^/api/audio-effects/mappings/[^/]+$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/audio-effects/mappings/[^/]+/activate$")),
+    ("DELETE", re.compile(r"^/api/audio-effects/active-mapping$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/song/.*/meta$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/song/.*/art/upload$")),
+    ("PUT",    re.compile(r"^/api/song/.+/overrides$")),
+    ("GET",    re.compile(r"^/api/plugins/updates$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/plugins/[^/]+/update$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/plugins/editor/save$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/plugins/editor/build$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/plugins/editor/upload-art$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/plugins/editor/upload-audio$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/plugins/editor/youtube-audio$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/plugins/editor/import-gp$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/plugins/editor/import-midi$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/plugins/lyrics_karaoke/align$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/plugins/lyrics_karaoke/generate-pitch$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/plugins/lyrics_karaoke/save-lyrics$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/plugins/lyrics_sync/align$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/plugins/lyrics_sync/save$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/plugins/studio/sessions/[^/]+/extract-drums$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/diagnostics/export$")),
+    ("GET",    re.compile(r"^/api/diagnostics/preview$")),
+    ("GET",    re.compile(r"^/api/diagnostics/hardware$")),
+    # Bundled core plugin — video background upload/delete
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/plugins/highway_3d/files$")),
+    ("DELETE", re.compile(r"^/api/plugins/highway_3d/files$")),
+    # fee[dB]ack v0.3.0 write endpoints — demo mode is read-only, so block the
+    # new profile / XP / stats / playlists / saved mutators too.
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/profile$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/profile/avatar$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/xp/award$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/stats$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/playlists$")),
+    ("PATCH",  re.compile(r"^/api/playlists/[^/]+$")),
+    ("DELETE", re.compile(r"^/api/playlists/[^/]+$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/playlists/[^/]+/songs$")),
+    ("DELETE", re.compile(r"^/api/playlists/[^/]+/songs/.+$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/playlists/[^/]+/reorder$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/playlists/[^/]+/cover$")),
+    ("DELETE", re.compile(r"^/api/playlists/[^/]+/cover$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/saved/toggle$")),
+    # Progression (spec 010) write endpoints — demo mode stays read-only.
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/progression/paths$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/progression/onboarding$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/progression/events$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/shop/buy$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/shop/equip$")),
+    # Enrichment (P8): review writes mutate the local match cache, and the
+    # search proxy / manual kick relay to MusicBrainz — none of it belongs to
+    # anonymous demo visitors (they'd spend the shared rate limit).
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/enrichment/review/.+$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/enrichment/kick$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/enrichment/cancel$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/enrichment/rematch$")),
+    ("GET",    re.compile(r"^/api/enrichment/search$")),
+    # AcoustID audio fingerprinting: both identify endpoints run fpcalc (CPU)
+    # and spend the shared AcoustID rate budget on the caller's behalf — same
+    # rule as the search/kick relays above; not for anonymous demo visitors.
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/enrichment/identify$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/enrichment/identify/.+$")),
+    # Context menus (R2): the per-song re-match mutates the cache + spends
+    # rate limit; Get-info exposes filesystem paths.
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/enrichment/refresh/.+$")),
+    ("GET",    re.compile(r"^/api/chart/.+/fileinfo$")),
+    # Gap-fill (R4a) rewrites pack files on disk — never for demo visitors.
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/song/.+/gap-fill$")),
+    # Art layer (R3): all three mutate server state / touch the network on a
+    # visitor's behalf — the base64 upload writes files, the URL fetch makes the
+    # server request arbitrary images, and the override delete removes files.
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/song/.+/art/upload$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/song/.+/art/url$")),
+    ("DELETE", re.compile(r"^/api/art/.+/override$")),
+    # Cover picker (PR-C): read-only, but a cache-miss open spends 1-3
+    # throttled Cover Art Archive calls — anonymous demo visitors don't get
+    # to spend the shared rate budget (same rule as enrichment search/kick).
+    ("GET",    re.compile(r"^/api/song/.+/art/candidates$")),
+    # Artist pages (PR-B): the links GET lazily fetches from MusicBrainz on a
+    # visitor's behalf AND writes the artist_enrichment cache; refresh
+    # re-spends the shared rate limit. The /page route stays open (all-local
+    # read). Same rationale as /api/enrichment/search above.
+    ("GET",    re.compile(r"^/api/artist/.+/links$")),
+    ("POST",   re.compile(r"^/api/artist/.+/links/refresh$")),
+]
+
+
+async def _demo_mode_guard(request: Request, call_next):
+    if getenv_compat("FEEDBACK_DEMO_MODE") or getenv_compat("FEEDBACK_DEMO_MODE") == "1":
+        path = request.url.path
+        for method, pattern in _DEMO_BLOCKED:
+            if request.method == method and pattern.match(path):
+                return JSONResponse({"error": "demo mode: read-only"}, status_code=403)
+        response = await call_next(request)
+        if request.method == "GET" and path == "/" and "feedBack_demo_session" not in request.cookies:
+            forwarded_proto = (request.headers.get("x-forwarded-proto") or "").split(",")[0].strip()
+            is_secure = request.url.scheme == "https" or forwarded_proto.lower() == "https"
+            response.set_cookie(
+                "feedBack_demo_session", str(uuid.uuid4()),
+                max_age=86400, httponly=True, samesite="lax",
+                secure=is_secure,
+            )
+        return response
+    return await call_next(request)
+
+
+def install(app) -> None:
+    """Attach the demo-mode request guard to `app`.
+
+    Called by server.py, which owns the app. A middleware cannot exist without one, and a
+    module under lib/ should not be reaching for a global to find it.
+    """
+    app.middleware("http")(_demo_mode_guard)
+
+
+def demo_mode_enabled() -> bool:
+    """True when demo mode is on. Read at CALL time, never captured — tests set and unset
+    FEEDBACK_DEMO_MODE with monkeypatch, so a value cached at import pins the wrong one."""
+    return bool(getenv_compat("FEEDBACK_DEMO_MODE"))
+
+
+def start_janitor() -> None:
+    """Start the hourly session janitor, at most one at a time. server.py's startup hook.
+
+    ━━━ THE GUARD ASKS "IS A HEALTHY JANITOR RUNNING?", AND NOTHING ELSE ━━━
+
+    Three ways to get this wrong, and #902 plus two Codex passes found all three:
+
+    1. NO GUARD (the original #902 bug). The re-entry check lived at the call site as
+       `A or (B and C)`, so it never ran, and a second startup started a SECOND thread,
+       overwrote the handle, and left the first to fire hooks forever, unjoinable.
+
+    2. GUARD ON THE FLAG (`if _DEMO_JANITOR_STARTED: return`). stop_janitor() deliberately
+       leaves that flag True when a hook outruns its join timeout — so once that hook
+       finishes and the thread exits, the flag is stale and a later startup would refuse to
+       start a replacement. Demo cleanup silently dead for the rest of the process.
+
+    3. GUARD ON LIVENESS ALONE (`if thread.is_alive(): return`). A timed-out stop leaves the
+       old thread ALIVE BUT DOOMED — its stop event is set, and it exits the moment its
+       current hook returns. Treating it as a running janitor means the replacement is never
+       started, and we are back at (2) a second later.
+
+    So a janitor counts as running only if its thread is alive AND it has not been told to
+    stop.
+
+    ━━━ AND WHY EACH JANITOR OWNS ITS STOP EVENT ━━━
+
+    This used to `_DEMO_JANITOR_STOP.clear()` a single shared Event. If a replacement were
+    started while a doomed thread was still finishing a hook, clearing the shared event would
+    RESURRECT it — it loops back to `stop.wait()`, sees the flag cleared, and carries on.
+    Two janitors, which is the exact bug we started from.
+
+    A fresh Event per janitor makes that impossible: the old thread waits on its OWN event,
+    which stays set forever, so it can only exit.
+    """
+    global _DEMO_JANITOR_STARTED, _DEMO_JANITOR_THREAD, _DEMO_JANITOR_STOP
+
+    thread = _DEMO_JANITOR_THREAD
+    if thread is not None and thread.is_alive() and not _DEMO_JANITOR_STOP.is_set():
+        return   # a healthy janitor is already running
+
+    # Either there is no janitor, or the previous one is dead / dying. Give the new one its
+    # OWN stop event so the old one stays stopped no matter what we do to ours.
+    stop = threading.Event()
+    _DEMO_JANITOR_STOP = stop
+    _DEMO_JANITOR_STARTED = True
+
+    def _janitor():
+        # Closes over `stop`, NOT the module global — a later start_janitor() rebinds
+        # _DEMO_JANITOR_STOP, and this thread must keep watching the event it was born with.
+        while not stop.wait(timeout=3600):
+            with _DEMO_JANITOR_HOOKS_LOCK:
+                hooks = list(_DEMO_JANITOR_HOOKS)
+            for hook in hooks:
+                _run_janitor_hook(hook)
+
+    _DEMO_JANITOR_THREAD = threading.Thread(target=_janitor, daemon=True, name="demo-janitor")
+    _DEMO_JANITOR_THREAD.start()
+
+
+def janitor_started() -> bool:
+    return _DEMO_JANITOR_STARTED
+
+
+def stop_janitor(timeout: float = 5) -> bool:
+    """Signal the janitor to stop, join it, and drop the registered hooks.
+
+    Returns True if it stopped, False if it outlived the join (the caller warns).
+
+    THE ORDER HERE IS LOAD-BEARING and preserved exactly from server.py. When the thread
+    does NOT die within the timeout we return WITHOUT clearing _DEMO_JANITOR_STARTED and
+    WITHOUT dropping the thread handle — deliberately — so a subsequent startup does not
+    spawn a SECOND janitor alongside the one still running. Clearing the flag first (the
+    obvious way to write this) would quietly reintroduce exactly the double-janitor leak
+    the flag exists to prevent.
+    """
+    global _DEMO_JANITOR_STARTED, _DEMO_JANITOR_THREAD
+    if not _DEMO_JANITOR_STARTED:
+        return True
+    _DEMO_JANITOR_STOP.set()
+    thread = _DEMO_JANITOR_THREAD
+    if thread is not None:
+        thread.join(timeout=timeout)
+        if thread.is_alive():
+            # Leave _DEMO_JANITOR_STARTED True so a new janitor is not spawned by a
+            # subsequent startup while the old one is alive.
+            return False
+        _DEMO_JANITOR_THREAD = None
+    _DEMO_JANITOR_STARTED = False
+    with _DEMO_JANITOR_HOOKS_LOCK:
+        _DEMO_JANITOR_HOOKS.clear()
+    return True

lib/dlc_paths.py

@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import os
 from pathlib import Path
 
 import appstate
+from safepath import resolved_root
 
 
 def _get_dlc_dir(cfg: dict | None = None) -> Path | None:
@@ -86,7 +87,14 @@ def _resolve_dlc_path(dlc: Path, filename: str) -> Path | None:
             or PureWindowsPath(safe).drive):
         return None
     try:
-        root = dlc.resolve()
+        # The library root is fixed for the life of the process, but this
+        # function runs once per song / art fetch / scanned row — and
+        # `.resolve()` lstats every path component. Re-resolving here was
+        # ~23,500 stat calls/sec on a 50,944-song library, which pins a core
+        # when the library sits on a FUSE mount (NTFS-3G, SMB, sshfs) where each
+        # stat is a userspace round trip. Resolve the root once; see
+        # safepath.resolved_root for the caching contract.
+        root = resolved_root(dlc)
         # normpath collapses `.`/`..`/duplicate separators purely lexically —
         # it never touches the filesystem, so an in-library junction component
         # is preserved (allowed) while `..`/absolute segments still escape and

lib/enrichment.py

@@ -368,10 +368,12 @@ def _acoustid_gate() -> "JSONResponse | None":
 
 def _song_audio_file(filename: str) -> "str | None":
     """Resolve a LIBRARY song (by filename/id) to a local master-audio file for
-    fingerprinting: the full-mix `original_audio` extracted from a sloppak, or a
-    loose folder's audio. None when the song can't be found or ships no full-mix
-    audio (some packs carry only stems). Mirrors serve_sloppak_file's containment
-    guards so a crafted filename can't read outside DLC_DIR / the pack."""
+    fingerprinting: a sloppak's complete mixdown, or a loose folder's audio. None
+    when the song can't be found or carries no mixdown (a pack that kept only its
+    separated stems — an acoustic fingerprint of one re-summed from them would not
+    match the recording, so we decline rather than submit a lossy reconstruction).
+    Mirrors serve_sloppak_file's containment guards so a crafted filename can't
+    read outside DLC_DIR / the pack."""
     dlc = _get_dlc_dir()
     if not dlc:
         return None
@@ -383,7 +385,20 @@ def _song_audio_file(filename: str) -> "str | None":
             canon = resolved.relative_to(dlc.resolve()).as_posix()
         except ValueError:
             return None
-        rel = (sloppak_mod.load_manifest(resolved) or {}).get("original_audio")
+        manifest = sloppak_mod.load_manifest(resolved) or {}
+        # The mixdown is the RESERVED `full` stem (spec §5.3). Unlike playback,
+        # fingerprinting wants it even when it is the pack's ONLY stem — a
+        # single-mix pack is exactly the master audio we want to fingerprint —
+        # so this asks find_full_mix() rather than partition_stems().
+        stems = manifest.get("stems") or []
+        full = sloppak_mod.find_full_mix(
+            [s for s in stems if isinstance(s, dict)]
+        )
+        rel = full.get("file") if full else None
+        # DEPRECATED fallback: packs written before the spec reserved `full` put
+        # the mixdown behind a top-level `original_audio:` key instead (#933).
+        if not isinstance(rel, str) or not rel.strip():
+            rel = manifest.get("original_audio")
         if not isinstance(rel, str) or not rel.strip():
             return None
         src = sloppak_mod.get_cached_source_dir(canon)

lib/lyrics_transcribe.py

@@ -23,9 +23,18 @@ Engine selection
 Two transcription paths share a common output:
 
 * `transcribe_vocals_remote(path, server_url, ...)` — POST the vocal
-  stem to the `/align` endpoint on a feedBack-demucs-server (got-feedBack's
-  reference server already hosts WhisperX alongside Demucs at the same
-  URL).
+  stem to the `/transcribe` endpoint on a feedBack-demucs-server
+  (got-feedBack's reference server already hosts WhisperX alongside
+  Demucs at the same URL).
+
+  It used to POST to `/align`, which is *forced alignment* — "here are
+  the lyrics, tell me when each word is sung". Its `text` field is
+  required and we have no lyrics (transcribing them is the point), so
+  the server answered 422 from FastAPI's validation layer before its
+  handler ran, and remote transcription never worked for anyone
+  (feedBack-plugin-stem-splitter#17). `/transcribe` takes only audio.
+  Requires feedBack-demucs-server ≥ the revision adding that endpoint;
+  an older server answers 404 and the error says so.
 
 * `transcribe_vocals_local(path, ...)` — load WhisperX in-process. Heavy
   (~3 GB of model weights for `large-v2` + the wav2vec2 aligner) and
@@ -416,6 +425,38 @@ def transcribe_vocals_local(
 
 # ── Remote transcription ────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
+_MAX_ERR_BODY = 4000
+
+
+def _err_body(resp) -> str:
+    """The server's error body, whole if it plausibly is one, and marked when it isn't.
+
+    This was capped at 300 chars, which is enough for "Internal Server Error" and not much else.
+    The bodies carrying the most diagnosis are the long ones — a FastAPI validation body naming
+    the field it rejected, a 500 whose traceback answers on its LAST line — and those are exactly
+    the ones a 300-char cap decapitates. The cap survives so a server answering with a 2 MB HTML
+    error page can't dump a novel into a log line.
+    """
+    # Strip FIRST, then measure: a body that is 300 chars of JSON and 3900 of trailing whitespace
+    # is not a long body, and truncating it would cut real content to make room for blanks.
+    text = (getattr(resp, "text", "") or "").strip()
+    if len(text) <= _MAX_ERR_BODY:
+        return text
+
+    # Keep the HEAD **and the TAIL**. Head-only truncation throws away the exception line — and
+    # on a traceback the exception line is the answer. This docstring said as much while the code
+    # did the opposite: it cut off precisely the part it exists to preserve, which is the same
+    # mistake, one level up, as the 300-char cap it replaced.
+    #
+    # The marker sits inside the bound, not past it: otherwise _MAX_ERR_BODY is a suggestion, and
+    # the callers who trust it (a log line, a job record persisted to disk) are the ones surprised.
+    marker = f"\n… [truncated, {len(text)} chars total] …\n"
+    budget = max(0, _MAX_ERR_BODY - len(marker))
+    head = budget * 2 // 3          # context: what was being attempted
+    tail = budget - head            # verdict: what actually went wrong
+    return text[:head].rstrip() + marker + text[len(text) - tail:].lstrip()
+
+
 def transcribe_vocals_remote(
     vocals_path: Path,
     server_url: str,
@@ -426,7 +467,17 @@ def transcribe_vocals_remote(
     min_word_score: float = 0.35,
     progress_cb: ProgressCB = None,
 ) -> list[dict]:
-    """POST the vocal stem to `{server_url}/align` and parse the response.
+    """POST the vocal stem to `{server_url}/transcribe` and parse the response.
+
+    NOT `/align` — that endpoint is forced alignment ("here are the lyrics,
+    tell me when each word is sung") and its `text` field is required. We
+    have no lyrics; producing them is the point. Posting there returned a
+    422 from FastAPI's validation layer before the server's handler ran, so
+    remote transcription never worked at all
+    (feedBack-plugin-stem-splitter#17).
+
+    Requires a feedBack-demucs-server carrying `/transcribe`; an older one
+    answers 404 and the raised error says so.
 
     Expects the server to respond with a JSON object carrying a `words` (or
     `segments`) field in WhisperX's native shape; `_whisperx_to_sloppak`
@@ -454,21 +505,53 @@ def transcribe_vocals_remote(
     if api_key:
         headers["Authorization"] = f"Bearer {api_key}"
 
-    params: dict[str, str] = {}
+    # POST to /transcribe, not /align.
+    #
+    # /align is FORCED ALIGNMENT: "here are the lyrics, tell me when each word is sung". Its
+    # `text` field is required, and we have no lyrics — transcription is the whole point. So the
+    # server rejected every request with a 422 in FastAPI's validation layer, before its handler
+    # ever ran, and remote transcription has never worked for anyone. /transcribe answers the
+    # question we are actually asking and takes only the audio.
+    # (feedBack-plugin-stem-splitter#17; endpoint added in feedBack-demucs-server#14.)
+    #
+    # `language` goes in the FORM BODY, not the query string: the server reads it with
+    # Form(""), and a query param would be silently ignored — so an explicit language hint would
+    # do nothing and Whisper's auto-detection would quietly decide instead, which is exactly the
+    # kind of "it works but it's wrong" that hides for months.
+    form: dict[str, str] = {}
     if language:
-        params["language"] = language
+        form["language"] = language
 
-    with open(vocals_path, "rb") as f:
-        resp = requests.post(
-            f"{server_url}/align",
-            files={"file": (vocals_path.name, f, "audio/ogg")},
-            params=params,
-            headers=headers or None,
-            timeout=timeout,
+    # Everything that can go wrong out here comes back as RuntimeError, which is what the
+    # docstring promises and what the caller catches. A DNS failure, a timeout, a reset
+    # connection or an unreadable stem file would otherwise surface as requests.RequestException
+    # or OSError and escape the one handler written to log-and-continue — turning "this song's
+    # lyrics failed" into "the whole batch died".
+    try:
+        with open(vocals_path, "rb") as f:
+            resp = requests.post(
+                f"{server_url}/transcribe",
+                files={"file": (vocals_path.name, f, "audio/ogg")},
+                data=form or None,
+                headers=headers or None,
+                timeout=timeout,
+            )
+    except requests.RequestException as e:
+        raise RuntimeError(f"could not reach the WhisperX server at {server_url}: {e}") from e
+    except OSError as e:
+        raise RuntimeError(f"could not read the vocal stem {vocals_path.name}: {e}") from e
+
+    if resp.status_code == 404:
+        # The endpoint isn't there. Say what that means, because "404" on its own sends someone
+        # hunting for a typo in their URL when the real answer is that their server predates the
+        # feature. (feedBack-demucs-server#14 added /transcribe.)
+        raise RuntimeError(
+            f"the WhisperX server at {server_url} has no /transcribe endpoint (404) — it "
+            f"predates remote transcription support. Update the server, or use 'Check for "
+            f"update' if it is the plugin-managed one."
         )
-
     if resp.status_code != 200:
-        raise RuntimeError(f"WhisperX server error ({resp.status_code}): {resp.text[:300]}")
+        raise RuntimeError(f"WhisperX server error ({resp.status_code}): {_err_body(resp)}")
 
     data = resp.json()
 

lib/metadata_db.py

@@ -614,6 +614,14 @@ class MetadataDB:
             )
         """)
         self.conn.execute("CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_song_stats_recent ON song_stats(last_played_at DESC)")
+        # Cumulative wall-clock play time (career "hours in genre" odometer).
+        # Fed by the same POST /api/stats the recorder already sends; additive
+        # + idempotent like every other song_stats change.
+        try:
+            self.conn.execute(
+                "ALTER TABLE song_stats ADD COLUMN seconds_total REAL NOT NULL DEFAULT 0")
+        except sqlite3.OperationalError:
+            pass
         # Playlists + the reserved "Saved for Later" system playlist. Additive.
         self.conn.execute("""
             CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS playlists (
@@ -901,6 +909,9 @@ class MetadataDB:
                     "best_accuracy": max(cur["best_accuracy"] or 0.0, r["best_accuracy"] or 0.0),
                     "last_score": newer["last_score"], "last_accuracy": newer["last_accuracy"],
                     "last_position": newer["last_position"],
+                    # Play time is additive: both encodings' hours belong to
+                    # the one canonical song.
+                    "seconds_total": (cur.get("seconds_total") or 0.0) + (r.get("seconds_total") or 0.0),
                     "last_played_at": newer["last_played_at"], "updated_at": newer["updated_at"],
                 }
             # Atomic swap: clear and reinsert the canonicalized set in one txn.
@@ -1074,26 +1085,57 @@ class MetadataDB:
         vals["artist"], vals["title"] = self._romaji_display(filename, vals["artist"], vals["title"])
         return vals
 
-    # Effective genre = a per-song genre OVERRIDE (Fix-metadata popup) else the
-    # scanned pack genre. Applied at FILTER/FACET time (like the P4 artist alias)
-    # so a corrected genre is browsable — the correlated subquery is used ONLY
-    # when genre overrides actually exist; the common case stays on the plain
-    # indexed `genre` column. Genre stays a library-only overlay (it isn't a
-    # write-to-file field), so it never touches the pack.
-    _EFFECTIVE_GENRE_SQL = (
+    # Effective genre precedence: per-song OVERRIDE (Fix-metadata popup) →
+    # scanned pack genre → MusicBrainz enrichment primary genre (matched/manual rows
+    # only — a 'review'/'failed' candidate's genres could belong to the wrong
+    # recording). Applied at FILTER/FACET time (like the P4 artist alias) so a
+    # corrected or enriched genre is browsable. The vast majority of converted
+    # packs carry no `genres` manifest key, so without the enrichment leg the
+    # genre facet (and career passports) starve on real libraries. The
+    # correlated subqueries are used ONLY when overrides/enrichment genres
+    # actually exist; the common case stays on the plain indexed `genre`
+    # column. Genre stays a library-only overlay (it isn't a write-to-file
+    # field), so it never touches the pack.
+    _EFFECTIVE_GENRE_OVERRIDE_SQL = (
         "COALESCE((SELECT o.value FROM song_field_override o "
         "WHERE o.filename = songs.filename AND o.field = 'genre' "
         "AND o.value IS NOT NULL AND o.value != ''), genre)"
     )
+    _EFFECTIVE_GENRE_SQL = (
+        "COALESCE((SELECT o.value FROM song_field_override o "
+        "WHERE o.filename = songs.filename AND o.field = 'genre' "
+        "AND o.value IS NOT NULL AND o.value != ''), "
+        "NULLIF(genre, ''), "
+        "(SELECT json_extract(e.genres, '$[0]') FROM song_enrichment e "
+        "WHERE e.filename = songs.filename AND e.match_state IN ('matched', 'manual') "
+        "AND e.genres IS NOT NULL AND e.genres NOT IN ('', '[]')), "
+        "'')"
+    )
 
     def _has_genre_overrides(self) -> bool:
         return self.conn.execute(
             "SELECT 1 FROM song_field_override WHERE field = 'genre' "
             "AND value IS NOT NULL AND value != '' LIMIT 1").fetchone() is not None
 
+    def _has_enrichment_genres(self) -> bool:
+        try:
+            return self.conn.execute(
+                "SELECT 1 FROM song_enrichment WHERE match_state IN ('matched', 'manual') "
+                "AND genres IS NOT NULL AND genres NOT IN ('', '[]') "
+                "LIMIT 1").fetchone() is not None
+        except sqlite3.OperationalError:
+            return False  # stand-ins / DBs without the enrichment table
+
     def _effective_genre_expr(self) -> str:
-        """`genre` normally; the override-aware COALESCE only when overrides exist."""
-        return self._EFFECTIVE_GENRE_SQL if self._has_genre_overrides() else "genre"
+        """`genre` normally; the enrichment-aware COALESCE only when trusted
+        enrichment genres exist (which also proves the table exists — a
+        stand-in DB without song_enrichment must never receive SQL that
+        references it); the override-only form when just overrides exist."""
+        if self._has_enrichment_genres():
+            return self._EFFECTIVE_GENRE_SQL
+        if self._has_genre_overrides():
+            return self._EFFECTIVE_GENRE_OVERRIDE_SQL
+        return "genre"
 
     def set_song_tags(self, filename: str, tags) -> list:
         """Replace ALL of a song's tags with the given set (each normalized;
@@ -1693,7 +1735,8 @@ class MetadataDB:
     # ── Per-song practice stats ───────────────────────────────────────────---
     _STATS_COLS = (
         "filename", "arrangement", "plays", "best_score", "best_accuracy",
-        "last_score", "last_accuracy", "last_position", "last_played_at", "updated_at",
+        "last_score", "last_accuracy", "last_position", "seconds_total",
+        "last_played_at", "updated_at",
     )
 
     def _stats_row(self, filename: str, arrangement: int) -> dict | None:
@@ -2060,8 +2103,9 @@ class MetadataDB:
             self.conn.commit()
 
     def record_session(self, filename: str, arrangement: int, *, score: int,
-                       accuracy: float, last_position=None) -> dict:
-        """Record a scored play: plays += 1, best_* = max, last_* = new."""
+                       accuracy: float, last_position=None, seconds: float = 0) -> dict:
+        """Record a scored play: plays += 1, best_* = max, last_* = new.
+        `seconds` (wall-clock play time from the recorder) accrues."""
         from song_score import merge_stats
         with self._lock:
             existing = self._stats_row(filename, int(arrangement))
@@ -2071,8 +2115,9 @@ class MetadataDB:
             self.conn.execute(
                 """INSERT INTO song_stats
                        (filename, arrangement, plays, best_score, best_accuracy,
-                        last_score, last_accuracy, last_position, last_played_at, updated_at)
-                   VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?,
+                        last_score, last_accuracy, last_position, seconds_total,
+                        last_played_at, updated_at)
+                   VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?,
                            strftime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%f','now'), strftime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%f','now'))
                    ON CONFLICT(filename, arrangement) DO UPDATE SET
                        plays = excluded.plays,
@@ -2081,32 +2126,62 @@ class MetadataDB:
                        last_score = excluded.last_score,
                        last_accuracy = excluded.last_accuracy,
                        last_position = excluded.last_position,
+                       seconds_total = song_stats.seconds_total + excluded.seconds_total,
                        last_played_at = excluded.last_played_at,
                        updated_at = excluded.updated_at""",
                 (filename, int(arrangement), merged["plays"], merged["best_score"],
                  merged["best_accuracy"], merged["last_score"], merged["last_accuracy"],
-                 merged["last_position"]),
+                 merged["last_position"], float(seconds or 0)),
             )
             self.conn.commit()
         return self._stats_row(filename, int(arrangement))
 
-    def touch_position(self, filename: str, arrangement: int, last_position: float) -> dict:
+    def touch_position(self, filename: str, arrangement: int, last_position: float,
+                       seconds: float = 0) -> dict:
         """Persist just the resume position (no plays/score change), so
         Continue-Playing works for non-scored plays. Also stamps
         last_played_at — both /api/stats/recent and /api/session/continue
         filter/order on it, so a position-only touch must set it or the song
-        never surfaces as 'recent' / 'continue playing'."""
+        never surfaces as 'recent' / 'continue playing'. `seconds` accrues
+        wall-clock play time (career hours odometer)."""
         with self._lock:
             self.conn.execute(
                 """INSERT INTO song_stats (filename, arrangement, last_position,
+                                           seconds_total, last_played_at, updated_at)
+                   VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, strftime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%f','now'),
+                           strftime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%f','now'))
+                   ON CONFLICT(filename, arrangement) DO UPDATE SET
+                       last_position = excluded.last_position,
+                       seconds_total = song_stats.seconds_total + excluded.seconds_total,
+                       last_played_at = excluded.last_played_at,
+                       updated_at = excluded.updated_at""",
+                (filename, int(arrangement), float(last_position), float(seconds or 0)),
+            )
+            self.conn.commit()
+        return self._stats_row(filename, int(arrangement))
+
+    def add_play_seconds(self, filename: str, arrangement: int, seconds: float) -> dict:
+        """Accrue wall-clock play time (no plays/score/position change) —
+        the recorder's seconds-only flush for unscored plays that ran to the
+        song's natural end (no resume position to touch there: `song:ended`
+        must not overwrite Continue with the end-of-song offset). Stamps
+        last_played_at like touch_position does: the song WAS played, so
+        /api/stats/recent and Continue ordering must see it. Accepted skew:
+        the recorder retries FAILED flushes later, which stamps recency at
+        retry time — rare (offline corner), self-healing on the next play,
+        and preferable to the alternative (keep-existing would leave repeat
+        plays looking stale, the common case)."""
+        with self._lock:
+            self.conn.execute(
+                """INSERT INTO song_stats (filename, arrangement, seconds_total,
                                            last_played_at, updated_at)
                    VALUES (?, ?, ?, strftime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%f','now'),
                            strftime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%f','now'))
                    ON CONFLICT(filename, arrangement) DO UPDATE SET
-                       last_position = excluded.last_position,
+                       seconds_total = song_stats.seconds_total + excluded.seconds_total,
                        last_played_at = excluded.last_played_at,
                        updated_at = excluded.updated_at""",
-                (filename, int(arrangement), float(last_position)),
+                (filename, int(arrangement), float(seconds)),
             )
             self.conn.commit()
         return self._stats_row(filename, int(arrangement))

lib/routers/song.py

@@ -829,9 +829,60 @@ def post_song_gap_fill(filename: str, data: dict):
     return {"ok": True, "written": additions, "skipped": skipped}
 
 
+def _playable_stems_payload(filename: str, dlc) -> dict:
+    """The playable stems (id/url/default) + full-mix URL for a sloppak.
+
+    Why it exists: the stems plugin could only learn its stem list from the
+    highway's WS `ready`, which arrives once the highway is already up. So it
+    decoded, and then copied the whole song's PCM to its worklet, with the player
+    on screen — half a gigabyte of memcpy in one frame, ~700 ms, freezing the
+    venue video. Given the list at `song:loading` it can do all of that BEFORE the
+    highway appears, behind the loading overlay where a stall costs nothing.
+
+    The list MUST be the same one the WS sends a moment later. If it is not, the
+    plugin preloads a graph and then throws it away and rebuilds — strictly worse
+    than not preloading. So this does not reimplement the WS's construction, it
+    calls THE SAME FUNCTION: load_song, whose LoadedSloppak already carries the
+    partitioned stems and the resolved full mix, and then builds the URLs exactly
+    as ws_highway does. Drift is impossible by construction rather than by
+    agreement — which matters, because `full_mix` in particular is not simply the
+    `full` stem: load_song falls back to the deprecated `original_audio:` key for
+    every pack written before feedpak 1.15.0, and reimplementing that (I did, at
+    first) silently dropped the pristine full mix for most real libraries.
+
+    Opt-in (`?stems=1`) so the library's own metadata calls — the hot path — pay
+    nothing for it. Non-sloppak sources (archives, loose folders) have no stems
+    to preload: load_song raises and we return the empty list.
+    """
+    from urllib.parse import quote
+
+    try:
+        loaded = sloppak_mod.load_song(filename, dlc, appstate.sloppak_cache_dir)
+    except Exception:
+        return {"stems": [], "full_mix_url": None}
+
+    q_fn = quote(filename, safe="")
+
+    def _url(rel: str) -> str:
+        return f"/api/sloppak/{q_fn}/file/{quote(rel)}"
+
+    return {
+        "stems": [
+            {"id": s["id"], "url": _url(s["file"]), "default": s["default"]}
+            for s in loaded.stems
+        ],
+        "full_mix_url": _url(loaded.full_mix) if loaded.full_mix else None,
+    }
+
+
 @router.get("/api/song/{filename:path}")
-async def get_song_info(filename: str):
-    """Return song metadata, from cache or by extracting it from the song source."""
+async def get_song_info(filename: str, stems: int = 0):
+    """Return song metadata, from cache or by extracting it from the song source.
+
+    `?stems=1` additionally returns the playable stem list with URLs, so the
+    stems plugin can start fetching/decoding on `song:loading` instead of waiting
+    for the highway's WS `ready` (see _playable_stems_payload).
+    """
     import asyncio
     dlc = _get_dlc_dir()
     if not dlc:
@@ -854,8 +905,21 @@ async def get_song_info(filename: str):
 
     mtime, size = appstate.stat_for_cache(song_path)
     cached = appstate.meta_db.get(cache_key, mtime, size)
+    loop = asyncio.get_event_loop()
+
+    # The stem list is NOT stored in the metadata cache: that is a fixed-column
+    # table, and widening it would mean a migration plus a stale row for every
+    # song already scanned. It is cheap to read on demand (the pack is unpacked
+    # by then, so this is a plain manifest read), and only the opt-in caller pays.
+    async def _with_stems(meta: dict) -> dict:
+        if not stems:
+            return meta
+        extra = await loop.run_in_executor(
+            None, _playable_stems_payload, filename, dlc)
+        return {**meta, **extra}
+
     if cached:
-        return cached
+        return await _with_stems(cached)
 
     # Extract in thread pool
     def _extract():
@@ -863,5 +927,5 @@ async def get_song_info(filename: str):
         appstate.meta_db.put(cache_key, mtime, size, meta)
         return meta
 
-    meta = await asyncio.get_event_loop().run_in_executor(None, _extract)
-    return meta
+    meta = await loop.run_in_executor(None, _extract)
+    return await _with_stems(meta)

lib/routers/stats.py

@@ -76,6 +76,22 @@ def api_record_stats(data: dict):
     last_pos = data.get("lastPlayPosition", data.get("last_position"))
     if isinstance(last_pos, bool):   # float(False)=0.0 would otherwise store a bogus position
         return JSONResponse({"error": "lastPlayPosition must be a finite number"}, status_code=400)
+    # Optional wall-clock play time (career hours odometer). Bounded per POST:
+    # the recorder flushes on pause/stop/end, so a single delta beyond 6h is a
+    # clock artifact (suspend/sleep), not practice.
+    seconds = data.get("seconds")
+    if seconds is not None:
+        if isinstance(seconds, bool):
+            return JSONResponse({"error": "seconds must be a positive number"}, status_code=400)
+        try:
+            seconds = float(seconds)
+            if not math.isfinite(seconds):
+                raise ValueError("non-finite")
+        except (TypeError, ValueError, OverflowError):
+            return JSONResponse({"error": "seconds must be a positive number"}, status_code=400)
+        if not (0 < seconds <= 6 * 3600):
+            return JSONResponse({"error": "seconds must be between 0 and 21600"}, status_code=400)
+    seconds = seconds or 0.0
 
     # A scored session needs BOTH score and accuracy. Exactly one provided is
     # ambiguous — don't silently fall through to the position-only branch.
@@ -115,7 +131,8 @@ def api_record_stats(data: dict):
             except (TypeError, ValueError, OverflowError):
                 return JSONResponse({"error": "lastPlayPosition must be a finite number"}, status_code=400)
         row = appstate.meta_db.record_session(filename, arrangement, score=score,
-                                     accuracy=accuracy, last_position=last_pos)
+                                     accuracy=accuracy, last_position=last_pos,
+                                     seconds=seconds)
         # Unified XP + streak side-effects — never let these drop the stat write.
         progress = None
         try:
@@ -152,6 +169,21 @@ def api_record_stats(data: dict):
             log.warning("stats side-effects (progression) failed", exc_info=True)
         return {"stats": row, "progress": progress, "progression": progression_summary}
 
+    # Seconds-only accrual: an unscored play that ran to the song's natural
+    # end has play time to bank but no resume position to touch (song:ended
+    # must not overwrite Continue with the end-of-song offset). Still counts
+    # as playing today for the streak below.
+    if last_pos is None and seconds:
+        row = appstate.meta_db.add_play_seconds(filename, arrangement, seconds)
+        progress = None
+        try:
+            from datetime import date
+            appstate.meta_db.record_active_day(date.today().isoformat())
+            progress = appstate.meta_db.get_progress()
+        except Exception:
+            log.warning("stats side-effects (streak) failed", exc_info=True)
+        return {"stats": row, "progress": progress}
+
     # Position-only touch.
     if last_pos is None:
         return JSONResponse(
@@ -162,7 +194,7 @@ def api_record_stats(data: dict):
         pos = float(last_pos)
         if not math.isfinite(pos):
             raise ValueError("non-finite")
-        row = appstate.meta_db.touch_position(filename, arrangement, pos)
+        row = appstate.meta_db.touch_position(filename, arrangement, pos, seconds=seconds)
     except (TypeError, ValueError, OverflowError):
         return JSONResponse({"error": "lastPlayPosition must be a finite number"}, status_code=400)
     # A resume session still counts as playing today: advance the streak (no XP —

lib/routers/ws_highway.py

@@ -321,11 +321,16 @@ async def highway_ws(websocket: WebSocket, filename: str, arrangement: int = -1,
         audio_url = None
         audio_error: str | None = None  # Surfaced in song_info when audio_url is None
         stems_payload: list[dict] = []
-        # URL of the single full-mix audio (sloppak `original_audio:`), when the
-        # pack ships one. The stems plugin uses this to play the untouched mix
-        # while every stem slider is at unity; None otherwise (separate stems
-        # only, loose folder, or archive).
-        original_audio_url: str | None = None
+        # URL of the pack's complete mixdown — the RESERVED `full` stem (spec
+        # §5.3), which sloppak.load_song() lifts out of `stems` because it is a
+        # mixdown, not a layer. The stems plugin plays it while every stem slider
+        # is at unity (separation is lossy, so it beats re-summing the stems) and
+        # crosses to the separated stems as soon as one is attenuated.
+        #
+        # None when the pack has no mixdown to offer separately from its stems:
+        # a single-mix pack (its one stem IS the mixdown), a loose folder, or an
+        # archive.
+        full_mix_url: str | None = None
         if is_loose:
             # Loose folder filenames are relative paths (artist/album/song).
             # Hash the *canonical* dlc-relative path (so two URL spellings
@@ -365,21 +370,25 @@ async def highway_ws(websocket: WebSocket, filename: str, arrangement: int = -1,
                 url = f"/api/sloppak/{q_fn}/file/{quote(s['file'])}"
                 stems_payload.append({"id": s["id"], "url": url, "default": s["default"]})
             # Full-mix URL (served by the same /api/sloppak/.../file/ endpoint).
-            if loaded_slop is not None and loaded_slop.original_audio:
-                original_audio_url = (
-                    f"/api/sloppak/{q_fn}/file/{quote(loaded_slop.original_audio)}"
+            if loaded_slop is not None and loaded_slop.full_mix:
+                full_mix_url = (
+                    f"/api/sloppak/{q_fn}/file/{quote(loaded_slop.full_mix)}"
                 )
             if stems_payload:
                 # Stems present: keep the core <audio> pointed at stem[0]. This
                 # URL is only ever heard in the degraded path (stems plugin
                 # refuses takeover / decode fails); the full-mix↔stems switch is
-                # driven client-side by `original_audio_url`, not `audio_url`.
+                # driven client-side by `full_mix_url`, not `audio_url`.
                 audio_url = stems_payload[0]["url"]
-            elif original_audio_url:
+            elif full_mix_url:
                 # Stem-less full-mix pack: nothing to separate, so play the full
                 # mix natively through the core <audio>. The stems plugin's
                 # onSongReady returns early on an empty stems list (no graph).
-                audio_url = original_audio_url
+                # Reachable only via the deprecated `original_audio:` key, whose
+                # packs put the mixdown outside `stems` — a pack that carries its
+                # mixdown as the `full` stem has it IN `stems`, so it lands in the
+                # branch above with stems_payload == [full].
+                audio_url = full_mix_url
             else:
                 audio_error = "This sloppak has no playable stems."
         else:
@@ -521,16 +530,31 @@ async def highway_ws(websocket: WebSocket, filename: str, arrangement: int = -1,
             # for the credits overlay, so minigames / synthetic highway uses
             # (no manifest) never trigger it.
             "authors": _sanitize_authors(loaded_slop.manifest) if (is_slop and loaded_slop is not None) else [],
+            # Instrument stems ONLY. The pack's complete mixdown (the RESERVED
+            # `full` stem, spec §5.3) is deliberately NOT in this list: consumers
+            # sum `stems` into one mix and render one fader per entry, and the
+            # mixdown is neither a layer nor an instrument — summing it would
+            # double the whole song. It is surfaced separately, below.
             "stems": stems_payload,
-            # Full-mix audio (sloppak `original_audio:`) served alongside the
-            # separate `stems`. The stems plugin plays this single file while
-            # every stem slider is at unity and switches to the separate stems
-            # the moment one drops below 100%. None when the pack ships stems
-            # only. `has_*` flags mirror the has_drum_tab/has_keys convention so
-            # a client can branch without re-deriving from the URLs.
-            "original_audio_url": original_audio_url,
-            "has_original_audio": bool(original_audio_url),
+            # The complete mixdown, served by the same /api/sloppak/.../file/
+            # endpoint as the stems. The stems plugin plays this single file
+            # while every stem slider is at unity and crosses to the separated
+            # stems the moment one drops below 100% — separation is lossy, so the
+            # mixdown is strictly better audio when nothing is muted. None when
+            # the pack has no mixdown apart from its stems. The `has_*` flags
+            # mirror the has_drum_tab/has_keys convention so a client can branch
+            # without re-deriving from the URLs.
+            "full_mix_url": full_mix_url,
+            "has_full_mix": bool(full_mix_url),
             "has_stems": bool(stems_payload),
+            # DEPRECATED aliases of the two keys above, kept so a client built
+            # against the old frame keeps working across one release. They were
+            # named after `original_audio:` — a manifest key this repo invented
+            # and the feedpak spec never had (#933). The key is gone; the mixdown
+            # is a stem. Remove these once the shipped stems plugin reads
+            # `full_mix_url` (#945).
+            "original_audio_url": full_mix_url,
+            "has_original_audio": bool(full_mix_url),
             # Surface a drum_tab presence flag so the visualization picker
             # can auto-activate the drums plugin even when the chosen
             # arrangement isn't named "Drums" (drum_tab.json lives next

lib/safepath.py

@@ -4,9 +4,34 @@ under a server-owned root.
 
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+from functools import lru_cache
 from pathlib import Path
 
 
+@lru_cache(maxsize=16)
+def resolved_root(root: Path) -> Path:
+    """Canonical (link-resolved) form of a server-owned root directory.
+
+    ``Path.resolve()`` is a filesystem call: it lstats every component of the
+    path. The roots we join against — the DLC library, a plugin's asset dir —
+    are fixed for the life of the process, but the containment helpers below
+    (and ``dlc_paths._resolve_dlc_path``) were re-resolving them on EVERY call,
+    and those are called once per song, per art fetch, per scanned row.
+
+    On a real 50,944-song library that cost ~23,500 stat/lstat calls per second,
+    pinning a core. It is brutal when the library lives on a FUSE mount
+    (NTFS-3G, SMB, sshfs), where every stat is a userspace round trip: the same
+    three parent directories were being walked over and over.
+
+    Cached because a root is a constant here, not because resolution is cheap.
+    Consequence: if a root's symlink/junction is re-pointed at a NEW target
+    while the server is running, the old target stays in effect until restart.
+    That is fine for a library path fixed at startup, and the cache is keyed on
+    the Path, so switching to a different library dir is a different key.
+    """
+    return root.resolve()
+
+
 def safe_join(root: Path, name: str) -> Path | None:
     """Resolve ``name`` under ``root`` and return the resolved Path, or
     ``None`` if it would escape ``root`` or is unrepresentable.
@@ -35,9 +60,12 @@ def safe_join(root: Path, name: str) -> Path | None:
         return None
     safe = name.replace("\\", "/")
     try:
-        root_resolved = root.resolve()
-        candidate = (root_resolved / safe).resolve()
-        if not candidate.is_relative_to(root_resolved):
+        # The ROOT is a constant — resolve it once (see resolved_root). The
+        # CANDIDATE must still be resolved on every call: following its symlinks
+        # is exactly the zip-slip / traversal defence, so it is never cached.
+        root_res = resolved_root(root)
+        candidate = (root_res / safe).resolve()
+        if not candidate.is_relative_to(root_res):
             return None
     except (ValueError, OSError):
         return None

lib/scan.py

@@ -0,0 +1,326 @@
+"""The library scanner: the background scan, its process pool, and the kick/runner
+plumbing that serialises passes.
+
+Carved VERBATIM out of server.py (R3b) except the seam reads. Everything shared is read
+LATE off appstate — the same contract every module in lib/routers/ uses, and it is not
+cosmetic: tests monkeypatch CONFIG_DIR and swap meta_db, so a value captured at import
+time would pin the wrong one for the life of the process.
+
+    CONFIG_DIR        -> appstate.config_dir
+    meta_db           -> appstate.meta_db
+    _default_settings -> appstate.default_settings()
+    _stat_for_cache   -> appstate.stat_for_cache()
+    _feedBack_server_root() -> appstate.server_root      <- see below
+
+━━━ THE SCAN STATUS IS REBOUND, NOT MUTATED ━━━
+
+`_background_scan` does `global _scan_status; _scan_status = {**INIT, ...}` at every stage
+transition. It REPLACES the dict; it does not update it in place. So nothing may hold the
+dict by value — a reference captured once goes permanently stale at the first stage change,
+and would report "listing" forever while the scan ran to completion.
+
+That is why this module exports `status()`, a getter, and why appstate publishes
+`scan_status` as a CALLABLE rather than a dict. appstate.py already says so in a comment;
+this is the code that makes it true.
+
+━━━ AND WHY THE SERVER ROOT IS READ, NEVER DERIVED ━━━
+
+`_background_scan` seeds the builtin content, which needs the directory holding server.py.
+`Path(__file__).resolve().parent` is correct in server.py and silently WRONG here (it
+yields lib/, which has no docs/ or data/) — and it fails by finding nothing rather than by
+raising, so the seeds would just quietly never run. server.py publishes the root once, as
+appstate.server_root. Read it; never re-derive it.
+"""
+import concurrent.futures
+import logging
+import multiprocessing
+import os
+import sys
+import threading
+from pathlib import Path
+
+import appstate
+import builtin_content
+import enrichment
+import loosefolder as loosefolder_mod
+import sloppak as sloppak_mod
+from appconfig import _load_config
+from dlc_paths import _get_dlc_dir
+from env_compat import getenv_compat
+from scan_worker import _relpath, _scan_one
+
+log = logging.getLogger("feedBack.scan")
+
+
+_SCAN_STATUS_INIT = {"running": False, "stage": "idle", "total": 0, "done": 0, "current": "", "error": None, "is_first_scan": False, "added": 0, "removed": 0}
+
+
+_scan_status = dict(_SCAN_STATUS_INIT)
+
+
+def _make_scan_executor():
+    """Build the executor for the background metadata scan.
+
+    A `spawn` ProcessPoolExecutor in production. `spawn` (not the platform
+    default) is mandatory: _background_scan runs on a non-main daemon
+    thread, and forking a multithreaded process from a non-main thread can
+    deadlock on locks held by other threads at fork time (the default on
+    Linux). `spawn` boots a clean interpreter that imports only scan_worker
+    (+ its pure lib deps) to unpickle the worker — never this module — so
+    workers don't re-run server.py's import-time side effects (reopening
+    SQLite, attaching a second RotatingFileHandler, re-registering routes).
+
+    Tests monkeypatch this to a ThreadPoolExecutor so the scan runs
+    in-process and metadata extraction can be mocked.
+    """
+    mp_ctx = multiprocessing.get_context("spawn")
+    # Default to one worker per core so CPU-bound metadata parsing uses the
+    # whole machine (the point of moving to processes).
+    # FEEDBACK_MAX_SCAN_WORKERS (set by the Desktop launcher to cap memory
+    # usage on low-RAM machines — e.g. 8 GB M2 MacBook Air) takes priority;
+    # SCAN_MAX_WORKERS is a legacy override for Docker/bare installs.
+    # A malformed override falls back to the core count rather than crashing.
+    try:
+        max_workers = int(
+            getenv_compat("FEEDBACK_MAX_SCAN_WORKERS")
+            or os.environ.get("SCAN_MAX_WORKERS")
+            or (os.cpu_count() or 1)
+        )
+    except ValueError:
+        max_workers = os.cpu_count() or 1
+    # ProcessPoolExecutor raises ValueError on Windows when max_workers > 61
+    # (the WaitForMultipleObjects handle limit), so clamp there — otherwise
+    # a high-core Windows host can't construct the pool and the scan never
+    # starts.
+    if sys.platform == "win32":
+        max_workers = min(max_workers, 61)
+    return concurrent.futures.ProcessPoolExecutor(
+        max_workers=max(1, max_workers), mp_context=mp_ctx,
+    )
+
+
+def background_scan():
+    """Scan the library and cache song metadata on startup. Uses a process pool to bypass the GIL for CPU-bound metadata parsing.
+
+    Never sets `_scan_status["running"] = False` — ownership of that flag
+    lives in `_scan_runner` so a `kick_scan()` racing this function's
+    terminal write cannot observe a stale False and start a second runner.
+    """
+    global _scan_status
+    _scan_status = {**_SCAN_STATUS_INIT, "running": True, "stage": "listing"}
+
+    # Load config once so both the DLC-dir lookup and the platform filter
+    # read from the same snapshot, avoiding a redundant parse of config.json.
+    _cfg = _load_config(appstate.config_dir / "config.json") or appstate.default_settings()
+    dlc = _get_dlc_dir(_cfg)
+    if not dlc:
+        _scan_status = {**_SCAN_STATUS_INIT, "running": True, "stage": "idle", "error": "DLC folder not configured"}
+        log.warning("Scan: no DLC folder configured")
+        return
+
+    builtin_content.seed_builtin_diagnostic_sloppaks(appstate.server_root, dlc)
+    builtin_content.seed_builtin_starter_content(appstate.server_root, dlc)
+
+    # Listing can fail on macOS without Full Disk Access, or on Docker if the
+    # path isn't shared. Report the failure explicitly rather than silently
+    # appearing to scan nothing.
+    try:
+        # Generated-content sloppaks that the highway WS must resolve by path
+        # but that are NOT library songs. Two conventions share this carve-out:
+        #   - tutorials-builtin/  — lesson drills seeded by the tutorials plugin
+        #     (see plugins/tutorials/routes.py::_seed_builtin_packs).
+        #   - minigames-builtin/  — exercise charts generated on demand by
+        #     minigame plugins (e.g. Chord Sprint writes alternating-chord
+        #     drills here). Cached/reused per exercise, never browsed.
+        # Both are kept out of the scan; _resolve_dlc_path still loads them by
+        # path for playback.
+        def _is_excluded_from_library(p: Path) -> bool:
+            return "tutorials-builtin" in p.parts or "minigames-builtin" in p.parts
+        # Sloppaks: match both file (zip) and directory form, across both the
+        # `.feedpak` and legacy `.sloppak` suffixes.
+        _cands = sorted(p for ext in sloppak_mod.SONG_EXTS for p in dlc.rglob(f"*{ext}"))
+        sloppaks = [f for f in _cands
+                    if sloppak_mod.is_sloppak(f)
+                    and not _is_excluded_from_library(f)]
+
+        # Loose song folders: any directory containing a non-preview *.wem + *.xml.
+        # Skip directories that are actually sloppak bundles — those are
+        # already in `sloppaks`; the dispatcher's sloppak-first precedence
+        # would route them to the sloppak path anyway, but adding them
+        # here would inflate the scan queue and over-count the total.
+        loose_songs = []
+        seen_loose = set()
+        sloppak_dirs = {p for p in sloppaks if p.is_dir()}
+        for wem in sorted(dlc.rglob("*.wem")):
+            if "preview" in wem.stem.lower():
+                continue
+            if _is_excluded_from_library(wem):
+                continue
+            d = wem.parent
+            if d in sloppak_dirs or d.name.lower().endswith(sloppak_mod.SONG_EXTS):
+                continue
+            if d not in seen_loose and loosefolder_mod.is_loose_song(d):
+                loose_songs.append(d)
+                seen_loose.add(d)
+    except PermissionError as e:
+        msg = (f"Permission denied reading {dlc}. "
+               "On macOS: grant Full Disk Access to the app in System Settings → Privacy & Security. "
+               "With Docker: share this path in Docker Desktop → Settings → Resources → File Sharing.")
+        log.error("Scan failed: %s (%s)", msg, e)
+        _scan_status = {**_SCAN_STATUS_INIT, "running": True, "stage": "error", "error": msg}
+        return
+    except OSError as e:
+        log.error("Scan failed listing %s: %s", dlc, e)
+        _scan_status = {**_SCAN_STATUS_INIT, "running": True, "stage": "error", "error": f"Unable to list {dlc}: {e}"}
+        return
+
+    all_songs = sloppaks + loose_songs
+    log.info("Scan: listed %d sloppaks and %d loose folders in %s",
+             len(sloppaks), len(loose_songs), dlc)
+
+    current_files = {_relpath(f, dlc) for f in all_songs}
+
+    # Clean up stale DB entries. delete_missing reports both deltas (rows pruned
+    # + genuinely-new files) so the scan can surface an added/removed summary.
+    _delta = appstate.meta_db.delete_missing(current_files)
+    removed, added = _delta["removed"], _delta["added"]
+    if removed:
+        log.info("Removed %d stale DB entries", removed)
+
+    # Figure out which need scanning
+    to_scan = []
+    for f in all_songs:
+        # Skip entries that vanish or become unreadable between listing
+        # and stat. Without this, one concurrent move/delete in DLC_DIR
+        # would crash the scan thread and leave `_scan_status["running"]`
+        # stuck true with no path to recover.
+        try:
+            mtime, size = appstate.stat_for_cache(f)
+        except OSError as e:
+            log.debug("scan: skipping %s (%s)", f, e)
+            continue
+        cache_key = _relpath(f, dlc)
+        try:
+            cached = appstate.meta_db.get(cache_key, mtime, size)
+        except Exception as e:
+            # Keep scanning even if a single metadata lookup fails.
+            # The file will be re-scanned and cache repaired by put().
+            log.warning("scan cache lookup failed for %s: %s", cache_key, e)
+            cached = None
+        if not cached:
+            to_scan.append((f, mtime, size, dlc))
+        elif cached.get("arrangements") and any(
+            "smart_name" not in a for a in cached["arrangements"]
+        ):
+            # Row was scanned before smart naming was introduced — force a
+            # rescan so the DB picks up authoritative path flags from the
+            # manifest JSON and stores correct smart_name values. Don't
+            # re-queue rows where smart_name is explicitly null: the writer
+            # only emits that when compute_smart_names truly can't classify
+            # the arrangement (e.g. a name outside the recognised set with
+            # zero path flags), so rescanning would produce the same null
+            # forever and never converge.
+            to_scan.append((f, mtime, size, dlc))
+
+    if not to_scan:
+        _scan_status = {**_SCAN_STATUS_INIT, "running": True, "stage": "complete", "added": added, "removed": removed}
+        log.info("Scan: nothing new to scan (%d songs, all cached)", len(all_songs))
+        return
+
+    # Refine: all discovered songs need scanning → treat as first-time import
+    # (covers moved DLC folder / fully-stale DB as well as a genuinely empty DB).
+    is_first_scan = bool(all_songs) and len(to_scan) == len(all_songs)
+    _scan_status = {**_SCAN_STATUS_INIT, "running": True, "stage": "scanning", "total": len(to_scan),
+                    "is_first_scan": is_first_scan}
+    log.info("Library: %d sloppaks + %d loose folders, %d cached, %d to scan",
+             len(sloppaks), len(loose_songs), len(all_songs) - len(to_scan), len(to_scan))
+
+    with _make_scan_executor() as executor:
+        futures = {executor.submit(_scan_one, item): item[0].name for item in to_scan}
+        for future in concurrent.futures.as_completed(futures):
+            fname = futures[future]
+            try:
+                name, mtime, size, meta = future.result()
+                appstate.meta_db.put(name, mtime, size, meta)
+            except Exception as e:
+                log.warning("scan failed for %s: %s", fname, e)
+            _scan_status["done"] += 1
+            _scan_status["current"] = fname
+
+    log.info("Scan complete: %d songs cached", len(to_scan))
+    _scan_status = {**_SCAN_STATUS_INIT, "running": True, "stage": "complete", "added": added, "removed": removed}
+
+
+_scan_kick_lock = threading.Lock()
+
+
+_scan_rescan_pending = False
+
+
+# Handles to the running scan / enrichment worker threads. Both use the shared
+# MetadataDB connection, so teardown/shutdown MUST join them before closing that
+# connection — a daemon thread mid-query on a closed SQLite conn is a native
+# use-after-free that segfaults the process (seen flaky in CI). Set by
+# _kick_scan / _kick_enrich; joined by _join_background_db_threads().
+_scan_thread: threading.Thread | None = None
+
+
+def kick_scan() -> bool:
+    """Request a library rescan, single-flight + coalescing.
+
+    Returns True if a new scan thread was started, False if one was already
+    running. In the latter case a follow-up pass is queued and runs as soon
+    as the current scan finishes so files landing mid-scan (e.g. an upload
+    that finalizes after the scan has already listed DLC_DIR) are not lost
+    until the next periodic pass. Multiple late-arriving requests coalesce
+    into a single follow-up.
+    """
+    global _scan_rescan_pending, _scan_thread
+    with _scan_kick_lock:
+        if _scan_status["running"]:
+            _scan_rescan_pending = True
+            return False
+        # Mark running synchronously so a parallel kick_scan() observes it
+        # before the worker thread has a chance to reassign _scan_status.
+        _scan_status["running"] = True
+    _scan_thread = threading.Thread(target=_scan_runner, daemon=True)
+    _scan_thread.start()
+    return True
+
+
+def _scan_runner():
+    """Run _background_scan, then re-run if requests arrived mid-scan."""
+    global _scan_rescan_pending
+    while True:
+        try:
+            background_scan()
+        except Exception:
+            log.exception("background scan failed unexpectedly")
+
+        with _scan_kick_lock:
+            if not _scan_rescan_pending:
+                _scan_status["running"] = False
+                break
+            _scan_rescan_pending = False
+            _scan_status["running"] = True
+    # Enrichment rides scan completion (library-metadata design §6): the scan
+    # pool is a side-effect-free, no-network process pool by design, so
+    # enrichment is a SEPARATE post-scan pass — non-blocking, the library is
+    # usable immediately. The 5-minute periodic rescan re-kicks it, which is
+    # the natural low-priority retry hook.
+    enrichment._kick_enrich()
+
+
+def status() -> dict:
+    """The live scan status.
+
+    A GETTER, deliberately. `_scan_status` is REBOUND on every stage transition, so a
+    caller holding the dict would be reading a snapshot frozen at whatever stage it
+    happened to grab — see the module header.
+    """
+    return _scan_status
+
+
+def scan_thread():
+    """The background scan thread, or None. Read by shutdown to join it."""
+    return _scan_thread

lib/sloppak.py

@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ from __future__ import annotations
 
 import logging
 import math
+import os
 import shutil
 import threading
 import zipfile
@@ -34,6 +35,21 @@ FEEDPAK_EXT = ".feedpak"
 SLOPPAK_EXT = ".sloppak"
 SONG_EXTS = (FEEDPAK_EXT, SLOPPAK_EXT)  # accepted on read/discovery
 
+# ── The full mix ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+#
+# Spec §5.3 RESERVES the stem id `full` for the song's complete mixdown: the
+# whole song in one file, as heard before source separation. It is a stem — it
+# lives in `stems` like every other audio file in a pack — but it is a *mixdown,
+# not a layer*. A reader that sums stems must never include it in the sum: it
+# already contains every instrument, so summing it doubles the whole song and
+# muting `guitar` still leaves guitar audible inside it.
+#
+# Keeping it matters because separation is lossy: re-summing guitar+bass+drums+
+# vocals does NOT reproduce the file they came from. The mixdown is the only
+# faithful rendering of the song a pack can carry, so we play it whenever every
+# stem sits at unity and nothing is muted.
+FULL_MIX_STEM_ID = "full"
+
 import yaml
 
 from jsonc import load_json
@@ -51,6 +67,111 @@ import drums as drums_mod
 import notation as notation_mod
 
 
+def find_full_mix(stems: list[dict]) -> dict | None:
+    """The RESERVED `full` stem (spec §5.3) — the pack's complete mixdown — or None.
+
+    Answers "what is this pack's master audio", which is what fingerprinting
+    wants. For playback use partition_stems() instead: a pack whose *only* stem
+    is `full` has no mixdown to play *separately from* its stems, and this
+    function still returns it.
+    """
+    return next(
+        (s for s in stems if str(s.get("id", "")) == FULL_MIX_STEM_ID), None
+    )
+
+
+def stem_default_on(raw) -> bool:
+    """Whether a manifest stem entry plays by default.
+
+    Absent means on. A string is honoured so a hand-written manifest can say
+    `default: off`. Extracted so the WS `ready` payload and the REST song-info
+    payload cannot drift: the stems plugin now preloads from REST and then has
+    to agree with what the WS says a moment later, or it would rebuild the whole
+    graph for nothing.
+    """
+    if isinstance(raw, str):
+        return raw.lower() not in ("off", "false", "0", "no")
+    return bool(raw)
+
+
+def partition_stems(stems: list[dict]) -> tuple[dict | None, list[dict]]:
+    """Split stem descriptors into (mixdown, instrument_stems) for PLAYBACK.
+
+    The mixdown is lifted OUT of the stem list because every consumer of `stems`
+    treats that list as layers to sum or to show as mixer channels, and `full` is
+    neither (spec §5.3). Leaving it in is precisely the bug that made the packer
+    invent `original_audio` in the first place: a listed full mix plays on top of
+    the stems.
+
+    A pack whose only stem is `full` is a single-mix pack, not a separated one:
+    there are no instruments to be pristine *against*, so `full` stays the sole
+    playable stem and no mixdown is surfaced. That keeps the freshly-converted
+    single-stem pack — much the most common shape — behaving exactly as before.
+
+    EVERY entry with the reserved id is removed, not just the one we surface. A
+    malformed pack that lists `full` twice would otherwise leave a copy of the
+    whole song behind in the stem list, to be summed with the instruments — the
+    precise failure this function exists to prevent, reintroduced by a duplicate.
+    """
+    if len(stems) < 2:
+        return None, stems
+    full = find_full_mix(stems)
+    if full is None:
+        return None, stems
+    return full, [s for s in stems if str(s.get("id", "")) != FULL_MIX_STEM_ID]
+
+
+def _legacy_full_mix(manifest: dict, source_dir: Path) -> str | None:
+    """Full mix from the DEPRECATED `original_audio:` manifest key, or None.
+
+    Before feedpak 1.15.0 reserved `full`, §5.3 said the mixdown was "commonly
+    replaced" by the per-instrument stems on splitting — so it had nowhere to
+    live, and this repo invented a top-level key pointing at a parallel
+    `original/` directory (#583) to hold it. That key was never in the spec, and
+    #933 removed our dependence on it: the mixdown is a stem.
+
+    We still READ it, because every pack written before the spec caught up
+    carries `original_audio: original/full.ogg` and would otherwise lose its full
+    mix. We never write it. Delete this once those packs are migrated (#945);
+    `tools/migrate_full_mix_stem.py` is the migration.
+
+    NOTE the string literal below. tools/check_spec_conformance.py AST-scans for
+    `manifest.get("<literal>")` to prove every manifest key core reads is one the
+    spec declares. Hoisting "original_audio" into a named constant would hide
+    this read from that scan — the gate would conclude core no longer touches the
+    key, and the grandfather entry that documents this debt would go stale. The
+    literal is what keeps the deprecation honest and visible to CI. Leave it.
+
+    Same permissive, path-traversal-guarded posture as the optional side-files: a
+    missing / escaping / unreadable file leaves the pack without a full mix (the
+    player falls back to the separated stems) rather than aborting the load.
+    Returns the manifest-relative string, so callers build its URL exactly as
+    they build a stem's.
+    """
+    rel_raw = manifest.get("original_audio")
+    if not isinstance(rel_raw, str) or not rel_raw.strip():
+        return None
+    rel = rel_raw.strip()
+    try:
+        target = (source_dir / rel).resolve()
+        target.relative_to(source_dir.resolve())
+    except ValueError:
+        log.warning("sloppak: original_audio path %r escapes source_dir — skipped", rel)
+        return None
+    except OSError as e:
+        log.warning("sloppak: original_audio path resolution failed (%s) — skipped", e)
+        return None
+    if not target.is_file():
+        return None
+    log.info(
+        "sloppak: pack uses the deprecated `original_audio:` key (%r) — the full mix "
+        "is a stem (id `full`, feedpak spec §5.3). Re-pack with "
+        "tools/migrate_full_mix_stem.py; support for this key will be removed.",
+        rel,
+    )
+    return rel
+
+
 # ── Format detection ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 def is_sloppak(path: Path) -> bool:
@@ -81,6 +202,116 @@ _unpack_semaphore = threading.BoundedSemaphore(_UNPACK_MAX_CONCURRENCY)
 _unpack_locks: dict[str, threading.Lock] = {}
 _unpack_locks_guard = threading.Lock()
 
+# Destinations with an unpack in flight right now. Eviction MUST skip these: two
+# unpacks run concurrently, so one finishing could otherwise rmtree the other's
+# half-written directory and leave that resolver caching an incomplete song.
+_unpacking: set[Path] = set()
+_unpacking_guard = threading.Lock()
+
+# Cap the unpack cache. Stems are already-compressed audio, so an unpacked song
+# is ~1.1x its zip — the cache is effectively a second, DECOMPRESSED copy of
+# every song it holds, and it used to grow without any bound at all. A tester
+# reached 60 GB from a 1800-song library: their whole library, unpacked, because
+# one caller looped the library calling load_song(). Nothing ever deleted any of
+# it — not even when the song itself was deleted.
+#
+# Default 4 GB ≈ 130 average songs of recency, which is far more than the "the
+# song I'm playing, and the last few I played" that this cache actually exists
+# to serve. Override with FEEDBACK_SLOPPAK_CACHE_MAX_MB (0 disables eviction).
+def _unpack_cache_cap_bytes() -> int:
+    raw = os.environ.get("FEEDBACK_SLOPPAK_CACHE_MAX_MB", "").strip()
+    try:
+        mb = int(raw) if raw else 4096
+    except ValueError:
+        mb = 4096
+    return max(0, mb) * 1024 * 1024
+
+
+def _dir_size(path: Path) -> int:
+    total = 0
+    for f in path.rglob("*"):
+        try:
+            if f.is_file():
+                total += f.stat().st_size
+        except OSError:
+            continue
+    return total
+
+
+def _touch(path: Path) -> None:
+    """Bump mtime so the LRU sweep below treats this song as recently used.
+
+    Reading files out of an unpacked dir doesn't change the DIRECTORY's mtime,
+    so without this the song you are actively playing looks as stale as one you
+    unpacked days ago — and a burst of unpacks could evict it mid-song.
+    """
+    try:
+        os.utime(path, None)
+    except OSError:
+        pass
+
+
+def _evict_unpack_cache(root: Path, keep: Path | None = None) -> None:
+    """Bound the unpack cache: drop least-recently-used songs until under the cap.
+
+    `keep` is never evicted — it's the song the caller just resolved, i.e. almost
+    certainly the one about to be played.
+
+    Evicting a directory MUST also drop its `_source_cache` entry. Otherwise
+    get_cached_source_dir() keeps handing out a path that no longer exists and
+    the media route 404s on every stem instead of re-unpacking (it only falls
+    back to resolve_source_dir when the cache returns None).
+    """
+    cap = _unpack_cache_cap_bytes()
+    if cap <= 0:
+        return
+    try:
+        entries = []
+        total = 0
+        for d in root.iterdir():
+            if not d.is_dir():
+                continue
+            try:
+                size = _dir_size(d)
+                mtime = d.stat().st_mtime
+            except OSError:
+                continue
+            entries.append((mtime, size, d))
+            total += size
+        if total <= cap:
+            return
+
+        keep_resolved = keep.resolve() if keep else None
+        entries.sort(key=lambda e: e[0])          # oldest first
+        for _mtime, size, d in entries:
+            if total <= cap:
+                break
+            try:
+                if keep_resolved and d.resolve() == keep_resolved:
+                    continue
+            except OSError:
+                continue
+            # Check-and-delete under ONE hold of the guard. Releasing between the
+            # two would let a resolver mark this dest in-flight and start writing
+            # into it in the gap, and we'd rmtree a song mid-unpack. A resolver
+            # that blocks here simply proceeds afterwards — _unpack_zip recreates
+            # the directory anyway.
+            with _unpacking_guard:
+                if d in _unpacking:
+                    continue                      # another thread is writing this
+                shutil.rmtree(d, ignore_errors=True)
+            if d.exists():
+                continue                          # couldn't remove — don't claim the bytes back
+            total -= size
+            with _source_lock:
+                for fn, (cached_dir, _m, _s) in list(_source_cache.items()):
+                    if cached_dir == d:
+                        _source_cache.pop(fn, None)
+            log.info("sloppak: evicted %s from the unpack cache (%.0f MB)",
+                     d.name, size / 1e6)
+    except OSError:
+        log.warning("sloppak: unpack-cache eviction failed", exc_info=True)
+
 
 def _unpack_lock_for(filename: str) -> threading.Lock:
     """Return a stable per-file lock so concurrent unpacks of the same sloppak
@@ -145,10 +376,17 @@ def resolve_source_dir(
                       re-unpacks if mtime/size changed, then returns that dir.
 
     Caches the resolution so subsequent calls are ~free.
+
+    NOTE: this writes the WHOLE pack — every stem — to disk. Only call it for a
+    song you are about to play. To read a *part* of a song (an arrangement, the
+    lyrics, a tone blob), use read_member_bytes(): unpacking a pack to read a few
+    KB of JSON is ~45x write amplification, and doing it in a loop over the
+    library fills the disk with a decompressed copy of every song.
     """
     path = dlc_root / filename
     stat = path.stat()
     mtime, size = stat.st_mtime, stat.st_size
+    guarded: Path | None = None   # a dir WE unpacked, shielded from eviction
 
     with _source_lock:
         cached = _source_cache.get(filename)
@@ -159,42 +397,76 @@ def resolve_source_dir(
                 and cached_size == size
                 and cached_dir.exists()
             ):
+                # Mark it recently-used before returning — see _touch().
+                if cached_dir != path:
+                    _touch(cached_dir)
                 return cached_dir
 
-    if path.is_dir():
-        resolved = path
-    else:
-        # Zip form — unpack to the cache. Serialize per-file (so concurrent
-        # callers don't rmtree + re-extract the same dest at once) and cap
-        # global unpack concurrency (so a burst can't saturate disk/CPU).
-        dest = unpack_cache_root / _safe_id(filename)
-        with _unpack_lock_for(filename):
-            # Re-check the cache inside the per-file lock — a prior holder may
-            # have just finished unpacking this exact (mtime, size).
-            with _source_lock:
-                cached = _source_cache.get(filename)
-            if (
-                cached
-                and cached[1] == mtime
-                and cached[2] == size
-                and cached[0].exists()
-            ):
-                resolved = cached[0]
-            else:
-                with _unpack_semaphore:
-                    _unpack_zip(path, dest)
-                resolved = dest
+    try:
+        if path.is_dir():
+            resolved = path
+        else:
+            # Zip form — unpack to the cache. Serialize per-file (so concurrent
+            # callers don't rmtree + re-extract the same dest at once) and cap
+            # global unpack concurrency (so a burst can't saturate disk/CPU).
+            dest = unpack_cache_root / _safe_id(filename)
+            with _unpack_lock_for(filename):
+                # Re-check the cache inside the per-file lock — a prior holder may
+                # have just finished unpacking this exact (mtime, size).
+                with _source_lock:
+                    cached = _source_cache.get(filename)
+                if (
+                    cached
+                    and cached[1] == mtime
+                    and cached[2] == size
+                    and cached[0].exists()
+                ):
+                    resolved = cached[0]
+                else:
+                    # Shield `dest` from eviction from the moment we start writing
+                    # until it is safely in _source_cache. `keep` only shields it
+                    # from OUR OWN sweep — a concurrent resolver sweeping with a
+                    # different `keep` would delete it, and we would then cache and
+                    # return a path that no longer exists. The `finally` below
+                    # releases it on EVERY exit, including a failed unpack: leaving
+                    # a dest marked in-flight would make it un-evictable forever.
+                    with _unpacking_guard:
+                        _unpacking.add(dest)
+                    guarded = dest
+                    with _unpack_semaphore:
+                        _unpack_zip(path, dest)
+                    resolved = dest
+                    # The only moment this cache grows. Sweep here rather than on a
+                    # timer so it can never drift far past the cap.
+                    _evict_unpack_cache(unpack_cache_root, keep=dest)
 
-    with _source_lock:
-        _source_cache[filename] = (resolved, mtime, size)
-    return resolved
+        with _source_lock:
+            _source_cache[filename] = (resolved, mtime, size)
+        return resolved
+    finally:
+        if guarded is not None:
+            with _unpacking_guard:
+                _unpacking.discard(guarded)
 
 
 def get_cached_source_dir(filename: str) -> Path | None:
-    """Return the cached source dir for a sloppak if one is known."""
+    """Return the cached source dir for a sloppak if one is known AND still there.
+
+    The existence check is load-bearing: callers (media.py) only fall back to
+    resolve_source_dir() when this returns None, so handing back a path that has
+    been evicted — or that the user deleted by hand to reclaim disk — would 404
+    every stem for the rest of the process instead of re-unpacking.
+    """
     with _source_lock:
         cached = _source_cache.get(filename)
-        return cached[0] if cached else None
+        if not cached:
+            return None
+        src = cached[0]
+        if not src.is_dir():
+            _source_cache.pop(filename, None)
+            return None
+        _touch(src)
+        return src
 
 
 # ── Manifest + song loading ───────────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -233,6 +505,82 @@ def load_manifest(path: Path) -> dict:
     return _read_manifest_from_zip(path)
 
 
+_ZIP_ROOT = Path("/_root").resolve()
+
+
+def _zip_member_key(name: str) -> str | None:
+    """Canonical lookup key for a zip member name, or None if it escapes the root.
+
+    Collapses './', 'a/../b' and backslash separators — the same normalization
+    _unpack_zip()/safe_join() apply when extracting. Both the name the caller asks
+    for AND the names the archive actually stores must go through this, or a pack
+    that stores './arrangements/lead.json' unpacks fine but reads back as missing.
+    """
+    safe = safe_join(_ZIP_ROOT, name or "")
+    # None → escapes the root; == root → a degenerate name like "." or "a/..".
+    if safe is None or safe == _ZIP_ROOT:
+        return None
+    return safe.relative_to(_ZIP_ROOT).as_posix()
+
+
+def read_member_bytes(path: Path, rel: str) -> bytes | None:
+    """Return the bytes of ONE file inside a sloppak, or None if it isn't there.
+
+    For a zipped sloppak this opens that single member instead of unpacking the
+    archive — the same trick read_cover_bytes() uses to keep the library grid
+    from exploding every pack just to show a cover.
+
+    Reach for this whenever you want a *part* of a song (an arrangement's JSON,
+    the lyrics, a tone blob) rather than a song you're about to play. The
+    alternative, load_song(), calls resolve_source_dir() and writes the WHOLE
+    pack — every stem — into the unpack cache. That is a ~45x write amplification
+    when all you wanted was a few KB of JSON, and looping the library on it
+    unpacks the entire library (got-feedBack/feedBack: a tester hit 60 GB that
+    way). Stems are already-compressed audio, so an unpacked song is ~1.1x its
+    zip: the cache becomes a second, decompressed copy of everything it touches.
+    """
+    rel = (rel or "").strip()
+    if not rel:
+        return None
+
+    if path.is_dir():
+        target = safe_join(path.resolve(), rel)
+        if target is None or not target.is_file():
+            return None
+        try:
+            return target.read_bytes()
+        except OSError:
+            return None
+
+    # Zip form — read just that member, no unpack. Zip-slip is rejected before we
+    # open anything, and both sides of the comparison are normalized, so a
+    # non-canonical-but-valid name ('./arrangements/lead.json') resolves the same
+    # way it did when we unpacked first.
+    member = _zip_member_key(rel)
+    if member is None:
+        log.warning("sloppak: rejected unsafe member name %r in %r", rel, path)
+        return None
+    try:
+        with zipfile.ZipFile(str(path), "r") as zf:
+            # Match on the NORMALIZED stored name, and take the LAST match — the
+            # archive may store './x' or a backslash path (Windows tooling), and
+            # if it stores two names that normalize to the same file, _unpack_zip
+            # writes them in order so the last one wins. Reading the raw member by
+            # exact name would miss the first case and return the wrong bytes in
+            # the second. A pack has a handful of members; the scan is free.
+            info = None
+            for cand in zf.infolist():
+                if _zip_member_key(cand.filename) == member:
+                    info = cand
+            if info is None or info.is_dir():
+                return None
+            with zf.open(info) as f:
+                return f.read()
+    except (zipfile.BadZipFile, OSError, RuntimeError) as e:
+        log.warning("sloppak: failed to read %r from %s: %s", rel, path.name, e)
+        return None
+
+
 _COVER_MEDIA_TYPES = {
     ".jpg": "image/jpeg", ".jpeg": "image/jpeg",
     ".png": "image/png", ".webp": "image/webp",
@@ -367,14 +715,21 @@ class LoadedSloppak:
     # song.arrangements (not to manifest["arrangements"]) — skipped entries are
     # absent so indexing by song.arrangements index is safe.
     arrangement_ids: list[str | None] = field(default_factory=list)
-    # Manifest-relative path to the single full-mix audio file, taken from the
-    # manifest `original_audio:` key (e.g. "original/full.ogg"). This is the
-    # pre-separation mixdown that exists alongside the per-instrument `stems`.
-    # None when the key is absent, points outside source_dir, or the file is
-    # missing on disk. Served to the front-end via the highway WS as
-    # `original_audio_url`; the stems plugin uses it to play the untouched mix
-    # when every stem slider is at unity (and the separate stems otherwise).
-    original_audio: str | None = None
+    # Manifest-relative path to the pack's complete mixdown — the whole song in
+    # one file, as heard before source separation. This is the RESERVED `full`
+    # stem (spec §5.3), lifted out of `stems` above precisely because it is NOT
+    # an instrument layer: summing it with the per-instrument stems it was split
+    # into would double the entire song. See partition_stems().
+    #
+    # None when the pack has no mixdown to offer *separately* from its stems —
+    # which includes the common single-mix pack, whose only stem IS the mixdown
+    # (there is nothing to be pristine against, so it stays in `stems`).
+    #
+    # Served to the front-end via the highway WS as `full_mix_url`; the stems
+    # plugin plays it while every stem slider sits at unity and crosses to the
+    # separated stems the moment one drops below 100% — demucs recombination is
+    # lossy, so the mixdown is strictly the better audio when nothing is muted.
+    full_mix: str | None = None
 
 
 def load_song(
@@ -759,12 +1114,18 @@ def load_song(
         sfile = str(s.get("file", ""))
         if not sid or not sfile:
             continue
-        default_val = s.get("default", True)
-        if isinstance(default_val, str):
-            default_on = default_val.lower() not in ("off", "false", "0", "no")
-        else:
-            default_on = bool(default_val)
-        stems.append({"id": sid, "file": sfile, "default": default_on})
+        stems.append({
+            "id": sid,
+            "file": sfile,
+            "default": stem_default_on(s.get("default", True)),
+        })
+
+    # The complete mixdown is a stem (spec §5.3), but it is not a *layer*: lift
+    # it out so that no consumer of `stems` — the mixer, the library's stem
+    # chips, the WS payload — sums it with, or lists it beside, the instruments
+    # it was separated into. `full_mix_stem` is None for a single-mix pack,
+    # whose only stem IS the mixdown and stays in the list.
+    full_mix_stem, stems = partition_stems(stems)
 
     # Optional keys.json — song-level, instrument-independent key/scale track
     # (manifest `keys:` key, spec §7.7). Permissive like the other side-files:
@@ -828,28 +1189,22 @@ def load_song(
                     }
 
     _fpv = manifest.get("feedpak_version")
-    # Optional full-mix audio — manifest `original_audio:` key. The single
-    # pre-separation mixdown that ships alongside the per-instrument stems.
-    # Same permissive, path-traversal-guarded posture as drum_tab above: a
-    # missing/escaping/absent file simply leaves the full mix unavailable (the
-    # player falls back to the separate stems) rather than aborting the load.
-    # We store the manifest-relative string so server.py can build its URL the
-    # same way it builds stem URLs (via the /api/sloppak/.../file/ endpoint).
-    original_audio_data: str | None = None
-    original_audio_rel = manifest.get("original_audio")
-    if isinstance(original_audio_rel, str) and original_audio_rel.strip():
-        rel = original_audio_rel.strip()
-        try:
-            oa_path = (source_dir / rel).resolve()
-            oa_path.relative_to(source_dir.resolve())
-        except ValueError:
-            log.warning("sloppak: original_audio path %r escapes source_dir — skipped", rel)
-            oa_path = None
-        except OSError as e:
-            log.warning("sloppak: original_audio path resolution failed (%s) — skipped", e)
-            oa_path = None
-        if oa_path is not None and oa_path.is_file():
-            original_audio_data = rel
+    # The pack's full mix. Normally the RESERVED `full` stem partitioned out
+    # above (spec §5.3) — no path work needed, it was validated with the other
+    # stems and its URL is built the same way. Only when the pack has no `full`
+    # stem do we fall back to the DEPRECATED `original_audio:` key, which is the
+    # shape every pack written before feedpak 1.15.0 uses.
+    if full_mix_stem is not None:
+        full_mix_data: str | None = full_mix_stem["file"]
+    elif find_full_mix(stems) is not None:
+        # Single-mix pack: its ONE stem is the mixdown, so there is no mixdown to
+        # offer *apart from* the stems. Never fall through to the legacy key here
+        # — a pack that both carries a `full` stem and names the old key would
+        # otherwise surface the mixdown twice (once as the stem the player is
+        # already playing, once as a "pristine" track to cross to).
+        full_mix_data = None
+    else:
+        full_mix_data = _legacy_full_mix(manifest, source_dir)
 
     return LoadedSloppak(
         song=song,
@@ -864,7 +1219,7 @@ def load_song(
         keys=keys_data,
         notation_by_id=notation_by_id_data,
         arrangement_ids=arrangement_ids_acc,
-        original_audio=original_audio_data,
+        full_mix=full_mix_data,
     )
 
 
@@ -909,7 +1264,7 @@ def extract_meta(path: Path) -> dict:
     tuning_offsets = _tuning_for_meta(arr_list)
 
     stems_list = manifest.get("stems", []) or []
-    stem_ids: list[str] = []
+    valid_stems: list[dict] = []
     for s in stems_list:
         if not isinstance(s, dict):
             continue
@@ -923,7 +1278,13 @@ def extract_meta(path: Path) -> dict:
             isinstance(sid, str) and sid
             and isinstance(sfile, str) and sfile
         ):
-            stem_ids.append(sid)
+            valid_stems.append({"id": sid, "file": sfile})
+    # Partition exactly as load_song() does, for the same reason the library
+    # filter must not lie: `full` is the mixdown, not an instrument (spec §5.3).
+    # A separated pack that retains it would otherwise offer the user a "full"
+    # stem chip alongside guitar/bass/drums and count it as a seventh stem.
+    _full, instrument_stems = partition_stems(valid_stems)
+    stem_ids = [s["id"] for s in instrument_stems]
     stem_count = len(stem_ids)
 
     return {

lib/tailwind_rebuild.py

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-"""Regenerate ``static/tailwind.min.css`` over the full installed-plugin set.
+"""Regenerate the runtime stylesheet over the full installed-plugin set.
 
 Core's committed (and image-baked) stylesheet is built scanning only the
 in-tree plugins. A plugin installed at runtime — into ``FEEDBACK_PLUGINS_DIR``
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ on a missing optional engine.
 
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+import hashlib
 import json
 import logging
 import os
@@ -40,12 +41,84 @@ _lock = threading.Lock()
 # in-flight build re-runs once more to pick up the newer plugin set instead of
 # every concurrent trigger stacking its own redundant build.
 _rerun = threading.Event()
+_fingerprint_cache: dict = {}
 
 # lib/ lives at ``<app>/lib``; the app root (static/, tailwind.config.js) is its
 # grandparent.
 APP_DIR = Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent
 
 
+def _committed_css_fingerprint() -> str:
+    """Content hash of the SHIPPED stylesheet, cached on (mtime, size).
+
+    This is the marker that says WHICH CORE the runtime sheet was built against. Any change to
+    core's CSS regenerates static/tailwind.min.css, which changes this hash.
+    """
+    committed = APP_DIR / "static" / "tailwind.min.css"
+    try:
+        st = committed.stat()
+    except OSError:
+        return ""
+    key = (st.st_mtime_ns, st.st_size)
+    cached = _fingerprint_cache.get("k")
+    if cached == key:
+        return _fingerprint_cache["v"]
+    h = hashlib.sha256(committed.read_bytes()).hexdigest()
+    _fingerprint_cache["k"] = key
+    _fingerprint_cache["v"] = h
+    return h
+
+
+def runtime_meta_path() -> Path:
+    """Sidecar recording which core the runtime sheet was built against."""
+    return runtime_css_path().with_suffix(".meta.json")
+
+
+def runtime_css_is_current() -> bool:
+    """True when the runtime sheet was built against the core we are running NOW.
+
+    WHY NOT mtime. Codex [P2] on the second cut of #911, and it was right: filesystem
+    timestamps are not a freshness signal across install methods. Archives and container images
+    routinely PRESERVE SOURCE MTIMES, so a just-shipped stylesheet can carry an OLDER mtime than
+    a runtime sheet a user built days ago. The mtime comparison then reports the stale sheet as
+    fresh and it masks the new core CSS indefinitely — permanently, if no Tailwind toolchain is
+    present to trigger a rebuild.
+
+    Content answers the question timestamps only gesture at: the sidecar records the hash of the
+    committed sheet this runtime build was made from. Core ships new CSS -> that file changes ->
+    the hash changes -> the runtime sheet is correctly judged stale.
+    """
+    try:
+        meta = json.loads(runtime_meta_path().read_text())
+    except (OSError, ValueError):
+        return False
+    return bool(meta.get("committed_sha256")) and meta["committed_sha256"] == _committed_css_fingerprint()
+
+
+def runtime_css_path() -> Path:
+    """Where the RUNTIME-augmented stylesheet is written.
+
+    NOT ``static/tailwind.min.css``. That file is a BUILD ARTEFACT: committed, image-baked,
+    and generated by scanning only the in-tree plugins. This one is PER-INSTALL STATE — it
+    additionally scans whatever the user has installed into FEEDBACK_PLUGINS_DIR, so it differs
+    from machine to machine. They are different things and must not share a path.
+
+    Writing the runtime sheet over the committed one had two costs:
+
+      * IN A GIT CHECKOUT it silently modifies a TRACKED file. `git add -A` then sweeps a
+        100KB reshuffle of minified CSS into the commit and `ci/tailwind-fresh` goes red with a
+        diff that explains nothing. That is issue #911, and it cost a red run on a PR whose
+        real diff touched no Tailwind classes at all.
+      * IN A DEPLOY the app directory may be read-only. Writing app state into it is wrong on
+        principle and fatal in practice.
+
+    CONFIG_DIR is where per-install state already lives.
+    """
+    cfg = (getenv_compat("CONFIG_DIR", "") or "").strip()
+    base = Path(cfg) if cfg else (Path.home() / ".local" / "share" / "feedback")
+    return base / "tailwind.min.css"
+
+
 def _user_plugins_dir() -> Path | None:
     raw = (getenv_compat("FEEDBACK_PLUGINS_DIR", "") or "").strip()
     if not raw:
@@ -136,6 +209,14 @@ def _run_build(cmd_prefix: list[str], out: Path, src: Path) -> bool:
                 cwd=str(APP_DIR), timeout=120,
             )
             os.replace(staged, out)
+            # Stamp WHICH CORE this was built against. Without it, an upgraded app cannot tell a
+            # current runtime sheet from one that predates its new CSS.
+            try:
+                runtime_meta_path().write_text(json.dumps({
+                    "committed_sha256": _committed_css_fingerprint(),
+                }))
+            except OSError:
+                log.warning("tailwind: could not write the runtime sheet's meta sidecar")
             return True
         except (subprocess.CalledProcessError, subprocess.TimeoutExpired) as e:
             stderr = (getattr(e, "stderr", "") or "")[-500:]
@@ -153,7 +234,7 @@ def _run_build(cmd_prefix: list[str], out: Path, src: Path) -> bool:
 
 
 def rebuild(reason: str = "") -> bool:
-    """Regenerate ``static/tailwind.min.css`` over baked-in + user plugins.
+    """Regenerate the RUNTIME stylesheet (see runtime_css_path) over baked-in + user plugins.
 
     Returns ``True`` on a successful rebuild, ``False`` on any skip/failure.
     Never raises — callers treat CSS freshness as best-effort. Concurrent
@@ -166,8 +247,13 @@ def rebuild(reason: str = "") -> bool:
         log.info("tailwind rebuild skipped — engine/inputs unavailable%s", tag)
         return False
 
-    out = APP_DIR / "static" / "tailwind.min.css"
+    out = runtime_css_path()
     src = APP_DIR / "static" / "_tailwind.src.css"
+    try:
+        out.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+    except OSError:
+        log.warning("tailwind rebuild skipped — cannot create %s%s", out.parent, tag)
+        return False
 
     # If a rebuild is already running, flag a rerun and return instead of
     # queueing a redundant build behind it.

lib/tunings.py

@@ -101,14 +101,16 @@ def open_midis_to_freqs(midis: list[int], reference_pitch: float = DEFAULT_REFER
 def freqs_to_midis(freqs: list[float], reference_pitch: float = DEFAULT_REFERENCE_PITCH) -> list[int] | None:
     """Return absolute open-string MIDI notes for frequencies at the supplied
     A4 reference — the inverse of open_midis_to_freqs. None if any entry is
-    non-numeric or non-positive (a provider could hand us anything)."""
+    non-numeric, non-finite, or non-positive (a provider could hand us
+    anything; NaN/Infinity would otherwise raise inside int(round(...)) and
+    500 the /api/tunings endpoint)."""
     out: list[int] = []
     for f in freqs:
         try:
             f = float(f)
         except (TypeError, ValueError):
             return None
-        if f <= 0:
+        if not math.isfinite(f) or f <= 0:
             return None
         out.append(int(round(69 + 12 * math.log2(f / reference_pitch))))
     return out

plugins/__init__.py

@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import json
 import logging
 import mimetypes
 import os
+import re
 import subprocess
 import sys
 import threading
@@ -2384,6 +2385,53 @@ def register_plugin_api(app: FastAPI):
                     return _plugin_file_response(request, script_file, "application/javascript")
         return Response("", status_code=404)
 
+    # ── Module-graph cache busting (#879) ────────────────────────────────
+    #
+    # ES modules are evaluated ONCE PER URL PER DOCUMENT. Re-inserting a
+    # <script type="module"> whose src the module map has already seen fires
+    # `load` but does NOT re-run the body. So re-loading a plugin — a rollback,
+    # and (see below) an upgrade too — silently kept the OLD module live while
+    # the loader recorded success: a no-op that reported it worked.
+    #
+    # Busting the ENTRY url does not help. A module plugin's screen.js is a
+    # one-line `import './src/main.js'`, and a relative specifier resolves
+    # against the base URL WITH THE QUERY DROPPED — so a ?v= token never reaches
+    # the graph. Driving a real browser through install -> upgrade -> rollback and
+    # counting evaluations of src/main.js gives ONE. The upgrade re-runs the shim
+    # at its new ?v= URL; the shim imports './src/main.js'; that resolves to the
+    # same URL; the module map returns the already-evaluated old module.
+    #
+    # So the token goes in the PATH: /api/plugins/<id>/g/<n>/screen.js. Every
+    # relative import inherits it at every depth — for free, with no
+    # import-specifier rewriting (which could never see `import(expr)` anyway).
+    #
+    # WHY A PATH REWRITE AND NOT TWO MIRRORED ROUTES. The token shifts the base
+    # URL, so EVERYTHING a module resolves relatively moves with it — not just
+    # imports. `new URL('../assets/worklet.js', import.meta.url)` from
+    # /api/plugins/x/g/1/src/main.js resolves to /api/plugins/x/g/1/assets/... .
+    # Mirroring only screen.js and src/ would fix imports and 404 every asset,
+    # worklet and wasm file the graph reaches — and would silently break again the
+    # next time someone adds a plugin route. Stripping the segment before routing
+    # makes every plugin route, present and future, work under the prefix.
+    #
+    # The token is opaque: it is never joined into a filesystem path (and is gone
+    # by the time any handler runs), so containment still rests entirely on the
+    # same safe_join the un-prefixed routes use.
+    _GEN_PREFIX = re.compile(r"^(/api/plugins/[^/]+)/g/[^/]+(/.+)$")
+
+    @app.middleware("http")
+    async def _strip_plugin_generation_prefix(request: Request, call_next):
+        m = _GEN_PREFIX.match(request.scope.get("path", ""))
+        if m:
+            # Starlette routes on scope["path"] alone. raw_path is deliberately left
+            # ALONE: it is informational, and re-encoding the rewritten str back to
+            # bytes would have to guess a codec — `.encode("latin-1")` raises
+            # UnicodeEncodeError on a perfectly valid plugin file like src/工具.js,
+            # 500ing a request the un-prefixed route serves fine. Leaving raw_path as
+            # the client actually sent it is also simply more truthful for logs.
+            request.scope["path"] = m.group(1) + m.group(2)
+        return await call_next(request)
+
     @app.get("/api/plugins/{plugin_id}/settings.html")
     def plugin_settings_html(plugin_id: str):
         with PLUGINS_LOCK:

plugins/career/assets/career.css

@@ -0,0 +1,791 @@
+/* Career plugin — only what the prebuilt core Tailwind doesn't ship
+   (plugin files are outside the core content glob, so responsive grid
+   variants and cyan button shades live here under plugin-prefixed names). */
+
+.career-venues {
+    display: grid;
+    gap: 1rem;
+    grid-template-columns: 1fr;
+}
+@media (min-width: 768px) {
+    .career-venues { grid-template-columns: repeat(3, minmax(0, 1fr)); }
+}
+
+.career-btn {
+    font-size: 0.75rem;
+    line-height: 1rem;
+    padding: 0.25rem 0.5rem;
+    border-radius: 0.375rem;
+    transition: background-color 0.15s ease;
+}
+.career-btn-primary { background-color: #0891b2; color: #fff; }
+.career-btn-primary:hover { background-color: #06b6d4; }
+.career-btn-ghost { background-color: rgba(31, 41, 55, 0.7); color: #d1d5db; }
+.career-btn-ghost:hover { background-color: rgba(55, 65, 81, 0.9); }
+
+.career-bar-track {
+    height: 0.5rem;
+    border-radius: 0.25rem;
+    background-color: rgba(31, 41, 55, 0.9);
+    overflow: hidden;
+}
+.career-bar-fill {
+    height: 100%;
+    background-color: #06b6d4;
+    transition: width 0.3s ease;
+}
+
+.career-star-list {
+    display: grid;
+    gap: 0.375rem;
+}
+.career-star-row {
+    display: flex;
+    align-items: baseline;
+    gap: 0.75rem;
+    padding: 0.375rem 0.625rem;
+    border-radius: 0.5rem;
+    background-color: rgba(31, 41, 55, 0.4);
+    font-size: 0.8rem;
+}
+.career-star-row .stars {
+    color: #facc15;
+    letter-spacing: 0.1em;
+    min-width: 3.2em;
+}
+.career-star-row .stars .off { color: rgba(250, 204, 21, 0.25); }
+.career-star-row .song {
+    color: #e5e7eb;
+    flex: 1;
+    overflow: hidden;
+    text-overflow: ellipsis;
+    white-space: nowrap;
+}
+.career-star-row .song .artist { color: #9ca3af; }
+.career-star-row .hint { color: #6b7280; white-space: nowrap; }
+.career-star-row .hint.close { color: #22d3ee; }
+
+/* ── Passports (badge journey) ─────────────────────────────────────────── */
+
+.career-tabs {
+    display: flex;
+    gap: 0.25rem;
+    margin-bottom: 1rem;
+    border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(55, 65, 81, 0.6);
+}
+.career-tab {
+    padding: 0.375rem 0.875rem;
+    font-size: 0.85rem;
+    color: #9ca3af;
+    border-bottom: 2px solid transparent;
+    margin-bottom: -1px;
+}
+.career-tab:hover { color: #e5e7eb; }
+.career-tab.active { color: #fff; border-bottom-color: #06b6d4; }
+
+.pp-instruments { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: 0.5rem; }
+.pp-inst {
+    padding: 0.3rem 0.8rem;
+    border-radius: 999px;
+    font-size: 0.8rem;
+    color: #d1d5db;
+    background-color: rgba(31, 41, 55, 0.7);
+    border: 1px solid transparent;
+}
+.pp-inst:hover { background-color: rgba(55, 65, 81, 0.9); }
+.pp-inst.active { border-color: #06b6d4; color: #fff; }
+.pp-inst.uncommitted { color: #6b7280; border-style: dashed; border-color: rgba(107, 114, 128, 0.5); }
+.pp-inst-badges { color: #fbbf24; font-size: 0.7rem; }
+.pp-inst-plus { color: #6b7280; }
+
+/* Leather covers — per-instrument hue, embossed with layered shadows and a
+   subtle grain gradient (no image assets). Keep the hex pairs in sync with
+   PP_LEATHER_HEX in screen.js (the canvas card draws the same leather). */
+.pp-leather-guitar { background: linear-gradient(160deg, #5c2321, #401412); }
+.pp-leather-bass { background: linear-gradient(160deg, #1f3252, #131f36); }
+.pp-leather-keys { background: linear-gradient(160deg, #1e4034, #122a21); }
+.pp-leather-drums { background: linear-gradient(160deg, #3f3f46, #26262b); }
+
+.pp-shelf { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: 1rem; align-items: flex-end; }
+.pp-cover, .pp-commit-cover {
+    position: relative;
+    width: 9.5rem;
+    height: 13rem;
+    border-radius: 0.5rem 0.75rem 0.75rem 0.5rem;
+    box-shadow:
+        inset 0 0 0 1px rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.06),
+        inset 0.5rem 0 0.75rem -0.5rem rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8),
+        0 6px 16px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.45);
+    display: flex;
+    flex-direction: column;
+    align-items: center;
+    justify-content: center;
+    gap: 0.35rem;
+    padding: 0.75rem;
+    text-align: center;
+}
+.pp-cover { transition: transform 0.15s ease, box-shadow 0.15s ease; }
+.pp-cover:not(.pp-tilt):hover { transform: translateY(-4px) !important; box-shadow: 0 10px 22px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.55); }
+.pp-cover-title {
+    font-weight: 700;
+    font-size: 0.85rem;
+    letter-spacing: 0.14em;
+    color: rgba(240, 226, 195, 0.92);
+    text-shadow: 0 1px 0 rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7), 0 -1px 0 rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.12);
+    overflow-wrap: anywhere;
+}
+.pp-cover-inst {
+    font-size: 0.6rem;
+    letter-spacing: 0.2em;
+    text-transform: uppercase;
+    color: rgba(240, 226, 195, 0.55);
+}
+.pp-cover-sub {
+    position: absolute;
+    bottom: 0.6rem;
+    font-size: 0.6rem;
+    color: rgba(240, 226, 195, 0.5);
+}
+
+.pp-commit-card {
+    display: flex;
+    gap: 1.25rem;
+    align-items: center;
+    padding: 1rem;
+    border-radius: 0.75rem;
+    border: 1px solid rgba(55, 65, 81, 0.6);
+    background-color: rgba(31, 41, 55, 0.35);
+}
+.pp-commit-card .pp-commit-cover { width: 7rem; height: 9.5rem; flex: none; }
+
+.pp-rack { display: grid; gap: 0.75rem; grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fill, minmax(10.5rem, 1fr)); }
+.pp-brochure {
+    display: flex;
+    flex-direction: column;
+    align-items: flex-start;
+    gap: 0.15rem;
+    padding: 0.75rem 0.875rem;
+    border-radius: 0.5rem;
+    text-align: left;
+    background: linear-gradient(165deg, rgba(45, 55, 72, 0.55), rgba(31, 41, 55, 0.55));
+    border: 1px solid rgba(75, 85, 99, 0.5);
+    transition: transform 0.15s ease, border-color 0.15s ease;
+}
+.pp-brochure:hover { transform: translateY(-2px); border-color: #06b6d4; }
+.pp-brochure-art { font-size: 1.4rem; }
+.pp-brochure-name { color: #e5e7eb; font-size: 0.85rem; font-weight: 600; }
+.pp-brochure-sub { color: #6b7280; font-size: 0.65rem; }
+
+/* The open book */
+.pp-overlay { position: fixed; inset: 0; z-index: 60; }
+.pp-book-wrap {
+    position: absolute;
+    inset: 0;
+    display: flex;
+    align-items: center;
+    justify-content: center;
+    background: rgba(3, 7, 18, 0.72);
+    backdrop-filter: blur(2px);
+}
+.pp-book {
+    position: relative;
+    width: min(92vw, 720px);
+    height: min(72vh, 470px);
+    perspective: 1800px;
+}
+.pp-page {
+    position: absolute;
+    top: 0;
+    bottom: 0;
+    width: 50%;
+    background:
+        linear-gradient(105deg, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.08), transparent 12%),
+        #efe6d0;
+    color: #3f3428;
+    padding: 1.1rem 1.2rem;
+    overflow: hidden;
+    display: flex;
+    flex-direction: column;
+    gap: 0.75rem;
+}
+.pp-page-left { left: 0; border-radius: 0.6rem 0 0 0.6rem; opacity: 0; transition: opacity 0.35s ease 0.3s; align-items: center; }
+.pp-page-right { right: 0; border-radius: 0 0.6rem 0.6rem 0; box-shadow: inset 0.4rem 0 0.6rem -0.4rem rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.35); }
+.pp-book.open .pp-page-left { opacity: 1; }
+.pp-book-cover {
+    position: absolute;
+    top: 0;
+    bottom: 0;
+    left: 50%;
+    width: 50%;
+    border-radius: 0 0.6rem 0.6rem 0;
+    transform-origin: left center;
+    transform: rotateY(0deg);
+    backface-visibility: hidden;
+    transition: transform 0.8s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.1, 0.2, 1);
+    z-index: 5;
+    display: flex;
+    flex-direction: column;
+    align-items: center;
+    justify-content: center;
+    gap: 0.35rem;
+    box-shadow: inset 0 0 0 1px rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.06), 0 6px 20px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5);
+}
+.pp-book.open .pp-book-cover { transform: rotateY(-180deg); }
+.pp-book-close {
+    position: absolute;
+    top: -0.75rem;
+    right: -0.75rem;
+    z-index: 8;
+    width: 2rem;
+    height: 2rem;
+    border-radius: 999px;
+    background: rgba(17, 24, 39, 0.95);
+    color: #d1d5db;
+    border: 1px solid rgba(107, 114, 128, 0.5);
+}
+.pp-book-close:hover { color: #fff; border-color: #06b6d4; }
+.pp-page-head {
+    font-size: 0.7rem;
+    letter-spacing: 0.18em;
+    text-transform: uppercase;
+    color: #8a7a5e;
+    border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(138, 122, 94, 0.35);
+    padding-bottom: 0.4rem;
+    width: 100%;
+    text-align: center;
+}
+
+/* The rubber stamp */
+.pp-stamp {
+    --pp-rot: 0deg;
+
+    position: relative;
+    display: flex;
+    flex-direction: column;
+    align-items: center;
+    justify-content: center;
+    gap: 0.1rem;
+    width: 9rem;
+    height: 9rem;
+    border-radius: 999px;
+    border: 3px solid #9a5b16;
+    box-shadow: inset 0 0 0 3px #efe6d0, inset 0 0 0 4px #9a5b16;
+    color: #9a5b16;
+    transform: rotate(var(--pp-rot));
+    margin-top: 1.25rem;
+    text-align: center;
+    padding: 0.75rem;
+    opacity: 0.92;
+}
+.pp-stamp-genre { font-size: 0.72rem; font-weight: 800; letter-spacing: 0.16em; overflow-wrap: anywhere; }
+.pp-stamp-tier { font-size: 0.58rem; letter-spacing: 0.3em; }
+.pp-stamp-ghost {
+    border-style: dashed;
+    box-shadow: none;
+    border-color: #b3a68b;
+    color: #b3a68b;
+    opacity: 0.8;
+}
+.pp-stamp-hidden { opacity: 0; }
+.pp-stamp-mini {
+    position: absolute;
+    top: 0.5rem;
+    right: 0.5rem;
+    width: auto;
+    height: auto;
+    border-width: 2px;
+    box-shadow: none;
+    border-radius: 999px;
+    font-size: 0.5rem;
+    font-weight: 800;
+    letter-spacing: 0.2em;
+    color: #d9a253;
+    border-color: #d9a253;
+    padding: 0.2rem 0.4rem;
+    margin: 0;
+    display: inline-block;
+    transform: rotate(var(--pp-rot));
+    opacity: 0.95;
+}
+.pp-stamp-page::after {
+    content: '';
+    position: absolute;
+    inset: -10%;
+    border-radius: 999px;
+    background: radial-gradient(closest-side, rgba(154, 91, 22, 0.25), transparent 72%);
+    filter: blur(5px);
+    opacity: 0;
+    pointer-events: none;
+}
+.pp-slam { animation: pp-slam 0.5s cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.8, 0.3, 1) forwards; }
+.pp-slam::after { animation: pp-ink 0.45s ease-out 0.12s forwards; }
+@keyframes pp-slam {
+    0% { transform: rotate(calc(var(--pp-rot) - 15deg)) scale(2.5); opacity: 0; }
+    55% { transform: rotate(var(--pp-rot)) scale(0.92); opacity: 1; }
+    75% { transform: rotate(var(--pp-rot)) scale(1.05); }
+    100% { transform: rotate(var(--pp-rot)) scale(1); opacity: 0.92; }
+}
+@keyframes pp-ink {
+    from { opacity: 0; transform: scale(0.6); }
+    to { opacity: 1; transform: scale(1); }
+}
+.pp-shake { animation: pp-shake 0.4s ease-out 0.28s; }
+@keyframes pp-shake {
+    0%, 100% { transform: translate(0, 0) rotate(0); }
+    25% { transform: translate(2px, 1px) rotate(0.3deg); }
+    50% { transform: translate(-2px, 2px) rotate(-0.25deg); }
+    75% { transform: translate(1px, -1px) rotate(0.15deg); }
+}
+
+.pp-invite, .pp-snj, .pp-gold-note { font-size: 0.75rem; text-align: center; }
+.pp-invite { color: #6d5d40; }
+.pp-snj { color: #6d5d40; margin-top: 2rem; font-style: italic; max-width: 15rem; }
+.pp-gold-note { color: #a8946d; font-size: 0.62rem; margin-top: 0.5rem; }
+.pp-drills { display: flex; flex-direction: column; gap: 0.25rem; font-size: 0.7rem; color: #6d5d40; }
+.pp-drill.cleared { color: #4d7c0f; }
+
+/* Ticket stubs */
+.pp-stubs { flex: 1; overflow-y: auto; display: flex; flex-direction: column; gap: 0.5rem; padding-right: 0.25rem; }
+.pp-stub {
+    background: #f7f1e3;
+    border: 1px solid #d8cbaa;
+    border-left: 2px dashed #b6a98c;
+    border-radius: 0.25rem 0.4rem 0.4rem 0.25rem;
+    padding: 0.4rem 0.6rem 0.4rem 0.75rem;
+    display: grid;
+    grid-template-columns: auto 1fr;
+    column-gap: 0.6rem;
+    align-items: baseline;
+    box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(63, 52, 40, 0.15);
+}
+.pp-stub-stars { color: #b8860b; font-size: 0.7rem; letter-spacing: 0.08em; grid-row: span 2; }
+.pp-stub-title { font-size: 0.78rem; font-weight: 600; color: #3f3428; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; }
+.pp-stub-artist { grid-column: 2; font-size: 0.65rem; color: #6d5d40; }
+.pp-stub-meta { grid-column: 2; font-size: 0.6rem; color: #8a7a5e; }
+.pp-stub-empty { font-size: 0.72rem; color: #8a7a5e; font-style: italic; padding: 0.75rem 0.25rem; }
+
+/* Wax-seal commitment ceremony */
+.pp-ceremony { width: 11rem; height: 15rem; }
+.pp-wax {
+    position: absolute;
+    bottom: 1.4rem;
+    display: flex;
+    align-items: center;
+    justify-content: center;
+    width: 3.4rem;
+    height: 3.4rem;
+    border-radius: 999px;
+    background:
+        radial-gradient(circle at 32% 30%, #d24545 0%, #a41f1f 42%, #7c1414 100%);
+    box-shadow:
+        inset 0 0 0 4px rgba(124, 20, 20, 0.9),
+        inset 0 2px 4px rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.25),
+        0 3px 8px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.55);
+    color: rgba(255, 235, 235, 0.9);
+    font-weight: 700;
+    font-size: 1.15rem;
+    animation: pp-seal-drop 0.9s cubic-bezier(0.25, 0.9, 0.3, 1.15) 0.35s backwards;
+}
+@keyframes pp-seal-drop {
+    0% { transform: translateY(-120px) scale(2.1); opacity: 0; }
+    60% { transform: translateY(0) scale(0.9); opacity: 1; }
+    80% { transform: translateY(0) scale(1.05); }
+    100% { transform: translateY(0) scale(1); }
+}
+
+/* Small screens: the spread stacks; the flip cover would straddle both
+   pages, so the book simply opens. */
+@media (max-width: 640px) {
+    .pp-book { height: min(80vh, 620px); }
+    .pp-page { position: static; width: 100%; height: 50%; border-radius: 0; }
+    .pp-page-left { border-radius: 0.6rem 0.6rem 0 0; opacity: 1; }
+    .pp-page-right { border-radius: 0 0 0.6rem 0.6rem; }
+    .pp-book-cover { display: none; }
+    .pp-book { display: flex; flex-direction: column; }
+}
+
+@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
+    .pp-book-cover, .pp-page-left, .pp-cover { transition: none; }
+    .pp-slam, .pp-slam::after, .pp-shake, .pp-wax { animation: none; }
+    .pp-slam, .pp-stamp-page::after { opacity: 1; }
+    .pp-stamp-hidden { opacity: 0.92; }
+}
+
+/* Badge ceremony (body-level overlay — shows over the player) */
+.pp-ceremony-overlay {
+    position: fixed;
+    inset: 0;
+    z-index: 220;
+    display: flex;
+    align-items: center;
+    justify-content: center;
+    background: rgba(3, 7, 18, 0.55);
+    backdrop-filter: blur(1.5px);
+    animation: pp-ceremony-in 0.3s ease-out;
+    cursor: pointer;
+}
+.pp-ceremony-out { opacity: 0; transition: opacity 0.3s ease-out; }
+.pp-confetti { position: absolute; inset: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; pointer-events: none; }
+.pp-ceremony-card {
+    display: flex;
+    flex-direction: column;
+    align-items: center;
+    gap: 0.5rem;
+    text-align: center;
+}
+.pp-ceremony-stamp {
+    position: relative;
+    overflow: hidden;
+    background: rgba(239, 230, 208, 0.97);
+    transform: rotate(var(--pp-rot)) scale(1.25);
+    animation: pp-slam 0.55s cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.8, 0.3, 1) 0.15s backwards;
+    margin-top: 0;
+}
+.pp-ceremony-stamp::before {
+    content: '';
+    position: absolute;
+    inset: -40%;
+    background: linear-gradient(115deg, transparent 42%, rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.55) 50%, transparent 58%);
+    transform: translateX(-120%);
+    animation: pp-shine 1.1s ease-out 0.75s forwards;
+    pointer-events: none;
+}
+@keyframes pp-shine {
+    to { transform: translateX(120%); }
+}
+@keyframes pp-ceremony-in {
+    from { opacity: 0; }
+    to { opacity: 1; }
+}
+.pp-ceremony-title {
+    margin-top: 1rem;
+    font-size: 1.15rem;
+    font-weight: 700;
+    letter-spacing: 0.18em;
+    text-transform: uppercase;
+    color: #f0e2c3;
+    text-shadow: 0 2px 8px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8);
+}
+.pp-ceremony-sub { font-size: 0.8rem; color: #d1d5db; text-shadow: 0 1px 4px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); }
+
+/* Hours odometer (Stage 5 post-cap — a true fact, never a meter) */
+.pp-hours {
+    font-size: 0.72rem;
+    letter-spacing: 0.08em;
+    color: #8a7a5e;
+    margin-top: 0.75rem;
+    font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums;
+}
+
+/* ── Visuals pack: trading-card tilt, emerging ink, gold foil ──────────── */
+
+/* Trading-card tilt (earned artifacts; JS feeds --pp-tilt-* on hover-capable
+   pointers only). */
+.pp-tilt {
+    position: relative;
+    overflow: hidden;
+    will-change: transform;
+}
+.pp-cover.pp-tilt {
+    transform: perspective(700px)
+        rotateX(var(--pp-tilt-x, 0deg)) rotateY(var(--pp-tilt-y, 0deg))
+        rotate(var(--pp-cover-rot, 0deg));
+    transition: transform 0.12s ease, box-shadow 0.15s ease;
+}
+.pp-cover.pp-tilt:hover { box-shadow: 0 12px 26px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6); }
+.pp-stamp-page.pp-tilt {
+    overflow: visible;
+    transform: perspective(600px)
+        rotateX(var(--pp-tilt-x, 0deg)) rotateY(var(--pp-tilt-y, 0deg))
+        rotate(var(--pp-rot));
+    transition: transform 0.12s ease;
+}
+.pp-tilt::after {
+    content: '';
+    position: absolute;
+    inset: 0;
+    border-radius: inherit;
+    background: linear-gradient(105deg,
+        transparent calc(var(--pp-glint-x, 50%) - 14%),
+        rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.16) var(--pp-glint-x, 50%),
+        transparent calc(var(--pp-glint-x, 50%) + 14%));
+    opacity: 0;
+    transition: opacity 0.2s ease;
+    pointer-events: none;
+}
+.pp-tilt:hover::after { opacity: 1; }
+
+/* Emerging-stamp ink: the ghost fills as qualifying songs land. */
+.pp-stamp-ghost::before {
+    content: '';
+    position: absolute;
+    inset: 7%;
+    border-radius: 999px;
+    background: conic-gradient(rgba(154, 91, 22, 0.16) var(--pp-fill, 0%), transparent 0);
+    pointer-events: none;
+}
+
+/* Gold ink — a REAL gold badge (comb-verified improv). */
+.pp-stamp-gold {
+    border-color: #b8860b;
+    color: #a97b1b;
+    box-shadow: inset 0 0 0 3px #f3e8c8, inset 0 0 0 4px #b8860b;
+}
+.pp-stamp-mini.pp-stamp-gold {
+    color: #f0c75e;
+    border-color: #f0c75e;
+    box-shadow: none;
+}
+/* Gold foil chip — rendered only alongside an earned gold stamp. */
+.pp-gold-foil {
+    position: relative;
+    overflow: hidden;
+    display: inline-flex;
+    align-items: center;
+    justify-content: center;
+    margin-top: 0.9rem;
+    padding: 0.28rem 0.85rem;
+    border-radius: 999px;
+    border: 2px solid #d9a253;
+    color: #c89040;
+    font-size: 0.58rem;
+    font-weight: 700;
+    letter-spacing: 0.32em;
+}
+.pp-gold-foil::after {
+    content: '';
+    position: absolute;
+    inset: 0;
+    background: linear-gradient(100deg, transparent 40%, rgba(255, 223, 128, 0.35) 50%, transparent 60%);
+    transform: translateX(-120%);
+    animation: pp-foil 3.4s ease-in-out infinite;
+}
+@keyframes pp-foil {
+    0%, 55% { transform: translateX(-120%); }
+    100% { transform: translateX(120%); }
+}
+
+@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
+    .pp-gold-foil::after { animation: none; }
+    .pp-cover.pp-tilt, .pp-stamp-page.pp-tilt { transition: none; }
+    /* The hover glint is motion theatrics too — not just the JS tilt. */
+    .pp-tilt::after { display: none; }
+}
+
+/* Practice invitations — closest stamps + bring-these-up */
+.pp-closest {
+    border: 1px solid rgba(75, 85, 99, 0.45);
+    border-radius: 0.6rem;
+    background: linear-gradient(165deg, rgba(45, 55, 72, 0.4), rgba(31, 41, 55, 0.4));
+    padding: 0.6rem 0.75rem;
+    display: flex;
+    flex-direction: column;
+    gap: 0.3rem;
+}
+.pp-closest-head {
+    font-size: 0.62rem;
+    letter-spacing: 0.22em;
+    text-transform: uppercase;
+    color: #9ca3af;
+}
+.pp-closest-row {
+    display: flex;
+    align-items: baseline;
+    gap: 0.75rem;
+    text-align: left;
+    font-size: 0.8rem;
+    padding: 0.15rem 0.25rem;
+    border-radius: 0.35rem;
+}
+.pp-closest-row:hover { background: rgba(55, 65, 81, 0.5); }
+.pp-closest-genre { color: #e5e7eb; font-weight: 600; white-space: nowrap; }
+.pp-closest-ask { color: #9ca3af; font-size: 0.72rem; }
+.pp-closest-ask em { color: #cbd5e1; font-style: italic; }
+
+.pp-nearest { margin-top: 0.6rem; border-top: 1px dashed rgba(138, 122, 94, 0.4); padding-top: 0.5rem; }
+.pp-nearest-head {
+    font-size: 0.58rem;
+    letter-spacing: 0.22em;
+    text-transform: uppercase;
+    color: #8a7a5e;
+    margin-bottom: 0.25rem;
+}
+.pp-nearest-row { font-size: 0.7rem; color: #6d5d40; padding: 0.1rem 0; }
+.pp-nearest-row em { color: #3f3428; }
+/* ── Career surfaces outside the plugin: profile wall + home card ───────── */
+
+.pp-wall { display: flex; flex-direction: column; gap: 0.6rem; }
+.pp-wall-head {
+    display: flex;
+    align-items: baseline;
+    justify-content: space-between;
+    font-weight: 600;
+    color: #e5e7eb;
+    font-size: 0.9rem;
+}
+.pp-wall-meta { color: #9ca3af; font-size: 0.7rem; font-weight: 400; }
+.pp-wall-shelf {
+    display: flex;
+    align-items: center;
+    flex-wrap: wrap;
+    gap: 0.5rem;
+    padding: 0.35rem 0;
+    border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(75, 85, 99, 0.25);
+}
+.pp-wall-inst {
+    font-size: 0.62rem;
+    letter-spacing: 0.18em;
+    text-transform: uppercase;
+    color: #6b7280;
+    min-width: 3.6rem;
+}
+.pp-wall-cover {
+    display: flex;
+    flex-direction: column;
+    align-items: center;
+    justify-content: center;
+    gap: 0.1rem;
+    width: 4.2rem;
+    height: 5.6rem;
+    border-radius: 0.3rem 0.45rem 0.45rem 0.3rem;
+    box-shadow: inset 0 0 0 1px rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.07),
+        inset 0.25rem 0 0.4rem -0.25rem rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8),
+        0 3px 8px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4);
+    padding: 0.3rem;
+    transition: transform 0.15s ease;
+}
+.pp-wall-cover:hover { transform: translateY(-3px); }
+.pp-wall-cover span {
+    font-size: 0.5rem;
+    font-weight: 700;
+    letter-spacing: 0.1em;
+    color: rgba(240, 226, 195, 0.9);
+    overflow-wrap: anywhere;
+    text-align: center;
+}
+.pp-wall-cover em {
+    font-size: 0.42rem;
+    letter-spacing: 0.22em;
+    font-style: normal;
+    color: #d9a253;
+}
+.pp-wall-none { font-size: 0.7rem; color: #6b7280; font-style: italic; }
+.pp-wall-link {
+    align-self: flex-end;
+    font-size: 0.72rem;
+    color: #22d3ee;
+    padding: 0.15rem 0.3rem;
+}
+.pp-wall-link:hover { text-decoration: underline; }
+
+/* The home-page career card — a trading card among stat tiles. */
+.pp-dash-card {
+    position: relative;
+    overflow: hidden;
+    width: 100%;
+    height: 100%;
+    display: flex;
+    flex-direction: column;
+    justify-content: center;
+    gap: 0.2rem;
+    text-align: left;
+    padding: 1rem;
+    border-radius: 0.5rem;
+    border: 1px solid rgba(217, 162, 83, 0.35);
+    background:
+        linear-gradient(135deg, rgba(92, 35, 33, 0.85), rgba(30, 27, 34, 0.92)),
+        linear-gradient(160deg, #2b1414, #17111c);
+    box-shadow: inset 0 0 0 1px rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.05), 0 4px 14px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.35);
+    transition: transform 0.15s ease, box-shadow 0.15s ease;
+}
+.pp-dash-card:hover { transform: translateY(-2px); box-shadow: 0 8px 20px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5); }
+.pp-dash-shine {
+    position: absolute;
+    inset: 0;
+    background: linear-gradient(105deg, transparent 42%, rgba(255, 223, 128, 0.18) 50%, transparent 58%);
+    transform: translateX(-130%);
+    pointer-events: none;
+}
+.pp-dash-card:hover .pp-dash-shine { animation: pp-foil 1.4s ease-out; }
+.pp-dash-head {
+    font-size: 0.58rem;
+    letter-spacing: 0.3em;
+    text-transform: uppercase;
+    color: #d9a253;
+}
+.pp-dash-badges { color: #f3ead2; font-size: 1.05rem; }
+.pp-dash-badges b { font-weight: 700; margin: 0 0.25rem 0 0.35rem; }
+.pp-dash-meta { color: #b5a488; font-size: 0.72rem; }
+.pp-dash-ask { color: #8d9aa8; font-size: 0.66rem; }
+.pp-dash-ask em { color: #cbd5e1; }
+
+.pp-card-actions { display: flex; gap: 0.5rem; margin-top: 0.9rem; }
+
+@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
+    .pp-dash-card:hover .pp-dash-shine { animation: none; }
+    .pp-wall-cover, .pp-dash-card { transition: none; }
+}
+
+/* ── Gigs: poster, runner strip, summary, log ───────────────────────────── */
+
+.pp-poster {
+    position: relative;
+    width: min(92vw, 420px);
+    padding: 2rem 1.6rem 1.4rem;
+    border-radius: 0.5rem;
+    background: linear-gradient(180deg, #141019, #241318);
+    border: 2px solid rgba(217, 162, 83, 0.45);
+    box-shadow: 0 10px 32px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6);
+    display: flex;
+    flex-direction: column;
+    align-items: center;
+    gap: 0.35rem;
+    text-align: center;
+}
+.pp-poster-venue { color: rgba(240, 226, 195, 0.7); font-size: 0.95rem; letter-spacing: 0.08em; }
+.pp-poster-presents { color: rgba(240, 226, 195, 0.4); font-size: 0.58rem; letter-spacing: 0.4em; text-transform: uppercase; }
+.pp-poster-title {
+    color: #d9a253;
+    font-size: 1.7rem;
+    font-weight: 800;
+    letter-spacing: 0.1em;
+    line-height: 1.15;
+    overflow-wrap: anywhere;
+}
+.pp-poster-inst { color: rgba(240, 226, 195, 0.5); font-size: 0.68rem; letter-spacing: 0.2em; text-transform: uppercase; }
+.pp-poster-bill { margin: 0.9rem 0 0.5rem; display: flex; flex-direction: column; gap: 0.35rem; width: 100%; }
+.pp-poster-line { color: rgba(240, 226, 195, 0.85); font-size: 0.85rem; }
+.pp-poster-line span { color: rgba(217, 162, 83, 0.7); margin-right: 0.35rem; }
+.pp-poster-line em { color: rgba(240, 226, 195, 0.5); font-style: italic; font-size: 0.72rem; }
+.pp-poster-line b { color: #f3d179; margin-left: 0.3rem; }
+.pp-poster-actions { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: 0.5rem; justify-content: center; margin-top: 0.6rem; }
+.pp-poster-summary { cursor: default; }
+
+.pp-gig-strip {
+    position: fixed;
+    top: 0.5rem;
+    left: 50%;
+    transform: translateX(-50%);
+    z-index: 35; /* above the rail (30), under popovers (40) — the chrome invariant */
+    background: rgba(10, 8, 14, 0.85);
+    border: 1px solid rgba(217, 162, 83, 0.4);
+    border-radius: 999px;
+    color: rgba(240, 226, 195, 0.85);
+    font-size: 0.72rem;
+    padding: 0.3rem 0.9rem;
+    pointer-events: none;
+    backdrop-filter: blur(2px);
+}
+.pp-gig-strip b { color: #d9a253; letter-spacing: 0.2em; }
+.pp-gig-strip em { color: #f3ead2; font-style: italic; }
+
+.pp-giglog { margin-top: 0.6rem; border-top: 1px dashed rgba(138, 122, 94, 0.4); padding-top: 0.5rem; }
+.pp-giglog-head {
+    font-size: 0.58rem;
+    letter-spacing: 0.22em;
+    text-transform: uppercase;
+    color: #8a7a5e;
+    margin-bottom: 0.25rem;
+}
+.pp-giglog-row { font-size: 0.7rem; color: #6d5d40; padding: 0.1rem 0; }
+.pp-giglog-row b { color: #9a5b16; letter-spacing: 0.06em; }

plugins/career/passports.json

@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+{
+    "badge_requirement": {
+        "songs": 5,
+        "min_stars": 2
+    },
+    "gig": {
+        "min_songs": 3,
+        "max_songs": 5,
+        "stakes_songs": 2,
+        "encore_accuracy": 0.75
+    },
+    "families": [
+        { "key": "metal", "match": ["metal", "djent", "grindcore", "thrash", "doom"] },
+        { "key": "blues", "match": ["blues"] },
+        { "key": "jazz", "match": ["jazz", "bebop", "swing", "bossa"] },
+        { "key": "funk", "match": ["funk", "disco"] },
+        { "key": "rock", "match": ["rock", "punk", "grunge", "shoegaze"] }
+    ],
+    "genres": {
+        "blues": { "virtuoso_nodes": { "guitar": ["blues_shuffle"] } },
+        "rock": { "virtuoso_nodes": { "guitar": ["rock_power_backbeat"] } },
+        "metal": { "virtuoso_nodes": { "guitar": ["melodic_metal_gallop"] } },
+        "funk": { "virtuoso_nodes": { "guitar": ["sixteenth_pocket"] } },
+        "jazz": { "virtuoso_nodes": { "guitar": ["vl_shells"] } }
+    },
+    "drill_labels": {
+        "blues_shuffle": "Blues Shuffle",
+        "rock_power_backbeat": "Power Chords & Backbeat",
+        "melodic_metal_gallop": "Gallop Picking",
+        "sixteenth_pocket": "16th Pocket",
+        "vl_shells": "Shell Voicings"
+    },
+    "graded_instruments": [
+        "guitar",
+        "keys"
+    ],
+    "instruments": [
+        "guitar",
+        "bass",
+        "keys",
+        "drums"
+    ]
+}

plugins/career/plugin.json

@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+{
+    "id": "career",
+    "name": "Career",
+    "version": "0.2.0",
+    "bundled": true,
+    "private": false,
+    "description": "Career mode — gig your way from a local bar to the arena, and build a passport wall of genre badges per instrument. Earn stars per song; the crowd reacts to how you play.",
+    "screen": "screen.html",
+    "script": "screen.js",
+    "styles": "assets/career.css",
+    "settings": {
+        "html": "settings.html",
+        "server_files": [
+            "career/"
+        ]
+    },
+    "routes": "routes.py"
+}

plugins/career/routes.py

@@ -0,0 +1,990 @@
+"""Career mode — venue progression driven by per-song stars.
+
+Stars come straight from ``song_stats`` (meta.db): per song, the best
+accuracy across arrangements crosses 0/1/2/3 of the thresholds in
+``venues.json`` (data-driven so tuning never touches code). Cumulative
+stars unlock venue tiers (bar → club → arena).
+
+Venue packs (crowd-loop videos rendered offline in UE) may be bundled with
+the plugin under ``venue-packs/<id>/`` or downloaded on demand into
+``CONFIG_DIR/plugin_uploads/career/venues/<id>/``. Downloaded packs override
+bundled packs so release assets can replace a built-in starter venue.
+
+Passports (badge journey per instrument × genre — the identity layer on top
+of the same stars): badges are COMPUTED on read from ``song_stats`` × the
+library's effective genre, never stored. The only persisted career state is
+what cannot be derived — instrument commitment, opened passports, and the
+relayed virtuoso drill snapshot — as JSON under ``CONFIG_DIR/career/``
+(exported via ``settings.server_files``).
+
+Endpoints (all under /api/plugins/career/):
+  GET    /state                       stars + per-venue unlock/install/download status
+  POST   /packs/{venue_id}/download   start background pack download (409 if running)
+  DELETE /packs/{venue_id}            remove an installed pack
+  GET    /venues/{venue_id}/{filename} serve pack files (manifest.json, loops, stingers)
+  GET    /passports                   passport walls: badges, stubs, genres, drill status
+  POST   /passports/commit            commit to an instrument (the wax seal, Stage 0)
+  POST   /passports/open              open a genre passport for an instrument
+  POST   /drill-state                 relayed virtuoso.progress snapshot (drill intake)
+  POST   /gigs/propose                build a playable setlist for a genre gig
+  POST   /gigs                        log a COMPLETED gig (abandoned sets never log)
+"""
+
+import hashlib
+import json
+import logging
+import random
+import re
+import shutil
+import tempfile
+import threading
+import urllib.request
+import zipfile
+from datetime import datetime, timezone
+from pathlib import Path
+
+from fastapi import Body, HTTPException
+from fastapi.responses import FileResponse
+
+import sloppak
+from dlc_paths import _resolve_dlc_path
+from progression import instrument_for_arrangement
+
+PLUGIN_ID = "career"
+VENUE_ID_RE = re.compile(r"^[a-z0-9_-]{1,40}$")
+PACK_FILENAME_RE = re.compile(r"^[a-z0-9_-]{1,64}\.(mp4|webm|mp3|json)$")
+REQUIRED_LOOPS = ("bored", "neutral", "engaged", "ecstatic")
+DOWNLOAD_CHUNK = 1024 * 256
+# A setlist is a handful of songs; this endpoint unpacks zips, so cap the work an
+# arbitrary caller can ask for.
+MAX_GIG_SONGS = 32
+
+_lock = threading.Lock()
+_state = {
+    "content": None,        # parsed venues.json
+    "plugin_dir": None,     # plugin root; bundled packs live below it
+    "venues_dir": None,     # CONFIG_DIR/plugin_uploads/career/venues
+    "meta_db": None,        # MetadataDB (song_stats reads are lock-free / WAL)
+    "log": logging.getLogger("feedBack.plugin.career"),
+    "downloads": {},        # venue_id -> {status, bytes_done, bytes_total, error}
+}
+
+
+def _venue(venue_id):
+    for v in _state["content"]["venues"]:
+        if v["id"] == venue_id:
+            return v
+    return None
+
+
+def _venue_dir(venue_id) -> Path:
+    return _state["venues_dir"] / venue_id
+
+
+def _bundled_venue_dir(venue_id) -> Path:
+    return _state["plugin_dir"] / "venue-packs" / venue_id
+
+
+def _pack_dir(venue_id):
+    """Runtime pack location: downloaded override first, bundled fallback."""
+    local = _venue_dir(venue_id)
+    if (local / "manifest.json").is_file():
+        return local
+    bundled = _bundled_venue_dir(venue_id)
+    if (bundled / "manifest.json").is_file():
+        return bundled
+    return local
+
+
+def _installed(venue_id):
+    return (_pack_dir(venue_id) / "manifest.json").is_file()
+
+
+def _bundled(venue_id):
+    return (_bundled_venue_dir(venue_id) / "manifest.json").is_file()
+
+
+def _stars():
+    """(total, per-song dict, detail rows). Accuracy is a 0..1 fraction."""
+    db = _state["meta_db"]
+    if db is None:
+        return 0, {}, []
+    thresholds = _state["content"]["star_accuracy_thresholds"]
+    # Existing-song filter: a scan hides (not deletes) stats of songs removed
+    # from the library, so orphaned rows must not keep counting toward stars.
+    rows = db.conn.execute(
+        "SELECT s.filename, MAX(s.best_accuracy), "
+        "       COALESCE(MAX(sg.title), ''), COALESCE(MAX(sg.artist), '') "
+        "FROM song_stats s JOIN songs sg ON sg.filename = s.filename "
+        "GROUP BY s.filename"
+    ).fetchall()
+    per_song = {}
+    detail = []
+    for filename, acc, title, artist in rows:
+        acc = acc or 0.0
+        stars, next_at = _star_progress(acc, thresholds)
+        if stars:
+            per_song[filename] = stars
+        detail.append({
+            "filename": filename,
+            "title": title or filename,
+            "artist": artist,
+            "stars": stars,
+            "best_accuracy": round(acc, 4),
+            "next_star_at": next_at,
+        })
+    # closest-to-next-star first (a practice worklist), maxed songs last
+    detail.sort(key=lambda r: (r["next_star_at"] is None,
+                               (r["next_star_at"] or 1.0) - r["best_accuracy"]))
+    return sum(per_song.values()), per_song, detail
+
+
+# ── Passports ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+GENRE_MAX_LEN = 64
+DRILL_SNAPSHOT_MAX_BYTES = 256 * 1024
+
+
+def _now_iso():
+    return datetime.now(timezone.utc).isoformat(timespec="seconds")
+
+
+def _genre_display(genre):
+    return " ".join(str(genre or "").strip().split())
+
+
+def _genre_key(genre):
+    return _genre_display(genre).lower()
+
+
+def _state_file() -> Path:
+    return _state["state_dir"] / "passports-state.json"
+
+
+def _drill_file() -> Path:
+    return _state["state_dir"] / "drill-state.json"
+
+
+def _load_json(path: Path, default):
+    try:
+        return json.loads(path.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+    except (OSError, ValueError):
+        return default
+
+
+def _save_json(path: Path, obj):
+    tmp = path.with_name(path.name + ".tmp")
+    tmp.write_text(json.dumps(obj, indent=2), encoding="utf-8")
+    tmp.replace(path)
+
+
+def _career_state():
+    st = _load_json(_state_file(), {})
+    if not isinstance(st, dict):
+        st = {}
+    if not isinstance(st.get("instruments"), dict):
+        st["instruments"] = {}
+    if not isinstance(st.get("passports"), dict):
+        st["passports"] = {}
+    return st
+
+
+def _genre_expr(db):
+    # Reuse the host's override-aware effective-genre SQL (Fix-metadata popup
+    # overrides); plain `genre` on stand-ins that don't implement it.
+    fn = getattr(db, "_effective_genre_expr", None)
+    return fn() if callable(fn) else "genre"
+
+
+def _instrument_of(arrangements, arrangement):
+    """Progression's arrangement→instrument mapping, via the song_stats
+    arrangement index into the song's arrangements JSON."""
+    entry = None
+    try:
+        idx = int(arrangement)
+        if isinstance(arrangements, list) and 0 <= idx < len(arrangements):
+            entry = arrangements[idx]
+    except (TypeError, ValueError):
+        entry = None
+    return instrument_for_arrangement(entry)
+
+
+def _played_by_instrument_genre():
+    """((instrument, genre_key) → {filename: stub dict},
+        (instrument, genre_key) → total played seconds).
+    Best accuracy per (instrument, song); seconds sum across every
+    arrangement row; the JOIN keeps the same dead-song filter as _stars()."""
+    db = _state["meta_db"]
+    if db is None:
+        return {}, {}
+    thresholds = _state["content"]["star_accuracy_thresholds"]
+    rows = db.conn.execute(
+        "SELECT s.filename, s.arrangement, s.best_accuracy, s.last_played_at, "
+        "       s.seconds_total, songs.title, songs.artist, songs.arrangements, "
+        f"      {_genre_expr(db)} "
+        "FROM song_stats s JOIN songs ON songs.filename = s.filename"
+    ).fetchall()
+    arrs_cache = {}
+    out = {}
+    seconds = {}
+    for filename, arrangement, acc, played_at, secs, title, artist, arrs_json, genre in rows:
+        gkey = _genre_key(genre)
+        if not gkey:
+            continue
+        if filename not in arrs_cache:
+            try:
+                arrs_cache[filename] = json.loads(arrs_json) if arrs_json else None
+            except (TypeError, ValueError):
+                arrs_cache[filename] = None
+        instrument = _instrument_of(arrs_cache[filename], arrangement)
+        key = (instrument, gkey)
+        seconds[key] = seconds.get(key, 0.0) + (secs or 0.0)
+        acc = acc or 0.0
+        stub = out.setdefault(key, {}).get(filename)
+        if stub is None:
+            out[key][filename] = {
+                "filename": filename,
+                "title": title or filename,
+                "artist": artist or "",
+                "best_accuracy": acc,
+                "last_played_at": played_at,
+            }
+        else:
+            stub["best_accuracy"] = max(stub["best_accuracy"], acc)
+            stub["last_played_at"] = max(stub["last_played_at"] or "", played_at or "") or None
+    for stubs in out.values():
+        for stub in stubs.values():
+            acc = stub["best_accuracy"]
+            stub["best_accuracy"] = round(acc, 4)
+            stub["stars"], stub["next_star_at"] = _star_progress(acc, thresholds)
+    return out, seconds
+
+
+def _star_progress(acc, thresholds):
+    """(stars, next_star_at) — the one place the ascending-thresholds
+    assumption lives; _stars() and the passport stubs both use it."""
+    stars = sum(1 for t in thresholds if acc >= t)
+    next_at = next((t for t in thresholds if acc < t), None)
+    return stars, next_at
+
+
+def _library_genres():
+    """Distinct effective genres across the live library (the brochure rack)."""
+    db = _state["meta_db"]
+    if db is None:
+        return []
+    rows = db.conn.execute(
+        f"SELECT {_genre_expr(db)} AS g, COUNT(*) FROM songs GROUP BY g").fetchall()
+    by_key = {}
+    for genre, count in rows:
+        display = _genre_display(genre)
+        key = display.lower()
+        if not key:
+            continue
+        cur = by_key.get(key)
+        if cur:  # case-variant duplicates collapse onto the first-seen casing
+            cur["songs_in_library"] += count
+        else:
+            by_key[key] = {"genre_key": key, "genre": display,
+                           "songs_in_library": count}
+    return sorted(by_key.values(),
+                  key=lambda r: (-r["songs_in_library"], r["genre_key"]))
+
+
+def _genre_family(gkey):
+    """First family whose keyword appears in the genre key (substring — MB's
+    vocabulary is open: 'metalcore' must hit the 'metal' family without an
+    exact alias). List order decides ambiguity: families are checked top to
+    bottom, so 'blues rock' lands on whichever of blues/rock is listed first."""
+    for fam in _state["passports_content"].get("families") or []:
+        if not isinstance(fam, dict):
+            continue
+        for kw in fam.get("match") or []:
+            if isinstance(kw, str) and kw and kw in gkey:
+                return fam.get("key")
+    return None
+
+
+def _badge_requirement(gkey, instrument="guitar"):
+    cfg = _state["passports_content"]
+    req = dict(cfg.get("badge_requirement") or {})
+    req.setdefault("songs", 5)
+    req.setdefault("min_stars", 2)
+    # Exact per-genre override wins; otherwise the genre inherits its FAMILY's
+    # requirement — so 'death metal' / 'metalcore' passports carry the metal
+    # drill without curating every MB sub-genre by hand.
+    genres_cfg = cfg.get("genres") or {}
+    override = genres_cfg.get(gkey)
+    if not isinstance(override, dict):
+        family = _genre_family(gkey)
+        override = genres_cfg.get(family) if family else None
+    if isinstance(override, dict):
+        req.update(override)
+    # virtuoso_nodes: {instrument: [node_ids]} — a passport only carries its
+    # own instrument's drills. A flat list keeps meaning guitar (back-compat;
+    # virtuoso's drill content is guitar-first).
+    nodes = req.get("virtuoso_nodes") or []
+    if isinstance(nodes, dict):
+        nodes = nodes.get(instrument) or []
+    elif instrument != "guitar":
+        nodes = []
+    req["virtuoso_nodes"] = [n for n in nodes if isinstance(n, str)]
+    return req
+
+
+def _drill_by_node():
+    doc = _load_json(_drill_file(), {})
+    if not isinstance(doc, dict):
+        return None, {}, {}
+    snapshot = doc.get("snapshot") if isinstance(doc.get("snapshot"), dict) else {}
+    by_node = snapshot.get("byNode") if isinstance(snapshot.get("byNode"), dict) else {}
+    gold = snapshot.get("goldImprov") if isinstance(snapshot.get("goldImprov"), dict) else {}
+    return doc.get("received_at"), by_node, gold
+
+
+def _merge_drill_nodes(old, new):
+    """Gained-only merge of virtuoso byNode snapshots: a completion artifact
+    once relayed never un-earns via a stale snapshot (multi-browser races,
+    settings import, the once-per-session boot relay). Incoming wins the
+    descriptive fields; masteredAt / depth flips / keysCleared only grow."""
+    out = dict(old)
+    for node_id, incoming in new.items():
+        if not isinstance(incoming, dict):
+            continue
+        cur = out.get(node_id)
+        if not isinstance(cur, dict):
+            out[node_id] = incoming
+            continue
+        merged = dict(cur)
+        merged.update(incoming)
+        merged["masteredAt"] = cur.get("masteredAt") or incoming.get("masteredAt")
+        d_old = cur.get("depth") if isinstance(cur.get("depth"), dict) else {}
+        d_new = incoming.get("depth") if isinstance(incoming.get("depth"), dict) else {}
+        depth = dict(d_new)
+        for axis, val in d_old.items():
+            if val and not depth.get(axis):
+                depth[axis] = val
+        if depth:
+            merged["depth"] = depth
+        keys_old = cur.get("keysCleared") if isinstance(cur.get("keysCleared"), list) else []
+        keys_new = incoming.get("keysCleared") if isinstance(incoming.get("keysCleared"), list) else []
+        merged["keysCleared"] = keys_old + [k for k in keys_new if k not in keys_old]
+        out[node_id] = merged
+    return out
+
+
+def _merge_gold(old, new):
+    """Gained-only merge of goldImprov artifacts: a minted style never
+    un-mints via a stale relay; the FIRST artifact per style is kept."""
+    out = dict(old)
+    for style_id, art in (new or {}).items():
+        if isinstance(art, dict) and style_id not in out:
+            out[style_id] = art
+    return out
+
+
+def _node_cleared(by_node, node_id):
+    """A drill counts as cleared on real completion evidence: mastered, any
+    depth rung flipped true, or a key cleared (a top-tier clean pass in one
+    key — virtuoso's first gained-only artifact, and an achievable Bronze
+    bar; the depth rungs additionally require a maxed speed tier)."""
+    entry = by_node.get(node_id)
+    if not isinstance(entry, dict):
+        return False
+    depth = entry.get("depth") if isinstance(entry.get("depth"), dict) else {}
+    keys = entry.get("keysCleared")
+    return (bool(entry.get("masteredAt"))
+            or any(bool(v) for v in depth.values())
+            or bool(isinstance(keys, list) and keys))
+
+
+def _passports_view():
+    cfg = _state["passports_content"]
+    graded = set(cfg.get("graded_instruments") or [])
+    st = _career_state()
+    all_gigs = st.get("gigs") if isinstance(st.get("gigs"), list) else []
+    played, played_seconds = _played_by_instrument_genre()
+    received_at, by_node, gold_improv = _drill_by_node()
+    instruments = {}
+    for inst in cfg.get("instruments") or []:
+        committed_at = (st["instruments"].get(inst) or {}).get("committed_at")
+        opened = st["passports"].get(inst)
+        opened = opened if isinstance(opened, dict) else {}
+        passports = []
+        for gkey, meta in sorted(opened.items(),
+                                 key=lambda kv: ((kv[1] or {}).get("opened_at") or "", kv[0])):
+            meta = meta if isinstance(meta, dict) else {}
+            req = _badge_requirement(gkey, inst)
+            songs = list(played.get((inst, gkey), {}).values())
+            for s in songs:
+                s["qualifies"] = s["stars"] >= req["min_stars"]
+            songs.sort(key=lambda s: (not s["qualifies"], -s["stars"],
+                                      s["title"].lower()))
+            qualifying = sum(1 for s in songs if s["qualifies"])
+            required = req["virtuoso_nodes"]
+            cleared = [n for n in required if _node_cleared(by_node, n)]
+            is_graded = inst in graded
+            if not is_graded:
+                # Where the engine can't fairly grade the instrument's job
+                # (bass pocket, feel) the passport shows repertoire, never a
+                # false badge denial — the doc's shown-not-judged rule.
+                badge = "shown_not_judged"
+            elif qualifying >= req["songs"] and len(cleared) == len(required):
+                # Bronze is earned; GOLD upgrades it when a verified improv
+                # artifact exists for this genre's jam style. Virtuoso mints
+                # under raw STYLE_PALETTES ids ('punk', 'djent', 'disco', ...),
+                # which are mostly NOT family keys — so match in family space:
+                # the same keyword bucketing genres get ('punk' and 'punk
+                # rock' both bucket to 'rock'), with the exact key as a direct
+                # hit. Bronze remains a standalone win; gold never becomes an
+                # obligation.
+                fam = _genre_family(gkey)
+                gold = any(
+                    s == gkey or (fam is not None and _genre_family(s) == fam)
+                    for s in gold_improv
+                )
+                badge = "gold" if gold else "earned"
+            else:
+                badge = "in_progress"
+            # Practice invitation: the non-qualifying songs closest to the
+            # QUALIFYING bar (the badge ask), nearest first — invitation
+            # data, the UI voices it without meters.
+            thresholds = _state["content"]["star_accuracy_thresholds"]
+            bar = (thresholds[req["min_stars"] - 1]
+                   if 0 < req["min_stars"] <= len(thresholds) else None)
+            nearest = [] if bar is None else sorted(
+                (s for s in songs if not s["qualifies"]),
+                key=lambda s: bar - s["best_accuracy"])[:3]
+            for s in nearest:
+                s["bar_at"] = bar
+            passports.append({
+                "genre_key": gkey,
+                "genre": meta.get("genre") or gkey,
+                "opened_at": meta.get("opened_at"),
+                "requirement": req,
+                "graded": is_graded,
+                "songs": songs,
+                "qualifying_count": qualifying,
+                "nearest": nearest,
+                # Honest hours odometer (Stage 5 post-cap): a true fact that
+                # only grows — never a target, never a meter.
+                "seconds_total": round(played_seconds.get((inst, gkey), 0.0), 1),
+                "drills": {"required": required, "cleared": cleared},
+                "badge": badge,
+            })
+        inst_gigs = [g for g in all_gigs if g.get("instrument") == inst]
+        for p in passports:
+            p["gigs"] = [g for g in inst_gigs if g.get("genre_key") == p["genre_key"]][-20:][::-1]
+        instruments[inst] = {"committed_at": committed_at, "passports": passports,
+                             "gig_count": len(inst_gigs)}
+    return {
+        "config": {
+            "badge_requirement": cfg.get("badge_requirement") or {},
+            "graded_instruments": sorted(graded),
+            "instruments": list(cfg.get("instruments") or []),
+            # Career-side display names for virtuoso drill node ids.
+            "drill_labels": dict(cfg.get("drill_labels") or {}),
+        },
+        "instruments": instruments,
+        "genres": _library_genres(),
+        "drill_state": {"received_at": received_at},
+    }
+
+
+def _gig_config():
+    cfg = _state["passports_content"].get("gig")
+    cfg = cfg if isinstance(cfg, dict) else {}
+
+    def _num(key, default, cast):
+        # Tuning data, not code: junk falls back instead of 500ing both gig
+        # endpoints, and a legitimate 0 (stakes_songs: 0) is respected.
+        val = cfg.get(key)
+        if isinstance(val, bool) or not isinstance(val, (int, float)):
+            return default
+        return cast(val)
+
+    return {
+        "min_songs": max(1, _num("min_songs", 3, int)),
+        "max_songs": max(1, _num("max_songs", 5, int)),
+        "stakes_songs": max(0, _num("stakes_songs", 2, int)),
+        "encore_accuracy": _num("encore_accuracy", 0.75, float),
+    }
+
+
+def _current_venue():
+    """Highest unlocked venue (the room you can book today)."""
+    stars_total, _, _ = _stars()
+    best = None
+    for v in _state["content"]["venues"]:
+        if stars_total >= v["star_threshold"]:
+            if best is None or v["star_threshold"] >= best["star_threshold"]:
+                best = v
+    return best
+
+
+def _fill_genre_songs(gkey, exclude, limit):
+    """Library songs of a genre to round out a gig — ANY song of the genre the
+    set hasn't already picked.
+
+    Was `_unplayed_genre_songs`, restricted to `filename NOT IN song_stats`.
+    That restriction created a hole: a song you'd played on a DIFFERENT
+    instrument's arrangement has a stats row, so it was excluded here — and it
+    lives in the played bucket for THAT instrument, not this passport's, so it
+    was excluded there too. It could never be gigged. A player with 137 metalcore
+    songs, all played on another instrument, got a 404 (reproduced). The player's
+    library is the pool; whether a song has stats on some other instrument has no
+    bearing on whether it can be in THIS gig.
+
+    Shuffled, so re-roll actually changes the set. The old version returned the
+    library's first N in table order every time, so re-roll was a no-op for any
+    set drawn from the filler (reproduced).
+
+    ponytail: full genre scan + python-side match + shuffle (a few ms at 7k
+    songs, single-user); push into SQL if propose ever feels slow.
+    """
+    db = _state["meta_db"]
+    if db is None:
+        return []
+    rows = db.conn.execute(
+        f"SELECT filename, title, artist, {_genre_expr(db)} AS g FROM songs"
+    ).fetchall()
+    pool = [
+        {"filename": filename, "title": title or filename, "artist": artist or ""}
+        for filename, title, artist, genre in rows
+        if _genre_key(genre) == gkey and filename not in exclude
+    ]
+    random.shuffle(pool)   # re-roll must vary; free per call
+    return pool[:limit]
+
+
+def _validate_pack_dir(pack_dir: Path):
+    """Raise ValueError unless pack_dir holds a complete venue pack."""
+    manifest_path = pack_dir / "manifest.json"
+    if not manifest_path.is_file():
+        raise ValueError("pack has no manifest.json")
+    manifest = json.loads(manifest_path.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+    loops = manifest.get("loops") or {}
+    for state in REQUIRED_LOOPS:
+        name = loops.get(state)
+        if not name or not PACK_FILENAME_RE.fullmatch(name):
+            raise ValueError(f"manifest is missing the '{state}' loop")
+        if not (pack_dir / name).is_file():
+            raise ValueError(f"loop file '{name}' missing from pack")
+    for name in (manifest.get("stingers") or {}).values():
+        if name and (not PACK_FILENAME_RE.fullmatch(name) or not (pack_dir / name).is_file()):
+            raise ValueError(f"stinger file '{name}' invalid or missing")
+    for name in (manifest.get("intro") or {}).values():
+        if name and (not PACK_FILENAME_RE.fullmatch(name) or not (pack_dir / name).is_file()):
+            raise ValueError(f"intro file '{name}' invalid or missing")
+
+
+def _download_pack(venue_id, pack, progress):
+    """Worker thread: stream → sha256 verify → extract → validate → swap in."""
+    log = _state["log"]
+    final_dir = _venue_dir(venue_id)
+    staging = Path(tempfile.mkdtemp(prefix=f"career-{venue_id}-",
+                                    dir=str(_state["venues_dir"])))
+    zip_path = staging / "pack.zip"
+    try:
+        digest = hashlib.sha256()
+        req = urllib.request.Request(pack["url"], headers={"User-Agent": "feedBack-career"})
+        with urllib.request.urlopen(req, timeout=60) as resp, open(zip_path, "wb") as out:
+            total = int(resp.headers.get("Content-Length") or pack.get("bytes") or 0)
+            progress["bytes_total"] = total
+            while True:
+                chunk = resp.read(DOWNLOAD_CHUNK)
+                if not chunk:
+                    break
+                digest.update(chunk)
+                out.write(chunk)
+                progress["bytes_done"] += len(chunk)
+        if digest.hexdigest() != pack["sha256"]:
+            raise ValueError("sha256 mismatch — corrupt or tampered download")
+
+        extract_dir = staging / "pack"
+        extract_dir.mkdir()
+        with zipfile.ZipFile(zip_path) as zf:
+            for info in zf.infolist():
+                # Zip-slip guard: only flat, whitelisted names get extracted.
+                if info.is_dir():
+                    continue
+                name = Path(info.filename).name
+                if name != info.filename or not PACK_FILENAME_RE.fullmatch(name):
+                    raise ValueError(f"unexpected file in pack: {info.filename!r}")
+                with zf.open(info) as src, open(extract_dir / name, "wb") as dst:
+                    shutil.copyfileobj(src, dst)
+        zip_path.unlink()
+        _validate_pack_dir(extract_dir)
+
+        if final_dir.exists():
+            shutil.rmtree(final_dir)
+        extract_dir.rename(final_dir)
+        progress["status"] = "done"
+        log.info("career: venue pack '%s' installed", venue_id)
+    except Exception as exc:  # noqa: BLE001 — surface any failure to the UI
+        progress["status"] = "error"
+        progress["error"] = str(exc)
+        log.warning("career: venue pack '%s' download failed: %s", venue_id, exc)
+    finally:
+        shutil.rmtree(staging, ignore_errors=True)
+
+
+def setup(app, context):
+    plugin_dir = Path(__file__).resolve().parent
+    _state["plugin_dir"] = plugin_dir
+    _state["content"] = json.loads((plugin_dir / "venues.json").read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+    _state["venues_dir"] = (
+        Path(context["config_dir"]) / "plugin_uploads" / PLUGIN_ID / "venues")
+    _state["venues_dir"].mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+    _state["passports_content"] = json.loads(
+        (plugin_dir / "passports.json").read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+    # Persisted career state (commitment / opened passports / drill snapshot)
+    # lives under CONFIG_DIR/career/ — declared in settings.server_files so it
+    # rides the settings export/import bundle. Packs stay out (they're media).
+    _state["state_dir"] = Path(context["config_dir"]) / PLUGIN_ID
+    _state["state_dir"].mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+    _state["meta_db"] = context.get("meta_db")
+    _state["log"] = context.get("log") or _state["log"]
+    for v in _state["content"]["venues"]:
+        if _bundled(v["id"]):
+            _validate_pack_dir(_bundled_venue_dir(v["id"]))
+
+    @app.get(f"/api/plugins/{PLUGIN_ID}/state")
+    def get_state():
+        stars_total, per_song, star_detail = _stars()
+        venues = []
+        for v in _state["content"]["venues"]:
+            with _lock:
+                dl = dict(_state["downloads"].get(v["id"]) or {"status": "idle"})
+            venues.append({
+                "id": v["id"],
+                "name": v["name"],
+                "description": v.get("description", ""),
+                "star_threshold": v["star_threshold"],
+                "unlocked": stars_total >= v["star_threshold"],
+                "installed": _installed(v["id"]),
+                "bundled": _bundled(v["id"]),
+                "has_pack": _bundled(v["id"]) or bool(v.get("pack")),
+                "download": dl,
+            })
+        return {
+            "stars_total": stars_total,
+            "stars_per_song": per_song,
+            "star_detail": star_detail,
+            "star_accuracy_thresholds": _state["content"]["star_accuracy_thresholds"],
+            "venues": venues,
+        }
+
+    @app.get(f"/api/plugins/{PLUGIN_ID}/passports")
+    def get_passports():
+        with _lock:
+            return _passports_view()
+
+    @app.post(f"/api/plugins/{PLUGIN_ID}/passports/commit")
+    def commit_instrument(body: dict = Body(...)):
+        inst = str((body or {}).get("instrument") or "")
+        if inst not in (_state["passports_content"].get("instruments") or []):
+            raise HTTPException(400, "Unknown instrument.")
+        with _lock:
+            st = _career_state()
+            entry = st["instruments"].setdefault(inst, {})
+            # Idempotent: the wax seal is pressed once; re-commits keep the
+            # original date (only-gained-never-lost).
+            if not entry.get("committed_at"):
+                entry["committed_at"] = _now_iso()
+                _save_json(_state_file(), st)
+        return {"ok": True, "instrument": inst,
+                "committed_at": entry["committed_at"]}
+
+    @app.post(f"/api/plugins/{PLUGIN_ID}/passports/open")
+    def open_passport(body: dict = Body(...)):
+        inst = str((body or {}).get("instrument") or "")
+        genre = _genre_display((body or {}).get("genre"))
+        gkey = genre.lower()
+        if inst not in (_state["passports_content"].get("instruments") or []):
+            raise HTTPException(400, "Unknown instrument.")
+        if not gkey or len(genre) > GENRE_MAX_LEN:
+            raise HTTPException(400, "Provide a genre.")
+        with _lock:
+            st = _career_state()
+            # Opening a passport implies the instrument commitment (permissive
+            # server, ceremony ordering is the UI's job).
+            st["instruments"].setdefault(inst, {}).setdefault(
+                "committed_at", _now_iso())
+            genres = st["passports"].setdefault(inst, {})
+            if gkey not in genres:
+                genres[gkey] = {"genre": genre, "opened_at": _now_iso()}
+                _save_json(_state_file(), st)
+        return {"ok": True, "instrument": inst, "passport": genres[gkey]}
+
+    @app.post(f"/api/plugins/{PLUGIN_ID}/drill-state")
+    def post_drill_state(body: dict = Body(...)):
+        # The relayed virtuoso.progress snapshot (career's screen.js listens to
+        # the virtuoso:progress bus event and forwards the localStorage doc).
+        # Only the fields the badge check reads are kept.
+        if not isinstance(body, dict) or not isinstance(body.get("byNode"), dict):
+            raise HTTPException(400, "Expected a progress snapshot with byNode.")
+        # Bound the INCOMING snapshot before the merge — the gained-only merge
+        # drops junk entries, which must not become a size-guard bypass.
+        if len(json.dumps(body["byNode"])) > DRILL_SNAPSHOT_MAX_BYTES:
+            raise HTTPException(413, "Snapshot too large.")
+        gold_in = body.get("goldImprov", {})
+        if not isinstance(gold_in, dict):
+            # A relay bug must be LOUD, not a silent 200 that drops gold.
+            raise HTTPException(400, "goldImprov must be an object keyed by style id.")
+        # Keep only plausible artifacts: a dict that names its verifier —
+        # an empty {} must not mint an evidence-free gold.
+        gold_in = {k: v for k, v in gold_in.items()
+                   if isinstance(v, dict) and v.get("verifier")}
+        # Same pre-merge bound byNode gets: the gained-only merge dropping
+        # junk must not become a size-guard bypass (nor lock-held CPU burn).
+        if len(json.dumps(gold_in)) > DRILL_SNAPSHOT_MAX_BYTES:
+            raise HTTPException(413, "Snapshot too large.")
+        with _lock:
+            _, existing, existing_gold = _drill_by_node()
+            snapshot = {"mode": body.get("mode"), "xp": body.get("xp"),
+                        "byNode": _merge_drill_nodes(existing, body["byNode"]),
+                        "goldImprov": _merge_gold(existing_gold, gold_in)}
+            if len(json.dumps(snapshot)) > DRILL_SNAPSHOT_MAX_BYTES:
+                raise HTTPException(413, "Snapshot too large.")
+            _save_json(_drill_file(), {"received_at": _now_iso(),
+                                       "snapshot": snapshot})
+        return {"ok": True}
+
+    @app.post(f"/api/plugins/{PLUGIN_ID}/gigs/prepare")
+    def prepare_gig(body: dict = Body(...)):
+        """Unpack every song of the set BEFORE the gig starts.
+
+        A feedpak is a zip: the first play of one pays for its extraction into
+        sloppak_cache. Inside a set that cost landed BETWEEN songs — the player
+        finished a number and then sat waiting for the next one to unpack, mid-
+        gig. A set is a known list up front, so extract it all while the player
+        is still looking at the poster.
+
+        Idempotent and cheap on a warm cache: resolve_source_dir() returns the
+        already-unpacked dir without rewriting it. Best-effort per song — one
+        bad feedpak must not block the set from starting (the play itself will
+        surface the error, exactly as it does outside a gig).
+        """
+        raw = (body or {}).get("songs")
+        # A str is iterable: without the list check, "abc" would prepare three
+        # one-character "songs". Cap the count too — this endpoint unpacks zips,
+        # so an oversized list is real work, and a setlist is a handful of songs.
+        if not isinstance(raw, list):
+            return {"ok": True, "prepared": 0, "failed": []}
+        files = [f for f in raw if isinstance(f, str) and f.strip()][:MAX_GIG_SONGS]
+        if not files:
+            return {"ok": True, "prepared": 0, "failed": []}
+
+        # .get, not []: a host that doesn't hand us the resolvers (or has no
+        # library configured) must degrade to "extract lazily, as before" — this
+        # is an optimisation, and it is never allowed to be the thing that stops
+        # a gig from starting.
+        get_dlc = context.get("get_dlc_dir")
+        get_cache = context.get("get_sloppak_cache_dir")
+        dlc_root = get_dlc() if callable(get_dlc) else None
+        cache_root = get_cache() if callable(get_cache) else None
+        if dlc_root is None or cache_root is None:
+            return {"ok": False, "prepared": 0, "failed": files, "error": "no library"}
+
+        root = Path(dlc_root)
+        prepared, failed = 0, []
+        for fn in files:
+            # CONTAINMENT FIRST. resolve_source_dir() does a bare
+            # `dlc_root / filename` with no guard, so a crafted `../..` would
+            # walk straight out of the library. Every other filename-bound
+            # handler validates through _resolve_dlc_path; so does this one.
+            safe = _resolve_dlc_path(root, fn)
+            if safe is None:
+                _state["log"].warning("career: gig pre-extract rejected unsafe path %r", fn)
+                failed.append(fn)
+                continue
+            try:
+                sloppak.resolve_source_dir(fn, root, Path(cache_root))
+                prepared += 1
+            except Exception as exc:   # noqa: BLE001 — one bad pak can't sink the set
+                _state["log"].warning("career: gig pre-extract failed for %s: %s", fn, exc)
+                failed.append(fn)
+        return {"ok": True, "prepared": prepared, "failed": failed}
+
+    @app.post(f"/api/plugins/{PLUGIN_ID}/gigs/propose")
+    def propose_gig(body: dict = Body(...)):
+        inst = str((body or {}).get("instrument") or "")
+        genre = _genre_display((body or {}).get("genre"))
+        gkey = genre.lower()
+        if inst not in (_state["passports_content"].get("instruments") or []):
+            raise HTTPException(400, "Unknown instrument.")
+        if not gkey or len(genre) > GENRE_MAX_LEN:
+            raise HTTPException(400, "Provide a genre.")
+        cfg = _gig_config()
+        try:
+            size = int((body or {}).get("size") or 4)
+        except (TypeError, ValueError):
+            raise HTTPException(400, "size must be a number.")
+        size = max(cfg["min_songs"], min(cfg["max_songs"], size))
+        played, _seconds = _played_by_instrument_genre()
+        stubs = list(played.get((inst, gkey), {}).values())
+        req = _badge_requirement(gkey, inst)
+        qualifying = [s for s in stubs if s["stars"] >= req["min_stars"]]
+        rest = [s for s in stubs if s["stars"] < req["min_stars"]]
+        # The set: mostly songs you own, plus a couple of stakes songs near
+        # the bar; a young passport fills from unplayed genre songs so the
+        # first gig is how stubs start. random per call = free re-roll.
+        random.shuffle(qualifying)
+        rest.sort(key=lambda s: -s["best_accuracy"])
+        qtaken = max(1, size - cfg["stakes_songs"])
+        picks = qualifying[:qtaken]
+        for s in rest:
+            if len(picks) >= size:
+                break
+            picks.append(s)
+        # Surplus qualifying songs backfill a short set — a mature passport
+        # with no near-bar songs left must still fill the bill. Offset by how
+        # many QUALIFYING songs were taken, not len(picks): rest's stakes
+        # additions would otherwise skip eligible qualifying songs entirely.
+        for s in qualifying[qtaken:]:
+            if len(picks) >= size:
+                break
+            picks.append(s)
+        if len(picks) < size:
+            exclude = {s["filename"] for s in picks}
+            picks.extend(_fill_genre_songs(gkey, exclude, size - len(picks)))
+        if not picks:
+            raise HTTPException(404, "No songs of this genre in the library.")
+        venue = _current_venue()
+        return {
+            "instrument": inst,
+            "genre": genre,
+            "genre_key": gkey,
+            "venue_id": venue["id"] if venue else None,
+            "venue_name": venue["name"] if venue else "",
+            "songs": [{"filename": s["filename"], "title": s.get("title") or s["filename"],
+                       "artist": s.get("artist") or ""} for s in picks[:size]],
+        }
+
+    @app.post(f"/api/plugins/{PLUGIN_ID}/gigs")
+    def log_gig(body: dict = Body(...)):
+        # Called by the runner ONLY when the set completed — an abandoned set
+        # never logs (no fail state; the gig you finished is the gig you
+        # played). Accuracies come from song_stats, freshly written by the
+        # set's own plays.
+        inst = str((body or {}).get("instrument") or "")
+        genre = _genre_display((body or {}).get("genre"))
+        gkey = genre.lower()
+        venue_id = str((body or {}).get("venue_id") or "")
+        songs = (body or {}).get("songs")
+        if inst not in (_state["passports_content"].get("instruments") or []):
+            raise HTTPException(400, "Unknown instrument.")
+        if not gkey or len(genre) > GENRE_MAX_LEN:
+            raise HTTPException(400, "Provide a genre.")
+        if venue_id and (not VENUE_ID_RE.fullmatch(venue_id) or _venue(venue_id) is None):
+            raise HTTPException(400, "Unknown venue.")
+        if (not isinstance(songs, list) or not songs or len(songs) > 8
+                or not all(isinstance(f, str) and f.strip() for f in songs)):
+            raise HTTPException(400, "songs must be 1-8 filenames.")
+        db = _state["meta_db"]
+        entries = []
+        accuracies = []
+        for filename in songs:
+            title = filename
+            accuracy = None
+            if db is not None:
+                # The NEWEST row is the set's own just-recorded play — a
+                # MAX(last_accuracy) across arrangements would happily log a
+                # stale higher score from another instrument's old session.
+                row = db.conn.execute(
+                    "SELECT last_accuracy FROM song_stats WHERE filename = ? "
+                    "ORDER BY last_played_at DESC LIMIT 1",
+                    (filename,)).fetchone()
+                if row and row[0] is not None:
+                    accuracy = round(float(row[0]), 4)
+                    accuracies.append(accuracy)
+                trow = db.conn.execute(
+                    "SELECT title FROM songs WHERE filename = ?", (filename,)).fetchone()
+                if trow and trow[0]:
+                    title = trow[0]
+            entries.append({"filename": filename, "title": title, "accuracy": accuracy})
+        # Encore needs the WHOLE set scored at the bar — one scored song must
+        # not earn an encore for a set that was 4/5 unheard.
+        encore = (len(accuracies) == len(songs) and
+                  sum(accuracies) / len(accuracies) >= _gig_config()["encore_accuracy"])
+        gig = {
+            "at": _now_iso(),
+            "venue_id": venue_id or None,
+            "instrument": inst,
+            "genre": genre,
+            "genre_key": gkey,
+            "songs": entries,
+            "encore": encore,
+        }
+        with _lock:
+            st = _career_state()
+            if not isinstance(st.get("gigs"), list):
+                st["gigs"] = []
+            st["gigs"].append(gig)
+            # ponytail: hard cap — nothing reads past the last 20 per
+            # passport; the state file must not grow (and export) forever.
+            st["gigs"] = st["gigs"][-500:]
+            _save_json(_state_file(), st)
+        return {"ok": True, "gig": gig}
+
+    @app.post(f"/api/plugins/{PLUGIN_ID}/packs/{{venue_id}}/download")
+    def start_download(venue_id: str):
+        venue = _venue(venue_id) if VENUE_ID_RE.fullmatch(venue_id) else None
+        if venue is None:
+            raise HTTPException(404, "Unknown venue.")
+        pack = venue.get("pack")
+        if not pack:
+            raise HTTPException(404, "No pack published for this venue yet.")
+        stars_total, _, _ = _stars()
+        if stars_total < venue["star_threshold"]:
+            raise HTTPException(403, "Venue not unlocked yet.")
+        with _lock:
+            running = _state["downloads"].get(venue_id)
+            if running and running["status"] == "running":
+                raise HTTPException(409, "Download already running.")
+            progress = {"status": "running", "bytes_done": 0,
+                        "bytes_total": pack.get("bytes") or 0, "error": None}
+            _state["downloads"][venue_id] = progress
+        threading.Thread(target=_download_pack, args=(venue_id, pack, progress),
+                         name=f"career-pack-{venue_id}", daemon=True).start()
+        return {"ok": True}
+
+    @app.delete(f"/api/plugins/{PLUGIN_ID}/packs/{{venue_id}}")
+    def delete_pack(venue_id: str):
+        if not VENUE_ID_RE.fullmatch(venue_id) or _venue(venue_id) is None:
+            raise HTTPException(404, "Unknown venue.")
+        with _lock:
+            running = _state["downloads"].get(venue_id)
+            if running and running["status"] == "running":
+                raise HTTPException(409, "Download in progress.")
+            _state["downloads"].pop(venue_id, None)
+        shutil.rmtree(_venue_dir(venue_id), ignore_errors=True)
+        return {"ok": True}
+
+    @app.get(f"/api/plugins/{PLUGIN_ID}/venues/{{venue_id}}/{{filename}}")
+    async def get_pack_file(venue_id: str, filename: str):
+        if not VENUE_ID_RE.fullmatch(venue_id) or not PACK_FILENAME_RE.fullmatch(filename):
+            raise HTTPException(404, "Not found.")
+        pack_dir = _pack_dir(venue_id)
+        path = pack_dir / filename
+        # Defense-in-depth beyond the regexes (same recipe as highway_3d):
+        # the resolved path must stay inside the selected pack dir.
+        try:
+            resolved = path.resolve()
+            resolved.relative_to(pack_dir.resolve())
+        except (OSError, ValueError):
+            raise HTTPException(404, "Not found.")
+        if not resolved.is_file():
+            raise HTTPException(404, "Not found.")
+        media = {"mp4": "video/mp4", "webm": "video/webm", "mp3": "audio/mpeg",
+                 "json": "application/json"}[resolved.suffix.lstrip(".").lower()]
+        return FileResponse(
+            resolved,
+            media_type=media,
+            # Pack files are immutable per version, but a re-download after a
+            # pack update overwrites in place — no-cache + ETag revalidation
+            # keeps browsers honest for the price of a 304.
+            headers={"Cache-Control": "no-cache",
+                     "X-Content-Type-Options": "nosniff"},
+        )

plugins/career/screen.html

@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+<div class="max-w-5xl mx-auto px-4 py-6">
+    <div class="flex items-end justify-between flex-wrap gap-3 mb-1">
+        <h1 class="text-2xl font-bold text-white">Career</h1>
+        <div id="career-stars-summary" class="text-sm text-gray-400"></div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="career-tabs" role="tablist">
+        <button class="career-tab" data-career-tab="venues" role="tab" id="career-tab-btn-venues" aria-controls="career-tab-venues">Venues</button>
+        <button class="career-tab" data-career-tab="passports" role="tab" id="career-tab-btn-passports" aria-controls="career-tab-passports">Passports</button>
+    </div>
+
+    <div id="career-tab-venues" role="tabpanel" aria-labelledby="career-tab-btn-venues">
+        <p class="text-sm text-gray-400 mb-4">Earn stars by playing songs well — 60% accuracy is a star, 75% two, 85% three. Stars unlock bigger stages, and the crowd plays along with you.</p>
+        <div id="career-progress-wrap" class="mb-6">
+            <div class="career-bar-track">
+                <div id="career-progress-bar" class="career-bar-fill" style="width:0%"></div>
+            </div>
+            <div id="career-progress-label" class="text-xs text-gray-500 mt-1"></div>
+        </div>
+        <div id="career-venues" class="career-venues"></div>
+        <div class="mt-8">
+            <div class="flex items-end justify-between flex-wrap gap-2 mb-2">
+                <h2 class="text-lg font-semibold text-white">Your star collection</h2>
+                <div id="career-star-summary" class="text-xs text-gray-400"></div>
+            </div>
+            <div id="career-star-list" class="career-star-list"></div>
+        </div>
+    </div>
+
+    <div id="career-tab-passports" class="hidden" role="tabpanel" aria-labelledby="career-tab-btn-passports">
+        <p class="text-sm text-gray-400 mb-4">Commit to an instrument, pick a genre, and stamp your way to its badge — five ★★ songs mint a Bronze. Your passport wall is who you are as a musician.</p>
+        <div id="pp-instruments" class="pp-instruments"></div>
+        <div id="pp-closest" class="mt-4"></div>
+        <div id="pp-shelf-wrap" class="mt-5">
+            <div id="pp-shelf" class="pp-shelf"></div>
+        </div>
+        <div id="pp-rack-wrap" class="mt-8">
+            <h2 class="text-lg font-semibold text-white mb-1">Explore next</h2>
+            <p class="text-xs text-gray-500 mb-3">More genres, whenever you want them — your wall is complete as it is.</p>
+            <div id="pp-rack" class="pp-rack"></div>
+        </div>
+    </div>
+</div>
+<div id="pp-overlay" class="pp-overlay hidden"></div>

plugins/career/settings.html

@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+<!-- Career plugin — data panel. Exists so the passport/drill state declared in
+     settings.server_files has a visible home in Settings; nothing to configure. -->
+<div class="text-sm text-gray-300 space-y-2">
+  <p><strong>Career</strong> computes stars and genre badges from your play
+     stats — they are never stored, so there is nothing to back up or reset.</p>
+  <p class="text-gray-400">What <em>is</em> saved server-side: your instrument
+     commitments, opened genre passports, and the practice-drill snapshot the
+     Virtuoso plugin reports. These ride along in
+     <em>Settings → Export</em> automatically.</p>
+</div>
+<hr class="border-gray-800 my-3">
+<div class="space-y-3 text-sm">
+    <label class="flex items-center justify-between gap-4">
+        <span>
+            <span class="text-gray-200 font-medium">Crowd sound reactions</span>
+            <span class="block text-xs text-gray-500">Cheers when the crowd's mood rises, boos when it drops. Uses each venue's own recordings.</span>
+        </span>
+        <input type="checkbox" id="career-sfx-toggle" class="accent-cyan-500 w-4 h-4">
+    </label>
+</div>
+<script>
+(function () {
+    'use strict';
+    var KEY = 'feedBack-venue-crowd-sfx';
+    var box = document.getElementById('career-sfx-toggle');
+    if (!box) return;
+    try { box.checked = localStorage.getItem(KEY) === 'on'; } catch (e) { /* ok */ }
+    box.addEventListener('change', function () {
+        try { localStorage.setItem(KEY, box.checked ? 'on' : 'off'); } catch (e) { /* ok */ }
+    });
+}());
+</script>

plugins/career/tests/passports.test.js

@@ -0,0 +1,249 @@
+// Passport UI pure-logic tests: load screen.js in a bare vm window and
+// exercise the __careerPassportTest seam (no DOM beyond stubs, no network).
+const { test } = require('node:test');
+const assert = require('node:assert/strict');
+const fs = require('node:fs');
+const path = require('node:path');
+const vm = require('node:vm');
+
+function load(seed) {
+    const store = Object.assign({}, seed);
+    const window = {
+        console,
+        localStorage: {
+            getItem: (k) => (k in store ? store[k] : null),
+            setItem: (k, v) => { store[k] = String(v); },
+        },
+        document: {
+            readyState: 'complete',
+            getElementById: () => null,
+            querySelectorAll: () => [],
+            addEventListener: () => {},
+        },
+        notifications: [],
+    };
+    window.window = window;
+    window.globalThis = window;
+    window.fbNotify = { show: (n) => window.notifications.push(n) };
+    const context = vm.createContext(window);
+    // `document` and `localStorage` resolve as bare names inside the IIFE.
+    context.document = window.document;
+    context.localStorage = window.localStorage;
+    const src = fs.readFileSync(path.join(__dirname, '..', 'screen.js'), 'utf8');
+    vm.runInContext(src, context, { filename: 'career/screen.js' });
+    return window;
+}
+
+test('module loads (and boots) in a bare vm window', () => {
+    const w = load();
+    assert.equal(typeof w.__careerPassportTest.ppKey, 'function');
+});
+
+test('ppKey normalizes case and whitespace', () => {
+    const { ppKey } = load().__careerPassportTest;
+    assert.equal(ppKey('  Blues  Rock '), 'blues rock');
+    assert.equal(ppKey('FUNK'), 'funk');
+    assert.equal(ppKey(''), '');
+    assert.equal(ppKey(null), '');
+});
+
+test('ppJitter is deterministic and bounded', () => {
+    const { ppJitter } = load().__careerPassportTest;
+    assert.equal(ppJitter('blues', 8), ppJitter('blues', 8));
+    for (const seed of ['blues', 'funk', 'jazz', 'metal']) {
+        const j = ppJitter(seed, 8);
+        assert.ok(j >= -8 && j <= 8, `${seed} → ${j}`);
+    }
+    assert.notEqual(ppJitter('blues', 8), ppJitter('funk', 8));
+});
+
+test('detectNewBadges notifies once per badge, never after it is seen', () => {
+    const w = load();
+    const t = w.__careerPassportTest;
+    const view = {
+        instruments: {
+            guitar: {
+                passports: [
+                    { genre_key: 'blues', genre: 'Blues', badge: 'earned' },
+                    { genre_key: 'funk', genre: 'Funk', badge: 'in_progress' },
+                ],
+            },
+        },
+    };
+    t.detectNewBadges(view);
+    assert.equal(w.notifications.length, 1);
+    assert.match(w.notifications[0].message, /Blues/);
+    // Same view again in the same session: no duplicate notification.
+    t.detectNewBadges(view);
+    assert.equal(w.notifications.length, 1);
+    // Seen (slam played) → a fresh session stays quiet too.
+    t.markBadgeSeen('guitar', 'blues');
+    // JSON-compare: vm objects carry a foreign Object prototype.
+    assert.equal(JSON.stringify(t.seenBadges()), '{"guitar/blues":1}');
+
+    // Fresh session (new vm, empty notify cache) with the badge already seen:
+    // detection must stay silent.
+    const w2 = load({ 'feedBack-career-badges-seen': '{"guitar/blues":1}' });
+    w2.__careerPassportTest.detectNewBadges(view);
+    assert.equal(w2.notifications.length, 0);
+});
+
+test('a new badge triggers the crowd celebrate() exactly once', () => {
+    const w = load();
+    let calls = 0;
+    w.v3VenueCrowd = { celebrate: () => { calls += 1; } };
+    const view = { instruments: { guitar: { passports: [
+        { genre_key: 'blues', genre: 'Blues', badge: 'earned' }] } } };
+    w.__careerPassportTest.detectNewBadges(view);
+    assert.equal(calls, 1);
+    // Same session, same view: no re-celebration.
+    w.__careerPassportTest.detectNewBadges(view);
+    assert.equal(calls, 1);
+});
+
+test('ceremony degrades when the crowd layer is absent or throws', () => {
+    const w = load();
+    const view = { instruments: { guitar: { passports: [
+        { genre_key: 'blues', genre: 'Blues', badge: 'earned' }] } } };
+    // No v3VenueCrowd at all (already exercised elsewhere, explicit here).
+    w.__careerPassportTest.detectNewBadges(view);
+    assert.equal(w.notifications.length, 1);
+    // celebrate() throwing must not break detection.
+    const w2 = load();
+    w2.v3VenueCrowd = { celebrate: () => { throw new Error('no pack'); } };
+    w2.__careerPassportTest.detectNewBadges(view);
+    assert.equal(w2.notifications.length, 1);
+});
+
+test('seenBadges tolerates corrupt stored values', () => {
+    for (const bad of ['null', '[1,2]', '"x"', '{{{']) {
+        const w = load({ 'feedBack-career-badges-seen': bad });
+        const t = w.__careerPassportTest;
+        assert.equal(JSON.stringify(t.seenBadges()), '{}', `stored ${bad}`);
+        // And detection still works on top of the recovered empty state.
+        t.detectNewBadges({ instruments: { guitar: { passports: [
+            { genre_key: 'blues', genre: 'Blues', badge: 'earned' }] } } });
+        assert.equal(w.notifications.length, 1, `stored ${bad}`);
+    }
+});
+
+test('fmtHours: silent under a minute, minutes under an hour, tenths after', () => {
+    const { fmtHours } = load().__careerPassportTest;
+    assert.equal(fmtHours(0), '');
+    assert.equal(fmtHours(59), '');
+    assert.equal(fmtHours(60), '1 min');
+    assert.equal(fmtHours(1800), '30 min');
+    assert.equal(fmtHours(3600), '1 h');
+    assert.equal(fmtHours(51120), '14.2 h');
+    assert.equal(fmtHours(null), '');
+    assert.equal(fmtHours('junk'), '');
+});
+
+test('ppFillFraction: song progress toward the bar, in-progress only', () => {
+    const { ppFillFraction } = load().__careerPassportTest;
+    const p = (badge, q, songs) => ({ badge, qualifying_count: q, requirement: { songs } });
+    assert.equal(ppFillFraction(p('in_progress', 3, 5)), 0.6);
+    assert.equal(ppFillFraction(p('in_progress', 0, 5)), 0);
+    assert.equal(ppFillFraction(p('in_progress', 7, 5)), 1);   // clamped
+    assert.equal(ppFillFraction(p('earned', 5, 5)), 0);        // no fill once earned
+    assert.equal(ppFillFraction(p('shown_not_judged', 3, 5)), 0);
+    assert.equal(ppFillFraction(p('in_progress', 3, 0)), 0);   // no bar → no fill
+    assert.equal(ppFillFraction(null), 0);
+});
+
+test('careerTotals / wall + dash card stay absent without commitment', () => {
+    const w = load();
+    const t = w.__careerPassportTest;
+    // No _pp at all → null; committed-less view → null (absent-not-empty).
+    assert.equal(t.careerTotals(), null);
+    t.setView({ config: { instruments: ['guitar'] },
+        instruments: { guitar: { committed_at: null, passports: [] } } });
+    assert.equal(t.careerTotals(), null);
+    // Committed but zero passports opened: still absent (no zero-wall).
+    t.setView({ config: { instruments: ['guitar'] },
+        instruments: { guitar: { committed_at: 'x', passports: [] } } });
+    assert.equal(t.careerTotals(), null);
+    // Committed with an earned badge + hours → totals aggregate.
+    t.setView({ config: { instruments: ['guitar', 'bass'] },
+        instruments: {
+            guitar: { committed_at: 'x', passports: [
+                { badge: 'earned', seconds_total: 3600, genre: 'Blues', genre_key: 'blues' },
+                { badge: 'in_progress', seconds_total: 120, genre: 'Funk', genre_key: 'funk',
+                  qualifying_count: 4, requirement: { songs: 5, min_stars: 2 } }] },
+            bass: { committed_at: null, passports: [] },
+        } });
+    const totals = t.careerTotals();
+    assert.equal(totals.badges, 1);
+    assert.equal(totals.seconds, 3720);
+    assert.equal(totals.walls.length, 1);
+});
+
+test('gig runner lifecycle: advance on ended, abandon on dead-queue stop', () => {
+    const w = load();
+    const t = w.__careerPassportTest;
+    let remaining = 1;
+    w.feedBack = { playQueue: { remaining: () => remaining, active: () => remaining > 0 } };
+    t.setGigRun({
+        songs: [{ filename: 'a', title: 'A' }, { filename: 'b', title: 'B' }],
+        venue_id: null, genre: 'Soul', genre_key: 'soul', instrument: 'guitar', idx: 0,
+    });
+    // First song ends, one remains → the strip advances, no completion.
+    t.onGigSongEnded();
+    assert.equal(t.getGigRun().idx, 1);
+    // Stop while the queue is still active (end-of-song teardown) → run survives.
+    t.onGigSongStop();
+    assert.notEqual(t.getGigRun(), null);
+    // User quits: queue cleared → stop with a dead queue abandons (no log).
+    remaining = 0;
+    t.onGigSongStop();
+    assert.equal(t.getGigRun(), null);
+});
+
+test('a gold upgrade notifies even when the bronze moment was already seen', () => {
+    // Bronze seen under the legacy un-suffixed id; the badge then turns gold.
+    const w = load({ 'feedBack-career-badges-seen': '{"guitar/blues":1}' });
+    const t = w.__careerPassportTest;
+    const view = { instruments: { guitar: { passports: [
+        { genre_key: 'blues', genre: 'Blues', badge: 'gold' }] } } };
+    t.detectNewBadges(view);
+    assert.equal(w.notifications.length, 1);
+    assert.match(w.notifications[0].title, /Gold/);
+    // Same session: no duplicate.
+    t.detectNewBadges(view);
+    assert.equal(w.notifications.length, 1);
+    // Gold slam seen → fresh session stays silent.
+    t.markBadgeSeen('guitar', 'blues', 'gold');
+    const w2 = load({ 'feedBack-career-badges-seen': JSON.stringify(t.seenBadges()) });
+    w2.__careerPassportTest.detectNewBadges(view);
+    assert.equal(w2.notifications.length, 0);
+});
+
+test('a gold slam marks the bronze moment seen too — never both ceremonies', () => {
+    const w = load();
+    const t = w.__careerPassportTest;
+    t.markBadgeSeen('guitar', 'blues', 'gold');
+    const seen = JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(t.seenBadges()));
+    assert.equal(seen['guitar/blues@gold'], 1);
+    assert.equal(seen['guitar/blues'], 1);
+    // A later view where the badge reads 'earned' (e.g. gold state lost
+    // server-side) must not replay the bronze ceremony.
+    const view = { instruments: { guitar: { passports: [
+        { genre_key: 'blues', genre: 'Blues', badge: 'earned' }] } } };
+    const w2 = load({ 'feedBack-career-badges-seen': JSON.stringify(seen) });
+    w2.__careerPassportTest.detectNewBadges(view);
+    assert.equal(w2.notifications.length, 0);
+});
+
+test('careerTotals counts gold badges on the wall', () => {
+    const t = load().__careerPassportTest;
+    t.setView({
+        config: { instruments: ['guitar'] },
+        instruments: { guitar: { committed_at: 1, gig_count: 0, passports: [
+            { genre_key: 'blues', genre: 'Blues', badge: 'gold', seconds_total: 60 },
+            { genre_key: 'funk', genre: 'Funk', badge: 'in_progress', seconds_total: 0 },
+        ] } },
+    });
+    const totals = t.careerTotals();
+    assert.equal(totals.badges, 1);
+    assert.equal(totals.walls[0].earned[0].badge, 'gold');
+});

plugins/career/venue-packs/arena/manifest.json

@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+{
+    "venue": "arena",
+    "version": 1,
+    "loops": {"bored": "bored.mp4", "neutral": "neutral.mp4", "engaged": "engaged.mp4", "ecstatic": "ecstatic.mp4"},
+    "stingers": {"clap": "clap.mp4", "cheer": "cheer.mp4"},
+    "intro": {"video": "intro.mp4", "audio": "arena-ambience.mp3"},
+    "sfx": {"up": "sfx-up.mp3", "down": "sfx-down.mp3"}
+}

plugins/career/venue-packs/bar/manifest.json

@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+{
+    "venue": "bar",
+    "version": 1,
+    "loops": {
+        "bored": "bored.mp4",
+        "neutral": "neutral.mp4",
+        "engaged": "engaged.mp4",
+        "ecstatic": "ecstatic.mp4"
+    },
+    "stingers": {
+        "clap": "clap.mp4",
+        "cheer": "cheer.mp4"
+    },
+    "intro": {
+        "video": "intro.mp4",
+        "audio": "bar-ambience.mp3"
+    },
+    "sfx": {
+        "up": "sfx-up.mp3",
+        "down": "sfx-down.mp3"
+    }
+}

plugins/career/venue-packs/club/manifest.json

@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+{
+    "venue": "club",
+    "version": 1,
+    "loops": {"bored": "bored.mp4", "neutral": "neutral.mp4", "engaged": "engaged.mp4", "ecstatic": "ecstatic.mp4"},
+    "stingers": {"clap": "clap.mp4", "cheer": "cheer.mp4"},
+    "intro": {"video": "intro.mp4", "audio": "club-ambience.mp3"},
+    "sfx": {"up": "sfx-up.mp3", "down": "sfx-down.mp3"}
+}

plugins/career/venues.json

@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+{
+    "star_accuracy_thresholds": [
+        0.6,
+        0.75,
+        0.85
+    ],
+    "venues": [
+        {
+            "id": "bar",
+            "name": "The Dive Bar",
+            "description": "Sticky floors, a dozen regulars, and a PA that has seen better decades.",
+            "star_threshold": 0,
+            "pack": null
+        },
+        {
+            "id": "club",
+            "name": "Velvet Room",
+            "description": "A proper club stage. People actually came to hear you.",
+            "star_threshold": 50,
+            "pack": null
+        },
+        {
+            "id": "arena",
+            "name": "Feedback Arena",
+            "description": "Ten thousand seats. Try not to think about it.",
+            "star_threshold": 150,
+            "pack": null
+        }
+    ]
+}

plugins/folder_library/screen.js

@@ -878,6 +878,146 @@ function createFolderSurface(cfg) {
     var _dragRafId         = null;
     var _DRAG_THRESH = 5, _DRAG_ZONE = 150, _DRAG_SPEED = 50;
 
+    // ── Windowed song lists ─────────────────────────────────────────────
+    // A song list used to render EVERY song it held. On a flat 50,944-song
+    // library that is one <div> with 50,938 children and ~1.3 MILLION DOM nodes
+    // (~25 per row) — ~4.2 GB of renderer RSS, for a screen the user may not
+    // even be looking at. It also poisons unrelated code: any
+    // `document.querySelector` miss anywhere in the app must walk that whole
+    // tree, which is how song_preview's per-frame menu check ended up eating
+    // ~50% of the renderer and dropping the app to 2.7 fps (feedBack#965).
+    //
+    // So render only what is on screen. Rows are uniform height (and grid cards
+    // uniform size), so the window is pure arithmetic — no per-row observers.
+    // Off-window rows are represented by padding on the list itself rather than
+    // spacer elements: a spacer <div> would become a grid ITEM in grid view and
+    // shift the columns, whereas padding works identically for both layouts.
+    var VIRTUAL_MIN = 200;   // below this, render everything — no behaviour change
+    var VIRTUAL_BUFFER = 6;  // rows kept rendered above/below the viewport
+    var _virtualCleanups = [];
+    var _virtualLists = [];   // repaint fns, one per live windowed list
+
+    // Which slice of the list is on screen. Pure arithmetic — kept separate from
+    // the DOM so it can be tested directly (see tests/virtual_list.test.js).
+    //
+    //   top   : list's offset relative to the scroller viewport's top. NEGATIVE
+    //           once the user has scrolled the list's start above the fold.
+    //   rows  : total ROWS (grid packs `perRow` songs into one row; list view is 1)
+    //
+    // Returns the song index range [start, end) to render, plus how many ROWS of
+    // padding stand in for the songs above and below it.
+    function _visibleWindow(top, viewportH, itemH, perRow, rows, total) {
+        if (!(itemH > 0) || !(rows > 0)) return { start: 0, end: total, padRowsTop: 0, padRowsBottom: 0 };
+        var firstRow = Math.max(0, Math.floor(-top / itemH) - VIRTUAL_BUFFER);
+        var lastRow = Math.min(rows, Math.ceil((-top + viewportH) / itemH) + VIRTUAL_BUFFER);
+        // Scrolled entirely past the list (either direction): keep one row alive
+        // rather than emptying it, so the padding math stays anchored.
+        if (lastRow <= firstRow) {
+            firstRow = Math.min(firstRow, rows - 1);
+            lastRow = firstRow + 1;
+        }
+        return {
+            start: firstRow * perRow,
+            end: Math.min(total, lastRow * perRow),
+            padRowsTop: firstRow,
+            padRowsBottom: Math.max(0, rows - lastRow),
+        };
+    }
+
+    function _clearVirtualLists() {
+        _virtualCleanups.forEach(function (fn) { try { fn(); } catch (_) {} });
+        _virtualCleanups = [];
+        _virtualLists = [];
+    }
+
+    // Fill `list` with `songs`, windowed when the list is big enough to matter.
+    // `make(song)` builds one row/card.
+    function _fillSongList(list, songs, make) {
+        var sorted = _sortSongs(songs);
+        if (sorted.length <= VIRTUAL_MIN) {
+            sorted.forEach(function (s) { list.appendChild(make(s)); });
+            return;
+        }
+
+        var scroller = _getScrollEl();
+        var basePadTop = parseFloat(window.getComputedStyle(list).paddingTop) || 0;
+        var basePadBot = parseFloat(window.getComputedStyle(list).paddingBottom) || 0;
+
+        // Measure one real row once — no hardcoded row height to drift out of
+        // sync with the CSS. (The list is shown before it is populated, so this
+        // measures a laid-out row, not a zero-height one.)
+        var probe = make(sorted[0]);
+        probe.style.visibility = 'hidden';
+        list.appendChild(probe);
+        var probeRect = probe.getBoundingClientRect();
+        var rowH = probeRect.height || 44;
+        var cardW = probeRect.width || 150;
+        list.removeChild(probe);
+
+        var GRID_GAP = 12;   // matches the grid's `gap:12px`
+        var raf = 0, lastStart = -1, lastEnd = -1;
+
+        // Recomputed on EVERY paint, not captured once: a window resize changes
+        // the grid's column count, and therefore the row count and the height of
+        // the padding standing in for off-window rows. paint() runs on resize, so
+        // stale metrics would slice the wrong songs and mis-size the list.
+        function metrics() {
+            var perRow = 1, itemH = rowH;
+            if (_view === 'grid') {
+                perRow = Math.max(1, Math.floor((list.clientWidth + GRID_GAP) / (cardW + GRID_GAP)));
+                itemH = rowH + GRID_GAP;
+            }
+            return { perRow: perRow, itemH: itemH, rows: Math.ceil(sorted.length / perRow) };
+        }
+
+        function paint() {
+            raf = 0;
+            // Collapsed (display:none) or detached: nothing to paint, and don't
+            // pay for layout on every scroll tick of a section nobody can see.
+            // Forget the last window so re-showing repaints from scratch against
+            // the new position rather than short-circuiting on a stale memo.
+            if (!list.isConnected || list.offsetParent === null) {
+                lastStart = -1; lastEnd = -1;
+                return;
+            }
+            var m = metrics();
+            // Where the list sits relative to the scroller's viewport.
+            var top = list.getBoundingClientRect().top - scroller.getBoundingClientRect().top;
+            var vh = scroller.clientHeight || window.innerHeight;
+            var w = _visibleWindow(top, vh, m.itemH, m.perRow, m.rows, sorted.length);
+            if (w.start === lastStart && w.end === lastEnd) return;   // nothing moved
+            lastStart = w.start; lastEnd = w.end;
+
+            var frag = document.createDocumentFragment();
+            for (var i = w.start; i < w.end; i++) frag.appendChild(make(sorted[i]));
+            list.textContent = '';
+            list.style.paddingTop = (basePadTop + w.padRowsTop * m.itemH) + 'px';
+            list.style.paddingBottom = (basePadBot + w.padRowsBottom * m.itemH) + 'px';
+            list.appendChild(frag);
+        }
+        function schedule() { if (!raf) raf = window.requestAnimationFrame(paint); }
+
+        scroller.addEventListener('scroll', schedule, { passive: true });
+        window.addEventListener('resize', schedule);
+        // Expanding or collapsing ANY section moves every list below it. Those
+        // lists' windows are computed from their position, so they must repaint
+        // too — otherwise they keep the window from their old position and show
+        // blank padding where songs should be until the user happens to scroll.
+        _virtualLists.push(schedule);
+        _virtualCleanups.push(function () {
+            scroller.removeEventListener('scroll', schedule);
+            window.removeEventListener('resize', schedule);
+            if (raf) window.cancelAnimationFrame(raf);
+        });
+        paint();
+    }
+
+    // Re-window every live list — call after anything that can move them
+    // vertically (a folder expanding/collapsing, a section being shown).
+    function _repaintVirtualLists() {
+        _virtualLists.forEach(function (fn) { try { fn(); } catch (_) {} });
+    }
+
     function _getScrollEl() {
         var el = _treeEl();
         while (el && el !== document.documentElement) {
@@ -1159,8 +1299,8 @@ function createFolderSurface(cfg) {
 
         var _listPopulated = open;
         function _populateList() {
-            _sortSongs(folder.songs).forEach(function (s) {
-                list.appendChild(_view === 'grid' ? _songCard(s, folder.path) : _songRow(s, folder.path));
+            _fillSongList(list, folder.songs, function (s) {
+                return _view === 'grid' ? _songCard(s, folder.path) : _songRow(s, folder.path);
             });
             (folder.children || []).forEach(function (child) {
                 childrenWrap.appendChild(_folderSection(child, depth + 1));
@@ -1195,12 +1335,18 @@ function createFolderSurface(cfg) {
         hdr.addEventListener('click', function () {
             if (_query()) return;
             var nowOpen = content.style.display === 'none';
-            if (nowOpen && !_listPopulated) { _populateList(); _listPopulated = true; }
+            // Show BEFORE populating: a windowed list measures a real row and the
+            // scroller viewport, and both are zero while display:none.
             content.style.display = nowOpen ? '' : 'none';
+            if (nowOpen && !_listPopulated) { _populateList(); _listPopulated = true; }
             chev.style.transform  = nowOpen ? 'rotate(90deg)' : '';
             if (nowOpen) _openFolders.add(folder.path);
             else         _openFolders.delete(folder.path);
             _storeJSON('open', [..._openFolders]);
+            // This toggle moved everything below it — re-window the other lists,
+            // and re-window THIS one if it was already populated (its saved
+            // window was computed at its old position).
+            _repaintVirtualLists();
         });
 
         wrap.appendChild(hdr); wrap.appendChild(content);
@@ -1245,8 +1391,8 @@ function createFolderSurface(cfg) {
         }
         var _populated = _unsortedOpen;
         function _populate() {
-            _sortSongs(songs).forEach(function (s) {
-                list.appendChild(_view === 'grid' ? _songCard(s, '') : _songRow(s, ''));
+            _fillSongList(list, songs, function (s) {
+                return _view === 'grid' ? _songCard(s, '') : _songRow(s, '');
             });
         }
         if (_unsortedOpen) { _populate(); } else { list.style.display = 'none'; }
@@ -1255,10 +1401,12 @@ function createFolderSurface(cfg) {
         hdr.addEventListener('click', function () {
             if (_query()) return;
             _unsortedOpen = list.style.display === 'none';
-            if (_unsortedOpen && !_populated) { _populate(); _populated = true; }
+            // Show BEFORE populating — see the folder toggle above.
             list.style.display = _unsortedOpen ? (_view === 'grid' ? 'grid' : '') : 'none';
+            if (_unsortedOpen && !_populated) { _populate(); _populated = true; }
             chev.style.transform = _unsortedOpen ? 'rotate(90deg)' : '';
             _store(cfg.unsortedKey, String(_unsortedOpen));
+            _repaintVirtualLists();   // this toggle moved every list below it
         });
 
         wrap.appendChild(hdr); wrap.appendChild(list);
@@ -1340,6 +1488,10 @@ function createFolderSurface(cfg) {
     // ── Render ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
     function _render() {
         _hoveredFolder = null; // DOM is rebuilt; discard any stale reference
+        // Drop the scroll listeners of the previous render's windowed lists —
+        // their `list` nodes are about to be detached, and a surviving listener
+        // would keep painting into orphaned DOM (and leak on every re-render).
+        _clearVirtualLists();
         var treeEl = _treeEl();
         if (!treeEl) return;
         var data = _filtered();
@@ -1451,6 +1603,7 @@ function createFolderSurface(cfg) {
 
     // ── Unload (lib surface) ────────────────────────────────────────────
     function _unload() {
+        _clearVirtualLists();   // don't leave scroll listeners behind on teardown
         if (!cfg.searchInputId) return;
         var el = _el(cfg.searchInputId);
         if (el) el.style.maxWidth = '';
@@ -1554,6 +1707,8 @@ function createFolderSurface(cfg) {
         init: _init,
         onScreenChanged: _onScreenChanged,
         render: _render,
+        // Pure window arithmetic, exposed for tests (no DOM needed).
+        __test: { visibleWindow: _visibleWindow, VIRTUAL_MIN: VIRTUAL_MIN, VIRTUAL_BUFFER: VIRTUAL_BUFFER },
     };
 }
 
@@ -1656,6 +1811,7 @@ if (!window.__folderLibraryLib) {
     window.folderLibrary = {
         load:   function (force) { return _lib.load(force); },
         unload: function ()      { _lib.unload(); },
+        __test: _lib.__test,
     };
 
     // Auto-load if folder view was already active when this script was injected.

plugins/folder_library/tests/virtual_list.test.js

@@ -0,0 +1,165 @@
+// Windowed song lists (feedBack#965).
+//
+// A song list used to render EVERY song. On a flat 50,944-song library that is
+// one div with 50,938 children and ~1.3 MILLION DOM nodes (~25 per row) —
+// ~4.2 GB of renderer RSS, for a screen the user may not even be looking at. It
+// also poisoned unrelated code: any `document.querySelector` miss anywhere in
+// the app had to walk that whole tree.
+//
+// _visibleWindow is the arithmetic that decides which slice is on screen. If it
+// is wrong the list silently shows the wrong songs, or scrolls to the wrong
+// place, so it is tested directly — the DOM glue around it is not the risky bit.
+
+const { test } = require('node:test');
+const assert = require('node:assert/strict');
+const fs = require('node:fs');
+const path = require('node:path');
+const vm = require('node:vm');
+
+function load() {
+    const window = {
+        console,
+        document: {
+            readyState: 'complete',
+            addEventListener() {},
+            getElementById() { return null; },
+            querySelector() { return null; },
+            querySelectorAll() { return []; },
+            createElement() { return { style: {}, classList: { add() {}, remove() {}, contains() { return false; } }, addEventListener() {}, appendChild() {} }; },
+        },
+        addEventListener() {},
+        localStorage: { getItem() { return null; }, setItem() {} },
+        performance: { now: () => 0 },
+        setInterval() { return 0; },
+        clearInterval() {},
+        requestAnimationFrame() { return 0; },
+        cancelAnimationFrame() {},
+        getComputedStyle() { return { overflowY: 'visible', paddingTop: '0px', paddingBottom: '0px' }; },
+        innerHeight: 800,
+    };
+    window.window = window;
+    window.globalThis = window;
+    const ctx = vm.createContext(window);
+    vm.runInContext(fs.readFileSync(path.join(__dirname, '..', 'screen.js'), 'utf8'), ctx, { filename: 'screen.js' });
+    assert.ok(window.folderLibrary && window.folderLibrary.__test, 'plugin must expose __test');
+    return window.folderLibrary.__test;
+}
+
+const { visibleWindow, VIRTUAL_BUFFER, VIRTUAL_MIN } = load();
+
+// A flat 50k library in list view: 1 song per row, 44px rows, 800px viewport.
+const ROW = 44;
+const VH = 800;
+const TOTAL = 50938;
+
+test('the whole point: a 50k list renders a bounded window, not 50k rows', () => {
+    const w = visibleWindow(0, VH, ROW, 1, TOTAL, TOTAL);
+    const rendered = w.end - w.start;
+    assert.ok(rendered < 60, `expected a small window, got ${rendered} rows`);
+    // ~18 rows fit in 800px, plus buffer above and below.
+    assert.ok(rendered >= Math.ceil(VH / ROW), 'must at least fill the viewport');
+});
+
+test('at the top: starts at 0, all remaining rows are bottom padding', () => {
+    const w = visibleWindow(0, VH, ROW, 1, TOTAL, TOTAL);
+    assert.equal(w.start, 0);
+    assert.equal(w.padRowsTop, 0);
+    assert.equal(w.padRowsBottom, TOTAL - w.end);
+});
+
+test('scrolled into the middle: window tracks the scroll, padding adds up', () => {
+    const scrolled = 10000 * ROW;                 // row 10,000 at the fold
+    const w = visibleWindow(-scrolled, VH, ROW, 1, TOTAL, TOTAL);
+    assert.equal(w.start, (10000 - VIRTUAL_BUFFER) * 1);
+    assert.ok(w.end > w.start);
+    // The invariant that keeps the scrollbar honest: padding rows + rendered
+    // rows must account for every song, or the list changes height as you scroll.
+    assert.equal(w.padRowsTop + (w.end - w.start) + w.padRowsBottom, TOTAL);
+});
+
+test('at the very bottom: no bottom padding, end lands on the last song', () => {
+    const rows = TOTAL;
+    const scrolled = rows * ROW - VH;             // scrolled to the end
+    const w = visibleWindow(-scrolled, VH, ROW, 1, rows, TOTAL);
+    assert.equal(w.end, TOTAL);
+    assert.equal(w.padRowsBottom, 0);
+    assert.equal(w.padRowsTop + (w.end - w.start), TOTAL);
+});
+
+test('grid view: perRow songs collapse into one row', () => {
+    const perRow = 6;
+    const rows = Math.ceil(TOTAL / perRow);
+    const w = visibleWindow(0, VH, 190, perRow, rows, TOTAL);
+    assert.equal(w.start, 0);
+    assert.equal(w.start % perRow, 0, 'a window must start on a row boundary');
+    assert.ok(w.end <= TOTAL);
+    assert.ok((w.end - w.start) < 200, 'grid window must stay bounded');
+});
+
+test('scrolled far past the list: keeps one row, never a negative window', () => {
+    const w = visibleWindow(-99999999, VH, ROW, 1, TOTAL, TOTAL);
+    assert.ok(w.end > w.start, 'window must never invert');
+    assert.ok(w.start >= 0 && w.end <= TOTAL);
+    assert.equal(w.padRowsTop + (w.end - w.start) + w.padRowsBottom, TOTAL);
+});
+
+test('list not yet scrolled to (below the fold): still yields a valid window', () => {
+    const w = visibleWindow(5000, VH, ROW, 1, TOTAL, TOTAL);   // list starts below viewport
+    assert.equal(w.start, 0);
+    assert.ok(w.end > 0);
+});
+
+test('degenerate inputs fall back to rendering everything, never to a broken window', () => {
+    // Measured height of 0 (e.g. list still display:none) must not divide by zero
+    // and must not silently render an empty list.
+    const w = visibleWindow(0, VH, 0, 1, TOTAL, TOTAL);
+    assert.equal(w.start, 0);
+    assert.equal(w.end, TOTAL);
+    assert.equal(w.padRowsTop, 0);
+    assert.equal(w.padRowsBottom, 0);
+});
+
+test('small lists are below the virtualization threshold', () => {
+    assert.ok(VIRTUAL_MIN >= 100, 'threshold must be high enough that normal folders are untouched');
+});
+
+// ── the grid must be re-measured when the window resizes (CodeRabbit, #967) ──
+// perRow and rows were originally captured once at fill time. paint() also runs
+// on resize, so a narrower/wider window changed the column count while the
+// window maths still used the OLD one — slicing the wrong songs and mis-sizing
+// the padding. These pin that the geometry is a function of perRow, so a stale
+// perRow cannot silently survive.
+
+test('resizing the grid to fewer columns re-windows against the new row count', () => {
+    const total = 10000;
+    const wide = visibleWindow(0, VH, 190, 6, Math.ceil(total / 6), total);
+    const narrow = visibleWindow(0, VH, 190, 3, Math.ceil(total / 3), total);
+
+    // Same viewport, half the columns -> about half as many songs on screen.
+    assert.ok(narrow.end < wide.end, 'fewer columns must render fewer songs per screen');
+    // ...and the total must still add up, or the scrollbar lies after a resize.
+    for (const [w, perRow] of [[wide, 6], [narrow, 3]]) {
+        const rows = Math.ceil(total / perRow);
+        assert.equal(w.padRowsTop + Math.ceil((w.end - w.start) / perRow) + w.padRowsBottom, rows,
+            `rows must account for every song at perRow=${perRow}`);
+    }
+});
+
+test('a stale perRow would break the total-height invariant (the bug)', () => {
+    const total = 10000;
+    // Grid re-laid out to 3 columns, but windowed with the OLD perRow of 6:
+    // the row count no longer matches the geometry, and the padding is wrong.
+    const stalePerRow = 6, actualRows = Math.ceil(total / 3);
+    const bad = visibleWindow(0, VH, 190, stalePerRow, actualRows, total);
+    const accounted = bad.padRowsTop + Math.ceil((bad.end - bad.start) / 3) + bad.padRowsBottom;
+    assert.notEqual(accounted, actualRows,
+        'this asserts the FAILURE mode: mismatched perRow/rows must not silently look correct — ' +
+        'metrics() recomputes both together on every paint so this cannot happen in practice');
+});
+
+test('scrolled grid window always starts on a row boundary', () => {
+    const total = 10000, perRow = 4;
+    const rows = Math.ceil(total / perRow);
+    const w = visibleWindow(-5000, VH, 190, perRow, rows, total);
+    assert.equal(w.start % perRow, 0, 'a partial row would shift every card in the grid');
+});

plugins/highway_3d/screen.js

@@ -2418,6 +2418,13 @@
     let _venueSceneAssetsLoaded = false;
     let _venueSceneLoadFailed = false;
     const _venueTextureCache = new Map();
+    // Crowd video layers (career mode). venue-crowd.js owns the <video>
+    // elements and the crossfade timing; the renderer only maps them onto
+    // two planes in front of the static plate. _venueCrowdRev bumps on any
+    // element (re)assignment so update() knows to rebind textures.
+    const _venueCrowdVideos = [null, null];
+    let _venueCrowdMix = 0;
+    let _venueCrowdRev = 0;
 
     function _bgVenueMoodCoeffs(state) {
         const s = String(state || 'idle').toLowerCase();
@@ -2909,6 +2916,20 @@
     window.h3dVenueSceneSetMood = (state) => {
         _venueMoodState = String(state || 'idle').toLowerCase();
     };
+    // Crowd video layers (career mode) — see venue-crowd.js. Layer 0/1 are
+    // two coplanar backdrop planes; mix selects between them (0 → layer 0,
+    // 1 → layer 1) so the caller can crossfade loop videos.
+    window.h3dVenueBackdropSetVideo = (layer, videoEl) => {
+        const i = layer ? 1 : 0;
+        const el = videoEl || null;
+        if (_venueCrowdVideos[i] === el) return;
+        _venueCrowdVideos[i] = el;
+        _venueCrowdRev++;
+    };
+    window.h3dVenueBackdropSetMix = (mix) => {
+        const v = Number(mix);
+        _venueCrowdMix = Number.isFinite(v) ? Math.max(0, Math.min(1, v)) : 0;
+    };
     window.h3dVenueSceneSetInstrumentPov = (input) => {
         const next = _venueResolvePovFromInput(input);
         if (_venueInstrumentPov === next) return;
@@ -3371,6 +3392,40 @@
                     () => _venueMarkFailed('failed to load small-club bg plate'),
                 );
 
+                // Crowd video planes (career mode): two crossfading layers
+                // just in front of the static plate (which stays mounted as
+                // the no-pack / load-failure fallback). Textures bind lazily
+                // in update() when venue-crowd.js assigns video elements.
+                state.crowd = { layers: [], rev: -1 };
+                for (let i = 0; i < 2; i++) {
+                    const geo = new T.PlaneGeometry(1, 1);
+                    const mat = new T.MeshBasicMaterial({
+                        color: 0xffffff, transparent: true, opacity: 0,
+                        depthWrite: false, fog: false,
+                    });
+                    const mesh = new T.Mesh(geo, mat);
+                    mesh.visible = false;
+                    // Layer 1 sits nearest so three.js's back-to-front
+                    // transparent sort draws it after layer 0.
+                    const layer = {
+                        mesh, geo, mat, tex: null, videoEl: null,
+                        cam: settings.cam,
+                        distance: BG_BACKDROP_DISTANCE * (i === 0 ? 1.04 : 1.03),
+                        lastAspect: 0, lastVisibleHeight: 0,
+                    };
+                    layer.applyCoverCrop = function () {
+                        if (!layer.videoEl || !layer.tex) return;
+                        _bgCoverCrop(
+                            layer.tex,
+                            layer.videoEl.videoWidth || 0,
+                            layer.videoEl.videoHeight || 0,
+                            layer.cam.aspect,
+                        );
+                    };
+                    scene.add(mesh);
+                    state.crowd.layers.push(layer);
+                }
+
                 const hazeGeo = new T.PlaneGeometry(280 * K, 40 * K);
                 const hazeMat = new T.MeshBasicMaterial({
                     color: 0x101820, transparent: true, opacity: coeffs.haze,
@@ -3402,6 +3457,64 @@
                     s.haze.mat.opacity = (s.haze.baseOp || VENUE_HAZE_STEADY)
                         * (coeffs.haze / VENUE_HAZE_STEADY);
                 }
+                if (s.crowd) {
+                    // Rebind VideoTextures when venue-crowd.js (re)assigns
+                    // elements. VideoTexture samples the element every frame,
+                    // so a src change on the same element needs no rebind.
+                    if (s.crowd.rev !== _venueCrowdRev) {
+                        s.crowd.rev = _venueCrowdRev;
+                        s.crowd.layers.forEach((layer, i) => {
+                            const el = _venueCrowdVideos[i];
+                            if (layer.videoEl === el) return;
+                            if (layer.tex) { layer.mat.map = null; layer.tex.dispose(); layer.tex = null; }
+                            layer.videoEl = el;
+                            layer.lastAspect = 0; // force refit + recrop
+                            if (el) {
+                                const tex = new T.VideoTexture(el);
+                                tex.colorSpace = T.SRGBColorSpace;
+                                tex.wrapS = T.ClampToEdgeWrapping;
+                                tex.wrapT = T.ClampToEdgeWrapping;
+                                tex.minFilter = T.LinearFilter;
+                                tex.magFilter = T.LinearFilter;
+                                tex.generateMipmaps = false;
+                                layer.tex = tex;
+                                layer.mat.map = tex;
+                            }
+                            layer.mat.needsUpdate = true;
+                        });
+                    }
+                    const warm = coeffs.warmth;
+                    s.crowd.layers.forEach((layer, i) => {
+                        const el = layer.videoEl;
+                        // videoWidth === 0 until metadata lands — showing the
+                        // plane before that paints a black flash over the plate.
+                        const ready = !!el && el.videoWidth > 0;
+                        // venue-crowd.js swaps src on the same element (loop ↔
+                        // stinger); a new intrinsic size needs a fresh
+                        // cover-crop, which _bgFitBackdropPlane only reapplies
+                        // on camera aspect changes.
+                        if (ready && (layer.lastVidW !== el.videoWidth ||
+                                      layer.lastVidH !== el.videoHeight)) {
+                            layer.lastVidW = el.videoWidth;
+                            layer.lastVidH = el.videoHeight;
+                            layer.applyCoverCrop();
+                        }
+                        // Layer 0 (rear) stays fully opaque whenever any of the
+                        // fade involves it: two half-transparent layers would
+                        // let the static plate behind bleed through (~25% at
+                        // mid-fade). The crossfade is therefore layer 1 (front)
+                        // fading over an opaque layer 0 — in both directions.
+                        const opacity = i === 0
+                            ? (_venueCrowdMix < 0.999 ? 1 : 0)
+                            : _venueCrowdMix;
+                        layer.mat.opacity = opacity;
+                        layer.mesh.visible = ready && opacity > 0.01;
+                        if (layer.mesh.visible) {
+                            layer.mat.color.setRGB(warm, warm * 0.98, warm * 0.95);
+                            _bgFitBackdropPlane(layer);
+                        }
+                    });
+                }
             },
             teardown(s) {
                 if (!s) return;
@@ -3416,6 +3529,19 @@
                         p.mat.dispose?.();
                     }
                 }
+                // Crowd planes: this style owns the VideoTextures; the
+                // <video> elements belong to venue-crowd.js and survive.
+                if (s.crowd) {
+                    for (const layer of s.crowd.layers) {
+                        layer.mesh?.parent?.remove(layer.mesh);
+                        layer.geo?.dispose?.();
+                        if (layer.mat) {
+                            layer.mat.map = null;
+                            layer.mat.dispose?.();
+                        }
+                        layer.tex?.dispose?.();
+                    }
+                }
                 // Dispose the cached plate textures too — the module-level cache
                 // otherwise keeps every loaded POV plate GPU-resident for the
                 // page lifetime (steady VRAM growth across POV/arrangement swaps).
@@ -15262,6 +15388,41 @@
                 });
             },
 
+            // The host throttles paused frames to ~10 fps, on the assumption
+            // that a paused chart is a static picture and re-rendering it is
+            // pure waste (highway-constants._PAUSED_FRAME_INTERVAL_MS).
+            //
+            // That stopped being true when the venue landed. The venue backdrop
+            // is a PLAYING VIDEO and the crowd reacts on its own clock, and they
+            // are drawn into this same canvas as the highway — so throttling the
+            // highway throttled the whole room. Pausing the song dropped the
+            // venue, the crowd and the stage to 10 fps.
+            //
+            // Two independent sources of motion, and BOTH must keep their frames:
+            //
+            //  • a crowd video rolling on its own clock (career venue pack), and
+            //  • the venue scene's own fake-depth motion — the backdrop breathes,
+            //    the haze drifts, warmth pulses, the shimmer moves. That is
+            //    Math.sin(t) in the draw loop (see _venueApplyFakeDepthMotion),
+            //    so it only moves while we are actually given frames, and it runs
+            //    with NO pack at all.
+            //
+            // The throttle fires whenever the CHART CLOCK is stalled — which is
+            // not just a pause. A count-in and the credits/author overlay stall it
+            // exactly the same way, so the venue was stuttering there too.
+            //
+            // With no venue at all (plain 3D highway) the paused scene really is a
+            // still picture: motion mode reads 'off', we claim nothing, and the
+            // throttle still saves the GPU as #654 intended.
+            needsContinuousFrames() {
+                if (!_isReady || _ctxLost) return false;
+                for (const v of _venueCrowdVideos) {
+                    if (v && !v.paused && !v.ended && v.readyState >= 2) return true;
+                }
+                // 'off' also covers prefers-reduced-motion and "no venue scene".
+                try { return _venueEffectiveMotionMode() !== 'off'; } catch (_) { return false; }
+            },
+
             draw(bundle) {
                 if (!_isReady) return;
                 if (_ctxLost) return;   // GPU context lost (alt-tab / reset) — skip until restored

static/js/audio-el.js

@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+// The one <audio> element the whole app plays through.
+//
+// This exists so that code carved out of app.js can reach the player without
+// importing app.js back — which would close a cycle and fail the import-x/no-cycle
+// gate. It is the same handle app.js has always held (`document.getElementById`
+// on the element in the shell), just given a home of its own.
+//
+// It is deliberately a `const`, and it is never reassigned anywhere in core — so a
+// read-only import binding is exactly right, and no state container is needed.
+// (Contrast the reassigned scalars — isPlaying, _avOffsetMs, … — which cannot be
+// shared this way, because an imported binding cannot be written to.)
+//
+// Module scripts evaluate after the HTML is parsed, so the element is already in
+// the document by the time this runs. app.js is loaded as <script type="module">,
+// and its imports evaluate before its body — the same point at which app.js used
+// to run this exact lookup itself.
+export const audio = document.getElementById('audio');

static/js/blob-io.js

@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+// Blob export helpers — the download idiom that used to be duplicated in
+// settings-io.js and diagnostics-export.js, plus image-to-clipboard for
+// shareable cards/posters. A LEAF module: imports nothing. Classic-script
+// plugins reach it via dynamic import('/static/js/blob-io.js').
+
+export function downloadBlob(blob, filename) {
+    const url = URL.createObjectURL(blob);
+    const a = document.createElement('a');
+    a.href = url;
+    a.download = filename;
+    document.body.appendChild(a);
+    a.click();
+    document.body.removeChild(a);
+    URL.revokeObjectURL(url);
+}
+
+// Copy an image blob to the system clipboard. Returns true on success, false
+// when the Clipboard API is unavailable or refuses (insecure context, no user
+// gesture, permission denied) — callers fall back to downloadBlob and say so.
+export async function copyImageBlob(blob) {
+    try {
+        if (!navigator.clipboard || typeof ClipboardItem === 'undefined') return false;
+        await navigator.clipboard.write([new ClipboardItem({ [blob.type || 'image/png']: blob })]);
+        return true;
+    } catch (_) {
+        return false;
+    }
+}

static/js/count-in.js

@@ -0,0 +1,389 @@
+// Count-in — the 1-2-3-4 click before playback, plus the song-credits overlay that
+// shares its lifecycle and timers.
+//
+// The third slice out of app.js's strongly-connected core, and the first that had to
+// WRITE shared state rather than just read it. It starts and stops playback, so it sets
+// `isPlaying` and `lastAudioTime`. An imported binding is read-only — `isPlaying = true`
+// throws — which is exactly why those two scalars were lifted onto the container in
+// ./player-state.js. Every earlier slice only READ what it shared, so a getter hook
+// sufficed; this one could not.
+//
+// It imports the loop module directly (setLoop / loopA / loopB — a count-in that starts
+// inside an A-B loop must begin at A). Nothing imports count-in back: app.js and
+// section-practice both reach it through the host seam, so the graph stays acyclic.
+//
+// app.js's autoplay path used to reach IN and set the credits timers itself. It cannot
+// now, and it should not have to — so the module exports the OPERATIONS instead
+// (armCreditsHideOnPlay, scheduleCreditsHide, holdCreditsThen, isCountingIn) and owns
+// its own timer invariants. Same reason section-practice grew resetSelection().
+//
+// See ./host.js: reading an unwired hook THROWS, and tests/js/host_contract.test.js
+// fails CI if the hooks used here and the hooks app.js wires ever drift apart.
+import { audio } from './audio-el.js';
+import { _audioSeek, _songEventPayload, jucePlayer, setPlayButtonState, togglePlay } from './transport.js';
+import { loopA, loopB, setLoop } from './loops.js';
+import { S } from './player-state.js';
+
+// ── Count-in click sound (Web Audio API) ────────────────────────────────
+let _audioCtx = null;
+export function playClick(high = false) {
+    if (!_audioCtx) _audioCtx = new (window.AudioContext || window.webkitAudioContext)();
+    const osc = _audioCtx.createOscillator();
+    const gain = _audioCtx.createGain();
+    osc.connect(gain);
+    gain.connect(_audioCtx.destination);
+    osc.frequency.value = high ? 1200 : 800;
+    osc.type = 'sine';
+    gain.gain.setValueAtTime(0.5, _audioCtx.currentTime);
+    gain.gain.exponentialRampToValueAtTime(0.001, _audioCtx.currentTime + 0.08);
+    osc.start(_audioCtx.currentTime);
+    osc.stop(_audioCtx.currentTime + 0.08);
+}
+
+let _countingIn = false;
+let _countOverlay = null;
+// Generation token so teardown can cancel an in-progress count-in. Each
+// startCountIn() captures the gen at entry; rewindStep, the loop-wrap
+// then-callback, and beginCount's tick all bail when their captured gen
+// no longer matches. Bumped by _cancelCountIn().
+let _countInGen = 0;
+let _countInTimer = null;
+let _countInRaf = 0;
+// Feedpak credits overlay (manifest `authors:`, spec §5.4): shown on the
+// highway when a song is loaded, alongside the count-in. Torn down together
+// with the count-in via _cancelCountIn().
+let _creditsOverlay = null;
+let _creditsTimer = null;
+let _creditsHideOnPlay = null;
+let _creditsMaxTimer = null;
+const _CREDITS_HOLD_MS = 3000;
+// Backstop: the overlay's primary dismiss is song:play, but playback can fail
+// to start without emitting it (HTML5 autoplay rejection, JUCE start failure,
+// a count-in handoff that never plays). This hard cap guarantees the credits
+// never linger over the window.highway. Generous enough to outlast a normal count-in.
+const _CREDITS_MAX_MS = 12000;
+export function _cancelCountIn() {
+    _countInGen++;
+    _countingIn = false;
+    hideCountOverlay();
+    // The credits overlay rides the count-in lifecycle (and its no-count-in
+    // hold timer), so a teardown — leaving the player, loading another song —
+    // must clear it too, or it lingers on the next screen.
+    hideSongCreditsOverlay();
+    if (_countInTimer) { clearTimeout(_countInTimer); _countInTimer = null; }
+    if (_countInRaf) { cancelAnimationFrame(_countInRaf); _countInRaf = 0; }
+}
+
+export function showCountOverlay(n) {
+    if (!_countOverlay) {
+        _countOverlay = document.createElement('div');
+        _countOverlay.className = 'fixed inset-0 z-[100] flex items-center justify-center pointer-events-none';
+        document.body.appendChild(_countOverlay);
+    }
+    _countOverlay.innerHTML = `<span class="text-9xl font-black text-white/30">${n}</span>`;
+}
+
+export function hideCountOverlay() {
+    if (_countOverlay) { _countOverlay.remove(); _countOverlay = null; }
+}
+
+// Map a feedpak author `role` to a friendly "<verb> by" credit line. The
+// recommended vocabulary is from feedpak spec §5.4; unknown roles are
+// title-cased ("foo" → "Foo by"); a missing role shows the bare name.
+const _CREDIT_ROLE_VERBS = {
+    charter: 'Charted by',
+    transcriber: 'Transcribed by',
+    arranger: 'Arranged by',
+    editor: 'Edited by',
+    mixer: 'Mixed by',
+    engineer: 'Engineered by',
+    proofreader: 'Proofread by',
+};
+
+function _creditLineLabel(role) {
+    if (!role) return '';
+    const key = String(role).trim().toLowerCase();
+    if (_CREDIT_ROLE_VERBS[key]) return _CREDIT_ROLE_VERBS[key];
+    return key.charAt(0).toUpperCase() + key.slice(1) + ' by';
+}
+
+// Show the feedpak contributor credits over the window.highway. `authors` is the
+// sanitized [{name, role}] list from window.feedBack.currentSong.authors.
+// Anchored to the lower third (bottom-center) so it never collides with the
+// vertically-centered count-in number, and pointer-events-none so it never
+// intercepts clicks. No-op when there are no contributors to show.
+export function showSongCreditsOverlay(authors) {
+    if (!Array.isArray(authors) || authors.length === 0) return;
+    if (!_creditsOverlay) {
+        _creditsOverlay = document.createElement('div');
+        _creditsOverlay.className = 'song-credits-overlay';
+        document.body.appendChild(_creditsOverlay);
+    }
+    // Build via DOM + textContent — author names are untrusted pack data and
+    // must never be interpolated as HTML.
+    _creditsOverlay.replaceChildren();
+    const card = document.createElement('div');
+    card.className = 'song-credits-card';
+
+    const eyebrow = document.createElement('div');
+    eyebrow.className = 'song-credits-eyebrow';
+    eyebrow.textContent = 'Credits';
+    card.appendChild(eyebrow);
+
+    const title = (window.feedBack && window.feedBack.currentSong
+        && window.feedBack.currentSong.title) || '';
+    if (title) {
+        const heading = document.createElement('div');
+        heading.className = 'song-credits-heading';
+        heading.textContent = title;
+        card.appendChild(heading);
+    }
+
+    for (const a of authors) {
+        if (!a || !a.name) continue;
+        const row = document.createElement('div');
+        row.className = 'song-credits-line';
+        const label = _creditLineLabel(a.role);
+        if (label) {
+            const lab = document.createElement('span');
+            lab.className = 'song-credits-role';
+            lab.textContent = label + ' ';
+            row.appendChild(lab);
+        }
+        const nm = document.createElement('span');
+        nm.className = 'song-credits-name';
+        nm.textContent = a.name;
+        row.appendChild(nm);
+        card.appendChild(row);
+    }
+    _creditsOverlay.appendChild(card);
+    // Arm the backstop so the overlay self-clears even if playback never starts
+    // / never emits song:play. song:play (or any teardown) clears it earlier.
+    if (_creditsMaxTimer) clearTimeout(_creditsMaxTimer);
+    _creditsMaxTimer = setTimeout(hideSongCreditsOverlay, _CREDITS_MAX_MS);
+}
+
+export function hideSongCreditsOverlay() {
+    if (_creditsTimer) { clearTimeout(_creditsTimer); _creditsTimer = null; }
+    if (_creditsMaxTimer) { clearTimeout(_creditsMaxTimer); _creditsMaxTimer = null; }
+    if (_creditsHideOnPlay) {
+        window.feedBack.off('song:play', _creditsHideOnPlay);
+        _creditsHideOnPlay = null;
+    }
+    if (_creditsOverlay) { _creditsOverlay.remove(); _creditsOverlay = null; }
+}
+
+export async function startCountIn(opts = {}) {
+    if (_countingIn) return;
+    _countingIn = true;
+    // Snapshot the current gen so every delayed callback (rewind frames,
+    // post-seek then, count-in ticks, post-count play) can bail if a
+    // teardown bumped the gen mid-flight via _cancelCountIn().
+    const gen = _countInGen;
+    const immediate = !!opts.immediate;
+    if (window._juceMode) {
+        await jucePlayer.pause().catch((err) => console.error('[app] jucePlayer.pause error in count-in:', err));
+    } else {
+        audio.pause();
+    }
+    if (gen !== _countInGen) return; // teardown during pause
+
+    // Section-practice entry: already at loop A after setLoop(); skip the
+    // B→A rewind animation used on loop wrap and go straight to clicks.
+    if (immediate) {
+        if (loopA === null || loopB === null) {
+            _countingIn = false;
+            return;
+        }
+        S.lastAudioTime = loopA;
+        window.highway.setTime(loopA);
+        if (window.feedBack) {
+            window.feedBack.emit('loop:restart', { loopA, loopB, time: loopA });
+        }
+        beginCount();
+        return;
+    }
+
+    // Rewind animation: sweep highway time from B to A
+    const rewindDuration = 400; // ms
+    const rewindStart = performance.now();
+    const fromTime = loopB;
+    const toTime = loopA;
+
+    function rewindStep(now) {
+        if (gen !== _countInGen) return; // teardown mid-rewind
+        const elapsed = now - rewindStart;
+        const t = Math.min(elapsed / rewindDuration, 1);
+        // Ease out quad
+        const eased = 1 - (1 - t) * (1 - t);
+        const currentT = fromTime + (toTime - fromTime) * eased;
+        window.highway.setTime(currentT);
+        if (t < 1) {
+            _countInRaf = requestAnimationFrame(rewindStep);
+        } else {
+            _countInRaf = 0;
+            // Rewind done — set final position and start count.
+            // Await the JUCE seek so the engine has repositioned before
+            // we start the click track (HTML5 path is synchronous).
+            _audioSeek(loopA, 'loop-wrap').then((r) => {
+                if (gen !== _countInGen) return; // teardown during seek
+                // Abort the loop restart in two cases:
+                //   1. Cancelled (player torn down): don't beginCount on a
+                //      new session.
+                //   2. Off-target landing (JUCE rollback / clamp far from
+                //      loopA): proceeding would emit loop:restart and start
+                //      a count-in from the wrong position. Audio is at
+                //      r.from / r.to, which is not where the loop wants to
+                //      resume — better to drop this iteration than play out
+                //      of sync.
+                // 50 ms tolerance: well within JUCE's normal seek precision
+                // but tight enough to catch a real rollback or no-op.
+                if (!r.completed || Math.abs(r.to - loopA) > 0.05) {
+                    // startCountIn paused audio at entry but left isPlaying
+                    // alone — beginCount would have set it on resume. On
+                    // abort, sync the transport: audio is paused, so
+                    // isPlaying must reflect that and the button + plugin
+                    // host must agree.
+                    _countingIn = false;
+                    if (S.isPlaying) {
+                        S.isPlaying = false;
+                        setPlayButtonState(false);
+                        if (window.feedBack) {
+                            window.feedBack.isPlaying = false;
+                            window.feedBack.emit('song:pause', _songEventPayload());
+                        }
+                    }
+                    return;
+                }
+                // Use the verified post-seek clock for the chart so audio
+                // and chart stay in sync if JUCE clamped to slightly
+                // before/after loopA. The loop:restart event keeps `time:
+                // loopA` because subscribers treat that as the semantic
+                // marker for "new iteration starts at A", not the actual
+                // audio position.
+                S.lastAudioTime = r.to;
+                window.highway.setTime(r.to);
+                window.feedBack.emit('loop:restart', { loopA, loopB, time: loopA });
+                beginCount();
+            });
+        }
+    }
+    _countInRaf = requestAnimationFrame(rewindStep);
+
+    function beginCount() {
+        const bpm = window.highway.getBPM(loopA);
+        const beatInterval = 60 / bpm;
+        let count = 0;
+
+        function tick() {
+            if (gen !== _countInGen) return; // teardown mid-count
+            count++;
+            if (count > 4) {
+                hideCountOverlay();
+                _countingIn = false;
+                if (window._juceMode) {
+                    jucePlayer.play().then((started) => {
+                        if (gen !== _countInGen) return; // teardown during play start
+                        if (!started) return;
+                        S.isPlaying = true;
+                        setPlayButtonState(true);
+                        window.feedBack.isPlaying = true;
+                        const payload = _songEventPayload();
+                        window.feedBack.emit('song:play', payload);
+                        window.feedBack.emit('song:resume', payload);
+                    }).catch((err) => console.error('[app] jucePlayer.play error:', err));
+                } else {
+                    audio.play().then(() => {
+                        if (gen !== _countInGen) return;
+                        S.isPlaying = true;
+                        setPlayButtonState(true);
+                    }).catch((err) => {
+                        if (gen !== _countInGen) return;
+                        // An engine reroute's deliberate pause aborts this play()
+                        // while playback continues on JUCE — don't reset the
+                        // button (mirrors the togglePlay guard).
+                        if (window._juceRerouteInProgress) return;
+                        // Same rationale as togglePlay: don't claim playback
+                        // started if the Promise rejected.
+                        console.error('[app] audio.play() rejected after count-in:', err);
+                        S.isPlaying = false;
+                        setPlayButtonState(false);
+                    });
+                }
+                return;
+            }
+            showCountOverlay(count);
+            playClick(count === 1);
+            _countInTimer = setTimeout(tick, beatInterval * 1000);
+        }
+        _countInTimer = setTimeout(tick, 500);
+    }
+}
+
+// Start-of-song count-in: a 4-beat click before playback begins, gated by the
+// "Countdown before song" setting (Gameplay tab). Mirrors the loop count-in's
+// overlay + click + gen-token cancellation, but counts from the song's current
+// position (0 at song start) with no loop A/B rewind. startCountIn() is loop-
+// coupled (early-returns when loopA/loopB are null), so this is a sibling
+// rather than an overload. Hands off to togglePlay() once the count completes.
+export async function startSongCountIn() {
+    if (_countingIn) return;
+    _countingIn = true;
+    // Snapshot the gen so a teardown (showScreen/playSong calls _cancelCountIn)
+    // bumps it and every delayed callback below bails.
+    const gen = _countInGen;
+    if (window._juceMode) {
+        await jucePlayer.pause().catch((err) => console.error('[app] jucePlayer.pause error in song count-in:', err));
+    } else {
+        audio.pause();
+    }
+    if (gen !== _countInGen) return; // teardown during pause
+    const startT = S.lastAudioTime || 0;
+    let bpm = window.highway.getBPM(startT);
+    // Pre-chart / malformed-tempo fallback: 4 beats at 120 BPM (500 ms each).
+    if (!Number.isFinite(bpm) || bpm <= 0) bpm = 120;
+    const beatInterval = 60 / bpm;
+    let count = 0;
+    function tick() {
+        if (gen !== _countInGen) return; // teardown mid-count
+        count++;
+        if (count > 4) {
+            hideCountOverlay();
+            _countingIn = false;
+            // Hand off to the normal play path — togglePlay() flips isPlaying,
+            // updates the button, and emits song:play/resume for plugins.
+            Promise.resolve(togglePlay()).catch((err) => console.warn('[app] play after count-in failed:', err));
+            return;
+        }
+        showCountOverlay(count);
+        playClick(count === 1);
+        _countInTimer = setTimeout(tick, beatInterval * 1000);
+    }
+    // First beat after a short lead-in, matching the loop count-in's 500 ms.
+    _countInTimer = setTimeout(tick, 500);
+}
+
+// ── Operations app.js's autoplay path used to perform by reaching in ────────
+// It used to assign _creditsTimer / _creditsHideOnPlay directly. Imported bindings are
+// read-only, and the module should own its own timer invariants anyway.
+
+/** Is a count-in running? app.js's timeupdate handler suppresses highway sync during one. */
+export function isCountingIn() {
+    return _countingIn;
+}
+
+/** Dismiss the credits the moment real playback begins. Fires once. */
+export function armCreditsHideOnPlay() {
+    _creditsHideOnPlay = () => { _creditsHideOnPlay = null; hideSongCreditsOverlay(); };
+    window.feedBack.on('song:play', _creditsHideOnPlay, { once: true });
+}
+
+/** Let the credits dwell, then clear them. Used when autoplay-exit is disabled. */
+export function scheduleCreditsHide() {
+    _creditsTimer = setTimeout(hideSongCreditsOverlay, _CREDITS_HOLD_MS);
+}
+
+/** Let the credits dwell, then run `then` (the autoplay start). */
+export function holdCreditsThen(then) {
+    _creditsTimer = setTimeout(() => { _creditsTimer = null; then(); }, _CREDITS_HOLD_MS);
+}

static/js/diagnostics-export.js

@@ -21,6 +21,8 @@
 //      redact toggles.
 //   3. Stream the returned zip to disk.
 
+import { downloadBlob } from './blob-io.js';
+
 function _diagIncludeFromUI() {
     const v = (id) => document.getElementById(id)?.checked !== false;
     return {
@@ -265,14 +267,7 @@ export async function exportDiagnostics() {
     }
     try {
         const blob = await resp.blob();
-        const url = URL.createObjectURL(blob);
-        const a = document.createElement('a');
-        a.href = url;
-        a.download = filename;
-        document.body.appendChild(a);
-        a.click();
-        document.body.removeChild(a);
-        URL.revokeObjectURL(url);
+        downloadBlob(blob, filename);
         status.textContent = `Exported ${filename}`;
     } catch (e) {
         status.textContent = `Export failed during download: ${e.message}`;

static/js/edit-modal.js

@@ -0,0 +1,258 @@
+// The library's edit-song modal: open, validate, save, delete.
+//
+// Interface width ZERO — nothing in app.js calls into this cluster; app.js only needs the four
+// names on the window contract so the markup's onclick= handlers resolve. That is what makes it
+// the cleanest slice left, and it only became clean because the LIBRARY came out first (#896):
+// every dependency this modal has is now a module.
+//
+// It reads six bindings out of ./library.js (loadLibrary, loadFavorites, loadTreeView,
+// _removeLibCardsForFilename, libView, _lastLibSelected) and never writes one — checked, which
+// matters: an imported binding is READ-ONLY, so a single write would have forced a setter or a
+// container. Every use is a read, so plain imports suffice.
+//
+// Acyclic: edit-modal -> { dom, library-state, library }, and library imports none of them back.
+import { _confirmDialog, _escAttr, _trapFocusInModal } from './dom.js';
+import { L } from './library-state.js';
+import {
+    _lastLibSelected, _removeLibCardsForFilename, libView, loadFavorites, loadLibrary, loadTreeView,
+} from './library.js';
+
+// ── Edit metadata modal ─────────────────────────────────────────────────
+export function openEditModal(songData, openerEl) {
+    const artUrl = `/api/song/${encodeURIComponent(songData.f)}/art?t=${Date.now()}`;
+    const modal = document.createElement('div');
+    modal.id = 'edit-modal';
+    modal.className = 'feedBack-modal fixed inset-0 z-[200] flex items-center justify-center bg-black/70 backdrop-blur-sm';
+    // role=dialog: assistive tech announces it as a modal; also lets
+    // the global keyboard listener's `_isInsideInteractiveControl`
+    // bail when typing inside the modal so Library shortcuts don't
+    // hijack keys from the edit form.
+    modal.setAttribute('role', 'dialog');
+    modal.setAttribute('aria-modal', 'true');
+    modal.setAttribute('aria-label', 'Edit song metadata');
+    // Record the element that triggered the modal so Esc / Cancel can
+    // return focus to the exact entry the user was on, even if
+    // _lastLibSelected changes before the modal closes.
+    // Prefer the explicitly-passed openerEl (from the edit-btn click
+    // handler, which has the exact [data-play] parent) over
+    // _lastLibSelected, which may not have been updated when the
+    // click's stopPropagation() prevented the card-click handler.
+    const _emActive = document.querySelector('.screen.active');
+    const _emLast = (_lastLibSelected && document.body.contains(_lastLibSelected)
+        && _emActive && _emActive.contains(_lastLibSelected)) ? _lastLibSelected : null;
+    modal._opener = (openerEl && document.body.contains(openerEl)) ? openerEl : _emLast;
+    modal.innerHTML = `
+        <div class="bg-dark-700 border border-gray-700 rounded-2xl p-6 w-full max-w-md mx-4 shadow-2xl">
+            <h3 class="text-lg font-bold text-white mb-4">Edit Song</h3>
+            <div class="space-y-3">
+                <div class="flex items-center gap-4 mb-2">
+                    <div class="relative group cursor-pointer" id="edit-art-wrapper">
+                        <img src="${artUrl}" alt="" class="w-20 h-20 rounded-lg object-cover bg-dark-600" id="edit-art-preview">
+                        <div class="absolute inset-0 bg-black/50 rounded-lg flex items-center justify-center opacity-0 group-hover:opacity-100 transition">
+                            <span class="text-white text-xs">Change</span>
+                        </div>
+                        <input type="file" accept="image/*" id="edit-art-file" class="hidden" onchange="previewEditArt(this)">
+                    </div>
+                    <p class="text-xs text-gray-500 flex-1">Click image to change album art</p>
+                </div>
+                <div>
+                    <label class="text-xs text-gray-400 mb-1 block">Title</label>
+                    <input type="text" id="edit-title" value="${_escAttr(songData.t)}"
+                        class="w-full bg-dark-600 border border-gray-700 rounded-lg px-3 py-2 text-sm text-gray-200 outline-none focus:border-accent/50">
+                </div>
+                <div>
+                    <label class="text-xs text-gray-400 mb-1 block">Artist</label>
+                    <input type="text" id="edit-artist" value="${_escAttr(songData.a)}"
+                        class="w-full bg-dark-600 border border-gray-700 rounded-lg px-3 py-2 text-sm text-gray-200 outline-none focus:border-accent/50">
+                </div>
+                <div>
+                    <label class="text-xs text-gray-400 mb-1 block">Album</label>
+                    <input type="text" id="edit-album" value="${_escAttr(songData.al)}"
+                        class="w-full bg-dark-600 border border-gray-700 rounded-lg px-3 py-2 text-sm text-gray-200 outline-none focus:border-accent/50">
+                </div>
+                <div>
+                    <label class="text-xs text-gray-400 mb-1 block">Year</label>
+                    <input type="text" inputmode="numeric" id="edit-year" value="${_escAttr(songData.y)}" placeholder="e.g. 2024"
+                        class="w-full bg-dark-600 border border-gray-700 rounded-lg px-3 py-2 text-sm text-gray-200 outline-none focus:border-accent/50">
+                </div>
+            </div>
+            <div class="flex gap-3 mt-5">
+                <button data-edit-save
+                    class="flex-1 bg-accent hover:bg-accent-light px-4 py-2 rounded-xl text-sm font-semibold text-white transition">Save</button>
+                <button data-edit-close
+                    class="px-4 py-2 bg-dark-600 hover:bg-dark-500 rounded-xl text-sm text-gray-300 transition">Cancel</button>
+            </div>
+            <div class="mt-4 pt-4 border-t border-gray-800">
+                <button data-delete-filename="${_escAttr(songData.f)}"
+                    class="w-full px-4 py-2 bg-red-900/30 hover:bg-red-900/60 border border-red-900/50 hover:border-red-700 rounded-xl text-sm text-red-300 hover:text-red-100 transition">Remove from library</button>
+            </div>
+        </div>`;
+    document.body.appendChild(modal);
+
+    // Move focus into the dialog's first text input so background
+    // shortcuts (and arrow nav) can't fire on the underlying library
+    // entry while the edit form is open. Title is the natural primary
+    // field — most edits are correcting spelling there. Caret-end
+    // selection so the user can keep typing rather than overtype the
+    // current value.
+    const titleInput = document.getElementById('edit-title');
+    if (titleInput) {
+        titleInput.focus({ preventScroll: true });
+        try {
+            const len = titleInput.value.length;
+            titleInput.setSelectionRange(len, len);
+        } catch { /* some browsers reject selection on certain input types */ }
+    }
+
+    // Trap Tab / Shift+Tab inside the modal so focus can't escape to
+    // the library content underneath while the edit form is open.
+    _trapFocusInModal(modal);
+
+    // Click on art triggers file input
+    document.getElementById('edit-art-wrapper').addEventListener('click', () => {
+        document.getElementById('edit-art-file').click();
+    });
+
+    // Save — wired in JS (not an inline onclick) so the filename never has to
+    // survive embedding in a single-quoted attribute string. encodeURIComponent
+    // does NOT escape `'`, so a filename like `Bob's Song.sloppak` used to break
+    // the inline `saveEditModal('…')` handler and silently fail the save. The
+    // raw filename lives in the closure; encode it here for saveEditModal.
+    const saveBtn = modal.querySelector('[data-edit-save]');
+    if (saveBtn) {
+        saveBtn.addEventListener('click', () => saveEditModal(encodeURIComponent(songData.f)));
+    }
+
+    const deleteBtn = modal.querySelector('[data-delete-filename]');
+    if (deleteBtn) {
+        deleteBtn.addEventListener('click', () => {
+            deleteSongFromModal(deleteBtn.dataset.deleteFilename);
+        });
+    }
+
+    // Close on backdrop click or Cancel button; restore focus to opener.
+    // Backdrop dismissal requires the gesture's mousedown to have STARTED on
+    // the backdrop — not just the click/mouseup to land there. Otherwise a
+    // click-drag that begins inside a field (e.g. selecting text) and is
+    // released past the modal edge resolves its `click` target to the backdrop
+    // and silently discards the edit. Cancel / ✕ (data-edit-close) always close.
+    let _downOnBackdrop = false;
+    modal.addEventListener('mousedown', (e) => { _downOnBackdrop = (e.target === modal); });
+    modal.addEventListener('click', (e) => {
+        if (!_editModalShouldClose(e.target, modal, _downOnBackdrop)) return;
+        const opener = modal._opener;
+        modal.remove();
+        const focusTarget = (opener && document.body.contains(opener)) ? opener
+            : (_lastLibSelected && document.body.contains(_lastLibSelected) ? _lastLibSelected : null);
+        if (focusTarget) focusTarget.focus({ preventScroll: true });
+    });
+}
+
+// Whether a click on the edit-metadata modal should dismiss it. The Cancel / ✕
+// control (data-edit-close) always dismisses. A backdrop dismissal needs BOTH
+// the click target to be the backdrop element itself AND the gesture to have
+// started there (downOnBackdrop) — so a click-drag begun inside a field and
+// released on the backdrop does not discard the form. Pure + top-level so it's
+// unit-testable in isolation.
+export function _editModalShouldClose(clickTarget, modalEl, downOnBackdrop) {
+    if (clickTarget && clickTarget.closest && clickTarget.closest('[data-edit-close]')) return true;
+    return clickTarget === modalEl && downOnBackdrop === true;
+}
+
+export async function saveEditModal(encodedFilename) {
+    const filename = decodeURIComponent(encodedFilename);
+
+    // Save metadata
+    await fetch(`/api/song/${encodeURIComponent(filename)}/meta`, {
+        method: 'POST',
+        headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
+        body: JSON.stringify({
+            title: document.getElementById('edit-title').value.trim(),
+            artist: document.getElementById('edit-artist').value.trim(),
+            album: document.getElementById('edit-album').value.trim(),
+            // Year is normalised server-side (non-numeric/empty → ""), so a
+            // blank or cleared field round-trips safely.
+            year: document.getElementById('edit-year').value.trim(),
+        }),
+    });
+
+    // Upload art if changed
+    const fileInput = document.getElementById('edit-art-file');
+    if (fileInput.files && fileInput.files[0]) {
+        const reader = new FileReader();
+        reader.onload = async (e) => {
+            await fetch(`/api/song/${encodeURIComponent(filename)}/art/upload`, {
+                method: 'POST',
+                headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
+                body: JSON.stringify({ image: e.target.result }),
+            });
+        };
+        reader.readAsDataURL(fileInput.files[0]);
+    }
+
+    const modal = document.getElementById('edit-modal');
+    const opener = modal ? modal._opener : null;
+    if (modal) modal.remove();
+    // Restore focus to the entry the modal was opened from so subsequent
+    // keyboard navigation resumes correctly (same as Esc / Cancel paths).
+    const focusTarget = (opener && document.body.contains(opener)) ? opener
+        : (_lastLibSelected && document.body.contains(_lastLibSelected) ? _lastLibSelected : null);
+    if (focusTarget) focusTarget.focus({ preventScroll: true });
+    // Refresh current view
+    const activeScreen = document.querySelector('.screen.active');
+    if (activeScreen?.id === 'favorites') loadFavorites();
+    else loadLibrary();
+}
+
+export async function deleteSongFromModal(filename) {
+    const title = (document.getElementById('edit-title')?.value || filename).trim();
+    const ok = await _confirmDialog({
+        title: 'Remove from library?',
+        body: `<p class="text-sm text-gray-300">Remove <span class="font-semibold text-white">${_escAttr(title)}</span> from your library?</p>
+               <p class="text-xs text-red-400/90 mt-2">This permanently deletes the file from disk. This cannot be undone.</p>`,
+        confirmText: 'Remove',
+        cancelText: 'Cancel',
+        danger: true,
+    });
+    if (!ok) return;
+    let resp;
+    try {
+        resp = await fetch(`/api/song/${encodeURIComponent(filename)}`, { method: 'DELETE' });
+    } catch (e) {
+        alert(`Delete failed: ${e.message}`);
+        return;
+    }
+    if (!resp.ok) {
+        let msg = resp.statusText;
+        try { msg = (await resp.json()).error || msg; } catch (_) {}
+        alert(`Delete failed: ${msg}`);
+        return;
+    }
+    const modal = document.getElementById('edit-modal');
+    if (modal) modal.remove();
+    L.treeStats = null;
+    L.favTreeStats = null;
+    L.tuningNames = null;
+
+    // Remove the deleted song's card from any currently-rendered grid/tree
+    // so the user sees it disappear without waiting for a refetch. A full
+    // loadLibrary() here would re-call loadGridPage(currentPage), which
+    // uses 'append' mode when currentPage > 0 and re-appends the same
+    // (now-shortened) page on top of what's already rendered — leaving
+    // the deleted card visible. Direct DOM removal also preserves scroll
+    // position, which a refetch from page 0 would lose.
+    _removeLibCardsForFilename(filename);
+
+    // Tree views group by artist with song counts; a single card removal
+    // leaves stale counts, so refresh the tree for whichever screen we're
+    // looking at (each tree-view renderer replaces innerHTML cleanly).
+    const activeScreen = document.querySelector('.screen.active');
+    if (activeScreen?.id === 'favorites') {
+        // loadFavorites() routes to either loadFavGridPage (always
+        // 'replace') or loadFavTreeView — both safe for a single delete.
+        loadFavorites();
+    } else if (libView === 'tree') {
+        loadTreeView();
+    }
+    // Main library grid view: DOM removal above is sufficient.
+}

static/js/format.js

@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+// Display formatters. A LEAF module: imports nothing.
+//
+// WHY THIS EXISTS FOR ONE FUNCTION. formatTime was a HOST HOOK — loops.js and
+// section-practice.js both reached back through the seam for it. It was also, by pure
+// accident of who calls it, inside the dependency closure of the library carve. Leaving
+// it there would have made loops.js and section-practice.js import the LIBRARY to format
+// a timestamp, which is nonsense, and a cycle waiting to happen.
+//
+// A hook is a cycle you agreed to live with. This one has a real owner — it just isn't
+// app.js, and it certainly isn't the library. Give it a home of its own and both
+// consumers import it directly.
+//
+// It is a leaf on purpose. Anything else that turns out to be a shared pure formatter
+// belongs here too; nothing does yet, so nothing else is here.
+
+/** Seconds -> `M:SS`. */
+export function formatTime(s) { return `${Math.floor(s / 60)}:${String(Math.floor(s % 60)).padStart(2, '0')}`; }

static/js/highway-colors.js

@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ function _hwcSlotKeysForChart(sc, isBass) {
     return ['low8', 'low7', 'lowE', 'A', 'D', 'G', 'B', 'highE'];
 }
 
-// Current arrangement shape (string count + bass-vs-guitar) from the 2D highway.
+// Current arrangement shape (string count + bass-vs-guitar) from the 2D window.highway.
 function _hwcChartShape() {
     let sc = 6, arr = '';
     try { sc = window.highway?.getStringCount?.() || 6; } catch (_) {}

static/js/highway-constants.js

@@ -0,0 +1,190 @@
+// highway.js's immutable constants: geometry, colour tables, timing budgets, and the
+// load-adaptive render-scale thresholds.
+//
+// WHY THESE — AND ONLY THESE — MAY LIVE AT MODULE SCOPE
+//
+// createHighway() is a FACTORY, not a singleton. The constitution publishes
+// window.createHighway precisely so a plugin can build a SECOND highway for its own panel,
+// and highway.js says so at the top of the closure:
+//
+//     // R3c: per-instance mutable state in one object, so extracted renderer/ws
+//     // modules can close over it as a factory arg without cross-panel sharing.
+//
+// So MUTABLE state (hwState) must never become a module-level singleton — two highways would
+// silently share it. That is the opposite of the app.js carve, where a single state container
+// was right because there is exactly one app.
+//
+// These 29 are pure literals: frozen numbers, strings and colour tables, never reassigned and
+// never mutated. Sharing them across instances is not just safe, it is what you want — one
+// copy of the shimmer LUT bounds and the string palettes rather than one per panel.
+//
+// Anything with a runtime dependency (document, window, performance, localStorage) stays in
+// the factory. Checked: none of these has one.
+
+// Cap the interpolation so a stalled main thread (long task, GC,
+// dropped tick) can't make getTime drift far past reality. Also the
+// threshold for "audio looks paused" — if setTime hasn't advanced t
+// in this long, treat as paused.
+export const _CHART_MAX_INTERP_MS = 100;
+
+// Throttled DOM visibility sampling. Reading canvas.offsetParent
+// every rAF frame forces a style/layout recalc — profiled at ~0.5 s
+// main-thread self-time over a 63 s session. The displayed state
+// changes rarely (navigate / splitscreen panel toggle), so the DOM
+// is only re-sampled every _DOM_VIS_CHECK_FRAMES frames; the cached
+// value serves the frames in between (worst-case transition latency
+// ~10 frames ≈ 166 ms at 60 Hz — fine for a hide/show pause signal).
+// Set _domVisSampledFrame to NaN to force a fresh sample on the next
+// check (done on init, canvas replace, resize, and override-clear so
+// deliberate transitions don't wait out the throttle window).
+// NOTE those manual resets are LATENCY optimizations, not correctness
+// requirements: the periodic re-sample runs every _DOM_VIS_CHECK_FRAMES
+// frames regardless, so a visibility-affecting path that forgets to
+// reset self-heals within ~10 frames — stale visibility can never be
+// served indefinitely.
+export const _DOM_VIS_CHECK_FRAMES = 10;
+
+// Paused-render throttle (feedBack#654). The rAF loop runs
+// unconditionally and only gates on visibility + ready, never on
+// playback — so an expensive renderer (3D Highway's Three.js WebGL
+// scene) does a full render every frame even while paused. That is
+// pure waste, and the dominant cost on high-refresh / ANGLE setups
+// (Chromium on Windows paces rAF to the fastest attached monitor,
+// so the loop can run at 144 Hz even on a 60 Hz panel). While the
+// audio clock is stalled, cap draws to one per
+// _PAUSED_FRAME_INTERVAL_MS. Note position is clock-derived
+// (n.t - currentTime), so this changes smoothness only — never
+// audio/visual sync. A low non-zero rate (not a hard skip) keeps
+// resize / seek-scrub / renderer-swap repaints correct without
+// having to hook each of those paths.
+export const _PAUSED_FRAME_INTERVAL_MS = 100;
+
+export const _DRAW_BUDGET_HI_MS = 12;
+
+export const _DRAW_BUDGET_LO_MS = 7;
+
+export const _AUTO_SCALE_MIN = 0.25;
+
+export const _AUTO_ADJUST_COOLDOWN_MS = 600;
+
+// Upscaling is deliberately LAZY (longer cooldown than the downscale path) so
+// the resolution doesn't visibly hunt up/down on passages that hover near the
+// budget — testers saw "quality going up and down" as parts got busier (#618
+// charrette). Downscale stays prompt to protect the frame rate.
+export const _AUTO_UPSCALE_COOLDOWN_MS = 2500;
+
+// 64-entry precomputed jitter LUT replacing Math.random() in the
+// lit-sustain shimmer hot path (drawSustains). Visually
+// indistinguishable from per-frame Math.random at rAF cadence,
+// allocation-free, and removes 4 RNG calls per visible lit sustain
+// per frame on dense charts. Seeded deterministically (xorshift32)
+// so the LUT itself is identical across `createHighway()` instances
+// — shimmer is therefore reload-stable and test-reproducible PER
+// instance for a given (frameIdx, n.s, n.t) seed. The seed includes
+// closure-scope `_frameIdx` which is per-instance, so two
+// splitscreen highways with different rAF cadence will shimmer
+// differently at any given wall-clock moment; what's stable is the
+// LUT contents.
+//
+// _SHIMMER_LUT_SIZE MUST stay a power of two — `_shimmerNoise`
+// indexes with `& (_SHIMMER_LUT_SIZE - 1)` for the cheap modulo.
+export const _SHIMMER_LUT_SIZE = 64;
+
+// Memoize ctx.measureText() for the lyric overlay. Per-syllable
+// measurement was the dominant cost in dense karaoke charts; text
+// and fontSize are the only inputs (font face string is constant
+// `bold ${fontSize}px sans-serif`). Two-level Map (outer: fontSize,
+// inner: text) so a cache hit avoids the `fontSize + '|' + text`
+// concat that previously allocated on every lookup.
+//
+// Bounded on BOTH levels: window resizes change `fontSize`, so each
+// resize creates a fresh inner Map; without an outer cap, the cache
+// would retain every fontSize ever rendered for the page lifetime.
+// Cap outer at 16 distinct fontSize buckets (more than enough — a
+// session typically sees one or two), inner at 4096 entries per
+// bucket. Clear-on-overflow on both — a karaoke cold start re-warms
+// in one frame.
+export const _LYRIC_MEASURE_OUTER_MAX = 16;
+
+export const _LYRIC_MEASURE_INNER_MAX = 4096;
+
+// Rendering config
+export const VISIBLE_SECONDS = 3.0;
+
+export const Z_CAM = 2.2;
+
+export const Z_MAX = 10.0;
+
+export const BG = '#080810';
+
+// String color palettes. Indices 0–5 cover guitar / bass; 6–7
+// are added for extended-range GP imports (7-string, 8-string).
+// Lookups still use `|| '#888'` as a safety fallback for any
+// out-of-range index.
+//
+// These are `let`, not `const`: setStringColors() (used by the core
+// "Highway String Colors" theming UI) overrides per-index entries at
+// runtime, deriving the dim/bright variants from the chosen base color.
+// DEFAULT_* keep the originals so a reset restores them byte-for-byte.
+export const DEFAULT_STRING_COLORS = [
+    '#cc0000', '#cca800', '#0066cc',
+    '#cc6600', '#00cc66', '#9900cc',
+    '#cc00aa', '#00cccc',  // 7th = magenta, 8th = teal
+];
+
+export const DEFAULT_STRING_DIM = [
+    '#520000', '#524200', '#002952',
+    '#522900', '#005229', '#3d0052',
+    '#520042', '#005252',
+];
+
+export const DEFAULT_STRING_BRIGHT = [
+    '#ff3c3c', '#ffe040', '#3c9cff',
+    '#ff9c3c', '#3cff9c', '#cc3cff',
+    '#ff3ce0', '#3ce0e0',
+];
+
+export const MAX_RENDERER_DRAW_FAILURES = 3;
+
+// ── Chord rendering — chains, frames, fretline preview (feedBack#88) ──
+//
+// Charts often repeat the same chord shape several times in a
+// row (e.g. a G strummed 4 times). We call a contiguous run of same-id
+// chords with gaps < CHAIN_GAP_THRESHOLD a "chain". Chains drive two
+// visual choices:
+//   • The first chord in a chain renders in full; subsequent chords in
+//     a chain of CHAIN_RENDER_FULL_MAX or longer render as a "repeat
+//     box" — a translucent boxed frame so the eye can see the rhythm
+//     pattern without re-scanning identical fret numbers.
+//   • Each chord anchors a CHORD_FRAME_FRETS-wide frame; muted and
+//     open-only chords inherit the frame from their predecessor so
+//     they don't snap to fret 0.
+//
+// We compute chain stats and frame anchors once per `src` array via
+// _ensureChordRenderCache (lazy, invalidates when the array reference
+// changes — which happens on chord ingest, mastery rebuild, or song
+// reset). The render path is then pure read.
+export const CHAIN_GAP_THRESHOLD = 0.5;
+
+export const CHAIN_RENDER_FULL_MAX = 4;
+
+export const CHORD_FRAME_FRETS = 4;
+
+// Fretline preview: the static fret line at the bottom shows the chord
+// closest to the strum line (currentTime + FRETLINE_TARGET_OFFSET) within
+// the [target - FRETLINE_WINDOW_BEFORE, target + FRETLINE_WINDOW_AFTER]
+// window, as a teaching aid.
+export const FRETLINE_TARGET_OFFSET = -0.25;
+
+export const FRETLINE_WINDOW_BEFORE = 0.1;
+
+export const FRETLINE_WINDOW_AFTER = 0.3;
+
+// Repeat / mute box colors.
+export const REPEAT_BOX_FILL = 'rgba(48, 80, 128, 0.06)';
+
+export const REPEAT_BOX_BAR = '#50a0dc';
+
+export const MUTE_BOX_STROKE = '#6060809b';
+
+export const MUTE_BOX_BAR = '#606080d1';

static/js/highway-geometry.js

@@ -0,0 +1,103 @@
+// highway.js's PURE geometry + label primitives.
+//
+// Every function here is a pure function of its arguments. None of them touches hwState, and
+// none closes over the canvas context — roundRect() already took `ctx` explicitly, and the
+// rest need nothing but numbers. project() reads only the module-level constants from
+// ./highway-constants.js.
+//
+// THAT PURITY IS WHY THIS SLICE IS SAFE, and why it is the one to do first. createHighway() is
+// a FACTORY — a plugin can build a second highway for its own panel — so anything holding
+// per-instance state (hwState) must be passed it as an argument rather than importing it, or
+// two panels silently share one clock and palette. These six hold no state at all, so they
+// move VERBATIM: not one call site changes.
+//
+// The primitives that DO need hwState (fretX, fillTextReadable, _noteState, _paintGemGlow)
+// are deliberately left behind. They need an explicit hwState parameter threaded through 53
+// call sites, which is a real change and belongs in its own commit, not smuggled in beside a
+// provably-identical move.
+import { VISIBLE_SECONDS, Z_CAM, Z_MAX, _SHIMMER_LUT_SIZE } from './highway-constants.js';
+
+// ── Projection ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+export function project(tOffset) {
+    if (tOffset > VISIBLE_SECONDS || tOffset < -0.05) return null;
+    if (tOffset < 0) return { y: 0.82 + Math.abs(tOffset) * 0.3, scale: 1.0 };
+
+    const z = tOffset * (Z_MAX / VISIBLE_SECONDS);
+    const denom = z + Z_CAM;
+    if (denom < 0.01) return null;
+    const scale = Z_CAM / denom;
+    const y = 0.82 + (0.08 - 0.82) * (1.0 - scale);
+    return { y, scale };
+}
+
+export function bnvNormalizedPoints(bnv, sus) {
+    if (!Array.isArray(bnv) || bnv.length === 0) return [];
+    // Map each point's time over the NOTE's span [0, sus] so it sits at its
+    // real fraction of the note (a bend that completes before the note ends
+    // draws short of the glyph's right edge). Fall back to the curve's own
+    // t-range only when the note has no usable sustain.
+    if (Number.isFinite(sus) && sus > 0) {
+        return bnv.map(p => ({ x: Math.min(Math.max(p.t / sus, 0), 1), v: p.v }));
+    }
+    const t0 = bnv[0].t;
+    const span = bnv[bnv.length - 1].t - t0;
+    return bnv.map(p => ({ x: span > 0 ? (p.t - t0) / span : 0, v: p.v }));
+}
+
+export function teachingFingerLabel(fg) {
+    if (!Number.isInteger(fg) || fg < 0 || fg > 4) return '';
+    return fg === 0 ? 'T' : String(fg);
+}
+
+export function teachingDegreeLabel(sd) {
+    if (!Number.isInteger(sd) || sd < 0 || sd > 11) return '';
+    return String(sd);
+}
+
+export function chordHarmonyLabels(fn, voicing, caged, guideTones) {
+    const rn = (fn && typeof fn.rn === 'string') ? fn.rn.trim() : '';
+    const vc = (typeof voicing === 'string') ? voicing.trim() : '';
+    const cg = (typeof caged === 'string' && /^[CAGED]$/.test(caged.trim()))
+        ? 'CAGED: ' + caged.trim() : '';
+    const gt = Array.isArray(guideTones)
+        ? guideTones.filter(n => Number.isInteger(n) && n >= 0 && n <= 11) : [];
+    return { rn, voicing: vc, caged: cg, guideTones: gt.length ? 'gt ' + gt.join(',') : '' };
+}
+
+export function roundRect(ctx, x, y, w, h, r) {
+    ctx.beginPath();
+    ctx.moveTo(x + r, y);
+    ctx.lineTo(x + w - r, y);
+    ctx.quadraticCurveTo(x + w, y, x + w, y + r);
+    ctx.lineTo(x + w, y + h - r);
+    ctx.quadraticCurveTo(x + w, y + h, x + w - r, y + h);
+    ctx.lineTo(x + r, y + h);
+    ctx.quadraticCurveTo(x, y + h, x, y + h - r);
+    ctx.lineTo(x, y + r);
+    ctx.quadraticCurveTo(x, y, x + r, y);
+    ctx.closePath();
+}
+
+
+// ── The shimmer noise LUT ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+//
+// A DETERMINISTIC xorshift table: no randomness, no state, byte-for-byte identical for every
+// highway instance. Unlike the three per-instance caches that came out of the drawing layer (a
+// warn-once Set, a chord WeakMap, a lyric-width Map — all MUTATED, all lifted onto hwState so
+// two panels cannot stomp each other), this one is not merely SAFE to share but BETTER shared:
+// built once for the page instead of once per panel.
+//
+// MUTABILITY, NOT LOCATION, IS WHAT DECIDES WHERE A THING BELONGS.
+const _shimmerLut = new Float32Array(_SHIMMER_LUT_SIZE);
+for (let i = 0; i < _SHIMMER_LUT_SIZE; i++) {
+    let x = (i + 1) | 0;       // +1 dodges the all-zero xorshift trap
+    x ^= x << 13;
+    x ^= x >>> 17;
+    x ^= x << 5;
+    _shimmerLut[i] = (x >>> 0) / 4294967296;
+}
+
+export function _shimmerNoise(seed) {
+    // Mask works only because _SHIMMER_LUT_SIZE is a power of two.
+    return _shimmerLut[(seed >>> 0) & (_SHIMMER_LUT_SIZE - 1)];
+}

static/js/highway-state-primitives.js

@@ -0,0 +1,170 @@
+// highway.js's STATEFUL primitives: the four shared helpers that need per-instance state.
+//
+// ━━━ hwState IS A PARAMETER, NOT AN IMPORT. THIS IS THE WHOLE DESIGN. ━━━
+//
+// createHighway() is a FACTORY. The constitution publishes window.createHighway so a plugin can
+// build a SECOND highway for its own panel, and highway.js says so itself:
+//
+//     // R3c: per-instance mutable state in one object, so extracted renderer/ws
+//     // modules can close over it as a factory arg without cross-panel sharing.
+//
+// Import hwState as a module singleton and the two panels silently share one clock, one render
+// scale, one string palette — each driving the other. Nothing would throw. The picture would
+// just be wrong, in a way no test would catch.
+//
+// So every function here takes hwState as its FIRST ARGUMENT. It reads a little worse at the
+// call site and it is the only correct shape.
+//
+// (This is the exact opposite of the app.js carve, where player-state.js and library-state.js
+// ARE module singletons — correctly, because there is exactly one app. Same epic, same
+// language, opposite answer, decided entirely by whether the thing is a factory.)
+//
+// The PURE primitives — project, roundRect, and the label helpers — need none of this and live
+// in ./highway-geometry.js.
+// No imports. These four need nothing but the hwState they are handed and their arguments.
+
+export function fretX(hwState, fret, scale, w) {
+    const hw = w * 0.52 * scale;
+    const margin = hw * 0.06;
+    const usable = hw * 2 - 2 * margin;
+    const t = fret / Math.max(1, hwState.displayMaxFret);
+    return w / 2 - hw + margin + t * usable;
+}
+
+export function fillTextReadable(hwState, text, x, y) {
+    // ctx may be null when the 2D context was never acquired
+    // (canvas already locked to WebGL). No-op in that case —
+    // alternatives would be throwing, which breaks plugin hooks
+    // that call this after a context-type mismatch.
+    if (!hwState.canvas || !hwState.ctx) return;
+    const W = hwState.canvas.width;
+    if (!hwState._lefty) {
+        hwState.ctx.fillText(text, x, y);
+        return;
+    }
+    hwState.ctx.save();
+    hwState.ctx.setTransform(1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0);
+    hwState.ctx.fillText(text, W - x, y);
+    hwState.ctx.restore();
+}
+
+// ── Per-note judgment state (feedBack#254) ──────────────────────────
+// Resolves the registered provider for one chart note. Returns null
+// when no provider is set, the provider throws, it reports nothing,
+// or the reported alpha is non-positive. Otherwise a normalized
+// { state: 'hit'|'active'|'miss', alpha: 0..1, color: string|null }.
+// 'hit' and 'active' are both "lit" — renderers may treat them the
+// same; the distinction (struck note vs currently-held sustain) is
+// there for renderers that want it. The provider owns all timing /
+// fade — `alpha` is whatever intensity it wants right now.
+export function _noteState(hwState, note, chartTime) {
+    if (!hwState._noteStateProvider) return null;
+    let raw;
+    try { raw = hwState._noteStateProvider(note, chartTime); } catch (e) { return null; }
+    if (!raw) return null;
+    const state = typeof raw === 'string' ? raw : raw.state;
+    if (state !== 'hit' && state !== 'active' && state !== 'miss') return null;
+    const alpha = (raw && typeof raw === 'object' && Number.isFinite(raw.alpha))
+        ? Math.max(0, Math.min(1, raw.alpha))
+        : 1;
+    if (alpha <= 0) return null;
+    const color = (raw && typeof raw === 'object' && typeof raw.color === 'string') ? raw.color : null;
+    // Pass through the provider's `live` flag: note_detect tags its
+    // ring-tracking 'active' responses with live:true so a renderer can
+    // treat them as authoritative (extinguish on mute, relight on
+    // re-strike) instead of latching them for the whole chart sustain.
+    // Renderers that don't care simply ignore it.
+    const live = (raw && typeof raw === 'object' && raw.live === true);
+    return { state, alpha, color, live };
+}
+
+// Paints the judgment effect on top of an already-drawn gem at
+// (cx,cy) with half-extent `r`. `ns` is the normalized state from
+// _noteState (or null → no-op). A miss → faint red wash. A correct
+// hit / held sustain → a "sizzle": throbbing additive halo + a
+// flickering white-hot core + crackling spark lines re-randomised
+// each frame + (for a fresh struck note that's fading) an expanding
+// shockwave ring. Intensity scales with `ns.alpha`, so a struck
+// note flares and dies while a held sustain crackles continuously.
+// Caller draws the gem normally first, then calls this BEFORE any
+// glyph so a readable fret number can land on top.
+export function _paintGemGlow(hwState, cx, cy, r, stringIdx, ns) {
+    if (!ns || !hwState.ctx) return;
+    hwState.ctx.save();
+    if (ns.state === 'miss') {
+        hwState.ctx.globalAlpha = 0.4 * ns.alpha;
+        hwState.ctx.fillStyle = '#ff2828';
+        hwState.ctx.beginPath();
+        hwState.ctx.arc(cx, cy, r * 1.05, 0, Math.PI * 2);
+        hwState.ctx.fill();
+        hwState.ctx.restore();
+        return;
+    }
+    const col = ns.color || hwState.STRING_BRIGHT[stringIdx] || '#ffffff';
+    const a = ns.alpha;
+    const nowMs = (typeof performance !== 'undefined' && performance.now) ? performance.now() : Date.now();
+    hwState.ctx.lineCap = 'round';
+
+    // Expanding shockwave — only on a fresh struck-and-fading hit
+    // (alpha decays 1→0). 'active' (held sustain, alpha pinned 1) skips it.
+    if (ns.state === 'hit' && a < 1) {
+        const prog = 1 - a;                       // 0 at strike → 1 at fade-out
+        hwState.ctx.globalCompositeOperation = 'lighter';
+        hwState.ctx.globalAlpha = a * 0.85;
+        hwState.ctx.strokeStyle = col;
+        hwState.ctx.lineWidth = Math.max(1.5, r * 0.26 * a);
+        hwState.ctx.beginPath();
+        hwState.ctx.arc(cx, cy, r * (1.0 + prog * 2.7), 0, Math.PI * 2);
+        hwState.ctx.stroke();
+    }
+
+    // Throbbing halo (≈9 Hz wobble).
+    const pulse = 0.8 + 0.2 * Math.sin(nowMs / 18);
+    const haloR = r * 2.0 * pulse;
+    hwState.ctx.globalCompositeOperation = 'lighter';
+    hwState.ctx.globalAlpha = a;
+    const g = hwState.ctx.createRadialGradient(cx, cy, 0, cx, cy, haloR);
+    g.addColorStop(0, '#ffffff');
+    g.addColorStop(0.30, col);
+    g.addColorStop(1, 'rgba(0,0,0,0)');
+    hwState.ctx.fillStyle = g;
+    hwState.ctx.beginPath();
+    hwState.ctx.arc(cx, cy, haloR, 0, Math.PI * 2);
+    hwState.ctx.fill();
+
+    // Crackle — short bright spark lines flicking out from the gem,
+    // re-randomised every frame so it shimmers.
+    const sparkCount = 6;
+    for (let i = 0; i < sparkCount; i++) {
+        if (Math.random() > 0.55 * a + 0.2) continue;     // intermittent
+        const ang = Math.random() * Math.PI * 2;
+        const inR = r * 0.45;
+        const len = r * (0.7 + Math.random() * 1.6) * (0.5 + 0.5 * a);
+        hwState.ctx.globalAlpha = a * (0.45 + Math.random() * 0.55);
+        hwState.ctx.strokeStyle = Math.random() < 0.5 ? '#ffffff' : col;
+        hwState.ctx.lineWidth = Math.max(1, r * (0.08 + Math.random() * 0.08));
+        hwState.ctx.beginPath();
+        hwState.ctx.moveTo(cx + Math.cos(ang) * inR, cy + Math.sin(ang) * inR);
+        hwState.ctx.lineTo(cx + Math.cos(ang) * (inR + len), cy + Math.sin(ang) * (inR + len));
+        hwState.ctx.stroke();
+    }
+
+    // Flickering white-hot core.
+    hwState.ctx.globalCompositeOperation = 'lighter';
+    hwState.ctx.globalAlpha = a * (0.55 + Math.random() * 0.45);
+    hwState.ctx.fillStyle = '#ffffff';
+    hwState.ctx.beginPath();
+    hwState.ctx.arc(cx, cy, r * (0.30 + Math.random() * 0.14), 0, Math.PI * 2);
+    hwState.ctx.fill();
+
+    // Crisp bright rim.
+    hwState.ctx.globalCompositeOperation = 'source-over';
+    hwState.ctx.globalAlpha = a;
+    hwState.ctx.strokeStyle = col;
+    hwState.ctx.lineWidth = Math.max(2, r * 0.2);
+    hwState.ctx.beginPath();
+    hwState.ctx.arc(cx, cy, r * 0.95, 0, Math.PI * 2);
+    hwState.ctx.stroke();
+
+    hwState.ctx.restore();
+}

static/js/host.js

@@ -0,0 +1,99 @@
+// The host seam — how a carved-out module calls back into app.js.
+//
+// WHY THIS EXISTS. What is left in app.js is not a tree, it is a cycle: seeding a
+// dependency closure from count-in, from loops, from section-practice, or from the
+// JUCE seek shim all return the SAME 178-function set, and setLoop() and
+// practiceSection() call each other directly. So a module carved out of that
+// component will always need to call back into app.js — and it cannot `import`
+// app.js to do it, because app.js imports the module, and that closes a cycle the
+// import-x/no-cycle gate (rightly) rejects.
+//
+// So app.js hands its functions DOWN, once, at boot: `configureHost({ playSong, … })`.
+//
+// ─── THE FAILURE MODE THIS IS BUILT TO PREVENT ───────────────────────────────
+//
+// The obvious way to write this is a plain object with no-op defaults. That is a
+// TRAP, and we walked into it once already: the plugin loader's host seam defaulted
+// `populateVizPicker` to `() => {}`, which means that if the wiring call in app.js
+// is ever dropped, renamed, or drifts, the loader keeps running, the viz picker
+// silently stops refreshing, and NOTHING — no test, no boot check, no bot — says a
+// word. A feature just quietly stops existing.
+//
+// Two layers stop that here, and the second is the one that actually closes it:
+//
+//   1. RUNTIME — reading an unwired hook THROWS. There are no defaults and no
+//      stubs. `host.playSong` either is the real function or it is a loud error.
+//      An unwired hook cannot degrade into a no-op, because there is nothing for
+//      it to degrade INTO.
+//
+//   2. STATIC — tests/js/host_contract.test.js asserts that the set of hooks the
+//      modules USE is exactly the set app.js WIRES. This is the important one:
+//      layer 1 only fires if the broken path actually executes, and the whole
+//      danger of this seam is paths that don't run in a smoke test. The static
+//      check catches a drifted or misspelled hook in CI, on a path nobody ran.
+//
+// Consequence for anyone adding a hook: add it to the configureHost({…}) call in
+// app.js *and* use it as `host.<name>`. The contract test fails on either alone —
+// deliberately. A hook wired but never used is dead weight; a hook used but never
+// wired is a bug that would otherwise hide.
+
+const _hooks = Object.create(null);
+let _configured = false;
+
+/**
+ * Called ONCE by app.js at boot, before any carved module runs. Every value must
+ * be a function — a hook that is accidentally `undefined` (a typo, a renamed
+ * export, a dropped line) fails HERE, at startup, rather than silently much later.
+ */
+export function configureHost(hooks) {
+    if (_configured) {
+        throw new Error('[host] configureHost() called twice — it must be wired exactly once, at boot.');
+    }
+    const bad = Object.entries(hooks || {})
+        .filter(([, v]) => typeof v !== 'function')
+        .map(([k]) => k);
+    if (bad.length) {
+        throw new Error(
+            `[host] these hooks are not functions: ${bad.join(', ')}. `
+            + 'A hook is usually undefined because it was renamed or its line was dropped.',
+        );
+    }
+    Object.assign(_hooks, hooks);
+    _configured = true;
+}
+
+/**
+ * The seam itself. Reading a hook that was never wired THROWS — it never returns
+ * undefined and never returns a silent no-op. See the note at the top: a no-op
+ * default is precisely the bug this module exists to make impossible.
+ */
+export const host = new Proxy(Object.create(null), {
+    get(_target, name) {
+        if (typeof name === 'symbol') return undefined;   // let JS probe it freely
+        if (!_configured) {
+            throw new Error(
+                `[host] host.${name} was read before configureHost() ran. `
+                + 'app.js must call configureHost() at boot, before any carved module executes.',
+            );
+        }
+        const fn = _hooks[name];
+        if (typeof fn !== 'function') {
+            throw new Error(
+                `[host] host.${name} is not wired. Add it to the configureHost({ … }) `
+                + 'call in app.js. (tests/js/host_contract.test.js should have caught this in CI.)',
+            );
+        }
+        return fn;
+    },
+    // Keep the object honest for anything that introspects it.
+    has(_target, name) { return name in _hooks; },
+    ownKeys() { return Object.keys(_hooks); },
+    getOwnPropertyDescriptor(_target, name) {
+        return name in _hooks
+            ? { value: _hooks[name], enumerable: true, configurable: true, writable: false }
+            : undefined;
+    },
+    set(_target, name) {
+        throw new Error(`[host] host.${String(name)} is read-only — hooks are wired only via configureHost().`);
+    },
+});

static/js/library-state.js

@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+// Shared, MUTABLE library state.
+//
+// WHY A CONTAINER AND NOT PLAIN EXPORTS. An imported binding is READ-ONLY:
+// `import { _treeStats }; _treeStats = x` throws. Of the library module's 28 outward
+// bindings, 23 are only ever READ from outside, so they stay plain exports. These five
+// are genuinely WRITTEN from outside — by showScreen (session teardown bumps the epoch,
+// resets the page), deleteSongFromModal, and syncLibrarySong, none of which can move into
+// the library module because they reach the playSong/showScreen core.
+//
+// So exactly these five move onto an object, and no more. `L.treeStats = x` is a property
+// write, which works from any module holding the same `L`. Same shape as ./player-state.js.
+//
+// Add to it when a carve actually needs it, not before — a container is a shared mutable
+// global with better manners, and every field on it is a coupling you have to keep true.
+export const L = {
+    /** Library tree stats (artist -> counts), cached from /api/library/tree-stats. */
+    treeStats: null,
+    /** Same, for the favourites tree. */
+    favTreeStats: null,
+    /** Tuning names, cached from /api/library/tuning-names. */
+    tuningNames: null,
+    /**
+     * Session generation for the library. Bumped on teardown so an in-flight page fetch
+     * that resolves against a stale library can't render into the new one.
+     */
+    libEpoch: 0,
+    /** Current grid page (0-based). */
+    currentPage: 0,
+};

static/js/loops.js

@@ -0,0 +1,263 @@
+// The A–B loop — set / clear / persist, and the saved-loops list.
+//
+// The second slice out of app.js's strongly-connected core, and it owns the loop
+// state: loopA, loopB, _loopMutationGen. Nothing outside this module writes them
+// (restartCurrentSong() looked like it did, but it declares its own local shadows).
+//
+// DIRECTION MATTERS HERE. loops and section-practice are mutually dependent — the
+// SCC in miniature. clearLoop() has to drop section-practice's selection, and
+// practiceSection() has to call setLoop(). Both directions cannot be imports or the
+// no-cycle gate (rightly) rejects it. So the edge is oriented:
+//
+//     section-practice  ->  reaches loops through the HOST SEAM (host.setLoop, …)
+//     loops             ->  imports section-practice DIRECTLY
+//
+// section-practice is the higher-level feature — it is a consumer of loops, not the
+// other way round — so it is the one that gets the indirection. app.js wires this
+// module's exports into the seam for it.
+//
+// See ./host.js: reading an unwired hook THROWS, and tests/js/host_contract.test.js
+// fails CI if the hooks used here and the hooks app.js wires ever drift apart.
+import { esc, uiPrompt } from './dom.js';
+import { _audioSeek, _audioTime } from './transport.js';
+import { formatTime } from './format.js';
+import { host } from './host.js';
+import {
+    _setSectionPracticeMode,
+    _syncSectionPracticeFromLoop,
+    _updateSectionPracticeHighlight,
+    practiceSection,
+    resetSelection,
+} from './section-practice.js';
+
+// ── A-B Loop ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+export let loopA = null;
+export let loopB = null;
+// Bumped on every NON-practiceSection loop mutation (direct setLoop from Saved
+// Loops / the plugin API, and clearLoop). practiceSection() captures it and bails
+// if it changes mid-retry, so a stale section retry can't overwrite a loop the
+// user just set/cleared by another path. practiceSection's own setLoop calls pass
+// skipSectionSync and do NOT bump it (they must not supersede themselves).
+export let _loopMutationGen = 0;
+
+export function setLoopStart() {
+    loopA = _audioTime();
+    document.getElementById('btn-loop-a').className = 'px-3 py-1.5 bg-green-900/50 rounded-lg text-xs text-green-300 transition';
+    updateLoopUI();
+}
+
+export function setLoopEnd() {
+    if (loopA === null) return;
+    loopB = _audioTime();
+    if (loopB <= loopA) { loopB = null; return; }
+    document.getElementById('btn-loop-b').className = 'px-3 py-1.5 bg-green-900/50 rounded-lg text-xs text-green-300 transition';
+    updateLoopUI();
+    // Manual A/B arming is a loop mutation like setLoop()'s — emit the same
+    // transport event so event-driven consumers (note_detect drill sync) see
+    // button-armed loops without having to poll getLoop().
+    window.feedBack?.playback?.transportEvent?.('loop-set', { requesterId: 'core.loop', loopA, loopB, loop: { startTime: loopA, endTime: loopB, enabled: true, state: 'active' } });
+}
+
+export function clearLoop(options) {
+    const { emitTransportEvent = true } = options || {};
+    // playSong() clears the loop on every song load, so only signal a
+    // loop-cleared transport event when a loop was actually active —
+    // otherwise every song switch emits a spurious playback:loop-cleared.
+    const hadLoop = loopA !== null || loopB !== null;
+    _setSectionPracticeMode(false, { skipClearLoop: true });
+    loopA = null;
+    loopB = null;
+    document.getElementById('btn-loop-a').className = 'px-3 py-1.5 bg-dark-600 hover:bg-dark-500 rounded-lg text-xs text-gray-300 transition';
+    document.getElementById('btn-loop-b').className = 'px-3 py-1.5 bg-dark-600 hover:bg-dark-500 rounded-lg text-xs text-gray-300 transition';
+    document.getElementById('btn-loop-clear').classList.add('hidden');
+    document.getElementById('btn-loop-save').classList.add('hidden');
+    document.getElementById('loop-label').textContent = '';
+    document.getElementById('saved-loops').value = '';
+    resetSelection();
+    _updateSectionPracticeHighlight(_audioTime());
+    if (hadLoop && emitTransportEvent && typeof window !== 'undefined') {
+        window.feedBack?.playback?.transportEvent?.('loop-cleared', {
+            requesterId: 'core.loop',
+            reason: 'app loop cleared',
+            loop: { enabled: false, state: 'inactive' },
+        });
+    }
+}
+
+// Resync #saved-loops + #btn-loop-delete with the currently-active
+// loopA/loopB. Used by both setLoop's success path (so plugin-driven
+// loops show up correctly in the dropdown) and loadSavedLoop's
+// failure path (so a cancelled selection reverts to the still-active
+// loop). Without this sync, deleteSelectedLoop could target a stale
+// option that doesn't match the active loop.
+function _syncSavedLoopSelection() {
+    const sel = document.getElementById('saved-loops');
+    const delBtn = document.getElementById('btn-loop-delete');
+    if (!sel || !delBtn) return;
+    let selected = '';
+    if (loopA !== null && loopB !== null) {
+        for (const opt of sel.options) {
+            if (Number(opt.dataset.start) === loopA && Number(opt.dataset.end) === loopB) {
+                selected = opt.value;
+                break;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    sel.value = selected;
+    delBtn.classList.toggle('hidden', !selected);
+}
+
+// Programmatically set both loop endpoints and seek to A. The dropdown
+// path (loadSavedLoop) and the plugin-API path (window.feedBack.setLoop)
+// both funnel through here so the UI state stays canonical regardless of
+// who triggered the loop.
+//
+// Returns true if the seek landed at A and the loop is now active;
+// returns false if the seek was cancelled by teardown or landed off-target
+// (JUCE clamp / HTML5 snap > 50ms from A). On false, loopA/loopB are NOT
+// committed and the UI is not painted — the prior loop (if any) stays
+// active. Throws on invalid inputs.
+export async function setLoop(a, b, options) {
+    const { emitTransportEvent = true, skipSectionSync = false, commitGuard = null } = options || {};
+    const aNum = Number(a);
+    const bNum = Number(b);
+    if (!Number.isFinite(aNum) || !Number.isFinite(bNum) || bNum <= aNum) {
+        throw new Error(`setLoop: requires finite a and b with b > a (got a=${a}, b=${b})`);
+    }
+    // Don't arm loopA/loopB before the seek lands — the 60Hz tick's wrap
+    // detector (`ct >= loopB`) would trigger startCountIn against
+    // half-applied state.
+    const r = await _audioSeek(aNum, 'loop-set');
+    if (!r.completed || Math.abs(r.to - aNum) > 0.05) return false;
+    // Caller-owned staleness gate, re-checked after the awaited seek and before
+    // we commit loopA/loopB. practiceSection() passes this so a superseded retry
+    // (newer section click, mode turned off, or song/arrangement teardown that
+    // happened during the seek) does not arm a stale loop. Returning false here
+    // leaves the prior loop (if any) untouched, same as the off-target path.
+    if (typeof commitGuard === 'function' && !commitGuard()) return false;
+    loopA = aNum;
+    loopB = bNum;
+    // A direct (non-practice) loop set supersedes any in-flight practiceSection
+    // retry; practiceSection passes skipSectionSync and is exempt so it doesn't
+    // cancel itself.
+    if (!skipSectionSync) _loopMutationGen++;
+    document.getElementById('btn-loop-a').className = 'px-3 py-1.5 bg-green-900/50 rounded-lg text-xs text-green-300 transition';
+    document.getElementById('btn-loop-b').className = 'px-3 py-1.5 bg-green-900/50 rounded-lg text-xs text-green-300 transition';
+    updateLoopUI();
+    // Sync the saved-loops dropdown so a plugin-driven setLoop call
+    // surfaces the matching saved option (and Delete button) — otherwise
+    // the dropdown can stay on a stale selection and deleteSelectedLoop
+    // would target the wrong record.
+    _syncSavedLoopSelection();
+    // practiceSection() passes skipSectionSync: it sets its own section state
+    // under a request-gen guard, so the shared setLoop path must NOT re-sync
+    // here — otherwise a stale (superseded / mode-off) practiceSection retry
+    // that lands inside setLoop would re-arm the loop and flip the mode back on
+    // before the caller's gen check can bail. Direct callers (Saved Loops,
+    // window.feedBack.setLoop) still sync so their chip selection tracks.
+    if (!skipSectionSync && typeof _syncSectionPracticeFromLoop === 'function') {
+        _syncSectionPracticeFromLoop();
+    }
+    if (emitTransportEvent && typeof window !== 'undefined') {
+        window.feedBack?.playback?.transportEvent?.('loop-set', { requesterId: 'core.loop', loopA, loopB, loop: { startTime: loopA, endTime: loopB, enabled: true, state: 'active' } });
+    }
+    return true;
+}
+
+export function updateLoopUI() {
+    const label = document.getElementById('loop-label');
+    const hasLoop = loopA !== null && loopB !== null;
+    if (hasLoop) {
+        label.textContent = `${formatTime(loopA)} → ${formatTime(loopB)}`;
+        document.getElementById('btn-loop-clear').classList.remove('hidden');
+        document.getElementById('btn-loop-save').classList.remove('hidden');
+    } else if (loopA !== null) {
+        label.textContent = `${formatTime(loopA)} → ?`;
+        document.getElementById('btn-loop-clear').classList.add('hidden');
+        document.getElementById('btn-loop-save').classList.add('hidden');
+    } else {
+        label.textContent = '';
+    }
+    host._updateEditRegionBtn();
+}
+
+export async function loadSavedLoops() {
+    const sel = document.getElementById('saved-loops');
+    const delBtn = document.getElementById('btn-loop-delete');
+    if (!host.currentFilename()) { sel.classList.add('hidden'); delBtn.classList.add('hidden'); return; }
+
+    const resp = await fetch(`/api/loops?filename=${encodeURIComponent(decodeURIComponent(host.currentFilename()))}`);
+    const loops = await resp.json();
+
+    sel.innerHTML = '<option value="">Saved Loops</option>';
+    for (const l of loops) {
+        sel.innerHTML += `<option value="${l.id}" data-start="${l.start}" data-end="${l.end}">${esc(l.name)} (${formatTime(l.start)}→${formatTime(l.end)})</option>`;
+    }
+    if (loops.length > 0) {
+        sel.classList.remove('hidden');
+    } else {
+        sel.classList.add('hidden');
+    }
+    delBtn.classList.add('hidden');
+}
+
+export async function loadSavedLoop(loopId) {
+    const sel = document.getElementById('saved-loops');
+    const opt = sel.selectedOptions[0];
+    const delBtn = document.getElementById('btn-loop-delete');
+    if (!loopId || !opt?.dataset.start) {
+        delBtn.classList.add('hidden');
+        return;
+    }
+    let ok = false;
+    try {
+        // Pass raw strings — setLoop's Number() coercion is stricter than
+        // parseFloat (rejects "12abc") so malformed dataset values throw
+        // and fall into the catch instead of silently truncating.
+        ok = await setLoop(opt.dataset.start, opt.dataset.end);
+    } catch (err) {
+        // Malformed dataset (server returned bad data): treat the same as
+        // a failed seek so the dropdown resyncs and we don't propagate an
+        // uncaught rejection out of the onchange handler.
+        console.warn('[loadSavedLoop] setLoop threw:', err);
+        ok = false;
+    }
+    if (!ok) {
+        // Seek aborted, landed off-target, or input was malformed.
+        // Resync the dropdown with the still-active loop so the UI
+        // doesn't lie about which loop is loaded.
+        _syncSavedLoopSelection();
+        return;
+    }
+    // Success path: setLoop already called _syncSavedLoopSelection,
+    // which surfaces the delete button when the new loop matches a
+    // saved option (which the dropdown selection guarantees here).
+}
+
+export async function saveCurrentLoop() {
+    if (loopA === null || loopB === null || !host.currentFilename()) return;
+    const name = await uiPrompt({ title: 'Save Loop', label: 'Loop name', value: 'Loop', okLabel: 'Save' });
+    if (name === null) return;          // cancelled
+    const finalName = name.trim() || 'Loop';   // never persist an empty name
+    await fetch('/api/loops', {
+        method: 'POST',
+        headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
+        body: JSON.stringify({
+            filename: decodeURIComponent(host.currentFilename()),
+            name: finalName,
+            start: loopA,
+            end: loopB,
+        }),
+    });
+    await loadSavedLoops();
+    document.getElementById('btn-loop-save').classList.add('hidden');
+}
+
+export async function deleteSelectedLoop() {
+    const sel = document.getElementById('saved-loops');
+    const loopId = sel.value;
+    if (!loopId) return;
+    await fetch(`/api/loops/${loopId}`, { method: 'DELETE' });
+    clearLoop();
+    await loadSavedLoops();
+}

static/js/player-controls.js

@@ -0,0 +1,229 @@
+// Player controls — the speed and mastery sliders, and the four playback preference
+// reads (autoplay-exit, up-next, countdown-before-song, confirm-exit).
+//
+// The fourth slice out of app.js's strongly-connected core, and by far the easiest:
+// ONE hook and NO shared mutable state. It is here because these three groups are the
+// same surface (the controls under the highway) and all three reach the same helper.
+//
+// The preference reads are one-line localStorage lookups that half of app.js consults
+// before deciding whether to auto-start, show the Up Next pill, run a count-in, or
+// confirm on exit. They travel with the controls that set them.
+//
+// See ./host.js: reading an unwired hook THROWS, and tests/js/host_contract.test.js
+// fails CI if the hooks used here and the hooks app.js wires ever drift apart.
+import { audio } from './audio-el.js';
+import { host } from './host.js';
+
+// ── Autoplay & auto-exit (global option, default ON) ──────────────────
+// One toggle (`autoplayExit` in localStorage) that (a) auto-starts a song
+// once it's ready and (b) returns to the launching menu when the song
+// ends. Absence of the key means enabled. The behaviour lives in core
+// (app.js, shared by the v3 + classic UIs); the end-of-song *score*
+// screen, when present, is a plugin and hooks the contract below.
+export function _autoplayExitEnabled() {
+    try { return localStorage.getItem('autoplayExit') !== '0'; } catch (_) { return true; }
+}
+
+// ── "Up Next" pill (global option, default ON) ────────────────────────
+// Gates the v3 player chrome's persistent upcoming-section pill
+// (#v3-upnext, driven by player-chrome.js's updateUpNext). Client-only
+// localStorage pref (`showUpNext`); absence of the key means enabled.
+// player-chrome.js reads window.feedBack.showUpNext each tick and hides
+// the pill when off.
+export function _showUpNextEnabled() {
+    try { return localStorage.getItem('showUpNext') !== '0'; } catch (_) { return true; }
+}
+
+// "Countdown before song" (Gameplay tab). Mirrored to localStorage by
+// loadSettings so the song-start path can read it synchronously here — no
+// async /api/settings fetch on the play hot path. Defaults off.
+export function _countdownBeforeSongEnabled() {
+    try { return localStorage.getItem('countdownBeforeSong') === '1'; } catch (_) { return false; }
+}
+
+export function _curPlaybackSpeed() {
+    try {
+        return window._juceMode
+            ? ((window.jucePlayer && window.jucePlayer._speed) || 1)
+            : (document.getElementById('audio')?.playbackRate || 1);
+    } catch (_) { return 1; }
+}
+
+// ── "Ask before leaving a song" (Gameplay tab, default OFF) ────────────────
+// Client-only localStorage pref (`confirmExitSong`); absence = OFF. When ON, a
+// *user-initiated* exit (Escape, or the player ✕) opens a small confirm instead
+// of leaving immediately. Auto-exit on song-end and a results screen's own
+// Close never prompt — they call closeCurrentSong() directly, which stays the
+// unguarded actual-exit.
+export function _exitConfirmEnabled() {
+    try { return localStorage.getItem('confirmExitSong') === '1'; } catch (_) { return false; }
+}
+
+const SPEED_PRESET_PCTS = [100, 90, 80, 75, 70, 60, 50];
+const SPEED_SNAP_THRESHOLD = 0.02;
+let _speedPresetsWired = false;
+
+function _speedPresetPctFromActive(activePctOrRate) {
+    if (!Number.isFinite(activePctOrRate)) return null;
+    const rate = activePctOrRate <= 1.5 ? activePctOrRate : activePctOrRate / 100;
+    for (const pct of SPEED_PRESET_PCTS) {
+        if (Math.abs(rate - pct / 100) <= SPEED_SNAP_THRESHOLD) return pct;
+    }
+    return null;
+}
+
+function _updateSpeedPresetButtons(activePctOrRate) {
+    const wrap = document.getElementById('speed-presets');
+    if (!wrap) return;
+    const target = _speedPresetPctFromActive(activePctOrRate);
+    for (const btn of wrap.querySelectorAll('[data-speed-preset]')) {
+        const pct = Number(btn.dataset.speedPreset);
+        btn.classList.toggle('v3-speed-preset-active', target !== null && pct === target);
+    }
+}
+
+export function applySpeedPreset(percent) {
+    const slider = document.getElementById('speed-slider');
+    if (!slider) return;
+    const pct = Math.max(
+        Number(slider.min) || 15,
+        Math.min(Number(slider.max) || 150, Number(percent)),
+    );
+    if (!Number.isFinite(pct)) return;
+    slider.value = String(pct);
+    host.handleSliderInput(slider);
+    slider.dispatchEvent(new Event('input', { bubbles: true }));
+}
+
+export function _wireSpeedPresetsOnce() {
+    if (_speedPresetsWired) return;
+    const presets = document.getElementById('speed-presets');
+    if (!presets) return;
+    _speedPresetsWired = true;
+    presets.addEventListener('click', (e) => {
+        const btn = e.target.closest('[data-speed-preset]');
+        if (!btn) return;
+        applySpeedPreset(Number(btn.dataset.speedPreset));
+    });
+}
+
+export function setSpeed(v) {
+    const speedSlider = document.getElementById('speed-slider');
+    const rate = Number(v);
+    if (!Number.isFinite(rate)) {
+        return;
+    }
+    if (window._juceMode) {
+        window.jucePlayer?.setRate(rate);
+        const juceAudio = window.feedBackDesktop?.audio;
+        Promise.resolve()
+            .then(() => juceAudio?.setBackingSpeed(rate))
+            // Match the HTML5 path: preserve pitch on the JUCE backing track too.
+            // Optional-chained call is a no-op on desktop builds that predate
+            // setBackingPreservePitch, so this is safe to ship unconditionally.
+            .then(() => juceAudio?.setBackingPreservePitch?.(true))
+            .catch(err => console.warn('[setSpeed] backing speed/preserve-pitch failed:', err));
+    } else {
+        audio.playbackRate = rate;
+    }
+    const speedLabel = document.getElementById('speed-label');
+    if (speedLabel) speedLabel.textContent = rate.toFixed(2) + 'x';
+    host.handleSliderInput(speedSlider);
+    _updateSpeedPresetButtons(rate);
+}
+
+export function _resetPlaybackSpeedForNewSong() {
+    // Reset the *actual* playback rate to 1x, not just the visible slider/label
+    // (feedBack#615). The HTML5 <audio> element and the desktop JUCE/backing
+    // engine each retain their own rate, and which one drives the next song
+    // isn't decided until later in the load, so reset all paths unconditionally.
+    // Every setter is idempotent and optional-chained, so this is safe in web
+    // and desktop builds alike — no need to branch on window._juceMode.
+    const speedSlider = document.getElementById('speed-slider');
+    if (speedSlider) speedSlider.value = 100;
+    audio.playbackRate = 1;
+    window.jucePlayer?.setRate?.(1);
+    const juceAudio = window.feedBackDesktop?.audio;
+    Promise.resolve()
+        .then(() => juceAudio?.setBackingSpeed?.(1))
+        .then(() => juceAudio?.setBackingPreservePitch?.(true))
+        .catch(err => console.warn('[resetSpeed] backing speed/preserve-pitch failed:', err));
+    // Mirror setSpeed's UI side-effects (label text + slider fill styling).
+    const speedLabel = document.getElementById('speed-label');
+    if (speedLabel) speedLabel.textContent = (1).toFixed(2) + 'x';
+    host.handleSliderInput(speedSlider);
+    _updateSpeedPresetButtons(100);
+}
+// Master-difficulty slider (feedBack#48). Persists partial via
+// /api/settings — the POST handler merges only the keys present, so
+// this fire-and-forget call doesn't clobber dlc_dir or other settings.
+//
+// Debounced trailing-edge (300ms) so dragging the slider — which fires
+// oninput per pixel — doesn't flood the server with concurrent writes
+// to config.json. window.highway.setMastery() still fires every oninput so
+// the chart re-filters in real time; only disk persistence waits.
+let _masteryPersistTimer = null;
+function _persistMastery(pct) {
+    if (_masteryPersistTimer) clearTimeout(_masteryPersistTimer);
+    _masteryPersistTimer = setTimeout(() => {
+        _masteryPersistTimer = null;
+        fetch('/api/settings', {
+            method: 'POST',
+            headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
+            body: JSON.stringify({ master_difficulty: pct }),
+        }).catch(() => { /* best-effort — next setMastery() will retry */ });
+    }, 300);
+}
+export function setMastery(v) {
+    _applyMastery(v);
+}
+// Shared mastery applier. Master difficulty has two controls that write the
+// same master_difficulty key: the player-popover slider (#mastery-slider) and
+// the Gameplay-tab "Note highway speed" slider (#setting-highway-speed). Route
+// both — and loadSettings' hydration — through here so their positions,
+// labels, and track fills stay in sync regardless of which the user touches,
+// plus the live highway re-filter and the debounced persist. All element reads
+// are null-guarded since either control may be absent (follower window, or the
+// settings markup not yet rendered).
+export function _applyMastery(v, opts = {}) {
+    // Guard + clamp: v might be a slider string, a programmatic call from a
+    // plugin, or a restored settings value with a bad shape. Don't let NaN
+    // reach a label (would show "NaN%") or the POST.
+    const parsed = parseInt(v, 10);
+    if (!Number.isFinite(parsed)) return;
+    const pct = Math.max(0, Math.min(100, parsed));
+    const popLabel = document.getElementById('mastery-label');
+    if (popLabel) popLabel.textContent = pct + '%';
+    const popSlider = document.getElementById('mastery-slider');
+    if (popSlider) {
+        if (String(popSlider.value) !== String(pct)) popSlider.value = pct;
+        host.handleSliderInput(popSlider);
+    }
+    const setSlider = document.getElementById('setting-highway-speed');
+    if (setSlider) {
+        if (String(setSlider.value) !== String(pct)) setSlider.value = pct;
+        host.handleSliderInput(setSlider);
+    }
+    // The Gameplay-tab label markup appends a literal "%" after this span
+    // (matching the av-offset "ms" pattern), so write the number alone here —
+    // unlike #mastery-label above, whose markup carries no trailing unit.
+    const setLabel = document.getElementById('setting-highway-speed-val');
+    if (setLabel) setLabel.textContent = pct;
+    window.highway.setMastery(pct / 100);
+    if (!opts.skipPersist) _persistMastery(pct);
+}
+// Reflect phrase-data availability on the slider after every `ready`.
+// The server omits the `phrases` message entirely for single-level
+// sources (GP imports, legacy sloppak), so hasPhraseData() is the
+// right signal to enable/disable the slider.
+export function _applyMasteryAvailability(hasPhraseData) {
+    const slider = document.getElementById('mastery-slider');
+    if (!slider) return;
+    if (hasPhraseData) {
+        slider.disabled = false;
+        slider.title = 'Master difficulty — low = simpler chart, high = full';
+    } else {
+        slider.disabled = true;
+        slider.title = 'Source chart has a single difficulty level — slider disabled';
+    }
+}

static/js/player-state.js

@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+// Shared, MUTABLE player state.
+//
+// WHY A CONTAINER AND NOT PLAIN EXPORTS. An imported binding is read-only. Every
+// slice carved out of app.js so far has only ever READ the state it shares
+// (loopA/loopB, _audioSeekGen, currentFilename), so a getter hook was enough and no
+// container was needed. That runs out here: count-in genuinely WRITES `isPlaying`
+// (it starts and stops playback) and `lastAudioTime`. `import { isPlaying }` then
+// `isPlaying = true` throws — the binding cannot be assigned to.
+//
+// So the state moves onto an object. `S.isPlaying = true` is a property write, which
+// works from any module holding the same `S`. This is the same shape the stems,
+// studio, and editor migrations converged on.
+//
+// It is deliberately SMALL. app.js has ~104 top-level `let` scalars; lifting all of
+// them would be a ~977-site rewrite for no benefit, since most are private to one
+// cluster and travel with it. Only the ones a carved module must WRITE belong here.
+// Add to it when a carve actually needs it, not before.
+//
+// NB app.js's own 71 reference sites were rewritten mechanically — but from the AST,
+// not by text substitution. Of 100 textual occurrences of these two names, only 71
+// resolve to the module binding: 22 are member accesses (`someObj.isPlaying`), 4 are
+// the local parameter of setPlayButtonState(isPlaying), one is an object key, and two
+// are shorthand properties (`{ isPlaying }`) that must become `{ isPlaying: S.isPlaying }`.
+// A blind find-and-replace corrupts all 29.
+export const S = {
+    /** Is the transport running? Written by playback, count-in, and the JUCE shims. */
+    isPlaying: false,
+
+    /**
+     * The last audio position we saw, in seconds. Used to detect a seek that did not
+     * land where it was asked to (JUCE can clamp; HTML5 can round).
+     */
+    lastAudioTime: 0,
+
+    /**
+     * A resume request armed by playSong({ resume }) and consumed on song:ready.
+     * Written by app.js (playSong, and the song:ready listener that consumes it) and
+     * read by the resume-session module — so, like the two above, it cannot be a plain
+     * export.
+     */
+    pendingResume: null,
+};

static/js/plugin-loader.js

@@ -654,7 +654,8 @@ export async function loadPlugins() {
                         // of a cached copy keyed only by path (matches the art
                         // URL ?v=mtime convention elsewhere in this file).
                         const v = encodeURIComponent(wantedVersion);
-                        script.src = `/api/plugins/${plugin.id}/screen.js${v ? `?v=${v}` : ''}`;
+                        const query = v ? `?v=${v}` : '';
+                        script.src = _pluginScriptUrl(plugin, wantedVersion, query);
                         // Module-migration (R0): a migrated plugin declares
                         // scriptType:"module" and its screen.js is `import
                         // './src/main.js'`. A <script type="module"> fires load
@@ -844,6 +845,56 @@ export async function checkPluginUpdates() {
     btn.textContent = 'Check for Updates';
 }
 
+// ── Module re-evaluation (#879) ─────────────────────────────────────────────
+//
+// ES modules are evaluated ONCE PER URL PER DOCUMENT. Re-inserting a
+// <script type="module"> whose src the module map has already seen fires `load` but
+// does NOT re-run the body. So a ROLLBACK — reloading a version already evaluated
+// this session — silently kept the OLD module live, while onload fired and
+// loadedScripts recorded the rollback as applied. A no-op that reported success.
+// (Upgrades were fine: a new version means a new ?v=, hence a new URL.)
+//
+// Busting the ENTRY url alone does NOT fix it. A module plugin's screen.js is a
+// one-line `import './src/main.js'`, and a relative specifier resolves against the
+// base URL WITH THE QUERY STRING DROPPED — so ?v= never reaches the graph, and
+// src/main.js (where the plugin actually lives) stays cached no matter what we hang
+// off screen.js.
+//
+// So the token goes in the PATH. From /api/plugins/x/g/7/screen.js, './src/main.js'
+// resolves to /api/plugins/x/g/7/src/main.js — every relative import in the graph
+// inherits it, at every depth, with no import-specifier rewriting (which could not
+// see `import(expr)` anyway). The server ignores the token and serves identical
+// bytes.
+//
+// ─── AND THE UPGRADE PATH WAS BROKEN TOO ────────────────────────────────────
+//
+// #879 says "upgrades are fine — a new version yields a new URL". That is true of
+// screen.js and FALSE of the plugin. Driving a real browser through
+// install(1.0.0) -> upgrade(1.1.0) -> rollback(1.0.0) and counting evaluations of
+// src/main.js gives ONE. Not two, not three: ONE. The upgrade re-evaluates the
+// one-line screen.js shim at its new ?v= URL, that shim imports './src/main.js',
+// that resolves to the same URL as before, and the module map hands back the
+// ALREADY-EVALUATED v1.0.0 module. The plugin's actual code never re-ran.
+//
+// So the generation token is not a rollback special case. EVERY re-load of a module
+// plugin needs it — the key is the plugin id, NOT id@version. Only the first load of
+// a given plugin in this document takes the stable URL, which is what keeps the
+// ETag/304 live-edit contract the R0 rails depend on.
+const _evaluatedModules = new Set();   // plugin ids whose module graph is live in this document
+let _moduleReloadSeq = 0;
+
+function _pluginScriptUrl(plugin, wantedVersion, query) {
+    const base = `/api/plugins/${plugin.id}/screen.js${query}`;
+    if (plugin.script_type !== 'module') return base;   // classic scripts always re-run
+    if (!_evaluatedModules.has(plugin.id)) {
+        _evaluatedModules.add(plugin.id);
+        return base;                                    // first load: stable URL, 304-able
+    }
+    // Re-load of a module plugin — upgrade OR rollback. Its graph is already in the
+    // module map, so it needs an entirely fresh path or nothing below screen.js re-runs.
+    return `/api/plugins/${plugin.id}/g/${++_moduleReloadSeq}/screen.js${query}`;
+}
+
 export async function updatePlugin(pluginId, btn) {
     btn.disabled = true;
     btn.textContent = 'Updating...';

static/js/resume-session.js

@@ -0,0 +1,157 @@
+// Resume last session — the snapshot taken when you leave a song, and the pill that
+// offers it back.
+//
+// The fifth slice out of app.js's strongly-connected core. Small and self-contained:
+// ONE hook (playSong) plus a currentFilename getter.
+//
+// The armed resume request itself lives on the shared container as S.pendingResume,
+// not here, because app.js WRITES it — playSong({ resume }) arms it and the song:ready
+// listener consumes it — while this module reads it. An imported binding is read-only,
+// so shared mutable state has to live on the container. Same reason isPlaying does.
+//
+// See ./host.js: reading an unwired hook THROWS, and tests/js/host_contract.test.js
+// fails CI if the hooks used here and the hooks app.js wires ever drift apart.
+import { host } from './host.js';
+import { _curPlaybackSpeed } from './player-controls.js';
+import { S } from './player-state.js';
+
+// ── Resume last session ────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+// Leaving a song snapshots where you were — song, arrangement, position, and
+// speed — so an exit (especially an accidental one, now that Escape reliably
+// leaves regardless of focus) is recoverable instead of restarting from bar 1.
+// The snapshot is offered back through a non-blocking "Resume" pill; it never
+// gates, blocks, or auto-acts. Cleared on natural song-end and once consumed.
+// (This is the player-session slice; the broader nav/state-resume work — e.g.
+// returning to a song after wandering into Settings → Tone Builder — is a
+// separate, larger track.)
+const _RESUME_KEY = 'feedBack.resumeSession';
+const _RESUME_MAX_AGE_MS = 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000;   // a day-old snapshot is stale
+const _RESUME_MIN_POSITION_S = 3;                  // ignore barely-started songs
+const _RESUME_END_GUARD_S = 5;                      // ignore basically-finished songs
+let _resumePillDismissed = false;                   // per-session: user waved off the current snapshot
+
+// Snapshot the live session. Called from showScreen()'s teardown before
+// window.highway.stop()/audio unload, while getSongInfo() + position are still valid.
+export function _snapshotResumeSession(position) {
+    try {
+        if (!host.currentFilename()) return;
+        const si = (window.highway && typeof window.highway.getSongInfo === 'function')
+            ? (window.highway.getSongInfo() || {}) : {};
+        const dur = Number(si.duration) || 0;
+        const pos = Number(position) || 0;
+        // Only worth resuming a song you were genuinely mid-way through — not a
+        // glance at the first seconds, and not one that already basically ended.
+        if (pos < _RESUME_MIN_POSITION_S) { _clearResumeSession(); return; }
+        if (dur && pos > dur - _RESUME_END_GUARD_S) { _clearResumeSession(); return; }
+        const snap = {
+            f: host.currentFilename(),
+            a: (typeof si.arrangement_index === 'number' && si.arrangement_index >= 0)
+                ? si.arrangement_index : undefined,
+            t: pos,
+            sp: _curPlaybackSpeed(),
+            title: si.title || '',
+            artist: si.artist || '',
+            ts: Date.now(),
+        };
+        localStorage.setItem(_RESUME_KEY, JSON.stringify(snap));
+        // A fresh snapshot earns one offer — undo any earlier dismissal.
+        _resumePillDismissed = false;
+    } catch (_) { /* storage unavailable — resume is best-effort */ }
+}
+
+export function _readResumeSession() {
+    try {
+        const raw = localStorage.getItem(_RESUME_KEY);
+        if (!raw) return null;
+        const snap = JSON.parse(raw);
+        if (!snap || !snap.f || !(Number(snap.t) > 0)) return null;
+        if (!snap.ts || Date.now() - snap.ts > _RESUME_MAX_AGE_MS) { _clearResumeSession(); return null; }
+        return snap;
+    } catch (_) { return null; }
+}
+
+export function _clearResumeSession() {
+    try { localStorage.removeItem(_RESUME_KEY); } catch (_) {}
+}
+
+// Re-enter the snapshotted song and restore arrangement + position + speed.
+export async function resumeLastSession() {
+    const snap = _readResumeSession();
+    if (!snap) { _hideResumePill(); return false; }
+    _hideResumePill();
+    try {
+        await host.playSong(snap.f, snap.a, {
+            resume: { position: Number(snap.t) || 0, speed: Number(snap.sp) || 1 },
+        });
+    } catch (err) {
+        // A transient load/connect failure must not strand the user: keep the
+        // snapshot so the pill can re-offer it on the next non-player screen,
+        // rather than consuming the only copy before the song actually loaded.
+        console.warn('[app] resume failed to load; keeping snapshot:', err);
+        S.pendingResume = null;
+        return false;
+    }
+    _clearResumeSession();   // consumed only after a successful load
+    return true;
+}
+
+// ── Resume pill (non-blocking "continue where you left off") ────────────────
+// Self-contained, inline-styled, body-appended so it works identically in the
+// classic (v2) and v3 shells with no Tailwind rebuild. It only ever appears off
+// the player screen, never blocks, and a dismiss forgets the current snapshot
+// for the session.
+export function _hideResumePill() {
+    const el = document.getElementById('fb-resume-pill');
+    if (el) el.remove();
+}
+
+export function _maybeShowResumePill() {
+    const active = document.querySelector('.screen.active');
+    if (active && active.id === 'player') { _hideResumePill(); return; }
+    if (_resumePillDismissed) return;
+    const snap = _readResumeSession();
+    if (!snap) { _hideResumePill(); return; }
+    if (document.getElementById('fb-resume-pill')) return;   // already shown
+
+    const label = (snap.title || decodeURIComponent(snap.f || 'your last song')).toString();
+    const pill = document.createElement('div');
+    pill.id = 'fb-resume-pill';
+    pill.setAttribute('role', 'status');
+    pill.style.cssText = [
+        'position:fixed', 'left:16px', 'bottom:16px', 'z-index:120',
+        'display:flex', 'align-items:center', 'gap:10px',
+        'max-width:min(90vw,360px)', 'padding:10px 12px',
+        'background:rgba(17,24,39,0.96)', 'color:#e5e7eb',
+        'border:1px solid rgba(148,163,184,0.25)', 'border-radius:10px',
+        'box-shadow:0 6px 24px rgba(0,0,0,0.4)',
+        'font:13px/1.3 system-ui,-apple-system,"Segoe UI",Roboto,sans-serif',
+    ].join(';');
+
+    const text = document.createElement('div');
+    text.style.cssText = 'flex:1;min-width:0';
+    const t1 = document.createElement('div');
+    t1.textContent = 'Resume practice';
+    t1.style.cssText = 'font-weight:600;color:#fff';
+    const t2 = document.createElement('div');
+    t2.textContent = label;
+    t2.style.cssText = 'opacity:0.7;white-space:nowrap;overflow:hidden;text-overflow:ellipsis';
+    text.appendChild(t1); text.appendChild(t2);
+
+    const resumeBtn = document.createElement('button');
+    resumeBtn.type = 'button';
+    resumeBtn.textContent = 'Resume ▸';
+    resumeBtn.style.cssText = 'flex:none;padding:6px 10px;border:0;border-radius:7px;background:#4080e0;color:#fff;font-weight:600;cursor:pointer';
+    resumeBtn.addEventListener('click', () => { resumeLastSession(); });
+
+    const dismissBtn = document.createElement('button');
+    dismissBtn.type = 'button';
+    dismissBtn.setAttribute('aria-label', 'Dismiss');
+    dismissBtn.textContent = '✕';
+    dismissBtn.style.cssText = 'flex:none;padding:4px 6px;border:0;border-radius:7px;background:transparent;color:#9ca3af;cursor:pointer;font-size:14px';
+    dismissBtn.addEventListener('click', () => { _resumePillDismissed = true; _hideResumePill(); });
+
+    pill.appendChild(text);
+    pill.appendChild(resumeBtn);
+    pill.appendChild(dismissBtn);
+    (document.body || document.documentElement).appendChild(pill);
+}