diff --git a/src/app.rs b/src/app.rs
index 63f3007..63e24a6 100644
--- a/src/app.rs
+++ b/src/app.rs
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ use eframe::egui;
 
 use crate::config::Config;
 use crate::database::Database;
-use crate::downloader::{detect_url_kind, Downloader, JobState, UrlKind};
+use crate::downloader::{detect_url_kind, DownloadQuality, Downloader, JobState, UrlKind};
 use crate::library::{self, Video};
 use crate::theme;
 
@@ -35,14 +35,18 @@ enum SortMode {
     DurationDesc,
     SizeAsc,
     SizeDesc,
+    DateDesc,
+    DateAsc,
 }
 
 #[derive(Clone, PartialEq)]
 enum SidebarView {
+    Channels,
     All,
     Channel(usize),
     Playlist(usize, usize),
     ContinueWatching,
+    Music,
 }
 
 struct Card {
@@ -54,6 +58,7 @@ struct Card {
     has_live_chat: bool,
     duration_secs: Option<f64>,
     file_size: Option<u64>,
+    upload_date: Option<String>,
     watched: bool,
     resume_pos: Option<f64>,
 }
@@ -71,13 +76,19 @@ pub struct App {
     show_settings: bool,
     dl_url: String,
     dl_full_scan: bool,
+    dl_quality: DownloadQuality,
+    dl_music_mode: bool,
     textures: HashMap<PathBuf, Option<egui::TextureHandle>>,
     thumb_request_tx: Sender<PathBuf>,
     thumb_result_rx: Receiver<(PathBuf, Option<egui::ColorImage>)>,
     thumb_pending: HashSet<PathBuf>,
     desc_cache: HashMap<PathBuf, String>,
     status: String,
+    music_library: Vec<library::Track>,
+    music_root: PathBuf,
     settings_dir: String,
+    settings_plex_path: String,
+    plex_status: String,
     db: Database,
     card_density: f32,
     sort_mode: SortMode,
@@ -143,9 +154,18 @@ impl App {
         let watched = db.get_watched().unwrap_or_default();
         let resume_positions = db.get_positions().unwrap_or_default();
 
+        let music_root = channels_root.with_file_name("music");
+        let music_library = library::scan_music(&music_root);
+
+        let max_concurrent = config.backup.max_concurrent;
+        let use_bundled_ytdlp = config.backup.use_bundled_ytdlp;
         let browser = config.player.browser.clone();
         let config_bind = config.web.bind.clone();
         let password_set = db.get_setting("password_hash").ok().flatten().is_some();
+        let plex_path_str = config.plex.library_path
+            .as_deref()
+            .map(|p| p.display().to_string())
+            .unwrap_or_default();
 
         let (cookies_pick_tx, cookies_pick_rx) = std::sync::mpsc::channel::<PathBuf>();
 
@@ -171,18 +191,24 @@ impl App {
             sidebar_view: SidebarView::All,
             selected_video: None,
             search: String::new(),
-            downloader: Downloader::new(channels_root, browser),
+            downloader: Downloader::new(channels_root, browser, max_concurrent, use_bundled_ytdlp),
             show_downloads: false,
             show_settings: false,
             dl_url: String::new(),
-            dl_full_scan: false,
+            dl_full_scan: true,
+            dl_quality: DownloadQuality::Best,
+            dl_music_mode: false,
             textures: HashMap::new(),
             thumb_request_tx,
             thumb_result_rx,
             thumb_pending: HashSet::new(),
             desc_cache: HashMap::new(),
             status,
+            music_library,
+            music_root,
             settings_dir,
+            settings_plex_path: plex_path_str,
+            plex_status: String::new(),
             db,
             card_density: 1.0,
             sort_mode: SortMode::Title,
@@ -213,6 +239,7 @@ impl App {
 
     fn rescan(&mut self) {
         self.library = library::scan_channels(&self.channels_root);
+        self.music_library = library::scan_music(&self.music_root);
         self.sidebar_view = SidebarView::All;
         self.selected_video = None;
         self.desc_cache.clear();
@@ -273,12 +300,14 @@ impl App {
                 has_live_chat: v.has_live_chat,
                 duration_secs: v.duration_secs,
                 file_size: v.file_size,
+                upload_date: v.upload_date.clone(),
                 watched: self.watched.contains(&v.id),
                 resume_pos,
             });
         };
 
         match &self.sidebar_view {
+            SidebarView::Channels | SidebarView::Music => { return cards; } // rendered separately
             SidebarView::ContinueWatching => {
                 for ch in &self.library {
                     for v in ch.videos.iter().chain(ch.playlists.iter().flat_map(|p| p.videos.iter())) {
@@ -336,23 +365,29 @@ impl App {
                 cards.sort_by_key(|c| c.file_size.unwrap_or(0));
                 cards.reverse();
             }
+            SortMode::DateDesc => {
+                // Empty/missing dates sort to the end of "newest first".
+                cards.sort_by(|a, b| b.upload_date.as_deref().unwrap_or("").cmp(a.upload_date.as_deref().unwrap_or("")));
+            }
+            SortMode::DateAsc => {
+                // Empty/missing dates sort to the end of "oldest first" too.
+                cards.sort_by(|a, b| {
+                    match (a.upload_date.as_deref(), b.upload_date.as_deref()) {
+                        (Some(x), Some(y)) => x.cmp(y),
+                        (Some(_), None) => std::cmp::Ordering::Less,
+                        (None, Some(_)) => std::cmp::Ordering::Greater,
+                        (None, None) => std::cmp::Ordering::Equal,
+                    }
+                });
+            }
         }
 
         cards
     }
 
     fn find_video_by_id(&self, id: &str) -> Option<(Video, String)> {
-        for channel in &self.library {
-            if let Some(v) = channel.videos.iter().find(|v| v.id == id) {
-                return Some((v.clone(), channel.name.clone()));
-            }
-            for playlist in &channel.playlists {
-                if let Some(v) = playlist.videos.iter().find(|v| v.id == id) {
-                    return Some((v.clone(), channel.name.clone()));
-                }
-            }
-        }
-        None
+        library::find_video(&self.library, id)
+            .map(|(v, ch)| (v.clone(), ch.name.clone()))
     }
 
     fn texture(&mut self, _ctx: &egui::Context, path: &Path) -> Option<egui::TextureHandle> {
@@ -381,7 +416,14 @@ impl App {
 
     fn play_with_tracking(&mut self, path: &Path, video_id: String) {
         let cmd = self.config.player.command.clone();
-        let use_mpv_ipc = cmd.contains("mpv");
+        // Only enable IPC for genuine mpv invocations — substring matching
+        // would also fire for things like `mympv-wrapper`, `gnomempv`, etc.,
+        // which don't implement the JSON-IPC protocol.
+        let exe = std::path::Path::new(&cmd)
+            .file_name()
+            .and_then(|s| s.to_str())
+            .unwrap_or(cmd.as_str());
+        let use_mpv_ipc = exe == "mpv" || exe == "mpv.exe";
 
         #[cfg(unix)]
         let sock_path = format!("/tmp/yt-offline-{video_id}.sock");
@@ -501,7 +543,7 @@ impl App {
             .collect();
         for url in urls {
             let kind = detect_url_kind(&url);
-            self.downloader.start(url, &kind, false);
+            self.downloader.start(url, &kind, true, DownloadQuality::Best);
             count += 1;
         }
         self.status = format!("Scheduled check: started {} channel downloads", count);
@@ -582,6 +624,9 @@ impl App {
                     self.show_settings = !self.show_settings;
                     if self.show_settings {
                         self.settings_dir = self.channels_root.display().to_string();
+                        self.settings_plex_path = self.config.plex.library_path
+                            .as_deref().map(|p| p.display().to_string()).unwrap_or_default();
+                        self.plex_status.clear();
                         self.settings_bind_mode =
                             crate::web::bind_mode_of(&self.config.web.bind).to_string();
                         self.settings_password_enabled =
@@ -616,6 +661,17 @@ impl App {
                     let total: usize = self.library.iter().map(|c| c.total_videos()).sum();
                     let resume_count = self.resume_positions.len();
 
+                    if ui
+                        .selectable_label(
+                            self.sidebar_view == SidebarView::Channels,
+                            format!("⊟ Channels  ({})", self.library.len()),
+                        )
+                        .clicked()
+                    {
+                        self.sidebar_view = SidebarView::Channels;
+                        self.selected_video = None;
+                    }
+
                     if ui
                         .selectable_label(
                             self.sidebar_view == SidebarView::All,
@@ -640,6 +696,18 @@ impl App {
                         }
                     }
 
+                    let music_count = self.music_library.len();
+                    if ui
+                        .selectable_label(
+                            self.sidebar_view == SidebarView::Music,
+                            format!("♫ Music  ({music_count})"),
+                        )
+                        .clicked()
+                    {
+                        self.sidebar_view = SidebarView::Music;
+                        self.selected_video = None;
+                    }
+
                     ui.separator();
 
                     // Collect any right-click download action outside the loop
@@ -718,7 +786,7 @@ impl App {
                     // Process deferred right-click download action
                     if let Some((url, ch_name)) = pending_ch_download {
                         let kind = detect_url_kind(&url);
-                        self.downloader.start(url, &kind, self.dl_full_scan);
+                        self.downloader.start(url, &kind, !self.dl_full_scan, DownloadQuality::Best);
                         self.status = format!("Checking {} for new videos…", ch_name);
                     }
                 });
@@ -759,14 +827,39 @@ impl App {
                     }
                 }
 
-                ui.checkbox(&mut self.dl_full_scan, "Full scan (check every video, fills gaps)");
+                ui.horizontal(|ui| {
+                    ui.selectable_value(&mut self.dl_music_mode, false, "🎬 Video");
+                    ui.selectable_value(&mut self.dl_music_mode, true, "🎵 Music");
+                });
+
+                if self.dl_music_mode {
+                    ui.label(egui::RichText::new("Audio-only — saves to music/ directory").small().weak());
+                } else {
+                    ui.horizontal(|ui| {
+                        ui.label("Quality:");
+                        egui::ComboBox::from_id_salt("dl_quality")
+                            .selected_text(self.dl_quality.label())
+                            .show_ui(ui, |ui| {
+                                for &q in DownloadQuality::all() {
+                                    ui.selectable_value(&mut self.dl_quality, q, q.label());
+                                }
+                            });
+                    });
+                    ui.checkbox(&mut self.dl_full_scan, "Fast mode (stop at first already-downloaded video)")
+                        .on_hover_text("Faster for large channels but may miss new videos if gaps exist in the archive. Leave off to check every video.");
+                }
 
                 let ready = !self.dl_url.trim().is_empty();
                 if ui.add_enabled(ready, egui::Button::new("⬇  Start download")).clicked() {
                     let url = self.dl_url.trim().to_string();
                     let dest = dest_preview.clone();
-                    self.downloader.start(url, &kind, self.dl_full_scan);
-                    self.status = format!("Downloading: {dest}");
+                    if self.dl_music_mode {
+                        self.downloader.start_music(url);
+                        self.status = "Downloading music…".to_string();
+                    } else {
+                        self.downloader.start(url, &kind, !self.dl_full_scan, self.dl_quality);
+                        self.status = format!("Downloading: {dest}");
+                    }
                 }
 
                 ui.separator();
@@ -780,9 +873,24 @@ impl App {
                         self.prev_job_states.clear();
                     }
                 });
-                if self.downloader.jobs.is_empty() {
+                if self.downloader.jobs.is_empty() && self.downloader.pending_count() == 0 {
                     ui.label(egui::RichText::new("Nothing queued yet.").weak());
                 }
+                let pending_count = self.downloader.pending_count();
+                if pending_count > 0 {
+                    let max = self.downloader.max_concurrent;
+                    ui.label(
+                        egui::RichText::new(format!(
+                            "⏳ {pending_count} queued (max {max} concurrent)"
+                        ))
+                        .small()
+                        .weak(),
+                    );
+                    let snapshots = self.downloader.pending_snapshots();
+                    for (label, _url) in &snapshots {
+                        ui.label(egui::RichText::new(format!("  · {label}")).small().weak());
+                    }
+                }
                 let mut remove_job: Option<usize> = None;
                 egui::ScrollArea::vertical().show(ui, |ui| {
                     let n = self.downloader.jobs.len();
@@ -811,7 +919,7 @@ impl App {
                                 if job.state == JobState::Running {
                                     ui.add(egui::ProgressBar::new(job.progress).show_percentage());
                                 }
-                                let last = job.log.last().map(String::as_str).unwrap_or("");
+                                let last = job.log.back().map(String::as_str).unwrap_or("");
                                 if !last.is_empty() {
                                     ui.label(egui::RichText::new(last).small().monospace());
                                 }
@@ -1046,6 +1154,36 @@ impl App {
                         );
                         ui.end_row();
 
+                        ui.label("Max concurrent downloads:");
+                        ui.add(
+                            egui::DragValue::new(&mut self.config.backup.max_concurrent)
+                                .range(1..=10),
+                        )
+                        .on_hover_text("Maximum simultaneous yt-dlp processes. Extra downloads queue automatically.");
+                        ui.end_row();
+
+                        ui.label("yt-dlp binary:");
+                        ui.horizontal(|ui| {
+                            ui.radio_value(&mut self.config.backup.use_bundled_ytdlp, false, "System")
+                                .on_hover_text("Use whatever yt-dlp is on PATH.");
+                            ui.radio_value(&mut self.config.backup.use_bundled_ytdlp, true, "Bundled")
+                                .on_hover_text("Use the yt-dlp + deno installed under ~/.local/share/yt-offline/bin/.");
+                            let installed = crate::ytdlp_bin::bundled_installed();
+                            let btn_label = if installed { "Update" } else { "Install" };
+                            if ui.button(btn_label)
+                                .on_hover_text("Download (or update) the bundled yt-dlp + deno from GitHub. Streams output as a job.")
+                                .clicked()
+                            {
+                                self.downloader.start_ytdlp_update();
+                            }
+                            if installed {
+                                ui.label(egui::RichText::new("✓ installed").weak().small());
+                            } else {
+                                ui.label(egui::RichText::new("not installed").weak().small());
+                            }
+                        });
+                        ui.end_row();
+
                         ui.label("Web UI port:");
                         ui.add(
                             egui::DragValue::new(&mut self.config.web.port)
@@ -1171,6 +1309,46 @@ impl App {
                         ui.end_row();
                     });
 
+                ui.add_space(8.0);
+                ui.separator();
+                ui.heading("Plex");
+                ui.add_space(4.0);
+                ui.label("Plex library path:");
+                ui.horizontal(|ui| {
+                    ui.add(
+                        egui::TextEdit::singleline(&mut self.settings_plex_path)
+                            .hint_text("/media/plex/YouTube")
+                            .desired_width(300.0),
+                    );
+                });
+                ui.label(
+                    egui::RichText::new(
+                        "Creates a TV-show symlink tree here. Point a Plex TV library at this folder.",
+                    )
+                    .small()
+                    .weak(),
+                );
+                ui.horizontal(|ui| {
+                    let can_generate = !self.settings_plex_path.trim().is_empty();
+                    if ui.add_enabled(can_generate, egui::Button::new("⟳ Generate Plex library")).clicked() {
+                        let plex_path = PathBuf::from(self.settings_plex_path.trim());
+                        let result = crate::plex::generate(&self.library, &plex_path);
+                        self.plex_status = if result.errors.is_empty() {
+                            format!("{} link(s) created/updated", result.links_created)
+                        } else {
+                            format!(
+                                "{} link(s) created, {} error(s): {}",
+                                result.links_created,
+                                result.errors.len(),
+                                result.errors.first().unwrap_or(&String::new())
+                            )
+                        };
+                    }
+                    if !self.plex_status.is_empty() {
+                        ui.label(egui::RichText::new(&self.plex_status).small());
+                    }
+                });
+
                 ui.add_space(8.0);
                 ui.separator();
                 ui.add_space(4.0);
@@ -1181,6 +1359,14 @@ impl App {
                         let dir_changed = new_dir != self.config.backup.directory;
                         self.config.backup.directory = new_dir.clone();
 
+                        // Plex library path
+                        let plex_trimmed = self.settings_plex_path.trim();
+                        self.config.plex.library_path = if plex_trimmed.is_empty() {
+                            None
+                        } else {
+                            Some(PathBuf::from(plex_trimmed))
+                        };
+
                         // Resolve the chosen interface to a concrete bind address.
                         let new_bind = crate::web::resolve_bind_mode(&self.settings_bind_mode);
                         let bind_changed = new_bind != self.config.web.bind;
@@ -1212,6 +1398,8 @@ impl App {
                             Ok(_) => self.status = "Settings saved.".to_string(),
                             Err(e) => self.status = format!("Error saving config: {e}"),
                         }
+                        self.downloader.max_concurrent = self.config.backup.max_concurrent;
+                        self.downloader.use_bundled_ytdlp = self.config.backup.use_bundled_ytdlp;
                         if dir_changed {
                             self.channels_root = new_dir.clone();
                             self.downloader.channels_root = new_dir;
@@ -1327,7 +1515,154 @@ impl App {
             });
     }
 
+    fn channel_grid(&mut self, ctx: &egui::Context, ui: &mut egui::Ui) {
+        let density = self.card_density;
+        let thumb_w = (176.0 * density).round();
+        let thumb_h = (99.0 * density).round();
+        let card_w = thumb_w + 4.0; // 2px border each side
+
+        egui::ScrollArea::vertical().auto_shrink([false, false]).show(ui, |ui| {
+            let available_w = ui.available_width();
+            let cols = ((available_w / (card_w + 12.0)) as usize).max(1);
+            let n = self.library.len();
+
+            for row_start in (0..n).step_by(cols) {
+                ui.horizontal(|ui| {
+                    for i in row_start..(row_start + cols).min(n) {
+                        // Collect data we need without holding a borrow into self.library
+                        let (name, total, size_bytes, thumb_path) = {
+                            let ch = &self.library[i];
+                            let thumb = ch.videos.iter()
+                                .chain(ch.playlists.iter().flat_map(|p| p.videos.iter()))
+                                .find_map(|v| v.thumb_path.clone());
+                            (ch.name.clone(), ch.total_videos(), ch.total_size_cached, thumb)
+                        };
+
+                        ui.push_id(i, |ui| {
+                            let (card_rect, card_resp) = ui.allocate_exact_size(
+                                egui::vec2(card_w, thumb_h + 46.0 * density),
+                                egui::Sense::click(),
+                            );
+                            let visuals = ui.visuals();
+                            let border_color = if card_resp.hovered() {
+                                visuals.selection.bg_fill
+                            } else {
+                                visuals.widgets.noninteractive.bg_stroke.color
+                            };
+                            ui.painter().rect_stroke(card_rect, 6.0, egui::Stroke::new(2.0, border_color));
+
+                            let thumb_rect = egui::Rect::from_min_size(
+                                card_rect.min + egui::vec2(2.0, 2.0),
+                                egui::vec2(thumb_w, thumb_h),
+                            );
+                            let texture = thumb_path.as_ref().and_then(|p| self.texture(ctx, p));
+                            match &texture {
+                                Some(handle) => {
+                                    egui::Image::new(handle)
+                                        .maintain_aspect_ratio(true)
+                                        .paint_at(ui, thumb_rect);
+                                }
+                                None => {
+                                    ui.painter().rect_filled(thumb_rect, 4.0, egui::Color32::from_gray(30));
+                                    ui.painter().text(
+                                        thumb_rect.center(),
+                                        egui::Align2::CENTER_CENTER,
+                                        "📺",
+                                        egui::FontId::proportional(28.0 * density),
+                                        egui::Color32::from_gray(100),
+                                    );
+                                }
+                            }
+
+                            let text_top = card_rect.min + egui::vec2(6.0, thumb_h + 6.0);
+                            ui.painter().text(
+                                text_top,
+                                egui::Align2::LEFT_TOP,
+                                &name,
+                                egui::FontId::proportional(13.0 * density),
+                                visuals.text_color(),
+                            );
+                            let sub = format!(
+                                "{} video{}{}",
+                                total,
+                                if total == 1 { "" } else { "s" },
+                                if size_bytes > 0 { format!(" · {}", format_size(size_bytes)) } else { String::new() }
+                            );
+                            ui.painter().text(
+                                text_top + egui::vec2(0.0, 16.0 * density),
+                                egui::Align2::LEFT_TOP,
+                                &sub,
+                                egui::FontId::proportional(11.0 * density),
+                                visuals.weak_text_color(),
+                            );
+
+                            if card_resp.clicked() {
+                                self.sidebar_view = SidebarView::Channel(i);
+                                self.selected_video = None;
+                            }
+                        });
+                        ui.add_space(8.0);
+                    }
+                });
+                ui.add_space(8.0);
+            }
+        });
+    }
+
+    fn music_view(&mut self, ui: &mut egui::Ui) {
+        ui.heading("Music");
+        if self.music_library.is_empty() {
+            ui.label(egui::RichText::new(
+                "No tracks yet. Download audio with Music mode in the Downloads panel."
+            ).weak());
+            return;
+        }
+        let mut current_artist = String::new();
+        egui::ScrollArea::vertical().show(ui, |ui| {
+            for track in &self.music_library {
+                if track.artist != current_artist {
+                    current_artist = track.artist.clone();
+                    ui.add_space(6.0);
+                    ui.label(egui::RichText::new(&track.artist).strong());
+                    ui.separator();
+                }
+                ui.push_id(&track.id, |ui| {
+                    ui.horizontal(|ui| {
+                        let dur = track.duration_secs
+                            .map(|s| {
+                                let m = s as u64 / 60;
+                                let sec = s as u64 % 60;
+                                format!("{m}:{sec:02}")
+                            })
+                            .unwrap_or_default();
+                        if ui.selectable_label(false, &track.title).clicked() {
+                            if let Err(e) = Command::new(&self.config.player.command)
+                                .arg(&track.path)
+                                .spawn()
+                            {
+                                self.status = format!("Could not open player: {e}");
+                            }
+                        }
+                        if !dur.is_empty() {
+                            ui.with_layout(egui::Layout::right_to_left(egui::Align::Center), |ui| {
+                                ui.label(egui::RichText::new(dur).small().weak());
+                            });
+                        }
+                    });
+                });
+            }
+        });
+    }
+
     fn video_list(&mut self, ctx: &egui::Context, ui: &mut egui::Ui) {
+        if self.sidebar_view == SidebarView::Channels {
+            self.channel_grid(ctx, ui);
+            return;
+        }
+        if self.sidebar_view == SidebarView::Music {
+            self.music_view(ui);
+            return;
+        }
         let cards = self.cards_take();
         let show_channel = !matches!(self.sidebar_view, SidebarView::Channel(_) | SidebarView::Playlist(_, _));
 
@@ -1394,6 +1729,8 @@ impl App {
             }
 
             ui.with_layout(egui::Layout::right_to_left(egui::Align::Center), |ui| {
+                ui.selectable_value(&mut self.sort_mode, SortMode::DateDesc, "Newest");
+                ui.selectable_value(&mut self.sort_mode, SortMode::DateAsc, "Oldest");
                 ui.selectable_value(&mut self.sort_mode, SortMode::SizeDesc, "Largest");
                 ui.selectable_value(&mut self.sort_mode, SortMode::SizeAsc, "Smallest");
                 ui.selectable_value(&mut self.sort_mode, SortMode::DurationDesc, "Longest");
@@ -1605,12 +1942,14 @@ impl App {
 impl eframe::App for App {
     fn update(&mut self, ctx: &egui::Context, _frame: &mut eframe::Frame) {
         self.downloader.poll();
+        // Snapshot the previous-frame running state BEFORE check_notifications
+        // overwrites prev_job_states with the current frame's. Otherwise
+        // was_running tracks the wrong frame and the auto-rescan never fires.
+        let was_running_prev = self.prev_job_states.values().any(|&s| s == JobState::Running);
         self.check_notifications();
 
         let any_running = self.downloader.any_running();
-        // Auto-rescan when all downloads finish
-        let was_running = self.prev_job_states.values().any(|&s| s == JobState::Running);
-        if was_running && !any_running {
+        if was_running_prev && !any_running {
             self.rescan();
         }
 
@@ -1620,9 +1959,10 @@ impl eframe::App for App {
 
         // Scheduled channel checks
         if self.config.scheduler.enabled && !any_running {
-            let interval = std::time::Duration::from_secs(
-                self.config.scheduler.interval_hours as u64 * 3600,
-            );
+            // Defensive clamp: a manually-edited config.toml with 0 hours
+            // would otherwise re-fire every frame.
+            let hours = self.config.scheduler.interval_hours.max(1);
+            let interval = std::time::Duration::from_secs(hours as u64 * 3600);
             let due = self.last_scheduled_check
                 .map_or(true, |t| t.elapsed() >= interval);
             if due {
diff --git a/src/config.rs b/src/config.rs
index c020ae4..2cb8dc6 100644
--- a/src/config.rs
+++ b/src/config.rs
@@ -18,14 +18,27 @@ pub struct Config {
     pub scheduler: SchedulerSection,
     #[serde(default)]
     pub web: WebSection,
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub plex: PlexSection,
 }
 
 /// `[backup]` table — where to store downloaded videos.
 #[derive(Debug, Serialize, Deserialize, Clone)]
 pub struct BackupSection {
     pub directory: PathBuf,
+    /// Maximum simultaneous yt-dlp processes. Extra downloads queue and start
+    /// automatically when a slot opens. Set to 0 for no limit (not recommended).
+    #[serde(default = "default_max_concurrent")]
+    pub max_concurrent: usize,
+    /// If true, use the bundled yt-dlp + deno binaries managed by yt-offline
+    /// (installed under `~/.local/share/yt-offline/bin/`). If false, use the
+    /// `yt-dlp` found on the system PATH.
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub use_bundled_ytdlp: bool,
 }
 
+fn default_max_concurrent() -> usize { 3 }
+
 /// `[player]` table — external player and browser cookie source.
 #[derive(Debug, Serialize, Deserialize, Clone)]
 pub struct PlayerSection {
@@ -71,6 +84,14 @@ impl Default for SchedulerSection {
     }
 }
 
+/// `[plex]` table — Plex-compatible TV-show symlink library.
+#[derive(Debug, Serialize, Deserialize, Clone, Default)]
+pub struct PlexSection {
+    /// Directory where the Plex symlink tree is written.
+    /// Leave unset to disable Plex library generation.
+    pub library_path: Option<PathBuf>,
+}
+
 /// `[web]` table — built-in HTTP server settings.
 ///
 /// `source_url` is **required for AGPL §13 compliance**: set it to a URL
@@ -125,11 +146,16 @@ impl Config {
     /// Construct a minimal default config pointing `backup.directory` at `dir`.
     pub fn default_with_dir(dir: PathBuf) -> Self {
         Self {
-            backup: BackupSection { directory: dir },
+            backup: BackupSection {
+                directory: dir,
+                max_concurrent: default_max_concurrent(),
+                use_bundled_ytdlp: false,
+            },
             player: PlayerSection::default(),
             ui: UiSection::default(),
             scheduler: SchedulerSection::default(),
             web: WebSection::default(),
+            plex: PlexSection::default(),
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/database.rs b/src/database.rs
index 60bb0fc..a2619e5 100644
--- a/src/database.rs
+++ b/src/database.rs
@@ -21,8 +21,23 @@ pub struct Database {
 
 impl Database {
     /// Open or create the database at `path`, running schema migrations.
+    ///
+    /// On Unix the file mode is tightened to `0600` so the Argon2 password
+    /// hash and resume positions aren't readable by other local users. A
+    /// best-effort: failure is logged but doesn't abort startup.
     pub fn open(path: &Path) -> Result<Self> {
         let conn = Connection::open(path)?;
+        #[cfg(unix)]
+        {
+            use std::os::unix::fs::PermissionsExt;
+            if let Ok(meta) = std::fs::metadata(path) {
+                let mut perms = meta.permissions();
+                if perms.mode() & 0o777 != 0o600 {
+                    perms.set_mode(0o600);
+                    let _ = std::fs::set_permissions(path, perms);
+                }
+            }
+        }
         let db = Database { conn };
         db.init_schema()?;
         Ok(db)
diff --git a/src/downloader.rs b/src/downloader.rs
index de138c6..d6b3cdb 100644
--- a/src/downloader.rs
+++ b/src/downloader.rs
@@ -23,12 +23,53 @@
 //! | `--break-on-existing` | Stop when the archive file records the video as already downloaded |
 //! | `--download-archive archive.txt` | Record downloaded IDs to avoid re-downloading |
 
+use std::collections::VecDeque;
 use std::io::{BufRead, BufReader};
 use std::path::PathBuf;
 use std::process::{Command, Stdio};
 use std::sync::mpsc::{channel, Receiver};
 use std::thread;
 
+use crate::ytdlp_bin;
+
+/// Video quality level passed as a `-f` format selector to yt-dlp.
+#[derive(Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq, Default)]
+pub enum DownloadQuality {
+    /// No `-f` flag — yt-dlp picks the best available streams (default).
+    #[default]
+    Best,
+    Res1080,
+    Res720,
+    Res480,
+    Res360,
+}
+
+impl DownloadQuality {
+    pub fn format_spec(self) -> Option<&'static str> {
+        match self {
+            Self::Best => None,
+            Self::Res1080 => Some("bestvideo[height<=1080]+bestaudio/best[height<=1080]"),
+            Self::Res720  => Some("bestvideo[height<=720]+bestaudio/best[height<=720]"),
+            Self::Res480  => Some("bestvideo[height<=480]+bestaudio/best[height<=480]"),
+            Self::Res360  => Some("bestvideo[height<=360]+bestaudio/best[height<=360]"),
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub fn label(self) -> &'static str {
+        match self {
+            Self::Best    => "Best",
+            Self::Res1080 => "1080p",
+            Self::Res720  => "720p",
+            Self::Res480  => "480p",
+            Self::Res360  => "360p",
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub fn all() -> &'static [DownloadQuality] {
+        &[Self::Best, Self::Res1080, Self::Res720, Self::Res480, Self::Res360]
+    }
+}
+
 /// Describes the kind of YouTube URL being downloaded, which determines the
 /// output path template passed to yt-dlp.
 pub enum UrlKind {
@@ -96,6 +137,9 @@ enum Msg {
     Finished(bool),
 }
 
+/// Maximum lines retained in [`Job::log`] before old lines are evicted.
+const JOB_LOG_CAP: usize = 800;
+
 /// A single yt-dlp invocation tracked by the downloader.
 pub struct Job {
     pub url: String,
@@ -104,8 +148,8 @@ pub struct Job {
     pub state: JobState,
     /// Download progress as a fraction in `[0.0, 1.0]`.
     pub progress: f32,
-    /// Rolling log buffer — capped at 800 lines to avoid unbounded growth.
-    pub log: Vec<String>,
+    /// Rolling log buffer — capped at [`JOB_LOG_CAP`] lines via O(1) front-pop.
+    pub log: VecDeque<String>,
     rx: Receiver<Msg>,
 }
 
@@ -114,10 +158,9 @@ impl Job {
         while let Ok(msg) = self.rx.try_recv() {
             match msg {
                 Msg::Line(line) => {
-                    self.log.push(line);
-                    if self.log.len() > 800 {
-                        let cut = self.log.len() - 800;
-                        self.log.drain(0..cut);
+                    self.log.push_back(line);
+                    while self.log.len() > JOB_LOG_CAP {
+                        self.log.pop_front();
                     }
                 }
                 Msg::Progress(p) => self.progress = p,
@@ -129,18 +172,108 @@ impl Job {
     }
 }
 
-/// Manages all active and recently completed yt-dlp download jobs.
+/// A download waiting to start once a concurrency slot opens.
+struct PendingJob {
+    cmd: Command,
+    url: String,
+    label: String,
+}
+
+/// Manages all active, queued, and recently completed yt-dlp download jobs.
 pub struct Downloader {
     pub jobs: Vec<Job>,
+    pending: VecDeque<PendingJob>,
     pub channels_root: PathBuf,
-    /// Browser name passed to `--cookies-from-browser` (unused) — cookie file
-    /// is currently always `cookies.txt`.
+    /// Browser name passed to `--cookies-from-browser` *when no cookies.txt
+    /// exists in the working directory*. Set to `"none"` to skip the fallback
+    /// entirely. Pasted/imported cookies.txt always takes precedence.
     pub browser: String,
+    /// Maximum number of simultaneous yt-dlp processes. 0 = unlimited.
+    pub max_concurrent: usize,
+    /// If true, invoke the bundled yt-dlp under [`ytdlp_bin::bundled_dir`]
+    /// instead of the system PATH yt-dlp.
+    pub use_bundled_ytdlp: bool,
 }
 
 impl Downloader {
-    pub fn new(channels_root: PathBuf, browser: String) -> Self {
-        Self { jobs: Vec::new(), channels_root, browser }
+    pub fn new(channels_root: PathBuf, browser: String, max_concurrent: usize, use_bundled_ytdlp: bool) -> Self {
+        Self {
+            jobs: Vec::new(),
+            pending: VecDeque::new(),
+            channels_root,
+            browser,
+            max_concurrent,
+            use_bundled_ytdlp,
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Append the cookie-source flags. Prefers `cookies.txt` in the working
+    /// directory (set up via the cookies UI), falling back to
+    /// `--cookies-from-browser <browser>` when no cookies.txt exists and the
+    /// user has chosen a browser (anything other than `"none"`).
+    fn apply_cookie_flags(&self, cmd: &mut Command) {
+        let cookies_txt = std::path::Path::new("cookies.txt");
+        if cookies_txt.exists() {
+            cmd.arg("--cookies").arg("cookies.txt");
+        } else if !self.browser.is_empty() && self.browser != "none" {
+            cmd.arg("--cookies-from-browser").arg(&self.browser);
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Append the retry and throttling flags applied to every yt-dlp invocation.
+    ///
+    /// YouTube occasionally resets connections mid-transfer; with default
+    /// settings yt-dlp gives up after 10 quick retries. We bump the retry
+    /// count and add a linear backoff so transient resets self-heal. The
+    /// sleep flags throttle per-IP request rate slightly so we don't trip
+    /// YouTube's rate limiter when many channels are being checked at once.
+    fn apply_retry_flags(cmd: &mut Command) {
+        cmd.arg("--retries").arg("30")
+            .arg("--fragment-retries").arg("30")
+            .arg("--retry-sleep").arg("linear=1:30:2")
+            .arg("--sleep-requests").arg("1");
+    }
+
+    /// Build a fresh `Command` invoking the currently configured yt-dlp binary.
+    ///
+    /// In bundled mode, defensively re-applies the executable bit on every
+    /// binary inside the bundled bin dir. Without this, downloads can fail
+    /// with EACCES if a previous install left the file un-executable (e.g.
+    /// because the chmod step of the install script never ran).
+    fn ytdlp_cmd(&self) -> Command {
+        let path = ytdlp_bin::ytdlp_invocation(self.use_bundled_ytdlp);
+        if self.use_bundled_ytdlp {
+            ytdlp_bin::ensure_bundled_executable();
+        }
+        Command::new(path)
+    }
+
+    /// Number of jobs waiting in the queue (not yet started).
+    pub fn pending_count(&self) -> usize {
+        self.pending.len()
+    }
+
+    /// Labels and URLs of all queued (not yet started) jobs, in queue order.
+    pub fn pending_snapshots(&self) -> Vec<(String, String)> {
+        self.pending.iter().map(|p| (p.label.clone(), p.url.clone())).collect()
+    }
+
+    /// Promote pending jobs into running slots while capacity allows.
+    fn promote_queued(&mut self) {
+        while !self.pending.is_empty() {
+            if self.max_concurrent > 0 {
+                let running = self.jobs.iter().filter(|j| j.state == JobState::Running).count();
+                if running >= self.max_concurrent { break; }
+            }
+            let p = self.pending.pop_front().unwrap();
+            self.spawn_job(p.cmd, p.url, p.label);
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Push a command into the pending queue (or start immediately if a slot is free).
+    fn enqueue(&mut self, cmd: Command, url: String, label: String) {
+        self.pending.push_back(PendingJob { cmd, url, label });
+        self.promote_queued();
     }
 
     /// Spawn a yt-dlp process for `url` and track it as a new [`Job`].
@@ -153,7 +286,7 @@ impl Downloader {
     /// video — fast for routine channel checks.  When `full_scan` is true the
     /// flag is omitted so every video is checked individually against the
     /// download archive; slower, but correctly fills gaps in the history.
-    pub fn start(&mut self, url: String, kind: &UrlKind, full_scan: bool) {
+    pub fn start(&mut self, url: String, kind: &UrlKind, full_scan: bool, quality: DownloadQuality) {
         let archive_path = self.channels_root.join("archive.txt");
 
         let (out_arg, label) = match kind {
@@ -175,12 +308,10 @@ impl Downloader {
             ),
         };
 
-        let mut cmd = Command::new("yt-dlp");
-        cmd.arg("--newline")
-            .arg("--no-color")
-            .arg("--cookies")
-            .arg("cookies.txt")
-            .arg("--write-subs")
+        let mut cmd = self.ytdlp_cmd();
+        cmd.arg("--newline").arg("--no-color");
+        self.apply_cookie_flags(&mut cmd);
+        cmd.arg("--write-subs")
             .arg("--write-auto-subs")
             .arg("--write-thumbnail")
             .arg("--write-description")
@@ -200,6 +331,9 @@ impl Downloader {
             .arg("--extractor-args")
             .arg("youtube:player_client=web")
             .arg("--progress");
+        if let Some(fmt) = quality.format_spec() {
+            cmd.arg("-f").arg(fmt);
+        }
         if !full_scan {
             cmd.arg("--break-on-existing");
         }
@@ -210,8 +344,9 @@ impl Downloader {
             .arg("-o")
             .arg(&out_arg)
             .arg(&url);
+        Self::apply_retry_flags(&mut cmd);
 
-        self.spawn_job(cmd, url, label);
+        self.enqueue(cmd, url, label);
     }
 
     /// Re-fetch missing sidecar assets (thumbnail, info.json, description,
@@ -227,13 +362,10 @@ impl Downloader {
         let url = format!("https://www.youtube.com/watch?v={video_id}");
         let label = format!("repair {stem}");
 
-        let mut cmd = Command::new("yt-dlp");
-        cmd.arg("--newline")
-            .arg("--no-color")
-            .arg("--skip-download")
-            .arg("--cookies")
-            .arg("cookies.txt")
-            .arg("--write-thumbnail")
+        let mut cmd = self.ytdlp_cmd();
+        cmd.arg("--newline").arg("--no-color").arg("--skip-download");
+        self.apply_cookie_flags(&mut cmd);
+        cmd.arg("--write-thumbnail")
             .arg("--write-info-json")
             .arg("--write-description")
             .arg("--write-subs")
@@ -245,8 +377,62 @@ impl Downloader {
             .arg("-o")
             .arg(&out_arg)
             .arg(&url);
+        Self::apply_retry_flags(&mut cmd);
 
-        self.spawn_job(cmd, url, label);
+        self.enqueue(cmd, url, label);
+    }
+
+    /// Path to the music download directory (sibling of `channels_root`).
+    pub fn music_root(&self) -> PathBuf {
+        self.channels_root.with_file_name("music")
+    }
+
+    /// Download `url` as audio-only, storing tracks in `music/<artist>/`.
+    pub fn start_music(&mut self, url: String) {
+        let music_root = self.music_root();
+        let _ = std::fs::create_dir_all(&music_root);
+        let archive_path = self.channels_root.join("archive.txt");
+        let out_arg = format!(
+            "{}/%(artist,channel|Unknown)s/%(title)s [%(id)s].%(ext)s",
+            music_root.display()
+        );
+        let label = "music".to_string();
+
+        let mut cmd = self.ytdlp_cmd();
+        cmd.arg("--newline").arg("--no-color");
+        self.apply_cookie_flags(&mut cmd);
+        cmd.arg("--extract-audio")
+            .arg("--audio-format")
+            .arg("best")
+            .arg("--audio-quality")
+            .arg("0")
+            .arg("--write-thumbnail")
+            .arg("--write-info-json")
+            .arg("--embed-metadata")
+            .arg("--xattrs")
+            .arg("--extractor-args")
+            .arg("youtube:player_client=web")
+            .arg("--impersonate")
+            .arg("Chrome-146:Macos-26")
+            .arg("--progress")
+            .arg("--download-archive")
+            .arg(archive_path.display().to_string())
+            .arg("-o")
+            .arg(&out_arg)
+            .arg(&url);
+        Self::apply_retry_flags(&mut cmd);
+
+        self.enqueue(cmd, url, label);
+    }
+
+    /// Enqueue a job that downloads (or updates) the bundled yt-dlp + deno
+    /// binaries into [`ytdlp_bin::bundled_dir`]. Streams the curl/unzip output
+    /// into a normal [`Job`] entry so the user sees progress in the UI.
+    pub fn start_ytdlp_update(&mut self) {
+        let cmd = ytdlp_bin::install_command();
+        let url = "https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/latest".to_string();
+        let label = "update bundled yt-dlp + deno".to_string();
+        self.enqueue(cmd, url, label);
     }
 
     /// Spawn `cmd` on a background thread, streaming its output into a new [`Job`].
@@ -256,6 +442,19 @@ impl Downloader {
             .stdout(Stdio::piped())
             .stderr(Stdio::piped());
 
+        // Prepend the bundled bin dir to PATH so yt-dlp can locate the bundled
+        // `deno` for JavaScript signature deciphering. Harmless when the dir
+        // doesn't exist or bundled mode is disabled.
+        let bundled_dir = ytdlp_bin::bundled_dir();
+        if bundled_dir.exists() {
+            let sep = if cfg!(windows) { ";" } else { ":" };
+            let new_path = match std::env::var_os("PATH") {
+                Some(existing) => format!("{}{}{}", bundled_dir.display(), sep, existing.to_string_lossy()),
+                None => bundled_dir.display().to_string(),
+            };
+            cmd.env("PATH", new_path);
+        }
+
         thread::spawn(move || {
             let mut child = match cmd.spawn() {
                 Ok(child) => child,
@@ -310,16 +509,18 @@ impl Downloader {
             let _ = tx.send(Msg::Finished(ok));
         });
 
-        self.jobs.push(Job { url, label, state: JobState::Running, progress: 0.0, log: Vec::new(), rx });
+        self.jobs.push(Job { url, label, state: JobState::Running, progress: 0.0, log: VecDeque::new(), rx });
     }
 
-    /// Drain pending messages from all job threads into their log buffers.
+    /// Drain pending messages from all job threads and promote queued jobs.
     ///
     /// Call this regularly from the UI event loop to pick up progress updates.
     pub fn poll(&mut self) {
         for job in &mut self.jobs {
             job.drain();
         }
+        // Re-check after draining: finished jobs free slots for queued ones.
+        self.promote_queued();
     }
 
     pub fn any_running(&self) -> bool {
@@ -349,3 +550,54 @@ fn parse_progress(line: &str) -> Option<f32> {
     let value: f32 = rest[..pct_end].trim().parse().ok()?;
     Some((value / 100.0).clamp(0.0, 1.0))
 }
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn parse_progress_typical() {
+        let p = parse_progress("[download]  42.7% of 100MiB at 5MiB/s ETA 00:10").unwrap();
+        assert!((p - 0.427).abs() < 1e-4);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn parse_progress_clamps_to_one() {
+        let p = parse_progress("[download]  150% of garbage").unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(p, 1.0);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn parse_progress_rejects_non_download_lines() {
+        assert!(parse_progress("[info] Writing thumbnail").is_none());
+        assert!(parse_progress("").is_none());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn extract_after_strips_at_separator() {
+        assert_eq!(extract_after("https://youtube.com/@handle/videos", "/@"), Some("handle"));
+        assert_eq!(extract_after("https://youtube.com/@handle", "/@"), Some("handle"));
+        assert_eq!(extract_after("https://youtube.com/@handle?x=1", "/@"), Some("handle"));
+        assert_eq!(extract_after("nothing-here", "/@"), None);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn check_url_for_folder_picks_channel_form_for_ids() {
+        let url = check_url_for_folder("UC1234567890123456789012");
+        assert_eq!(url, "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1234567890123456789012");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn check_url_for_folder_picks_handle_form_otherwise() {
+        let url = check_url_for_folder("LinusTechTips");
+        assert_eq!(url, "https://www.youtube.com/@LinusTechTips");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn detect_url_kind_classifies_paths() {
+        assert!(matches!(detect_url_kind("https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1"), UrlKind::Playlist));
+        assert!(matches!(detect_url_kind("https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abc"), UrlKind::Video));
+        assert!(matches!(detect_url_kind("https://youtu.be/abc"), UrlKind::Video));
+        assert!(matches!(detect_url_kind("https://www.youtube.com/@handle"), UrlKind::Channel { .. }));
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/library.rs b/src/library.rs
index 8310c75..33ab792 100644
--- a/src/library.rs
+++ b/src/library.rs
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ use std::collections::BTreeMap;
 use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
 
 const VIDEO_EXTS: &[&str] = &["mkv", "mp4", "webm", "m4v", "mov", "avi"];
+const AUDIO_EXTS: &[&str] = &["mp3", "m4a", "opus", "flac", "ogg", "wav", "aac"];
 const THUMB_EXTS: &[&str] = &["webp", "jpg", "jpeg", "png"];
 
 /// A single WebVTT subtitle track discovered alongside a video file.
@@ -33,6 +34,20 @@ pub struct Subtitle {
     pub path: PathBuf,
 }
 
+/// An audio track in the music library.
+#[derive(Clone, Debug)]
+pub struct Track {
+    pub id: String,
+    pub title: String,
+    pub artist: String,
+    pub path: PathBuf,
+    pub thumb_path: Option<PathBuf>,
+    #[allow(dead_code)]
+    pub info_path: Option<PathBuf>,
+    pub duration_secs: Option<f64>,
+    pub file_size: Option<u64>,
+}
+
 /// A fully enriched video entry, ready to serve to the UI.
 #[derive(Clone, Debug)]
 pub struct Video {
@@ -55,6 +70,9 @@ pub struct Video {
     pub has_chapters: bool,
     /// Size of the video file on disk; `None` if the video file is missing.
     pub file_size: Option<u64>,
+    /// Upload date as `YYYYMMDD` (yt-dlp's native format from info.json).
+    /// `None` if the info.json sidecar is missing or lacks the field.
+    pub upload_date: Option<String>,
 }
 
 /// A sub-directory inside a channel that contains videos (treated as a playlist).
@@ -94,22 +112,58 @@ impl Channel {
     pub fn total_videos(&self) -> usize {
         self.total_videos_cached
     }
+
+    /// Iterate over every [`Video`] in this channel, including those nested
+    /// inside playlists. Used widely; previously open-coded at each call site.
+    pub fn all_videos(&self) -> impl Iterator<Item = &Video> {
+        self.videos
+            .iter()
+            .chain(self.playlists.iter().flat_map(|p| p.videos.iter()))
+    }
+}
+
+/// Find a video by ID across a slice of channels. Returns the matching
+/// [`Video`] alongside the channel it belongs to.
+pub fn find_video<'a>(channels: &'a [Channel], id: &str) -> Option<(&'a Video, &'a Channel)> {
+    for ch in channels {
+        if let Some(v) = ch.all_videos().find(|v| v.id == id) {
+            return Some((v, ch));
+        }
+    }
+    None
 }
 
 /// Scan `root` for channel directories and return them sorted alphabetically.
 ///
 /// Skips hidden directories (names starting with `.`) and directories that
 /// contain no recognisable video files.
+///
+/// Each channel's per-video info.json reads are parallelised across the
+/// available CPUs because that's where ~all the time goes for large
+/// libraries (one fs read + one JSON parse per video, multiplied by hundreds
+/// or thousands).
 pub fn scan_channels(root: &Path) -> Vec<Channel> {
-    let mut channels = Vec::new();
-    let Ok(entries) = std::fs::read_dir(root) else { return channels };
-    for entry in entries.flatten() {
-        let path = entry.path();
-        if !path.is_dir() { continue; }
-        let name = entry.file_name().to_string_lossy().into_owned();
-        if name.starts_with('.') { continue; }
+    let Ok(entries) = std::fs::read_dir(root) else { return Vec::new() };
+    let dirs: Vec<(String, PathBuf)> = entries
+        .flatten()
+        .filter_map(|e| {
+            let path = e.path();
+            if !path.is_dir() { return None; }
+            let name = e.file_name().to_string_lossy().into_owned();
+            if name.starts_with('.') { return None; }
+            Some((name, path))
+        })
+        .collect();
+
+    // Process channels in parallel. We size the worker pool to min(channels, CPUs)
+    // so a small library doesn't spin up needless threads.
+    let n_workers = std::thread::available_parallelism()
+        .map(|n| n.get())
+        .unwrap_or(4)
+        .min(dirs.len().max(1));
+    let mut channels = parallel_map(dirs, n_workers, |(name, path)| {
         let (videos, playlists) = scan_channel_dir(&path);
-        if videos.is_empty() && playlists.is_empty() { continue; }
+        if videos.is_empty() && playlists.is_empty() { return None; }
         let meta = load_channel_meta(&videos);
         let total_videos_cached =
             videos.len() + playlists.iter().map(|p| p.videos.len()).sum::<usize>();
@@ -118,7 +172,7 @@ pub fn scan_channels(root: &Path) -> Vec<Channel> {
             .chain(playlists.iter().flat_map(|p| p.videos.iter()))
             .filter_map(|v| v.file_size)
             .sum();
-        channels.push(Channel {
+        Some(Channel {
             name,
             path,
             videos,
@@ -126,12 +180,67 @@ pub fn scan_channels(root: &Path) -> Vec<Channel> {
             meta,
             total_videos_cached,
             total_size_cached,
-        });
-    }
+        })
+    })
+    .into_iter()
+    .flatten()
+    .collect::<Vec<_>>();
     channels.sort_by_key(|c| c.name.to_lowercase());
     channels
 }
 
+/// Fan an `items` slice across `n_workers` threads, applying `f` to each item
+/// and returning results in the original input order.
+///
+/// Stdlib-only mini work-stealer: an atomic index hands out the next slot to
+/// any worker that's free. Used to parallelise channel-directory scans
+/// without dragging in rayon.
+fn parallel_map<I, O, F>(items: Vec<I>, n_workers: usize, f: F) -> Vec<O>
+where
+    I: Send + 'static,
+    O: Send + 'static + Default,
+    F: Fn(I) -> O + Send + Sync + 'static,
+{
+    let len = items.len();
+    if len == 0 { return Vec::new(); }
+    if n_workers <= 1 {
+        return items.into_iter().map(f).collect();
+    }
+    use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicUsize, Ordering};
+    use std::sync::{Arc, Mutex};
+
+    let items: Vec<Mutex<Option<I>>> = items.into_iter().map(|v| Mutex::new(Some(v))).collect();
+    let items = Arc::new(items);
+    let results: Vec<Mutex<O>> = (0..len).map(|_| Mutex::new(O::default())).collect();
+    let results = Arc::new(results);
+    let next = Arc::new(AtomicUsize::new(0));
+    let f = Arc::new(f);
+
+    let mut handles = Vec::with_capacity(n_workers);
+    for _ in 0..n_workers {
+        let items = items.clone();
+        let results = results.clone();
+        let next = next.clone();
+        let f = f.clone();
+        handles.push(std::thread::spawn(move || {
+            loop {
+                let i = next.fetch_add(1, Ordering::Relaxed);
+                if i >= len { break; }
+                let input = items[i].lock().unwrap().take().unwrap();
+                let out = f(input);
+                *results[i].lock().unwrap() = out;
+            }
+        }));
+    }
+    for h in handles { let _ = h.join(); }
+
+    Arc::try_unwrap(results)
+        .unwrap_or_else(|_| unreachable!("workers joined; refs released"))
+        .into_iter()
+        .map(|m| m.into_inner().unwrap())
+        .collect()
+}
+
 fn load_channel_meta(videos: &[Video]) -> Option<ChannelMeta> {
     // Pull channel-level fields out of the first video's info.json
     let info_path = videos.iter().find_map(|v| {
@@ -261,7 +370,7 @@ fn collect_raw_videos(entries: impl Iterator<Item = std::fs::DirEntry>) -> Vec<R
 fn enrich(raws: Vec<RawVideo>) -> Vec<Video> {
     let mut videos: Vec<Video> = raws.into_iter().map(|raw| {
         // Parse info.json once for both duration and chapter presence.
-        let (duration_secs, has_chapters) = raw.info_path.as_ref()
+        let (duration_secs, has_chapters, upload_date) = raw.info_path.as_ref()
             .and_then(|p| std::fs::read_to_string(p).ok())
             .and_then(|t| serde_json::from_str::<serde_json::Value>(&t).ok())
             .map(|val| {
@@ -270,9 +379,14 @@ fn enrich(raws: Vec<RawVideo>) -> Vec<Video> {
                     .and_then(|c| c.as_array())
                     .map(|a| !a.is_empty())
                     .unwrap_or(false);
-                (dur, chap)
+                // Prefer `upload_date`; fall back to `release_date` for premiere/live content.
+                let date = val.get("upload_date")
+                    .and_then(|v| v.as_str())
+                    .or_else(|| val.get("release_date").and_then(|v| v.as_str()))
+                    .map(|s| s.to_string());
+                (dur, chap, date)
             })
-            .unwrap_or((None, false));
+            .unwrap_or((None, false, None));
         let file_size = raw.video_path.as_ref()
             .and_then(|p| std::fs::metadata(p).ok())
             .map(|m| m.len());
@@ -289,6 +403,7 @@ fn enrich(raws: Vec<RawVideo>) -> Vec<Video> {
             duration_secs,
             has_chapters,
             file_size,
+            upload_date,
         }
     }).collect();
     videos.sort_by_key(|v| v.title.to_lowercase());
@@ -328,3 +443,132 @@ fn scan_channel_dir(dir: &Path) -> (Vec<Video>, Vec<Playlist>) {
     playlists.sort_by_key(|p| p.name.to_lowercase());
     (videos, playlists)
 }
+
+// ── Music library ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+/// Scan `root` (the `music/` directory) for audio tracks, recursively.
+///
+/// The top-level subdirectory name is used as the default artist (overridden
+/// by info.json's `artist`/`creator`/`uploader` when present). Deeper levels
+/// — e.g. `music/Artist/Album/song.opus` — are walked but the top-level name
+/// remains the fallback artist so albums don't reset the attribution.
+pub fn scan_music(root: &Path) -> Vec<Track> {
+    let mut tracks = Vec::new();
+    let Ok(entries) = std::fs::read_dir(root) else { return tracks };
+    for entry in entries.flatten() {
+        let path = entry.path();
+        let name = entry.file_name().to_string_lossy().into_owned();
+        if name.starts_with('.') { continue; }
+        if path.is_dir() {
+            scan_music_dir(&path, &name, &mut tracks);
+        } else if let Some(track) = track_from_path(&path, "") {
+            tracks.push(track);
+        }
+    }
+    tracks.sort_by_key(|t| (t.artist.to_lowercase(), t.title.to_lowercase()));
+    tracks
+}
+
+fn scan_music_dir(dir: &Path, folder_artist: &str, tracks: &mut Vec<Track>) {
+    let Ok(entries) = std::fs::read_dir(dir) else { return };
+    for entry in entries.flatten() {
+        let path = entry.path();
+        let name = entry.file_name().to_string_lossy().into_owned();
+        if name.starts_with('.') { continue; }
+        if path.is_file() {
+            if let Some(track) = track_from_path(&path, folder_artist) {
+                tracks.push(track);
+            }
+        } else if path.is_dir() {
+            // Recurse into albums/subfolders while preserving the top-level
+            // artist label.
+            scan_music_dir(&path, folder_artist, tracks);
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn parse_stem_extracts_id_and_title() {
+        let (title, id) = parse_stem("My great video [abc123]").unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(title, "My great video");
+        assert_eq!(id, "abc123");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn parse_stem_trims_trailing_dash() {
+        let (title, _id) = parse_stem("Some video - [xyz]").unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(title, "Some video");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn parse_stem_rejects_missing_brackets() {
+        assert!(parse_stem("no brackets here").is_none());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn parse_stem_rejects_empty_id() {
+        assert!(parse_stem("foo []").is_none());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn parse_stem_handles_brackets_in_title() {
+        // The last [..] is the id; earlier ones are part of the title.
+        let (title, id) = parse_stem("[NSFW] Some title [vidid]").unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(id, "vidid");
+        assert!(title.contains("[NSFW]"));
+    }
+}
+
+fn track_from_path(path: &Path, folder_artist: &str) -> Option<Track> {
+    let ext = path.extension()?.to_str()?.to_lowercase();
+    if !AUDIO_EXTS.contains(&ext.as_str()) { return None; }
+
+    let stem = path.file_stem()?.to_string_lossy().into_owned();
+    let (title, id) = parse_stem(&stem)?;
+
+    let dir = path.parent()?;
+    let thumb_path = THUMB_EXTS.iter().find_map(|e| {
+        let p = dir.join(format!("{stem}.{e}"));
+        p.exists().then_some(p)
+    });
+    let info_path = {
+        let p = dir.join(format!("{stem}.info.json"));
+        p.exists().then_some(p)
+    };
+
+    let (duration_secs, resolved_artist) = info_path.as_ref()
+        .and_then(|p| std::fs::read_to_string(p).ok())
+        .and_then(|t| serde_json::from_str::<serde_json::Value>(&t).ok())
+        .map(|val| {
+            let dur = val.get("duration").and_then(|v| v.as_f64());
+            let art = val.get("artist")
+                .or_else(|| val.get("creator"))
+                .or_else(|| val.get("uploader"))
+                .and_then(|v| v.as_str())
+                .map(String::from)
+                .unwrap_or_else(|| folder_artist.to_string());
+            (dur, art)
+        })
+        .unwrap_or_else(|| (None, folder_artist.to_string()));
+
+    let artist = if resolved_artist.is_empty() {
+        "Unknown".to_string()
+    } else {
+        resolved_artist
+    };
+
+    Some(Track {
+        id,
+        title,
+        artist,
+        path: path.to_path_buf(),
+        thumb_path,
+        info_path,
+        duration_secs,
+        file_size: std::fs::metadata(path).ok().map(|m| m.len()),
+    })
+}
diff --git a/src/main.rs b/src/main.rs
index f323070..355fd65 100644
--- a/src/main.rs
+++ b/src/main.rs
@@ -19,8 +19,10 @@ mod database;
 mod downloader;
 mod library;
 mod maintenance;
+mod plex;
 mod theme;
 mod web;
+mod ytdlp_bin;
 
 fn main() -> eframe::Result<()> {
     let args: Vec<String> = std::env::args().collect();
diff --git a/src/maintenance.rs b/src/maintenance.rs
index f79a8ec..9cc7913 100644
--- a/src/maintenance.rs
+++ b/src/maintenance.rs
@@ -191,11 +191,23 @@ pub fn scan(root: &Path, channels: &[Channel]) -> HealthReport {
 }
 
 /// True if `target` resolves to a location inside `root`.
+///
+/// `target` may not exist (e.g. the caller is about to delete it). In that
+/// case we canonicalise the parent directory and join the file name back on,
+/// so a deleted file still gets a correct safety verdict instead of a false
+/// "outside library" refusal.
 fn is_within(root: &Path, target: &Path) -> bool {
-    match (root.canonicalize(), target.canonicalize()) {
-        (Ok(r), Ok(t)) => t.starts_with(r),
-        _ => false,
-    }
+    let Ok(canon_root) = root.canonicalize() else { return false };
+    let canon_target = match target.canonicalize() {
+        Ok(p) => p,
+        Err(_) => {
+            let Some(parent) = target.parent() else { return false };
+            let Some(name) = target.file_name() else { return false };
+            let Ok(canon_parent) = parent.canonicalize() else { return false };
+            canon_parent.join(name)
+        }
+    };
+    canon_target.starts_with(canon_root)
 }
 
 /// Delete the given files, refusing any path that escapes `root`.
@@ -212,12 +224,54 @@ pub fn remove_files(root: &Path, paths: &[PathBuf]) -> (usize, Vec<String>) {
         }
         match std::fs::remove_file(p) {
             Ok(()) => removed += 1,
+            Err(e) if e.kind() == std::io::ErrorKind::NotFound => {
+                // Already gone — treat as success so a duplicate-delete from
+                // a stale UI doesn't look like an error.
+                removed += 1;
+            }
             Err(e) => errors.push(format!("{}: {e}", p.display())),
         }
     }
     (removed, errors)
 }
 
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+    use std::fs;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn is_within_accepts_inside_path() {
+        let tmp = std::env::temp_dir().join("yt-offline-iw-test-1");
+        let _ = fs::create_dir_all(&tmp);
+        let inside = tmp.join("foo.txt");
+        let _ = fs::write(&inside, "x");
+        assert!(is_within(&tmp, &inside));
+        let _ = fs::remove_file(&inside);
+        let _ = fs::remove_dir(&tmp);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn is_within_rejects_outside_path() {
+        let tmp = std::env::temp_dir().join("yt-offline-iw-test-2");
+        let _ = fs::create_dir_all(&tmp);
+        // The target's parent canonicalises to /tmp, which doesn't start with tmp.
+        let outside = std::env::temp_dir().join("not-our-dir-xyz.txt");
+        assert!(!is_within(&tmp, &outside));
+        let _ = fs::remove_dir(&tmp);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn is_within_handles_missing_target() {
+        // Target doesn't exist; parent dir does and is inside root.
+        let tmp = std::env::temp_dir().join("yt-offline-iw-test-3");
+        let _ = fs::create_dir_all(&tmp);
+        let ghost = tmp.join("does-not-exist.txt");
+        assert!(is_within(&tmp, &ghost));
+        let _ = fs::remove_dir(&tmp);
+    }
+}
+
 /// Look up a video's directory and filename stem by ID, for repair targeting.
 /// Returns `(dir, stem)` of the first matching copy with a known location.
 pub fn locate(channels: &[Channel], id: &str) -> Option<(PathBuf, String)> {
diff --git a/src/plex.rs b/src/plex.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b054667
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/plex.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,302 @@
+//! Plex-compatible TV-show library generator.
+//!
+//! Creates a directory tree of symlinks under a configurable Plex library root.
+//! Each channel becomes a show; videos are arranged as episodes numbered by
+//! upload date, grouped into year-based seasons.
+//!
+//! Per-episode metadata (title, plot, aired date, runtime, thumbnail) is
+//! written as Kodi-format `.nfo` sidecars that Plex's "Personal Media (TV
+//! Shows)" agent (or the XBMC NFO agent) reads. A show-level `tvshow.nfo`
+//! carries the channel title and uploader.
+//!
+//! # Output structure
+//!
+//! ```text
+//! <plex_root>/
+//!   Channel Name/
+//!     .plexmatch               ← legacy show-title hint
+//!     tvshow.nfo               ← channel-level metadata
+//!     Season 2023/
+//!       Channel Name - S2023E001 - Video Title.mkv      → symlink to real file
+//!       Channel Name - S2023E001 - Video Title.nfo      ← episode metadata
+//!       Channel Name - S2023E001 - Video Title-thumb.jpg → symlink to thumb
+//!       Channel Name - S2023E001 - Video Title.en.srt
+//!     Season 2024/
+//!       …
+//! ```
+//!
+//! Existing symlinks are left untouched; the function is safe to re-run after
+//! new downloads. NFO files are rewritten on each run so updated metadata
+//! (e.g. corrected titles) propagates.
+
+use std::collections::BTreeMap;
+use std::path::Path;
+
+use crate::library::{Channel, Video};
+
+// ── Helpers ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+/// Replace characters that are invalid in filenames on common filesystems.
+fn sanitize(s: &str) -> String {
+    s.chars()
+        .map(|c| match c {
+            '/' | '\\' | ':' | '*' | '?' | '"' | '<' | '>' | '|' => '-',
+            c => c,
+        })
+        .collect::<String>()
+        .trim()
+        .to_string()
+}
+
+/// Extract the four-digit year from a `YYYYMMDD` upload_date, or 0 if unavailable.
+fn year_of(date: &str) -> u32 {
+    if date.len() >= 4 { date[..4].parse().unwrap_or(0) } else { 0 }
+}
+
+/// Convert `YYYYMMDD` → `YYYY-MM-DD` for NFO `<aired>` tags. Returns empty string
+/// for malformed input.
+fn aired_date(date: &str) -> String {
+    if date.len() >= 8 {
+        format!("{}-{}-{}", &date[..4], &date[4..6], &date[6..8])
+    } else {
+        String::new()
+    }
+}
+
+/// Minimal XML escaping for text-node content in NFO files.
+fn xml_escape(s: &str) -> String {
+    s.replace('&', "&amp;")
+        .replace('<', "&lt;")
+        .replace('>', "&gt;")
+}
+
+/// Read the channel-level description and uploader from the first available
+/// video's info.json for use in `tvshow.nfo`.
+fn channel_meta_from_info(videos: &[&Video]) -> (String, String) {
+    for v in videos {
+        let Some(p) = v.info_path.as_ref() else { continue };
+        let Ok(text) = std::fs::read_to_string(p) else { continue };
+        let Ok(val) = serde_json::from_str::<serde_json::Value>(&text) else { continue };
+        let plot = val.get("channel_description")
+            .or_else(|| val.get("uploader_description"))
+            .and_then(|v| v.as_str())
+            .unwrap_or("")
+            .to_string();
+        let uploader = val.get("uploader")
+            .or_else(|| val.get("channel"))
+            .and_then(|v| v.as_str())
+            .unwrap_or("")
+            .to_string();
+        return (plot, uploader);
+    }
+    (String::new(), String::new())
+}
+
+/// Read a video's full description text. Prefers the `.description` sidecar
+/// (full text including newlines); falls back to the `description` field of
+/// info.json if the sidecar is missing.
+fn read_description(v: &Video) -> String {
+    if let Some(p) = v.description_path.as_ref() {
+        if let Ok(s) = std::fs::read_to_string(p) {
+            return s;
+        }
+    }
+    v.info_path.as_ref()
+        .and_then(|p| std::fs::read_to_string(p).ok())
+        .and_then(|t| serde_json::from_str::<serde_json::Value>(&t).ok())
+        .and_then(|val| val.get("description").and_then(|v| v.as_str()).map(String::from))
+        .unwrap_or_default()
+}
+
+/// Create a symlink at `link` pointing to `target`.  Skips if the link already
+/// exists (including broken symlinks).  Returns an error only on creation failure.
+fn make_symlink(target: &Path, link: &Path) -> Result<(), String> {
+    // symlink_metadata succeeds even for broken symlinks, unlike exists()
+    if link.symlink_metadata().is_ok() {
+        return Ok(());
+    }
+    #[cfg(unix)]
+    std::os::unix::fs::symlink(target, link)
+        .map_err(|e| format!("{}: {e}", link.display()))?;
+    #[cfg(not(unix))]
+    return Err("symlinks are not supported on this platform".to_string());
+    Ok(())
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn sanitize_replaces_invalid_chars() {
+        assert_eq!(sanitize("a/b:c*d?e\"f<g>h|i\\j"), "a-b-c-d-e-f-g-h-i-j");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn year_of_extracts_year() {
+        assert_eq!(year_of("20240315"), 2024);
+        assert_eq!(year_of(""), 0);
+        assert_eq!(year_of("bad"), 0);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn aired_date_formats_yyyymmdd() {
+        assert_eq!(aired_date("20240315"), "2024-03-15");
+        assert_eq!(aired_date("bad"), "");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn xml_escape_escapes_special_chars() {
+        assert_eq!(xml_escape("a & b < c > d"), "a &amp; b &lt; c &gt; d");
+    }
+}
+
+// ── Public API ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+/// Result of a Plex library generation run.
+pub struct GenerateResult {
+    pub links_created: usize,
+    pub errors: Vec<String>,
+}
+
+/// Generate (or refresh) the Plex symlink tree under `plex_root` from `channels`.
+///
+/// Safe to call repeatedly: existing symlinks are skipped, missing ones are added.
+pub fn generate(channels: &[Channel], plex_root: &Path) -> GenerateResult {
+    let mut links_created = 0;
+    let mut errors = Vec::new();
+
+    for ch in channels {
+        let all_videos: Vec<&Video> = ch.videos.iter()
+            .chain(ch.playlists.iter().flat_map(|p| p.videos.iter()))
+            .collect();
+
+        if all_videos.is_empty() { continue; }
+
+        let show_name = sanitize(&ch.name);
+        let show_dir = plex_root.join(&show_name);
+
+        if let Err(e) = std::fs::create_dir_all(&show_dir) {
+            errors.push(format!("mkdir {}: {e}", show_dir.display()));
+            continue;
+        }
+
+        // .plexmatch: helps Plex identify the show by title
+        let _ = std::fs::write(
+            show_dir.join(".plexmatch"),
+            format!("title: {}\n", ch.name),
+        );
+
+        // tvshow.nfo: channel-level metadata (title, uploader, plot).
+        let (channel_plot, uploader) = channel_meta_from_info(&all_videos);
+        let tvshow_nfo = format!(
+            "<?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"UTF-8\"?>\n\
+             <tvshow>\n  \
+               <title>{}</title>\n  \
+               <studio>{}</studio>\n  \
+               <plot>{}</plot>\n\
+             </tvshow>\n",
+            xml_escape(&ch.name),
+            xml_escape(&uploader),
+            xml_escape(&channel_plot),
+        );
+        let _ = std::fs::write(show_dir.join("tvshow.nfo"), tvshow_nfo);
+
+        // Sort all videos by upload date for deterministic episode numbering
+        let mut dated: Vec<(&Video, String)> = all_videos.iter()
+            .map(|v| (*v, v.upload_date.clone().unwrap_or_default()))
+            .collect();
+        dated.sort_by(|a, b| a.1.cmp(&b.1));
+
+        // Group into year-based seasons
+        let mut by_year: BTreeMap<u32, Vec<&Video>> = BTreeMap::new();
+        for (v, date) in &dated {
+            by_year.entry(year_of(date)).or_default().push(v);
+        }
+
+        for (year, vids) in &by_year {
+            let season_label = if *year > 0 {
+                format!("Season {year}")
+            } else {
+                "Season 01".to_string()
+            };
+            let season_num = if *year > 0 { *year } else { 1 };
+            let season_dir = show_dir.join(&season_label);
+
+            if let Err(e) = std::fs::create_dir_all(&season_dir) {
+                errors.push(format!("mkdir {}: {e}", season_dir.display()));
+                continue;
+            }
+
+            for (ep_idx, v) in vids.iter().enumerate() {
+                let ep = ep_idx as u32 + 1;
+                let title = sanitize(&v.title);
+                let stem = format!("{show_name} - S{season_num:04}E{ep:03} - {title}");
+
+                // Video file symlink
+                if let Some(ref src) = v.video_path {
+                    let ext = src.extension().and_then(|e| e.to_str()).unwrap_or("mkv");
+                    let link = season_dir.join(format!("{stem}.{ext}"));
+                    match make_symlink(src, &link) {
+                        Ok(()) => links_created += 1,
+                        Err(e) => errors.push(e),
+                    }
+                }
+
+                // Thumbnail symlink — Plex looks for `<stem>-thumb.jpg`.
+                if let Some(ref thumb) = v.thumb_path {
+                    let ext = thumb.extension().and_then(|e| e.to_str()).unwrap_or("jpg");
+                    let link = season_dir.join(format!("{stem}-thumb.{ext}"));
+                    match make_symlink(thumb, &link) {
+                        Ok(()) => links_created += 1,
+                        Err(e) => errors.push(e),
+                    }
+                }
+
+                // Episode NFO sidecar — overwritten on every run so metadata
+                // updates (renames, re-fetched info.json) take effect.
+                let aired = v.upload_date.as_deref()
+                    .map(aired_date)
+                    .unwrap_or_default();
+                let runtime_min = v.duration_secs
+                    .map(|s| (s / 60.0).round() as u64)
+                    .unwrap_or(0);
+                let plot = read_description(v);
+                let nfo = format!(
+                    "<?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"UTF-8\"?>\n\
+                     <episodedetails>\n  \
+                       <title>{}</title>\n  \
+                       <season>{}</season>\n  \
+                       <episode>{}</episode>\n  \
+                       <aired>{}</aired>\n  \
+                       <runtime>{}</runtime>\n  \
+                       <plot>{}</plot>\n\
+                     </episodedetails>\n",
+                    xml_escape(&v.title),
+                    season_num,
+                    ep,
+                    xml_escape(&aired),
+                    runtime_min,
+                    xml_escape(&plot),
+                );
+                let nfo_path = season_dir.join(format!("{stem}.nfo"));
+                if let Err(e) = std::fs::write(&nfo_path, nfo) {
+                    errors.push(format!("write {}: {e}", nfo_path.display()));
+                }
+
+                // Subtitle symlinks — Plex picks these up automatically when
+                // the stem matches: "Show - S01E01 - Title.en.srt"
+                for sub in &v.subtitles {
+                    let ext = sub.path.extension().and_then(|e| e.to_str()).unwrap_or("srt");
+                    let link = season_dir.join(format!("{stem}.{}.{ext}", sub.lang));
+                    match make_symlink(&sub.path, &link) {
+                        Ok(()) => links_created += 1,
+                        Err(e) => errors.push(e),
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    GenerateResult { links_created, errors }
+}
diff --git a/src/web.rs b/src/web.rs
index cb5e5d1..83e20bf 100644
--- a/src/web.rs
+++ b/src/web.rs
@@ -29,13 +29,14 @@ use std::sync::{Arc, Mutex};
 
 use axum::{
     body::{Body, Bytes},
-    extract::{Path, Query, Request, State},
-    http::{header, HeaderMap, StatusCode},
+    extract::{ConnectInfo, DefaultBodyLimit, Path, Query, Request, State},
+    http::{header, HeaderMap, HeaderValue, StatusCode},
     middleware::{self, Next},
     response::{IntoResponse, Response},
     routing::{get, post},
     Json, Router,
 };
+use std::net::SocketAddr;
 use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
 use tower_http::services::ServeDir;
 use argon2::{Argon2, PasswordHash, PasswordHasher, PasswordVerifier};
@@ -43,7 +44,7 @@ use argon2::password_hash::SaltString;
 
 use crate::config::Config;
 use crate::database::Database;
-use crate::downloader::{detect_url_kind, Downloader, JobState};
+use crate::downloader::{detect_url_kind, DownloadQuality, Downloader, JobState};
 use crate::library;
 use crate::maintenance;
 
@@ -77,11 +78,33 @@ pub struct WebState {
     pub config: Mutex<Config>,
     /// Whether to transcode MKV→mp4 on the fly for playback (requires ffmpeg).
     pub transcode: AtomicBool,
-    /// Active session tokens. Non-empty only when a password is set; a valid
-    /// `session` cookie matching one of these grants access to the gated UI/API.
-    pub sessions: Mutex<HashSet<String>>,
+    /// Active session tokens mapped to their issued-at `Instant`. Tokens older
+    /// than [`SESSION_TTL`] are rejected and pruned lazily on each touch.
+    pub sessions: Mutex<HashMap<String, std::time::Instant>>,
+    /// When the last scheduled channel check ran; used to compute the next due time.
+    pub last_scheduled_check: Mutex<Option<std::time::Instant>>,
+    /// Cached "is password required" — refreshed when the password is changed.
+    /// Avoids a DB hit on every request through `auth_middleware`.
+    pub password_required_cache: AtomicBool,
+    /// Per-IP failure tracker for [`post_login`]. Each entry is the number of
+    /// recent failures and the instant the lockout (if any) expires.
+    pub login_attempts: Mutex<HashMap<std::net::IpAddr, LoginAttempt>>,
 }
 
+/// Failed-login tracking entry. After [`LOGIN_LOCKOUT_AFTER`] failures from
+/// the same IP, further attempts are rejected until [`LoginAttempt::until`].
+pub struct LoginAttempt {
+    pub failures: u32,
+    pub until: Option<std::time::Instant>,
+}
+
+/// How long a session token is valid for after login.
+pub const SESSION_TTL: std::time::Duration = std::time::Duration::from_secs(30 * 24 * 3600);
+/// Failures per IP before /api/login starts returning 429.
+pub const LOGIN_LOCKOUT_AFTER: u32 = 5;
+/// How long the lockout lasts once tripped.
+pub const LOGIN_LOCKOUT_DURATION: std::time::Duration = std::time::Duration::from_secs(60);
+
 impl WebState {
     fn job_snapshots(dl: &Downloader) -> Vec<JobSnapshot> {
         dl.jobs
@@ -95,7 +118,7 @@ impl WebState {
                     JobState::Failed => "failed",
                 },
                 progress: j.progress,
-                last_line: j.log.last().cloned().unwrap_or_default(),
+                last_line: j.log.back().cloned().unwrap_or_default(),
             })
             .collect()
     }
@@ -119,6 +142,8 @@ struct ChannelInfo {
     subscriber_count: Option<u64>,
     uploader: Option<String>,
     channel_url: Option<String>,
+    /// Thumbnail URL for the channel overview grid — first available video thumbnail.
+    thumb_url: Option<String>,
     playlists: Vec<PlaylistInfo>,
     videos: Vec<VideoInfo>,
 }
@@ -140,6 +165,8 @@ struct VideoInfo {
     title: String,
     duration_secs: Option<f64>,
     file_size: Option<u64>,
+    /// Upload date as `YYYYMMDD` (yt-dlp's native format).
+    upload_date: Option<String>,
     has_video: bool,
     has_live_chat: bool,
     watched: bool,
@@ -159,6 +186,18 @@ struct SubtitleInfo {
     url: String,
 }
 
+/// JSON representation of a single music track sent to the browser.
+#[derive(Serialize)]
+struct TrackInfo {
+    id: String,
+    title: String,
+    artist: String,
+    duration_secs: Option<f64>,
+    file_size: Option<u64>,
+    audio_url: Option<String>,
+    thumb_url: Option<String>,
+}
+
 /// Request body for `POST /api/download`.
 #[derive(Deserialize)]
 struct StartDownloadRequest {
@@ -167,12 +206,24 @@ struct StartDownloadRequest {
     /// individually — slower but fills gaps in partially-archived channels.
     #[serde(default)]
     full_scan: bool,
+    /// Quality selector: "best" (default), "1080p", "720p", "480p", "360p", or "music".
+    /// When "music", audio-only mode is used regardless of other settings.
+    #[serde(default)]
+    quality: String,
 }
 
 /// Response body for `GET /api/progress`.
 #[derive(Serialize)]
 struct ProgressResponse {
     jobs: Vec<JobSnapshot>,
+    queued: Vec<QueuedSnapshot>,
+    max_concurrent: usize,
+}
+
+#[derive(Serialize)]
+struct QueuedSnapshot {
+    label: String,
+    url: String,
 }
 
 #[derive(Serialize, Deserialize)]
@@ -197,6 +248,28 @@ struct SettingsPayload {
     /// New plaintext password to set for downloads. Clients send this on POST; server does not return it.
     #[serde(skip_serializing, default)]
     new_download_password: Option<String>,
+    /// Plex library path, readable and writable by both client and server.
+    #[serde(default)]
+    plex_library_path: Option<String>,
+    /// Whether the background scheduler is enabled.
+    #[serde(default)]
+    scheduler_enabled: bool,
+    /// Hours between automatic channel checks (1–168). Ignored if 0 on POST.
+    #[serde(default)]
+    scheduler_interval_hours: u32,
+    /// Seconds until the next scheduled check. `None` if scheduler is disabled or last check unknown.
+    #[serde(skip_deserializing, default)]
+    scheduler_next_check_secs: Option<u64>,
+    /// Maximum simultaneous yt-dlp processes. 0 = unlimited. Ignored if 0 on POST.
+    #[serde(default)]
+    max_concurrent: usize,
+    /// If true, invoke the bundled yt-dlp under `~/.local/share/yt-offline/bin/`
+    /// instead of the system PATH yt-dlp.
+    #[serde(default)]
+    use_bundled_ytdlp: bool,
+    /// Whether the bundled yt-dlp binary is installed on disk (sent by server only).
+    #[serde(skip_deserializing, default)]
+    bundled_ytdlp_installed: bool,
 }
 
 #[derive(Serialize, Deserialize, Clone)]
@@ -220,11 +293,14 @@ fn file_url(channels_root: &StdPath, full: &StdPath) -> Option<String> {
 }
 
 fn percent_encode_segment(s: &str) -> String {
+    use std::fmt::Write;
     let mut out = String::with_capacity(s.len());
     for b in s.bytes() {
         match b {
             b'A'..=b'Z' | b'a'..=b'z' | b'0'..=b'9' | b'-' | b'_' | b'.' | b'~' => out.push(b as char),
-            _ => out.push_str(&format!("%{:02X}", b)),
+            // `write!` reuses `out`'s buffer — avoids the intermediate
+            // `String` allocation that `format!` would produce per byte.
+            _ => { let _ = write!(out, "%{:02X}", b); }
         }
     }
     out
@@ -262,25 +338,11 @@ fn lang_label(code: &str) -> String {
 }
 
 fn find_video_info_path(library: &[library::Channel], id: &str) -> Option<PathBuf> {
-    for ch in library {
-        for v in ch.videos.iter().chain(ch.playlists.iter().flat_map(|p| p.videos.iter())) {
-            if v.id == id {
-                return v.info_path.clone();
-            }
-        }
-    }
-    None
+    library::find_video(library, id).and_then(|(v, _)| v.info_path.clone())
 }
 
 fn find_video_path(library: &[library::Channel], id: &str) -> Option<PathBuf> {
-    for ch in library {
-        for v in ch.videos.iter().chain(ch.playlists.iter().flat_map(|p| p.videos.iter())) {
-            if v.id == id {
-                return v.video_path.clone();
-            }
-        }
-    }
-    None
+    library::find_video(library, id).and_then(|(v, _)| v.video_path.clone())
 }
 
 fn detect_tailscale_ip() -> Option<String> {
@@ -434,6 +496,71 @@ pub fn write_cookies(text: &str) -> Result<usize, String> {
     Ok(count_cookies(&content))
 }
 
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn srt_to_vtt_replaces_comma_in_timestamps_only() {
+        let srt = "1\n00:00:01,500 --> 00:00:03,000\nHello, world\n";
+        let vtt = srt_to_vtt(srt);
+        assert!(vtt.starts_with("WEBVTT\n\n"));
+        // Comma in body preserved; comma in timestamp converted to dot.
+        assert!(vtt.contains("00:00:01.500 --> 00:00:03.000"));
+        assert!(vtt.contains("Hello, world"));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn count_cookies_only_counts_seven_field_lines() {
+        let body = "# Netscape HTTP Cookie File\n\
+                    .youtube.com\tTRUE\t/\tFALSE\t0\tname\tvalue\n\
+                    not a cookie line\n\
+                    .example.com\tTRUE\t/\tFALSE\t0\tn2\tv2\n";
+        assert_eq!(count_cookies(body), 2);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn percent_encode_segment_passes_safe_chars() {
+        assert_eq!(percent_encode_segment("abcXYZ0-9._~"), "abcXYZ0-9._~");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn percent_encode_segment_escapes_space_and_slash() {
+        assert_eq!(percent_encode_segment("a b/c"), "a%20b%2Fc");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn percent_encode_segment_escapes_non_ascii() {
+        // 'é' in UTF-8 is 0xC3 0xA9.
+        assert_eq!(percent_encode_segment("é"), "%C3%A9");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn bind_mode_of_recognizes_loopback_and_wildcard() {
+        assert_eq!(bind_mode_of("127.0.0.1"), "localhost");
+        assert_eq!(bind_mode_of("localhost"), "localhost");
+        assert_eq!(bind_mode_of("0.0.0.0"), "all");
+        assert_eq!(bind_mode_of("100.64.1.2"), "tailscale");
+        assert_eq!(bind_mode_of("192.168.1.10"), "lan");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn hash_password_verify_roundtrip() {
+        let h = hash_password("hunter2").unwrap();
+        assert!(verify_password("hunter2", &h));
+        assert!(!verify_password("wrong", &h));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn lang_label_known_codes() {
+        assert_eq!(lang_label("en"), "English");
+        assert_eq!(lang_label("ja"), "Japanese");
+        assert_eq!(lang_label("en-orig"), "English (auto)");
+        // Unknown: returned as-is.
+        assert_eq!(lang_label("zz"), "zz");
+    }
+}
+
 pub fn hash_password(password: &str) -> Option<String> {
     use rand::thread_rng;
     let salt = SaltString::generate(thread_rng());
@@ -474,17 +601,31 @@ fn session_token_from_headers(headers: &HeaderMap) -> Option<String> {
         .map(|s| s.to_string())
 }
 
-/// True if the request carries a valid session cookie.
+/// True if the request carries a valid, non-expired session cookie.
+///
+/// Expired tokens are removed from the in-memory set as a side effect so the
+/// `sessions` map doesn't grow without bound for users who never log out.
 fn is_authed(state: &WebState, headers: &HeaderMap) -> bool {
-    match session_token_from_headers(headers) {
-        Some(token) => state.sessions.lock().unwrap().contains(&token),
-        None => false,
-    }
+    let Some(token) = session_token_from_headers(headers) else { return false };
+    let mut sessions = state.sessions.lock().unwrap();
+    let now = std::time::Instant::now();
+    // Lazy prune: drop anything older than the TTL.
+    sessions.retain(|_, issued| now.duration_since(*issued) < SESSION_TTL);
+    sessions.contains_key(&token)
 }
 
-/// Whether a download/access password is configured.
+/// Whether a download/access password is configured. Backed by an atomic
+/// cache to avoid a SQLite hit on every request (especially for static files).
 fn password_required(state: &WebState) -> bool {
-    state.db.lock().unwrap().get_setting("password_hash").ok().flatten().is_some()
+    state.password_required_cache.load(Ordering::Relaxed)
+}
+
+/// Re-read the password setting from the DB and update the cache. Called
+/// after any change that could affect whether a password exists.
+fn refresh_password_cache(state: &WebState) {
+    let present = state.db.lock().unwrap()
+        .get_setting("password_hash").ok().flatten().is_some();
+    state.password_required_cache.store(present, Ordering::Relaxed);
 }
 
 #[derive(Deserialize)]
@@ -492,22 +633,69 @@ struct LoginRequest {
     password: String,
 }
 
+/// Build the `Set-Cookie` header value for a session token.
+///
+/// `Secure` is added when the request arrived over HTTPS — detected either
+/// by a forwarding proxy (`X-Forwarded-Proto: https`) or by the request URI
+/// scheme. Setting `Secure` unconditionally would break logins on plain-HTTP
+/// LAN deployments since the browser would refuse to send the cookie back.
+fn session_cookie(token: &str, headers: &HeaderMap, max_age_secs: u64) -> String {
+    let secure = headers.get("x-forwarded-proto")
+        .and_then(|h| h.to_str().ok())
+        .map(|v| v.eq_ignore_ascii_case("https"))
+        .unwrap_or(false);
+    let secure_attr = if secure { "; Secure" } else { "" };
+    format!("session={token}; HttpOnly; SameSite=Strict; Path=/; Max-Age={max_age_secs}{secure_attr}")
+}
+
 /// `POST /api/login` — verify the password and issue a session cookie.
+///
+/// Rate-limited per source IP: after [`LOGIN_LOCKOUT_AFTER`] failed attempts,
+/// further attempts return 429 for [`LOGIN_LOCKOUT_DURATION`]. Successful
+/// logins reset the counter for that IP.
 async fn post_login(
     State(state): State<Arc<WebState>>,
+    ConnectInfo(addr): ConnectInfo<SocketAddr>,
+    headers: HeaderMap,
     Json(body): Json<LoginRequest>,
 ) -> Response {
+    let ip = addr.ip();
+    let now = std::time::Instant::now();
+    // Check lockout first.
+    {
+        let mut attempts = state.login_attempts.lock().unwrap();
+        // GC entries whose lockout has elapsed.
+        attempts.retain(|_, a| a.until.map_or(true, |u| u > now));
+        if let Some(a) = attempts.get(&ip) {
+            if let Some(until) = a.until {
+                if until > now {
+                    return (StatusCode::TOO_MANY_REQUESTS, "too many failed attempts — try again shortly").into_response();
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
     let hash = state.db.lock().unwrap().get_setting("password_hash").ok().flatten();
     let Some(hash) = hash else {
         // No password configured; nothing to authenticate against.
         return (StatusCode::OK, "no password set").into_response();
     };
     if !verify_password(&body.password, &hash) {
+        let mut attempts = state.login_attempts.lock().unwrap();
+        let entry = attempts.entry(ip).or_insert(LoginAttempt { failures: 0, until: None });
+        entry.failures += 1;
+        if entry.failures >= LOGIN_LOCKOUT_AFTER {
+            entry.until = Some(now + LOGIN_LOCKOUT_DURATION);
+            entry.failures = 0;
+        }
         return (StatusCode::UNAUTHORIZED, "invalid password").into_response();
     }
+    // Success: reset the failure counter for this IP.
+    state.login_attempts.lock().unwrap().remove(&ip);
+
     let token = generate_session_token();
-    state.sessions.lock().unwrap().insert(token.clone());
-    let cookie = format!("session={token}; HttpOnly; SameSite=Strict; Path=/; Max-Age=2592000");
+    state.sessions.lock().unwrap().insert(token.clone(), now);
+    let cookie = session_cookie(&token, &headers, SESSION_TTL.as_secs());
     ([(header::SET_COOKIE, cookie)], StatusCode::OK).into_response()
 }
 
@@ -519,10 +707,38 @@ async fn post_logout(
     if let Some(token) = session_token_from_headers(&headers) {
         state.sessions.lock().unwrap().remove(&token);
     }
-    let cookie = "session=; HttpOnly; SameSite=Strict; Path=/; Max-Age=0";
+    let cookie = session_cookie("", &headers, 0);
     ([(header::SET_COOKIE, cookie)], StatusCode::OK).into_response()
 }
 
+/// Middleware that attaches conservative security headers to every response.
+///
+/// The Content-Security-Policy permits inline JS and styles (the embedded UI
+/// is one big inline script tag) but forbids loading code from third-party
+/// origins, blocks plugin / object embedding, and prevents the page from
+/// being framed. This caps the blast radius of any future XSS slip-up in
+/// the embedded UI strings.
+async fn security_headers(req: Request, next: Next) -> Response {
+    let mut resp = next.run(req).await;
+    let headers = resp.headers_mut();
+    // SAFETY: every value here is a fixed compile-time ASCII string.
+    let csp = "default-src 'self'; \
+               script-src 'self' 'unsafe-inline'; \
+               style-src 'self' 'unsafe-inline'; \
+               img-src 'self' data: blob: https:; \
+               media-src 'self' blob:; \
+               connect-src 'self'; \
+               font-src 'self'; \
+               object-src 'none'; \
+               base-uri 'self'; \
+               frame-ancestors 'none'";
+    headers.insert(header::CONTENT_SECURITY_POLICY, HeaderValue::from_static(csp));
+    headers.insert(header::X_CONTENT_TYPE_OPTIONS, HeaderValue::from_static("nosniff"));
+    headers.insert(header::X_FRAME_OPTIONS, HeaderValue::from_static("DENY"));
+    headers.insert(header::REFERRER_POLICY, HeaderValue::from_static("no-referrer"));
+    resp
+}
+
 /// Middleware gating every route behind a session cookie when a password is set.
 /// With no password configured, all requests pass through unchanged (preserves
 /// the localhost-only default). `/api/login` is always reachable so users can
@@ -600,6 +816,7 @@ async fn get_library(State(state): State<Arc<WebState>>) -> impl IntoResponse {
             title: v.title.clone(),
             duration_secs: v.duration_secs,
             file_size: v.file_size,
+            upload_date: v.upload_date.clone(),
             has_video: v.video_path.is_some(),
             has_live_chat: v.has_live_chat,
             watched: watched.contains(&v.id),
@@ -612,6 +829,9 @@ async fn get_library(State(state): State<Arc<WebState>>) -> impl IntoResponse {
     };
 
     let channels = lib.iter().map(|ch| {
+        let thumb_url = ch.videos.iter()
+            .chain(ch.playlists.iter().flat_map(|p| p.videos.iter()))
+            .find_map(|v| v.thumb_path.as_deref().and_then(|p| file_url(root, p)));
         ChannelInfo {
             name: ch.name.clone(),
             total_videos: ch.total_videos(),
@@ -619,6 +839,7 @@ async fn get_library(State(state): State<Arc<WebState>>) -> impl IntoResponse {
             subscriber_count: ch.meta.as_ref().and_then(|m| m.subscriber_count),
             uploader: ch.meta.as_ref().and_then(|m| m.uploader.clone()),
             channel_url: ch.meta.as_ref().and_then(|m| m.channel_url.clone()),
+            thumb_url,
             playlists: ch.playlists.iter().map(|p| PlaylistInfo {
                 name: p.name.clone(),
                 videos: p.videos.iter().map(|v| to_info(v, &watched)).collect(),
@@ -630,10 +851,43 @@ async fn get_library(State(state): State<Arc<WebState>>) -> impl IntoResponse {
     Json(LibraryResponse { channels })
 }
 
+async fn get_music(State(state): State<Arc<WebState>>) -> impl IntoResponse {
+    let music_root = {
+        let dl = state.downloader.lock().unwrap();
+        dl.music_root()
+    };
+    let tracks = library::scan_music(&music_root);
+    let track_infos: Vec<TrackInfo> = tracks.into_iter().map(|t| {
+        let audio_url = {
+            let rel = t.path.strip_prefix(&music_root).ok()
+                .map(|r| format!("/music-files/{}", r.display()));
+            rel
+        };
+        let thumb_url = t.thumb_path.as_deref().and_then(|p| {
+            let rel = p.strip_prefix(&music_root).ok()?;
+            Some(format!("/music-files/{}", rel.display()))
+        });
+        TrackInfo {
+            id: t.id,
+            title: t.title,
+            artist: t.artist,
+            duration_secs: t.duration_secs,
+            file_size: t.file_size,
+            audio_url,
+            thumb_url,
+        }
+    }).collect();
+    Json(serde_json::json!({ "tracks": track_infos }))
+}
+
 async fn get_progress(State(state): State<Arc<WebState>>) -> impl IntoResponse {
     let mut dl = state.downloader.lock().unwrap();
     dl.poll();
-    Json(ProgressResponse { jobs: WebState::job_snapshots(&dl) })
+    let queued = dl.pending_snapshots().into_iter()
+        .map(|(label, url)| QueuedSnapshot { label, url })
+        .collect();
+    let max_concurrent = dl.max_concurrent;
+    Json(ProgressResponse { jobs: WebState::job_snapshots(&dl), queued, max_concurrent })
 }
 
 async fn post_download(
@@ -646,8 +900,20 @@ async fn post_download(
     if url.is_empty() {
         return (StatusCode::BAD_REQUEST, "empty URL").into_response();
     }
-    let kind = detect_url_kind(&url);
-    state.downloader.lock().unwrap().start(url, &kind, body.full_scan);
+    let mut dl = state.downloader.lock().unwrap();
+    if body.quality == "music" {
+        dl.start_music(url);
+    } else {
+        let quality = match body.quality.as_str() {
+            "1080p" => DownloadQuality::Res1080,
+            "720p"  => DownloadQuality::Res720,
+            "480p"  => DownloadQuality::Res480,
+            "360p"  => DownloadQuality::Res360,
+            _       => DownloadQuality::Best,
+        };
+        let kind = detect_url_kind(&url);
+        dl.start(url, &kind, body.full_scan, quality);
+    }
     (StatusCode::ACCEPTED, "ok").into_response()
 }
 
@@ -671,9 +937,26 @@ async fn get_settings(State(state): State<Arc<WebState>>) -> impl IntoResponse {
     let port = cfg.web.port;
     let current_bind = cfg.web.bind.clone();
     let available_binds = get_available_binds(port);
+    let plex_library_path = cfg.plex.library_path.as_deref()
+        .map(|p| p.display().to_string());
+    let scheduler_enabled = cfg.scheduler.enabled;
+    let scheduler_interval_hours = cfg.scheduler.interval_hours;
+    let max_concurrent = cfg.backup.max_concurrent;
+    let use_bundled_ytdlp = cfg.backup.use_bundled_ytdlp;
     drop(cfg);
-    let download_password_required =
-        state.db.lock().unwrap().get_setting("password_hash").ok().flatten().is_some();
+
+    let scheduler_next_check_secs = if scheduler_enabled {
+        let last = *state.last_scheduled_check.lock().unwrap();
+        let interval_secs = scheduler_interval_hours as u64 * 3600;
+        Some(match last {
+            None => 0,
+            Some(t) => interval_secs.saturating_sub(t.elapsed().as_secs()),
+        })
+    } else {
+        None
+    };
+
+    let download_password_required = state.password_required_cache.load(Ordering::Relaxed);
     Json(SettingsPayload {
         transcode: state.transcode.load(Ordering::Relaxed),
         source_url,
@@ -682,6 +965,13 @@ async fn get_settings(State(state): State<Arc<WebState>>) -> impl IntoResponse {
         bind_mode: None,
         download_password_required,
         new_download_password: None,
+        plex_library_path,
+        scheduler_enabled,
+        scheduler_interval_hours,
+        scheduler_next_check_secs,
+        max_concurrent,
+        use_bundled_ytdlp,
+        bundled_ytdlp_installed: crate::ytdlp_bin::bundled_installed(),
     })
 }
 
@@ -698,6 +988,19 @@ async fn post_settings(
         cfg.web.bind = new_addr;
     }
 
+    if let Some(ref p) = body.plex_library_path {
+        cfg.plex.library_path = if p.trim().is_empty() { None } else { Some(std::path::PathBuf::from(p.trim())) };
+    }
+
+    cfg.scheduler.enabled = body.scheduler_enabled;
+    if body.scheduler_interval_hours > 0 {
+        cfg.scheduler.interval_hours = body.scheduler_interval_hours;
+    }
+    if body.max_concurrent > 0 {
+        cfg.backup.max_concurrent = body.max_concurrent;
+    }
+    cfg.backup.use_bundled_ytdlp = body.use_bundled_ytdlp;
+
     if let Err(e) = cfg.save(&state.config_path) {
         return (StatusCode::INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR, format!("save failed: {e}")).into_response();
     }
@@ -705,8 +1008,21 @@ async fn post_settings(
     let current_bind = cfg.web.bind.clone();
     let port = cfg.web.port;
     let available_binds = get_available_binds(port);
+    let scheduler_enabled = cfg.scheduler.enabled;
+    let scheduler_interval_hours = cfg.scheduler.interval_hours;
+    let max_concurrent = cfg.backup.max_concurrent;
+    let use_bundled_ytdlp = cfg.backup.use_bundled_ytdlp;
     drop(cfg);
 
+    // Apply the new concurrency limit and binary choice to the live downloader.
+    {
+        let mut dl = state.downloader.lock().unwrap();
+        if body.max_concurrent > 0 {
+            dl.max_concurrent = body.max_concurrent;
+        }
+        dl.use_bundled_ytdlp = use_bundled_ytdlp;
+    }
+
     if let Some(new_pwd) = &body.new_download_password {
         let db = state.db.lock().unwrap();
         let result = if new_pwd.is_empty() {
@@ -716,15 +1032,28 @@ async fn post_settings(
         } else {
             return (StatusCode::INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR, "failed to hash password").into_response();
         };
+        drop(db);
         if let Err(e) = result {
             return (StatusCode::INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR, format!("db error: {e}")).into_response();
         }
         // Password changed: drop all existing sessions so they must re-authenticate.
         state.sessions.lock().unwrap().clear();
+        refresh_password_cache(&state);
     }
 
-    let download_password_required =
-        state.db.lock().unwrap().get_setting("password_hash").ok().flatten().is_some();
+    let plex_library_path = state.config.lock().unwrap().plex.library_path.as_deref()
+        .map(|p| p.display().to_string());
+    let download_password_required = state.password_required_cache.load(Ordering::Relaxed);
+    let scheduler_next_check_secs = if scheduler_enabled {
+        let last = *state.last_scheduled_check.lock().unwrap();
+        let interval_secs = scheduler_interval_hours as u64 * 3600;
+        Some(match last {
+            None => 0,
+            Some(t) => interval_secs.saturating_sub(t.elapsed().as_secs()),
+        })
+    } else {
+        None
+    };
     Json(SettingsPayload {
         transcode: body.transcode,
         source_url,
@@ -733,6 +1062,13 @@ async fn post_settings(
         bind_mode: None,
         download_password_required,
         new_download_password: None,
+        plex_library_path,
+        scheduler_enabled,
+        scheduler_interval_hours,
+        scheduler_next_check_secs,
+        max_concurrent,
+        use_bundled_ytdlp,
+        bundled_ytdlp_installed: crate::ytdlp_bin::bundled_installed(),
     }).into_response()
 }
 
@@ -853,18 +1189,41 @@ async fn post_resume(
 struct PreviewQuery { url: String }
 
 async fn get_preview(
-    State(_state): State<Arc<WebState>>,
+    State(state): State<Arc<WebState>>,
     Query(q): Query<PreviewQuery>,
 ) -> impl IntoResponse {
     let url = q.url.trim().to_string();
     if url.is_empty() {
         return (StatusCode::BAD_REQUEST, "no url").into_response();
     }
-    let output = tokio::process::Command::new("yt-dlp")
-        .arg("--dump-single-json")
+    let use_bundled = state.config.lock().unwrap().backup.use_bundled_ytdlp;
+    if use_bundled {
+        crate::ytdlp_bin::ensure_bundled_executable();
+    }
+    let ytdlp_path = crate::ytdlp_bin::ytdlp_invocation(use_bundled);
+    let mut cmd = tokio::process::Command::new(ytdlp_path);
+    // Extend PATH so yt-dlp finds the bundled deno for JS deciphering.
+    let bundled_dir = crate::ytdlp_bin::bundled_dir();
+    if bundled_dir.exists() {
+        let sep = if cfg!(windows) { ";" } else { ":" };
+        let new_path = match std::env::var_os("PATH") {
+            Some(existing) => format!("{}{}{}", bundled_dir.display(), sep, existing.to_string_lossy()),
+            None => bundled_dir.display().to_string(),
+        };
+        cmd.env("PATH", new_path);
+    }
+    cmd.arg("--dump-single-json")
         .arg("--flat-playlist")
-        .arg("--no-warnings")
-        .arg("--cookies").arg("cookies.txt")
+        .arg("--no-warnings");
+    // Mirror Downloader::apply_cookie_flags so the preview honors the same
+    // cookies precedence (file > browser fallback).
+    let browser = state.config.lock().unwrap().player.browser.clone();
+    if std::path::Path::new("cookies.txt").exists() {
+        cmd.arg("--cookies").arg("cookies.txt");
+    } else if !browser.is_empty() && browser != "none" {
+        cmd.arg("--cookies-from-browser").arg(&browser);
+    }
+    let output = cmd
         .arg("--impersonate").arg("Chrome-146:Macos-26")
         .arg(&url)
         .stdin(Stdio::null())
@@ -966,15 +1325,11 @@ async fn get_description(
     Path(video_id): Path<String>,
 ) -> impl IntoResponse {
     let lib = state.library.lock().unwrap();
-    for ch in lib.iter() {
-        for v in ch.videos.iter().chain(ch.playlists.iter().flat_map(|p| p.videos.iter())) {
-            if v.id == video_id {
-                let text = v.description_path.as_ref()
-                    .and_then(|p| std::fs::read_to_string(p).ok())
-                    .unwrap_or_default();
-                return (StatusCode::OK, [(header::CONTENT_TYPE, "text/plain; charset=utf-8")], text).into_response();
-            }
-        }
+    if let Some((v, _)) = library::find_video(&lib, &video_id) {
+        let text = v.description_path.as_ref()
+            .and_then(|p| std::fs::read_to_string(p).ok())
+            .unwrap_or_default();
+        return (StatusCode::OK, [(header::CONTENT_TYPE, "text/plain; charset=utf-8")], text).into_response();
     }
     (StatusCode::NOT_FOUND, "not found").into_response()
 }
@@ -989,6 +1344,24 @@ async fn post_rescan(State(state): State<Arc<WebState>>) -> impl IntoResponse {
     (StatusCode::OK, "rescanned")
 }
 
+/// `POST /api/plex/generate` — generate (or refresh) the Plex symlink tree.
+async fn post_plex_generate(State(state): State<Arc<WebState>>) -> impl IntoResponse {
+    let plex_root = {
+        let cfg = state.config.lock().unwrap();
+        cfg.plex.library_path.clone()
+    };
+    let Some(plex_root) = plex_root else {
+        return (StatusCode::BAD_REQUEST, "no plex.library_path configured").into_response();
+    };
+    let lib = state.library.lock().unwrap();
+    let result = crate::plex::generate(&lib, &plex_root);
+    drop(lib);
+    Json(serde_json::json!({
+        "links_created": result.links_created,
+        "errors": result.errors,
+    })).into_response()
+}
+
 /// `GET /api/maintenance/scan` — report duplicate videos and missing assets.
 async fn get_maintenance_scan(State(state): State<Arc<WebState>>) -> impl IntoResponse {
     let lib = state.library.lock().unwrap();
@@ -1030,6 +1403,35 @@ async fn post_maintenance_repair(
     (StatusCode::ACCEPTED, "repair queued").into_response()
 }
 
+/// `POST /api/scheduler/run` — trigger an immediate scheduled channel check.
+async fn post_scheduler_run(State(state): State<Arc<WebState>>) -> impl IntoResponse {
+    if state.downloader.lock().unwrap().any_running() {
+        return (StatusCode::CONFLICT, "downloads already running").into_response();
+    }
+    let urls: Vec<String> = state.library.lock().unwrap()
+        .iter()
+        .map(|ch| crate::downloader::check_url_for_folder(&ch.name))
+        .collect();
+    if urls.is_empty() {
+        return (StatusCode::OK, "no channels to check").into_response();
+    }
+    let count = urls.len();
+    let mut dl = state.downloader.lock().unwrap();
+    for url in urls {
+        let kind = detect_url_kind(&url);
+        dl.start(url, &kind, true, DownloadQuality::Best);
+    }
+    *state.last_scheduled_check.lock().unwrap() = Some(std::time::Instant::now());
+    (StatusCode::ACCEPTED, format!("started {count} channel checks")).into_response()
+}
+
+/// `POST /api/ytdlp/update` — download (or update) the bundled yt-dlp + deno
+/// binaries. Streams output through a regular [`Job`] entry.
+async fn post_ytdlp_update(State(state): State<Arc<WebState>>) -> impl IntoResponse {
+    state.downloader.lock().unwrap().start_ytdlp_update();
+    (StatusCode::ACCEPTED, "started bundled yt-dlp update").into_response()
+}
+
 /// Delete cookies.txt, removing all stored session cookies.
 pub fn clear_cookies() -> Result<(), String> {
     let p = cookies_path();
@@ -1068,12 +1470,21 @@ async fn delete_cookies() -> impl IntoResponse {
 
 // ── Entry point ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
+/// Run the web server in the foreground until the process is killed.
+///
+/// The `--web` CLI path. We hand `serve` a sentinel `Receiver` whose `Sender`
+/// is leaked, so `recv()` blocks forever and the shutdown branch of the
+/// `tokio::select!` inside `serve` never fires. The previous `let _ = tx`
+/// dropped the sender on the same line and caused immediate shutdown.
 pub fn run(config: Config) -> ! {
     let rt = tokio::runtime::Runtime::new().expect("tokio runtime");
-    let (tx, rx) = std::sync::mpsc::channel();
-    let _ = tx; // Keep tx alive to prevent rx from becoming permanently closed
+    let (tx, rx) = std::sync::mpsc::channel::<()>();
+    std::mem::forget(tx); // intentional leak: keeps rx alive forever
     rt.block_on(serve(config, rx));
-    unreachable!()
+    // serve() should run until the process exits. If it ever returns,
+    // sit in an idle loop instead of panicking — the listener bind failed
+    // and was already logged.
+    loop { std::thread::sleep(std::time::Duration::from_secs(3600)); }
 }
 
 pub fn run_with_shutdown(config: Config) -> std::sync::mpsc::Sender<()> {
@@ -1099,11 +1510,19 @@ async fn serve(config: Config, shutdown_rx: std::sync::mpsc::Receiver<()>) {
     let watched = db.get_watched().unwrap_or_default();
     let positions = db.get_positions().unwrap_or_default();
 
-    let downloader = Downloader::new(channels_root.clone(), config.player.browser.clone());
+    let downloader = Downloader::new(
+        channels_root.clone(),
+        config.player.browser.clone(),
+        config.backup.max_concurrent,
+        config.backup.use_bundled_ytdlp,
+    );
+    let music_root = downloader.music_root();
+    let _ = std::fs::create_dir_all(&music_root);
     let transcode = AtomicBool::new(config.web.transcode);
     let port = config.web.port;
     let bind_addr = config.web.bind.clone();
 
+    let password_required_initial = db.get_setting("password_hash").ok().flatten().is_some();
     let state = Arc::new(WebState {
         library: Mutex::new(library),
         downloader: Mutex::new(downloader),
@@ -1114,7 +1533,45 @@ async fn serve(config: Config, shutdown_rx: std::sync::mpsc::Receiver<()>) {
         config_path,
         config: Mutex::new(config),
         transcode,
-        sessions: Mutex::new(HashSet::new()),
+        sessions: Mutex::new(HashMap::new()),
+        last_scheduled_check: Mutex::new(None),
+        password_required_cache: AtomicBool::new(password_required_initial),
+        login_attempts: Mutex::new(HashMap::new()),
+    });
+
+    // Background scheduler — ticks every 60 s; runs channel checks when due.
+    let sched_state = state.clone();
+    tokio::spawn(async move {
+        let mut tick = tokio::time::interval(std::time::Duration::from_secs(60));
+        loop {
+            tick.tick().await;
+            let (enabled, interval_hours) = {
+                let cfg = sched_state.config.lock().unwrap();
+                (cfg.scheduler.enabled, cfg.scheduler.interval_hours)
+            };
+            if !enabled { continue; }
+            if sched_state.downloader.lock().unwrap().any_running() { continue; }
+            // Clamp interval defensively. A manually edited config.toml with 0
+            // (or accidentally tiny value) would otherwise trigger every tick.
+            let safe_hours = interval_hours.max(1);
+            let interval_dur = std::time::Duration::from_secs(safe_hours as u64 * 3600);
+            let due = {
+                let last = *sched_state.last_scheduled_check.lock().unwrap();
+                last.map_or(true, |t| t.elapsed() >= interval_dur)
+            };
+            if !due { continue; }
+            let urls: Vec<String> = sched_state.library.lock().unwrap()
+                .iter()
+                .map(|ch| crate::downloader::check_url_for_folder(&ch.name))
+                .collect();
+            if urls.is_empty() { continue; }
+            let mut dl = sched_state.downloader.lock().unwrap();
+            for url in urls {
+                let kind = detect_url_kind(&url);
+                dl.start(url, &kind, true, DownloadQuality::Best);
+            }
+            *sched_state.last_scheduled_check.lock().unwrap() = Some(std::time::Instant::now());
+        }
     });
 
     let app = Router::new()
@@ -1134,14 +1591,25 @@ async fn serve(config: Config, shutdown_rx: std::sync::mpsc::Receiver<()>) {
         .route("/api/settings", get(get_settings).post(post_settings))
         .route("/api/transcode/:id", get(get_transcode))
         .route("/api/sub-vtt/*path", get(get_sub_vtt))
+        .route("/api/plex/generate", post(post_plex_generate))
         .route("/api/maintenance/scan", get(get_maintenance_scan))
         .route("/api/maintenance/remove", post(post_maintenance_remove))
         .route("/api/maintenance/repair/:id", post(post_maintenance_repair))
         .route("/api/cookies", get(get_cookies).post(post_cookies).delete(delete_cookies))
+        .route("/api/scheduler/run", post(post_scheduler_run))
+        .route("/api/ytdlp/update", post(post_ytdlp_update))
+        .route("/api/music", get(get_music))
         .route("/api/login", post(post_login))
         .route("/api/logout", post(post_logout))
         .nest_service("/files", ServeDir::new(&channels_root))
+        .nest_service("/music-files", ServeDir::new(&music_root))
         .layer(middleware::from_fn_with_state(state.clone(), auth_middleware))
+        // Cap any uploaded body at 4 MiB. cookies.txt and POSTed JSON payloads
+        // are tiny in normal use; anything larger is either accidental or
+        // malicious. Path-specific overrides aren't needed since we have no
+        // legitimate large-upload endpoints.
+        .layer(DefaultBodyLimit::max(4 * 1024 * 1024))
+        .layer(middleware::from_fn(security_headers))
         .with_state(state);
 
     let listener = match tokio::net::TcpListener::bind(format!("{bind_addr}:{port}")).await {
@@ -1153,7 +1621,9 @@ async fn serve(config: Config, shutdown_rx: std::sync::mpsc::Receiver<()>) {
     };
     println!("yt-offline web UI: http://localhost:{port}");
 
-    let server = axum::serve(listener, app);
+    // `into_make_service_with_connect_info` so handlers can extract the
+    // client's `SocketAddr` (used for per-IP rate limiting on /api/login).
+    let server = axum::serve(listener, app.into_make_service_with_connect_info::<SocketAddr>());
     tokio::select! {
         _ = server => {},
         _ = tokio::task::spawn_blocking(move || {
@@ -1246,6 +1716,14 @@ const HTML_UI: &str = r#"<!DOCTYPE html>
   section#content{flex:1;overflow-y:auto;padding:10px;min-width:0}
   .toolbar{display:flex;align-items:center;gap:8px;margin-bottom:8px;flex-wrap:wrap}
   .grid{display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(auto-fill,minmax(180px,1fr));gap:10px}
+  .ch-card{background:var(--card);border-radius:8px;overflow:hidden;border:2px solid transparent;transition:border-color .15s;cursor:pointer;display:flex;flex-direction:column}
+  .ch-card:hover{border-color:var(--accent)}
+  .ch-card-thumb{width:100%;aspect-ratio:16/9;background:#111;overflow:hidden;position:relative}
+  .ch-card-thumb img{width:100%;height:100%;object-fit:cover;display:block}
+  .ch-card-thumb .nothumb{display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center;width:100%;height:100%;color:var(--muted);font-size:28px}
+  .ch-card-info{padding:8px 10px 10px;display:flex;flex-direction:column;gap:2px}
+  .ch-card-name{font-size:13px;font-weight:700;white-space:nowrap;overflow:hidden;text-overflow:ellipsis}
+  .ch-card-meta{font-size:11px;color:var(--muted)}
   .card{background:var(--card);border-radius:6px;overflow:hidden;border:2px solid transparent;transition:border-color .15s;display:flex;flex-direction:column;cursor:pointer}
   .card:hover{border-color:rgba(233,69,96,.5)}
   .card.selected{border-color:var(--accent)}
@@ -1321,6 +1799,8 @@ const HTML_UI: &str = r#"<!DOCTYPE html>
   <h1>yt-offline</h1>
   <input type="search" id="search" placeholder="Filter…" oninput="renderGrid()">
   <select id="sort" onchange="renderGrid()">
+    <option value="date-desc">Newest</option>
+    <option value="date-asc">Oldest</option>
     <option value="title">Title</option>
     <option value="dur-asc">Shortest</option>
     <option value="dur-desc">Longest</option>
@@ -1353,13 +1833,22 @@ const HTML_UI: &str = r#"<!DOCTYPE html>
 <footer>
   <input type="url" id="dl-url" placeholder="YouTube URL…" onkeydown="if(event.key==='Enter')previewDownload()">
   <button class="primary" onclick="previewDownload()">⬇ Download</button>
-  <label style="display:flex;align-items:center;gap:4px;font-size:12px;white-space:nowrap;cursor:pointer" title="Check every video individually instead of stopping at the first already-archived one. Slower but fills gaps."><input type="checkbox" id="dl-full-scan"> Full scan</label>
+  <select id="dl-quality" title="Download quality" style="background:var(--bg);color:var(--text);border:1px solid var(--border);border-radius:4px;padding:4px 6px;font-size:12px" onchange="updateDlMode()">
+    <option value="best">Best quality</option>
+    <option value="1080p">1080p</option>
+    <option value="720p">720p</option>
+    <option value="480p">480p</option>
+    <option value="360p">360p</option>
+    <option value="music">🎵 Music</option>
+  </select>
+  <label id="fast-mode-label" style="display:flex;align-items:center;gap:4px;font-size:12px;white-space:nowrap;cursor:pointer" title="Stop at the first already-downloaded video. Faster for large channels but may miss new videos if gaps exist in the archive."><input type="checkbox" id="dl-full-scan"> Fast mode</label>
   <span id="agpl-notice" style="font-size:10px;color:var(--muted);margin-left:auto;white-space:nowrap;overflow:hidden;text-overflow:ellipsis"></span>
 </footer>
 
 <script>
 'use strict';
-let library=[], channelUrls=[], activeChannelIdx=null, activePlaylistIdx=null, showContinue=false;
+let library=[], channelUrls=[], activeChannelIdx=null, activePlaylistIdx=null, showContinue=false, showChannels=false, showMusic=false;
+let musicTracks=[];
 let bulkMode=false, selected=new Set(), selectedId=null;
 let currentPlayingId=null, saveTimer=null;
 
@@ -1381,6 +1870,7 @@ async function loadLibrary(){
     renderSidebar();renderGrid();
     if(selectedId)renderDetails();
   }catch(e){setStatus('Error: '+e.message)}
+  loadMusic();
 }
 function setStatus(s){document.getElementById('status').textContent=s}
 
@@ -1392,7 +1882,9 @@ function renderSidebar(){
   const total=library.reduce((s,c)=>s+c.total_videos,0);
   let h=`<div class="sidebar-label">Library</div>`;
   if(contVids.length)h+=`<div class="ch-item${showContinue?' active':''}" onclick="setContinue()">▶ Continue (${contVids.length})</div>`;
-  h+=`<div class="ch-item${!showContinue&&activeChannelIdx===null?' active':''}" onclick="setView(null,null)">⊞ All (${total})</div>`;
+  h+=`<div class="ch-item${showChannels?' active':''}" onclick="setChannels()">⊟ Channels (${library.length})</div>`;
+  h+=`<div class="ch-item${!showContinue&&!showChannels&&activeChannelIdx===null?' active':''}" onclick="setView(null,null)">⊞ All (${total})</div>`;
+  h+=`<div class="ch-item${showMusic?' active':''}" onclick="setMusic()">♫ Music (${musicTracks.length})</div>`;
   h+=`<div class="sidebar-label" style="margin-top:8px">Channels</div>`;
   for(let i=0;i<library.length;i++){
     const ch=library[i];
@@ -1409,8 +1901,10 @@ function renderSidebar(){
   }
   el.innerHTML=h;
 }
-function setContinue(){showContinue=true;activeChannelIdx=null;activePlaylistIdx=null;selected.clear();closeSidebar();renderSidebar();renderGrid()}
-function setView(ci,pi){showContinue=false;activeChannelIdx=ci;activePlaylistIdx=pi;selected.clear();closeSidebar();renderSidebar();renderGrid()}
+function setContinue(){showContinue=true;showChannels=false;showMusic=false;activeChannelIdx=null;activePlaylistIdx=null;selected.clear();closeSidebar();renderSidebar();renderGrid()}
+function setChannels(){showChannels=true;showContinue=false;showMusic=false;activeChannelIdx=null;activePlaylistIdx=null;selected.clear();closeSidebar();renderSidebar();renderGrid()}
+function setView(ci,pi){showContinue=false;showChannels=false;showMusic=false;activeChannelIdx=ci;activePlaylistIdx=pi;selected.clear();closeSidebar();renderSidebar();renderGrid()}
+function setMusic(){showMusic=true;showContinue=false;showChannels=false;activeChannelIdx=null;activePlaylistIdx=null;selected.clear();closeSidebar();renderSidebar();renderGrid()}
 
 /* ── Grid ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────── */
 function currentVideos(){
@@ -1432,6 +1926,8 @@ function currentVideos(){
     for(const v of pool)
       if(!q||v.title.toLowerCase().includes(q)||v.id.includes(q))vids.push({...v,channel:ch.name});
   }
+  if(sort==='date-desc')vids.sort((a,b)=>(b.upload_date||'').localeCompare(a.upload_date||''));
+  if(sort==='date-asc')vids.sort((a,b)=>{const ax=a.upload_date||'￿',bx=b.upload_date||'￿';return ax.localeCompare(bx)});
   if(sort==='dur-asc')vids.sort((a,b)=>(a.duration_secs??0)-(b.duration_secs??0));
   if(sort==='dur-desc')vids.sort((a,b)=>(b.duration_secs??0)-(a.duration_secs??0));
   if(sort==='size-asc')vids.sort((a,b)=>(a.file_size??0)-(b.file_size??0));
@@ -1441,6 +1937,8 @@ function currentVideos(){
 }
 
 function renderGrid(){
+  if(showChannels){renderChannelGrid();return}
+  if(showMusic){renderMusicGrid();return}
   const vids=currentVideos();
   setStatus(vids.length+' video'+(vids.length!==1?'s':''));
   const grid=document.getElementById('grid');
@@ -1450,6 +1948,7 @@ function renderGrid(){
     const chk=bulkMode?`<input type="checkbox" ${selected.has(v.id)?'checked':''} onchange="toggleSel('${v.id}',this.checked)">`:'';
     const meta=[
       showChCol?esc(v.channel):null,
+      v.upload_date?fmtDate(v.upload_date):null,
       v.duration_secs!=null?fmtDur(v.duration_secs):null,
       v.file_size!=null?fmtSize(v.file_size):null,
       v.has_live_chat?'💬':null,
@@ -1473,6 +1972,61 @@ function renderGrid(){
 
 /* ── Watched / bulk ─────────────────────────────────────────────── */
 async function toggleWatched(id){try{await api('/api/watched/'+id,{method:'POST'});await loadLibrary()}catch(e){setStatus('Error: '+e.message)}}
+function renderChannelGrid(){
+  const q=(document.getElementById('search')?.value||'').toLowerCase();
+  const grid=document.getElementById('grid');
+  const chs=q?library.filter(ch=>ch.name.toLowerCase().includes(q)||ch.uploader?.toLowerCase().includes(q)):library;
+  setStatus(chs.length+' channel'+(chs.length!==1?'s':''));
+  if(!chs.length){grid.innerHTML='<div class="empty">Nothing here.</div>';return}
+  grid.innerHTML='<div style="display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(auto-fill,minmax(160px,1fr));gap:12px;padding:4px">'+chs.map((ch,i)=>{
+    const idx=library.indexOf(ch);
+    const thumb=ch.thumb_url?`<img src="${ch.thumb_url}" loading="lazy" alt="">`:'<div class="nothumb">📺</div>';
+    const size=ch.size_bytes>0?` · ${fmtSize(ch.size_bytes)}`:'';
+    const label=ch.uploader&&ch.uploader!==ch.name?esc(ch.uploader):esc(ch.name);
+    return `<div class="ch-card" onclick="setView(${idx},null)">
+      <div class="ch-card-thumb">${thumb}</div>
+      <div class="ch-card-info">
+        <div class="ch-card-name" title="${esc(ch.name)}">${label}</div>
+        <div class="ch-card-meta">${ch.total_videos} video${ch.total_videos!==1?'s':''}${size}</div>
+      </div>
+    </div>`;
+  }).join('')+'</div>';
+}
+async function loadMusic(){
+  try{const d=await(await api('/api/music')).json();musicTracks=d.tracks||[];renderSidebar();if(showMusic)renderMusicGrid()}catch(e){console.warn('music load:',e)}
+}
+function renderMusicGrid(){
+  const q=(document.getElementById('search')?.value||'').toLowerCase();
+  const grid=document.getElementById('grid');
+  const tracks=q?musicTracks.filter(t=>t.title.toLowerCase().includes(q)||t.artist.toLowerCase().includes(q)):musicTracks;
+  setStatus(tracks.length+' track'+(tracks.length!==1?'s':''));
+  if(!tracks.length){grid.innerHTML='<div class="empty">No music yet. Use 🎵 Music mode in the download bar.</div>';return}
+  let currentArtist='',h='<div style="width:100%;padding:4px">';
+  for(const t of tracks){
+    if(t.artist!==currentArtist){
+      currentArtist=t.artist;
+      h+=`<div style="font-weight:700;margin:12px 0 4px;color:var(--text)">${esc(t.artist)}</div><hr style="border-color:var(--border);margin:0 0 8px">`;
+    }
+    const dur=t.duration_secs!=null?fmtDur(t.duration_secs):'';
+    const playBtn=t.audio_url?`<button class="play" onclick="playAudio('${esc(t.id)}','${esc(t.title)}','${esc(safeUrl(t.audio_url))}')">▶</button>`:'';
+    h+=`<div style="display:flex;align-items:center;gap:8px;padding:4px 0;border-bottom:1px solid var(--border)">
+      ${playBtn}
+      <span style="flex:1;overflow:hidden;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap">${esc(t.title)}</span>
+      <span style="color:var(--muted);font-size:12px;flex-shrink:0">${dur}</span>
+    </div>`;
+  }
+  h+='</div>';
+  grid.innerHTML=h;
+}
+function playAudio(id,title,url){
+  const bg=document.createElement('div');bg.className='modal-bg';
+  bg.onclick=e=>{if(e.target===bg)closeModal(bg)};
+  bg.innerHTML=`<div class="modal" style="max-width:420px">
+    <div class="modal-hdr"><h2>${esc(title)}</h2><button onclick="closeModal(this.closest('.modal-bg'))">✕ Close</button></div>
+    <div class="modal-body"><audio id="audio-player" src="${url}" controls autoplay style="width:100%"></audio></div>
+  </div>`;
+  document.body.appendChild(bg);
+}
 function toggleBulk(){bulkMode=document.getElementById('bulk').checked;selected.clear();document.getElementById('bulk-actions').style.display=bulkMode?'flex':'none';renderGrid()}
 function toggleSel(id,on){if(on)selected.add(id);else selected.delete(id);document.getElementById('sel-count').textContent=selected.size+' selected'}
 async function bulkWatched(on){await Promise.all([...selected].map(id=>api('/api/watched/'+id,{method:'POST'})));selected.clear();await loadLibrary()}
@@ -1497,7 +2051,7 @@ async function previewDownload(){
     bg.innerHTML=`<div class="modal" style="max-width:480px">
       <div class="modal-hdr"><h2>Confirm download</h2></div>
       <div class="modal-body" style="align-items:flex-start;gap:12px">
-        ${d.thumbnail?`<img class="preview-thumb" src="${esc(d.thumbnail)}" onerror="this.remove()">`:''}
+        ${d.thumbnail?`<img class="preview-thumb" src="${esc(safeUrl(d.thumbnail))}" onerror="this.remove()">`:''}
         <div>
           <div style="font-weight:600;margin-bottom:6px">${esc(d.title||'Unknown')}</div>
           ${d.channel?`<div style="font-size:12px;color:var(--muted);margin-bottom:4px">${esc(d.channel)}</div>`:''}
@@ -1522,15 +2076,19 @@ async function previewDownload(){
     setStatus('');
   }
 }
-function fullScan(){return document.getElementById('dl-full-scan')?.checked||false}
+function fullScan(){return !(document.getElementById('dl-full-scan')?.checked||false)}
+function dlQuality(){return document.getElementById('dl-quality')?.value||'best'}
+function updateDlMode(){const isMusic=dlQuality()==='music';document.getElementById('fast-mode-label').style.display=isMusic?'none':'flex'}
 async function confirmDownload(url,btn){
   if(btn)btn.closest('.modal-bg').remove();
   try{
-    await api('/api/download',{method:'POST',headers:{'Content-Type':'application/json'},body:JSON.stringify({url,full_scan:fullScan()})});
+    const quality=dlQuality();
+    const body={url,full_scan:fullScan(),quality};
+    await api('/api/download',{method:'POST',headers:{'Content-Type':'application/json'},body:JSON.stringify(body)});
     document.getElementById('dl-url').value='';setStatus('Download queued…')
   }catch(e){setStatus('Error: '+e.message)}
 }
-async function downloadChannel(url){try{await api('/api/download',{method:'POST',headers:{'Content-Type':'application/json'},body:JSON.stringify({url,full_scan:fullScan()})});setStatus('Checking for new videos…')}catch(e){setStatus('Error: '+e.message)}}
+async function downloadChannel(url){try{await api('/api/download',{method:'POST',headers:{'Content-Type':'application/json'},body:JSON.stringify({url,full_scan:true,quality:'best'})});setStatus('Checking for new videos…')}catch(e){setStatus('Error: '+e.message)}}
 function checkUrlForChannel(name){
   // Mirror check_url_for_folder in downloader.rs: UC+22 chars = channel ID, else handle
   return(/^UC.{22}$/.test(name))
@@ -1551,11 +2109,11 @@ function playVideo(id){
   currentPlayingId=id;
   const bg=document.createElement('div');bg.className='modal-bg';
   bg.onclick=e=>{if(e.target===bg)closeModal(bg)};
-  const tracks=(v.subtitles||[]).map((s,i)=>`<track kind="subtitles" src="${s.url}" srclang="${esc(s.lang)}" label="${esc(s.label)}"${i===0?' default':''}>`).join('');
+  const tracks=(v.subtitles||[]).map((s,i)=>`<track kind="subtitles" src="${esc(safeUrl(s.url))}" srclang="${esc(s.lang)}" label="${esc(s.label)}"${i===0?' default':''}>`).join('');
   const chapPane=v.has_chapters?`<div class="chapters-pane" id="chapters-pane"><h4>Chapters</h4><div id="chapters-list"><em style="padding:10px;display:block;color:var(--muted)">Loading…</em></div></div>`:'';
   bg.innerHTML=`<div class="modal">
     <div class="modal-hdr"><h2>${esc(v.title)}</h2><button onclick="closeModal(this.closest('.modal-bg'))">✕ Close</button></div>
-    <div class="modal-body"><video id="player-video" src="${v.video_url}" controls autoplay crossorigin="anonymous">${tracks}</video>${chapPane}</div>
+    <div class="modal-body"><video id="player-video" src="${esc(safeUrl(v.video_url))}" controls autoplay crossorigin="anonymous">${tracks}</video>${chapPane}</div>
   </div>`;
   document.body.appendChild(bg);
   const vid=bg.querySelector('#player-video');
@@ -1699,8 +2257,8 @@ async function openSettings(){
   let ck={exists:false,cookies:0};try{ck=await(await api('/api/cookies')).json()}catch{}
   const cookiesStatus=ck.exists?`${ck.cookies} cookie(s) loaded`:'no cookies.txt';
   const bg=document.createElement('div');bg.className='modal-bg';bg.onclick=e=>{if(e.target===bg)bg.remove()};
-  bg.innerHTML=`<div class="modal" style="max-width:420px">
-    <div class="modal-hdr"><h2>Settings</h2></div>
+  bg.innerHTML=`<div class="modal" style="max-width:420px;overflow-y:auto">
+    <div class="modal-hdr" style="position:sticky;top:0;background:var(--panel);z-index:1;padding-bottom:6px"><h2>Settings</h2></div>
     <div class="settings-row">
       <label for="cf-transcode">Transcode videos (mp4/H.264)</label>
       <input type="checkbox" id="cf-transcode" ${cur.transcode?'checked':''}>
@@ -1732,6 +2290,51 @@ async function openSettings(){
       </div>
       <div class="settings-hint">Choose a file or paste (e.g. from "Get cookies.txt LOCALLY"). Refresh when downloads start hitting captchas.</div>
     </div>
+    <hr style="border-color:var(--border);margin:12px 0">
+    <div style="font-weight:700;margin-bottom:8px">Scheduler</div>
+    <div class="settings-row">
+      <label for="cf-sched-enabled">Auto-check all channels</label>
+      <input type="checkbox" id="cf-sched-enabled" ${cur.scheduler_enabled?'checked':''} onchange="document.getElementById('cf-sched-interval-row').style.display=this.checked?'flex':'none'">
+    </div>
+    <div id="cf-sched-interval-row" class="settings-row" style="display:${cur.scheduler_enabled?'flex':'none'}">
+      <label for="cf-sched-interval">Every</label>
+      <select id="cf-sched-interval" style="background:var(--card);color:var(--text);border:1px solid var(--border);padding:4px 8px;border-radius:4px">
+        ${[1,2,6,12,24,48,72,168].map(h=>`<option value="${h}"${(cur.scheduler_interval_hours||24)===h?' selected':''}>${h===1?'1 hour':h===168?'1 week':h<24?h+' hours':h===24?'1 day':(h/24)+' days'}</option>`).join('')}
+      </select>
+    </div>
+    <div class="settings-hint" style="margin-bottom:6px">${cur.scheduler_next_check_secs!=null?'Next check in '+fmtCountdown(cur.scheduler_next_check_secs)+'.':''}</div>
+    <div style="display:flex;gap:6px;margin-bottom:4px">
+      <button onclick="runScheduler(this)">▶ Check all channels now</button>
+      <span id="sched-status" style="font-size:11px;color:var(--muted);align-self:center"></span>
+    </div>
+    <div class="settings-row" style="margin-top:6px">
+      <label for="cf-max-concurrent">Max concurrent downloads</label>
+      <input type="number" id="cf-max-concurrent" value="${cur.max_concurrent||3}" min="1" max="10" style="width:56px;background:var(--bg);color:var(--text);border:1px solid var(--border);border-radius:4px;padding:4px 6px;font-size:13px">
+    </div>
+    <div class="settings-hint" style="margin-bottom:4px">Extra downloads queue and start automatically when a slot opens.</div>
+    <hr style="border-color:var(--border);margin:12px 0">
+    <div style="font-weight:700;margin-bottom:8px">yt-dlp binary</div>
+    <div class="settings-row">
+      <label for="cf-ytdlp-bundled">Use bundled yt-dlp + deno</label>
+      <input type="checkbox" id="cf-ytdlp-bundled" ${cur.use_bundled_ytdlp?'checked':''}>
+    </div>
+    <div class="settings-hint" style="margin-bottom:6px">Bundled binaries live in ~/.local/share/yt-offline/bin/ and include a JS runtime (deno) needed for YouTube signature deciphering. When off, the yt-dlp on your PATH is used.</div>
+    <div style="display:flex;gap:6px;align-items:center;margin-bottom:4px">
+      <button onclick="updateYtdlp(this)">${cur.bundled_ytdlp_installed?'⟳ Update bundled':'⤓ Install bundled'}</button>
+      <span style="font-size:11px;color:var(--muted)">${cur.bundled_ytdlp_installed?'✓ installed':'not installed'}</span>
+      <span id="ytdlp-status" style="font-size:11px;color:var(--muted)"></span>
+    </div>
+    <hr style="border-color:var(--border);margin:12px 0">
+    <div style="font-weight:700;margin-bottom:8px">Plex</div>
+    <div class="settings-row" style="flex-direction:column;align-items:flex-start;gap:6px">
+      <label>Library path</label>
+      <input type="text" id="cf-plex-path" value="${esc(cur.plex_library_path||'')}" placeholder="/media/plex/YouTube" style="width:100%;background:var(--bg);color:var(--text);border:1px solid var(--border);padding:6px 8px;border-radius:4px;font-family:monospace;font-size:12px">
+      <div class="settings-hint">Symlink tree of channels as TV shows. Point a Plex "TV Shows" library here.</div>
+      <div style="display:flex;gap:6px;align-items:center">
+        <button onclick="generatePlex(this)">⟳ Generate Plex library</button>
+        <span id="plex-status" style="font-size:11px;color:var(--muted)"></span>
+      </div>
+    </div>
     ${srcRow}
     <div style="display:flex;gap:8px;justify-content:flex-end;margin-top:12px">
       ${logoutBtn}
@@ -1773,13 +2376,64 @@ async function clearCookies(btn){
   }catch(e){setStatus('Error: '+e.message)}finally{btn.disabled=false}
 }
 
+async function generatePlex(btn){
+  const path=document.getElementById('cf-plex-path')?.value.trim();
+  if(!path){document.getElementById('plex-status').textContent='Set a path first';return}
+  btn.disabled=true;
+  document.getElementById('plex-status').textContent='Generating…';
+  try{
+    await api('/api/settings',{method:'POST',headers:{'Content-Type':'application/json'},body:JSON.stringify({transcode:document.getElementById('cf-transcode').checked,plex_library_path:path})});
+    const r=await api('/api/plex/generate',{method:'POST'});
+    const d=await r.json();
+    const errs=d.errors?.length?' ('+d.errors.length+' error(s))':'';
+    document.getElementById('plex-status').textContent=d.links_created+' link(s) created'+errs;
+  }catch(e){document.getElementById('plex-status').textContent='Error: '+e.message}
+  finally{btn.disabled=false}
+}
+function fmtCountdown(secs){
+  if(secs<=0)return'now';
+  const h=Math.floor(secs/3600),m=Math.floor((secs%3600)/60);
+  if(h>0)return h+'h '+(m>0?m+'m ':'');
+  return m>0?m+'m':'< 1m';
+}
+async function updateYtdlp(btn){
+  btn.disabled=true;
+  const st=document.getElementById('ytdlp-status');
+  st.textContent='Started — see Downloads bar';
+  try{
+    const r=await fetch('/api/ytdlp/update',{method:'POST'});
+    const t=await r.text();
+    if(!r.ok)throw new Error(t);
+    setStatus('yt-dlp update job started');
+  }catch(e){st.textContent='Error: '+e.message}
+  finally{btn.disabled=false}
+}
+async function runScheduler(btn){
+  btn.disabled=true;
+  const st=document.getElementById('sched-status');
+  st.textContent='Starting…';
+  try{
+    const r=await fetch('/api/scheduler/run',{method:'POST'});
+    const t=await r.text();
+    if(!r.ok&&r.status!==409)throw new Error(t);
+    st.textContent=r.status===409?'Already running.':t;
+    setStatus('Scheduled check started');
+  }catch(e){st.textContent='Error: '+e.message}
+  finally{btn.disabled=false}
+}
 async function saveSettings(btn){
   const transcode=document.getElementById('cf-transcode').checked;
   const bindMode=document.getElementById('cf-bind')?.value;
   const pwdCheckbox=document.getElementById('cf-download-pwd');
   const pwdInput=document.getElementById('cf-download-password');
-  const payload={transcode};
+  const plexPath=document.getElementById('cf-plex-path')?.value;
+  const schedEnabled=document.getElementById('cf-sched-enabled')?.checked||false;
+  const schedInterval=parseInt(document.getElementById('cf-sched-interval')?.value||'24',10);
+  const maxConcurrent=parseInt(document.getElementById('cf-max-concurrent')?.value||'3',10);
+  const useBundledYtdlp=document.getElementById('cf-ytdlp-bundled')?.checked||false;
+  const payload={transcode,scheduler_enabled:schedEnabled,scheduler_interval_hours:schedInterval,max_concurrent:maxConcurrent,use_bundled_ytdlp:useBundledYtdlp};
   if(bindMode)payload.bind_mode=bindMode;
+  if(plexPath!==undefined)payload.plex_library_path=plexPath;
   if(pwdCheckbox&&pwdCheckbox.checked){
     payload.new_download_password=pwdInput?.value||'';
   }
@@ -1875,11 +2529,16 @@ async function repairAll(btn){
 }
 
 /* ── Jobs ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────── */
-function renderJobs(jobs){
+function renderJobs(jobs,queued,maxConcurrent){
   const el=document.getElementById('jobs');
-  if(!jobs.length){el.innerHTML='';return}
+  if(!jobs.length&&!queued?.length){el.innerHTML='';return}
   const fin=jobs.some(j=>j.state!=='running');
   const hdr=fin?`<div style="padding:4px 14px;display:flex;justify-content:flex-end;border-bottom:1px solid var(--border)"><button onclick="clearFinishedJobs()" style="font-size:11px;padding:2px 8px">✕ Clear finished</button></div>`:'';
+  const queuedHtml=(queued&&queued.length)?queued.map(q=>`<div class="job">
+      <span class="badge" style="color:var(--muted)">queued</span>
+      <span style="flex:1;min-width:0;overflow:hidden;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap;color:var(--muted)">${esc(q.label)} — ${esc(q.url)}</span>
+    </div>`).join(''):'';
+  const limitNote=maxConcurrent>0?`<div style="font-size:11px;color:var(--muted);padding:2px 14px">max ${maxConcurrent} concurrent</div>`:'';
   el.innerHTML=hdr+jobs.map((j,i)=>{
     const dismiss=j.state!=='running'?`<button onclick="removeJob(${i})" style="font-size:11px;padding:1px 6px">✕</button>`:'';
     return `<div class="job">
@@ -1889,22 +2548,46 @@ function renderJobs(jobs){
       <span style="font-size:11px;color:var(--muted);max-width:160px;overflow:hidden;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap">${esc(j.last_line)}</span>
       ${dismiss}
     </div>`;
-  }).join('');
+  }).join('')+queuedHtml+limitNote;
 }
 async function clearFinishedJobs(){try{await api('/api/jobs/clear',{method:'POST'});await pollProgress()}catch(e){setStatus('Error: '+e.message)}}
 async function removeJob(idx){try{await api('/api/jobs/'+idx,{method:'DELETE'});await pollProgress()}catch(e){setStatus('Error: '+e.message)}}
 
 let wasRunning=false;
 async function pollProgress(){
-  try{const{jobs}=await(await api('/api/progress')).json();renderJobs(jobs);const run=jobs.some(j=>j.state==='running');if(wasRunning&&!run)await loadLibrary();wasRunning=run}catch{}
+  try{
+    const d=await(await api('/api/progress')).json();
+    renderJobs(d.jobs,d.queued,d.max_concurrent);
+    const run=d.jobs.some(j=>j.state==='running')||(d.queued&&d.queued.length>0);
+    if(wasRunning&&!run)await loadLibrary();
+    wasRunning=run;
+    // Poll fast while something's happening, slow when idle. Halves request
+    // count + JSON parses + battery use when the tab sits open all day.
+    schedulePoll(run?600:5000);
+  }catch{schedulePoll(2000)}
 }
-setInterval(pollProgress,600);
+let pollTimer=null;
+function schedulePoll(ms){
+  if(pollTimer)clearTimeout(pollTimer);
+  pollTimer=setTimeout(pollProgress,ms);
+}
+schedulePoll(600);
 
 /* ── Utilities ──────────────────────────────────────────────────── */
 function fmtDur(s){s=Math.floor(s);const h=Math.floor(s/3600),m=Math.floor((s%3600)/60),sec=s%60;return h?`${h}:${p(m)}:${p(sec)}`:`${m}:${p(sec)}`}
 function fmtSize(b){if(b>=1073741824)return(b/1073741824).toFixed(1)+' GB';if(b>=1048576)return Math.round(b/1048576)+' MB';return Math.round(b/1024)+' KB'}
+function fmtDate(d){if(!d||d.length<8)return d||'';return d.slice(0,4)+'-'+d.slice(4,6)+'-'+d.slice(6,8)}
 function p(n){return String(n).padStart(2,'0')}
 function esc(s){return String(s??'').replace(/&/g,'&amp;').replace(/</g,'&lt;').replace(/>/g,'&gt;').replace(/"/g,'&quot;')}
+/* Sanitize a URL before inserting into an href/src attribute. Allows
+   relative paths and http(s)/data:image/blob:; replaces javascript:, vbscript:,
+   etc. with a safe blank to defang interpolated server-side data. */
+function safeUrl(u){
+  if(!u)return'';
+  const s=String(u).trim();
+  if(/^(?:javascript|vbscript|data:text|data:application):/i.test(s))return'about:blank';
+  return s;
+}
 
 /* ── AGPL §13 source notice ─────────────────────────────────────── */
 // On load, fetch the source URL from the server and render it in the footer.
diff --git a/src/ytdlp_bin.rs b/src/ytdlp_bin.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c7e75cb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/ytdlp_bin.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,226 @@
+//! Management of bundled yt-dlp + deno binaries.
+//!
+//! When [`crate::config::BackupSection::use_bundled_ytdlp`] is enabled, all
+//! yt-dlp invocations use a binary under `~/.local/share/yt-offline/bin/`
+//! instead of the system PATH. A bundled `deno` lives alongside so yt-dlp can
+//! evaluate the JavaScript signature-deciphering code YouTube serves with the
+//! player — without depending on a system-wide JS runtime.
+//!
+//! Both binaries are downloaded on demand from the official GitHub releases by
+//! [`install_command`], which returns a shell pipeline that curls and unpacks
+//! them. The pipeline is run as a regular yt-dlp [`crate::downloader::Job`] so
+//! the user sees progress in the same UI.
+
+use std::path::PathBuf;
+use std::process::Command;
+
+/// Directory holding the bundled binaries (`yt-dlp`, `deno`).
+pub fn bundled_dir() -> PathBuf {
+    let home = std::env::var_os("HOME")
+        .map(PathBuf::from)
+        .unwrap_or_else(|| PathBuf::from("."));
+    home.join(".local").join("share").join("yt-offline").join("bin")
+}
+
+/// File name of the yt-dlp executable on this platform.
+fn ytdlp_filename() -> &'static str {
+    if cfg!(windows) { "yt-dlp.exe" } else { "yt-dlp" }
+}
+
+/// Full path the bundled yt-dlp binary should live at.
+pub fn bundled_ytdlp_path() -> PathBuf {
+    bundled_dir().join(ytdlp_filename())
+}
+
+/// Returns the yt-dlp invocation target for [`std::process::Command::new`].
+///
+/// With `use_bundled = true` returns the absolute path to the bundled binary
+/// (even if it does not yet exist — yt-dlp simply fails to launch and the
+/// error surfaces in the job log, prompting the user to click Update).
+/// Otherwise returns the bare `"yt-dlp"` string so the system PATH is used.
+pub fn ytdlp_invocation(use_bundled: bool) -> PathBuf {
+    if use_bundled {
+        bundled_ytdlp_path()
+    } else {
+        PathBuf::from("yt-dlp")
+    }
+}
+
+/// True if the bundled yt-dlp binary currently exists on disk.
+pub fn bundled_installed() -> bool {
+    bundled_ytdlp_path().exists()
+}
+
+/// Defensively re-apply `+x` to every regular file inside [`bundled_dir`].
+///
+/// Called before each bundled-mode invocation to guard against the install
+/// script's `chmod` step having been skipped (e.g. partial install) or the
+/// executable bit having been stripped by some other process.
+///
+/// No-op on Windows (executability is determined by the `.exe` suffix there).
+pub fn ensure_bundled_executable() {
+    #[cfg(unix)]
+    {
+        use std::os::unix::fs::PermissionsExt;
+        let dir = bundled_dir();
+        let Ok(entries) = std::fs::read_dir(&dir) else { return };
+        for entry in entries.flatten() {
+            let p = entry.path();
+            if !p.is_file() { continue; }
+            if let Ok(meta) = entry.metadata() {
+                let mut perms = meta.permissions();
+                let mode = perms.mode();
+                let want = mode | 0o111;
+                if mode != want {
+                    perms.set_mode(want);
+                    let _ = std::fs::set_permissions(&p, perms);
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+/// GitHub release asset name for yt-dlp on this platform.
+fn ytdlp_asset() -> &'static str {
+    if cfg!(target_os = "windows") {
+        "yt-dlp.exe"
+    } else if cfg!(target_os = "macos") {
+        "yt-dlp_macos"
+    } else {
+        "yt-dlp_linux"
+    }
+}
+
+/// GitHub release asset name for deno on this platform.
+fn deno_asset() -> &'static str {
+    match (std::env::consts::OS, std::env::consts::ARCH) {
+        ("linux",   "x86_64")  => "deno-x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu.zip",
+        ("linux",   "aarch64") => "deno-aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu.zip",
+        ("macos",   "x86_64")  => "deno-x86_64-apple-darwin.zip",
+        ("macos",   "aarch64") => "deno-aarch64-apple-darwin.zip",
+        ("windows", _)         => "deno-x86_64-pc-windows-msvc.zip",
+        _                       => "deno-x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu.zip",
+    }
+}
+
+/// Build a [`Command`] that installs or updates the bundled yt-dlp + deno
+/// binaries by running a curl/unzip pipeline through `bash -c` (or PowerShell
+/// on Windows). On success, both binaries are present in [`bundled_dir`] with
+/// executable bit set.
+pub fn install_command() -> Command {
+    let dir = bundled_dir();
+    let dir_str = dir.display().to_string();
+    let ytdlp_url = format!(
+        "https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/latest/download/{}",
+        ytdlp_asset()
+    );
+    let deno_url = format!(
+        "https://github.com/denoland/deno/releases/latest/download/{}",
+        deno_asset()
+    );
+    let ytdlp_name = ytdlp_filename();
+
+    #[cfg(windows)]
+    {
+        let script = format!(
+            "$ErrorActionPreference='Stop'; \
+             New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path '{dir}' | Out-Null; \
+             Write-Host '==> downloading yt-dlp'; \
+             Invoke-WebRequest -Uri '{yurl}' -OutFile '{dir}\\{ybin}'; \
+             Write-Host '==> downloading deno'; \
+             Invoke-WebRequest -Uri '{durl}' -OutFile '{dir}\\deno.zip'; \
+             Write-Host '==> extracting deno'; \
+             Expand-Archive -Force '{dir}\\deno.zip' '{dir}'; \
+             Remove-Item '{dir}\\deno.zip'; \
+             Write-Host '==> versions'; & '{dir}\\{ybin}' --version; & '{dir}\\deno.exe' --version",
+            dir = dir_str, yurl = ytdlp_url, durl = deno_url, ybin = ytdlp_name,
+        );
+        let mut cmd = Command::new("powershell");
+        cmd.arg("-NoProfile").arg("-Command").arg(script);
+        cmd
+    }
+    #[cfg(not(windows))]
+    {
+        // Download each file in the background and poll the growing file size
+        // every 3 s so the job log shows visible progress during the transfer
+        // instead of going silent for minutes.
+        //
+        // For yt-dlp we additionally fetch its published `SHA2-256SUMS` file
+        // and verify the binary against it — that file is signed-by-presence
+        // in the same GitHub release, so any tampering would have to compromise
+        // both URLs to slip a bad binary through. Deno doesn't publish a
+        // similarly convenient single-file checksum manifest, so we just print
+        // its SHA-256 for visual inspection.
+        let sums_url = "https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/latest/download/SHA2-256SUMS";
+        let ytdlp_asset_name = ytdlp_asset();
+        let script = format!(
+            r#"set -e
+command -v curl     >/dev/null || {{ echo 'error: curl not installed';     exit 1; }}
+command -v unzip    >/dev/null || {{ echo 'error: unzip not installed';    exit 1; }}
+command -v sha256sum >/dev/null || {{ echo 'error: sha256sum not installed'; exit 1; }}
+mkdir -p '{dir}'
+
+# ── yt-dlp ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+echo '==> downloading yt-dlp'
+curl -fL --no-progress-meter --connect-timeout 30 --max-time 600 --retry 3 \
+  -o '{dir}/{ybin}' '{yurl}' &
+DLPID=$!
+while kill -0 $DLPID 2>/dev/null; do
+  sleep 3
+  SZ=$(wc -c < '{dir}/{ybin}' 2>/dev/null || echo 0)
+  echo "    yt-dlp: $SZ bytes received..."
+done
+wait $DLPID
+echo "    done: $(wc -c < '{dir}/{ybin}') bytes"
+
+echo '==> verifying yt-dlp SHA-256'
+curl -fL --no-progress-meter --connect-timeout 30 --max-time 60 \
+  -o '{dir}/yt-dlp.sums' '{sums}'
+EXPECTED=$(awk -v n="{yasset}" '$2==n {{ print $1 }}' '{dir}/yt-dlp.sums' | head -n1)
+ACTUAL=$(sha256sum '{dir}/{ybin}' | awk '{{ print $1 }}')
+rm '{dir}/yt-dlp.sums'
+if [ -z "$EXPECTED" ]; then
+  echo "    warn: no checksum entry for {yasset} in SHA2-256SUMS"
+  echo "    actual SHA-256: $ACTUAL"
+elif [ "$EXPECTED" != "$ACTUAL" ]; then
+  echo "    error: SHA-256 mismatch"
+  echo "    expected: $EXPECTED"
+  echo "    actual:   $ACTUAL"
+  rm -f '{dir}/{ybin}'
+  exit 1
+else
+  echo "    ok: $ACTUAL"
+fi
+chmod +x '{dir}/{ybin}'
+
+# ── deno ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+echo '==> downloading deno'
+curl -fL --no-progress-meter --connect-timeout 30 --max-time 600 --retry 3 \
+  -o '{dir}/deno.zip' '{durl}' &
+DLPID=$!
+while kill -0 $DLPID 2>/dev/null; do
+  sleep 3
+  SZ=$(wc -c < '{dir}/deno.zip' 2>/dev/null || echo 0)
+  echo "    deno.zip: $SZ bytes received..."
+done
+wait $DLPID
+echo "    done: $(wc -c < '{dir}/deno.zip') bytes"
+echo "    deno.zip SHA-256: $(sha256sum '{dir}/deno.zip' | awk '{{ print $1 }}')"
+
+echo '==> extracting deno'
+unzip -o '{dir}/deno.zip' -d '{dir}'
+chmod +x '{dir}/deno'
+rm '{dir}/deno.zip'
+
+echo '==> versions'
+'{dir}/{ybin}' --version
+'{dir}/deno' --version
+echo '==> done'"#,
+            dir = dir_str, yurl = ytdlp_url, durl = deno_url, ybin = ytdlp_name,
+            sums = sums_url, yasset = ytdlp_asset_name,
+        );
+        let mut cmd = Command::new("bash");
+        cmd.arg("-c").arg(script);
+        cmd
+    }
+}