# Roadmap ## North star **Surpass [Tartube](https://github.com/axcore/tartube) in every dimension.** A structured analysis of Tartube's codebase, data model, operations, and configuration surface lives at [`docs/tartube-spec.md`](docs/tartube-spec.md). It enumerates the exact features we need to match — every Phase 1 item below traces back to a specific Tartube subsystem. Tartube is the mature open-source yt-dlp GUI and the obvious benchmark for a project in this space. yt-offline has architectural advantages Tartube can't catch up on quickly (Rust + axum + a real web UI + bundled toolchain + a modern security model) but trails on feature breadth and years-of-edge-cases maturity. The plan below closes those gaps first, then pushes past. ## Current state vs Tartube (2026-05-27) | Area | Us | Tartube | Verdict | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | yt-dlp wrapping | ✅ | ✅ | Tied | | Multi-platform sources | ✅ first-class per-platform routing | ✅ generic | We lead | | Web UI accessible from any device | ✅ | ❌ desktop only | We lead | | Single-binary distribution | ✅ Rust binary + venv installer | ❌ Python+GTK deps | We lead | | Security model (auth, CSP, rate-limit) | ✅ | ❌ never network-facing | We lead | | Plex export with NFO sidecars | ✅ | ❌ | We lead | | Bundled curl_cffi for impersonation | ✅ | ❌ user-installed | We lead | | Themes | ✅ 10 themes | ❌ GTK default | We lead | | Live-stream recording | ✅ | ✅ recent | Tied | | WebSocket real-time progress | ✅ | ❌ polling | We lead | | Mobile-responsive web UI | ✅ | ❌ desktop only | We lead | | Per-channel custom download options | ✅ JSON-blob overrides | ✅ deep | Tied | | Folder/group hierarchy | ✅ one-level | ✅ N-level | Tartube leads (depth only) | | Filter UI (date / size / watched) | ✅ chip-style | ✅ rich + presets | Tartube leads (presets only) | | Comments capture | ✅ `--write-comments` + viewer | ✅ raw JSON | We lead | | System tray | ✅ ksni (Linux SNI) | ✅ GTK | Tied | | Library backup | ✅ DB snapshot | ✅ | Tied | | Per-channel notes / annotations | ❌ | ✅ | **Tartube leads** | | Format conversion / re-encode | ❌ remux only | ✅ ffmpeg pipeline | **Tartube leads** | | Maturity / edge cases | ~months | ~years | **Tartube leads** | | Per-distro packaging | PKGBUILD only | .deb .rpm .pkg.tar.zst | **Tartube leads** | Score: 11 ahead, 4 behind, 6 tied. The remaining four gaps are concrete, bounded items — see Phase 1 below. ## Phase 1 — Remaining Tartube parity items The four items Tartube still has that we don't, ordered by how visibly they change the user experience. ### 1.5 Per-channel / per-video notes Free-text user annotations on any channel or video. - New `notes` table: `(target_kind, target_id, body, updated_at)`. - Pencil icon on the channel sidebar entry + video card. - Notes are searchable from the global filter (search hits note body too). - Web UI: edit-in-place textarea on click. ### 1.7 Format conversion pipeline Post-download re-encode option: H.264/AAC mp4 at a configurable CRF, or audio extraction at a target bitrate. Useful for shrinking large 4K files. - New `post_process` config field per quality preset. - ffmpeg job runs after the download completes, replaces the source file (or keeps both with an `.original.mkv` suffix). - Visible in the job log as a separate "transcoding" phase. ### 1.8 Per-distro packaging Tartube ships .deb, .rpm, .pkg.tar.zst, .exe, .dmg. We ship a PKGBUILD. - Codeberg CI matrix for `cargo build --release` on each target. - Helpers to generate .deb (via `cargo-deb`), .rpm (via `cargo-generate-rpm`), Windows MSI (via `cargo-wix`), and macOS .app + .dmg. - Release artifacts attached to each tag. ### 1.3+ Filter presets (extension of completed 1.3) The chip filters ship, but Tartube also lets you *name* a filter set and restore it later. Small UI layer on top of what's already implemented. - "Save current filters as…" button next to the clear-filters link. - Presets stored in localStorage (web) / SQLite (desktop). - Dropdown chip to apply a saved preset. ### 1.2+ N-level folder nesting (extension of completed 1.2) Folders are flat right now (one level under each platform). Tartube supports arbitrary nesting. - Add `parent_id: Option` to `channel_folders`. - Sidebar renders the tree recursively with disclosure triangles. - "Move folder into folder" action in the manager. ## Phase 2 — Polish where Tartube is mature Things we win on architecturally but lose on real-world ruggedness. ### 2.1 Integration test coverage 47 unit tests is good for parsers and helpers, useless for end-to-end correctness. We need real-yt-dlp integration tests against a recorded fixture corpus. - Mock-server fixtures for yt-dlp's JSON output. - `cargo test --features integration` exercises the full download pipeline against the mock. - Headless web-UI tests via `headless_chrome` or `playwright`. ### 2.2 Documentation site README is the only user-facing doc. Need a real docs site with: - Per-platform setup guide (deeper than current README sections). - Troubleshooting playbook for the top 10 yt-dlp errors. - Architecture page (for contributors). - Hosted via Codeberg Pages. ### 2.3 Error recovery / structured logging Today: errors land in the job log and that's it. Tartube has a "rescue recipes" feature where common errors map to documented fixes. - `Job::failure_reason: Option` enum (`RateLimited`, `MissingCookies`, `CodecMissing`, `DiskFull`, `Other`). - UI surfaces the class with a one-click suggested action. - Optional anonymous error telemetry to surface new patterns. ### 2.4 Library restore (backup is done) Snapshot DB download works. Restore doesn't. - "Import library backup…" file picker in settings. - Validate schema version before merging. - Idempotent merge of watched + positions + flags (so re-importing the same backup twice doesn't break anything). ### 2.5 Stability hardening Long-running deployments will surface real bugs. - Replace remaining `.lock().unwrap()` with poisoning-aware accessors. - Watchdog: if a yt-dlp job hangs past `--socket-timeout * retries`, kill and re-queue. - Disk-full preflight: refuse to start a download when target dir has less free space than the average video size on disk. - Panic hook that writes to `yt-offline.crash.log` so users have something to attach to bug reports. ## Phase 3 — Surpass Once we're at parity, we push past Tartube on its own ground. ### 3.1 Cross-compile macOS + Windows binaries The current "later" roadmap item, blocked behind 1.8. ### 3.2 Android client Native client over the existing web API. Background download via WorkManager + JobScheduler. Push notifications via Tailscale-routed HTTPS or a userland push channel. ### 3.4 Smart auto-tagging Cluster channels by uploader frequency, content type, and metadata. Suggest groups ("looks like a music channel — move to Music?"). Builds on Phase 1.2's group system. ### 3.5 Federation / multi-host A "remote library" mode where one yt-offline instance can browse another's library (read-only) over the same axum API. Useful for a "home archive + travel laptop" setup. ### 3.6 Comment viewer enhancements The comments capture (1.4) already ships a viewer. Surpass Tartube (which only dumps the raw JSON) with: - Threaded display with collapse/expand at any depth. - Full-text search within a video's comments. - "New since last visit" highlights. - Sentiment / keyword filter chips. ### 3.7 Library-wide deduplication Right now `maintenance` finds duplicates by yt-dlp video ID. Surpass by fingerprinting media bytes (`ffmpeg`-derived perceptual hashes) so the same video re-uploaded under a different ID gets flagged. ### 3.8 Plugin / scripting hook Lua or WASM-based hooks that run on download events: pre-download filename rewriter, post-download archive uploader, custom metadata enricher. Inverts the "we hardcode everything" model. ## Phase 4 — Stretch / blue-sky Probably never, or much later. - A web UI built around a "TV mode" remote-friendly layout. - AI summarisation of videos (transcript → bullet points). - Multi-user accounts with per-user watched/positions (currently single-user). - Integration with Plex / Jellyfin / Kodi as a *source plugin* rather than a symlink generator. ## Recently shipped (highlights) Roughly reverse-chronological. Items that closed out a roadmap line. - **System tray** (1.6) — ksni-based SNI tray, minimize-to-tray opt-in. - **Filter chips** (1.3) — watch / date / size / has-subs / has-chapters, AND together, persisted to localStorage. - **Web downloads modal** — bottom #jobs bar replaced with a ⬇ button in the header opening a full modal. `d` keyboard shortcut. - **Desktop screens refactor** — Settings/Stats/Maintenance moved from floating windows to full CentralPanel views with vertical scroll. - **WebSocket job progress** (3.3) — replaced HTTP polling. - **Mobile-responsive web UI** — proper media queries at 640px / 380px. - **Library backup** (2.4 — backup direction) — DB download from settings. - **Theme contrast fixes** — every theme now passes per-state fg_stroke contrast checks. - **Shuffle play** — random unwatched video on the desktop + web. - **Keyboard shortcuts** — `/` `r` `d` `?` in the web UI. - **Bulk tagging + channel-name search** — multi-select + flag bulk-set. - **Channel folders + per-folder Check all** (1.2) — one-level grouping. - **Per-channel download options** (1.1) — JSON-blob overrides applied on scheduled re-checks. - **Per-video state flags + smart folders + comments capture** (1.3/1.4) — favourite / bookmark / waiting / archive flags as smart-folder views; `--write-comments` with viewer tab. ## How to read this - **Phase 1** is the remaining parity work — four bounded items. - **Phase 2** is concurrent polish — pick up between Phase 1 items. - **Phase 3** is the year-1 ambition once we're at parity. - **Phase 4** items might be valuable, but commit to nothing. Items inside a phase are loosely ordered by user-visible impact, not strict prerequisite. **1.8 (per-distro packaging)** is the biggest multiplier for new users; **1.5 (notes)** is the biggest workflow gap.