Game audio bar is now ALWAYS visible (TASK 4 gating removed, 2026-08-15): the show/hide machinery kept hiding the desktop/game meter whenever no full-screen game with sound was up or no TRAX music played, which the creator read as the meter being lost. Deleted IGameAudioDetector/GameAudioDetector/GameAudioHysteresis (Services/), the VM's 250ms DispatcherTimer poll + OnGameAudioActiveChanged/OnGameAudioPollTick + IsGameAudioBarVisible + _gameAudioBarActive/_gameAudioTimer/_gameAudioDetector, and the two detector test files (GameAudioDetectorTests, GameAudioHysteresisTests); MainWindow.xaml drops the Visibility binding so the bar renders unconditionally. Desktop audio is just automatic WASAPI loopback now. Docs in the same commit: ai.md (audio section + Services inventory), Services/index.md, ViewModels/index.md, TASKS.md TASK 9 item 7 follow-up, HANDOFF.md shipped state + stale poll-timer landmine removed. Build 0 warnings, 189 tests passing (8 detector tests removed)

HANDOFF.md

@@ -7,11 +7,17 @@
 
 ## Session state (last updated: 2026-08-15)
 
-- **Branch:** `main`, tracking `origin/main`. Working tree: the **TASK 24 polish batch** below is
-  committed + pushed. Local branches `social-bar`/`webcam-validation` untouched (no secrets).
+- **Branch:** `main`, tracking `origin/main`. Working tree: the **TASK 24 polish batch** + the **game
+  audio bar always-visible change** (below) are committed + pushed. Local branches
+  `social-bar`/`webcam-validation` untouched (no secrets).
+- **GAME AUDIO BAR ALWAYS VISIBLE — COMMITTED + PUSHED 2026-08-15.** The TASK 4 show/hide gating was a
+  UX bug: the desktop/game meter kept vanishing whenever no full-screen game with sound was up (or no
+  TRAX music played). The whole `IGameAudioDetector`/`GameAudioDetector`/`GameAudioHysteresis` stack +
+  the VM's 250ms poll timer + its two test files were **deleted**; the bar is now permanently overlaid
+  at the bottom of the preview. Build **0 warnings**, full suite green.
 - **TASK 24 — POST-PAUSE POLISH BATCH — SHIPPED + COMMITTED + PUSHED 2026-08-15.** All 8 creator
   review issues fixed in one branch (details below). Build **0 warnings**, full suite **197 passing**
-  (ONE integration test for this branch: `AudioPipelineTests.Mix_HonorsProviderGains_AndGameMute_KillsTheLoopback`).
+  (ONE integration test for that branch: `AudioPipelineTests.Mix_HonorsProviderGains_AndGameMute_KillsTheLoopback`).
 - **AUDIO MILESTONE (TASK 9) — SHIPPED + COMMITTED + PUSHED.** Real stream audio + voice filters +
   auto-duck + free TRAX background music. Commits `6d71ace` (milestone) + `f2f6401` (secrets cleanup),
   force-pushed (`725f5a7...f2f6401`).
@@ -61,6 +67,23 @@ The creator's review of the TASK 9 build, all fixed in one branch (full record i
 **THE ONE integration test:** `Mix_HonorsProviderGains_AndGameMute_KillsTheLoopback` — real mixer +
 `AudioGainProvider` gains through the pipe harness: scaled loopback audible at 0.5, silence after mute.
 
+## Game audio bar — always visible 2026-08-15 (what changed)
+
+The creator reported the desktop/game sound meter "lost" — it was the TASK 4 show/hide gating
+(`_gameAudioBarActive || IsMusicPlaying`): the bar only rendered while a full-screen game produced
+sound or TRAX played, so it sat hidden during normal use. Fix = the bar is now **always visible**:
+
+- **Deleted** `Services/IGameAudioDetector.cs`, `Services/GameAudioDetector.cs`,
+  `Services/GameAudioHysteresis.cs`, `ytLive.Tests/GameAudioDetectorTests.cs`,
+  `ytLive.Tests/GameAudioHysteresisTests.cs` — the stack's only output (`_gameAudioBarActive`) fed
+  `IsGameAudioBarVisible`, which no longer exists.
+- **MainViewModel.cs:** removed `_gameAudioTimer` (250ms `DispatcherTimer`), `_gameAudioDetector`,
+  `_gameAudioBarActive`, the constructor wiring, `OnGameAudioActiveChanged`, `OnGameAudioPollTick`,
+  `IsGameAudioBarVisible`, and the `IsMusicPlaying` → visibility notification. Desktop audio is just
+  automatic WASAPI loopback now.
+- **MainWindow.xaml:** dropped the `Visibility` binding on the preview-overlay game bar; it renders
+  unconditionally (TRAX button + "Desktop Audio" label + meter + mute + volume unchanged).
+
 ## TASK 9 audio milestone — SHIPPED 2026-08-14 (what changed)
 
 The creator's feature review settled this as the single next branch ("all the audio issues done and
@@ -108,8 +131,6 @@ track (YouTube mutes VODs with copyrighted music — future feature), `PremiumUr
     only after `Started`, yellow on `Failed`.
   - Zero mic devices at startup = red dot AND the mixer is never started, so
     loopback + the game bar can't run either (no capture at all) — acceptable.
-  - The game detector is polled on the UI thread via a 250ms `DispatcherTimer`;
-    `OnGameAudioPollTick` wraps `Poll()` in try/catch + `AppLog`.
   - The pump reads the active scene on a background thread while the UI can still
     edit it — a concurrent-mutation exception is contained (logged + `Failed` +
     the pump stops), not a crash.