Brand flash OFF by default: MainViewModel.ShowBrandFlash master switch (default false) gates BrandFlashEnabled; feature kept, tests opt in; new test guards the default (Unit: brand flash off)

ViewModels/MainViewModel.License.cs

@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ public partial class MainViewModel
             if (!SetProperty(ref _isPremium, value)) return;
             // The flash is composited into the broadcast, so the gate has to be pushed
             // all the way into the renderer — not just the preview.
-            _brandFlash.Enabled = !value;
+            _brandFlash.Enabled = ShowBrandFlash && !value;
         }
     }
 

ViewModels/MainViewModel.cs

@@ -51,11 +51,9 @@ public partial class MainViewModel : ViewModelBase
 
     private WebView2Manager? _webView2Manager;
 
-    // Branding flash (monetization): a full-frame "made with LlamaCasty!" shown
-    // for ~1s every 300s on the live output, ~25% opacity. Paid unlock sets
-    // BrandFlashEnabled = false. See ai.md "Monetization".
-    // The free-tier branding credit. Composed into the OUTPUT by FramePump, not just
-    // previewed — see BrandFlashPresenter. Gated on IsPremium (Polar), never a toggle.
+    // Branding credit: "made with LlamaCasty!" composed into the OUTPUT by FramePump, not
+    // just previewed — see BrandFlashPresenter. OFF by default since 2026-10-09
+    // (ShowBrandFlash = false, free-forever: no branding on the stream); the code stays.
     private readonly BrandFlashPresenter _brandFlash;
 
     public SceneElement? SelectedElement
@@ -122,11 +120,17 @@ public partial class MainViewModel : ViewModelBase
 
     public bool ShowPreviewPlaceholder => !ShowEmptySceneHint && ActiveBackgroundImage == null && BackgroundImage == null;
 
-    // Paid unlock flips this off (see ai.md "Monetization"). When disabled the
-    // presenter stops emitting, so any active credit dies on the next tick — and a
-    // credit already in flight is cut, not run out. Derived, never assignable: the
-    // whole point is that nobody can turn the advertising on a paying stream.
-    public bool BrandFlashEnabled => !IsPremium;
+    /// <summary>Master switch for the "made with LlamaCasty!" credit (creator ruling
+    /// 2026-10-09: turn it OFF, but keep the feature). <c>false</c> = the credit never
+    /// shows — not in the preview, the stream, or recordings. Read when the view model is
+    /// constructed (and on every licence change), so set it before a <c>MainWindow</c> is
+    /// created; the tests that exercise the credit opt in that way.</summary>
+    internal static bool ShowBrandFlash { get; set; } = false;
+
+    // When disabled the presenter stops emitting, so any active credit dies on the next
+    // tick — and a credit already in flight is cut, not run out. Derived, never
+    // assignable from the UI: the master switch AND the licence must both allow it.
+    public bool BrandFlashEnabled => ShowBrandFlash && !IsPremium;
 
     // Window geometry pass-through (code-behind owns the WPF specifics).
     public (double Left, double Top, double Width, double Height, string State)? RestoreWindowState()
@@ -184,7 +188,7 @@ public partial class MainViewModel : ViewModelBase
         // — go-live and local recording are the same FramePump, so one start covers
         // output, recording and the preview pane alike. Enabled is seeded from the
         // current licence state; ValidateLicenseAtStartupAsync re-pushes it later.
-        _brandFlash.Enabled = !IsPremium;
+        _brandFlash.Enabled = BrandFlashEnabled;
         _brandFlash.Start();
 
         _healthPollTimer = new DispatcherTimer { Interval = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(30) };

ai.md

@@ -1767,6 +1767,15 @@ Apply this to every UI decision:
 
 ## Monetization (design decision — the branding flash is the sword)
 
+> **⛔ Superseded 2026-10-08/09 — free forever, no branding on the stream.** The credit is now
+> **OFF by default**: `MainViewModel.ShowBrandFlash` (internal static, default `false`) is the
+> master switch, and `BrandFlashEnabled => ShowBrandFlash && !IsPremium` feeds the presenter at
+> construction and on every licence change. The code (`BrandFlashPresenter`, the FramePump
+> `brandFlash:` seam, the preview layer) is kept, not deleted — creator ruling: "don't delete it,
+> just make it conditionally displayed". `BrandFlashOutputTests` opt in by setting the switch
+> before constructing a `MainWindow`; `Credit_IsOffByDefault_EvenOnTheFreeTier` guards the default.
+> Everything below is the historical paid-tier design.
+
 Full pricing and the Year 1 revenue forecast in `MONETIZATION.md` (gitignored). ⚠️ **No Polar
 product, discount code, or license key exists any more** — billing is Microsoft Store IAP.
 Brand palette and assets in `MARCOM.md` (gitignored). This section covers the in-app model.

ytLive.Tests/BrandFlashOutputTests.cs

@@ -164,6 +164,7 @@ public sealed class BrandFlashOutputTests
         {
             var tempDb = Path.Combine(Path.GetTempPath(), $"ytLlive-test-{Guid.NewGuid():N}.db");
             MainViewModel.LayoutPathOverride = tempDb;
+            MainViewModel.ShowBrandFlash = true; // the credit is off by default (2026-10-09)
             var window = new MainWindow();
             var vm = (MainViewModel)window.DataContext;
             try
@@ -202,6 +203,7 @@ public sealed class BrandFlashOutputTests
             {
                 window.Close();
                 MainViewModel.LayoutPathOverride = null;
+                MainViewModel.ShowBrandFlash = false;
                 SqliteConnection.ClearAllPools();
                 try { File.Delete(tempDb); } catch { /* best-effort cleanup */ }
             }
@@ -381,6 +383,36 @@ public sealed class BrandFlashOutputTests
         Assert.True(prop.CanRead, "the preview needs to read the gate state");
     }
 
+    /// <summary>Creator ruling 2026-10-09: the credit is OFF by default — a freshly
+    /// constructed app with no licence still emits nothing to the preview or the output.</summary>
+    [Fact]
+    public void Credit_IsOffByDefault_EvenOnTheFreeTier()
+    {
+        _app.Run(() =>
+        {
+            Assert.False(MainViewModel.ShowBrandFlash);
+            var tempDb = Path.Combine(Path.GetTempPath(), $"ytLlive-test-{Guid.NewGuid():N}.db");
+            MainViewModel.LayoutPathOverride = tempDb;
+            var window = new MainWindow();
+            var vm = (MainViewModel)window.DataContext;
+            try
+            {
+                Assert.False(vm.IsPremium);
+                Assert.False(vm.BrandFlashEnabled);
+                vm.AdvanceBrandFlash(120); // past several cadence windows
+                Assert.Null(vm.BrandFlashFrame());
+                Assert.False(vm.BrandFlashVisible);
+            }
+            finally
+            {
+                window.Close();
+                MainViewModel.LayoutPathOverride = null;
+                SqliteConnection.ClearAllPools();
+                try { File.Delete(tempDb); } catch { /* best-effort cleanup */ }
+            }
+        });
+    }
+
     // ---------- the credit is NOT a go-live-only behaviour ----------
 
     /// <summary>Reported 2026-09-26: "the made with llamacasty flash should appear in
@@ -400,6 +432,7 @@ public sealed class BrandFlashOutputTests
         {
             var tempDb = Path.Combine(Path.GetTempPath(), $"ytLlive-test-{Guid.NewGuid():N}.db");
             MainViewModel.LayoutPathOverride = tempDb;
+            MainViewModel.ShowBrandFlash = true; // the credit is off by default (2026-10-09)
             var window = new MainWindow();
             var vm = (MainViewModel)window.DataContext;
             try
@@ -441,6 +474,7 @@ public sealed class BrandFlashOutputTests
             {
                 window.Close();
                 MainViewModel.LayoutPathOverride = null;
+                MainViewModel.ShowBrandFlash = false;
                 SqliteConnection.ClearAllPools();
                 try { File.Delete(tempDb); } catch { /* best-effort cleanup */ }
             }