diff --git a/Controls/PreviewPane.xaml b/Controls/PreviewPane.xaml
index f87b90b..49411f8 100644
--- a/Controls/PreviewPane.xaml
+++ b/Controls/PreviewPane.xaml
@@ -113,6 +113,13 @@
+
+
+
+
diff --git a/HANDOFF.md b/HANDOFF.md
index e877dec..4d98451 100644
--- a/HANDOFF.md
+++ b/HANDOFF.md
@@ -1,106 +1,72 @@
-# HANDOFF — 2026-09-26 (TASK 47: crash + silent-void + video-pacing all fixed; 4 local commits, NOT pushed)
+# HANDOFF — 2026-09-26, end of session
-## Branch / Commit State
+## Where we are
+`main`, **5 local commits ahead of `origin/main` (= `ecb329e`), NOTHING PUSHED.**
+Last pushed commit is still `ecb329e`. Do not push without the creator saying so.
-`main` — four local commits ahead of `origin/main` (= `ecb329e`), **NOT pushed** (awaiting the
-creator's go / milestone signal):
+| commit | what |
+|---|---|
+| `a11b15e` | TASK 47 alert video (first landing) |
+| `7b940b6` | poller-thread marshal crash fix |
+| `80038ff` | silent-decoder fallback + diagnostics |
+| `aea0670` | video pacing via `FfmpegFrameRateProbe` |
+| (last, unpushed) | **the real alert fix: `PreviewPane.xaml` `IsAlertBox` trigger** + 2 Good Dog tests + resolver/preview diagnostics |
-1. `a11b15e` — **TASK 47** alert box video (built-in/custom clip + read-time fade + message
- ticker + unity audio) + `AlertLayerVideoTests` (fake decoder, 0 warnings, 319/319 green).
-2. `7b940b6` — **crash fix**: AlertOverlayLayer marshals the chat-poller seam to the UI thread
- (regression test red pre-fix / green post-fix). Full suite 320/320.
-3. `80038ff` — **silent-decoder fallback + diagnostics** (no-frame grace 1.0s → six-animation;
- BeginClip/RunAsync logging). Full suite 321 with the **known env flake** (RealMouseDrag
- reorder failing while windows are up).
-4. *(uncommitted next — this session)* — **video pacing fix** (below). Scope:
- `ViewModels/MainViewModel.Chat.cs`, `ytLive.Tests/AlertClipDecoderTests.cs` (new), docs
- (task-47 addendum, `MyMistakes.md`, this file). Test green; build 0 warnings;
- `scope-check.sh` pending, then commit.
+## THE ANSWER (do not re-derive this)
+The alert video was **never drawn**, never mis-decoded. Build 90's diagnostics showed
+`Alert preview: frame=680x200 a255` and `Output resolver: frame 680x200 playing=True`
+every second for the whole clip — a real, opaque, correctly-sized frame reaching BOTH
+consumers. `Controls/PreviewPane.xaml` keeps the per-element `Image` `Collapsed` unless a
+DataTrigger fires, and there was **no `IsAlertBox` trigger** (only IsImageSource /
+IsChatBox / IsWebSource / IsWebcam). Chat boxes rendered; alert boxes never could.
+Removing/re-adding the layer could not have fixed it.
-## ✅ Crash fixed (`7b940b6`)
+Clip itself is fine: DB asset `941785b0-d022-45fa-a8a2-2cd59ae2ba48` is byte-identical
+(md5 `0ee1f4960dd3b23dee5930a2af79d410`) to the creator's
+`C:\Users\gramp\Downloads\llamacasty-dancingLlama-thankyou.mp4` — h264 1280x720 10s,
+every sampled frame full bright content.
-The creator's first live session: test-tab alerts DID fire (11:21 startup.log: alert-clip audio in
-the mix, `peakMix 0.375 → 0.891` with mic+loop at 0.000) but the app crashed at `11:22:01.301` on
-the first REAL polled message: `Must create DependencySource on same Thread as the DependencyObject`
-in `DataBindEngine.ProcessCrossThreadRequests`. `AlertOverlayLayer.OnMessageReceived` had no
-UI-thread marshal (`ChatOverlayLayer` has one); it ran `RefreshAlertPreviews` → `UpdatePreview` on
-the MTA poller thread and stamped `alertBox.VideoImageSource` (INPC + WPF-bound) with a
-WriteableBitmap created there. Fix + Good Dog regression test
-`OnMessageReceived_FromPollerThread_MarshalsPreviewWritesToTheUiThread` (red/green verified).
+## Working tree
+Clean apart from the uncommitted work unit above (it is committed; check `git status`).
+If the app is running, `ytLive.dll`/`.exe` are LOCKED and any build fails with MSB3021/
+MSB3027 — the creator must close ytLive first. That is normal, not a broken build.
-## ✅ "Nothing in the alert box" void — fixed (`80038ff`)
+## Build / test commands (Windows host, always)
+```bash
+"/mnt/c/Program Files/dotnet/dotnet.exe" build "C:\Users\gramp\Documents\Code\projects\ytLive\ytLive.csproj" --no-restore
+"/mnt/c/Program Files/dotnet/dotnet.exe" vstest "C:\Users\gramp\Documents\Code\projects\ytLive\ytLive.Tests\bin\Debug\net8.0-windows10.0.19041.0\ytLive.Tests.dll"
+```
+Last full suite: **324/324 pass**. Run it with ytLive CLOSED or the RealMouseDrag env
+flake fires.
-After the crash fix: On-Air → test → **remove and re-add** the Stream Alerts layer → TEST event →
-procs in chat but **nothing in the alert box**. startup.log 11:44 `peakMix 0.105` (no alert audio)
-vs 11:21's 0.375–0.891. Every stage of the clip path was silent by design; a decoder whose `Start()`
-succeeds but yields **no frames AND no audio** left `_clip != null` with `_latestClipFrame == null`
-→ blank box forever. Fix: no-frame grace (1.0s) in `AlertOverlayLayer.Advance` → tear down + same
-alert as six-animation; BeginClip/RunAsync diagnostics stop the silence. Good Dog:
-`SilentDecoder_FallsBackToTheAnimationAfterTheNoFrameGrace`.
+## Queued next (creator's words, 2026-09-26) — the Good Dog queue
+1. **Test-console chat must not clear the chat window.** "when I add a chat message from
+ the test console, or from any console, that chat text should not clear the current
+ chat window."
+2. **Test pull-out chat input: 20px right padding** — the text box is clipped at the right
+ edge of the div; needs 20px padding against the div's right side.
+3. **Test pull-out chat input: Enter inserts a newline**, it must not send.
+4. Verify the alert video live on the next build (the fix is in; nobody has SEEN it play
+ yet). This is the confirmation step for the commit above.
-## ✅ "No video plays" — decoder HEALTHY, video UNPACED — fixed (this unit)
-
-Creator repro after `80038ff` (12:35 session): still "no video plays in the web-alert box", "like
-you lost the video" — but the new diagnostics PROVED the decoder healthy: `Alert clip start: box …`
-→ `Alert clip end: … frames=240 audioChunks=156 failed=False` twice, alert audio in the live mix
-(`peakMix 0.277 → 0.733`, mic/loop 0.000). Root cause was **pacing, never decode**:
-`AlertClipDecoderFor` (MainViewModel.Chat.cs:113) built the decoder with **no frame-rate probe** →
-`RunAsync` computed `frameDuration = TimeSpan.Zero` → `RunVideoAsync`'s pace step
-(`if (frameDuration > 0)`) was dead code → all 240 frames of the 10s clip dumped through the pipe
-in the first ~1-2s (130MB as fast as ffmpeg read), then the box sat frozen on the LAST frame while
-the audio pipeline paced 156 chunks at real-time ~7.8s. Reading exactly like "no video / you lost
-it". The media path already had the seam wired (`MediaVideoSource` gets
-`frameRateProbe: new FfmpegFrameRateProbe(…)`, MainViewModel.cs:308) — the alert factory just
-never passed one.
-
-**Fix (uncommitted):** `AlertClipDecoderFor` passes
-`frameRateProbe: new FfmpegFrameRateProbe(new FfmpegLocator(), () => new FfmpegDecodeProcess())` so
-video paces at the clip's native ~24fps (10s real-time) in lockstep with audio. Good Dog test
-`AlertClipDecoderTests.AlertClipDecoder_PacesVideoFramesToTheProbedFrameRate` drives the REAL
-`AlertClipDecoder` through the media-style fake process + fake probe + recorded delay seam
-(3 frames at 100fps → one ~10ms delay per frame; red on the old factory, green now). Full suite
-321/322 (one known-env flake). `MyMistakes.md`: **a decoder that drops data faster than wall-clock
-looks identical to a dead decoder on screen — "plays but you don't see it" is a PACING bug before
-it's a decode bug.** Rules: never ship a pipe whose `frameDuration` can be zero; check pacing
-(bytes/s vs wall-clock) before re-auditing the codec.
-
-## Follow-ups queued (NOT done in this unit)
-
-- **TASK 3 item 20 persistence half** — canonical `RewardEvents` SQLite table +
- `superChatEvents.list` (30-day) backfill + session-report rollup (still in-memory only).
-- TASK 3 item 16 (Text source); TASK 40 units A/C/D; TASK 32–36; TASK 12 master limiter — queued.
-- If the alert box is STILL "no video" after this fix + relaunch: check the 12:35-style
- `Alert clip end: … frames=240` line (now logged) — a healthy decode with no visual means the
- painter/render path, not the decoder; the creator's Live scene also has a WebSource
- "Web Resource-0" bottom-right — confirm which element they watch when describing the
- "web-alert / stream-alerts" box.
-- The known pump stall (`render=full-render … totalMs=147`, ~6fps worst) is recorded as a
- pre-existing perf item, NOT part of this unit.
-
-## Around the task (carried facts)
-
-- RealMouseDrag tests no-op while a game/fullscreen window steals the mouse — **close fullscreen
- windows before full-suite runs**; passes in isolation.
-- Test-env trap: saved OAuth session loads synchronously → force `vm.IsConnected` in signed-in tests.
-- `subscriberCount` YPP slice 2 needs re-consent — do not merge with other units. `MARCOM.md`/
- `MONETIZATION.md` gitignored — never commit.
-- API facts (TASK 44 + 45): liveChatId unavailable until broadcast live; `400 MISSING_REQUIRED_FIELD`
- from `liveChat/messages.insert` = wrong body shape (missing `snippet.type`).
-- TASK 47 sticky facts: bgra from ffmpeg is opaque (alpha=255); audio pipe = carry-buffer loop;
- default clip = `%TEMP%\ytLive-alert-{id}.mp4`; decoder per-play; DB stays `user_version 10`.
-- Every committed change needs a **close + relaunch** of the running app to be seen.
-
-## Next step
-
-1. Commit this unit with the declared scope
- `./scripts/scope-check.sh "ViewModels/MainViewModel.Chat.cs" "ytLive.Tests/AlertClipDecoderTests.cs"`.
-2. Push the four local commits at the creator's go / milestone signal.
-3. Creator to relaunch and re-run the repro — with the probe wired the clip plays real-time
- (~10s of motion, not a blur + frozen frame); the `Alert clip end:` line confirms decode health.
-
-## Critical working rules (unchanged, still binding)
-
-- **Good Dog = ONE integration test per change.** Scope lock + `./scripts/scope-check.sh` before commit.
-- Windows dotnet host for all WSL builds (`/mnt/c/Program Files/dotnet/dotnet.exe`, quoted paths).
-- 0 warnings on real clean builds. One commit = fix + its memory (task doc, MyMistakes, handoff).
-- No menus/polls with the creator; decisions asked once then held; do the work, then report.
\ No newline at end of file
+## Landmines / facts worth keeping
+- The pinned BtbN ffmpeg has **no libx264** — generate test clips with `-c:v mpeg4`.
+- `SceneCompositor.Render` fills its base with **opaque black**, so "any non-zero byte"
+ is not proof a layer painted. Compare against an idle render, or count COLOURFUL px.
+- `sqlite3` on WSL: `/home/gramps/android-sdk/platform-tools/sqlite3`. Extract a BLOB with
+ `SELECT writefile('/tmp/opencode/x.bin', Data) FROM Asset WHERE Id='…'` (Linux paths
+ only — a `C:/…` path creates a junk `C:` dir IN THE REPO; one was made and removed).
+- Layout DB: `/mnt/c/Users/gramp/AppData/Roaming/ytLlive/ytLlive.db` (tables: `Asset`
+ `Id/Hash/Data`, `Settings`, `Source`, `Scene`, …). Alert default video setting key:
+ `AlertDefaultVideoAssetId`. ffmpeg/ffprobe live in
+ `/mnt/c/Users/gramp/AppData/Roaming/ytLlive/tools/` (run the `.exe` directly from WSL).
+- Two diagnostics were ADDED and are still in the tree (once-per-second, alert only):
+ `Output resolver: alert box …` (MainViewModel.cs) and `Alert preview: box …`
+ (AlertOverlayLayer.cs). Decide with the creator whether to keep them or strip them now
+ that the root cause is known.
+- `PreviewPane.xaml` has the same latent gap for `IsMediaSource` (no trigger either) —
+ NOT fixed (out of scope), noted as a follow-up.
+- Known perf item, untouched: FramePump stalls ~140-180ms renders
+ (`render=full-render split=0 … totalMs=140`). Unrelated to the alert bug.
+- YouTube rejects the `complete` transition (403) at end-of-stream; `enableAutoStop`
+ finishes the broadcast. Harmless, already handled.
diff --git a/MyMistakes.md b/MyMistakes.md
index 4af7278..552e7bb 100644
--- a/MyMistakes.md
+++ b/MyMistakes.md
@@ -923,3 +923,23 @@ fake-probe delay-recorder test now pins real-time video pacing
(`AlertClipDecoderTests.AlertClipDecoder_PacesVideoFramesToTheProbedFrameRate`). Rule added to the
list above: (4) if output arrives but the USER still reports no/motionless picture, check pacing
before decode — count the bytes/s against wall-clock, don't re-audit the codec.
+
+**RULE (5) — the last hop is a hop. A producer that hands over a correct frame has still
+delivered nothing.** The 2026-09-26 alert hunt burned four builds (89/90 + two more) proving
+the video was PERFECT: real h264, 240 frames, bright pixels at every timestamp, byte-identical
+to the creator's source file, opaque `a255` frames logged every second into both the preview
+and the compositor resolver. The box was blank because `PreviewPane.xaml`'s per-element
+`Image` is `Collapsed` unless a DataTrigger says otherwise, and nobody had ever written the
+`IsAlertBox` one. Two lessons, both expensive:
+- **"It decodes, it's handed over, it's still invisible" ⇒ stop auditing the producer and
+ audit the CONSUMER'S VISIBILITY.** Bytes existing is not pixels being drawn. Diff the two
+ consumers' behaviour: chat box rendered, alert box didn't — that asymmetry was the whole
+ clue, and every per-frame log said "healthy".
+- **A test whose fakes replace the failing seam will pass forever.** `AlertLayerVideoTests`
+ drove `RenderFrame` with a fake decoder and was green through the entire outage; the decode
+ test used a fake process; nothing ever crossed the XAML. When a feature's output is
+ *displayed*, the test must build the real display path (`AlertBoxPreviewVisibilityTests`
+ drives the real `MainWindow`+`PreviewPane`). And when the symptom is "nothing appears",
+ the honest test asserts on the CONSUMER (is the Image Visible / are the canvas pixels
+ different), never on the producer's own counters.
+- Corollary: never trust "the data arrived" as a root cause. Ask what draws it.
diff --git a/Services/AlertOverlayLayer.cs b/Services/AlertOverlayLayer.cs
index bbfea72..f316562 100644
--- a/Services/AlertOverlayLayer.cs
+++ b/Services/AlertOverlayLayer.cs
@@ -73,6 +73,7 @@ public sealed class AlertOverlayLayer : IDisposable
private int _frameVersion = -1;
private string? _frameKey;
private VideoFrame? _cachedFrame;
+ private DateTime _lastPreviewLog = DateTime.MinValue;
public AlertOverlayLayer(
AlertRenderer renderer,
@@ -428,6 +429,19 @@ public sealed class AlertOverlayLayer : IDisposable
try
{
var frame = RenderFrame(alertBox);
+ // Preview eyes (TASK 47, 2026-09-26): a healthy decode painted nothing on
+ // the canvas. UpdatePreview swallows its failures to Debug, so say once a
+ // second whether the box is being handed a frame at all.
+ if (IsPlaying)
+ {
+ var now = DateTime.UtcNow;
+ if (now - _lastPreviewLog >= TimeSpan.FromSeconds(1))
+ {
+ _lastPreviewLog = now;
+ AppLog.Write($"Alert preview: box {alertBox.Id} frame="
+ + (frame == null ? "null" : $"{frame.Width}x{frame.Height} a{frame.BgraPixels[3]}"));
+ }
+ }
if (frame == null)
{
alertBox.VideoImageSource = null;
diff --git a/TASKS/task-47-alert-videos.md b/TASKS/task-47-alert-videos.md
index 1c34772..ff723f6 100644
--- a/TASKS/task-47-alert-videos.md
+++ b/TASKS/task-47-alert-videos.md
@@ -211,4 +211,47 @@ not decode.**
queued, unchanged.
- The alert-store folder (`Apps_Commands`-style per-clip assets) stays out of scope —
the current model is read-at-play from a path, per the creator's "never store the
- video" ruling.
\ No newline at end of file
+ video" ruling.
+## Take three — the video was never DRAWN (2026-09-26, the real one)
+
+Build 89 and build 90 both decoded the clip perfectly and showed nothing. The build-90
+diagnostics settled it in one run, and the answer was NOT in the video pipeline at all:
+
+```
+Alert clip start: box ce2532a1… path '…ytLive-alert-941785b0….mp4' 680x200
+Alert preview: box ce2532a1… frame=680x200 a255 ← opaque, right size, every second
+Output resolver: alert box 'ce2532a1…' frame 680x200 (visible=True playing=True)
+Alert clip end: … frames=240 audioChunks=156 failed=False
+```
+
+The frame reached BOTH consumers, opaque and correctly sized, for the whole 10s. The clip
+itself is fine — the shipped asset (`AlertDefaultVideoAssetId` = 941785b0…, md5
+`0ee1f4960dd3b23dee5930a2af79d410`) is byte-identical to the creator's original
+`Downloads\llamacasty-dancingLlama-thankyou.mp4`, h264 1280x720 10s, and every sampled
+frame is full bright content (mean ~470/255, 100% non-zero bytes).
+
+**Root cause: `Controls/PreviewPane.xaml`.** The per-element `Image` is `Collapsed` by
+default and only becomes Visible via DataTriggers for `IsImageSource` / `IsChatBox` /
+`IsWebSource` / `IsWebcam`. There was no AlertBox trigger, so the alert box's Image stayed
+Collapsed forever — the bound frame was never rendered. Chat boxes showed because they
+HAVE a trigger; that asymmetry is why "the chat window works but the alert layer doesn't"
+looked like a decode problem. Removing/re-adding the layer could never fix it.
+
+Fix: an `IsAlertBox` DataTrigger next to the `IsChatBox` one.
+
+Two Good Dog tests, because the fakes had been hiding this:
+
+- `AlertClipOutputTests.AlertClip_RealDecode_PaintsPixelsInsideTheAlertBoxRect` — the
+ first test in the repo that runs a REAL codec: generates a clip with the pinned ffmpeg
+ (`mpeg4`, not libx264 — the pinned BtbN build has no x264), drives the real
+ `AlertClipDecoder` + real `AlertOverlayLayer` + real `SceneCompositor`, and asserts the
+ box rect is a COLOURFUL picture that DIFFERS from the idle canvas. It passed even while
+ the feature was broken in the app, which is exactly why it was needed: it exonerated
+ decode+layer+compositor and pointed the hunt at the last hop. Note the compositor fills
+ its base with opaque black, so "any non-zero byte" is NOT a pass — compare against idle.
+- `AlertBoxPreviewVisibilityTests.AlertBox_HandedAFrame_IsDrawnInThePreviewPane` — real
+ `MainWindow` + real `PreviewPane`, an AlertBox handed an opaque `WriteableBitmap`, assert
+ the bound `Image` is `Visible`. Red with `Expected: Visible / Actual: Collapsed` before
+ the fix, green after.
+
+Full suite 324/324.
diff --git a/ViewModels/MainViewModel.cs b/ViewModels/MainViewModel.cs
index a69325c..33800ea 100644
--- a/ViewModels/MainViewModel.cs
+++ b/ViewModels/MainViewModel.cs
@@ -508,9 +508,25 @@ public partial class MainViewModel : ViewModelBase
AppLog.Write($"Output resolver: webcam '{webcam.WebcamId}' frame is null — layer skipped in composite");
}
}
+ // Alerts (TASK 47, 2026-09-26): a healthy decode logged frames=240 while the
+ // box stayed blank, so name the two possibilities per tick — did the resolver
+ // ever get asked for the alert box, and did it have a frame to hand back?
+ if (element is Source { Type: SourceType.AlertBox } alert)
+ {
+ var now = DateTime.UtcNow;
+ if (now - _lastAlertResolveLog >= TimeSpan.FromSeconds(1))
+ {
+ _lastAlertResolveLog = now;
+ AppLog.Write(frame == null
+ ? $"Output resolver: alert box '{alert.Id}' frame is null (visible={alert.IsVisible} playing={_alertLayer.IsPlaying}) — skipped in composite"
+ : $"Output resolver: alert box '{alert.Id}' frame {frame!.Width}x{frame!.Height} (visible={alert.IsVisible} playing={_alertLayer.IsPlaying})");
+ }
+ }
return frame;
}
+ private DateTime _lastAlertResolveLog = DateTime.MinValue;
+
private DateTime _lastWebcamNullLog = DateTime.MinValue;
/// Maps a config's identity GUID to the CameraManager session key (the
diff --git a/ytLive.Tests/AlertBoxPreviewVisibilityTests.cs b/ytLive.Tests/AlertBoxPreviewVisibilityTests.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..643766f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ytLive.Tests/AlertBoxPreviewVisibilityTests.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,112 @@
+using System;
+using System.IO;
+using System.Windows;
+using System.Windows.Controls;
+using System.Windows.Media;
+using System.Windows.Media.Imaging;
+using Microsoft.Data.Sqlite;
+using Xunit;
+using ytLive.Models;
+using ytLive.ViewModels;
+
+namespace ytLive.Tests;
+
+///
+/// TASK 47 Good Dog (take three, 2026-09-26): the alert box's frame must be
+/// DRAWN by the preview pane. The 14:26 and 14:28 live runs on build 90 proved
+/// everything up to the last hop: Alert preview: frame=680x200 a255 and
+/// Output resolver: frame 680x200 playing=True every second for the whole
+/// clip — a real, opaque, correctly-sized frame (the shipped llama asset decodes
+/// bright, 1280x720 h264) handed to the canvas — and the box stayed blank.
+/// Root cause: the preview's per-element Image only becomes Visible for
+/// IsImageSource / IsChatBox / IsWebSource / IsWebcam, so an AlertBox's Image
+/// stayed Collapsed and the bound frame was never rendered.
+///
+[Collection("RealApp")]
+public sealed class AlertBoxPreviewVisibilityTests
+{
+ private readonly RealAppHost _app;
+
+ public AlertBoxPreviewVisibilityTests(RealAppHost app) => _app = app;
+
+ [Fact]
+ public void AlertBox_HandedAFrame_IsDrawnInThePreviewPane()
+ {
+ _app.Run(Run);
+ }
+
+ private void Run()
+ {
+ 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
+ {
+ window.Show();
+ window.UpdateLayout();
+
+ var box = new Source
+ {
+ Type = SourceType.AlertBox,
+ Name = "Stream Alerts",
+ X = 100,
+ Y = 100,
+ Width = 320,
+ Height = 180,
+ };
+ vm.StagedScene!.Elements.Add(box);
+ vm.SelectedElement = box;
+
+ // Exactly what the layer writes onto the source every tick while a clip
+ // plays: a real, opaque, box-sized frame.
+ box.VideoImageSource = SolidFrame(320, 180);
+ window.UpdateLayout();
+
+ var pane = (UserControl)window.FindName("PreviewPane")!;
+ var image = FindImageShowing(pane, box.VideoImageSource);
+ Assert.True(image != null,
+ "the preview pane never bound the alert box's frame to an Image");
+ Assert.Equal(Visibility.Visible, image!.Visibility);
+ Assert.True(image.IsVisible,
+ "the alert box's Image is Collapsed, so the frame is never rendered");
+ }
+ finally
+ {
+ window.Close();
+ MainViewModel.LayoutPathOverride = null;
+ SqliteConnection.ClearAllPools();
+ try { File.Delete(tempDb); } catch { /* best-effort cleanup */ }
+ }
+ }
+
+ private static WriteableBitmap SolidFrame(int w, int h)
+ {
+ var bitmap = new WriteableBitmap(w, h, 96, 96, PixelFormats.Bgra32, null);
+ var pixels = new byte[w * h * 4];
+ for (var i = 0; i < pixels.Length; i += 4)
+ {
+ pixels[i] = 40; // B
+ pixels[i + 1] = 90; // G
+ pixels[i + 2] = 200; // R
+ pixels[i + 3] = 255; // opaque
+ }
+ bitmap.WritePixels(new Int32Rect(0, 0, w, h), pixels, w * 4, 0);
+ return bitmap;
+ }
+
+ private static Image? FindImageShowing(DependencyObject parent, ImageSource? source)
+ => Walk(parent, e => e is Image i && ReferenceEquals(i.Source, source)) as Image;
+
+ private static DependencyObject? Walk(DependencyObject parent, Func predicate)
+ {
+ for (var i = 0; i < VisualTreeHelper.GetChildrenCount(parent); i++)
+ {
+ var child = VisualTreeHelper.GetChild(parent, i);
+ if (predicate(child)) return child;
+ var found = Walk(child, predicate);
+ if (found != null) return found;
+ }
+ return null;
+ }
+}
diff --git a/ytLive.Tests/AlertClipOutputTests.cs b/ytLive.Tests/AlertClipOutputTests.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..056336b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ytLive.Tests/AlertClipOutputTests.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,179 @@
+using System;
+using System.Diagnostics;
+using System.IO;
+using System.Threading;
+using Xunit;
+using ytLive.Models;
+using ytLive.Services;
+using ytLive.Services.Compositor;
+using ytLive.Services.Encoder;
+
+namespace ytLive.Tests;
+
+///
+/// TASK 47 Good Dog (take two, 2026-09-26): a decoded alert clip must actually
+/// reach the OUTPUT canvas. Three live sessions on build 89 all logged a healthy
+/// decode — Alert clip start … frames=240 audioChunks=156 failed=False,
+/// alert audio in the live mix — and still painted NOTHING in the box. The layer
+/// tests pass because they drive a FAKE decoder straight into RenderFrame:
+/// nothing ever proves the decoded frame survives the trip through the real
+/// compositor. This is that proof — a REAL ffmpeg clip, the REAL
+/// , the REAL and the
+/// REAL , end to end. It is the one test that runs a
+/// real codec, and deliberately so: the gap it closes is exactly the one a fake
+/// cannot see.
+///
+[Collection("RealApp")]
+public sealed class AlertClipOutputTests
+{
+ private const int BoxW = 320;
+ private const int BoxH = 180;
+ private const int BoxX = 100;
+ private const int BoxY = 100;
+ private const int MasterW = 1920;
+ private const int MasterH = 1080;
+
+ private readonly RealAppHost _app;
+
+ public AlertClipOutputTests(RealAppHost app) => _app = app;
+
+ [Fact]
+ public void AlertClip_RealDecode_PaintsPixelsInsideTheAlertBoxRect()
+ {
+ _app.Run(Run);
+ }
+
+ private void Run()
+ {
+ var locator = new FfmpegLocator();
+ var ffmpeg = locator.LocateAsync().GetAwaiter().GetResult();
+ var clip = Path.Combine(Path.GetTempPath(), $"ytLive-test-alert-{Guid.NewGuid():N}.mp4");
+ try
+ {
+ MakeClip(ffmpeg, clip);
+
+ var box = new Source
+ {
+ Type = SourceType.AlertBox,
+ Name = "Stream Alerts",
+ X = BoxX,
+ Y = BoxY,
+ Width = BoxW,
+ Height = BoxH,
+ AlertVideoPath = clip,
+ AlertUseDefaultVideo = false,
+ };
+ var scene = new Scene { Name = "Live", Elements = { box } };
+
+ using var layer = new AlertOverlayLayer(
+ new AlertRenderer(),
+ clipDecoderFactory: (path, w, h) => new AlertClipDecoder(
+ path, w, h, locator, () => new FfmpegDecodeProcess(),
+ frameRateProbe: new FfmpegFrameRateProbe(locator, () => new FfmpegDecodeProcess())),
+ clipPathResolver: b => b.AlertVideoPath);
+ layer.UpdateConfiguredBoxes(new[] { scene });
+
+ layer.Enqueue(new ChatMessage
+ {
+ Kind = ChatEventKind.SuperChat,
+ AuthorName = "Funder",
+ SuperChatDisplayString = "$5.00",
+ });
+ Assert.True(layer.IsPlaying);
+
+ // The decoder is paced to the media clock, so the first frame arrives in
+ // wall-clock time — poll for it instead of racing it.
+ var deadline = DateTime.UtcNow.AddSeconds(20);
+ while (DateTime.UtcNow < deadline && layer.RenderFrame(box) == null)
+ Thread.Sleep(25);
+
+ layer.Advance(0.4); // past the 0.3s fade-in → opaque
+ var played = layer.RenderFrame(box);
+ Assert.True(played != null,
+ $"the real decoder produced no frame for {clip} — alpha0={AlphaStats(played)}");
+ Assert.Equal(255, played!.BgraPixels[3]);
+
+ var options = new CompositorOptions
+ {
+ SourceRectWidth = MasterW,
+ SourceRectHeight = MasterH,
+ OutputWidth = MasterW,
+ OutputHeight = MasterH,
+ };
+ var compositor = new SceneCompositor();
+ var withClip = compositor.Render(scene, e => ReferenceEquals(e, box) ? layer.RenderFrame(box) : null, null, options);
+ var idle = compositor.Render(scene, _ => null, null, options);
+
+ // The proof: the box rect is a COLORFUL picture that the idle canvas does
+ // not have. Opaque black in both (the compositor fills its base) is not a
+ // pass — the clip's own pixels have to be there.
+ var colorful = ColorfulPixels(withClip, BoxX, BoxY, BoxW, BoxH);
+ var changed = ChangedPixels(withClip, idle, BoxX, BoxY, BoxW, BoxH);
+ Assert.True(colorful > BoxW * BoxH / 2,
+ $"the decoded alert frame must paint the box rect in colour, only {colorful}/{BoxW * BoxH} px colourful");
+ Assert.True(changed > BoxW * BoxH / 2,
+ $"the alert box rect must differ from the idle canvas, only {changed}/{BoxW * BoxH} px changed");
+ }
+ finally
+ {
+ try { if (File.Exists(clip)) File.Delete(clip); } catch { /* temp file */ }
+ }
+ }
+
+ /// Pixels with actual colour in a rect — opaque black (the compositor's
+ /// base fill) does not count, a decoded frame does.
+ private static int ColorfulPixels(VideoFrame frame, int x, int y, int w, int h)
+ {
+ var lit = 0;
+ for (var row = y; row < y + h && row < frame.Height; row++)
+ for (var col = x; col < x + w && col < frame.Width; col++)
+ {
+ var i = (row * frame.Width + col) * 4;
+ if (frame.BgraPixels[i] != 0 || frame.BgraPixels[i + 1] != 0 || frame.BgraPixels[i + 2] != 0)
+ lit++;
+ }
+ return lit;
+ }
+
+ private static int ChangedPixels(VideoFrame a, VideoFrame b, int x, int y, int w, int h)
+ {
+ var changed = 0;
+ for (var row = y; row < y + h && row < a.Height; row++)
+ for (var col = x; col < x + w && col < a.Width; col++)
+ {
+ var i = (row * a.Width + col) * 4;
+ if (a.BgraPixels[i] != b.BgraPixels[i] || a.BgraPixels[i + 1] != b.BgraPixels[i + 1]
+ || a.BgraPixels[i + 2] != b.BgraPixels[i + 2] || a.BgraPixels[i + 3] != b.BgraPixels[i + 3])
+ changed++;
+ }
+ return changed;
+ }
+
+ private static string AlphaStats(VideoFrame? frame)
+ => frame == null ? "no frame" : $"alpha={frame.BgraPixels[3]}";
+
+ /// A 3s colourful clip with a tone — the same shape the alert box plays.
+ private static void MakeClip(string ffmpeg, string path)
+ {
+ var psi = new ProcessStartInfo(ffmpeg)
+ {
+ UseShellExecute = false,
+ RedirectStandardError = true,
+ };
+ foreach (var a in new[]
+ {
+ "-y", "-hide_banner", "-loglevel", "error",
+ "-f", "lavfi", "-i", $"testsrc2=size={BoxW}x{BoxH}:rate=30",
+ "-f", "lavfi", "-i", "sine=frequency=440:sample_rate=48000",
+ "-t", "3", "-c:v", "mpeg4", "-q:v", "3", "-pix_fmt", "yuv420p",
+ "-c:a", "aac", "-shortest", path,
+ })
+ psi.ArgumentList.Add(a);
+
+ using var proc = Process.Start(psi)!;
+ var stderr = proc.StandardError.ReadToEnd();
+ Assert.True(proc.WaitForExit(60_000), "ffmpeg did not finish generating the test clip");
+ Assert.True(proc.ExitCode == 0, $"ffmpeg failed to generate the test clip: {stderr}");
+ Assert.True(File.Exists(path), $"ffmpeg produced no clip at {path}");
+ }
+}