Take 10 (59a02a5b, slice 6) finally produced a self-contradicting stat: render
22.4ms + submit 2.5 against a 16.7ms deadline, yet avg wait 10ms — a rebasing
pacer CANNOT sleep after a blown deadline. The wait was queue time: StartAsync
fires from a UI command handler, and async continuations re-capture the current
SynchronizationContext — the 'WPF-free, hermetic' frame pump had been rendering
ON THE DISPATCHER behind the live preview the entire starvation saga. OBS keeps
obs_graphics_thread/video_thread off-UI for exactly this reason (dedicated
threads; see docs.obsproject.com/backend-design 'Libobs Threads').
- FramePump: _pumpTask = Task.Run(() => PumpAsync(...)) — null context inside,
every continuation stays on the pool.
- Audited, not ignored, what that exposes: StaticPixelCache.Get now locks (pool
miss-decodes raced UI callers); ChatOverlayLayer.RenderFrame checks its cache
off-thread but marshals the rare raster MISS to the dispatcher (DrawingVisual
+ RenderTargetBitmap are UI-thread objects) and re-validates there; pump
events already marshal in the VM.
- GCLatencyMode.SustainedLowLatency for the pump's life (restored in finally).
- Stats gained 'worst render Xms' — bimodal averages hid per-tick spikes.
- Webcam routes through the paste cache (the IsOpaque bypass re-sampled ~156k
px every tick even between identical device frames).
ONE integration test: Pump_Produces_OffTheStartingContext — an inline-pumping
SynchronizationContext makes the old construction run the resolver on the
starting thread by capture; the loop must never. 70/70 per-class green, clean
build 0 warnings. Docs same commit (ai.md slice 7, TASKS take-11 gate,
MyMistakes #6, HANDOFF). take 11: ~300/300 + honest wait -> saga closed,
Unit B (two-line top bar spec, fully captured) starts.
Take 9's numbers were decisive: paste cache moved work to ~25ms/frame but the
period stayed ~37ms. The missing ~12ms per tick is Task.Delay rounding every
sub-tick request up to the Windows system-clock tick (~15.6ms default —
documented: learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/api/system.threading.tasks.task.delay).
A frame finishing 3ms early requested 3ms and slept 15.6. Producer capped at
~27fps no matter how fast the compositor got — which is why two real render
fixes read as 'zero change' in playback. Game-loop/OBS canon for this
(stackoverflow.com/questions/5441464; learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/
api/timeapi/nf-timeapi-timebeginperiod): raise the timer resolution for the
session, sleep only the bulk of the remainder, and SPIN the last ~2ms across
the deadline.
- FramePump: timeBeginPeriod(1) on entering the pump loop, timeEndPeriod(1) in
the finally; pacing = bulk _pacingDelay(ahead - 2ms) + bounded Thread.SpinWait
tail; blown deadlines rebase unchanged (never burst).
- Stats now report avg wait: render+submit+wait must equal the period — the
accounting is closed, no stage can hide in an unmeasured gap again.
- Webcam dropped its IsOpaque paste-cache bypass: it re-sampled ~156k px every
tick even between identical device frames; cached paste beats the sampler on
hits, costs the same on misses.
52/52 per-class green (pacing + pixel suites unchanged — output byte-stable),
clean build 0 warnings. Docs same commit (ai.md slice 6, TASKS.md take-10
gate, MyMistakes #3 + renumber, HANDOFF). User's top-bar spec remains next in
queue (Unit B) — re-sent many times, captured, no open questions.
The stamped build settled what slices 3-4 could not: chat cache works (resolve
~0.0ms) but render stayed 26-27ms -> 124-135/300. The cost was the compositor
re-rasterizing EVERY layer every tick: this Live scene re-samples chat (159k) +
web widget (271k) + image (95k) + cam (156k) ~ 680k px @ ~38ns — for layers
whose pixels do not change between chat/web/cam updates.
OBS shape: cache the surface, paste per tick. BlitCachedLayer rasterizes a
non-opaque layer ONCE into an element-space, transparent-based frame keyed by
(source-array identity, src W/H, ceil'd dst rect, round, mirror), then pastes:
integer position, row alpha-blend, opacity applied at paste. Producers hand out
fresh immutable arrays -> array-identity keys cannot serve stale content; dict
bounded (48, clears whole). Drag/opacity live in paste params, not keys, so
editing stops triggering resamples too. Opaque backdrop keeps the memcpy path;
the webcam keeps the direct path via its IsOpaque flag (revisit if take 9 is
borderline).
ONE integration test: PasteCache_RepeatRender_IsByteIdentical_And_ContentChange-
Propagates (byte-exact raster-vs-paste incl. round-clip margins, new-array
propagation); existing pixel suite guards sampler semantics. 85/85 across
compositor/pump/chat/capture/session classes, clean build 0 warnings. Also:
BuildStampTests.cs was written last commit but never staged — its own scope-check
slip, added here (the run had used the on-disk file; tracked now).
Docs same commit: ai.md slice 5 + stale 'general path only 130k' claim corrected,
TASKS.md take-9 gate, MyMistakes recipe (prove the stage; a fix that doesn't move
the stat wasn't the bottleneck), HANDOFF. take 9 expectation: 300/300, render
<= ~8ms -> saga closes, Unit B starts.
Take 6 measured render 35-41ms — WORSE than take 5's 25.5 — and the run could
not be attributed to a binary: exe mtime != build contents (incremental builds
serve stale exes; a source edit without rebuild is a silent old binary). Three
takes of a perf saga had been judged against builds nobody could prove.
- ytLive.csproj GenerateBuildStamp target: fresh GUID per compile (writes
obj/BuildStamp.g.cs -> Helpers/BuildStamp.Id/BuiltLocal). Deliberately defeats
incremental lies: every 'dotnet build' recompiles the app project.
- Wordmark shows the id as a superscript (TopBar.xaml, x:Static, 9px grey
BaselineAlignment=Superscript); startup.log records 'Build <id> (compiled
<time>)' so every take is cross-readable with the visible UI.
- FramePump stats split the tick: 'avg render Xms (resolve Y), avg submit Z' —
the resolver is timed separately (wrapper resolver on per-tick paths; bake
keeps the raw one) so take 7 names the hot half of 'render' with data.
- Fixed a latent transition-clock bug found on the way: lastTick now restarts
every frame (the branch rework had restarted it only during transitions,
letting a transition begun after idle complete instantly on its first Tick).
ONE integration test family: BuildStampTests (unit: shape) +
BuildStampDisplayTests (RealApp, namescoped FindName on TopBar proves the
wordmark SHOWS the id). 47/47 per-class green, clean build 0 warnings. Docs
same commit. User's top-bar/session spec (re-sent twice) + settled Q&A
decisions folded into HANDOFF Unit B — next work unit after take 7 verdict.
Take 5: render 58.9 -> 25.5ms (138/300, still ~2.2x). The blits were fixed; the
resolver was not: ResolveOutputFrame -> RenderChatBox ran a FULL WPF raster
(FormattedText + RenderTargetBitmap + CopyPixels + channel swap) EVERY tick
whenever the chat buffer was non-empty — and the buffer survives sessions, so
even a signed-out record-only take paid it. Established answer (OBS text
sources): re-render on change, blit the cache every tick.
ChatOverlayLayer: content version bumped from Messages.CollectionChanged
(covers adds, the 500-cap removal, the fade Clear from any caller) + a config
key (size + all Chat* appearance props); RenderFrame returns the cached
VideoFrame by identity until either changes (compositor only reads cached
frames). Conservative ordering (version latched BEFORE render) makes a
mid-render message re-render next tick, never serve stale.
ONE integration test: ChatOverlayLayerCacheTests (RealApp, real renderer):
Same() for unchanged inputs, NotSame() on message/config change, null on
empty. Full regression green (62 across touched classes), clean build 0
warnings. Accepted cost pending take 6: one ~15-25ms tick per arriving
message; if live-chat bursts sag n/300, next slice = debounced off-tick
re-render. Docs same commit: ai.md pipeline section, TASKS.md TASK 18,
MyMistakes recipe (raster-on-change + session-surviving-buffer trap),
HANDOFF (take 6 -> then Unit B, spec unchanged).
Two defects made the producer 17x slow (37s record -> 2.1s/127-frame file,
rawvideo stamps by arrival): FramePump slept the FULL interval after each
render (period = render+submit+interval) and SceneCompositor did per-pixel
float sampling + Math.Round blends over all 2.07M master pixels, scanning the
whole destination per overlay (258ms avg render vs 1.5ms submit).
Both solutions are established, not invented — researched before coding per
the derivative-work rule:
- deadline pacing: OBS libobs/media-io/video-io.c video_thread (nextTick +=
intervalTicks, sleep only the remainder, rebase on overrun, never burst)
- row blits: libyuv pattern (BSD-3, chromium.googlesource.com/libyuv/libyuv)
— 1:1 aligned identity fast path, per-pixel alpha branch, integer
fixed-point blend, overlay clipped to the intersection rect, skip the dead
black pre-fill when the backdrop covers
ONE integration test: Pump_Paces_To_The_Deadline_Compensating_Render_Cost
(lands after a fake-seam lesson: pacing fakes must await, not complete
synchronously, or the pump loop runs inline on StartAsync and hangs vstest).
Clean build 0 warnings; FramePumpTests 10/10, SceneCompositor/SceneGraph/
SocialBar/StretchMath 20/20. Docs same commit: ai.md pipeline section,
TASKS.md TASK 18 (webcam-in-output + rename modal verified from take 3),
MyMistakes recipe, HANDOFF rewritten. Take 4 pending on the user's machine.
- Modes: creator ruling 2026-09-01 — the VOD is the copy; dual encode degrades both
outputs on mediocre hardware ('we're not them'). ai.md 'cheap on NVENC' claim
retired; TASK 18 three-modes -> two; pills-become-radios noted as PENDING code.
- Design Principle gains 'we're not them' (hardware realism) as its fifth bullet.
- TASK 34 scope: countdown+notify live scheduling is the whole story — 'going live is
our schedule'. Scheduled playout discussed & DECLINED; premiere/upload + playout +
simultaneous-record-stream added to the closed out-of-product table.
- TASK 22: SYNC slider provenance restored — creator-requested (OBS delay-filter fix,
native). Placement question stays open; capability does not.
- MyMistakes: the provenance rule (a fact without its who/why becomes a future argument).
Docs only — zero code in this commit, per creator instruction.
Map corrections: ai.md encoded the webcam lookup bug verbatim (GetLatestFrame(WebcamId))
— code wins, line rewritten; frame-pipeline section gains the rawvideo arrival-stamping
lesson + stats log; TASK 18 status = running-app verification IN PROGRESS with take-3
pending on the pump starvation; state-model paragraph matches the new always-Start bar.
Creator report 2026-09-01: with the desktop slider dragged to 20%, the game bar's
meter stayed pegged yellow/red. Root cause: the mic meter's formula (level x volume)
was cloned to the game bar WITHOUT the x-volume factor, and the clone inherited a
false premise — that WASAPI loopback capture tracks the endpoint volume. Tonight's
observation disproves it (the tap is pre-endpoint-volume), so both the meter (display)
and the mix (AudioGainProvider.LoopbackGain, fixed in 5ead064) must scale it themselves.
ai.md's two 'loopback scales with the slider' sentences corrected in the same pass.
Test seam: VolumePushOverride (internal static, mirrors LayoutPathOverride pattern) so
the test never hijacks the machine's real volume. GameMeterHonestyTests (RealApp +
temp DB): unity -> hot/red, 20% -> ~1/5 width/green, push observed.
The creator-declared known failure (Mix_HonorsProviderGains) and AudioPipelineTests'
standalone hang shared ONE root cause, born in TASK 22: AudioMixer.FillAndMix
dereferenced _delayedMix (declared float[]? , never assigned) as delayed.Length —
every live-mix tick NRE'd before the pipe write, so NO audio ever reached the wire
(tests starved -> hung/fail; app -> swallowed catch logged only ex.Message, 10ms
flood). Now: ctor-allocated + null-check, catch logs WITH stack via AppLog and is
throttled 5s, and a cancelled token breaks out before logging.
Bonus contract fix: AudioGainProvider.LoopbackGain returned unity on a disproven
premise ('loopback scales with endpoint volume'). The creator's tonight observation —
volume at 20%, meter pegged — proves the WASAPI tap is pre-endpoint-volume, so the
mixer must multiply by GameAudioVolume for stream honesty (this is what ai.md always
specified; the 'failing' test encoded the same and was RIGHT).
AudioPipelineTests: 25/25 in 26ms, standalone, no hang. Known-failure count: ZERO.
ai.md tests paragraph rewritten (no more suite-total claims, both ex-'knowns'
explained); TASK 22 regression recorded; MyMistakes: the known-failure-label rules.
Creator ruling 2026-09-01 (stuck REC pill after the failed first recording):
- StopStream clears RecordPillOn + OnAirPillOn — intent resets with reality.
- OnFramePumpFailed: dispatcher-marshalled FULL rollback via StopStream (was:
toast + Error-status only when live — record-only sessions zombied with
IsRecording=true over a dead encoder; the 20:34 attempt proved it). Toast copy
says 'Recording stopped' vs 'stream pipeline stopped'.
- Same zombie class in the three go-live prep failure branches: StreamStatus.Error
limbo replaced by StopStream() (audio loop + recording + pills unwind; a created
broadcast still gets the close-out).
- AudioMixer.StopLive made explicitly idempotent (Stop() twice, rollback paths that
never reached StartLive).
- Seams: OnFramePumpFailed + IsRecording setter internal (InternalsVisibleTo; test
pattern mirrors LayoutPathOverride).
ONE integration test: SessionTeardownTests (real window + temp DB: pump death with
lit pill -> no zombie, no End button, Offline). AudioPipelineTests confirmed to hang
STANDALONE (pre-existing, the declared-known audio class) — ai.md test-count
paragraph corrected to stop claiming a suite total that cannot currently be measured.
The specced 'End stream -> transition(complete)' call never existed: stopping relied
entirely on enableAutoStop (viewers sat on a frozen stream-offline for ~a minute, VOD
finalized late). Found during the 2026-09-01 recording-verification pass while the
creator asked 'if there's proper close-out info yt needs, we'll provide it?'
EndBroadcastAsync POSTs liveBroadcasts/transition?broadcastStatus=complete&id=..&part=status,
called after the pump stops (RTMP EOF first) and only when a live session had a broadcast —
record-only stops stay offline. invalidTransition/410 (autoStop already ended it) is logged
and returned as an error string, never thrown: a stop must never fail over close-out.
ONE integration test (URL shape + never-throws on 403). ai.md/TASKS.md design lines marked
SHIPPED with the map-lie note.
Ref: https://developers.google.com/youtube/v3/live/docs/liveBroadcasts/transition
User launch (2026-09-01 19:07) NRE'd in MainViewModel ctor:
1. SceneGraph (TASK 31) was 'null!'-declared, assigned mid-ctor, but Scenes is touched
~120 lines earlier — field-initialized now.
2. LeftPanel extraction (c9fd1bd) moved StaticResource users (EyeButton/EyeIconStyle)
into a UserControl while the styles stayed window-scope — invisible at parse time;
moved to Themes/Controls.xaml (app scope, the existing rule). Full audit: these were
the only two offenders (grep of Controls/*.xaml StaticResource keys vs app dictionary).
3. RoundClipInteractionTests — the second 'known failure' the map never explained: it
was two stale-test layers (window.FindName across the new UserControl namescope +
VisualTreeHelper.HitTest, which returned the IsHitTestVisible=False WebViewHostPanel
overlay for EVERY point; UIElement.InputHitTest — the real input pipeline — shows the
corner IS grabbable in both Traditional and Round). Test fixed, no product bug.
Verified: clean rebuild 0 warnings; app boots (log shows full MainWindow loaded; user
clicked + closed, zero new exceptions; real DB Webcam row = the genuine C920, untouched);
RoundClip + 6 RealApp classes pass natively per-class.
Docs: ai.md known-failure note → 246/247 (audio only); TASK 31 verification paragraph
corrected ('cannot run headless' overstated — per-class Windows-host vstest runs them);
MyMistakes: InputHitTest-vs-VTH recipe + namescope/app-style + shared-log facts.
Spin-guard citations: WPF Visual Tree Overview (InputHitTest vs VisualTreeHelper hit
semantics) + XAML namescope docs, learn.microsoft.com.
- IMediaFrameSource gains bool Looping.
- MediaVideoSource ctor takes Func<IDecodeProcess> processFactory instead of a
single IDecodeProcess: a System.Diagnostics.Process can't be re-Start()ed, so
each loop pass creates a fresh decoder. Decode wrapped in do-while(Looping):
restart on natural EOF instead of raising Completed.
- Production wiring (MainViewModel media factory): passes the process factory
AND FfmpegFrameRateProbe -- closes the slice-2b gap where production had no
probe and therefore no pacing.
- Tests: loop test (single frame re-emits across passes, Completed only when
loop cleared); fakes updated for the new interface member. Media tests 12/12,
build 0 warnings.
Wiring Source.MediaIsLooping into the flag needs a manager-level per-path loop
provider -> lands with the UI-picker (acquisition) slice.
Derivative reference: looping media by restarting decode on EOF, standard in
playback/overlay tooling (OBS media source repeat).
- MediaVideoSource takes optional IFrameRateProbe? + Func<TimeSpan,CancellationToken,Task>? delay
seams (default Task.Delay); probes FPS once in RunAsync, delays by 1/fps after each
emitted frame. No probe/unknown fps -> no pacing (ffmpeg pipe backpressure throttles).
- Test: MediaVideoSource_PacesFramesByProbedFps (fake probe returns 1000fps + recording
delay; one delay per frame ~= 1ms). Media tests 5/5, build 0 warnings.
Derivative reference: per-frame delay pacing of decoded output, standard in media playback.
- FfmpegFrameRateParser (pure): prefers avg_frame_rate= then r_frame_rate=,
rational N/N/M, unknown/0 -> null.
- IFrameRateProbe + FfmpegFrameRateProbe: derives sibling ffprobe.exe from the
located ffmpeg dir, reuses the IDecodeProcess seam for the ffprobe subprocess
text; null if ffprobe absent.
- FfmpegLocator now also extracts ffprobe.exe (ProbeFileName) from the pinned
archive, conditional so old caches without it degrade to no pacing.
- Tests: 6 pure parser units + 1 probe integration via fake locator/process;
FfmpegLocatorTests still green. 15/15, 0 warnings.
Pacing (probe->delay) is slice 2b. Derivative reference: standard ffprobe
avg_frame_rate probing used across OBS/media tooling.
Wire the MediaVideoSourceManager into the live pipeline (new partial
ViewModels/MainViewModel.Media.cs mirrors Webcam/Background partials):
readonly _mediaManager assigned in the core ctor (decode at 1920x1080 master,
dispatcher-coalesced preview), OnMediaPreviewBitmapChanged adopts the shared
bitmap onto every IsMediaSource with a matching MediaPath, a
Source { IsMediaSource, MediaPath } case in ResolveOutputFrame feeds
GetLatestFrame, and the manager is disposed on shutdown.
Source.DisplaySource now routes VideoImageSource for MediaSource (Source.cs),
so media previews/canvas show decoded video.
Compositor needs no change: BlitContent UniformToFill-scales any frame to the
element rect. Decoder/manager/seam derived-work mirrors ScreenCaptureManager
(citation in commit for slice-step-3).
Test (one unit for this change, mirroring the live-capture case):
Source_DisplaySource_IsVideoImageSource_WhenMediaSource. 14/14 media +
DisplaySource tests pass, build 0 warnings. Docs (TASKS/HANDOFF/ai.md) updated.
Adds the codec-agnostic decoder half of the media source. Spawns ffmpeg
with -f rawvideo -pix_fmt bgra (reusing the already-shipped ffmpeg via
IFfmpegLocator) and drains the raw BGRA stdout pipe into VideoFrames.
- Services/RawVideoFrameReader.cs: pure rawvideo BGRA stream -> frames
(partial reads kept across Feed; no ffmpeg needed to test)
- Services/IDecodeProcess.cs + FfmpegDecodeProcess.cs: binary-stdout
subprocess seam, mirror of the encoder's IEncoderProcess
- Services/MediaVideoSource.cs: owns the decode, raises FrameReady/Completed
- MediaVideoSourceTests: 3 pure reader + 1 integration (fake decode
process through the real source loop, frames in order)
Reference (external scan): ffmpeg rawvideo pipe decode is the canonical
codec-agnostic frame feeds pattern (ffmpeg docs -f rawvideo; how OBS/media
pipelines push frames to a compositor). Verified: 4/4 tests, build 0 warnings.
Native-FPS pacing + resolver/compositor wiring are the next slice.
- Add ElementKind (Static/Dynamic) to SceneElement base; Source/WebcamSceneConfig classify
- Services/SceneGraph.cs: owns the Scenes collection (ViewModel's Scenes delegates to it),
the element mutation surface (Add/Insert/Remove/Move, each invalidating the bake), and the
queries that were scattered LINQ (GetBackground/GetWebcam/GetChatBoxes/GetSplitPoint/IsStatic)
- SceneCompositor: split-aware BakeStaticBase + CompositeLayers + Render(.., staticBase, split);
builds/caches the static base below the split point in source-rect space
- FramePump: optional SceneGraph -> optimized bake+composite path; falls back to full render
- MainViewModel: routes element mutations through the graph; invalidates the bake on static
layout/opacity/visibility/useDefaultBackground changes and after background heal/Ensure
- Integration test SceneGraphTests.BakedStaticBase_WithDynamicLayer_CompositesCorrectly
Derivative survey (mandated): tried before writing — OBS does per-source opacity/visibility
caching and static-scene baking; this mirrors OBS's 'cached static source' optimization.
3 documented defensive deviations from the spec (ChatOverlayLayer stays decoupled;
background helpers stay VM-static for direct testability; full facade peel deferred post-1.0)
in TASKS.md + ai.md. Scope check passed; clean build 0 warnings.
ai.md: Key patterns gains the 'true decomposition beats partial-shuffling'
rule + the glue-vs-component diagnostic (count OnPropertyChanged/SetProperty;
extract only zero/low-glue cohesive state blobs like chat's; leave binding glue
over already-extracted services alone; line count is a guideline not a goal).
ViewModels table row notes Chat.cs is now a thin facade over ChatOverlayLayer.
HANDOFF: everything through Commit G is pushed (origin/main=85893ea); the
remaining big decomposition is the scene-graph segment, flagged as design-needed
(not an unsupervised peel).
Zero behavior change: \`public class\` -> \`public partial class\`. Each functional area
(Scenes, Background, Webcam, Audio, Trax, Socials, Streaming, Chat, Overlays,
Account, License) will move to its own file next, one commit per partial — each
a roll-back point. Docs updated in the same commit: ViewModels/index.md (split
map), ai.md (architecture table), HANDOFF.md (state). verify.sh: build 0 warnings,
only the 2 known pre-existing test failures.
Encoder dual-output: StreamEnabled/RecordEnabled/RecordPath options; per-output
ffmpeg block (stream ->flv, record ->mp4); throw unless at least one output.
RecordingFile: auto-name ty-<yyyymmdd>-<start hhmm>-0000.mp4, rename-on-stop to
ty-...-<len hhmmss>.mp4 with numeric-suffix on collision. LayoutStore persists
record folder. MainViewModel: REC/ON-AIR pills, status light, single Start<->End
button (replaces Start/Stop variants), StopStream no longer signs out, explicit
session timer. About overlay widened. Sign In label + spacing before Start.
Tests: 244 passed / 246 (2 pre-existing: AudioPipeline gains-mute, RoundClip).
Build 0 warnings. Scope check clean.
Memory-map correction (derived-solution rule, 2026-08-29): image-shrink recipe was
never recorded when first done, so it was re-derived. Added Derived-solution/recipes
rule to AGENTS.md; MyMistakes.md now a permanent recipes registry (records the
verified WPF-imaging shrink recipe); schema.md rows MyMistakes as registry; ai.md
points to the rule. README hero image replaced: 3.2MB screenshot -> 1400x794 ->
188KB docs/ytLlive-preview.jpg (JPEG q82).
Project lesson cited (the 2026-08 web-box saga, 9 commits): browser sources are fixed canvases
per OBS convention — the 'gap' was a widget CSS glow, not a bug.
gramps