bump VERSION to 0.7.1

Terminals answer OSC 10/11/12 color queries but never push changes, so
detect theme flips with a 60 s poll (legacy-tmux fallback for servers
< 3.6). Re-queries palette + default fg/bg, updates the system palette
and re-detects dark/light mode.

.eslintrc.cjs

@@ -1,11 +0,0 @@
-module.exports = {
-  root: true,
-  parser: "@typescript-eslint/parser",
-  plugins: ["@typescript-eslint"],
-  extends: ["eslint:recommended", "plugin:@typescript-eslint/recommended"],
-  env: {
-    es2022: true,
-    node: true,
-  },
-  ignorePatterns: ["dist", "node_modules"],
-}

AGENTS.md

@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
 - `bun tests/cavacore-smoke.ts` - Run specific native library smoke test
 
 ### Linting
-- `bun run lint` - Run ESLint with TypeScript rules
+- `bun run lint` - Run the TypeScript typecheck (`bun tsc --noEmit`)
 
 ## Code Style Guidelines
 

README.md

@@ -16,6 +16,8 @@ external player with full transport control — all from your terminal.
 - **Search** across your subscribed shows.
 - **Audio playback** through an external player with full transport control:
   play/pause, next/previous, seek, speed, and per-episode resume progress.
+  When an episode finishes, the next one plays automatically, continuing
+  down the list you started it from (search results, a show, or the Feed).
 - **Themeable** and **remappable keybindings**.
 - Ships as a **standalone compiled binary** — no runtime or install step beyond
   a system audio player.
@@ -208,7 +210,9 @@ entry. Releases are compiled with bunfig autoload disabled
 entirely. If you still hit it, you're on an old release — upgrade.
 
 **No audio — playback is a silent no-op** — PodTui needs **mpv** on your
-`PATH`. Install it (`brew install mpv`, `pacman -S mpv`, …) and relaunch.
+`PATH`. Homebrew and AUR installs pull it in automatically; if you used the
+standalone tarball, install it yourself (`brew install mpv`, `pacman -S mpv`,
+…) and relaunch.
 
 **Homebrew prints a dylib warning** — “load commands do not fit in the header
 … needs `-headerpad`” is benign: the app loads its libraries by path, the

package.json

@@ -18,15 +18,13 @@
   },
   "devDependencies": {
     "@types/bun": "latest",
-    "@typescript-eslint/eslint-plugin": "^8.54.0",
-    "@typescript-eslint/parser": "^8.54.0",
-    "eslint": "^9.39.2",
     "typescript": "^5.9.3"
   },
   "dependencies": {
     "@opentui/core": "^0.1.77",
     "@opentui/solid": "^0.1.77",
     "date-fns": "^4.1.0",
+    "effect": "^3",
     "solid-js": "^1.9.9"
   }
 }

src/api/rss-parser.ts

@@ -74,6 +74,43 @@ const parseEpisodeType = (raw: string): EpisodeType | undefined => {
   return undefined
 }
 
+/** FNV-1a 32-bit hash. Deterministic across processes and Bun versions
+ *  (unlike Bun.hash) — used to derive stable episode ids from audio URLs so
+ *  a feed's episode ids never change between refreshes. */
+const fnv1a = (input: string): number => {
+  let hash = 0x811c9dc5
+  for (let i = 0; i < input.length; i++) {
+    hash ^= input.charCodeAt(i)
+    hash = Math.imul(hash, 0x01000193)
+  }
+  return hash >>> 0
+}
+
+/**
+ * Stable per-episode identity. The old positional id (`feedUrl#index`) was
+ * invalidated by ANY feed change: a new episode or a pruned one shifted
+ * every episode's index, so progress/downloads saved under `feedUrl#5`
+ * attached to whatever episode now sat at index 5 — new episodes resumed
+ * minutes in. Identity derives from stable content instead:
+ *   1. `<guid>` — the canonical per-episode identifier (required by Apple
+ *      Podcasts; nearly universal).
+ *   2. The enclosure URL, hashed to keep the id compact (hosts serve
+ *      permanent per-episode URLs; guids can be absent in hand-rolled feeds).
+ *   3. Positional index as a last resort: no guid AND no audio URL means
+ *      the episode cannot be played, so nothing persistent keys off it.
+ */
+const stableEpisodeId = (
+  feedUrl: string,
+  item: string,
+  audioUrl: string,
+  index: number,
+): string => {
+  const guid = getTagValue(item, "guid")
+  if (guid) return `${feedUrl}#guid:${guid}`
+  if (audioUrl) return `${feedUrl}#url:${fnv1a(audioUrl).toString(36)}`
+  return `${feedUrl}#${index}`
+}
+
 /** Extract the `<item>` blocks from an RSS document. Matches items directly
  *  on the full XML string — scoping to <channel> first is a redundant 5MB
  *  regex pass that doubles parse cost with no practical benefit (well-formed
@@ -100,24 +137,20 @@ export const parseRSSItem = (item: string, feedUrl: string, index: number): Epis
   const epDescription = cleanField(getTagValue(item, "description"))
   const pubDate = new Date(getTagValue(item, "pubDate") || Date.now())
 
-  // Audio URL + file size + MIME type from <enclosure>
   const enclosure = item.match(/<enclosure[^>]*url=["']([^"']+)["'][^>]*>/i)
   const audioUrl = enclosure?.[1] ?? ""
   const fileSizeStr = getAttr(item, "enclosure", "length")
   const fileSize = fileSizeStr ? parseInt(fileSizeStr, 10) : undefined
   const mimeType = getAttr(item, "enclosure", "type") || undefined
 
-  // Duration from <itunes:duration>
   const durationRaw = getTagValue(item, "itunes:duration")
   const duration = parseDuration(durationRaw)
 
-  // Episode & season numbers
   const episodeNumRaw = getTagValue(item, "itunes:episode")
   const episodeNumber = episodeNumRaw ? parseInt(episodeNumRaw, 10) : undefined
   const seasonNumRaw = getTagValue(item, "itunes:season")
   const seasonNumber = seasonNumRaw ? parseInt(seasonNumRaw, 10) : undefined
 
-  // Episode type & explicit
   const episodeType = parseEpisodeType(getTagValue(item, "itunes:episodeType"))
   const explicitRaw = getTagValue(item, "itunes:explicit").toLowerCase()
   const explicit = explicitRaw === "yes" || explicitRaw === "true" ? true : undefined
@@ -126,7 +159,7 @@ export const parseRSSItem = (item: string, feedUrl: string, index: number): Epis
   const imageUrl = getAttr(item, "itunes:image", "href") || undefined
 
   const ep: Episode = {
-    id: `${feedUrl}#${index}`,
+    id: stableEpisodeId(feedUrl, item, audioUrl, index),
     podcastId: feedUrl,
     title: epTitle,
     description: epDescription,
@@ -135,7 +168,6 @@ export const parseRSSItem = (item: string, feedUrl: string, index: number): Epis
     pubDate,
   }
 
-  // Only set optional fields if present
   if (episodeNumber !== undefined && !isNaN(episodeNumber)) ep.episodeNumber = episodeNumber
   if (seasonNumber !== undefined && !isNaN(seasonNumber)) ep.seasonNumber = seasonNumber
   if (episodeType) ep.episodeType = episodeType

src/components/EpisodeList.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,246 @@
+/**
+ * Shared list-row and preview components for the Feed and My Shows pages.
+ *
+ * Both pages render the same episode rows (marker + title, optional subtitle
+ * line, date/duration/selection/download meta line), "[Fetch More]" rows, and
+ * hovered-episode / fetch-more preview panes; the pages differ only in the
+ * props they pass (subtitle line, hint text, manual-mode wording). Extracted
+ * so the previously 3-4-level-nested render blocks run as flat named
+ * components.
+ *
+ * Anything that can change at runtime arrives as a signal getter: Solid
+ * components do not re-render, so only props that are called inside the
+ * component's own JSX stay reactive (focus, selection, download state).
+ */
+
+import { Show } from "solid-js";
+import { format } from "date-fns";
+import type { RGBA } from "@opentui/core";
+import { useTheme } from "@/context/ThemeContext";
+import { useScrollIntoView } from "@/hooks/useScrollIntoView";
+import { NF_ICONS } from "@/utils/nerd-fonts";
+import { LoadingIndicator } from "@/components/LoadingIndicator";
+import type { Episode } from "@/types/episode";
+
+// ── formatting helpers ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+export const formatDate = (d: Date) => format(d, "MMM d, yyyy");
+
+export const formatDuration = (s: number) => {
+	const mins = Math.floor(s / 60);
+	const hrs = Math.floor(mins / 60);
+	return hrs > 0 ? `${hrs}h ${mins % 60}m` : `${mins}m`;
+};
+
+// ── EpisodeRow ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+export function EpisodeRow(props: {
+	/** The episode this row renders. */
+	episode: Episode;
+	/** Optional second line under the title (podcast/show name). */
+	subtitle?: () => string | undefined;
+	/** For index signal (row position). */
+	index: () => number;
+	/** Focused row index in this list (-1 while the Fetch More row is
+	 *  focused, so no episode row draws the cursor). */
+	focused: () => number;
+	/** Whether the current pane has keyboard focus. */
+	active: () => boolean;
+	/** Whether this episode is selection-marked. */
+	selected: () => boolean;
+	downloadLabel: () => string;
+	downloadColor: () => RGBA;
+	marker: () => string;
+	onMouseDown: () => void;
+}) {
+	const { theme } = useTheme();
+	const muted = () => theme.muted || theme.text;
+	const ref = useScrollIntoView(() => props.index() === props.focused());
+	const isFocused = () => props.index() === props.focused();
+	const bg = () =>
+		isFocused() && props.active()
+			? theme.primary
+			: isFocused()
+				? theme.border
+				: undefined;
+	const fg = () =>
+		isFocused() && props.active()
+			? theme.surface
+			: isFocused()
+				? theme.selectedListItemText ?? theme.text
+				: theme.text;
+	return (
+		<box
+			ref={ref}
+			flexDirection="column"
+			gap={0}
+			paddingRight={1}
+			backgroundColor={bg()}
+			onMouseDown={props.onMouseDown}
+		>
+			<box flexDirection="row" gap={1}>
+				<text flexShrink={0} fg={fg()}>
+					{isFocused() ? props.marker() : " "}
+				</text>
+				<text wrapMode="none" truncate fg={fg()}>
+					{props.episode.episodeNumber ? `#${props.episode.episodeNumber} ` : ""}
+					{props.episode.title}
+				</text>
+			</box>
+			{/* podcast name on its own row — readable at a glance; the 50%
+			    current pane fits it in full for typical names, and truncate
+			    keeps the row one line tall either way */}
+			<Show when={props.subtitle?.()}>
+				<box paddingLeft={2}>
+					<text
+						wrapMode="none"
+						truncate
+						fg={isFocused() ? theme.surface : theme.textSecondary}
+					>
+						{props.subtitle?.()}
+					</text>
+				</box>
+			</Show>
+			<box flexDirection="row" gap={2} paddingLeft={2}>
+				<text flexShrink={0} fg={isFocused() ? theme.surface : theme.info}>
+					{formatDate(props.episode.pubDate)}
+				</text>
+				<text flexShrink={0} fg={isFocused() ? theme.surface : muted()}>
+					{formatDuration(props.episode.duration)}
+				</text>
+				<Show when={props.selected()}>
+					<text flexShrink={0} fg={theme.warning}>
+						●
+					</text>
+				</Show>
+				<Show when={props.downloadLabel()}>
+					<text flexShrink={0} fg={props.downloadColor()}>
+						{props.downloadLabel()}
+					</text>
+				</Show>
+			</box>
+		</box>
+	);
+}
+
+// ── FetchMoreRow ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+export function FetchMoreRow(props: {
+	/** Row index of the Fetch More button within the list. */
+	index: () => number;
+	/** Focused row index. */
+	focused: () => number;
+	/** True while the Fetch More row itself is focused. */
+	onMore: () => boolean;
+	/** Whether the current pane has keyboard focus. */
+	active: () => boolean;
+	isLoadingMore: () => boolean;
+	nerd: boolean;
+	marker: () => string;
+	onMouseDown: () => void;
+}) {
+	const { theme } = useTheme();
+	const ref = useScrollIntoView(props.onMore);
+	const bg = () =>
+		props.index() === props.focused() && props.active()
+			? theme.primary
+			: props.index() === props.focused()
+				? theme.border
+				: undefined;
+	const fg = () =>
+		props.index() === props.focused() && props.active()
+			? theme.surface
+			: props.index() === props.focused()
+				? theme.selectedListItemText ?? theme.text
+				: theme.text;
+	return (
+		<box
+			ref={ref}
+			flexDirection="row"
+			gap={1}
+			paddingRight={1}
+			backgroundColor={bg()}
+			onMouseDown={props.onMouseDown}
+		>
+			<text fg={fg()}>{props.onMore() ? props.marker() : " "}</text>
+			{props.nerd && (
+				<text fg={fg()}>{NF_ICONS.more}</text>
+			)}
+			<Show
+				when={!props.isLoadingMore()}
+				fallback={<LoadingIndicator label="Fetching…" />}
+			>
+				<text fg={fg()}>[Fetch More]</text>
+			</Show>
+		</box>
+	);
+}
+
+// ── EpisodePreview ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+export function EpisodePreview(props: {
+	episode: () => Episode;
+	/** Optional line under the meta row (podcast/show name). */
+	subtitle?: () => string | undefined;
+	author: () => string | undefined;
+	downloadLabel: () => string;
+	downloadColor: () => RGBA;
+	/** Page-specific action-hint line. */
+	hint: () => string;
+}) {
+	const { theme } = useTheme();
+	const muted = () => theme.muted || theme.text;
+	return (
+		<box flexDirection="column" gap={1} padding={1}>
+			<text fg={theme.textPrimary ?? theme.text}>
+				<strong>
+					{props.episode().episodeNumber ? `#${props.episode().episodeNumber} ` : ""}
+					{props.episode().title}
+				</strong>
+			</text>
+			<box flexDirection="row" gap={2}>
+				<text fg={theme.info}>{formatDate(props.episode().pubDate)}</text>
+				<text fg={muted()}>{formatDuration(props.episode().duration)}</text>
+				<Show when={props.downloadLabel()}>
+					<text fg={props.downloadColor()}>{props.downloadLabel()}</text>
+				</Show>
+			</box>
+			<Show when={props.subtitle?.()}>
+				<text fg={muted()}>{props.subtitle?.()}</text>
+			</Show>
+			<Show when={props.author()}>
+				<text fg={muted()}>by {props.author()}</text>
+			</Show>
+			<box height={1} />
+			<text fg={theme.textSecondary}>
+				{props.episode().description?.slice(0, 400) ?? "No description available."}
+				{(props.episode().description?.length ?? 0) > 400 ? "…" : ""}
+			</text>
+			<box height={1} />
+			<text fg={muted()}>{props.hint()}</text>
+		</box>
+	);
+}
+
+// ── FetchMorePreview ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+export function FetchMorePreview(props: {
+	isLoadingMore: () => boolean;
+	fetchMoreMode: () => string;
+	/** Manual-mode explanation line ("across all feeds" vs "for this show"). */
+	manualText: () => string;
+}) {
+	const { theme } = useTheme();
+	const muted = () => theme.muted || theme.text;
+	return (
+		<box flexDirection="column" gap={1} padding={1}>
+			<text fg={theme.textPrimary ?? theme.text}>
+				<strong>[Fetch More]</strong>
+			</text>
+			<text fg={muted()}>
+				{props.isLoadingMore()
+					? "Loading the next batch of episodes…"
+					: props.fetchMoreMode() === "auto"
+						? "Auto mode: the next batch loads automatically at the bottom of the list."
+						: props.manualText()}
+			</text>
+			<box height={1} />
+			<text fg={muted()}>enter: load more · h back</text>
+		</box>
+	);
+}

src/components/Shell.tsx

@@ -169,7 +169,6 @@ export function Shell() {
 			nav.backspaceCommand();
 			return;
 		}
-		// printable char
 		if (evt.name && evt.name.length === 1 && !evt.ctrl && !evt.meta) {
 			evt.preventDefault();
 			nav.appendCommand(evt.name);

src/config/keybinds.jsonc

@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@
   "sort":           [","],
   "toggle-hidden":  ["."],
   "refresh":        ["r"],
-  "subscribe":      ["a"],   // subscribe focused show/episode result in place (Search)
+  "subscribe":      ["a"],   // subscribe focused show in place (Discover/Search)
   "unsubscribe":    ["x"],   // unsubscribe focused show in My Shows
 
   // ── Downloads & auto-download whitelist ───────────────────────────────────

src/context/ThemeContext.tsx

@@ -10,7 +10,8 @@ import {
   generateSyntax,
   generateSubtleSyntax,
 } from "../utils/syntax-highlighter";
-import { resolveTerminalTheme, loadThemes } from "../utils/theme";
+import { resolveTerminalTheme } from "../utils/theme";
+import { getCustomThemes } from "../utils/custom-themes";
 import { detectModeFromBackground } from "../utils/system-theme";
 import { createSimpleContext } from "./helper";
 import {
@@ -119,6 +120,14 @@ const EMPTY_TERMINAL_COLORS: TerminalColors = {
 /** Cached macOS appearance (dark/light), independent of the terminal. */
 let cachedOsMode: "dark" | "light" | null = null;
 
+/**
+ * How often to re-query the terminal for theme changes (OSC 10/11/12).
+ * Terminals only answer these queries — they never push a color change —
+ * so detection is a slow poll. 60 s keeps CPU cost unmeasurable while
+ * still tracking theme flips within a reasonable delay.
+ */
+const SYSTEM_THEME_POLL_MS = 60_000;
+
 /**
  * Detect the terminal's dark/light mode.
  *
@@ -175,7 +184,7 @@ export const { use: useTheme, provider: ThemeProvider } = createSimpleContext({
 
     function init() {
       resolveSystemTheme();
-      loadThemes()
+      getCustomThemes()
         .then((custom) => {
           setStore(
             produce((draft) => {
@@ -187,7 +196,6 @@ export const { use: useTheme, provider: ThemeProvider } = createSimpleContext({
           setStore("active", "catppuccin");
         })
         .finally(() => {
-          // Only set ready if not waiting for system theme
           if (store.active !== "system") {
             setStore("ready", true);
           }
@@ -215,7 +223,12 @@ export const { use: useTheme, provider: ThemeProvider } = createSimpleContext({
       });
     }
 
-    async function resolveSystemTheme() {
+    /**
+     * Query the terminal's colors via OSC (palette + default fg/bg), with a
+     * legacy-tmux fallback for servers < 3.6 that don't forward OSC replies.
+     * Returns null when the terminal cannot answer.
+     */
+    async function queryTerminalColors(): Promise<TerminalColors | null> {
       if (process.env.TMUX) {
         await waitForCapabilities();
       }
@@ -254,6 +267,12 @@ export const { use: useTheme, provider: ThemeProvider } = createSimpleContext({
         }
       }
 
+      return colors;
+    }
+
+    async function resolveSystemTheme() {
+      const colors = await queryTerminalColors();
+
       // ── dark/light mode detection ─────────────────────────────────────────
       // The provider starts with a hardcoded mode (e.g. "dark"); detect the
       // real one from the terminal's background color (OSC 11) or, when that
@@ -299,8 +318,55 @@ export const { use: useTheme, provider: ThemeProvider } = createSimpleContext({
       }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Poll for terminal theme changes: re-query OSC colors, update the
+     * system palette when it differs, and re-detect dark/light mode.
+     * Runs on a slow timer (see SYSTEM_THEME_POLL_MS); most polls change
+     * nothing and only pay the idle query round-trip.
+     */
+    async function pollSystemTheme() {
+      if (!store.ready) return;
+      const colors = await queryTerminalColors();
+      if (!colors) return;
+
+      const current = store.system;
+      const changed =
+        !current ||
+        current.defaultBackground !== colors.defaultBackground ||
+        current.defaultForeground !== colors.defaultForeground ||
+        current.palette.join(",") !== colors.palette.join(",");
+
+      if (changed) {
+        setStore(
+          produce((draft) => {
+            draft.system = colors;
+          }),
+        );
+      }
+
+      // Refresh the OS-appearance fallback only when the terminal cannot
+      // report a background (e.g. tmux without OSC forwarding), so the
+      // common path never spawns a subprocess.
+      if (process.platform === "darwin" && !colors.defaultBackground) {
+        cachedOsMode = null;
+      }
+      const detectedMode = detectSystemMode(colors);
+      if (detectedMode && detectedMode !== store.mode) {
+        setStore("mode", detectedMode);
+        emitThemeModeChanged(detectedMode);
+      }
+    }
+
     onMount(init);
 
+    // Poll the terminal for theme changes (see pollSystemTheme). Registered
+    // once per provider init — SIGUSR2 re-runs the inner `init`, not this
+    // closure, so the timer cannot stack.
+    const pollTimer = setInterval(() => {
+      void pollSystemTheme();
+    }, SYSTEM_THEME_POLL_MS);
+    onCleanup(() => clearInterval(pollTimer));
+
     // Setup SIGUSR2 signal handler for dynamic theme reload
     // This allows external tools to trigger a theme refresh by sending:
     // `kill -USR2 <pid>`

src/effects/feed-refresh.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+/**
+ * Feed-refresh batch as an Effect program.
+ *
+ * Replaces the hand-rolled worker pool (mapWithConcurrency) + per-feed
+ * fetch/apply plumbing in stores/feed.ts with Effect's structured
+ * concurrency:
+ *   - `Effect.forEach(..., { concurrency })` bounds in-flight fetches to
+ *     `concurrency` (starts exactly that many fibers; each completion pulls
+ *     the next feed — identical semantics to the old shared-counter pool).
+ *   - `Effect.timeout` bounds each feed's fetch to `timeoutMs`. It runs
+ *     through the `Clock` service, so under `TestContext` the TestClock
+ *     drives it deterministically (no real 20s wait in tests).
+ *   - Failures are folded to a null result: a failed or timed-out feed is
+ *     left untouched instead of failing the batch.
+ *   - The apply callback runs inside each feed's own fiber, so a feed's
+ *     refreshed episodes land AS ITS OWN FETCH COMPLETES — the
+ *     per-feed-apply-as-it-lands contract, no Promise.all barrier.
+ *
+ * The store boundary (stores/feed.ts) supplies the real fetch and apply
+ * closures and runs the program with Effect.runPromise.
+ */
+
+import { Duration, Effect } from "effect"
+import type { Episode } from "../types/episode"
+import type { Feed } from "../types/feed"
+
+/** Result of fetching one feed's RSS. `episodes: null` means the fetch
+ *  failed or timed out — callers must leave that feed untouched. */
+export interface RefreshFetchResult {
+  episodes: Episode[] | null
+  coverUrl: string | undefined
+}
+
+/** Result guaranteed to have parsed episodes (the apply path only). */
+export interface RefreshSuccess {
+  episodes: Episode[]
+  coverUrl: string | undefined
+}
+
+export interface RefreshBatchOptions {
+  /** Max simultaneous in-flight fetches. */
+  concurrency: number
+  /** Per-feed fetch timeout in milliseconds. */
+  timeoutMs: number
+}
+
+/** Fold any failure (network error, timeout, rejection) to a null result so
+ *  one bad feed can never fail the batch. */
+const failedResult: RefreshFetchResult = { episodes: null, coverUrl: undefined }
+
+/** Fetch one feed with a timeout, applying its result as its own fetch
+ *  lands. A failed or timed-out fetch yields null — the feed is untouched. */
+const refreshOne = (
+  feed: Feed,
+  fetchOne: (feed: Feed) => Promise<RefreshFetchResult>,
+  applyOne: (feed: Feed, result: RefreshSuccess) => void,
+  timeoutMs: number,
+): Effect.Effect<void> =>
+  Effect.tryPromise(() => fetchOne(feed)).pipe(
+    Effect.timeout(Duration.millis(timeoutMs)),
+    Effect.catchAll(() => Effect.succeed(failedResult)),
+    Effect.flatMap((result) => {
+      if (result.episodes === null) return Effect.void
+      // Capture the narrowed array before the closure — TS drops the
+      // `episodes !== null` narrowing inside Effect.sync's callback.
+      const episodes = result.episodes
+      return Effect.sync(() => applyOne(feed, { episodes, coverUrl: result.coverUrl }))
+    }),
+  )
+
+/** Refresh every feed with bounded concurrency. Each feed's refreshed
+ *  episodes are applied as its own fetch lands (no barrier); a failed or
+ *  timed-out feed is left untouched. The program never fails — failures
+ *  are folded to per-feed no-ops. */
+export const refreshFeedsBatch = (
+  feeds: readonly Feed[],
+  fetchOne: (feed: Feed) => Promise<RefreshFetchResult>,
+  applyOne: (feed: Feed, result: RefreshSuccess) => void,
+  options: RefreshBatchOptions,
+): Effect.Effect<void> =>
+  Effect.forEach(
+    feeds,
+    (feed) => refreshOne(feed, fetchOne, applyOne, options.timeoutMs),
+    { concurrency: options.concurrency, discard: true },
+  )

src/hooks/useAudio.ts

@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import {
 import {
 	createAudioBackend,
 	detectPlayers,
+	PlayerRestartedError,
 	type AudioBackend,
 	type BackendName,
 	type DetectedPlayer,
@@ -54,10 +55,15 @@ import {
 	saveLastPlayerSync,
 } from "../utils/app-persistence";
 import type { Episode, Progress } from "../types/episode";
-import type { Feed } from "../types/feed";
-import { useAudioNavStore, AudioSource } from "../stores/audio-nav";
+import { useAudioNavStore } from "../stores/audio-nav";
 import { useDownloadStore } from "../stores/download";
 import { useFeedStore } from "../stores/feed";
+import { useSearchStore } from "../stores/search";
+import {
+	nextStep,
+	prevStep,
+	queueForSource,
+} from "../utils/audio-queue";
 
 export interface AudioControls {
 	// Signals (reactive getters)
@@ -179,8 +185,10 @@ const PAUSE_WATCH_TICKS = 7;
 
 /** The player process died while we believed playback was live — track
  *  ended (mpv quits at EOF) or the process crashed. Persist the final
- *  position and stop polling. */
-function finalizeTrackEnd(): void {
+ *  position and stop polling. `autoAdvance` is true only when the track
+ *  reached its natural end with the player still alive and no stream error
+ *  — the signal to keep the queue going. */
+function finalizeTrackEnd(autoAdvance: boolean): void {
 	setIsPlaying(false);
 	stopPolling();
 	const ep = currentEpisode();
@@ -188,6 +196,12 @@ function finalizeTrackEnd(): void {
 		const progressStore = useProgressStore();
 		progressStore.update(ep.id, position(), duration(), speed());
 	}
+	if (autoAdvance) {
+		// The episode finished: play the next one from the source that
+		// started it (search results / show / feed). No-op at the end of
+		// the list or when the episode isn't in the source list anymore.
+		void next().catch(() => {});
+	}
 }
 
 /** mpv paused itself OUTSIDE PodTUI — system sleep/lock, AirPod removal,
@@ -234,7 +248,12 @@ function startPolling(): void {
 				// and reports pause=true there, which would otherwise be
 				// mistaken for an external pause and never finalize.
 				if (!backend.isPlaying()) {
-					finalizeTrackEnd();
+					// Natural EOF (player alive, no stream error) auto-advances
+					// to the next episode; a crashed/killed daemon or a failed
+					// stream must not start the next episode on its own.
+					finalizeTrackEnd(
+						backend.isAlive() && !backend.getPlaybackError(),
+					);
 					return;
 				}
 
@@ -269,7 +288,7 @@ function startPolling(): void {
 				// still alive: a dead player while we thought we were paused
 				// means the track ended (mpv quits at EOF) or it crashed.
 				if (!backend.isAlive()) {
-					finalizeTrackEnd();
+					finalizeTrackEnd(false);
 					return;
 				}
 				const paused = await backend.getPauseState();
@@ -297,6 +316,34 @@ function stopPolling(): void {
 // from `--cover-art-files`. Shared helper (utils/cover-art.ts) fetches the
 // podcast cover to a temp file BEFORE playback starts, bounded to 3s.
 
+/** Resolve cover art to a local path for mpv's --cover-art-files, per the
+ *  call site's latency budget:
+ *  "cache"   — disk cache only (sync): resume paths must never wait on the
+ *              network, so a miss plays artless and warms for next time.
+ *  "bounded" — disk hit, else fetch capped at 1.2s: cold play needs the art
+ *              at file LOAD, but a slow cover server must not stall audio.
+ *  "await"   — disk hit, else full (8s-bounded) fetch: boot restore preloads
+ *              while feeds/progress load anyway, so the wait is free and the
+ *              cover must be present when the file loads.
+ * fetchCoverArt already short-circuits on the disk cache, so "await" costs
+ * nothing on a warm cache. */
+async function resolveCoverArt(
+	coverUrl: string | undefined,
+	mode: "cache" | "bounded" | "await",
+): Promise<string | null> {
+	if (!coverUrl) return null;
+	if (mode === "cache") return cachedCoverPath(coverUrl);
+	if (mode === "bounded") {
+		const cached = cachedCoverPath(coverUrl);
+		if (cached) return cached;
+		return Promise.race([
+			fetchCoverArt(coverUrl),
+			new Promise<null>((resolve) => setTimeout(() => resolve(null), 1200)),
+		]);
+	}
+	return fetchCoverArt(coverUrl);
+}
+
 async function play(episode: Episode): Promise<void> {
 	const b = ensureBackend();
 	setError(null);
@@ -306,43 +353,61 @@ async function play(episode: Episode): Promise<void> {
 		return;
 	}
 
-	try {
-		const appStore = useAppStore();
-		const progressStore = useProgressStore();
-		const storeSpeed = appStore.state().settings.playbackSpeed;
-		const vol = volume();
-		const spd = storeSpeed || speed();
+	const appStore = useAppStore();
+	const progressStore = useProgressStore();
+	const storeSpeed = appStore.state().settings.playbackSpeed;
+	const vol = volume();
+	const spd = storeSpeed || speed();
 
-		const feedStore = useFeedStore();
-		const feed = feedStore.feeds().find((f) => f.podcast.id === episode.podcastId);
-		const podcastTitle = feed?.customName || feed?.podcast.title || "";
-		// Play the downloaded file when present (offline + no network stalls);
-		// otherwise stream. Cover resolves to the feed art, falling back to the
-		// episode's own image (feeds added by URL may lack a channel cover).
-		const downloadStore = useDownloadStore();
-		const url = downloadStore.getDownloadedFilePath(episode.id) ?? episode.audioUrl;
-		const coverUrl = feed?.podcast.coverUrl ?? episode.imageUrl;
+	const feedStore = useFeedStore();
+	const feed = feedStore.feeds().find((f) => f.podcast.id === episode.podcastId);
+	const podcastTitle = feed?.customName || feed?.podcast.title || "";
+	// Play the downloaded file when present (offline + no network stalls);
+	// otherwise stream. Cover resolves to the feed art, falling back to the
+	// episode's own image (feeds added by URL may lack a channel cover).
+	const downloadStore = useDownloadStore();
+	const url = downloadStore.getDownloadedFilePath(episode.id) ?? episode.audioUrl;
+
+	// Resume from saved progress if available and not completed
+	const savedProgress = progressStore.get(episode.id);
+	let startPos = 0;
+	if (savedProgress && !progressStore.isCompleted(episode.id)) {
+		startPos = savedProgress.position;
+	}
+
+	// Present the new episode in the UI IMMEDIATELY, before the backend load
+	// (cover fetch + loadfile can take a few hundred ms): the player tab,
+	// status bar, and OS Now Playing must not keep showing the previous
+	// episode during the swap. The previous track's poll is stopped so it
+	// can't attribute its position/progress to the new episode; polling
+	// restarts once the backend is actually playing. Mirrors load()'s
+	// synchronous presentation.
+	stopPolling();
+	setCurrentEpisode(episode);
+	setIsPlaying(false);
+	startedPlayback = false;
+	setPosition(startPos);
+	setSpeed(spd);
+	if (episode.duration) setDuration(episode.duration);
+	const media = useMediaRegistry();
+	media.setNowPlaying({
+		title: episode.title,
+		artist: podcastTitle || episode.podcastId,
+		duration: episode.duration,
+	});
+	media.setPlaybackState(false);
+	if (startPos > 0) media.setPosition(startPos);
+
+	try {
 		// Cover art only applies at file LOAD (the runtime video-add fallback
 		// never becomes an albumart track), so a cold-cache play must wait for
 		// the fetch or play artless. Serve the disk cache synchronously; on a
-		// miss, await the single-flight fetch with a 1.2s cap (covers fetch in
-		// ~300ms typically) — past the cap, play bare and let the fetch warm
-		// the cache for next time.
-		let coverArtPath = coverUrl ? cachedCoverPath(coverUrl) : null;
-		if (coverUrl && !coverArtPath) {
-			const path = await Promise.race([
-				fetchCoverArt(coverUrl),
-				new Promise<null>((resolve) => setTimeout(() => resolve(null), 1200)),
-			]);
-			if (path) coverArtPath = path;
-		}
-
-		// Resume from saved progress if available and not completed
-		const savedProgress = progressStore.get(episode.id);
-		let startPos = 0;
-		if (savedProgress && !progressStore.isCompleted(episode.id)) {
-			startPos = savedProgress.position;
-		}
+		// miss, await the bounded fetch (covers fetch in ~300ms typically) —
+		// past the 1.2s cap, play bare and let the fetch warm the cache.
+		const coverArtPath = await resolveCoverArt(
+			feed?.podcast.coverUrl ?? episode.imageUrl,
+			"bounded",
+		);
 
 		await b.play(url, {
 			volume: vol,
@@ -352,10 +417,8 @@ async function play(episode: Episode): Promise<void> {
 			coverArtPath: coverArtPath ?? undefined,
 		});
 
-		setCurrentEpisode(episode);
 		setIsPlaying(true);
 		setPosition(startPos);
-		setSpeed(spd);
 		if (episode.duration) setDuration(episode.duration);
 		startedPlayback = true;
 
@@ -364,12 +427,6 @@ async function play(episode: Episode): Promise<void> {
 		saveLastPlayerToFile({ episodeId: episode.id, timestamp: new Date() });
 
 		// Register with platform media controls
-		const media = useMediaRegistry();
-		media.setNowPlaying({
-			title: episode.title,
-			artist: podcastTitle || episode.podcastId,
-			duration: episode.duration,
-		});
 		media.setPlaybackState(true);
 		if (startPos > 0) media.setPosition(startPos);
 
@@ -436,8 +493,10 @@ async function load(episode: Episode): Promise<void> {
 		// on feeds/progress at boot, so the bounded fetch (~300ms typical,
 		// 8s worst case) is free. Falls back to the episode's own image when
 		// the feed has no channel cover.
-		const coverUrl = feed?.podcast.coverUrl ?? episode.imageUrl;
-		const coverArtPath = coverUrl ? await fetchCoverArt(coverUrl) : null;
+		const coverArtPath = await resolveCoverArt(
+			feed?.podcast.coverUrl ?? episode.imageUrl,
+			"await",
+		);
 		const backendSnap = backend;
 		backendSnap
 			.preload(url, {
@@ -478,8 +537,25 @@ async function pause(): Promise<void> {
 	}
 }
 
+/** mpv was killed/crashed: respawn it and restart playback from the saved
+ *  position via the full play path (fresh loadfile, cover art, media
+ *  registry). A bare unpause would target a dead — or freshly-idle —
+ *  daemon and silently do nothing. */
+async function recoverPlayback(): Promise<void> {
+	const ep = currentEpisode();
+	if (ep && ep.audioUrl) {
+		await play(ep);
+	} else {
+		setError("Player is not running");
+	}
+}
+
 async function resume(): Promise<void> {
 	if (!backend) return;
+	if (!backend.isAlive()) {
+		await recoverPlayback();
+		return;
+	}
 	try {
 		await backend.resume();
 		setIsPlaying(true);
@@ -491,6 +567,13 @@ async function resume(): Promise<void> {
 			media.setPlaybackState(true);
 		}
 	} catch (err) {
+		// Race: the daemon died between the liveness check above and the
+		// unpause — backend.resume() respawned it and threw
+		// PlayerRestartedError (the fresh daemon has no file loaded).
+		if (err instanceof PlayerRestartedError) {
+			await recoverPlayback();
+			return;
+		}
 		setError(err instanceof Error ? err.message : "Resume failed");
 	}
 }
@@ -612,8 +695,10 @@ async function switchBackend(name: BackendName): Promise<void> {
 			const podcastTitle = feed?.customName || feed?.podcast.title || "";
 			const url =
 				useDownloadStore().getDownloadedFilePath(ep.id) ?? ep.audioUrl;
-			const coverUrl = feed?.podcast.coverUrl ?? ep.imageUrl;
-			const coverArtPath = coverUrl ? cachedCoverPath(coverUrl) : null;
+			const coverArtPath = await resolveCoverArt(
+				feed?.podcast.coverUrl ?? ep.imageUrl,
+				"cache",
+			);
 			await backend.play(url, {
 				startPosition: pos,
 				volume: vol,
@@ -677,6 +762,60 @@ export async function restoreLastSession(): Promise<void> {
  * Returns a singleton — all components share the same playback state.
  * Registers event bus listeners and cleans them up with onCleanup.
  */
+
+// ── Episode queue navigation ──────────────────────────────────────────────
+// `next`/`prev` (and the end-of-episode auto-advance in finalizeTrackEnd)
+// move within the ordered list of the source that STARTED the current
+// episode: the Feed's chronological list, the current show's episodes, or
+// the search results (see utils/audio-queue). Module-level so
+// finalizeTrackEnd can auto-advance without a mounted hook owner.
+
+const audioNav = useAudioNavStore();
+
+/** The ordered playable episodes for the source that started playback. */
+function queueForCurrentSource(): Episode[] {
+	const feedStore = useFeedStore();
+	return queueForSource(
+		audioNav.getSource(),
+		audioNav.getPodcastId(),
+		feedStore.feeds(),
+		feedStore.getAllEpisodesChronological(),
+		useSearchStore().results(),
+	);
+}
+
+async function next(): Promise<void> {
+	const current = currentEpisode();
+	if (!current) return;
+	const step = nextStep(queueForCurrentSource(), current.id);
+	// A duplicated queue entry (same episode id twice) must not make
+	// "next" replay the CURRENT episode — that would reload it from
+	// saved progress and audibly repeat already-played audio.
+	if (!step || step.episode.id === current.id) return;
+	await play(step.episode);
+	audioNav.next(step.index);
+}
+
+async function prev(): Promise<void> {
+	const current = currentEpisode();
+	if (!current) return;
+
+	// Standard transport behavior: past 30s in, "prev" restarts the current
+	// episode; before that it steps back within the source queue.
+	const NAV_START_THRESHOLD = 30;
+	const currentPos = position();
+	const currentDur = duration();
+	if (currentPos > NAV_START_THRESHOLD && currentDur > 0) {
+		await seek(NAV_START_THRESHOLD);
+		return;
+	}
+
+	const step = prevStep(queueForCurrentSource(), current.id);
+	if (!step) return;
+	await play(step.episode);
+	audioNav.prev(step.index);
+}
+
 export function useAudio(): AudioControls {
 	// Initialize backend on first use
 	ensureBackend();
@@ -742,80 +881,6 @@ export function useAudio(): AudioControls {
 		await doSetSpeed(next);
 	});
 
-	const audioNav = useAudioNavStore();
-	const feedStore = useFeedStore();
-
-	async function prev(): Promise<void> {
-		const current = currentEpisode();
-		if (!current) return;
-
-		const currentPos = position();
-		const currentDur = duration();
-
-		const NAV_START_THRESHOLD = 30;
-
-		if (currentPos > NAV_START_THRESHOLD && currentDur > 0) {
-			await seek(NAV_START_THRESHOLD);
-		} else {
-			const source = audioNav.getSource();
-			let episodes: Array<{ episode: Episode; feed: Feed }> = [];
-
-			if (source === AudioSource.FEED) {
-				episodes = feedStore.getAllEpisodesChronological();
-			} else if (source === AudioSource.MY_SHOWS) {
-				const podcastId = audioNav.getPodcastId();
-				if (!podcastId) return;
-
-				const feed = feedStore
-					.getFilteredFeeds()
-					.find((f) => f.podcast.id === podcastId);
-				if (!feed) return;
-
-				episodes = feed.episodes.map((ep) => ({ episode: ep, feed }));
-			}
-
-			const currentIndex = audioNav.getCurrentIndex();
-			const newIndex = Math.max(0, currentIndex - 1);
-
-			if (newIndex < episodes.length && episodes[newIndex]) {
-				const { episode } = episodes[newIndex];
-				await play(episode);
-				audioNav.prev(newIndex);
-			}
-		}
-	}
-
-	async function next(): Promise<void> {
-		const current = currentEpisode();
-		if (!current) return;
-
-		const source = audioNav.getSource();
-		let episodes: Array<{ episode: Episode; feed: Feed }> = [];
-
-		if (source === AudioSource.FEED) {
-			episodes = feedStore.getAllEpisodesChronological();
-		} else if (source === AudioSource.MY_SHOWS) {
-			const podcastId = audioNav.getPodcastId();
-			if (!podcastId) return;
-
-			const feed = feedStore
-				.getFilteredFeeds()
-				.find((f) => f.podcast.id === podcastId);
-			if (!feed) return;
-
-			episodes = feed.episodes.map((ep) => ({ episode: ep, feed }));
-		}
-
-		const currentIndex = audioNav.getCurrentIndex();
-		const newIndex = Math.min(episodes.length - 1, currentIndex + 1);
-
-		if (newIndex >= 0 && episodes[newIndex]) {
-			const { episode } = episodes[newIndex];
-			await play(episode);
-			audioNav.next(newIndex);
-		}
-	}
-
 	onCleanup(() => {
 		refCount--;
 		unsubPlay();

src/index.tsx

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import type { Feed } from "./types/feed"
 import type { Episode } from "./types/episode"
 
-const VERSION = "0.6.1";
+const VERSION = "0.7.1";
 
 interface CliArgs {
 	version: boolean;
@@ -42,7 +42,6 @@ if (cliArgs.version) {
 
 // ── CLI handlers ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
-/** Find the most recent episode across all feeds */
 function findLatestEpisode(
 	feeds: Feed[],
 ): { feed: Feed; episode: Episode } | null {

src/pages/Discover/DiscoverPage.tsx

@@ -5,18 +5,28 @@
  *                       placeholder (1/5 slot kept).
  *   depth 1 (current) — podcast results for the drilled category. Parent
  *                       pane = the categories list.
- *   preview            — detail of the hovered item (category summary, or
- *                       podcast detail + subscribe action).
+ *   depth 2 (current) — episodes of the drilled show, fetched on demand
+ *                       WITHOUT subscribing. Parent pane = the results list.
+ *   preview            — detail of the hovered item (category summary,
+ *                       podcast detail, or episode detail).
  *
  * Renders entirely through `<PaneRow>`; no bespoke 3-column flexbox JSX
- * remains. `l`/Enter drills in (category → results) or subscribes (on a
- * podcast); `h` pops a depth (noop at 0). j/k move only within the current
- * column. Moving through categories at depth 0 updates the store's selected
- * category so the preview follows.
+ * remains. `l`/Enter drills in (category → results → episodes); `a`
+ * subscribes the focused show (enter/l never subscribe — they open the
+ * episode list); `h` pops a depth (noop at 0). j/k move only within the
+ * current column. Moving through categories at depth 0 updates the store's
+ * selected category so the preview follows.
  */
 
 import { createMemo, For, Show, onMount, onCleanup } from "solid-js";
 import { useDiscoverStore, DISCOVER_CATEGORIES } from "@/stores/discover";
+import { useFeedStore } from "@/stores/feed";
+import { useDownloadStore } from "@/stores/download";
+import { useAudio } from "@/hooks/useAudio";
+import { useAudioNavStore, AudioSource } from "@/stores/audio-nav";
+import { DownloadStatus } from "@/types/episode";
+import type { Episode } from "@/types/episode";
+import type { Podcast } from "@/types/podcast";
 import { format } from "date-fns";
 import { useTheme } from "@/context/ThemeContext";
 import {
@@ -32,6 +42,7 @@ import type { KeybindActionName } from "@/context/KeybindContext";
 import { PaneRow } from "@/components/PaneRow";
 import { TabListPane } from "@/components/TabPanel";
 import { LoadingIndicator } from "@/components/LoadingIndicator";
+import { EpisodeRow, EpisodePreview } from "@/components/EpisodeList";
 import { useScrollIntoView } from "@/hooks/useScrollIntoView";
 import { useSelectionMarker } from "@/hooks/useSelectionMarker";
 
@@ -41,11 +52,16 @@ function DiscoverPage() {
 	// Static: detection never changes mid-session.
 	const nerd = supportsNerdFonts();
 	const discoverStore = useDiscoverStore();
+	const feedStore = useFeedStore();
+	const downloadStore = useDownloadStore();
+	const audio = useAudio();
+	const audioNav = useAudioNavStore();
 	const { theme } = useTheme();
 	const muted = () => theme.muted || theme.text;
 	const nav = useNavigation();
 	const marker = useSelectionMarker();
 
+	const stack = nav.depthStack;
 	const depth = nav.currentDepth;
 	const focus = (d: number = depth()) => nav.depthFocus(d);
 
@@ -60,14 +76,37 @@ function DiscoverPage() {
 		podcasts().length === 0 ? 0 : Math.min(focus(1), podcasts().length - 1);
 	const focusedPodcast = createMemo(() => podcasts()[focusedPodIdx()]);
 
+	// depth-2 frame ctx = the drilled podcast id (episode preview, no
+	// subscription). Episodes come from the discover store's session cache.
+	const drilledPodcastId = (): string => stack()[2]?.ctx ?? "";
+	const drilledPodcast = (): Podcast | undefined =>
+		podcasts().find((p) => p.id === drilledPodcastId());
+	const episodes = createMemo<Episode[]>(() => {
+		if (depth() < 2) return [];
+		return discoverStore.episodesForPodcast(drilledPodcastId());
+	});
+	const episodesLoading = () =>
+		depth() >= 2 && discoverStore.isLoadingEpisodesFor(drilledPodcastId());
+	const episodesError = () =>
+		depth() >= 2 ? discoverStore.previewError(drilledPodcastId()) : undefined;
+	const focusedEpIdx = () =>
+		episodes().length === 0 ? 0 : Math.min(focus(2), episodes().length - 1);
+	const focusedEpisode = () => episodes()[focusedEpIdx()];
+
 	const curLen = () =>
-		depth() === 0 ? categories().length : podcasts().length;
+		depth() === 0
+			? categories().length
+			: depth() === 1
+				? podcasts().length
+				: episodes().length;
 
 	const ensureFocus = () => {
 		if (categories().length > 0 && focus(0) >= categories().length)
 			nav.setDepthFocus(categories().length - 1, 0);
 		if (podcasts().length > 0 && focus(1) >= podcasts().length)
 			nav.setDepthFocus(podcasts().length - 1, 1);
+		if (episodes().length > 0 && focus(2) >= episodes().length)
+			nav.setDepthFocus(episodes().length - 1, 2);
 	};
 	onMount(ensureFocus);
 
@@ -80,13 +119,56 @@ function DiscoverPage() {
 	onMount(() => {
 		nav.registerResolver(`${nav.activeTab()}:${DEPTH_CENTER_PANE}`, (i) => {
 			if (depth() === 0) return categories()[i]?.id;
-			return podcasts()[i]?.id;
+			if (depth() === 1) return podcasts()[i]?.id;
+			return episodes()[i]?.id;
 		});
 	});
 
 	// ── helpers ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 	const formatDate = (d: Date) => format(d, "MMM d, yyyy");
 
+	/** The subscribed feed backing a podcast, if any (matched by directory id
+	 *  or feed URL — a Discover show may already be subscribed). */
+	const feedForPodcast = (p: Podcast) =>
+		feedStore.feeds().find(
+			(f) =>
+				f.podcast.id === p.id ||
+				(!!p.feedUrl && f.podcast.feedUrl === p.feedUrl),
+		);
+
+	const downloadLabel = (id: string) => {
+		switch (downloadStore.getDownloadStatus(id)) {
+			case DownloadStatus.QUEUED:
+				return "[Q]";
+			case DownloadStatus.DOWNLOADING:
+				return `[${downloadStore.getDownloadProgress(id)}%]`;
+			case DownloadStatus.COMPLETED:
+				return "[DL]";
+			case DownloadStatus.FAILED:
+				return "[ERR]";
+			default:
+				return "";
+		}
+	};
+	const downloadColor = (id: string) => {
+		switch (downloadStore.getDownloadStatus(id)) {
+			case DownloadStatus.QUEUED:
+				return theme.warning;
+			case DownloadStatus.DOWNLOADING:
+				return theme.primary;
+			case DownloadStatus.COMPLETED:
+				return theme.success;
+			case DownloadStatus.FAILED:
+				return theme.error;
+			default:
+				return muted();
+		}
+	};
+	const playEpisode = (ep: Episode) => {
+		audio.play(ep).catch(() => {});
+		audioNav.setSource(AudioSource.SEARCH, drilledPodcast()?.id);
+	};
+
 	// ── drill / open ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 	function open() {
 		if (depth() === 0) {
@@ -97,9 +179,19 @@ function DiscoverPage() {
 			nav.setActivePane(DEPTH_CENTER_PANE);
 			return;
 		}
-		if (depth() >= 1) {
+		if (depth() === 1) {
 			const pod = focusedPodcast();
-			if (pod) discoverStore.toggleSubscription(pod.id);
+			if (!pod) return;
+			// Drill into the show's episode list WITHOUT subscribing — `l`,
+			// right, and Enter open the episodes; `a` is the subscribe key.
+			discoverStore.openEpisodes(pod).catch(() => {});
+			nav.pushDepth({ kind: "episodes", ctx: pod.id, focus: 0 } as DepthFrame);
+			nav.setActivePane(DEPTH_CENTER_PANE);
+			return;
+		}
+		if (depth() >= 2) {
+			const ep = focusedEpisode();
+			if (ep) playEpisode(ep);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -115,12 +207,59 @@ function DiscoverPage() {
 		"goto-bottom": () => nav.gotoIndex(curLen() - 1, curLen()),
 		open: () => open(),
 		"toggle-select": () => {
-			if (depth() >= 1) {
+			if (depth() === 1) {
 				const pod = focusedPodcast();
 				if (pod) nav.toggleSelected(pod.id);
 			}
+			if (depth() >= 2) {
+				const ep = focusedEpisode();
+				if (ep) nav.toggleSelected(ep.id);
+			}
+		},
+		download: () => {
+			if (depth() !== 2) return;
+			const pod = drilledPodcast();
+			const ep = focusedEpisode();
+			if (!pod || !ep) return;
+			// Under its subscribed feed when already subscribed, otherwise as
+			// an "unsubscribed show" download (mirrors Search).
+			const feed = feedForPodcast(pod);
+			if (feed) downloadStore.startDownload(ep, feed.id);
+			else downloadStore.startUnsubscribedDownload(ep, pod);
+		},
+		"delete-download": () => {
+			if (depth() !== 2) return;
+			const ep = focusedEpisode();
+			if (!ep) return;
+			const id = ep.id;
+			if (downloadStore.getDownloadStatus(id) === DownloadStatus.NONE) return;
+			downloadStore.cancelDownload(id);
+			downloadStore.removeDownload(id).catch(() => {});
+		},
+		// `a`/`x` — the dedicated subscribe/unsubscribe keys (enter/l now open
+		// the episode list, so subscribing moved off open).
+		subscribe: () => {
+			if (depth() === 1) {
+				const pod = focusedPodcast();
+				if (pod && !pod.isSubscribed) discoverStore.subscribe(pod.id);
+				return;
+			}
+			if (depth() >= 2) {
+				const pod = drilledPodcast();
+				if (pod && !pod.isSubscribed) discoverStore.subscribe(pod.id);
+			}
+		},
+		unsubscribe: () => {
+			if (depth() !== 1) return;
+			const pod = focusedPodcast();
+			if (pod?.isSubscribed) discoverStore.unsubscribe(pod.id);
 		},
 		refresh: () => {
+			if (depth() >= 2) {
+				const pod = drilledPodcast();
+				if (pod) discoverStore.refreshEpisodes(pod).catch(() => {});
+				return;
+			}
 			discoverStore.refresh().catch(() => {});
 		},
 	};
@@ -161,7 +300,9 @@ function DiscoverPage() {
 	const currentLabel = () =>
 		depth() === 0
 			? "Categories"
-			: `${focusedCategory()?.name ?? "Discover"} · ${podcasts().length}`;
+			: depth() === 1
+				? `${focusedCategory()?.name ?? "Discover"} · ${podcasts().length}`
+				: `${drilledPodcast()?.title ?? "Episodes"} · ${episodes().length}`;
 
 	// ── parent pane: previous-depth list (muted/blank at depth 0) ─────────────
 	// Sibling <Show> blocks per depth (the known-good opentui disposal
@@ -174,7 +315,7 @@ function DiscoverPage() {
 			<Show when={depth() === 0}>
 				<TabListPane muted />
 			</Show>
-			<Show when={depth() >= 1}>
+			<Show when={depth() === 1}>
 				<For each={categories()}>
 					{(cat, index) => {
 						const lf = () => nav.depthFocus(0);
@@ -203,6 +344,33 @@ function DiscoverPage() {
 					}}
 				</For>
 			</Show>
+			<Show when={depth() >= 2}>
+				<For each={podcasts()}>
+					{(podcast, index) => {
+						const lf = () => nav.depthFocus(1);
+						const ref = useScrollIntoView(() => index() === lf());
+						return (
+							<box
+								ref={ref}
+								flexDirection="row"
+								gap={1}
+								paddingRight={1}
+								backgroundColor={focusBg(index(), lf(), false)}
+							>
+								<text fg={focusFg(index(), lf(), false)}>
+									{index() === lf() ? marker() : " "}
+								</text>
+								<text wrapMode="none" truncate fg={focusFg(index(), lf(), false)}>
+									{podcast.title}
+								</text>
+								<Show when={podcast.isSubscribed}>
+									<text flexShrink={0} fg={muted()}>[+]</text>
+								</Show>
+							</box>
+						);
+					}}
+				</For>
+			</Show>
 		</>
 	);
 
@@ -243,7 +411,7 @@ function DiscoverPage() {
 				</For>
 			</Show>
 			{/* depth ≥1: results */}
-			<Show when={depth() >= 1}>
+			<Show when={depth() === 1}>
 				<Show
 					when={podcasts().length > 0}
 					fallback={
@@ -304,11 +472,59 @@ function DiscoverPage() {
 					</For>
 					<Show when={discoverStore.isLoading()}>
 						<box paddingLeft={2} paddingTop={1}>
-							<LoadingIndicator label="Refreshing…" />
+							<LoadingIndicator />
 						</box>
 					</Show>
 				</Show>
 			</Show>
+			{/* depth ≥2: episodes of the drilled show (preview, no subscription) */}
+			<Show when={depth() >= 2}>
+				<Show when={episodesLoading()}>
+					<box padding={1}>
+						<LoadingIndicator label="Loading episodes…" />
+					</box>
+				</Show>
+				<Show when={episodesError() && !episodesLoading()}>
+					<box padding={1}>
+						<text fg={theme.error}>{episodesError()}</text>
+						<box height={1} />
+						<text fg={muted()}>r: retry · h: back</text>
+					</box>
+				</Show>
+				<Show
+					when={
+						!episodesLoading() && !episodesError() && episodes().length === 0
+					}
+				>
+					<box padding={1}>
+						<text fg={muted()}>No episodes found. :refresh</text>
+					</box>
+				</Show>
+				<Show
+					when={
+						!episodesLoading() && !episodesError() && episodes().length > 0
+					}
+				>
+					<For each={episodes()}>
+						{(ep, index) => (
+							<EpisodeRow
+								episode={ep}
+								index={index}
+								focused={focusedEpIdx}
+								active={isActive}
+								selected={() => nav.isSelected(ep.id)}
+								downloadLabel={() => downloadLabel(ep.id)}
+								downloadColor={() => downloadColor(ep.id)}
+								marker={marker}
+								onMouseDown={() => {
+									nav.setActivePane(DEPTH_CENTER_PANE);
+									nav.setDepthFocus(index(), 2);
+								}}
+							/>
+						)}
+					</For>
+				</Show>
+			</Show>
 		</>
 	);
 
@@ -357,8 +573,8 @@ function DiscoverPage() {
 					</box>
 				)}
 			</Show>
-		) : (
-			// depth ≥1 preview: hovered podcast + subscribe
+		) : depth() === 1 ? (
+			// depth 1 preview: hovered podcast + episode-list hint
 			<Show
 				when={focusedPodcast()}
 				fallback={
@@ -376,10 +592,10 @@ function DiscoverPage() {
 							<text fg={muted()}>by {pod().author}</text>
 						</Show>
 						<Show when={pod().isSubscribed}>
-							<text fg={theme.success}>✓ Subscribed</text>
+							<text fg={theme.success}>✓ Subscribed · x: unsubscribe</text>
 						</Show>
 						<Show when={!pod().isSubscribed}>
-							<text fg={theme.primary}>[+] Subscribe (enter)</text>
+							<text fg={theme.primary}>a: subscribe</text>
 						</Show>
 						<box height={1} />
 						<text fg={theme.textSecondary}>
@@ -398,10 +614,67 @@ function DiscoverPage() {
 						</Show>
 						<text fg={muted()}>Updated: {formatDate(pod().lastUpdated)}</text>
 						<box height={1} />
-						<text fg={muted()}>enter: subscribe · h: back · r: refresh</text>
+						<text fg={muted()}>enter/l: episodes · h: back · r: refresh</text>
 					</box>
 				)}
 			</Show>
+		) : (
+			// depth ≥2 preview: hovered episode (or loading/error/empty)
+			<>
+				<Show when={episodesLoading()}>
+					<box padding={1}>
+						<LoadingIndicator label="Loading episodes…" />
+					</box>
+				</Show>
+				<Show when={episodesError() && !episodesLoading()}>
+					<box padding={1}>
+						<text fg={theme.error}>{episodesError()}</text>
+						<box height={1} />
+						<text fg={muted()}>r: retry · h: back</text>
+					</box>
+				</Show>
+				<Show
+					when={
+						!episodesLoading() && !episodesError() && episodes().length === 0
+					}
+				>
+					<box padding={1}>
+						<text fg={muted()}>No episodes found.</text>
+					</box>
+				</Show>
+				<Show
+					when={
+						!episodesLoading() &&
+						!episodesError() &&
+						episodes().length > 0 &&
+						focusedEpisode()
+					}
+					fallback={
+						<box padding={1}>
+							<text fg={muted()}>No episode focused</text>
+						</box>
+					}
+				>
+					{(ep) => (
+						<EpisodePreview
+							episode={() => ep()}
+							author={() => drilledPodcast()?.author}
+							downloadLabel={() => downloadLabel(ep().id)}
+							downloadColor={() => downloadColor(ep().id)}
+							hint={() =>
+								`enter: play · d: download${
+									downloadStore.getDownloadStatus(ep().id) !==
+									DownloadStatus.NONE
+										? " · D: delete"
+										: ""
+								}${
+									drilledPodcast()?.isSubscribed ? "" : " · a: subscribe"
+								} · h: back`
+							}
+						/>
+					)}
+				</Show>
+			</>
 		);
 
 	return (

src/pages/Feed/FeedPage.tsx

@@ -22,7 +22,6 @@ import { useDownloadStore } from "@/stores/download";
 import { useAppStore } from "@/stores/app";
 import { prefetchCoverArt } from "@/utils/cover-art";
 import { DownloadStatus } from "@/types/episode";
-import { format } from "date-fns";
 import { useTheme } from "@/context/ThemeContext";
 import { useAudioNavStore, AudioSource } from "@/stores/audio-nav";
 import {
@@ -33,14 +32,19 @@ import {
 } from "@/context/NavigationContext";
 import { useAudio } from "@/hooks/useAudio";
 import { on, off } from "@/utils/event-bus";
-import { NF_ICONS, supportsNerdFonts } from "@/utils/nerd-fonts";
+import { supportsNerdFonts } from "@/utils/nerd-fonts";
 import type { KeybindActionName } from "@/context/KeybindContext";
 import type { Episode } from "@/types/episode";
 import type { Feed } from "@/types/feed";
+import {
+	EpisodeRow,
+	FetchMoreRow,
+	EpisodePreview,
+	FetchMorePreview,
+} from "@/components/EpisodeList";
 import { LoadingIndicator } from "@/components/LoadingIndicator";
 import { PaneRow } from "@/components/PaneRow";
 import { TabListPane } from "@/components/TabPanel";
-import { useScrollIntoView } from "@/hooks/useScrollIntoView";
 import { useSelectionMarker } from "@/hooks/useSelectionMarker";
 
 export const FeedPaneCount = 1;
@@ -87,7 +91,6 @@ function FeedPage() {
 	const app = useAppStore();
 	const fetchMoreMode = () => app.state().preferences.fetchMoreMode ?? "auto";
 	const showFetchMore = () => feedStore.hasMoreAcrossAll();
-	// Total navigable rows: episodes + the optional Fetch More row.
 	const rowCount = () => episodes().length + (showFetchMore() ? 1 : 0);
 	const focus = () => nav.depthFocus(0);
 	const focusedRow = () =>
@@ -103,7 +106,30 @@ function FeedPage() {
 	const focusedItem = (): EpItem | undefined =>
 		focusedOnMore() ? undefined : episodes()[focusedEpIdx()];
 	const curLen = () => rowCount();
-	const moreRef = useScrollIntoView(() => focusedOnMore());
+
+	// ── Render window ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+	// The union grows to thousands of episodes after repeated fetch-more
+	// presses; rendering every row per frame froze the UI. Render only a
+	// bounded slice around the focus (real indexes preserved) — the scrollbox
+	// still keeps the focused row in view. Spacers above/below the window
+	// restore the full content height so the scrollbar tracks the real list.
+	// Each EpisodeRow is 3 lines tall (title, subtitle, date).
+	const LIST_WINDOW = 30;
+	const ROW_HEIGHT = 3;
+	const listWindow = createMemo<[number, number]>(() => {
+		const len = episodes().length;
+		// Focusing the Fetch More button keeps the window anchored at the
+		// last episode — no jump when the focus crosses onto the button.
+		const f = focusedOnMore() ? len - 1 : focusedEpIdx();
+		return [
+			Math.max(0, f - LIST_WINDOW),
+			Math.min(len, f + LIST_WINDOW + 1),
+		];
+	});
+	const visibleEpisodes = createMemo(() => {
+		const [start, end] = listWindow();
+		return episodes().slice(start, end);
+	});
 
 	const ensureFocus = () => {
 		if (rowCount() > 0 && focus() >= rowCount())
@@ -129,12 +155,6 @@ function FeedPage() {
 	});
 
 	// ── helpers ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-	const formatDate = (d: Date) => format(d, "MMM d, yyyy");
-	const formatDuration = (s: number) => {
-		const mins = Math.floor(s / 60);
-		const hrs = Math.floor(mins / 60);
-		return hrs > 0 ? `${hrs}h ${mins % 60}m` : `${mins}m`;
-	};
 	const downloadLabel = (id: string) => {
 		switch (downloadStore.getDownloadStatus(id)) {
 			case DownloadStatus.QUEUED:
@@ -229,19 +249,6 @@ function FeedPage() {
 
 	// ── render ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 	const isActive = () => nav.activePane() === DEPTH_CENTER_PANE;
-	// Row highlight within the list. `active=true` only for the current pane.
-	const focusBg = (i: number, listFocus: number, active: boolean) =>
-		i === listFocus && active
-			? theme.primary
-			: i === listFocus
-				? theme.border
-				: undefined;
-	const focusFg = (i: number, listFocus: number, active: boolean) =>
-		i === listFocus && active
-			? theme.surface
-			: i === listFocus
-				? theme.selectedListItemText ?? theme.text
-				: theme.text;
 
 	const currentLabel = () => `Feed · ${episodes().length}`;
 
@@ -262,141 +269,79 @@ function FeedPage() {
 							</text>
 						}
 					>
-						<LoadingIndicator label="Refreshing…" />
+						<LoadingIndicator />
 					</Show>
 				</box>
 			}
 		>
-			<For each={episodes()}>
-				{(item, index) => {
-					const fi = () => focusedEpIdx();
-					const ref = useScrollIntoView(() => index() === fi());
-					return (
-						<box
-							ref={ref}
-							flexDirection="column"
-							gap={0}
-							paddingRight={1}
-							backgroundColor={focusBg(index(), fi(), isActive())}
-							onMouseDown={() => {
-								nav.setActivePane(DEPTH_CENTER_PANE);
-								nav.setDepthFocus(index(), 0);
-							}}
-						>
-							<box flexDirection="row" gap={1}>
-								<text
-									flexShrink={0}
-									fg={focusFg(index(), fi(), isActive())}
-								>
-									{index() === fi() ? marker() : " "}
-								</text>
-								<text
-									wrapMode="none"
-									truncate
-									fg={focusFg(index(), fi(), isActive())}
-								>
-									{item.episode.episodeNumber
-										? `#${item.episode.episodeNumber} `
-										: ""}
-									{item.episode.title}
-								</text>
-							</box>
-							{/* podcast name on its own row — readable at a glance; the
-							    50% current pane fits it in full for typical names, and
-							    truncate keeps the row one line tall either way */}
-							<box paddingLeft={2}>
-								<text
-									wrapMode="none"
-									truncate
-									fg={index() === fi() ? theme.surface : theme.textSecondary}
-								>
-									{item.feed.customName || item.feed.podcast.title}
-								</text>
-							</box>
-							<box flexDirection="row" gap={2} paddingLeft={2}>
-								<text
-									flexShrink={0}
-									fg={index() === fi() ? theme.surface : theme.info}
-								>
-									{formatDate(item.episode.pubDate)}
-								</text>
-								<text
-									flexShrink={0}
-									fg={index() === fi() ? theme.surface : muted()}
-								>
-									{formatDuration(item.episode.duration)}
-								</text>
-								<Show when={nav.isSelected(item.episode.id)}>
-									<text flexShrink={0} fg={theme.warning}>
-										●
-									</text>
-								</Show>
-								<Show when={downloadLabel(item.episode.id)}>
-									<text flexShrink={0} fg={downloadColor(item.episode.id)}>
-										{downloadLabel(item.episode.id)}
-									</text>
-								</Show>
-							</box>
-						</box>
-					);
-				}}
+			{/* Spacers keep the scrollbox content at the FULL list height so
+			    the scrollbar reflects the real list, not the render window. */}
+			<Show when={listWindow()[0] > 0}>
+				<box height={listWindow()[0] * ROW_HEIGHT} />
+			</Show>
+			<For each={visibleEpisodes()}>
+				{(item, index) => (
+					<EpisodeRow
+						episode={item.episode}
+						subtitle={() => item.feed.customName || item.feed.podcast.title}
+						index={() => listWindow()[0] + index()}
+						focused={focusedEpIdx}
+						active={isActive}
+						selected={() => nav.isSelected(item.episode.id)}
+						downloadLabel={() => downloadLabel(item.episode.id)}
+						downloadColor={() => downloadColor(item.episode.id)}
+						marker={marker}
+						onMouseDown={() => {
+							nav.setActivePane(DEPTH_CENTER_PANE);
+							nav.setDepthFocus(listWindow()[0] + index(), 0);
+						}}
+					/>
+				)}
 			</For>
+			<Show when={episodes().length - listWindow()[1] > 0}>
+				<box height={(episodes().length - listWindow()[1]) * ROW_HEIGHT} />
+			</Show>
 			<Show when={showFetchMore()}>
-				<box
-					ref={moreRef}
-					flexDirection="row"
-					gap={1}
-					paddingRight={1}
-					backgroundColor={focusBg(episodes().length, focusedRow(), isActive())}
+				<FetchMoreRow
+					index={() => episodes().length}
+					focused={focusedRow}
+					onMore={focusedOnMore}
+					active={isActive}
+					isLoadingMore={() => feedStore.isLoadingMore()}
+					nerd={nerd}
+					marker={marker}
 					onMouseDown={() => {
 						nav.setActivePane(DEPTH_CENTER_PANE);
 						nav.setDepthFocus(episodes().length, 0);
 					}}
-				>
-					<text fg={focusFg(episodes().length, focusedRow(), isActive())}>
-						{focusedOnMore() ? marker() : " "}
-					</text>
-					{nerd && (
-						<text fg={focusFg(episodes().length, focusedRow(), isActive())}>
-							{NF_ICONS.more}
-						</text>
-					)}
-					<Show
-						when={!feedStore.isLoadingMore()}
-						fallback={<LoadingIndicator label="Fetching…" />}
-					>
-						<text fg={focusFg(episodes().length, focusedRow(), isActive())}>
-							[Fetch More]
-						</text>
-					</Show>
-				</box>
+				/>
 			</Show>
 			<Show when={feedStore.isLoadingFeeds()}>
 				<box alignItems="center" paddingTop={1}>
-					<LoadingIndicator label="Refreshing…" />
+					<LoadingIndicator />
 				</box>
 			</Show>
 		</Show>
 	);
 
 	// ── preview pane: hovered-episode detail (or the Fetch More row) ──────────
+	const episodeHint = (item: EpItem) =>
+		`enter: play · d: download${
+			downloadStore.getDownloadStatus(item.episode.id) !== DownloadStatus.NONE
+				? " · D: delete"
+				: ""
+		} · space: select · h back`;
+
 	const previewContent = () => (
 		<>
 			<Show when={focusedOnMore()}>
-				<box flexDirection="column" gap={1} padding={1}>
-					<text fg={theme.textPrimary ?? theme.text}>
-						<strong>[Fetch More]</strong>
-					</text>
-					<text fg={muted()}>
-						{feedStore.isLoadingMore()
-							? "Loading the next batch of episodes…"
-							: fetchMoreMode() === "auto"
-								? "Auto mode: the next batch loads automatically at the bottom of the list."
-								: "Load the next batch of older episodes across all feeds (Enter)."}
-					</text>
-					<box height={1} />
-					<text fg={muted()}>enter: load more · h back</text>
-				</box>
+				<FetchMorePreview
+					isLoadingMore={() => feedStore.isLoadingMore()}
+					fetchMoreMode={fetchMoreMode}
+					manualText={() =>
+						"Load the next batch of older episodes across all feeds (Enter)."
+					}
+				/>
 			</Show>
 			<Show when={!focusedOnMore()}>
 				<Show
@@ -408,46 +353,16 @@ function FeedPage() {
 					}
 				>
 					{(item) => (
-						<box flexDirection="column" gap={1} padding={1}>
-							<text fg={theme.textPrimary ?? theme.text}>
-								<strong>
-									{item().episode.episodeNumber
-										? `#${item().episode.episodeNumber} `
-										: ""}
-									{item().episode.title}
-								</strong>
-							</text>
-							<box flexDirection="row" gap={2}>
-								<text fg={theme.info}>{formatDate(item().episode.pubDate)}</text>
-								<text fg={muted()}>{formatDuration(item().episode.duration)}</text>
-								<Show when={downloadLabel(item().episode.id)}>
-									<text fg={downloadColor(item().episode.id)}>
-										{downloadLabel(item().episode.id)}
-									</text>
-								</Show>
-							</box>
-							<text fg={muted()}>
-								{item().feed.customName || item().feed.podcast.title}
-							</text>
-							<Show when={item().feed.podcast.author}>
-								<text fg={muted()}>by {item().feed.podcast.author}</text>
-							</Show>
-							<box height={1} />
-							<text fg={theme.textSecondary}>
-								{item().episode.description?.slice(0, 400) ??
-									"No description available."}
-								{(item().episode.description?.length ?? 0) > 400 ? "…" : ""}
-							</text>
-							<box height={1} />
-							<text fg={muted()}>
-								enter: play · d: download
-								{downloadStore.getDownloadStatus(item().episode.id) !==
-								DownloadStatus.NONE
-									? " · D: delete"
-									: ""}{" "}
-								· space: select · h back
-							</text>
-						</box>
+						<EpisodePreview
+							episode={() => item().episode}
+							subtitle={() =>
+								item().feed.customName || item().feed.podcast.title
+							}
+							author={() => item().feed.podcast.author}
+							downloadLabel={() => downloadLabel(item().episode.id)}
+							downloadColor={() => downloadColor(item().episode.id)}
+							hint={() => episodeHint(item())}
+						/>
 					)}
 				</Show>
 			</Show>

src/pages/MyShows/MyShowsPage.tsx

@@ -15,11 +15,11 @@
  */
 
 import { createMemo, createEffect, For, Show, onMount, onCleanup } from "solid-js";
+import type { RGBA } from "@opentui/core";
 import { useFeedStore } from "@/stores/feed";
 import { useDownloadStore } from "@/stores/download";
 import { useAppStore } from "@/stores/app";
 import { DownloadStatus } from "@/types/episode";
-import { format } from "date-fns";
 import { useTheme } from "@/context/ThemeContext";
 import { useAudioNavStore, AudioSource } from "@/stores/audio-nav";
 import {
@@ -31,16 +31,218 @@ import {
 } from "@/context/NavigationContext";
 import { useAudio } from "@/hooks/useAudio";
 import { on, off } from "@/utils/event-bus";
-import { NF_ICONS, supportsNerdFonts } from "@/utils/nerd-fonts";
+import { supportsNerdFonts } from "@/utils/nerd-fonts";
 import type { KeybindActionName } from "@/context/KeybindContext";
 import type { Episode, DownloadedEpisode } from "@/types/episode";
 import type { Feed } from "@/types/feed";
-import { LoadingIndicator } from "@/components/LoadingIndicator";
+import {
+	EpisodeRow,
+	FetchMoreRow,
+	EpisodePreview,
+	FetchMorePreview,
+	formatDate,
+} from "@/components/EpisodeList";
 import { PaneRow } from "@/components/PaneRow";
 import { TabListPane } from "@/components/TabPanel";
 import { useScrollIntoView } from "@/hooks/useScrollIntoView";
 import { useSelectionMarker } from "@/hooks/useSelectionMarker";
 
+// ── render components ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+// Depth-0 rows (subscribed shows, unsubscribed-show downloads) and their
+// preview panes are My Shows-specific; episode rows/previews are shared with
+// the Feed page (see EpisodeList.tsx).
+
+/** A subscribed-show row (depth 0). */
+function ShowRow(props: {
+	feed: Feed;
+	title: string;
+	index: () => number;
+	focused: () => number;
+	active: () => boolean;
+	marker: () => string;
+	wlScope: () => boolean;
+	wlInList: () => boolean;
+	onMouseDown: () => void;
+}) {
+	const { theme } = useTheme();
+	const muted = () => theme.muted || theme.text;
+	const ref = useScrollIntoView(() => props.index() === props.focused());
+	const isFocused = () => props.index() === props.focused();
+	const bg = () =>
+		isFocused() && props.active()
+			? theme.primary
+			: isFocused()
+				? theme.border
+				: undefined;
+	const fg = () =>
+		isFocused() && props.active()
+			? theme.surface
+			: isFocused()
+				? theme.selectedListItemText ?? theme.text
+				: theme.text;
+	return (
+		<box
+			ref={ref}
+			flexDirection="row"
+			gap={1}
+			paddingRight={1}
+			backgroundColor={bg()}
+			onMouseDown={props.onMouseDown}
+		>
+			<text flexShrink={0} fg={fg()}>
+				{isFocused() ? props.marker() : " "}
+			</text>
+			{/* Long titles truncate with middle-ellipsis instead of wrapping —
+			    a wrapped title grows the row to 2+ lines and shifts every row
+			    below (see EpisodeList for the same guard). The episode-count
+			    and watchlist cells are flexShrink=0 so they never shrink or
+			    wrap; the flexible title takes the remaining width. */}
+			<text wrapMode="none" truncate fg={fg()}>
+				{props.title}
+			</text>
+			<text flexShrink={0} fg={isFocused() ? theme.surface : muted()}>
+				({props.feed.episodes.length})
+			</text>
+			<Show when={props.wlScope()}>
+				<text
+					flexShrink={0}
+					fg={
+						isFocused()
+							? theme.surface
+							: props.wlInList()
+								? theme.warning
+								: muted()
+					}
+				>
+					{props.wlInList() ? "●" : "○"}
+				</text>
+			</Show>
+		</box>
+	);
+}
+
+/** An unsubscribed-show download row (depth 0, below the shows list). */
+function UnsubscribedRow(props: {
+	d: DownloadedEpisode;
+	index: () => number;
+	focused: () => number;
+	active: () => boolean;
+	marker: () => string;
+	downloadLabel: () => string;
+	downloadColor: () => RGBA;
+	onMouseDown: () => void;
+}) {
+	const { theme } = useTheme();
+	const ref = useScrollIntoView(() => props.index() === props.focused());
+	const isFocused = () => props.index() === props.focused();
+	const bg = () =>
+		isFocused() && props.active()
+			? theme.primary
+			: isFocused()
+				? theme.border
+				: undefined;
+	const fg = () =>
+		isFocused() && props.active()
+			? theme.surface
+			: isFocused()
+				? theme.selectedListItemText ?? theme.text
+				: theme.text;
+	return (
+		<box
+			ref={ref}
+			flexDirection="column"
+			gap={0}
+			paddingRight={1}
+			backgroundColor={bg()}
+			onMouseDown={props.onMouseDown}
+		>
+			<box flexDirection="row" gap={1}>
+				<text flexShrink={0} fg={fg()}>
+					{isFocused() ? props.marker() : " "}
+				</text>
+				<text wrapMode="none" truncate fg={fg()}>
+					{props.d.episodeTitle ?? props.d.episodeId}
+				</text>
+				<Show when={props.downloadLabel()}>
+					<text flexShrink={0} fg={props.downloadColor()}>
+						{props.downloadLabel()}
+					</text>
+				</Show>
+			</box>
+			<box paddingLeft={2}>
+				<text
+					wrapMode="none"
+					truncate
+					fg={isFocused() ? theme.surface : theme.textSecondary}
+				>
+					{props.d.podcastTitle ?? props.d.feedId}
+				</text>
+			</box>
+		</box>
+	);
+}
+
+/** Depth-0 preview: the hovered subscribed show. */
+function ShowPreview(props: {
+	show: () => Feed;
+	title: () => string;
+	hint: () => string;
+}) {
+	const { theme } = useTheme();
+	const muted = () => theme.muted || theme.text;
+	const show = props.show;
+	return (
+		<box flexDirection="column" gap={1} padding={1}>
+			<text fg={theme.textPrimary ?? theme.text}>
+				<strong>{props.title()}</strong>
+			</text>
+			<Show when={show().podcast.author}>
+				<text fg={muted()}>by {show().podcast.author}</text>
+			</Show>
+			<text fg={theme.textSecondary}>{show().episodes.length} episodes</text>
+			<text fg={muted()}>
+				{show().podcast.description?.slice(0, 400) ?? "No description."}
+			</text>
+			<box height={1} />
+			<text fg={muted()}>{props.hint()}</text>
+		</box>
+	);
+}
+
+/** Depth-0 preview: the hovered unsubscribed-show download. */
+function UnsubscribedPreview(props: {
+	d: () => DownloadedEpisode;
+	downloadLabel: () => string;
+	downloadColor: () => RGBA;
+}) {
+	const { theme } = useTheme();
+	const muted = () => theme.muted || theme.text;
+	const d = props.d;
+	return (
+		<box flexDirection="column" gap={1} padding={1}>
+			<text fg={theme.textPrimary ?? theme.text}>
+				<strong>{d().episodeTitle ?? d().episodeId}</strong>
+			</text>
+			<text fg={theme.textSecondary}>{d().podcastTitle ?? d().feedId}</text>
+			<box flexDirection="row" gap={2}>
+				<Show when={d().pubDate}>
+					<text fg={theme.info}>{formatDate(new Date(d().pubDate!))}</text>
+				</Show>
+				<Show when={props.downloadLabel()}>
+					<text fg={props.downloadColor()}>
+						{props.downloadLabel()}
+					</text>
+				</Show>
+			</box>
+			<text fg={muted()}>
+				Downloaded from episode search — the show is not subscribed.
+			</text>
+			<box height={1} />
+			<text fg={muted()}>enter: play · D: delete download · h: back</text>
+		</box>
+	);
+}
+
 export const MyShowsPaneCount = 1;
 
 export function MyShowsPage() {
@@ -67,7 +269,6 @@ export function MyShowsPage() {
 	// entry drops out the moment the user subscribes to its show.
 	const unsubs = () => downloadStore.getUnsubscribedDownloads();
 
-	// Total depth-0 rows: subscribed shows + unsubscribed-show downloads.
 	const depth0Count = () => shows().length + unsubs().length;
 
 	const focusedShowIdx = () =>
@@ -107,7 +308,6 @@ export function MyShowsPage() {
 		depth() >= 1 &&
 		!!drilledShowId() &&
 		feedStore.hasMoreEpisodes(drilledShowId());
-	// Total navigable rows at depth 1: episodes + the optional Fetch More row.
 	const rowCount = () => episodes().length + (showFetchMore() ? 1 : 0);
 	const focusedRow = () =>
 		rowCount() === 0 ? 0 : Math.min(focus(1), rowCount() - 1);
@@ -121,7 +321,30 @@ export function MyShowsPage() {
 			: Math.min(focusedRow(), Math.max(episodes().length - 1, 0));
 	const focusedEpisode = () =>
 		focusedOnMore() ? undefined : episodes()[focusedEpIdx()];
-	const moreRef = useScrollIntoView(() => focusedOnMore());
+
+	// ── Render window ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+	// The drilled show's list grows deep after repeated fetch-more presses;
+	// rendering every row per frame froze the UI. Render only a bounded slice
+	// around the focus (real indexes preserved) — the scrollbox still keeps
+	// the focused row in view. Spacers above/below the window restore the
+	// full content height so the scrollbar tracks the real list.
+	// Each episode row is 2 lines tall (title, date) — no subtitle here.
+	const LIST_WINDOW = 30;
+	const ROW_HEIGHT = 2;
+	const listWindow = createMemo<[number, number]>(() => {
+		const len = episodes().length;
+		// Focusing the Fetch More button keeps the window anchored at the
+		// last episode — no jump when the focus crosses onto the button.
+		const f = focusedOnMore() ? len - 1 : focusedEpIdx();
+		return [
+			Math.max(0, f - LIST_WINDOW),
+			Math.min(len, f + LIST_WINDOW + 1),
+		];
+	});
+	const visibleEpisodes = createMemo(() => {
+		const [start, end] = listWindow();
+		return episodes().slice(start, end);
+	});
 
 	const curLen = () => (depth() === 0 ? depth0Count() : rowCount());
 
@@ -155,12 +378,6 @@ export function MyShowsPage() {
 	});
 
 	// ── helpers ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-	const formatDate = (d: Date) => format(d, "MMM d, yyyy");
-	const formatDuration = (s: number) => {
-		const mins = Math.floor(s / 60);
-		const hrs = Math.floor(mins / 60);
-		return hrs > 0 ? `${hrs}h ${mins % 60}m` : `${mins}m`;
-	};
 	const downloadLabel = (id: string) => {
 		switch (downloadStore.getDownloadStatus(id)) {
 			case DownloadStatus.QUEUED:
@@ -323,14 +540,6 @@ export function MyShowsPage() {
 
 	// ── render ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 	const isActive = () => nav.activePane() === DEPTH_CENTER_PANE;
-	const focusBg = (i: number, lf: number, active: boolean) =>
-		i === lf && active ? theme.primary : i === lf ? theme.border : undefined;
-	const focusFg = (i: number, lf: number, active: boolean) =>
-		i === lf && active
-			? theme.surface
-			: i === lf
-				? theme.selectedListItemText ?? theme.text
-				: theme.text;
 	const showTitle = (f: Feed) => f.customName || f.podcast.title;
 
 	const currentLabel = () =>
@@ -349,19 +558,30 @@ export function MyShowsPage() {
 				{(feed, index) => {
 					const lf = () => nav.depthFocus(0);
 					const ref = useScrollIntoView(() => index() === lf());
+					const focused = () => index() === lf();
+					const fg = () =>
+						focused()
+							? theme.selectedListItemText ?? theme.text
+							: theme.text;
 					return (
 						<box
 							ref={ref}
 							flexDirection="row"
 							gap={1}
 							paddingRight={1}
-							backgroundColor={focusBg(index(), lf(), false)}
+							backgroundColor={focused() ? theme.border : undefined}
 						>
-							<text fg={focusFg(index(), lf(), false)}>
-								{index() === lf() ? marker() : " "}
+							<text flexShrink={0} fg={fg()}>
+								{focused() ? marker() : " "}
+							</text>
+							{/* 20%-wide parent pane truncates hard — same
+							    middle-ellipsis guard as the depth-0 rows. */}
+							<text wrapMode="none" truncate fg={fg()}>
+								{showTitle(feed)}
+							</text>
+							<text flexShrink={0} fg={muted()}>
+								({feed.episodes.length})
 							</text>
-							<text fg={focusFg(index(), lf(), false)}>{showTitle(feed)}</text>
-							<text fg={muted()}>({feed.episodes.length})</text>
 						</box>
 					);
 				}}
@@ -385,51 +605,28 @@ export function MyShowsPage() {
 					}
 				>
 					<For each={shows()}>
-						{(feed, index) => {
-							const lf = () => focusedShowIdx();
-							const ref = useScrollIntoView(() => index() === lf());
-							const wlScope =
-								app.state().preferences.autoDownloadScope === "whitelist";
-							const wlInList = (
-								app.state().preferences.autoDownloadWhitelist ?? []
-							).includes(feed.id);
-							return (
-								<box
-									ref={ref}
-									flexDirection="row"
-									gap={1}
-									paddingRight={1}
-									backgroundColor={focusBg(index(), lf(), isActive())}
-									onMouseDown={() => {
-										nav.setActivePane(DEPTH_CENTER_PANE);
-										nav.setDepthFocus(index(), 0);
-									}}
-								>
-									<text fg={focusFg(index(), lf(), isActive())}>
-										{index() === lf() ? marker() : " "}
-									</text>
-									<text fg={focusFg(index(), lf(), isActive())}>
-										{showTitle(feed)}
-									</text>
-									<text fg={index() === lf() ? theme.surface : muted()}>
-										({feed.episodes.length})
-									</text>
-									<Show when={wlScope}>
-										<text
-											fg={
-												index() === lf()
-													? theme.surface
-													: wlInList
-														? theme.warning
-														: muted()
-											}
-										>
-											{wlInList ? "●" : "○"}
-										</text>
-									</Show>
-								</box>
-							);
-						}}
+						{(feed, index) => (
+							<ShowRow
+								feed={feed}
+								title={showTitle(feed)}
+								index={index}
+								focused={focusedShowIdx}
+								active={isActive}
+								marker={marker}
+								wlScope={() =>
+									app.state().preferences.autoDownloadScope === "whitelist"
+								}
+								wlInList={() =>
+									(app.state().preferences.autoDownloadWhitelist ?? []).includes(
+										feed.id,
+									)
+								}
+								onMouseDown={() => {
+									nav.setActivePane(DEPTH_CENTER_PANE);
+									nav.setDepthFocus(index(), 0);
+								}}
+							/>
+						)}
 					</For>
 					<Show when={unsubs().length > 0}>
 						<box paddingLeft={1} paddingTop={1}>
@@ -438,62 +635,21 @@ export function MyShowsPage() {
 							</text>
 						</box>
 						<For each={unsubs()}>
-							{(d, index) => {
-								// Rows continue after the shows list.
-								const rowIdx = () => shows().length + index();
-								const lf = () => nav.depthFocus(0);
-								const ref = useScrollIntoView(() => rowIdx() === lf());
-								return (
-									<box
-										ref={ref}
-										flexDirection="column"
-										gap={0}
-										paddingRight={1}
-										backgroundColor={focusBg(rowIdx(), lf(), isActive())}
-										onMouseDown={() => {
-											nav.setActivePane(DEPTH_CENTER_PANE);
-											nav.setDepthFocus(rowIdx(), 0);
-										}}
-									>
-										<box flexDirection="row" gap={1}>
-											<text
-												flexShrink={0}
-												fg={focusFg(rowIdx(), lf(), isActive())}
-											>
-												{rowIdx() === lf() ? marker() : " "}
-											</text>
-											<text
-												wrapMode="none"
-												truncate
-												fg={focusFg(rowIdx(), lf(), isActive())}
-											>
-												{d.episodeTitle ?? d.episodeId}
-											</text>
-											<Show when={downloadLabel(d.episodeId)}>
-												<text
-													flexShrink={0}
-													fg={downloadColor(d.episodeId)}
-												>
-													{downloadLabel(d.episodeId)}
-												</text>
-											</Show>
-										</box>
-										<box paddingLeft={2}>
-											<text
-												wrapMode="none"
-												truncate
-												fg={
-													rowIdx() === lf()
-														? theme.surface
-														: theme.textSecondary
-												}
-											>
-												{d.podcastTitle ?? d.feedId}
-											</text>
-										</box>
-									</box>
-								);
-							}}
+							{(d, index) => (
+								<UnsubscribedRow
+									d={d}
+									index={() => shows().length + index()}
+									focused={() => nav.depthFocus(0)}
+									active={isActive}
+									marker={marker}
+									downloadLabel={() => downloadLabel(d.episodeId)}
+									downloadColor={() => downloadColor(d.episodeId)}
+									onMouseDown={() => {
+										nav.setActivePane(DEPTH_CENTER_PANE);
+										nav.setDepthFocus(shows().length + index(), 0);
+									}}
+								/>
+							)}
 						</For>
 					</Show>
 				</Show>
@@ -508,99 +664,47 @@ export function MyShowsPage() {
 						</box>
 					}
 				>
-					<For each={episodes()}>
-						{(ep, index) => {
-							const lf = () => focusedEpIdx();
-							const ref = useScrollIntoView(() => index() === lf());
-							return (
-								<box
-									ref={ref}
-									flexDirection="column"
-									gap={0}
-									paddingRight={1}
-									backgroundColor={focusBg(index(), lf(), isActive())}
-									onMouseDown={() => {
-										nav.setActivePane(DEPTH_CENTER_PANE);
-										nav.setDepthFocus(index(), 1);
-									}}
-								>
-									<box flexDirection="row" gap={1}>
-										<text
-											flexShrink={0}
-											fg={focusFg(index(), lf(), isActive())}
-										>
-											{index() === lf() ? marker() : " "}
-										</text>
-										<text
-											wrapMode="none"
-											truncate
-											fg={focusFg(index(), lf(), isActive())}
-										>
-											{ep.episodeNumber ? `#${ep.episodeNumber} ` : ""}
-											{ep.title}
-										</text>
-									</box>
-									<box flexDirection="row" gap={2} paddingLeft={2}>
-										<text
-											flexShrink={0}
-											fg={index() === lf() ? theme.surface : theme.info}
-										>
-											{formatDate(ep.pubDate)}
-										</text>
-										<text
-											flexShrink={0}
-											fg={index() === lf() ? theme.surface : muted()}
-										>
-											{formatDuration(ep.duration)}
-										</text>
-										<Show when={nav.isSelected(ep.id)}>
-											<text flexShrink={0} fg={theme.warning}>
-												●
-											</text>
-										</Show>
-										<Show when={downloadLabel(ep.id)}>
-											<text flexShrink={0} fg={downloadColor(ep.id)}>
-												{downloadLabel(ep.id)}
-											</text>
-										</Show>
-									</box>
-								</box>
-							);
-						}}
+					{/* Spacers keep the scrollbox content at the FULL list
+					    height so the scrollbar reflects the real list, not the
+					    render window. */}
+					<Show when={listWindow()[0] > 0}>
+						<box height={listWindow()[0] * ROW_HEIGHT} />
+					</Show>
+					<For each={visibleEpisodes()}>
+						{(ep, index) => (
+							<EpisodeRow
+								episode={ep}
+								index={() => listWindow()[0] + index()}
+								focused={focusedEpIdx}
+								active={isActive}
+								selected={() => nav.isSelected(ep.id)}
+								downloadLabel={() => downloadLabel(ep.id)}
+								downloadColor={() => downloadColor(ep.id)}
+								marker={marker}
+								onMouseDown={() => {
+									nav.setActivePane(DEPTH_CENTER_PANE);
+									nav.setDepthFocus(listWindow()[0] + index(), 1);
+								}}
+							/>
+						)}
 					</For>
+					<Show when={episodes().length - listWindow()[1] > 0}>
+						<box height={(episodes().length - listWindow()[1]) * ROW_HEIGHT} />
+					</Show>
 					<Show when={showFetchMore()}>
-						<box
-							ref={moreRef}
-							flexDirection="row"
-							gap={1}
-							paddingRight={1}
-							backgroundColor={focusBg(
-								episodes().length,
-								focusedRow(),
-								isActive(),
-							)}
+						<FetchMoreRow
+							index={() => episodes().length}
+							focused={focusedRow}
+							onMore={focusedOnMore}
+							active={isActive}
+							isLoadingMore={() => feedStore.isLoadingMore()}
+							nerd={nerd}
+							marker={marker}
 							onMouseDown={() => {
 								nav.setActivePane(DEPTH_CENTER_PANE);
 								nav.setDepthFocus(episodes().length, 1);
 							}}
-						>
-							<text fg={focusFg(episodes().length, focusedRow(), isActive())}>
-								{focusedOnMore() ? marker() : " "}
-							</text>
-							{nerd && (
-								<text fg={focusFg(episodes().length, focusedRow(), isActive())}>
-									{NF_ICONS.more}
-								</text>
-							)}
-							<Show
-								when={!feedStore.isLoadingMore()}
-								fallback={<LoadingIndicator label="Fetching…" />}
-							>
-								<text fg={focusFg(episodes().length, focusedRow(), isActive())}>
-									[Fetch More]
-								</text>
-							</Show>
-						</box>
+						/>
 					</Show>
 				</Show>
 			</Show>
@@ -608,6 +712,30 @@ export function MyShowsPage() {
 	);
 
 	// ── preview pane ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+	const episodeHint = (epId: string) =>
+		`enter: play · d: download${
+			downloadStore.getDownloadStatus(epId) !== DownloadStatus.NONE
+				? " · D: delete"
+				: ""
+		}${
+			app.state().preferences.autoDownloadScope === "whitelist"
+				? (app.state().preferences.autoDownloadWhitelist ?? []).includes(
+						drilledShowId(),
+					)
+					? " · w: un-whitelist"
+					: " · w: whitelist"
+				: ""
+		} · space: select · h: back`;
+
+	const showHint = (show: Feed) =>
+		`enter/l: open · h: back · x: unsubscribe${
+			app.state().preferences.autoDownloadScope === "whitelist"
+				? (app.state().preferences.autoDownloadWhitelist ?? []).includes(show.id)
+					? " · w: un-whitelist"
+					: " · w: whitelist"
+				: ""
+		}`;
+
 	const previewContent = () =>
 		depth() === 0 ? (
 			// depth 0 preview: hovered unsubscribed-show download, else the
@@ -624,86 +752,34 @@ export function MyShowsPage() {
 						}
 					>
 						{(show) => (
-							<box flexDirection="column" gap={1} padding={1}>
-								<text fg={theme.textPrimary ?? theme.text}>
-									<strong>{showTitle(show())}</strong>
-								</text>
-								<Show when={show().podcast.author}>
-									<text fg={muted()}>by {show().podcast.author}</text>
-								</Show>
-								<text fg={theme.textSecondary}>
-									{show().episodes.length} episodes
-								</text>
-								<text fg={muted()}>
-									{show().podcast.description?.slice(0, 400) ??
-										"No description."}
-								</text>
-								<box height={1} />
-								<text fg={muted()}>
-									enter/l: open · h: back · x: unsubscribe
-									{app.state().preferences.autoDownloadScope ===
-									"whitelist"
-										? (app.state().preferences.autoDownloadWhitelist ??
-											[]
-										  ).includes(show().id)
-											? " · w: un-whitelist"
-											: " · w: whitelist"
-										: ""}
-								</text>
-							</box>
+							<ShowPreview
+								show={() => show()}
+								title={() => showTitle(show())}
+								hint={() => showHint(show())}
+							/>
 						)}
 					</Show>
 				}
 			>
 				{(d) => (
-					<box flexDirection="column" gap={1} padding={1}>
-						<text fg={theme.textPrimary ?? theme.text}>
-							<strong>{d().episodeTitle ?? d().episodeId}</strong>
-						</text>
-						<text fg={theme.textSecondary}>
-							{d().podcastTitle ?? d().feedId}
-						</text>
-						<box flexDirection="row" gap={2}>
-							<Show when={d().pubDate}>
-								<text fg={theme.info}>
-									{formatDate(new Date(d().pubDate!))}
-								</text>
-							</Show>
-							<Show when={downloadLabel(d().episodeId)}>
-								<text fg={downloadColor(d().episodeId)}>
-									{downloadLabel(d().episodeId)}
-								</text>
-							</Show>
-						</box>
-						<text fg={muted()}>
-							Downloaded from episode search — the show is not
-							subscribed.
-						</text>
-						<box height={1} />
-						<text fg={muted()}>
-							enter: play · D: delete download · h: back
-						</text>
-					</box>
+					<UnsubscribedPreview
+						d={() => d()}
+						downloadLabel={() => downloadLabel(d().episodeId)}
+						downloadColor={() => downloadColor(d().episodeId)}
+					/>
 				)}
 			</Show>
 		) : (
 			// depth ≥1 preview: hovered episode (or the Fetch More row)
 			<>
 				<Show when={focusedOnMore()}>
-					<box flexDirection="column" gap={1} padding={1}>
-						<text fg={theme.textPrimary ?? theme.text}>
-							<strong>[Fetch More]</strong>
-						</text>
-						<text fg={muted()}>
-							{feedStore.isLoadingMore()
-								? "Loading the next batch of episodes…"
-								: fetchMoreMode() === "auto"
-									? "Auto mode: the next batch loads automatically at the bottom of the list."
-									: "Load the next batch of older episodes for this show (Enter)."}
-						</text>
-						<box height={1} />
-						<text fg={muted()}>enter: load more · h back</text>
-					</box>
+					<FetchMorePreview
+						isLoadingMore={() => feedStore.isLoadingMore()}
+						fetchMoreMode={fetchMoreMode}
+						manualText={() =>
+							"Load the next batch of older episodes for this show (Enter)."
+						}
+					/>
 				</Show>
 				<Show when={!focusedOnMore()}>
 					<Show
@@ -714,53 +790,19 @@ export function MyShowsPage() {
 							</box>
 						}
 					>
-				{(ep) => (
-					<box flexDirection="column" gap={1} padding={1}>
-						<text fg={theme.textPrimary ?? theme.text}>
-							<strong>
-								{ep().episodeNumber ? `#${ep().episodeNumber} ` : ""}
-								{ep().title}
-							</strong>
-						</text>
-						<box flexDirection="row" gap={2}>
-							<text fg={theme.info}>{formatDate(ep().pubDate)}</text>
-							<text fg={muted()}>{formatDuration(ep().duration)}</text>
-							<Show when={downloadLabel(ep().id)}>
-								<text fg={downloadColor(ep().id)}>
-									{downloadLabel(ep().id)}
-								</text>
-							</Show>
-						</box>
-						<Show when={selectedShow()?.podcast.author}>
-							<text fg={muted()}>by {selectedShow()!.podcast.author}</text>
-						</Show>
-						<box height={1} />
-						<text fg={theme.textSecondary}>
-							{ep().description?.slice(0, 400) ?? "No description available."}
-							{(ep().description?.length ?? 0) > 400 ? "…" : ""}
-						</text>
-						<box height={1} />
-						<text fg={muted()}>
-							enter: play · d: download
-							{downloadStore.getDownloadStatus(ep().id) !==
-							DownloadStatus.NONE
-								? " · D: delete"
-								: ""}
-							{app.state().preferences.autoDownloadScope === "whitelist"
-								? (app.state().preferences.autoDownloadWhitelist ?? []).includes(
-										drilledShowId(),
-									)
-									? " · w: un-whitelist"
-									: " · w: whitelist"
-								: ""}{" "}
-							· space: select · h: back
-						</text>
-					</box>
-				)}
+						{(ep) => (
+							<EpisodePreview
+								episode={() => ep()}
+								author={() => selectedShow()?.podcast.author}
+								downloadLabel={() => downloadLabel(ep().id)}
+								downloadColor={() => downloadColor(ep().id)}
+								hint={() => episodeHint(ep().id)}
+							/>
+						)}
+					</Show>
 				</Show>
-			</Show>
-		</>
-	);
+			</>
+		);
 
 	return (
 		<PaneRow

src/pages/Player/RealtimeWaveform.tsx

@@ -8,8 +8,9 @@
  *
  * This component only subscribes to store state, reports the width-derived
  * bar count (terminal resize re-inits the running pipeline), and renders:
- * a braille spinner while the pipeline is loading its first frames, the
- * frequency bars once frames arrive, and a dotted placeholder when idle.
+ * a braille spinner while the pipeline is loading its first frames or the
+ * player is stalled (re-buffering), the frequency bars once frames arrive,
+ * and a dotted placeholder when idle.
  */
 
 import { createEffect, on } from "solid-js";
@@ -53,12 +54,13 @@ export function RealtimeWaveform() {
 		const bars = viz.barData();
 		const count = numBars();
 
-		// Loading state: the braille spinner shows while the pipeline warms
-		// up — but only when there are no bars to render yet (first play /
-		// after an unload). On resume/seek the last bars stay on screen
-		// until fresh frames arrive, so the waveform never blanks out for
-		// the (multi-second, network-bound) cold start.
-		if (bars.length === 0 && viz.isLoading()) {
+		// Loading state: the braille spinner shows while the pipeline is
+		// warming up — cold start (first play / after an unload), resume
+		// into undecoded audio, or a stalled position clock (mpv
+		// re-buffering after a long pause on a network stream). The store
+		// clears it the moment the first fresh frame renders, so stale
+		// bars never masquerade as live data while the pipeline re-arms.
+		if (viz.isLoading() || viz.isStalled()) {
 			return <LoadingIndicator />;
 		}
 

src/pages/Search/SearchPage.tsx

@@ -77,30 +77,15 @@ function SearchPage() {
 	const submittedQuery = (): string => stack()[1]?.ctx ?? searchStore.query();
 
 	// ── input focusing ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-	// `inputFocused` is true while the query input is being typed in. The Shell
-	// router yields keys to the <input> while this is true; Escape (in Shell)
-	// sets it false so navigation resumes; `s` (search action) sets it true.
-	//
-	// The input's REAL focus is the source of truth for the flag:
-	// useInputFocusNav (the same hook the Settings forms use) flips
-	// `inputFocused` from the input's FOCUSED/BLURRED events, keeping the flag
-	// and the renderable in lockstep. That matters when the user clicks OFF the
-	// input: opentui's mouse dispatch auto-focuses the clicked target's nearest
-	// focusable ancestor (a pane scrollbox), blurring the input. The BLURRED
-	// event drops the flag, so the Shell router immediately resumes j/k/h
-	// instead of swallowing keys with no input to receive them — no more
-	// stuck "typing" state where Esc/j/k/s all do nothing.
-	//
-	// The depth stack still SEEDS the flag on transitions, since the query
-	// depth defaults to typing: re-entering depth 0 (h back from results, or a
-	// fresh mount) focuses the input; mounting at depth 1 (returning to the
-	// tab after a search) stays list-navigation — a stuck-on flag there would
-	// have the Shell yield j/k to a non-existent input. The depth STACK signal
-	// is also written by focus moves (setDepthFocus), so gate the seed on the
-	// depth VALUE via a memo: the effect must re-run only on an actual depth
-	// transition. Without the memo every j/k at the query depth re-focuses the
-	// input (undoing Escape), which keeps the recents list unreachable by
-	// keyboard.
+	// `inputFocused` tells the Shell router to yield keys to the query input.
+	// The input's REAL focus is the source of truth: useInputFocusNav flips
+	// the flag from the input's FOCUSED/BLURRED events, so clicking off the
+	// input drops it and the router resumes j/k/h — no stuck "typing" state.
+	// The depth stack only SEEDS it on transitions (re-entering depth 0
+	// focuses the input; mounting at depth 1 stays list-nav), gated on the
+	// depth VALUE via a memo because setDepthFocus also writes the stack
+	// signal — without the memo every j/k at query depth re-focuses the input
+	// and strands the recents list.
 	onMount(() => nav.setInputFocused(depth() === 0));
 	onCleanup(() => nav.setInputFocused(false));
 	const focusNavRef = useInputFocusNav();

src/pages/Settings/PreferencesPanel.tsx

@@ -221,7 +221,7 @@ export function usePreferencesItems(): SettingItem[] {
 			kind: "select",
 			display: () => cacheModeLabel(prefs().episodeCacheMode),
 			help: () =>
-				`How the Feed and My Shows episode lists are bounded.\nDate: keep episodes from the last N days (see Cache Days below).\nCount: keep the N most recent episodes (see Cache Count below).\nFetch More always pages beyond this bound — these episodes are volatile and don't persist.\nType: select\nDefault: date\nCurrent: ${cacheModeLabel(prefs().episodeCacheMode)}\nCycle with j/k; Enter to apply.`,
+				`How the Feed and My Shows episode lists are bounded.\nDate: keep episodes from the last N days (see Cache Days below); Fetch More reveals the next 2 weeks per press.\nCount: the Feed list is the N most-recent episodes across ALL shows (not N per show); Fetch More reveals N more of the newest episodes each press — deep history only appears once you page to it.\nFetch More always pages beyond this bound — these episodes are volatile and don't persist.\nType: select\nDefault: date\nCurrent: ${cacheModeLabel(prefs().episodeCacheMode)}\nCycle with j/k; Enter to apply.`,
 			cycle: (dir) => {
 				const idx = CACHE_MODE_LABELS.findIndex(
 					(s) => s.value === prefs().episodeCacheMode,

src/pages/Settings/SettingsPage.tsx

@@ -140,7 +140,6 @@ export function SettingsPage() {
 	function open() {
 		const d = depth();
 		if (d === 0) {
-			// drill into the focused section's items
 			const id = focusedSection().id;
 			nav.pushDepth({
 				kind: `settings:${id}`,
@@ -206,7 +205,6 @@ export function SettingsPage() {
 	function step(delta: number) {
 		const d = depth();
 		if (d === 2) {
-			// editor: j/k nudges the value
 			const it = editorItem();
 			if (it?.kind === "number" || it?.kind === "select")
 				it.cycle?.(delta as -1 | 1);
@@ -220,7 +218,6 @@ export function SettingsPage() {
 		pane: PaneId;
 		mode: NavMode;
 	}) => {
-		// ignore actions meant for non-center panes
 		if (data.pane !== DEPTH_CENTER_PANE) return;
 		if (nav.activePane() !== DEPTH_CENTER_PANE) return;
 		const handler = PAGE_ACTIONS[data.action];

src/stores/activity.ts

@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@
 
 import { createSignal } from "solid-js";
 
-/** Create activity store */
 function createActivityStore() {
 	const [count, setCount] = createSignal(0);
 	const [labels, setLabels] = createSignal<string[]>([]);
@@ -64,7 +63,6 @@ function createActivityStore() {
 	};
 }
 
-/** Singleton activity store */
 let activityStoreInstance: ReturnType<typeof createActivityStore> | null = null;
 
 export function useActivityStore() {

src/stores/audio-nav.ts

@@ -9,14 +9,12 @@ import {
 	saveAudioNavToFile,
 } from "../utils/app-persistence";
 
-/** Source type for audio navigation */
 export enum AudioSource {
 	FEED = "feed",
 	MY_SHOWS = "my_shows",
 	SEARCH = "search",
 }
 
-/** Audio navigation state */
 export interface AudioNavState {
 	/** Current source type */
 	source: AudioSource;
@@ -28,14 +26,12 @@ export interface AudioNavState {
 	lastUpdated: Date;
 }
 
-/** Default navigation state */
 const defaultNavState: AudioNavState = {
 	source: AudioSource.FEED,
 	currentIndex: 0,
 	lastUpdated: new Date(),
 };
 
-/** Create audio navigation store */
 function createAudioNavStore() {
 	const [navState, setNavState] = createSignal<AudioNavState>(defaultNavState);
 
@@ -56,12 +52,10 @@ function createAudioNavStore() {
 	init();
 
 	return {
-		/** Get current navigation state */
 		get state(): AudioNavState {
 			return navState();
 		},
 
-		/** Update source type */
 		setSource: (source: AudioSource, podcastId?: string) => {
 			setNavState((prev) => ({
 				...prev,
@@ -72,7 +66,6 @@ function createAudioNavStore() {
 			persist();
 		},
 
-		/** Move to next episode */
 		next: (currentIndex: number) => {
 			setNavState((prev) => ({
 				...prev,
@@ -82,7 +75,6 @@ function createAudioNavStore() {
 			persist();
 		},
 
-		/** Move to previous episode */
 		prev: (currentIndex: number) => {
 			setNavState((prev) => ({
 				...prev,
@@ -92,23 +84,19 @@ function createAudioNavStore() {
 			persist();
 		},
 
-		/** Reset to default state */
 		reset: () => {
 			setNavState(defaultNavState);
 			persist();
 		},
 
-		/** Get current index */
 		getCurrentIndex: (): number => {
 			return navState().currentIndex;
 		},
 
-		/** Get current source */
 		getSource: (): AudioSource => {
 			return navState().source;
 		},
 
-		/** Get current podcast ID */
 		getPodcastId: (): string | undefined => {
 			return navState().podcastId;
 		},

src/stores/discover.ts

@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 
 import { createSignal } from "solid-js";
 import type { Podcast } from "../types/podcast";
+import type { Episode } from "../types/episode";
 import { useFeedStore } from "./feed";
 
 export interface DiscoverCategory {
@@ -42,6 +43,10 @@ const FEATURED_JSON_URL =
 /** Cache window for the remote featured list (24 hours) */
 const FEATURED_CACHE_TTL_MS = 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000;
 
+/** Max episodes to load when previewing an unsubscribed show's episode list
+ *  from Discover (drill-in, no subscription). Mirrors the refresh window. */
+const PREVIEW_EPISODE_LIMIT = 50;
+
 /** Shape of a single entry in the remote JSON */
 interface FeaturedEntry {
 	id: string;
@@ -85,12 +90,24 @@ function syncSubscriptionState(
 	}));
 }
 
-/** Create discover store */
 export function createDiscoverStore() {
 	const [selectedCategory, setSelectedCategory] = createSignal<string>("all");
 	const [isLoading, setIsLoading] = createSignal(false);
 	const [podcasts, setPodcasts] = createSignal<Podcast[]>([]);
 
+	// Episodes fetched for an unsubscribed show's preview list (drill-in from
+	// a podcast result, no subscription). Cached per podcast id for the
+	// session; keyed by id so switching shows never clobbers another's list.
+	const [previewEpisodes, setPreviewEpisodes] = createSignal<
+		Record<string, Episode[]>
+	>({});
+	const [previewLoading, setPreviewLoading] = createSignal<Set<string>>(
+		new Set(),
+	);
+	const [previewErrors, setPreviewErrors] = createSignal<
+		Record<string, string>
+	>({});
+
 	// In-memory cache timestamp for the remote manifest (within 24h, skip refetch)
 	let cachedAt = 0;
 
@@ -107,7 +124,6 @@ export function createDiscoverStore() {
 	const refresh = async () => {
 		setIsLoading(true);
 		try {
-			// Skip if cache is still fresh
 			const now = Date.now();
 			if (now - cachedAt < FEATURED_CACHE_TTL_MS) {
 				syncSubscriptions();
@@ -131,7 +147,6 @@ export function createDiscoverStore() {
 			cachedAt = now;
 			setPodcasts(fetched);
 
-			// Reflect current feed-store subscriptions
 			syncSubscriptions();
 		} catch {
 			// Network failure — keep whatever we have (stale or empty)
@@ -140,7 +155,6 @@ export function createDiscoverStore() {
 		}
 	};
 
-	/** Get filtered podcasts by category */
 	const filteredPodcasts = () => {
 		const category = selectedCategory();
 		if (category === "all") {
@@ -155,7 +169,6 @@ export function createDiscoverStore() {
 		});
 	};
 
-	/** Subscribe to a podcast */
 	const subscribe = (podcastId: string) => {
 		const podcast = podcasts().find((p) => p.id === podcastId);
 		if (podcast) {
@@ -168,7 +181,6 @@ export function createDiscoverStore() {
 		);
 	};
 
-	/** Unsubscribe from a podcast */
 	const unsubscribe = (podcastId: string) => {
 		const podcast = podcasts().find((p) => p.id === podcastId);
 		if (podcast) {
@@ -180,14 +192,64 @@ export function createDiscoverStore() {
 		);
 	};
 
-	/** Toggle subscription */
-	const toggleSubscription = (podcastId: string) => {
-		const podcast = podcasts().find((p) => p.id === podcastId);
-		if (podcast?.isSubscribed) {
-			unsubscribe(podcastId);
-		} else {
-			subscribe(podcastId);
+	// ── episode preview (drill-in, no subscription) ──────────────────────────
+	/** Cached episode list for a previewed show (empty until first drill-in). */
+	const episodesForPodcast = (podcastId: string): Episode[] =>
+		previewEpisodes()[podcastId] ?? [];
+
+	const isLoadingEpisodesFor = (podcastId: string): boolean =>
+		previewLoading().has(podcastId);
+
+	const previewError = (podcastId: string): string | undefined =>
+		previewErrors()[podcastId];
+
+	/** Fetch a show's episode list WITHOUT subscribing (Discover preview).
+	 *  The list is cached per podcast id; a failed fetch records an error
+	 *  and keeps any previous cache (a retry via refreshEpisodes clears it). */
+	const openEpisodes = async (podcast: Podcast): Promise<void> => {
+		if (previewEpisodes()[podcast.id] || previewLoading().has(podcast.id))
+			return;
+		if (!podcast.feedUrl) {
+			setPreviewErrors((prev) => ({
+				...prev,
+				[podcast.id]: "No RSS feed listed for this show.",
+			}));
+			return;
 		}
+		setPreviewLoading((prev) => new Set(prev).add(podcast.id));
+		const feedStore = useFeedStore();
+		const { episodes } = await feedStore.fetchEpisodes(
+			podcast.feedUrl,
+			PREVIEW_EPISODE_LIMIT,
+		);
+		if (episodes) {
+			setPreviewEpisodes((prev) => ({ ...prev, [podcast.id]: episodes }));
+		} else {
+			setPreviewErrors((prev) => ({
+				...prev,
+				[podcast.id]: "Couldn't load episodes.",
+			}));
+		}
+		setPreviewLoading((prev) => {
+			const next = new Set(prev);
+			next.delete(podcast.id);
+			return next;
+		});
+	};
+
+	/** Re-fetch a previewed show's episode list (`r` on the episodes depth). */
+	const refreshEpisodes = async (podcast: Podcast): Promise<void> => {
+		setPreviewErrors((prev) => {
+			const next = { ...prev };
+			delete next[podcast.id];
+			return next;
+		});
+		setPreviewEpisodes((prev) => {
+			const next = { ...prev };
+			delete next[podcast.id];
+			return next;
+		});
+		await openEpisodes(podcast);
 	};
 
 	return {
@@ -202,12 +264,17 @@ export function createDiscoverStore() {
 		setSelectedCategory,
 		subscribe,
 		unsubscribe,
-		toggleSubscription,
 		refresh,
+
+		// Episode preview (drill-in, no subscription)
+		episodesForPodcast,
+		isLoadingEpisodesFor,
+		previewError,
+		openEpisodes,
+		refreshEpisodes,
 	};
 }
 
-/** Singleton discover store */
 let discoverStoreInstance: ReturnType<typeof createDiscoverStore> | null = null;
 
 export function useDiscoverStore() {

src/stores/download.ts

@@ -63,7 +63,62 @@ interface QueueItem {
 	episodeTitle: string;
 }
 
-/** Create download store */
+// ── post-download decoration ─────────────────────────────────────────────────
+/** Write the podcast cover beside the audio so mpv's --cover-art-auto=exact
+ *  picks it up for Now Playing art when the local file plays (same basename,
+ *  .jpg extension — verified against mpv 0.41). curl, NOT fetch: Bun's fetch
+ *  hangs in compiled binaries, so the shipped app never wrote this file. */
+function writeCoverArt(filePath: string, coverUrl: string): void {
+	const dot = filePath.lastIndexOf(".");
+	if (dot <= 0) return;
+	const coverPath = filePath.slice(0, dot) + ".jpg";
+	Bun.spawn([
+		"curl",
+		"-sS",
+		"--fail",
+		"-m",
+		"8",
+		"--max-filesize",
+		"2097152",
+		"-o",
+		coverPath,
+		coverUrl,
+	])
+		.exited.catch(() => {});
+}
+
+/** Tag the local file (codec-copy, no re-encode) so mpv's Now Playing
+ *  metadata for local playback is title=episode, artist=podcast — the source
+ *  streams carry no usable tags and macOS composes "title - artist" from
+ *  exactly these fields. Atomic: ffmpeg writes a temp file, then renames
+ *  into place. */
+function tagLocalFile(
+	filePath: string,
+	episode: Episode,
+	podcastTitle: string,
+): void {
+	const tmp = `${filePath}.tag.mp3`;
+	Bun.spawn([
+		"ffmpeg",
+		"-y",
+		"-i",
+		filePath,
+		"-c",
+		"copy",
+		"-metadata",
+		`title=${episode.title}`,
+		"-metadata",
+		`artist=${podcastTitle}`,
+		tmp,
+	])
+		.exited.then(async (code) => {
+			if (code !== 0) return;
+			const { renameSync } = await import("node:fs");
+			renameSync(tmp, filePath);
+		})
+		.catch(() => {});
+}
+
 function createDownloadStore() {
 	const [downloads, setDownloads] = createSignal<
 		Map<string, DownloadedEpisode>
@@ -195,7 +250,6 @@ function createDownloadStore() {
 		}
 	}
 
-	/** Execute a single download */
 	async function executeDownload(item: QueueItem): Promise<void> {
 		const controller = new AbortController();
 		abortControllers.set(item.episodeId, controller);
@@ -236,70 +290,23 @@ function createDownloadStore() {
 				error: null,
 			});
 
-			// Write the podcast cover beside the audio so mpv's
-			// --cover-art-auto=exact picks it up for Now Playing art when the
-			// local file plays (same basename, .jpg extension — verified
-			// against mpv 0.41). curl, NOT fetch: Bun's fetch hangs in
-			// compiled binaries, so the shipped app never wrote this file.
-			// Falls back to the episode's own image when the feed has no
-			// channel cover (URL-added feeds).
+			// Decorate the local file: cover art + ID3 tags (see the
+			// module-level helpers above) — the source streams carry neither.
+			// Cover falls back to the episode's own image when the feed has
+			// no channel cover (URL-added feeds).
 			const feedStore = useFeedStore();
 			const episode = feedStore.findEpisode(item.episodeId);
-			const coverUrl =
-				feedStore
-					.feeds()
-					.find((f) => f.id === item.feedId)?.podcast.coverUrl ??
-				episode?.imageUrl;
-			if (coverUrl && result.filePath) {
-				const dot = result.filePath.lastIndexOf(".");
-				if (dot > 0) {
-					const coverPath = result.filePath.slice(0, dot) + ".jpg";
-					Bun.spawn([
-						"curl",
-						"-sS",
-						"--fail",
-						"-m",
-						"8",
-						"--max-filesize",
-						"2097152",
-						"-o",
-						coverPath,
-						coverUrl,
-					])
-						.exited.catch(() => {});
-				}
+			const feed = feedStore.feeds().find((f) => f.id === item.feedId);
+			const coverUrl = feed?.podcast.coverUrl ?? episode?.imageUrl;
+			if (result.filePath && coverUrl) {
+				writeCoverArt(result.filePath, coverUrl);
 			}
-
-			// Tag the local file (codec-copy, no re-encode) so mpv's Now
-			// Playing metadata for local playback is title=episode,
-			// artist=podcast — the source streams carry no usable tags and
-			// macOS composes "title - artist" from exactly these fields.
-			// Atomic: ffmpeg writes a temp file, then renames into place.
 			if (result.filePath && episode) {
 				const podcastTitle =
-					feedStore.feeds().find((f) => f.id === item.feedId)?.podcast.title ??
+					feed?.podcast.title ??
 					downloads().get(item.episodeId)?.podcastTitle;
 				if (podcastTitle) {
-					const tmp = `${result.filePath}.tag.mp3`;
-					Bun.spawn([
-						"ffmpeg",
-						"-y",
-						"-i",
-						result.filePath,
-						"-c",
-						"copy",
-						"-metadata",
-						`title=${episode.title}`,
-						"-metadata",
-						`artist=${podcastTitle}`,
-						tmp,
-					])
-						.exited.then(async (code) => {
-							if (code !== 0) return;
-							const { renameSync } = await import("node:fs");
-							renameSync(tmp, result.filePath);
-						})
-						.catch(() => {});
+					tagLocalFile(result.filePath, episode, podcastTitle);
 				}
 			}
 		} else {
@@ -315,22 +322,18 @@ function createDownloadStore() {
 		processQueue();
 	}
 
-	/** Get download status for an episode */
 	const getDownloadStatus = (episodeId: string): DownloadStatus => {
 		return downloads().get(episodeId)?.status ?? DownloadStatus.NONE;
 	};
 
-	/** Get download progress for an episode (0-100) */
 	const getDownloadProgress = (episodeId: string): number => {
 		return downloads().get(episodeId)?.progress ?? 0;
 	};
 
-	/** Get full download info for an episode */
 	const getDownload = (episodeId: string): DownloadedEpisode | undefined => {
 		return downloads().get(episodeId);
 	};
 
-	/** Get the local file path for a completed download */
 	const getDownloadedFilePath = (episodeId: string): string | null => {
 		const dl = downloads().get(episodeId);
 		if (dl?.status === DownloadStatus.COMPLETED && dl.filePath) {
@@ -347,7 +350,6 @@ function createDownloadStore() {
 		podcastFeedUrl?: string;
 	}
 
-	/** Start downloading an episode */
 	const startDownload = (
 		episode: Episode,
 		feedId: string,
@@ -411,7 +413,6 @@ function createDownloadStore() {
 		});
 	};
 
-	/** Cancel a download */
 	const cancelDownload = (episodeId: string): void => {
 		// Abort active download
 		const controller = abortControllers.get(episodeId);
@@ -432,7 +433,6 @@ function createDownloadStore() {
 		saveDownloads().catch(() => {});
 	};
 
-	/** Remove a completed download (delete file and metadata) */
 	const removeDownload = async (episodeId: string): Promise<void> => {
 		const dl = downloads().get(episodeId);
 		if (dl?.filePath) {
@@ -478,7 +478,6 @@ function createDownloadStore() {
 		}
 	};
 
-	/** Get all downloads as an array */
 	const getAllDownloads = (): DownloadedEpisode[] => {
 		return Array.from(downloads().values());
 	};
@@ -501,12 +500,10 @@ function createDownloadStore() {
 		});
 	};
 
-	/** Get the current queue */
 	const getQueue = (): QueueItem[] => {
 		return queue();
 	};
 
-	/** Get count of active downloads */
 	const getActiveCount = (): number => {
 		return activeCount();
 	};
@@ -531,7 +528,6 @@ function createDownloadStore() {
 	};
 }
 
-/** Singleton download store */
 let downloadStoreInstance: ReturnType<typeof createDownloadStore> | null = null;
 
 export function useDownloadStore() {

src/stores/feed.ts

@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@
  */
 
 import { createSignal } from "solid-js";
+import { Effect } from "effect";
+import { refreshFeedsBatch } from "../effects/feed-refresh";
 import { FeedVisibility } from "../types/feed";
 import type { Feed, FeedFilter, FeedSortField } from "../types/feed";
 import type { Podcast } from "../types/podcast";
@@ -13,8 +15,12 @@ import { DEFAULT_SOURCES } from "../types/source";
 import { getRSSItems, parseRSSItem, parseChannelCoverUrl } from "../api/rss-parser";
 import { resolveItunesFeedUrl } from "../utils/itunes-feed-resolver";
 import { savePodcastIndexCredentials } from "../utils/source-credentials";
-import { mergeEpisodesBounded } from "../utils/episode-merge";
 import {
+	episodeSignature,
+	mergeEpisodesBounded,
+} from "../utils/episode-merge";
+import {
+	DEFAULT_EPISODE_WINDOW_DAYS,
 	episodeInWindow,
 	loadFeedsFromFile,
 	saveFeedsToFile,
@@ -26,12 +32,17 @@ import { useDownloadStore } from "./download";
 import { useAppStore } from "./app";
 import { DownloadStatus } from "../types/episode";
 
-/** Max episodes to load per page/chunk */
+/** Max episodes to load per page/chunk (count mode only — date mode steps
+ *  by FETCH_MORE_WINDOW_DAYS instead). */
 const MAX_EPISODES_REFRESH = 50;
 
 /** Max episodes to fetch on initial subscribe */
 const MAX_EPISODES_SUBSCRIBE = 20;
 
+/** Fetch-more step in date mode: each press reveals the next two weeks of
+ *  episodes past the oldest loaded one, instead of a fixed episode count. */
+const FETCH_MORE_WINDOW_DAYS = 14;
+
 /** Per-feed fetch timeout — a hung feed must not stall a refresh batch or
  *  the background refresh loop. */
 const FETCH_TIMEOUT_MS = 20_000;
@@ -49,6 +60,16 @@ const DEFAULT_REFRESH_INTERVAL_MINUTES = 30;
  *  feeds) can't stall the renderer. */
 const PARSE_CHUNK_SIZE = 5;
 
+/** Hard ceiling on the in-memory full-parse cache per feed (newest first).
+ *  The cache exists so fetch-more can page deeper without a refetch; without
+ *  a ceiling a 5,000-episode archive pins tens of MB of Episode objects in
+ *  RAM for the whole session (the old cache held EVERY parsed episode of
+ *  every feed, contributing hundreds of MB for archive-heavy
+ *  subscriptions). 1000 covers any realistic show's entire history —
+ *  beyond it, hasMoreEpisodes flips false and the visible list is bounded
+ *  by the user's cache preference as usual. */
+const MAX_CACHED_EPISODES_PER_FEED = 1000;
+
 /** Yield to the event loop (task queue) so the renderer can paint between
  *  parse chunks. MessageChannel instead of setTimeout/setImmediate because
  *  bun:test fake timers trap those (feed-refresh/pagination tests run under
@@ -117,6 +138,38 @@ function episodeKeepFn(prefs: {
 	return (ep: Episode) => episodeInWindow(ep, now, days);
 }
 
+/** Timestamp for window math — undated episodes sort/compare as NEWEST
+ *  (Infinity) so they can never be excluded by a date cutoff. */
+const epTs = (ep: Episode): number => {
+	const t = ep.pubDate?.getTime();
+	return t === undefined || Number.isNaN(t) ? Infinity : t;
+};
+
+/** Date-mode fetch-more cutoff: the oldest loaded episode's pubDate minus the
+ *  2-week band. With nothing loaded (a show whose episodes all fall outside
+ *  the cache window), the band anchors at the cache-window edge (now minus
+ *  the configured days) — a dormant show can't drag in arbitrarily old
+ *  episodes just because the button is pressed. */
+const dateFetchMoreCutoff = (
+	cached: Episode[],
+	loaded: number,
+	windowDays: number,
+): number => {
+	if (loaded > 0) {
+		const t = epTs(cached[loaded - 1]);
+		if (Number.isFinite(t)) {
+			return t - FETCH_MORE_WINDOW_DAYS * 24 * 3600 * 1000;
+		}
+	}
+	// Nothing loaded: the band extends FETCH_MORE_WINDOW_DAYS before the
+	// cache-window edge (e.g. 60d → reveals the 60–74d slice).
+	return (
+		Date.now() -
+		Math.max(1, windowDays) * 24 * 3600 * 1000 -
+		FETCH_MORE_WINDOW_DAYS * 24 * 3600 * 1000
+	);
+};
+
 /** Save feeds to file (async, fire-and-forget). */
 function saveFeeds(feeds: Feed[]): void {
 	const prefs = useAppStore().state().preferences;
@@ -181,40 +234,23 @@ async function migratePlaintextCredentials(
  *  union semantics the merged list legitimately contains episodes BEYOND the
  *  fetched window, so unchanged-detection must compare the fetched window
  *  against the existing list's prefix — comparing full lists would bump
- *  `lastUpdated` on every refresh. */
-function sameRefreshWindow(existing: Episode[], fetched: Episode[]): boolean {
+ *  `lastUpdated` on every refresh. When ids drifted between refreshes (the
+ *  one-time positional-id migration, or a feed that rotates enclosure URLs)
+ *  the id sets differ for the SAME content, so a content-signature
+ *  comparison decides: an unchanged feed stays unchanged. */
+export function sameRefreshWindow(
+	existing: Episode[],
+	fetched: Episode[],
+): boolean {
 	if (fetched.length === 0) return true;
 	const prefix = existing.slice(0, fetched.length);
 	const ids = new Set(prefix.map((e) => e.id));
-	return fetched.every((e) => ids.has(e.id));
+	if (fetched.every((e) => ids.has(e.id))) return true;
+	if (prefix.length !== fetched.length) return false;
+	const signatures = new Set(prefix.map(episodeSignature));
+	return fetched.every((e) => signatures.has(episodeSignature(e)));
 }
 
-/** Run `fn` over every item with at most `limit` executions in flight — a
- *  classic worker pool. Workers pull indexes from a shared counter, so the
- *  first `limit` calls start immediately and each completion frees its slot
- *  for the next item; results are assembled in INPUT order regardless of
- *  completion order. A hung `fn` holds at most one slot. */
-async function mapWithConcurrency<T, R>(
-	items: T[],
-	limit: number,
-	fn: (item: T) => Promise<R>,
-): Promise<R[]> {
-	const results = new Array<R>(items.length);
-	let nextIndex = 0;
-	const workers = Array.from(
-		{ length: Math.min(limit, items.length) },
-		async () => {
-			let i: number;
-			while ((i = nextIndex++) < items.length) {
-				results[i] = await fn(items[i]);
-			}
-		},
-	);
-	await Promise.all(workers);
-	return results;
-}
-
-/** Create feed store */
 function createFeedStore() {
 	const [feeds, setFeeds] = createSignal<Feed[]>([]);
 	const [sources, setSources] = createSignal<PodcastSource[]>([
@@ -228,6 +264,11 @@ function createFeedStore() {
 	const [selectedFeedId, setSelectedFeedId] = createSignal<string | null>(null);
 	const [isLoadingMore, setIsLoadingMore] = createSignal(false);
 	const [isLoadingFeeds, setIsLoadingFeeds] = createSignal(false);
+	/** Feed-page fetch-more presses in COUNT mode: the global list is capped
+	 *  at episodeCacheCount × (presses + 1) episodes, so one press reveals
+	 *  exactly N more of the NEWEST episodes across all shows — it can never
+	 *  dump deep history (see getAllEpisodesChronological). */
+	const [countFetchMorePresses, setCountFetchMorePresses] = createSignal(0);
 
 	// ── Debounced persistence ───────────────────────────────────────────────
 	/** Trailing-edge debounce window for config.json writes. */
@@ -262,7 +303,6 @@ function createFeedStore() {
 		saveFeeds(feeds());
 	};
 
-	/** Get filtered and sorted feeds */
 	const getFilteredFeeds = (): Feed[] => {
 		let result = [...feeds()];
 		const f = filter();
@@ -320,7 +360,6 @@ function createFeedStore() {
 		return result;
 	};
 
-	/** Get episodes in reverse chronological order across all feeds */
 	const getAllEpisodesChronological = (): Array<{
 		episode: Episode;
 		feed: Feed;
@@ -338,10 +377,23 @@ function createFeedStore() {
 			(a, b) => b.episode.pubDate.getTime() - a.episode.pubDate.getTime(),
 		);
 
+		// COUNT mode: the Feed page is a GLOBAL top-K list — the newest
+		// `episodeCacheCount × (fetch-more presses + 1)` episodes across ALL
+		// shows, not N per show. A press reveals exactly N more recent
+		// episodes; deep history never surfaces in one jump. The cap stays
+		// even once every cache is exhausted (the button hides) — lifting it
+		// rendered the full deep union and froze the UI.
+		const prefs = useAppStore().state().preferences;
+		if (prefs.episodeCacheMode === "count") {
+			const limit =
+				Math.max(1, prefs.episodeCacheCount ?? 25) *
+				(countFetchMorePresses() + 1);
+			return allEpisodes.slice(0, limit);
+		}
+
 		return allEpisodes;
 	};
 
-	/** Sort episodes in reverse chronological order (newest first) */
 	const sortEpisodesReverseChronological = (episodes: Episode[]): Episode[] => {
 		return [...episodes].sort(
 			(a, b) => b.pubDate.getTime() - a.pubDate.getTime(),
@@ -384,8 +436,14 @@ function createFeedStore() {
 			if (feedId) {
 				// Cache the FULL parse — the bound is applied when reading,
 				// not when writing, so a preference change takes effect
-				// without a refetch.
-				fullEpisodeCache.set(feedId, allEpisodes);
+				// without a refetch. Capped at MAX_CACHED_EPISODES_PER_FEED
+				// so an archive-heavy feed can't pin its entire history in
+				// RAM for the session (the visible window below is bounded
+				// by the user's preference regardless).
+				fullEpisodeCache.set(
+					feedId,
+					allEpisodes.slice(0, MAX_CACHED_EPISODES_PER_FEED),
+				);
 			}
 
 			// Bound the visible window by the user's cache preference.
@@ -410,7 +468,6 @@ function createFeedStore() {
 		}
 	};
 
-	/** Check if a feed with this URL already exists */
 	const hasFeedByUrl = (feedUrl: string): boolean => {
 		return feeds().some((f) => f.podcast.feedUrl === feedUrl);
 	};
@@ -564,40 +621,40 @@ function createFeedStore() {
 		})(), "Refreshing");
 	};
 
-	/** Refresh all feeds — bounded concurrency (at most FETCH_CONCURRENCY
-	 *  in-flight requests), and each feed's refreshed episodes are applied
-	 *  AS ITS OWN FETCH LANDS (no Promise.all barrier). Per-feed apply is
-	 *  safe because applyRefreshedEpisodes keeps unchanged feeds' object
-	 *  identity and lastUpdated (union merge), so each feed's refreshed
-	 *  episodes render as its own fetch resolves — the order flapping the
-	 *  old atomic barrier existed to hide can no longer happen. */
+	/** Refresh all feeds via the Effect batch program (effects/feed-refresh):
+	 *  bounded concurrency (at most FETCH_CONCURRENCY in-flight requests)
+	 *  and each feed's refreshed episodes applied AS ITS OWN FETCH LANDS
+	 *  (no barrier — the apply runs inside the feed's own fiber). Per-feed
+	 *  apply is safe because applyRefreshedEpisodes keeps unchanged feeds'
+	 *  object identity and lastUpdated (union merge), so each feed's
+	 *  refreshed episodes render as its own fetch resolves — the order
+	 *  flapping the old atomic barrier existed to hide can no longer
+	 *  happen. A failed or timed-out fetch (null episodes) leaves that
+	 *  feed untouched. */
 	const refreshAllFeeds = async () => {
 		setIsLoadingFeeds(true);
 		try {
-			await mapWithConcurrency(
-				feeds(),
-				FETCH_CONCURRENCY,
-				async (feed) => {
-					const { episodes, coverUrl } = await fetchEpisodes(
-						feed.podcast.feedUrl,
-						MAX_EPISODES_REFRESH,
-						feed.id,
-					);
-					// A failed fetch (null) leaves that feed untouched.
-					if (!episodes) return;
-					setFeeds((prev) => {
-						let updated = applyRefreshedEpisodes(prev, feed.id, episodes);
-						if (coverUrl) {
-							updated = updated.map((f) =>
-								f.id === feed.id && !f.podcast.coverUrl && coverUrl
-									? { ...f, podcast: { ...f.podcast, coverUrl } }
-									: f,
-							);
-						}
-						if (updated !== prev) scheduleSaveFeeds();
-						return updated;
-					});
-				},
+			await Effect.runPromise(
+				refreshFeedsBatch(
+					feeds(),
+					(feed) =>
+						fetchEpisodes(feed.podcast.feedUrl, MAX_EPISODES_REFRESH, feed.id),
+					(feed, { episodes, coverUrl }) => {
+						setFeeds((prev) => {
+							let updated = applyRefreshedEpisodes(prev, feed.id, episodes);
+							if (coverUrl) {
+								updated = updated.map((f) =>
+									f.id === feed.id && !f.podcast.coverUrl && coverUrl
+										? { ...f, podcast: { ...f.podcast, coverUrl } }
+										: f,
+								);
+							}
+							if (updated !== prev) scheduleSaveFeeds();
+							return updated;
+						});
+					},
+					{ concurrency: FETCH_CONCURRENCY, timeoutMs: FETCH_TIMEOUT_MS },
+				),
 			);
 			// Global auto-download: one idempotent pass after the batch.
 			runAutoDownload();
@@ -675,7 +732,6 @@ function createFeedStore() {
 	};
 	scheduleNextRefresh();
 
-	/** Remove a feed */
 	const removeFeed = (feedId: string) => {
 		fullEpisodeCache.delete(feedId);
 		episodeLoadCount.delete(feedId);
@@ -706,7 +762,6 @@ function createFeedStore() {
 		}
 	};
 
-	/** Update a feed */
 	const updateFeed = (feedId: string, updates: Partial<Feed>) => {
 		setFeeds((prev) => {
 			const updated = prev.map((f) =>
@@ -717,7 +772,6 @@ function createFeedStore() {
 		});
 	};
 
-	/** Toggle feed pinned status */
 	const togglePinned = (feedId: string) => {
 		setFeeds((prev) => {
 			const updated = prev.map((f) =>
@@ -728,7 +782,6 @@ function createFeedStore() {
 		});
 	};
 
-	/** Add a source */
 	const addSource = (source: Omit<PodcastSource, "id">) => {
 		const newSource: PodcastSource = {
 			...source,
@@ -742,7 +795,6 @@ function createFeedStore() {
 		return newSource;
 	};
 
-	/** Update a source */
 	const updateSource = (sourceId: string, updates: Partial<PodcastSource>) => {
 		setSources((prev) => {
 			const updated = prev.map((source) =>
@@ -753,7 +805,6 @@ function createFeedStore() {
 		});
 	};
 
-	/** Remove a source */
 	const removeSource = (sourceId: string) => {
 		// Don't remove default sources
 		if (DEFAULT_SOURCES.some((s) => s.id === sourceId)) return false;
@@ -766,7 +817,6 @@ function createFeedStore() {
 		return true;
 	};
 
-	/** Toggle source enabled status */
 	const toggleSource = (sourceId: string) => {
 		setSources((prev) => {
 			const updated = prev.map((s) =>
@@ -777,7 +827,6 @@ function createFeedStore() {
 		});
 	};
 
-	/** Get feed by ID */
 	const getFeed = (feedId: string): Feed | undefined => {
 		return feeds().find((f) => f.id === feedId);
 	};
@@ -792,7 +841,6 @@ function createFeedStore() {
 		return undefined;
 	};
 
-	/** Get selected feed */
 	const getSelectedFeed = (): Feed | undefined => {
 		const id = selectedFeedId();
 		return id ? getFeed(id) : undefined;
@@ -800,15 +848,25 @@ function createFeedStore() {
 
 	/** Check if a feed has more episodes available beyond what's currently
 	 *  loaded. The full parse cache holds ALL episodes (including beyond the
-	 *  cache bound), so fetch-more can always page deeper — the bound limits
-	 *  what the Feed/My Shows list shows initially, not what fetch-more can
-	 *  reach. When the loaded window reaches the cache length, this flips
-	 *  false. */
+	 *  cache bound), so fetch-more can page deeper — but in DATE mode only
+	 *  when the next unloaded episode falls inside the next 2-week band: a
+	 *  sparse/dormant show whose band is empty reports false, so fetch-more
+	 *  never drags in arbitrarily old episodes just because the parse cache
+	 *  holds them. When the loaded window reaches the cache length (or the
+	 *  band is empty), this flips false. */
 	const hasMoreEpisodes = (feedId: string): boolean => {
 		const cached = fullEpisodeCache.get(feedId);
 		if (!cached) return false;
 		const loaded = episodeLoadCount.get(feedId) ?? 0;
-		return loaded < cached.length;
+		if (loaded >= cached.length) return false;
+		const prefs = useAppStore().state().preferences;
+		if (prefs.episodeCacheMode === "count") return true;
+		const cutoff = dateFetchMoreCutoff(
+			cached,
+			loaded,
+			prefs.episodeCacheDays ?? DEFAULT_EPISODE_WINDOW_DAYS,
+		);
+		return epTs(cached[loaded]) >= cutoff;
 	};
 
 	/** Load the next chunk of episodes for one feed from the full parse
@@ -853,16 +911,42 @@ function createFeedStore() {
 			// is its own sync block).
 			await yieldToUI();
 			cached = sortEpisodesReverseChronological(cached);
+			// Same ceiling as fetchEpisodes: the cache (and the paging
+			// window below) never exceeds MAX_CACHED_EPISODES_PER_FEED.
+			cached = cached.slice(0, MAX_CACHED_EPISODES_PER_FEED);
 			fullEpisodeCache.set(feedId, cached);
 			// Set current load count to match what's already displayed
 			episodeLoadCount.set(feedId, feed.episodes.length);
 		}
 
 		const currentCount = episodeLoadCount.get(feedId) ?? feed.episodes.length;
-		const newCount = Math.min(
-			currentCount + MAX_EPISODES_REFRESH,
-			cached.length,
-		);
+		const prefs = useAppStore().state().preferences;
+
+		// Date mode: each press reveals the next FETCH_MORE_WINDOW_DAYS band
+		// past the oldest loaded episode (or the cache-window edge when
+		// nothing is loaded) — a daily show gains ~2 weeks of episodes, a
+		// weekly show gains its next 2, never a fixed count. An empty band
+		// is a genuine stop (hasMoreEpisodes hides the button) — no minimum,
+		// so a sparse/dormant show can't grab arbitrarily old episodes.
+		// Count mode keeps the fixed MAX_EPISODES_REFRESH chunk.
+		let newCount: number;
+		if (prefs.episodeCacheMode === "date") {
+			const cutoff = dateFetchMoreCutoff(
+				cached,
+				currentCount,
+				prefs.episodeCacheDays ?? DEFAULT_EPISODE_WINDOW_DAYS,
+			);
+			newCount = currentCount;
+			while (
+				newCount < cached.length &&
+				epTs(cached[newCount]) >= cutoff
+			) {
+				newCount++;
+			}
+		} else {
+			newCount = currentCount + MAX_EPISODES_REFRESH;
+		}
+		newCount = Math.min(newCount, cached.length);
 
 		if (newCount <= currentCount) return; // nothing more to load
 
@@ -900,27 +984,88 @@ function createFeedStore() {
 		}
 	};
 
-	/** True if any feed still has cached episodes beyond its loaded window. */
 	const hasMoreAcrossAll = (): boolean => {
 		return feeds().some((f) => hasMoreEpisodes(f.id));
 	};
 
-	/** Advance the loaded window by MAX_EPISODES_REFRESH for every feed that
-	 *  still has cached episodes — powers the Feed page's "[Fetch More]". */
+	/** Power the Feed page's "[Fetch More]".
+	 *  Date mode: advance each feed's window by its 2-week band (empty bands
+	 *  — sparse/dormant shows — are skipped).
+	 *  Count mode: the global list cap grows by one count (see
+	 *  getAllEpisodesChronological) and every feed's window deepens by one
+	 *  count so the growing cap has material; one press reveals exactly N
+	 *  more RECENT episodes, never a far-back dump.
+	 *  Both modes compute every feed's new window FIRST (yielding between
+	 *  feeds so the renderer keeps painting) and apply ONE setFeeds — the
+	 *  Feed list rebuilds once per press instead of once per feed (the
+	 *  per-feed storms froze the UI). */
 	const loadMoreAllFeeds = async () => {
 		if (isLoadingMore()) return;
 		setIsLoadingMore(true);
 		try {
-			const pending = feeds().filter((f) => hasMoreEpisodes(f.id));
-			for (const feed of pending) {
-				await loadMoreEpisodesForFeed(feed.id);
+			const prefs = useAppStore().state().preferences;
+			const count = Math.max(1, prefs.episodeCacheCount ?? 25);
+			if (prefs.episodeCacheMode === "count") {
+				setCountFetchMorePresses((p) => p + 1);
+			}
+			const windowDays =
+				prefs.episodeCacheDays ?? DEFAULT_EPISODE_WINDOW_DAYS;
+
+			const updates: Array<{ feedId: string; episodes: Episode[] }> = [];
+			for (const feed of feeds()) {
+				const cached = fullEpisodeCache.get(feed.id);
+				if (!cached) continue;
+				const currentCount =
+					episodeLoadCount.get(feed.id) ?? feed.episodes.length;
+				if (currentCount >= cached.length) continue;
+				let newCount: number;
+				if (prefs.episodeCacheMode === "count") {
+					newCount = Math.min(currentCount + count, cached.length);
+				} else {
+					// Date mode: skip feeds whose next band is empty — the
+					// button must not surface arbitrarily old episodes.
+					const cutoff = dateFetchMoreCutoff(
+						cached,
+						currentCount,
+						windowDays,
+					);
+					if (epTs(cached[currentCount]) < cutoff) continue;
+					newCount = currentCount;
+					while (
+						newCount < cached.length &&
+						epTs(cached[newCount]) >= cutoff
+					) {
+						newCount++;
+					}
+				}
+				if (newCount <= currentCount) continue;
+				episodeLoadCount.set(feed.id, newCount);
+				updates.push({
+					feedId: feed.id,
+					episodes: cached.slice(0, newCount),
+				});
+				// Yield so the renderer paints between feed computations.
+				await yieldToUI();
+			}
+
+			if (updates.length > 0) {
+				const byId = new Map(
+					updates.map((u) => [u.feedId, u.episodes]),
+				);
+				setFeeds((prev) =>
+					prev.map((f) =>
+						byId.has(f.id)
+							? { ...f, episodes: byId.get(f.id)! }
+							: f,
+					),
+				);
+				scheduleSaveFeeds();
 			}
 		} finally {
 			setIsLoadingMore(false);
 		}
 	};
 
-	/** Run the global auto-download pass (see runAutoDownload above). */
 	const runAutoDownloadNow = (): void => {
 		runAutoDownload();
 	};
@@ -949,6 +1094,11 @@ function createFeedStore() {
 		// Actions
 		setFilter,
 		setSelectedFeedId,
+		/** Fetch + parse an RSS feed WITHOUT subscribing or touching any feed
+		 *  record (Discover's episode preview). Pass no feedId to skip the
+		 *  full-parse cache; the visible window is bounded by the user's
+		 *  cache preference and `limit`. */
+		fetchEpisodes,
 		addFeed,
 		hasFeedByUrl,
 		removeFeed,
@@ -969,7 +1119,6 @@ function createFeedStore() {
 	};
 }
 
-/** Singleton feed store */
 let feedStoreInstance: ReturnType<typeof createFeedStore> | null = null;
 
 export function useFeedStore() {

src/stores/progress.ts

@@ -64,16 +64,10 @@ function createProgressStore() {
 		 */
 		whenReady: () => progressInit,
 
-		/**
-		 * Get progress for a specific episode.
-		 */
 		get(episodeId: string): Progress | undefined {
 			return progressMap()[episodeId];
 		},
 
-		/**
-		 * Get all progress entries.
-		 */
 		all(): Record<string, Progress> {
 			return progressMap();
 		},
@@ -102,18 +96,12 @@ function createProgressStore() {
 			persist();
 		},
 
-		/**
-		 * Check if an episode is completed.
-		 */
 		isCompleted(episodeId: string): boolean {
 			const p = progressMap()[episodeId];
 			if (!p || p.duration <= 0) return false;
 			return p.position / p.duration >= COMPLETION_THRESHOLD;
 		},
 
-		/**
-		 * Get progress percentage (0-100) for an episode.
-		 */
 		getPercent(episodeId: string): number {
 			const p = progressMap()[episodeId];
 			if (!p || p.duration <= 0) return 0;
@@ -151,9 +139,6 @@ function createProgressStore() {
 			persist();
 		},
 
-		/**
-		 * Clear all progress data.
-		 */
 		clear(): void {
 			setProgressMap({});
 			persist();

src/stores/search.ts

@@ -60,7 +60,6 @@ function saveScope(scope: SearchScope): void {
 	}
 }
 
-/** Create search store */
 export function createSearchStore() {
 	const feedStore = useFeedStore();
 	const [query, setQuery] = createSignal("");
@@ -167,7 +166,6 @@ export function createSearchStore() {
 		}
 	};
 
-	/** Add query to history */
 	const addToHistory = (q: string) => {
 		setHistory((prev) => {
 			const updated = sanitizeHistory([q, ...prev]);
@@ -176,13 +174,11 @@ export function createSearchStore() {
 		});
 	};
 
-	/** Clear search history */
 	const clearHistory = () => {
 		setHistory([]);
 		saveSearchHistoryToFile([]);
 	};
 
-	/** Remove single history item */
 	const removeFromHistory = (q: string) => {
 		setHistory((prev) => {
 			const updated = prev.filter((h) => h !== q);
@@ -191,14 +187,12 @@ export function createSearchStore() {
 		});
 	};
 
-	/** Clear results */
 	const clearResults = () => {
 		setResults([]);
 		setQuery("");
 		setError(null);
 	};
 
-	/** Mark a podcast as subscribed in results */
 	const markSubscribed = (podcastId: string, feedUrl?: string) => {
 		setResults((prev) =>
 			prev.map((result) => {
@@ -262,7 +256,6 @@ export function createSearchStore() {
 	};
 }
 
-/** Singleton search store */
 let searchStoreInstance: ReturnType<typeof createSearchStore> | null = null;
 
 export function useSearchStore() {

src/stores/visualizer.ts

@@ -25,6 +25,12 @@
  * after the Player tab stops being focused it tears down. Reads outside
  * decoded coverage return empty — the renderer simply holds the last frame
  * until the decode frontier arrives.
+ *
+ * Loading semantics: `isLoading` is true from any pipeline start (cold
+ * start, resume into undecoded audio) until the first complete FFT frame,
+ * and `isStalled` while playback claims to be live but the position clock
+ * is frozen (player re-buffering). The component renders the spinner for
+ * either; bars replace it the moment fresh frames arrive.
  */
 
 import {
@@ -55,6 +61,14 @@ const FRAME_INTERVAL = 33;
 /** Number of PCM samples to read per frame (512 is a good FFT window) */
 const SAMPLES_PER_FRAME = 512;
 
+/**
+ * How long the position clock may stay frozen while the UI believes
+ * playback is live before the waveform reports a stall (loading state).
+ * mpv polls time-pos every ~150ms, so a frozen clock means the player is
+ * re-buffering — the long-pause-then-resume case on network streams.
+ */
+const STALL_DETECT_MS = 2000;
+
 /** Timer handle as returned by setTimeout/setInterval in this runtime. */
 type TimerHandle = ReturnType<typeof setTimeout>;
 
@@ -65,6 +79,10 @@ export interface VisualizerStore {
 	barData: () => number[];
 	/** True from pipeline start until the first complete FFT frame renders. */
 	isLoading: () => boolean;
+	/** True while playback claims to be live but the position clock has
+	 *  been frozen past STALL_DETECT_MS (player re-buffering, e.g. after a
+	 *  long pause on a network stream). */
+	isStalled: () => boolean;
 	/** True while the ~30fps render loop is armed. */
 	isRunning: () => boolean;
 	/** Report whether the Player tab is the visible tab. */
@@ -82,6 +100,10 @@ function createVisualizerStore(): VisualizerStore {
 	// True from pipeline start until the first complete FFT frame renders.
 	const [isLoading, setIsLoading] = createSignal(false);
 
+	// True while playback is live but the position clock is frozen
+	// (player re-buffering) — see STALL_DETECT_MS.
+	const [isStalled, setIsStalled] = createSignal(false);
+
 	// Whether the Player tab is the visible tab (fed by PlayerPage).
 	const [focused, setFocused] = createSignal(false);
 
@@ -103,6 +125,20 @@ function createVisualizerStore(): VisualizerStore {
 	let sampleBuffer: Float64Array | null = null;
 	let unloadTimer: TimerHandle | null = null;
 
+	// Stall tracker: last observed position-signal value and when it moved.
+	// Any change (forward, backward, seek) re-arms the clock; a frozen
+	// signal while playing trips isStalled after STALL_DETECT_MS.
+	let lastRenderPos = -1;
+	let lastPosMoveAt = 0;
+
+	// Resume point: the position a paused pipeline was re-armed at. The
+	// loading state set by resume only clears once the position clock has
+	// advanced PAST this — while the player is still re-buffering, the
+	// cache can serve the same window forever and the stale pre-pause bars
+	// must not masquerade as live data. -1 = cold start (clear on the
+	// first produced frame, regardless of the clock).
+	let resumePos = -1;
+
 	// What the running pipeline was started with — lets the playback effect
 	// tell "nothing changed, stay warm" from "must restart".
 	let activeUrl = "";
@@ -200,9 +236,19 @@ function createVisualizerStore(): VisualizerStore {
 		lastPolledPosition = position;
 		lastPolledAt = performance.now();
 
+		// Seed the stall tracker: a fresh pipeline should not report a
+		// stall just because the first position poll hasn't landed.
+		lastRenderPos = position;
+		lastPosMoveAt = performance.now();
+
+		// Cold start: the loading state clears on the first produced frame
+		// (see renderFrame) — no resume-position gating.
+		resumePos = -1;
+
 		activeUrl = url;
 		activeBars = barCount();
 		setIsLoading(true);
+		setIsStalled(false);
 		frameTimer = setInterval(renderFrame, FRAME_INTERVAL);
 	};
 
@@ -224,6 +270,14 @@ function createVisualizerStore(): VisualizerStore {
 		}
 		sampleBuffer = null;
 		setIsLoading(false);
+		setIsStalled(false);
+		// Drop the last rendered frame: after a stop the bars are stale (a
+		// different episode, a different position) and would masquerade as
+		// live data while the next cold start warms up — and, because the
+		// component only shows the spinner while bars are empty, they'd
+		// also suppress the loading state. Cold restarts re-render fresh
+		// bars within the first frame.
+		setBarData([]);
 	};
 
 	// ── Pause: freeze the loop, keep the cache ──────────────────────────
@@ -248,6 +302,7 @@ function createVisualizerStore(): VisualizerStore {
 		// (still cold-starting when paused), the component should fall back
 		// to the placeholder, not freeze on a spinner.
 		setIsLoading(false);
+		setIsStalled(false);
 	};
 
 	// ── Resume: re-arm the render loop, top up the cache ───────────────
@@ -269,6 +324,20 @@ function createVisualizerStore(): VisualizerStore {
 
 		lastPolledPosition = pos;
 		lastPolledAt = performance.now();
+		// Re-arm the stall tracker from the resume position (a long pause
+		// left the old timestamps stale — they'd trip the stall detector on
+		// the very first frame otherwise).
+		lastRenderPos = pos;
+		lastPosMoveAt = performance.now();
+
+		// Resume re-arms a pipeline whose ffmpeg pass was killed at pause:
+		// the pre-pause bars are stale until fresh frames flow, so show the
+		// loading state IN THEIR PLACE. It clears only once the position
+		// clock has advanced past the resume point (see renderFrame) — a
+		// player still re-buffering after a long pause keeps the spinner
+		// instead of serving static cached bars.
+		resumePos = pos;
+		setIsLoading(true);
 		frameTimer = setInterval(renderFrame, FRAME_INTERVAL);
 		return true;
 	};
@@ -282,6 +351,26 @@ function createVisualizerStore(): VisualizerStore {
 		// coverage (decode cold start, seek into a hole) the read is empty
 		// and the LAST FRAME simply holds — never clamped/repeated junk.
 		const target = smoothPosition();
+
+		// Stall detection: while the UI believes playback is live, the
+		// position signal must keep advancing (useAudio polls it every
+		// ~150ms). A frozen clock with a warm pipeline means the player is
+		// re-buffering — the classic long-pause-then-resume on a network
+		// stream — and without this the waveform shows dead-looking static
+		// bars for the whole stall. Report it as loading; the first frame
+		// after the clock moves again clears it.
+		const rawPos = audioPlaybackSignals.position();
+		if (rawPos !== lastRenderPos) {
+			lastRenderPos = rawPos;
+			lastPosMoveAt = performance.now();
+			if (isStalled()) setIsStalled(false);
+		} else if (
+			audioPlaybackSignals.isPlaying() &&
+			performance.now() - lastPosMoveAt > STALL_DETECT_MS
+		) {
+			setIsStalled(true);
+		}
+
 		const count = pcm.readWindow(sampleBuffer, target);
 		// Never feed a partial FFT window to cava.
 		if (count < sampleBuffer.length) return;
@@ -290,7 +379,14 @@ function createVisualizerStore(): VisualizerStore {
 
 		// Normalize against the running peak and copy to a new array
 		setBarData(scaler(output));
-		if (isLoading()) setIsLoading(false);
+		// Fresh frames only count once the position clock has moved past
+		// the resume point: while the player is still re-buffering after a
+		// long pause, the cache serves the same window and the spinner must
+		// stay in place of the stale bars. Cold starts (resumePos < 0)
+		// clear on the first frame as before.
+		if (isLoading() && (resumePos < 0 || rawPos > resumePos)) {
+			setIsLoading(false);
+		}
 	};
 
 	// ── Playback subscription ──────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -425,6 +521,7 @@ function createVisualizerStore(): VisualizerStore {
 		// state
 		barData,
 		isLoading,
+		isStalled,
 		isRunning: () => frameTimer !== null,
 		// inputs
 		setFocused,

src/ui/command.tsx

@@ -156,9 +156,6 @@ function init() {
 				setRegistrations((arr) => arr.filter((x) => x !== results));
 			});
 		},
-		/**
-		 * Get all visible options.
-		 */
 		get options() {
 			return visibleOptions();
 		},
@@ -195,9 +192,6 @@ export function CommandProvider(props: ParentProps) {
 	return <ctx.Provider value={value}>{props.children}</ctx.Provider>;
 }
 
-/**
- * Command palette dialog component.
- */
 function CommandDialog(props: {
 	options: CommandOption[];
 	suggestedOptions: CommandOption[];

src/ui/dialog.tsx

@@ -98,9 +98,6 @@ function init() {
   })
 
   return {
-    /**
-     * Clear all dialogs from the stack.
-     */
     clear() {
       for (const item of store.stack) {
         if (item.onClose) item.onClose()
@@ -113,9 +110,6 @@ function init() {
       emit("dialog.close", {})
     },
 
-    /**
-     * Replace all dialogs with a new one.
-     */
     replace(input: JSX.Element | (() => JSX.Element), onClose?: () => void) {
       if (store.stack.length === 0) {
         focus = renderer.currentFocusedRenderable
@@ -130,9 +124,6 @@ function init() {
       emit("dialog.open", { dialogId: "dialog" })
     },
 
-    /**
-     * Push a new dialog onto the stack.
-     */
     push(input: JSX.Element | (() => JSX.Element), onClose?: () => void) {
       if (store.stack.length === 0) {
         focus = renderer.currentFocusedRenderable
@@ -143,9 +134,6 @@ function init() {
       emit("dialog.open", { dialogId: "dialog" })
     },
 
-    /**
-     * Pop the top dialog from the stack.
-     */
     pop() {
       if (store.stack.length === 0) return
       const current = store.stack.at(-1)!

src/utils/app-persistence.ts

@@ -62,7 +62,6 @@ const defaultState: AppState = {
 
 // ── App State (config.json) ─────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
-/** Load app state from config.json */
 export async function loadAppStateFromFile(): Promise<AppState> {
 	try {
 		const cfg = await loadConfig();
@@ -88,7 +87,6 @@ export async function loadAppStateFromFile(): Promise<AppState> {
 	}
 }
 
-/** Save app state to config.json */
 export function saveAppStateToFile(state: AppState): void {
 	updateConfig({
 		settings: state.settings,
@@ -109,7 +107,6 @@ interface ProgressEntry {
 	playbackSpeed?: number;
 }
 
-/** Load progress map from JSON file */
 export async function loadProgressFromFile(): Promise<
 	Record<string, ProgressEntry>
 > {
@@ -145,7 +142,6 @@ export function saveProgressToFile(data: Record<string, unknown>): void {
 
 const SEARCH_HISTORY_FILE = "search-history.json";
 
-/** Load search history from JSON file */
 export async function loadSearchHistoryFromFile(): Promise<string[]> {
 	try {
 		const file = Bun.file(getConfigFilePath(SEARCH_HISTORY_FILE));
@@ -159,7 +155,6 @@ export async function loadSearchHistoryFromFile(): Promise<string[]> {
 	}
 }
 
-/** Save search history to JSON file (overwrite, no backup) */
 export function saveSearchHistoryToFile(history: string[]): void {
 	(async () => {
 		try {
@@ -178,7 +173,6 @@ export function saveSearchHistoryToFile(history: string[]): void {
 
 const AUDIO_NAV_FILE = "audio-nav.json";
 
-/** Load audio navigation state from JSON file */
 export async function loadAudioNavFromFile<T>(): Promise<T | null> {
 	try {
 		const file = Bun.file(getConfigFilePath(AUDIO_NAV_FILE));

src/utils/audio-pcm-cache.ts

@@ -23,9 +23,16 @@
  * pass over just that region) — earlier segments stay valid, mp3 decode of
  * the same file is deterministic so abutting segments agree.
  *
- * Memory: 22050 Hz mono s16 ≈ 44 KB/s ≈ 2.6 MB/min (~80 MB per 30 min),
- * freed on stop(). 22050 Hz covers Nyquist 11 kHz, above the default 10 kHz
- * high-cutoff of the visualizer's FFT config.
+ * Memory: 22050 Hz mono s16 ≈ 44 KB/s ≈ 2.6 MB/min. The cache is a
+ * SLIDING WINDOW around the playback position — the decode pass stops
+ * once it is maxAheadSec ahead of the cursor and segments entirely older
+ * than keepBehindSec behind it are dropped (both re-filled/restarted on
+ * demand). Steady state is bounded by (maxAheadSec + keepBehindSec) of
+ * audio (~40 MB at the defaults) INDEPENDENT of episode length; the old
+ * whole-episode cache grew ~160 MB per hour of audio and hit 2.5 GB on
+ * long-form episodes. Fully freed on stop(). 22050 Hz covers Nyquist
+ * 11 kHz, above the default 10 kHz high-cutoff of the visualizer's FFT
+ * config.
  *
  * Downloads via ffmpeg's own http stack with reconnect flags, matching the
  * old reader; local files skip them (ffmpeg rejects http-only options for
@@ -49,6 +56,24 @@ const INITIAL_CAPACITY_SAMPLES = 4 * 1024 * 1024;
  */
 const CLOSE_IN_PLACE_GAP_SEC = 15;
 
+/**
+ * Default decode-head budget: the ffmpeg pass pauses once it is this far
+ * ahead of the playback cursor. Bounds RAM (~26 MB of s16 at 22050 Hz) AND
+ * the network pull — the old cache decoded the whole episode at 4x, so a
+ * 3h show pinned ~500 MB (2.5 GB+ for long-form) and dragged the entire
+ * remote file even when only the first 10 minutes were listened to. At 4x
+ * pacing a refill costs ~150s of background decode, one ffmpeg spawn per
+ * ~10 min of playback.
+ */
+const DEFAULT_DECODE_AHEAD_SEC = 600;
+
+/**
+ * Default retention behind the cursor: decoded audio entirely older than
+ * this is dropped. Keeps pause/resume and small backward seeks instant
+ * without letting the window grow with playback time.
+ */
+const DEFAULT_KEEP_BEHIND_SEC = 300;
+
 /**
  * Monotonically increasing generation counter.
  * Each startDecode() increments this; the read loop checks it to know
@@ -73,6 +98,10 @@ export interface EpisodePcmCacheOptions {
 	url: string;
 	/** Sample rate (default: 22050) */
 	sampleRate?: number;
+	/** Decode-head budget in seconds ahead of the cursor (default: 600). */
+	maxAheadSec?: number;
+	/** Retention in seconds behind the cursor (default: 300). */
+	keepBehindSec?: number;
 }
 
 export class EpisodePcmCache {
@@ -84,10 +113,15 @@ export class EpisodePcmCache {
 	private activeSegment: Segment | null = null;
 	readonly url: string;
 	readonly sampleRate: number;
+	/** Sliding-window budgets (see maintainWindow). */
+	readonly maxAheadSec: number;
+	readonly keepBehindSec: number;
 
 	constructor(options: EpisodePcmCacheOptions) {
 		this.url = options.url;
 		this.sampleRate = options.sampleRate ?? PCM_SAMPLE_RATE;
+		this.maxAheadSec = options.maxAheadSec ?? DEFAULT_DECODE_AHEAD_SEC;
+		this.keepBehindSec = options.keepBehindSec ?? DEFAULT_KEEP_BEHIND_SEC;
 	}
 
 	/** Whether an ffmpeg decode pass is currently running. */
@@ -238,11 +272,20 @@ export class EpisodePcmCache {
 	 * new segment at `sec` (seek into a hole / resume past cached audio).
 	 */
 	ensureDecodeAround(sec: number): void {
+		// Enforce the sliding-window budget first (head cap, prune, refill)
+		// so a resume or seek never leaves stale segments behind the cursor.
+		this.maintainWindow(sec);
+
 		// Data already on hand: nothing needed here; only keep the tail
-		// filling if the decode is idle and the episode is unfinished.
+		// filling if the decode is idle, the episode is unfinished, AND the
+		// head is inside its budget. A head-capped cache ("we're maxAheadSec
+		// ahead, enough decoded") is NOT a stalled decode — restarting it
+		// here would fight maintainWindow's cap on every resume call.
 		if (this.covers(sec)) {
 			if (this._decoding || this.decodeFinished) return;
-			this.startDecode(this.coverageEndSec > sec ? this.coverageEndSec : sec);
+			const end = this.coverageEndSec;
+			if (end >= sec + this.maxAheadSec) return;
+			this.startDecode(end > sec ? end : sec);
 			return;
 		}
 
@@ -265,6 +308,48 @@ export class EpisodePcmCache {
 		this.startDecode(Math.max(0, sec));
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * Sliding-window budget for the in-memory cache, driven by the live
+	 * playback position. Runs on every read (the render loop is the only
+	 * consumer that knows the cursor continuously) and on resume/seek:
+	 * - capHead: the decode pass pauses once it is maxAheadSec ahead of the
+	 *   cursor (pauseDecode keeps the decoded data — a plain startDecode
+	 *   from the frontier refills it later).
+	 * - prune: segments entirely keepBehindSec behind the cursor are
+	 *   dropped. A backward seek past the window restarts a segment there —
+	 *   the same mechanism as a seek into an undecoded hole, so no new
+	 *   failure mode.
+	 * - topUp: when the cursor has outrun the head, restart the tail decode
+	 *   from the frontier (one ffmpeg spawn per maxAheadSec of playback).
+	 * Together these bound memory to (maxAheadSec + keepBehindSec) of audio
+	 * regardless of episode length.
+	 */
+	private maintainWindow(atSec: number): void {
+		const pos = Math.max(0, atSec);
+
+		if (this._decoding && this.coverageEndSec >= pos + this.maxAheadSec) {
+			this.pauseDecode();
+		}
+
+		const keepFromSec = pos - this.keepBehindSec;
+		if (
+			this.segments.some(
+				(seg) => seg.baseSec + seg.written / this.sampleRate < keepFromSec,
+			)
+		) {
+			this.segments = this.segments.filter(
+				(seg) => seg.baseSec + seg.written / this.sampleRate >= keepFromSec,
+			);
+		}
+
+		if (!this._decoding && !this.decodeFinished) {
+			const end = this.coverageEndSec;
+			if (end < pos + this.maxAheadSec) {
+				this.startDecode(Math.max(end, pos));
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
 	/**
 	 * Read the PCM window ENDING at `atSec` of playback into `out`
 	 * (Int16 magnitudes widened to f64, the scale cavacore expects).
@@ -275,6 +360,7 @@ export class EpisodePcmCache {
 	 */
 	readWindow(out: Float64Array, atSec: number): number {
 		if (out.length === 0) return 0;
+		this.maintainWindow(atSec);
 		const endIdx = Math.round(atSec * this.sampleRate);
 		const startIdx = endIdx - out.length + 1;
 		for (const seg of this.segments) {

src/utils/audio-player.ts

@@ -24,6 +24,10 @@
  *   fills its demuxer cache ahead of time; the first real play just flips
  *   `pause` to false — the ~2s network open is paid at boot, not on the
  *   user's first Play.
+ * - Crash/kill recovery: a dead daemon (process exit or broken IPC socket)
+ *   is detected on the next command; play() respawns a fresh daemon and
+ *   reloads. resume() cannot unpause a freshly-idle daemon — it throws
+ *   PlayerRestartedError so the caller reloads the episode via play().
  */
 
 import { platform } from "os";
@@ -78,6 +82,11 @@ export interface AudioBackend {
 	getPauseState(): Promise<boolean | undefined>;
 	/** True while the player process is running (regardless of pause). */
 	isAlive(): boolean;
+	/** Last playback error (end-file reason "error"), or null when the last
+	 *  track ended cleanly (or nothing has failed yet). Lets callers
+	 *  distinguish a natural end-of-file from a stream failure — a failed
+	 *  episode must not auto-advance the queue. */
+	getPlaybackError(): string | null;
 	dispose(): void;
 }
 
@@ -274,12 +283,28 @@ class MpvConnection {
 		}
 		this.handleTeardown();
 	}
+
+	/** True while the Unix socket is open — a live, reachable daemon. */
+	isConnected(): boolean {
+		return this.sock !== null;
+	}
 }
 
 // ── mpv Backend ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 // One resident daemon for the app's lifetime, controlled over a single
 // persistent JSON IPC connection with property observation.
 
+/** Thrown by resume() when the daemon restarted (killed/crashed) and the
+ *  previously-loaded file is gone — the fresh daemon is idle, so the
+ *  caller must reload the episode via the full play path instead of
+ *  unpausing (which would silently do nothing). */
+export class PlayerRestartedError extends Error {
+	constructor() {
+		super("mpv restarted; episode must be reloaded");
+		this.name = "PlayerRestartedError";
+	}
+}
+
 /** Property observation ids (correlate property-change events). */
 const OBS_TIME_POS = 1;
 const OBS_PAUSE = 2;
@@ -318,14 +343,35 @@ export class MpvBackend implements AudioBackend {
 	// ── Daemon lifecycle ─────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 	private async ensureDaemon(): Promise<void> {
-		if (this.proc && !this._exited && this.conn) return;
+		// Healthy = process alive AND its IPC socket open. A socket teardown
+		// with a living process (rare) is just as unusable as a dead one —
+		// every command would fail "not-connected" forever.
+		if (this.proc && !this._exited && this.conn?.isConnected()) return;
 		if (this.startPromise) return this.startPromise;
-		this.startPromise = this.spawnDaemon().finally(() => {
+		this.startPromise = this.recoverDaemon().finally(() => {
 			this.startPromise = null;
 		});
 		return this.startPromise;
 	}
 
+	/** Bring up a usable daemon. If the old process still lives with a dead
+	 *  IPC connection, kill it so the fresh spawn owns the socket path and
+	 *  no orphan lingers — and await its exit so its exit handler can't run
+	 *  after spawnDaemon() and clobber the new daemon's `_exited` flag. */
+	private async recoverDaemon(): Promise<void> {
+		const stale = this.proc;
+		if (stale && !this._exited) {
+			try {
+				stale.kill();
+			} catch {
+				/* already gone */
+			}
+		}
+		if (stale) await stale.exited.catch(() => {});
+		this.conn = null;
+		await this.spawnDaemon();
+	}
+
 	private async spawnDaemon(): Promise<void> {
 		// Clean up stale socket
 		try {
@@ -360,9 +406,15 @@ export class MpvBackend implements AudioBackend {
 		this._exited = false;
 		this.proc.exited
 			.then(() => {
+				// Daemon died (crash or external kill): every per-file state
+				// is gone with it. _loadedUrl null forces the next play()
+				// down the full reload path; _position/_volume/_speed are
+				// kept so a recovery reload can carry them over.
 				this._exited = true;
 				this._intentPlaying = false;
 				this._loadedUrl = null;
+				this._loadedPaused = false;
+				this._ended = false;
 				this._paused = null;
 			})
 			.catch(() => {});
@@ -544,13 +596,22 @@ export class MpvBackend implements AudioBackend {
 		// play checks it and skips its own stale paused-load.
 		this._intentPlaying = true;
 		await this.runLoadExclusive(async () => {
-			// Fast path: this exact URL was PRELOADED paused (boot restore) —
-			// mpv has been buffering it since boot, so flipping pause off starts
-			// audio ~instantly. Re-acquire the start position only when it
-			// moved meaningfully since the preload (progress saved meanwhile).
-			if (this._loadedUrl === url && this._loadedPaused && !this._ended) {
+			// Same episode re-selected (Enter in a list, key-repeat, a
+			// second tap on the playing row): the file is ALREADY in the
+			// player. Reloading with start=<saved progress> would audibly
+			// skip BACK and repeat already-played audio (saved progress
+			// lags the live position by up to the 5s persist interval), so
+			// align in place instead:
+			//   - preload park (loaded paused at boot restore): seek only
+			//     when the caller's target moved materially since load;
+			//   - user-paused: unpause at the CURRENT position (saved
+			//     progress is stale and must not become a backward seek);
+			//   - already playing: unpause is a no-op — nothing to do.
+			// A genuinely finished episode (_ended) still falls through to
+			// a fresh load, which replays from the top via isCompleted.
+			if (this._loadedUrl === url && !this._ended) {
 				const target = opts?.startPosition ?? this._position;
-				if (Math.abs(target - this._position) > 2) {
+				if (this._loadedPaused && Math.abs(target - this._position) > 2) {
 					await this.send(["set_property", "time-pos", target]);
 					this._position = target;
 				}
@@ -590,6 +651,13 @@ export class MpvBackend implements AudioBackend {
 	}
 
 	async resume(): Promise<void> {
+		// The daemon may have died while we were paused (crash/kill): bring
+		// a fresh one up. It starts idle — no file to unpause — so throw
+		// PlayerRestartedError and let the caller reload the episode.
+		await this.ensureDaemon();
+		if (!this._loadedUrl) {
+			throw new PlayerRestartedError();
+		}
 		if (this._ended && this._loadedUrl) {
 			// Play pressed on a finished episode: replay from the top.
 			this._ended = false;
@@ -609,7 +677,12 @@ export class MpvBackend implements AudioBackend {
 			this._loadedPaused = false;
 		}
 		this._ended = false;
-		await this.send(["set_property", "pause", false]);
+		const resp = await this.send(["set_property", "pause", false]);
+		// Never claim success when the unpause didn't land: a dead/restarted
+		// daemon would otherwise leave the UI "playing" with no audio.
+		if (resp.error && resp.error !== "success") {
+			throw new Error(`mpv resume failed: ${resp.error}`);
+		}
 		this._intentPlaying = true;
 	}
 
@@ -723,6 +796,9 @@ class NoopBackend implements AudioBackend {
 	isAlive(): boolean {
 		return false;
 	}
+	getPlaybackError(): string | null {
+		return null;
+	}
 	dispose(): void {}
 }
 

src/utils/audio-queue.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+/**
+ * audio-queue — ordered episode queue for "what plays next" navigation.
+ *
+ * Pure selection logic for source-based auto-advance (and manual next/prev):
+ * given the navigation source that STARTED the current episode, which
+ * episodes come after it?
+ *
+ *   FEED      — the global chronological Feed list (newest first), so "next"
+ *               walks toward older episodes — further down the list.
+ *   MY_SHOWS  — the current show's episode list (newest first), scoped to the
+ *               podcast that started playback.
+ *   SEARCH    — the current search results, in display order (episode-kind
+ *               results only — a show result has nothing to play).
+ *
+ * Kept dependency-light (pure functions over plain data) so the ordering and
+ * bounds contract is unit-testable without stores or audio.
+ */
+
+import type { Episode } from "../types/episode";
+import type { Feed } from "../types/feed";
+import type { SearchResult } from "../types/source";
+import { AudioSource } from "../stores/audio-nav";
+
+/** The ordered playable queue for a navigation source. Empty when the
+ *  source's context is missing (no podcastId, no search results, no feeds). */
+export function queueForSource(
+	source: AudioSource,
+	podcastId: string | undefined,
+	feeds: Feed[],
+	allEpisodes: Array<{ episode: Episode; feed: Feed }>,
+	searchResults: SearchResult[],
+): Episode[] {
+	if (source === AudioSource.FEED) {
+		// Dedupe by episode id: the same episode can appear twice after a
+		// refresh merge or when two feeds list it — a duplicate would make
+		// next/auto-advance step onto the CURRENT episode and replay it.
+		const seen = new Set<string>();
+		const unique: Episode[] = [];
+		for (const e of allEpisodes) {
+			if (seen.has(e.episode.id)) continue;
+			seen.add(e.episode.id);
+			unique.push(e.episode);
+		}
+		return unique;
+	}
+	if (source === AudioSource.MY_SHOWS) {
+		const feed = feeds.find((f) => f.podcast.id === podcastId);
+		return feed ? feed.episodes : [];
+	}
+	if (source === AudioSource.SEARCH) {
+		return searchResults
+			.filter((r) => r.kind === "episode")
+			.map((r) => r.episode);
+	}
+	return [];
+}
+
+/** Index of an episode in the queue, or -1 when the episode isn't in it. */
+export function queueIndex(queue: Episode[], episodeId: string): number {
+	return queue.findIndex((e) => e.id === episodeId);
+}
+
+export interface QueueStep {
+	episode: Episode;
+	index: number;
+}
+
+/** The episode after `episodeId` in the queue, with its index. Null when
+ *  the episode isn't in the queue or is already the last one. */
+export function nextStep(
+	queue: Episode[],
+	episodeId: string,
+): QueueStep | null {
+	const idx = queueIndex(queue, episodeId);
+	if (idx < 0 || idx + 1 >= queue.length) return null;
+	return { episode: queue[idx + 1], index: idx + 1 };
+}
+
+/** The episode before `episodeId` in the queue, with its index. Null when
+ *  the episode isn't in the queue or is already the first one. */
+export function prevStep(
+	queue: Episode[],
+	episodeId: string,
+): QueueStep | null {
+	const idx = queueIndex(queue, episodeId);
+	if (idx <= 0) return null;
+	return { episode: queue[idx - 1], index: idx - 1 };
+}

src/utils/cavacore.ts

@@ -52,7 +52,6 @@ const DEFAULTS: Required<CavaCoreConfig> = {
 	scalingMode: 0,
 };
 
-// eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
 type CavaLib = {
 	symbols: Record<string, (...args: any[]) => any>;
 	close(): void;
@@ -102,7 +101,6 @@ export class CavaCore {
 		this.lib = lib;
 	}
 
-	/** Number of frequency bars configured. */
 	get bars(): number {
 		return this._bars;
 	}

src/utils/episode-merge.ts

@@ -8,11 +8,35 @@ const ts = (ep: Episode): number => {
   return t === undefined || Number.isNaN(t) ? Infinity : t
 }
 
+/** PubDate stamp for identity matching — undated episodes collapse to a
+ *  single token so their twins match by title alone. */
+const stamp = (ep: Episode): string => {
+  const t = ep.pubDate?.getTime()
+  return t === undefined || Number.isNaN(t) ? "undated" : String(t)
+}
+
+/**
+ * Content signature identifying the SAME episode across id changes. Episode
+ * ids are stable (guid / enclosure-URL derived), but a feed can still change
+ * an episode's id between refreshes: the one-time migration from the old
+ * positional-id scheme, or a host that rotates signed enclosure URLs. title +
+ * pubDate is the most stable combination that survives both — a feed
+ * re-issuing an episode with the same title and date IS that episode.
+ */
+export const episodeSignature = (ep: Episode): string =>
+  `${ep.title}\u0000${stamp(ep)}`
+
 /**
  * Union of two episode lists keyed by id — on collision the fetched copy
- * wins (fresh metadata). Result is sorted newest-first by pubDate and pruned
- * by the supplied `keep` predicate: episodes outside the configured cache
- * bound (date window or count) are dropped. Never mutates either input.
+ * wins (fresh metadata). An existing episode whose id differs from every
+ * fetched id but whose content signature matches a fetched episode is a
+ * stale-id twin (id migration / rotating enclosure URLs) and is dropped,
+ * otherwise the union would double every episode on the first refresh after
+ * the id scheme changed. Existing episodes with NO fetched twin survive
+ * (volatile in-memory window). Result is sorted newest-first by pubDate and
+ * pruned by the supplied `keep` predicate: episodes outside the configured
+ * cache bound (date window or count) are dropped. Never mutates either
+ * input.
  *
  * The caller supplies `keep` so this module stays free of the preference
  * types — the feed store passes a closure bound to the user's mode/count/days.
@@ -23,8 +47,17 @@ export function mergeEpisodesBounded(
   keep: (ep: Episode, index: number) => boolean,
 ): Episode[] {
   const byId = new Map<string, Episode>()
-  for (const ep of existing) byId.set(ep.id, ep)
-  for (const ep of fetched) byId.set(ep.id, ep)
-  const sorted = [...byId.values()].sort((a, b) => ts(b) - ts(a))
+  const bySignature = new Map<string, Episode>()
+  for (const ep of fetched) {
+    byId.set(ep.id, ep)
+    bySignature.set(episodeSignature(ep), ep)
+  }
+  const merged = [...byId.values()]
+  for (const ep of existing) {
+    if (byId.has(ep.id)) continue
+    if (bySignature.has(episodeSignature(ep))) continue
+    merged.push(ep)
+  }
+  const sorted = merged.sort((a, b) => ts(b) - ts(a))
   return sorted.filter((ep, i) => keep(ep, i))
 }

src/utils/event-bus.ts

@@ -43,7 +43,6 @@ function createEventBus(): EventBusInstance {
 			}
 			handlers.get(event)!.add(handler as EventHandler);
 
-			// Return unsubscribe function
 			return () => {
 				this.off(event, handler);
 			};

src/utils/feeds-persistence.ts

@@ -134,7 +134,6 @@ export function saveFeedsToFile(feeds: Feed[], windowDays?: number): void {
 		}
 	})().catch(() => {});
 }
-/** Load sources from config.json */
 export async function loadSourcesFromFile<T>(): Promise<T[] | null> {
 	try {
 		const cfg = await loadConfig();
@@ -144,7 +143,6 @@ export async function loadSourcesFromFile<T>(): Promise<T[] | null> {
 		return null;
 	}
 }
-/** Save sources to config.json */
 export function saveSourcesToFile<T>(sources: T[]): void {
 	updateConfig({ sources: sources as unknown as PodcastSource[] });
 }

src/utils/jsonc.ts

@@ -5,9 +5,6 @@
  * and multi-line comments, which is useful for configuration files.
  */
 
-/**
- * Remove JSONC comments from a string
- */
 function stripComments(jsonString: string): string {
   const comments = [
     { pattern: /\/\/.*$/gm, replacement: "" },
@@ -23,9 +20,6 @@ function stripComments(jsonString: string): string {
   return result;
 }
 
-/**
- * Parse JSONC string into a JavaScript object
- */
 export function parseJSONC(jsonString: string): unknown {
   const stripped = stripComments(jsonString);
   return JSON.parse(stripped);

src/utils/keybinds-persistence.ts

@@ -95,7 +95,6 @@ export async function copyKeybindsIfNeeded(): Promise<void> {
 	}
 }
 
-/** Load keybinds from JSONC file */
 export async function loadKeybindsFromFile(): Promise<KeybindsResolved> {
 	try {
 		const filePath = getConfigFilePath(KEYBINDS_FILE);

src/utils/theme-observer.ts

@@ -9,23 +9,14 @@
 
 import { emit } from "./event-bus"
 
-/**
- * Emit a theme reload event.
- */
 function emitThemeReload(): void {
   emit("theme.reload", {})
 }
 
-/**
- * Emit a theme changed event.
- */
 export function emitThemeChanged(theme: string, mode: "dark" | "light"): void {
   emit("theme.changed", { theme, mode })
 }
 
-/**
- * Emit a theme mode changed event.
- */
 export function emitThemeModeChanged(mode: "dark" | "light"): void {
   emit("theme.mode.changed", { mode })
 }

src/utils/theme.ts

@@ -1,28 +1,13 @@
 /**
- * Theme CSS Variable Manager
- * Handles dynamic theme switching by updating CSS custom properties
+ * Terminal Theme Resolver
+ * Resolves the active theme (built-in, custom, or system-derived) to colors.
  */
 
 import type { TerminalColors } from "@opentui/core";
 import type { ThemeJson } from "../types/theme-schema";
-import { THEME_JSON } from "../constants/themes";
-import { getCustomThemes } from "./custom-themes";
 import { resolveTheme as resolveThemeJson } from "./theme-resolver";
 import { generateSystemTheme } from "./system-theme";
 
-/**
- * Apply CSS variable data-theme attribute
- */
-export function setThemeAttribute(themeName: string) {
-  if (typeof document === "undefined") return;
-  const root = document.documentElement;
-  root.setAttribute("data-theme", themeName);
-}
-
-export async function loadThemes() {
-  return await getCustomThemes();
-}
-
 export function resolveTerminalTheme(
   themes: Record<string, ThemeJson>,
   name: string,
@@ -32,9 +17,5 @@ export function resolveTerminalTheme(
   if (name === "system" && system) {
     return resolveThemeJson(generateSystemTheme(system, mode), mode);
   }
-  const theme = themes[name] ?? themes.catppuccin;
-  if (!theme) {
-    return resolveThemeJson(THEME_JSON.catppuccin, mode);
-  }
-  return resolveThemeJson(theme, mode);
+  return resolveThemeJson(themes[name] ?? themes.catppuccin, mode);
 }

tasks/bounded-feed-lifecycle/02-volatile-episode-merge.md

@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ deliverables:
     - Unchanged detection must compare the FETCHED window against the corresponding prefix of the existing list, i.e. keep a small `sameRefreshWindow(existing: Episode[], fetched: Episode[])` helper next to (and replacing the use of) `sameEpisodes`: `fetched.length === 0 → true`; otherwise compare id-sets of `fetched` and `existing.slice(0, fetched.length)`. Rationale: with union semantics `merged` legitimately contains episodes beyond the fetched window, so comparing full lists would bump `lastUpdated` on every refresh and resurrect the order-flapping bug `tests/feed-refresh.test.ts` guards.
     - Return unmodified `prev` when every feed's window is unchanged (preserve the existing identity-no-save contract); on change, set `{ ...f, episodes: merged, lastUpdated: new Date() }`.
     - Delete the now-unused `sameEpisodes` if nothing else references it (grep first: `grep sameEpisodes src tests`).
-  - `loadMoreEpisodesForFeed`: window-filter the cold-refetch cache the same way after `parseEpisodesIncremental` (it's unsorted there — wrap with `sortEpisodesReverseChronological` before filtering); everything else (window growth by `MAX_EPISODES_REFRESH`, `hasMoreEpisodes` comparing `episodeLoadCount < cached.length`) works unchanged against the filtered cache.
+  - `loadMoreEpisodesForFeed`: window-filter the cold-refetch cache the same way after `parseEpisodesIncremental` (it's unsorted there — wrap with `sortEpisodesReverseChronological` before filtering). Fetch-more stepping is mode-dependent: DATE mode advances the loaded window by a `FETCH_MORE_WINDOW_DAYS` (14) band past the oldest loaded episode — a daily show gains ~2 weeks of episodes per press, not a fixed count — with a +1 minimum so a sparse band can't wedge the button into a no-op; COUNT mode keeps the fixed `MAX_EPISODES_REFRESH` (50) chunk. `hasMoreEpisodes` still compares `episodeLoadCount < cached.length`.
 - `tests/feed-volatile-merge.test.ts` (reworked) — see tests section.
 
 steps:
@@ -57,7 +57,9 @@ tests:
     - input arrays not mutated.
   - Store integration (harness per `tests/feed-refresh.test.ts`: temp `XDG_CONFIG_HOME` BEFORE imports, `Bun.serve` on port 0 serving generated RSS, fake timers):
     - Refresh-keeps-volatile-window: serve 3 episodes at t0, `addFeed`; then serve the same 3 plus 2 new ones, `refreshFeed`. Assert `feed.episodes.length === 5` AND `lastUpdated` advanced AND a second identical refresh leaves `lastUpdated` untouched (window-compare, not union-compare).
-    - Boundary: a 25-day-old episode loads; a 31-day-old episode is neither visible nor cached.
+    - Boundary: a 25-day-old episode loads; a 70-day-old episode is neither visible nor cached initially, but fetch-more surfaces it (volatile).
+    - Date stepping: 30 episodes at 3-day spacing — each fetch-more press reveals the next 2-week band (24 → 28 → 30), NOT a fixed 50-chunk.
+    - Count-mode global step: two feeds with staggered dates — one Feed-page press adds the configured N most-recent UNLOADED episodes across ALL shows (N total, not N per show), via the k-way frontier merge in `loadMoreAllFeedsByCount`.
     - Out-of-window never cached: 600 items at 2h spacing span ~50 days — only the in-window tail is loadable (fewer than the old 500 cap), `hasMoreEpisodes` flips false there.
     - No count ceiling: 600 items at 1h spacing (all within 25 days) are ALL loadable — the bound is the date, not a number.
   - Clock constraint: these tests run under fake timers, and a large `vi.advanceTimersByTime` (past ~5 days of fake time) makes Bun 1.3.8 hang every subsequent network fetch — the boundary is pinned with relative pubDates, never by moving the clock across it.

tests/audio-backend.test.ts

@@ -12,6 +12,10 @@
  *    it by unpausing — the boot-restore fast path with no second load.
  * 6. EOF: the episode ends → isPlaying() goes false on its own; pressing
  *    resume() afterwards replays from the top.
+ * 7. Daemon death: a killed/crashed mpv is detected (isAlive drops);
+ *    resume() refuses to unpause the fresh idle daemon (throws
+ *    PlayerRestartedError) and play() recovers by respawning a fresh
+ *    daemon and loading the file.
  *
  * All playback runs silent (volume 0). Requires a real mpv on PATH;
  * tests skip where it is missing.
@@ -19,7 +23,10 @@
 import { test, expect } from "bun:test";
 import { tmpdir } from "os";
 import { join } from "path";
-import { MpvBackend } from "../src/utils/audio-player";
+import {
+	MpvBackend,
+	PlayerRestartedError,
+} from "../src/utils/audio-player";
 
 const SAMPLE_RATE = 22050;
 const FREQ = 440;
@@ -165,6 +172,116 @@ test.skipIf(!hasMpv)(
 	{ timeout: 20000 },
 );
 
+test.skipIf(!hasMpv)(
+	"play() of the already-playing url does NOT reload (no audible skip-back)",
+	async () => {
+		fixtureWavs();
+		const backend = new MpvBackend();
+		try {
+			// Start mid-episode (as a resume would) and let it advance.
+			await backend.play(wavA, { volume: 0, speed: 1, startPosition: 1 });
+			await waitFor(
+				"position advances past the start offset",
+				async () => (await backend.getPosition()) > 1.8,
+			);
+			const before = await backend.getPosition();
+
+			// Re-selecting the SAME episode (Enter in a list, key-repeat)
+			// calls play() with the STALE saved progress. The file is
+			// already loaded — this must not reload from that earlier
+			// position, or the listener hears already-played audio again.
+			await backend.play(wavA, { volume: 0, speed: 1, startPosition: 1 });
+
+			// A reload would drop the position back to ~1; a correct no-op
+			// keeps advancing from where it was.
+			await waitFor(
+				"playback continues past the pre-play position",
+				async () => (await backend.getPosition()) > before + 0.3,
+			);
+			expect(backend.isPlaying()).toBe(true);
+			// And the position never fell back toward the stale offset.
+			expect(await backend.getPosition()).toBeGreaterThan(1.8);
+		} finally {
+			await cleanup(backend);
+		}
+	},
+	{ timeout: 20000 },
+);
+
+test.skipIf(!hasMpv)(
+	"play() of the same url while user-paused resumes at the current position",
+	async () => {
+		fixtureWavs();
+		const backend = new MpvBackend();
+		try {
+			await backend.play(wavB, { volume: 0, speed: 1, startPosition: 1 });
+			await waitFor(
+				"position advances",
+				async () => (await backend.getPosition()) > 2,
+			);
+			await backend.pause();
+			await waitFor(
+				"paused observed",
+				async () => (await backend.getPauseState()) === true,
+			);
+			const pausedAt = await backend.getPosition();
+
+			// Re-selecting the paused episode resumes where it PAUSED — the
+			// stale saved progress must not become a backward seek target.
+			await backend.play(wavB, { volume: 0, speed: 1, startPosition: 1 });
+			expect(backend.isPlaying()).toBe(true);
+			await waitFor(
+				"resumed at the paused position",
+				async () => (await backend.getPosition()) > pausedAt + 0.3,
+			);
+			expect(await backend.getPosition()).toBeGreaterThan(1.5);
+		} finally {
+			await cleanup(backend);
+		}
+	},
+	{ timeout: 20000 },
+);
+
+test.skipIf(!hasMpv)(
+	"daemon killed mid-play: resume() rejects on the fresh idle daemon; play() recovers a new one",
+	async () => {
+		fixtureWavs();
+		const backend = new MpvBackend();
+		try {
+			await backend.play(wavA, { volume: 0, speed: 1, startPosition: 0 });
+			await waitFor("playing", () => backend.isPlaying());
+			await waitFor(
+				"position advances",
+				async () => (await backend.getPosition()) > 0.5,
+			);
+
+			// Simulate a crash: SIGKILL the daemon out from under us.
+			const proc = (backend as unknown as { proc: { pid: number } }).proc;
+			expect(proc).toBeTruthy();
+			process.kill(proc.pid, "SIGKILL");
+			await waitFor("death observed", () => !backend.isAlive());
+
+			// resume() must NOT silently no-op on the dead daemon: it
+			// respawns, finds the fresh daemon idle (no file loaded), and
+			// throws — the hook falls back to the full play path.
+			await expect(backend.resume()).rejects.toThrow(PlayerRestartedError);
+
+			// play() (the hook's recovery) reuses the respawned daemon and
+			// plays the file — audio must actually advance again.
+			await backend.play(wavA, { volume: 0, speed: 1, startPosition: 0 });
+			expect(backend.isAlive()).toBe(true);
+			await waitFor(
+				"recovered playback advances",
+				async () =>
+					(await backend.getPosition()) > 0.5 && backend.isPlaying(),
+			);
+		} finally {
+			await cleanup(backend);
+		}
+	},
+	{ timeout: 20000 },
+);
+
 test.skipIf(!hasMpv)(
 	"EOF marks playback ended; resume() then replays from the top",
 	async () => {

tests/audio-pcm-cache.test.ts

@@ -278,3 +278,87 @@ test.skipIf(!hasFfmpeg)(
 	},
 	{ timeout: 20000 },
 );
+
+test.skipIf(!hasFfmpeg)(
+	"decode head caps at maxAheadSec ahead of the cursor — the cache is a window, not a whole-episode dump",
+	async () => {
+		const wav = tmpWav();
+		writeSineWav(wav, 30);
+		const cache = new EpisodePcmCache({
+			url: wav,
+			maxAheadSec: 4,
+			keepBehindSec: 2,
+		});
+		try {
+			cache.startDecode(0);
+			// The 8s initial burst delivers the front of the file instantly.
+			await waitForCoverage(cache, 5);
+
+			// Park the cursor at 0 and drive the cap (the render loop reads
+			// every frame; the cap applies on the first read past the head).
+			const out = new Float64Array(512);
+			for (let i = 0; i < 30 && cache.decoding; i++) {
+				cache.readWindow(out, 0);
+				await Bun.sleep(20);
+			}
+
+			// Paused at the head budget (4s) + one 8s burst of slack — NOT
+			// decoded to the 30s EOF.
+			expect(cache.decoding).toBe(false);
+			expect(cache.coverageEndSec).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(4);
+			expect(cache.coverageEndSec).toBeLessThanOrEqual(4 + 8 + 1);
+			expect(cache.decodeFinished).toBe(false);
+
+			// A parked cursor keeps the cap: more reads must not restart
+			// the pass or grow the cache.
+			const cappedAt = cache.coverageEndSec;
+			for (let i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
+				cache.readWindow(out, 0);
+				await Bun.sleep(20);
+			}
+			expect(cache.decoding).toBe(false);
+			expect(cache.coverageEndSec).toBeLessThanOrEqual(cappedAt + 1);
+		} finally {
+			cache.stop();
+			await Bun.$`rm -f ${wav}`.quiet();
+		}
+	},
+	{ timeout: 20000 },
+);
+
+test.skipIf(!hasFfmpeg)(
+	"the window prunes segments behind the cursor as playback advances",
+	async () => {
+		const wav = tmpWav();
+		writeSineWav(wav, 30);
+		const cache = new EpisodePcmCache({
+			url: wav,
+			maxAheadSec: 4,
+			keepBehindSec: 2,
+		});
+		try {
+			// Two segments: the back half [10, ~18] and, after the seek,
+			// the front [2, ~10].
+			cache.startDecode(10);
+			await waitForCoverage(cache, 11);
+			cache.ensureDecodeAround(2);
+			await waitForCoverage(cache, 2.2);
+			expect(cache.covers(2.5)).toBe(true);
+			expect(cache.covers(10.5)).toBe(true);
+
+			// Cursor advances past the front segment's end + keepBehind:
+			// the front must fall out of the window, the back must survive.
+			const out = new Float64Array(512);
+			for (let i = 0; i < 40 && cache.covers(2.5); i++) {
+				cache.readWindow(out, 13);
+				await Bun.sleep(25);
+			}
+			expect(cache.covers(2.5)).toBe(false);
+			expect(cache.covers(10.5)).toBe(true);
+		} finally {
+			cache.stop();
+			await Bun.$`rm -f ${wav}`.quiet();
+		}
+	},
+	{ timeout: 20000 },
+);

tests/audio-queue.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,155 @@
+/**
+ * audio-queue unit tests — pure selection logic for next/prev navigation
+ * and source-based auto-advance. Covers ordering, bounds, and the
+ * deduplication that prevents "next" from replaying the current episode.
+ */
+import { test, expect } from "bun:test";
+import {
+	queueForSource,
+	queueIndex,
+	nextStep,
+	prevStep,
+} from "../src/utils/audio-queue";
+import { AudioSource } from "../src/stores/audio-nav";
+import type { Episode } from "../src/types/episode";
+import type { Feed } from "../src/types/feed";
+import { FeedVisibility } from "../src/types/feed";
+import type { SearchResult } from "../src/types/source";
+
+function ep(id: string, n: number): Episode {
+	return {
+		id,
+		podcastId: "pod-" + id,
+		title: `Episode ${n}`,
+		description: "",
+		audioUrl: `https://example.com/${id}.mp3`,
+		duration: 600,
+		pubDate: new Date(2026, 0, n),
+	};
+}
+
+function feed(id: string, episodes: Episode[]): Feed {
+	return {
+		id,
+		podcast: {
+			id,
+			title: "Feed " + id,
+			description: "",
+			feedUrl: `https://example.com/${id}.xml`,
+			lastUpdated: new Date(),
+			isSubscribed: true,
+		},
+		episodes,
+		visibility: FeedVisibility.PUBLIC,
+		sourceId: "rss",
+		lastUpdated: new Date(),
+		isPinned: false,
+	};
+}
+
+function episodeResult(episode: Episode): SearchResult {
+	return {
+		sourceId: "itunes",
+		kind: "episode",
+		podcast: {
+			id: episode.podcastId,
+			title: "Show " + episode.podcastId,
+			description: "",
+			feedUrl: `https://example.com/${episode.podcastId}.xml`,
+			lastUpdated: new Date(),
+			isSubscribed: false,
+		},
+		episode,
+	};
+}
+
+const e1 = ep("e1", 1);
+const e2 = ep("e2", 2);
+const e3 = ep("e3", 3);
+
+test("FEED queue is the chronological global list, newest first", () => {
+	const f1 = feed("f1", [e3, e2]);
+	const f2 = feed("f2", [e1]);
+	const queue = queueForSource(
+		AudioSource.FEED,
+		undefined,
+		[f1, f2],
+		[
+			{ episode: e3, feed: f1 },
+			{ episode: e2, feed: f1 },
+			{ episode: e1, feed: f2 },
+		],
+		[],
+	);
+	expect(queue.map((e) => e.id)).toEqual(["e3", "e2", "e1"]);
+	expect(queueIndex(queue, "e2")).toBe(1);
+	expect(nextStep(queue, "e2")?.episode.id).toBe("e1");
+	expect(prevStep(queue, "e2")?.episode.id).toBe("e3");
+	expect(nextStep(queue, "e1")).toBeNull();
+	expect(prevStep(queue, "e3")).toBeNull();
+});
+
+test("FEED queue dedupes repeated episode ids (same episode listed twice)", () => {
+	// The same episode appears twice in the global list (e.g. a refresh
+	// merge duplicated a feed's entries). Without dedupe, nextStep after
+	// e2 would step onto e2 AGAIN — replaying the current episode.
+	const f1 = feed("f1", [e3, e2, e2, e1]);
+	const queue = queueForSource(
+		AudioSource.FEED,
+		undefined,
+		[f1],
+		[
+			{ episode: e3, feed: f1 },
+			{ episode: e2, feed: f1 },
+			{ episode: e2, feed: f1 },
+			{ episode: e1, feed: f1 },
+		],
+		[],
+	);
+	expect(queue.map((e) => e.id)).toEqual(["e3", "e2", "e1"]);
+	// Distinct objects sharing an id dedupe too.
+	const e2clone = { ...e2 };
+	const queue2 = queueForSource(
+		AudioSource.FEED,
+		undefined,
+		[f1],
+		[
+			{ episode: e3, feed: f1 },
+			{ episode: e2, feed: f1 },
+			{ episode: e2clone, feed: f1 },
+		],
+		[],
+	);
+	expect(queue2.map((e) => e.id)).toEqual(["e3", "e2"]);
+	expect(nextStep(queue2, "e2")).toBeNull(); // no self-step
+});
+
+test("MY_SHOWS queue scopes to the podcast that started playback", () => {
+	const fA = feed("podA", [e3, e2]);
+	const fB = feed("podB", [e1]);
+	const queue = queueForSource(
+		AudioSource.MY_SHOWS,
+		"podA",
+		[fA, fB],
+		[],
+		[],
+	);
+	expect(queue.map((e) => e.id)).toEqual(["e3", "e2"]);
+	// Unknown podcastId → empty queue (nothing to play next).
+	expect(
+		queueForSource(AudioSource.MY_SHOWS, "podX", [fA, fB], [], []),
+	).toEqual([]);
+});
+
+test("SEARCH queue filters to episode-kind results in display order", () => {
+	const queue = queueForSource(
+		AudioSource.SEARCH,
+		undefined,
+		[],
+		[],
+		[episodeResult(e1), episodeResult(e2)],
+	);
+	expect(queue.map((e) => e.id)).toEqual(["e1", "e2"]);
+	expect(queueIndex(queue, "e1")).toBe(0);
+	expect(queueIndex(queue, "e3")).toBe(-1);
+});

tests/auto-advance.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,197 @@
+/**
+ * auto-advance.test.ts — "at the end of episodes play the next one, from
+ * the source that started it" feature.
+ *
+ * When a track reaches its natural end (mpv eof-reached), useAudio must
+ * advance to the next episode in the source queue — the current show's
+ * episode list (MY_SHOWS), the Feed's chronological list, or the search
+ * results — and must STOP at the end of the list (no wrap-around). A
+ * crashed/killed daemon must NOT auto-advance (that path is pinned by
+ * external-pause-reconcile.test.ts).
+ *
+ * Integration style (like external-pause-reconcile.test.ts): real stores,
+ * real persistence sandbox, and the REAL mpv backend driven by real audio
+ * files — two short local WAVs served over HTTP, so EOF happens on a
+ * deterministic timer. The show is subscribed through the real feed store's
+ * addFeed() API (no config seeding — works on whatever singleton state this
+ * worker holds), and the audio-nav source is pinned to MY_SHOWS for that
+ * podcast so the queue is scoped and deterministic. Skipped when mpv isn't
+ * installed.
+ */
+import { test, expect, afterAll } from "bun:test";
+import { mkdtempSync, rmSync } from "node:fs";
+import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
+import { join } from "node:path";
+
+const hasMpv = !!Bun.which("mpv");
+
+// ── Sandbox BEFORE any app module evaluates ───────────────────────────────
+const CONFIG = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "podtui-autoadv-"));
+const DATA = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "podtui-autoadv-data-"));
+process.env.XDG_CONFIG_HOME = CONFIG;
+process.env.XDG_DATA_HOME = DATA;
+process.env.PODTUI_AUDIO_BACKEND = "mpv"; // real backend; EOF is the signal under test
+
+/** 2s mono 16-bit WAV with a sine tone — short enough to EOF fast,
+ *  distinct per episode so playback is unambiguous. */
+function makeWav(freq: number): Buffer {
+	const SAMPLE_RATE = 44100;
+	const DURATION = 2;
+	const dataLen = SAMPLE_RATE * DURATION;
+	const buf = Buffer.alloc(44 + dataLen * 2);
+	buf.write("RIFF", 0);
+	buf.writeUInt32LE(36 + dataLen * 2, 4);
+	buf.write("WAVE", 8);
+	buf.write("fmt ", 12);
+	buf.writeUInt32LE(16, 16); // fmt chunk size
+	buf.writeUInt16LE(1, 20); // PCM
+	buf.writeUInt16LE(1, 22); // mono
+	buf.writeUInt32LE(SAMPLE_RATE, 24);
+	buf.writeUInt32LE(SAMPLE_RATE * 2, 28); // byte rate
+	buf.writeUInt16LE(2, 32); // block align
+	buf.writeUInt16LE(16, 34); // bits per sample
+	buf.write("data", 36);
+	buf.writeUInt32LE(dataLen * 2, 40);
+	for (let i = 0; i < dataLen; i++) {
+		const sample = Math.round(
+			Math.sin((2 * Math.PI * freq * i) / SAMPLE_RATE) * 8000,
+		);
+		buf.writeInt16LE(sample, 44 + i * 2);
+	}
+	return buf;
+}
+const wav1 = makeWav(440);
+const wav2 = makeWav(880);
+
+// ── Local HTTP server: the RSS feed + both audio files ────────────────────
+let server: ReturnType<typeof Bun.serve> | null = null;
+function feedXml(origin: string): string {
+	// Distinct pubDates so ep1 (newest) is episodes[0], ep2 older — "next"
+	// must step DOWN the list toward the older episode.
+	return `<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
+<rss version="2.0"><channel>
+<title>Auto Advance Show</title>
+<description>auto-advance test feed</description>
+<item>
+<title>Episode One</title>
+<pubDate>2026-08-10T00:00:00Z</pubDate>
+<enclosure url="${origin}/e1.wav" length="${wav1.length}" type="audio/wav"/>
+</item>
+<item>
+<title>Episode Two</title>
+<pubDate>2026-08-01T00:00:00Z</pubDate>
+<enclosure url="${origin}/e2.wav" length="${wav2.length}" type="audio/wav"/>
+</item>
+</channel></rss>`;
+}
+server = Bun.serve({
+	port: 0,
+	fetch(req) {
+		const url = new URL(req.url);
+		if (url.pathname.endsWith(".xml")) {
+			return new Response(feedXml(url.origin), {
+				headers: { "Content-Type": "application/rss+xml" },
+			});
+		}
+		if (url.pathname.endsWith("e1.wav")) {
+			return new Response(wav1.buffer as ArrayBuffer, {
+				headers: { "Content-Type": "audio/wav" },
+			});
+		}
+		if (url.pathname.endsWith("e2.wav")) {
+			return new Response(wav2.buffer as ArrayBuffer, {
+				headers: { "Content-Type": "audio/wav" },
+			});
+		}
+		return new Response("not found", { status: 404 });
+	},
+});
+
+// ── Real modules (loaded after env + server are up) ───────────────────────
+// @ts-expect-error — bun-only query suffix: distinct module identity that
+// loads the real file instead of a leaked mock.module from another test file.
+const { useAudio } = await import("../src/hooks/useAudio?auto-advance-test");
+const { useFeedStore } = await import("../src/stores/feed");
+const { useAudioNavStore, AudioSource } = await import(
+	"../src/stores/audio-nav"
+);
+
+const feedStore = useFeedStore();
+const audioNav = useAudioNavStore();
+
+/** Poll `check` every 25ms until truthy; throw after `timeoutMs`. */
+async function waitFor(
+	check: () => boolean,
+	timeoutMs = 15000,
+): Promise<void> {
+	const start = Date.now();
+	while (!check()) {
+		if (Date.now() - start > timeoutMs) {
+			throw new Error("condition not met in time");
+		}
+		await Bun.sleep(25);
+	}
+}
+
+// Subscribe to the local feed through the real store API; unique podcast id
+// so the MY_SHOWS queue lookup is deterministic whatever else this worker's
+// shared feed store holds.
+const feedUrl = `http://127.0.0.1:${server!.port}/show.xml`;
+const PODCAST_ID = `auto-advance-pod-${process.pid}`;
+const feed = await feedStore.addFeed(
+	{
+		id: PODCAST_ID,
+		title: "Auto Advance Show",
+		description: "auto-advance test feed",
+		feedUrl,
+		lastUpdated: new Date(),
+		isSubscribed: true,
+	},
+	"test-source",
+);
+if (!feed || feed.episodes.length < 2) {
+	throw new Error("test feed did not load two episodes");
+}
+const ep1 = feed.episodes[0]; // newest — plays first
+const ep2 = feed.episodes[1]; // older — must follow automatically
+if (ep1.title !== "Episode One") {
+	throw new Error("episode order unexpected — ep1 is not the newest");
+}
+
+afterAll(() => {
+	audioNav.reset(); // don't leak nav state into shared-worker tests
+	server?.stop(true);
+	rmSync(CONFIG, { recursive: true, force: true });
+	rmSync(DATA, { recursive: true, force: true });
+});
+
+test.skipIf(!hasMpv)(
+	"episode ending auto-plays the next in the show; the last episode stops",
+	async () => {
+		const audio = useAudio();
+		audioNav.setSource(AudioSource.MY_SHOWS, PODCAST_ID);
+
+		// Start the newest episode.
+		await audio.play(ep1);
+		expect(audio.isPlaying()).toBe(true);
+		expect(audio.currentEpisode()?.id).toBe(ep1.id);
+
+		// EOF → the next (older) episode starts automatically, and the nav
+		// index moves with it.
+		await waitFor(
+			() =>
+				audio.currentEpisode()?.id === ep2.id && audio.isPlaying(),
+		);
+		expect(audioNav.getCurrentIndex()).toBe(1);
+
+		// The last episode ends → playback stops; no wrap-around to ep1.
+		await waitFor(() => !audio.isPlaying());
+		expect(audio.currentEpisode()?.id).toBe(ep2.id);
+		await Bun.sleep(600); // give any (wrong) auto-advance time to fire
+		expect(audio.currentEpisode()?.id).toBe(ep2.id);
+		expect(audio.isPlaying()).toBe(false);
+
+		await audio.stop();
+	},
+	{ timeout: 45000 },
+);

tests/discover-episode-preview.test.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,337 @@
+/**
+ * discover-episode-preview.test.tsx — Discover: `l`/right/enter on a podcast
+ * result must OPEN the show's episode list, NOT subscribe.
+ *
+ * Regression: `open` on a Discover podcast result (bound to `l`/right via
+ * `swipe-next`, and to enter) used to toggle subscription — pressing `l` on a
+ * show you wanted to browse subscribed it instead. `l`/right/enter now drill
+ * into a fetched-on-demand episode list (depth 2, no subscription), and `a`
+ * (the app-wide `subscribe` action) is the dedicated subscribe key.
+ *
+ * Mounts the real app (sandboxed, silent audio, mocked discover store) and
+ * drives the Discover tab with the test renderer's mock keys: drill category
+ * → podcast, `l` opens the episode list WITHOUT subscribing (feed store
+ * untouched, subscribe not called); `h` pops back; `a` subscribes the
+ * focused show; `l` then re-opens the episodes.
+ *
+ * App modules are loaded dynamically (never statically) because the sandbox
+ * config/data dirs must be set BEFORE they evaluate — their module-level init
+ * reads those env vars at import time.
+ */
+
+import { test, expect, afterAll, beforeAll, mock } from "bun:test";
+import { testRender } from "@opentui/solid";
+import { createSignal } from "solid-js";
+import { mkdirSync, rmSync } from "node:fs";
+import { join } from "node:path";
+import type { AudioControls } from "../src/hooks/useAudio";
+import type { Episode } from "../src/types/episode";
+import type { Podcast } from "../src/types/podcast";
+import type { DepthFrame, NavigationState } from "../src/context/navigation-store";
+
+// Recording audio stub: `play` pushes what was streamed. Registered FIRST so
+// a leaked partial useAudio mock from another file in this worker can't break
+// the app mount (see tests/search-focus.test.tsx for the same hazard).
+const played: Episode[] = [];
+const stubAudio: AudioControls = {
+	isPlaying: () => false,
+	position: () => 0,
+	duration: () => 0,
+	volume: () => 1,
+	speed: () => 1,
+	backendName: () => "none",
+	error: () => null,
+	currentEpisode: () => null,
+	availablePlayers: () => [],
+	play: async (episode: Episode) => {
+		played.push(episode);
+	},
+	load: async () => {},
+	pause: async () => {},
+	resume: async () => {},
+	togglePlayback: async () => {},
+	stop: async () => {},
+	seek: async () => {},
+	seekRelative: async () => {},
+	setVolume: async () => {},
+	setSpeed: async () => {},
+	switchBackend: async () => {},
+	prev: async () => {},
+	next: async () => {},
+};
+mock.module("../src/hooks/useAudio", () => ({
+	useAudio: () => stubAudio,
+}));
+
+// Deterministic discover store: `openEpisodes` seeds the episode list
+// synchronously (no network), `subscribe`/`unsubscribe` flip the show's flag
+// and are recorded so the test can assert l/enter never subscribed.
+const [selectedCategory, setSelectedCategory] = createSignal<string>("all");
+const [isLoading, setIsLoading] = createSignal(false);
+const [podcasts, setPodcasts] = createSignal<Podcast[]>([]);
+const [preview, setPreview] = createSignal<Record<string, Episode[]>>({});
+const [previewLoading, setPreviewLoading] = createSignal<Set<string>>(
+	new Set(),
+);
+const [previewErrors, setPreviewErrors] = createSignal<Record<string, string>>(
+	{},
+);
+const subscribeCalls: string[] = [];
+const openCalls: string[] = [];
+const flip = (id: string, subscribed: boolean) =>
+	setPodcasts((prev) =>
+		prev.map((p) => (p.id === id ? { ...p, isSubscribed: subscribed } : p)),
+	);
+const mockDiscoverStore = {
+	selectedCategory,
+	isLoading,
+	podcasts,
+	categories: [
+		{ id: "all", name: "All", icon: "" },
+		{ id: "technology", name: "Technology", icon: "" },
+	],
+	filteredPodcasts: () => {
+		const cat = selectedCategory();
+		if (cat === "all") return podcasts();
+		return podcasts().filter((p) =>
+			(p.categories ?? []).some((c) =>
+				c.toLowerCase().includes(cat.toLowerCase()),
+			),
+		);
+	},
+	setSelectedCategory,
+	subscribe: (id: string) => {
+		subscribeCalls.push(id);
+		flip(id, true);
+	},
+	unsubscribe: (id: string) => {
+		flip(id, false);
+	},
+	refresh: async () => {},
+	episodesForPodcast: (id: string) => preview()[id] ?? [],
+	isLoadingEpisodesFor: (id: string) => previewLoading().has(id),
+	previewError: (id: string) => previewErrors()[id],
+	openEpisodes: async (pod: Podcast) => {
+		openCalls.push(pod.id);
+		setPreview((prev) => ({
+			...prev,
+			[pod.id]: [makeEpisode(1), makeEpisode(2)],
+		}));
+	},
+	refreshEpisodes: async () => {},
+};
+mock.module("../src/stores/discover", () => ({
+	DISCOVER_CATEGORIES: mockDiscoverStore.categories,
+	useDiscoverStore: () => mockDiscoverStore,
+}));
+
+// Sandbox BEFORE any app module evaluates — config-dir/persistence read these
+// env vars at import time, so the app modules are loaded dynamically.
+const SANDBOX = join(process.cwd(), ".harness", "test-discover-preview");
+mkdirSync(join(SANDBOX, "config-home"), { recursive: true });
+mkdirSync(join(SANDBOX, "data-home"), { recursive: true });
+process.env.XDG_CONFIG_HOME = join(SANDBOX, "config-home");
+process.env.XDG_DATA_HOME = join(SANDBOX, "data-home");
+process.env.PODTUI_AUDIO_BACKEND = "none";
+
+const { App } = await import("../src/App");
+const { ThemeProvider } = await import("../src/context/ThemeContext");
+const toast = await import("../src/ui/toast");
+const { KeybindProvider, useKeybinds } = await import(
+	"../src/context/KeybindContext"
+);
+const { NavigationProvider, useNavigation } = await import(
+	"../src/context/NavigationContext"
+);
+const { DialogProvider } = await import("../src/ui/dialog");
+const { CommandProvider } = await import("../src/ui/command");
+const { TABS } = await import("../src/utils/navigation");
+const { useFeedStore } = await import("../src/stores/feed");
+
+function makePodcast(): Podcast {
+	return {
+		id: "featured-show",
+		title: "Featured Show",
+		description: "A featured show.",
+		feedUrl: "https://example.test/featured.xml",
+		author: "tester",
+		categories: ["Technology"],
+		lastUpdated: new Date(),
+		isSubscribed: false,
+	};
+}
+
+function makeEpisode(n: number): Episode {
+	return {
+		id: `featured-ep-${n}`,
+		podcastId: "featured-show",
+		title: `Featured Episode ${n}`,
+		description: "",
+		audioUrl: "https://example.test/ep.mp3",
+		duration: 0,
+		pubDate: new Date(`2026-08-0${n}T00:00:00Z`),
+	};
+}
+
+type MockInput = { pressKey: (key: string) => void; pressEnter: () => void };
+type Mounted = {
+	renderer: { destroy: () => void };
+	renderOnce: () => Promise<void>;
+	mockInput: MockInput;
+	nav: () => NavigationState;
+	keybindsReady: () => boolean;
+};
+
+async function mountApp(): Promise<Mounted> {
+	let navRef: NavigationState | null = null;
+	let keybindsRef: { ready: boolean } | null = null;
+	const StateProbe = () => {
+		navRef = useNavigation();
+		keybindsRef = useKeybinds();
+		return null;
+	};
+	const HarnessRoot = () => (
+		<toast.ToastProvider>
+			<ThemeProvider mode="dark">
+				<KeybindProvider>
+					<NavigationProvider>
+						<StateProbe />
+						<DialogProvider>
+							<CommandProvider>
+								<App />
+								<toast.Toast />
+							</CommandProvider>
+						</DialogProvider>
+					</NavigationProvider>
+				</KeybindProvider>
+			</ThemeProvider>
+		</toast.ToastProvider>
+	);
+	const setup = await testRender(() => <HarnessRoot />, {
+		width: 100,
+		height: 30,
+		useThread: false,
+	});
+	// The test renderer intercepts stdout; the app is a TUI that writes frames
+	// asynchronously, so silence that interception (same as search-focus).
+	(
+		setup.renderer as unknown as {
+			disableStdoutInterception?: () => void;
+		}
+	).disableStdoutInterception?.();
+	await setup.renderOnce();
+	await sleep(60);
+	return {
+		renderer: setup.renderer,
+		renderOnce: setup.renderOnce,
+		mockInput: setup.mockInput,
+		nav: () => navRef!,
+		keybindsReady: () => keybindsRef?.ready ?? false,
+	};
+}
+
+function sleep(ms: number): Promise<void> {
+	const { promise, resolve } = Promise.withResolvers<void>();
+	setTimeout(resolve, ms);
+	return promise;
+}
+
+async function settleReady(m: Mounted): Promise<void> {
+	for (let i = 0; i < 80; i++) {
+		await m.renderOnce();
+		await sleep(60);
+		if (m.keybindsReady()) return;
+	}
+	throw new Error("keybinds never became ready");
+}
+
+async function waitFor(
+	m: Mounted,
+	cond: () => boolean,
+	what: string,
+	timeoutMs = 5000,
+): Promise<void> {
+	const deadline = Date.now() + timeoutMs;
+	while (Date.now() < deadline) {
+		if (cond()) return;
+		await m.renderOnce();
+		await sleep(25);
+	}
+	throw new Error(`timed out waiting for: ${what}`);
+}
+
+beforeAll(() => {
+	setPodcasts([makePodcast()]);
+});
+
+afterAll(() => {
+	rmSync(SANDBOX, { recursive: true, force: true });
+});
+
+test("l on a podcast opens its episode list without subscribing; a subscribes", async () => {
+	const m = await mountApp();
+	try {
+		await settleReady(m);
+
+		// Open the Discover tab (digit press retried until the router attaches).
+		for (let i = 0; i < 20 && m.nav().activeTab() !== TABS.DISCOVER; i++) {
+			m.mockInput.pressKey("3");
+			await m.renderOnce();
+			await sleep(40);
+		}
+		expect(m.nav().activeTab()).toBe(TABS.DISCOVER);
+		m.mockInput.pressEnter(); // open the tab's content (category depth)
+		await waitFor(
+			m,
+			() => m.nav().currentDepth() === 0 && !m.nav().atRootTab(),
+			"discover content mounted",
+		);
+
+		// l on the focused category drills to the podcast results (depth 1).
+		m.mockInput.pressKey("l");
+		await waitFor(m, () => m.nav().currentDepth() === 1, "results depth");
+		expect(m.nav().topFrame()?.kind).toBe("results");
+
+		// l on the focused podcast opens its episode list (depth 2) — the
+		// show must NOT be subscribed, the feed store untouched.
+		m.mockInput.pressKey("l");
+		await waitFor(m, () => m.nav().currentDepth() === 2, "episodes depth");
+		expect(m.nav().topFrame()?.kind).toBe("episodes");
+		expect(m.nav().topFrame()?.ctx).toBe("featured-show");
+		expect(openCalls).toEqual(["featured-show"]);
+		expect(subscribeCalls).toHaveLength(0);
+		expect(played).toHaveLength(0);
+		expect(
+			useFeedStore()
+				.feeds()
+				.some((f) => f.podcast.id === "featured-show"),
+		).toBe(false);
+		// The seeded episode list is what the page renders at depth 2.
+		expect(mockDiscoverStore.episodesForPodcast("featured-show")).toHaveLength(
+			2,
+		);
+
+		// h pops back to the results (depth 1).
+		m.mockInput.pressKey("h");
+		await waitFor(m, () => m.nav().currentDepth() === 1, "back to results");
+
+		// a subscribes the focused show (the dedicated subscribe key).
+		m.mockInput.pressKey("a");
+		await waitFor(
+			m,
+			() => mockDiscoverStore.podcasts()[0]?.isSubscribed === true,
+			"a subscribes the show",
+		);
+		expect(subscribeCalls).toEqual(["featured-show"]);
+
+		// l still opens the episode list for a subscribed show (no toggle).
+		m.mockInput.pressKey("l");
+		await waitFor(m, () => m.nav().currentDepth() === 2, "episodes re-opened");
+		expect(subscribeCalls).toEqual(["featured-show"]);
+		expect(mockDiscoverStore.episodesForPodcast("featured-show")).toHaveLength(
+			2,
+		);
+	} finally {
+		m.renderer.destroy();
+	}
+});

tests/discover-store-preview.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,184 @@
+/**
+ * discover-store-preview.test.ts — the Discover episode-preview store API.
+ *
+ * `openEpisodes` fetches a show's RSS feed WITHOUT subscribing (drill-in from
+ * a podcast result), caches it per podcast id for the session, records a
+ * per-show error on failure, and never refetches while cached or in flight.
+ * `refreshEpisodes` clears the cache/error and refetches.
+ *
+ * The REAL feed store runs against a local RSS server. No `mock.module`:
+ * bun test reuses workers across files and module mocks leak into the shared
+ * registry, so a feed-store mock here (whose stub lacks addFeed/refreshFeed/
+ * isLoadingFeeds) breaks every later file that shares a worker — the suite's
+ * documented failure mode. The repo's defense is importing the REAL modules
+ * via a query-suffixed specifier, which `mock.module` does not intercept.
+ */
+
+import { test, expect, beforeAll, afterAll } from "bun:test";
+import { mkdtempSync, rmSync } from "fs";
+import { tmpdir } from "os";
+import { join } from "path";
+import type { Podcast } from "../src/types/podcast";
+
+// Point the config dir at a throwaway directory BEFORE importing the stores
+// (their module-level init reads it).
+const configHome = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "podtui-discprev-"));
+process.env.XDG_CONFIG_HOME = configHome;
+
+// Query-suffixed module identity: loads the REAL discover store even when a
+// sibling file's `mock.module("../src/stores/discover")` leaked into this
+// worker. Its internal `./feed` import resolves the real feed store, which
+// no file mocks anymore.
+// @ts-expect-error — bun-only query suffix: distinct module identity that
+// loads the real file instead of a leaked mock.module from another test file.
+const { useDiscoverStore } = await import("../src/stores/discover?discover-store-preview");
+
+interface ServedEpisode {
+	title: string;
+	date: string;
+}
+
+/** Pathnames the local server has served, in order (fetch tracking). */
+const requests: string[] = [];
+/** Per-path episode lists served by the local server. */
+const served: Record<string, ServedEpisode[]> = {};
+/** When set, responses for this path wait on the release callback. */
+let gatePath: string | null = null;
+let releaseGate: (() => void) | null = null;
+
+/** XML for one show's episode list (ids derive from enclosure URLs). */
+function feedXml(episodes: ServedEpisode[], origin: string): string {
+	const items = episodes
+		.map(
+			(ep, i) => `<item>
+	<title>${ep.title}</title>
+	<pubDate>${ep.date}</pubDate>
+	<enclosure url="${origin}/audio-${i}.mp3" length="12345" type="audio/mpeg"/>
+</item>`,
+		)
+		.join("\n");
+	return `<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
+<rss version="2.0"><channel>
+<title>Test Show</title>
+<description>Discover preview test feed</description>
+${items}
+</channel></rss>`;
+}
+
+let server: Bun.Server<undefined> | null = null;
+let origin = "";
+
+beforeAll(() => {
+	server = Bun.serve({
+		port: 0,
+		async fetch(req) {
+			const url = new URL(req.url);
+			requests.push(url.pathname);
+			if (gatePath && url.pathname === gatePath) {
+				await new Promise<void>((resolve) => {
+					releaseGate = resolve;
+				});
+			}
+			// A permanently-failing feed (simulates a show that went down).
+			if (url.pathname === "/fail.xml") {
+				return new Response("feed unavailable", { status: 503 });
+			}
+			const eps = served[url.pathname];
+			if (!eps) return new Response("not found", { status: 404 });
+			return new Response(feedXml(eps, url.origin), {
+				headers: { "Content-Type": "application/rss+xml" },
+			});
+		},
+	});
+	origin = `http://127.0.0.1:${server.port}`;
+});
+
+afterAll(() => {
+	server?.stop(true);
+	rmSync(configHome, { recursive: true, force: true });
+});
+
+function makePodcast(overrides: Partial<Podcast> = {}): Podcast {
+	return {
+		id: "show-1",
+		title: "Show 1",
+		description: "",
+		feedUrl: "https://example.test/feed.xml",
+		lastUpdated: new Date(),
+		isSubscribed: false,
+		...overrides,
+	};
+}
+
+test("openEpisodes fetches, caches, and never refetches on cache hit or in flight", async () => {
+	const store = useDiscoverStore();
+	const pod = makePodcast({ feedUrl: `${origin}/show1.xml` });
+	served["/show1.xml"] = [{ title: "Ep 1", date: "2026-08-10T00:00:00Z" }];
+
+	expect(store.episodesForPodcast(pod.id)).toHaveLength(0);
+
+	await store.openEpisodes(pod);
+	expect(requests).toEqual(["/show1.xml"]);
+	expect(store.episodesForPodcast(pod.id)).toHaveLength(1);
+	expect(store.episodesForPodcast(pod.id)[0].title).toBe("Ep 1");
+	expect(store.isLoadingEpisodesFor(pod.id)).toBe(false);
+	expect(store.previewError(pod.id)).toBeUndefined();
+
+	// Cache hit: second open must not refetch.
+	await store.openEpisodes(pod);
+	expect(requests).toEqual(["/show1.xml"]);
+
+	// In-flight guard: a concurrent open during loading must not refetch.
+	// The server holds this show's response until the gate is released.
+	const pod2 = makePodcast({ id: "show-2", feedUrl: `${origin}/slow.xml` });
+	served["/slow.xml"] = [{ title: "Ep 2", date: "2026-08-09T00:00:00Z" }];
+	gatePath = "/slow.xml";
+	const pending = store.openEpisodes(pod2);
+	// Loading is set synchronously before the fetch resolves.
+	expect(store.isLoadingEpisodesFor(pod2.id)).toBe(true);
+	await store.openEpisodes(pod2); // must early-return, not queue a second fetch
+	// The request is held by the server gate; wait until it was actually
+	// received so the assertion isn't racing the network.
+	const deadline = Date.now() + 1000;
+	while (requests.length < 2 && Date.now() < deadline) {
+		await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 5));
+	}
+	expect(requests).toEqual(["/show1.xml", "/slow.xml"]);
+	releaseGate?.();
+	gatePath = null;
+	await pending;
+	expect(store.episodesForPodcast(pod2.id)[0].title).toBe("Ep 2");
+	expect(store.isLoadingEpisodesFor(pod2.id)).toBe(false);
+});
+
+test("openEpisodes records an error for feedless shows and failed fetches", async () => {
+	const store = useDiscoverStore();
+	const feedless = makePodcast({ id: "show-3", feedUrl: undefined });
+
+	await store.openEpisodes(feedless);
+	expect(requests).not.toContain(feedless.id);
+	expect(store.previewError(feedless.id)).toBe("No RSS feed listed for this show.");
+	expect(store.episodesForPodcast(feedless.id)).toHaveLength(0);
+
+	// Failed fetch (server 503) → error recorded, nothing cached.
+	const failing = makePodcast({ id: "show-4", feedUrl: `${origin}/fail.xml` });
+	await store.openEpisodes(failing);
+	expect(store.previewError(failing.id)).toBe("Couldn't load episodes.");
+	expect(store.episodesForPodcast(failing.id)).toHaveLength(0);
+	expect(store.isLoadingEpisodesFor(failing.id)).toBe(false);
+});
+
+test("refreshEpisodes clears the cache and error, then refetches", async () => {
+	const store = useDiscoverStore();
+	const pod = makePodcast({ id: "show-5", feedUrl: `${origin}/show5.xml` });
+	served["/show5.xml"] = [{ title: "Ep 1", date: "2026-08-10T00:00:00Z" }];
+
+	await store.openEpisodes(pod);
+	expect(store.episodesForPodcast(pod.id)).toHaveLength(1);
+	const callsBefore = requests.length;
+
+	await store.refreshEpisodes(pod);
+	expect(requests.length).toBe(callsBefore + 1);
+	expect(store.episodesForPodcast(pod.id)).toHaveLength(1);
+	expect(store.previewError(pod.id)).toBeUndefined();
+});

tests/external-pause-reconcile.test.ts

@@ -16,6 +16,11 @@
  * property the same way the OS does and asserts useAudio reconciles in
  * both directions. Skipped when mpv isn't installed.
  *
+ * Also covers daemon crash recovery: killing mpv out from under the app
+ * must drop the UI out of "playing" (finalizeTrackEnd), and the next Play
+ * press must respawn a fresh daemon and resume audio from the saved
+ * position — the play button may never silently no-op on a dead player.
+ *
  * Real-timer note: the reconcile path runs on useAudio's real 150ms poll
  * interval against a real mpv process, with no injectable clock — the
  * deliberate-exception case from the no-real-timers rule (same as
@@ -190,6 +195,27 @@ async function waitFor(
 	}
 }
 
+/** SIGKILL the backend's mpv daemon — a crash/kill out from under the app.
+ *  The mpv command line carries the IPC socket path, so pgrep finds it by
+ *  that (the socket name is unique to this test process). */
+async function killMpvDaemon(): Promise<void> {
+	const socket = mpvSocket();
+	if (!socket) throw new Error("backend mpv socket not found");
+	const pids = (await Bun.$`pgrep -f ${socket}`.quiet().text())
+		.split("\n")
+		.map((s) => s.trim())
+		.filter((s) => s.length > 0)
+		.map(Number);
+	expect(pids.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+	for (const pid of pids) {
+		try {
+			process.kill(pid, "SIGKILL");
+		} catch {
+			/* already gone */
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 const episode = {
 	id: "ep1",
 	podcastId: "pod1",
@@ -235,6 +261,42 @@ test.skipIf(!hasMpv)(
 	{ timeout: 30000 },
 );
 
+test.skipIf(!hasMpv)(
+	"mpv killed mid-play: UI drops out of playing; pressing play recovers a fresh daemon",
+	async () => {
+		const audio = useAudio();
+		await audio.play(episode);
+		// Instant assertion: play() sets isPlaying synchronously when it
+		// succeeded. (In a shared worker that leaked a store mock from
+		// another test file, play() fails and this catches it at 0ms
+		// instead of burning the waitFor timeout below.)
+		expect(audio.isPlaying()).toBe(true);
+		// Let the clock advance past the 5s progress-save floor so recovery
+		// has a saved position to resume from (positions <5s are not stored).
+		await waitFor(() => audio.position() > 6);
+		const crashPos = audio.position();
+
+		// Crash the player out from under the app.
+		await killMpvDaemon();
+		await waitFor(() => !audio.isPlaying());
+		expect(audio.isPlaying()).toBe(false);
+		// The episode stays current — recovery can restart it.
+		expect(audio.currentEpisode()?.id).toBe("ep1");
+
+		// Press play: must respawn mpv and resume from the saved position —
+		// not silently flip the UI to "playing" with no process behind it.
+		await audio.togglePlayback();
+		expect(audio.isPlaying()).toBe(true);
+		expect(audio.position()).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(crashPos - 0.5);
+		// Audio actually advances again — proof a fresh daemon is playing.
+		await waitFor(() => audio.position() > crashPos + 0.5);
+
+		await audio.stop();
+		expect(audio.isPlaying()).toBe(false);
+	},
+	{ timeout: 30000 },
+);
+
 // ── Teardown ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 afterAll(async () => {

tests/feed-nonblocking.test.ts

@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ const addedFeedIds: string[] = [];
 /** Feed created by the debounce test, reused by the flushPendingSave test. */
 let debounceFeedId = "";
 
-/** XML for the current served episode list (episode ids = feedUrl#index). */
+/** XML for the current served episode list (episode ids derive from enclosure URLs). */
 function feedXml(episodes: ServedEpisode[], origin: string): string {
 	const items = episodes
 		.map(

tests/feed-pagination.test.ts

@@ -3,12 +3,10 @@
  * row in a drilled show's episode list (My Shows depth 1) and the Feed
  * page's row.
  *
- * addFeed caches every episode inside the lifecycle window (the last
- * EPISODE_WINDOW_DAYS days — the date bound, not a count) while exposing
- * only the first MAX_EPISODES_SUBSCRIBE (20) episodes. `hasMoreEpisodes`
- * reports when the cache holds more than the loaded window;
- * `loadMoreEpisodes` advances that window in MAX_EPISODES_REFRESH (50)
- * chunks until it is exhausted. This pins:
+ * Runs in COUNT cache mode: `loadMoreEpisodes` advances the loaded window in
+ * fixed MAX_EPISODES_REFRESH (50) chunks until the cache is exhausted.
+ * (Date-mode fetch-more steps by a two-week window instead — that contract
+ * is pinned in feed-volatile-merge.test.ts.) This pins:
  *   1. A freshly subscribed feed with a longer cache reports hasMoreEpisodes.
  *   2. loadMoreEpisodes grows that feed's episodes from the cache (no refetch
  *      needed) and hasMoreEpisodes flips false once the window reaches the end.
@@ -26,6 +24,7 @@ const configHome = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "podtui-pagination-"));
 process.env.XDG_CONFIG_HOME = configHome;
 
 import { useFeedStore } from "../src/stores/feed";
+import { useAppStore } from "../src/stores/app";
 import type { Podcast } from "../src/types/podcast";
 
 const HOUR = 3600 * 1000;
@@ -43,7 +42,7 @@ let servedEpisodes: ServedEpisode[] = [];
 // store (execution order between files is not guaranteed).
 const addedFeedIds: string[] = [];
 
-/** XML for the current served episode list (episode ids = feedUrl#index). */
+/** XML for the current served episode list (episode ids derive from enclosure URLs). */
 function feedXml(episodes: ServedEpisode[], origin: string): string {
 	const items = episodes
 		.map(
@@ -72,7 +71,15 @@ const makePodcast = (feedUrl: string): Podcast => ({
 	isSubscribed: true,
 });
 
-beforeAll(() => {
+beforeAll(async () => {
+	// The app store loads its persisted prefs asynchronously at import; wait
+	// for that so our count-mode override isn't clobbered by the load.
+	await useAppStore().whenReady();
+	// Chunk-based stepping is count-mode behavior (see header comment).
+	useAppStore().updatePreferences({
+		episodeCacheMode: "count",
+		episodeCacheCount: 25,
+	});
 	server = Bun.serve({
 		port: 0,
 		fetch(req) {
@@ -89,6 +96,7 @@ beforeAll(() => {
 
 afterAll(() => {
 	// Leave the shared singleton as we found it (see addedFeedIds note).
+	useAppStore().updatePreferences({ episodeCacheMode: "date" });
 	const store = useFeedStore();
 	for (const id of addedFeedIds) store.removeFeed(id);
 	server?.stop(true);

tests/feed-refresh-effect.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,230 @@
+/**
+ * Feed-refresh Effect program tests (src/effects/feed-refresh.ts).
+ *
+ * These test the Effect program in isolation — no store singleton, no
+ * network, no fake timers. The fetch/apply closures are injected, and the
+ * `Clock` service comes from TestContext's TestClock, so timeouts are driven
+ * deterministically with TestClock.adjust instead of real 20s waits.
+ *
+ * Contracts pinned here (mirrored at the store level by
+ * feed-nonblocking.test.ts / feed-refresh.test.ts against a real Bun.serve):
+ *   1. Bounded concurrency — never more than `concurrency` fetches in
+ *      flight, and the pool pulls the next feed as one completes.
+ *   2. Per-feed apply as its own fetch lands (no barrier).
+ *   3. A timed-out fetch leaves that feed untouched and does not stall the
+ *      batch (TestClock.adjust fires the timeout deterministically).
+ *   4. A rejecting fetch leaves that feed untouched and does not fail the
+ *      batch.
+ */
+
+import { test, expect } from "bun:test"
+import { Duration, Effect, Fiber, TestClock, TestContext } from "effect"
+import {
+	refreshFeedsBatch,
+	type RefreshFetchResult,
+} from "../src/effects/feed-refresh"
+import type { Feed } from "../src/types/feed"
+import type { Podcast } from "../src/types/podcast"
+import type { Episode } from "../src/types/episode"
+
+const makePodcast = (id: string): Podcast => ({
+	id,
+	title: `Show ${id}`,
+	description: `Show ${id} description`,
+	feedUrl: `http://example.com/${id}.xml`,
+	lastUpdated: new Date(0),
+	isSubscribed: true,
+})
+
+const makeFeed = (id: string): Feed => ({
+	id,
+	podcast: makePodcast(id),
+	episodes: [],
+	visibility: "public" as Feed["visibility"],
+	sourceId: "test",
+	lastUpdated: new Date(0),
+	isPinned: false,
+})
+
+const makeEpisode = (id: string): Episode => ({
+	id,
+	podcastId: "pod",
+	title: `Ep ${id}`,
+	description: "",
+	audioUrl: `https://example.com/${id}.mp3`,
+	duration: 60,
+	pubDate: new Date(0),
+})
+
+/** Resolve an episode result without dragging in the full RSS shape. */
+const ok = (episodeIds: string[]): RefreshFetchResult => ({
+	episodes: episodeIds.map(makeEpisode),
+	coverUrl: undefined,
+})
+
+/** One macrotask turn — lets microtask-scheduled Effect fibers run. */
+const tick = (): Promise<void> => {
+	const { promise, resolve } = Promise.withResolvers<void>()
+	setImmediate(resolve)
+	return promise
+}
+
+/** A resolvable fetch gate: the pool parks on `promise` until the test
+ *  resolves it. (Promise.withResolvers's return type is not in tsconfig's
+ *  ES2015.Promise lib, hence the explicit shape.) */
+interface Gate {
+	promise: Promise<RefreshFetchResult>
+	resolve: (value: RefreshFetchResult) => void
+}
+
+/** Poll `cond` across up to `iterations` event-loop turns. */
+async function pollUntil(
+	cond: () => boolean,
+	iterations = 500,
+): Promise<boolean> {
+	for (let i = 0; i < iterations; i++) {
+		if (cond()) return true
+		await tick()
+	}
+	return cond()
+}
+
+test("bounds in-flight fetches to the configured concurrency", async () => {
+	const feeds = Array.from({ length: 10 }, (_, i) => makeFeed(`feed-${i}`))
+	let inFlight = 0
+	let maxInFlight = 0
+	const gates: Gate[] = []
+	const applied: string[] = []
+
+	const program = refreshFeedsBatch(
+		feeds,
+		(feed) => {
+			inFlight++
+			if (inFlight > maxInFlight) maxInFlight = inFlight
+			const gate = Promise.withResolvers<RefreshFetchResult>()
+			gates.push(gate)
+			return gate.promise.finally(() => {
+				inFlight--
+			})
+		},
+		(feed) => {
+			applied.push(feed.id)
+		},
+		{ concurrency: 4, timeoutMs: 60_000 },
+	)
+
+	// Run the batch in flight (NOT awaited) and observe the pool from
+	// outside via the gate side effects.
+	const done = Effect.runPromise(program)
+	// The pool starts exactly `concurrency` fetches up front.
+	const sawStart = await pollUntil(() => gates.length >= 4)
+	expect(sawStart).toBe(true)
+	expect(maxInFlight).toBe(4)
+	expect(gates.length).toBe(4)
+
+	// Resolve one gate: the pool pulls the next feed, still bounded at 4.
+	gates[0].resolve(ok(["a"]))
+	const sawPull = await pollUntil(() => gates.length >= 5)
+	expect(sawPull).toBe(true)
+	expect(maxInFlight).toBeLessThanOrEqual(4)
+
+	// Release everything, re-draining as the pool pulls new gates, until
+	// every feed has been fetched and applied.
+	while (applied.length < 10) {
+		for (const gate of gates.splice(0)) gate.resolve(ok(["x"]))
+		await tick()
+	}
+	await done
+	expect(maxInFlight).toBeLessThanOrEqual(4)
+	expect(applied).toHaveLength(10)
+})
+
+test("applies each feed as its own fetch lands (no barrier)", async () => {
+	const a = makeFeed("a")
+	const b = makeFeed("b")
+	const applied: string[] = []
+	let bCalled = false
+	const gateB = Promise.withResolvers<RefreshFetchResult>()
+
+	const program = refreshFeedsBatch(
+		[a, b],
+		(feed) => {
+			if (feed.id === "a") return Promise.resolve(ok(["a-1"]))
+			bCalled = true
+			return gateB.promise
+		},
+		(feed) => {
+			applied.push(feed.id)
+		},
+		{ concurrency: 4, timeoutMs: 60_000 },
+	)
+
+	// Run the batch in flight; A's fetch resolves and applies while B's is
+	// still parked at the gate.
+	const done = Effect.runPromise(program)
+	const aApplied = await pollUntil(() => applied.includes("a"))
+	expect(aApplied).toBe(true)
+	expect(bCalled).toBe(true)
+	expect(applied).toEqual(["a"])
+	expect(applied).not.toContain("b")
+
+	gateB.resolve(ok(["b-1"]))
+	await done
+	expect(applied).toEqual(["a", "b"])
+})
+
+test("a timed-out fetch leaves that feed untouched, without stalling the batch", async () => {
+	const fast = makeFeed("fast")
+	const hung = makeFeed("hung")
+	const applied: string[] = []
+	// A promise that never settles — the fetch hangs past the timeout.
+	const never = new Promise<RefreshFetchResult>(() => {})
+
+	const program = refreshFeedsBatch(
+		[fast, hung],
+		(feed) =>
+			feed.id === "fast"
+				? Promise.resolve(ok(["f-1"]))
+				: never,
+		(feed) => {
+			applied.push(feed.id)
+		},
+		{ concurrency: 4, timeoutMs: 5_000 },
+	)
+
+	const timed = Effect.gen(function* () {
+		const fiber = yield* Effect.fork(program)
+		// Advance the TestClock past the timeout: the hung fetch's
+		// Effect.timeout fires deterministically — no real 5s wait.
+		yield* TestClock.adjust(Duration.millis(5_000))
+		yield* Fiber.join(fiber)
+	})
+	await Effect.runPromise(
+		timed.pipe(Effect.provide(TestContext.TestContext)),
+	)
+
+	// The fast feed applied; the hung one was dropped, and the batch
+	// completed anyway.
+	expect(applied).toEqual(["fast"])
+})
+
+test("a rejecting fetch leaves that feed untouched and does not fail the batch", async () => {
+	const bad = makeFeed("bad")
+	const good = makeFeed("good")
+	const applied: string[] = []
+
+	const program = refreshFeedsBatch(
+		[bad, good],
+		(feed) =>
+			feed.id === "bad"
+				? Promise.reject(new Error("feed exploded"))
+				: Promise.resolve(ok(["g-1"])),
+		(feed) => {
+			applied.push(feed.id)
+		},
+		{ concurrency: 4, timeoutMs: 60_000 },
+	)
+
+	await Effect.runPromise(program)
+	expect(applied).toEqual(["good"])
+})

tests/feed-refresh.test.ts

@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ let feedAId = "";
 /** When set, the server 503s this path — simulates a feed going down. */
 let failPath: string | null = null;
 
-/** XML for the current served episode list (episode ids = feedUrl#index). */
+/** XML for the current served episode list (episode ids derive from enclosure URLs). */
 function feedXml(episodes: ServedEpisode[], origin: string): string {
 	const items = episodes
 		.map(
@@ -79,6 +79,18 @@ beforeAll(() => {
 			if (failPath && url.pathname === failPath) {
 				return new Response("feed unavailable", { status: 503 });
 			}
+			// A dedicated single-episode feed for the failed-refresh test:
+			// it must not depend on (or shrink) the shared servedEpisodes
+			// list, which other tests' feeds read on refreshAllFeeds.
+			if (url.pathname === "/flaky.xml") {
+				return new Response(
+					feedXml(
+						[{ title: "Ep 1", date: "2026-08-01T00:00:00Z" }],
+						url.origin,
+					),
+					{ headers: { "Content-Type": "application/rss+xml" } },
+				);
+			}
 			if (url.pathname.endsWith(".xml")) {
 				return new Response(feedXml(servedEpisodes, url.origin), {
 					headers: { "Content-Type": "application/rss+xml" },
@@ -139,8 +151,9 @@ test("refresh with a genuinely new episode bumps lastUpdated", async () => {
 
 test("a failed refresh does not wipe the feed's episodes", async () => {
 	const store = useFeedStore();
-	const savedEpisodes = servedEpisodes;
-	servedEpisodes = [{ title: "Ep 1", date: "2026-08-01T00:00:00Z" }];
+	// /flaky.xml serves its own fixed single-episode feed (see server route)
+	// so the shared servedEpisodes list stays untouched for feedA, which
+	// refreshAllFeeds below also refreshes.
 	const feedUrl = `http://127.0.0.1:${server!.port}/flaky.xml`;
 	const feed = await store.addFeed(makePodcast(feedUrl), "test-source");
 	expect(feed).not.toBeNull();
@@ -161,11 +174,6 @@ test("a failed refresh does not wipe the feed's episodes", async () => {
 
 	failPath = null;
 	store.removeFeed(feedId);
-	// Restore the shared served content: with union merge semantics (volatile
-	// episodes survive refreshes) this feed keeps its larger in-memory window,
-	// so later tests must serve the same episodes they added — a shrink here
-	// would make the next test's "unchanged" refresh genuinely different.
-	servedEpisodes = savedEpisodes;
 });
 
 test("refreshAllFeeds keeps unchanged feeds' order and timestamps", async () => {

tests/feed-volatile-merge.test.ts

@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ import { join } from "path";
 const configHome = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "podtui-volatile-"));
 process.env.XDG_CONFIG_HOME = configHome;
 
-import { useFeedStore } from "../src/stores/feed";
+import { sameRefreshWindow, useFeedStore } from "../src/stores/feed";
 import { mergeEpisodesBounded } from "../src/utils/episode-merge";
 import { episodeInWindow } from "../src/utils/feeds-persistence";
 import { useAppStore } from "../src/stores/app";
@@ -132,6 +132,67 @@ test("mergeEpisodesBounded dedupes on id collision and keeps the fetched copy",
 	expect(merged.find((e) => e.id === "a")!.title).toBe("New Title");
 });
 
+test("mergeEpisodesBounded drops stale-id twins (id migration / rotating enclosure URLs)", () => {
+	// The same two episodes with different ids on both sides — exactly what a
+	// refresh sees after the positional-id → stable-id migration (or a host
+	// that rotates signed audio URLs). Without content matching the union
+	// would double every episode.
+	const d1 = new Date("2026-08-01T00:00:00Z");
+	const d2 = new Date("2026-08-02T00:00:00Z");
+	const existing = [
+		makeEpisode("feed#0", "Ep 1", d1),
+		makeEpisode("feed#1", "Ep 2", d2),
+	];
+	const fetched = [
+		makeEpisode("feed#guid:g1", "Ep 1", d1),
+		makeEpisode("feed#guid:g2", "Ep 2", d2),
+	];
+	const keepAll = () => true;
+
+	const merged = mergeEpisodesBounded(existing, fetched, keepAll);
+
+	expect(merged.map((e) => e.id)).toEqual(["feed#guid:g2", "feed#guid:g1"]);
+	expect(merged).toHaveLength(2);
+});
+
+test("mergeEpisodesBounded keeps an existing episode with no fetched twin (volatile window)", () => {
+	// Fetched covers Ep 1 only (by content twin). Ep 2 exists only in memory
+	// — the volatile window — and must survive the refresh.
+	const d1 = new Date("2026-08-01T00:00:00Z");
+	const d2 = new Date("2026-08-02T00:00:00Z");
+	const existing = [
+		makeEpisode("feed#0", "Ep 1", d1),
+		makeEpisode("feed#1", "Ep 2", d2),
+	];
+	const fetched = [makeEpisode("feed#guid:g1", "Ep 1", d1)];
+	const keepAll = () => true;
+
+	const merged = mergeEpisodesBounded(existing, fetched, keepAll);
+
+	expect(merged).toHaveLength(2);
+	expect(merged.map((e) => e.title).sort()).toEqual(["Ep 1", "Ep 2"]);
+});
+
+test("sameRefreshWindow treats id drift with identical content as unchanged", () => {
+	// Same episode, id changed between refreshes (migration / URL rotation):
+	// the refresh must NOT bump lastUpdated or re-render.
+	const d = new Date("2026-08-01T00:00:00Z");
+	const existing = [makeEpisode("feed#0", "Ep 1", d)];
+	const fetched = [makeEpisode("feed#guid:g1", "Ep 1", d)];
+	expect(sameRefreshWindow(existing, fetched)).toBe(true);
+});
+
+test("sameRefreshWindow flags a genuinely new episode even when ids drift", () => {
+	const d1 = new Date("2026-08-01T00:00:00Z");
+	const d2 = new Date("2026-08-02T00:00:00Z");
+	const existing = [makeEpisode("feed#0", "Ep 1", d1)];
+	const fetched = [
+		makeEpisode("feed#guid:g2", "Ep 2", d2),
+		makeEpisode("feed#guid:g1", "Ep 1", d1),
+	];
+	expect(sameRefreshWindow(existing, fetched)).toBe(false);
+});
+
 test("mergeEpisodesBounded unions disjoint lists sorted newest-first", () => {
 	const existing = [
 		makeEpisode("old", "Old", new Date("2026-08-01T00:00:00Z")),
@@ -284,21 +345,103 @@ test("date mode boundary: 25 days in, 70 days out", async () => {
 	expect(store.getFeed(id)!.episodes.map((e) => e.title)).toEqual([
 		"In Window",
 	]);
-	// The full cache holds both, but the visible list only shows the in-window
-	// one — fetch-more surfaces the out-of-window one (volatile).
-	expect(store.hasMoreEpisodes(id)).toBe(true);
+	// The 70d episode is ~45 days past the 2-week band beyond the oldest
+	// loaded episode (25d → 39d band): a sparse show must NOT drag it in.
+	expect(store.hasMoreEpisodes(id)).toBe(false);
 	await store.loadMoreEpisodes(id);
 	expect(store.getFeed(id)!.episodes.map((e) => e.title)).toEqual([
 		"In Window",
-		"Out Window",
+	]);
+});
+
+test("date mode: a dormant show (nothing in the window or next band) never fetch-mores", async () => {
+	const store = useFeedStore();
+	const now = Date.now();
+	// Newest episode 100 days old, next 200 days old — both far outside the
+	// 60-day cache window and the 14-day band past its edge.
+	servedEpisodes = [
+		{ title: "Old A", date: new Date(now - 100 * DAY).toISOString() },
+		{ title: "Old B", date: new Date(now - 200 * DAY).toISOString() },
+	];
+	const feedUrl = `http://127.0.0.1:${server!.port}/dormant.xml`;
+	const feed = await store.addFeed(makePodcast(feedUrl), "test-source");
+	expect(feed).not.toBeNull();
+	const id = feed!.id;
+	addedFeedIds.push(id);
+
+	expect(store.getFeed(id)!.episodes.length).toBe(0);
+	expect(store.hasMoreEpisodes(id)).toBe(false);
+	await store.loadMoreEpisodes(id);
+	expect(store.getFeed(id)!.episodes.length).toBe(0);
+});
+
+test("date mode: episodes just outside the window load via the band anchored at the window edge", async () => {
+	const store = useFeedStore();
+	const now = Date.now();
+	// Both episodes are outside the 60-day window (61d / 65d) but inside the
+	// 14-day band past its edge (60d → 74d) — fetch-more reveals them.
+	servedEpisodes = [
+		{ title: "Just Out A", date: new Date(now - 61 * DAY).toISOString() },
+		{ title: "Just Out B", date: new Date(now - 65 * DAY).toISOString() },
+	];
+	const feedUrl = `http://127.0.0.1:${server!.port}/just-out.xml`;
+	const feed = await store.addFeed(makePodcast(feedUrl), "test-source");
+	expect(feed).not.toBeNull();
+	const id = feed!.id;
+	addedFeedIds.push(id);
+
+	expect(store.getFeed(id)!.episodes.length).toBe(0);
+	expect(store.hasMoreEpisodes(id)).toBe(true);
+	await store.loadMoreEpisodes(id);
+	expect(store.getFeed(id)!.episodes.map((e) => e.title)).toEqual([
+		"Just Out A",
+		"Just Out B",
 	]);
 });
 
 // ── count mode ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
+test("date mode: fetch-more steps by a two-week window, not a count", async () => {
+	const store = useFeedStore();
+	const now = Date.now();
+	// 30 episodes at 3-day spacing span 87 days. The 60-day cache window
+	// holds the first 21 (subscribe shows 20); fetch-more then reveals the
+	// next 2-week band per press — 3-day cadence → ~4 episodes per band —
+	// NOT a fixed 50-episode chunk (which would load all 30 at once).
+	servedEpisodes = Array.from({ length: 30 }, (_, i) => ({
+		title: `Ep ${30 - i}`,
+		date: new Date(now - i * 3 * DAY).toISOString(),
+	}));
+	const feedUrl = `http://127.0.0.1:${server!.port}/date-step.xml`;
+	const feed = await store.addFeed(makePodcast(feedUrl), "test-source");
+	expect(feed).not.toBeNull();
+	const id = feed!.id;
+	addedFeedIds.push(id);
+
+	expect(store.getFeed(id)!.episodes.length).toBe(20);
+
+	// Press 1: oldest loaded is 57d old → cutoff 71d → i=20..23 (60–69d).
+	await store.loadMoreEpisodes(id);
+	expect(store.getFeed(id)!.episodes.length).toBe(24);
+	expect(store.hasMoreEpisodes(id)).toBe(true);
+
+	// Press 2: oldest loaded is 69d old → cutoff 83d → i=24..27 (72–81d).
+	await store.loadMoreEpisodes(id);
+	expect(store.getFeed(id)!.episodes.length).toBe(28);
+	expect(store.hasMoreEpisodes(id)).toBe(true);
+
+	// Press 3: oldest loaded is 81d old → cutoff 95d → i=28..29 (84–87d).
+	await store.loadMoreEpisodes(id);
+	expect(store.getFeed(id)!.episodes.length).toBe(30);
+	expect(store.hasMoreEpisodes(id)).toBe(false);
+});
+
 test("count mode: only N most-recent episodes are visible, but fetch-more goes beyond", async () => {
 	const store = useFeedStore();
 	const app = useAppStore();
+	// The app store loads persisted prefs asynchronously at import — wait so
+	// the override below isn't clobbered by the load.
+	await app.whenReady();
 	app.updatePreferences({ episodeCacheMode: "count", episodeCacheCount: 25 });
 
 	const now = Date.now();
@@ -329,3 +472,67 @@ test("count mode: only N most-recent episodes are visible, but fetch-more goes b
 	// Reset to date mode for subsequent tests.
 	app.updatePreferences({ episodeCacheMode: "date" });
 });
+
+test("count mode: Feed list is a GLOBAL top-N that grows N per press, never a far-back dump", async () => {
+	const store = useFeedStore();
+	const app = useAppStore();
+	// Wait out the async pref load (see the single-show count test).
+	await app.whenReady();
+	app.updatePreferences({ episodeCacheMode: "count", episodeCacheCount: 25 });
+
+	const now = Date.now();
+	// Feed A: 200 episodes at 1-day spacing (ages 0–199d). Feed B: 200 at
+	// 1-day spacing shifted 200 days older (ages 200–399d) — every A episode
+	// is newer than every B episode, so the global top-K is deterministic.
+	const serve = (prefix: string, shiftDays: number) =>
+		Array.from({ length: 200 }, (_, i) => ({
+			title: `${prefix} Ep ${200 - i}`,
+			date: new Date(now - (shiftDays + i) * DAY).toISOString(),
+		}));
+	servedEpisodes = serve("A", 0);
+	const aUrl = `http://127.0.0.1:${server!.port}/global-a.xml`;
+	const a = await store.addFeed(makePodcast(aUrl), "test-source");
+	expect(a).not.toBeNull();
+	const aId = a!.id;
+	addedFeedIds.push(aId);
+	servedEpisodes = serve("B", 200);
+	const bUrl = `http://127.0.0.1:${server!.port}/global-b.xml`;
+	const b = await store.addFeed(makePodcast(bUrl), "test-source");
+	expect(b).not.toBeNull();
+	const bId = b!.id;
+	addedFeedIds.push(bId);
+
+	// The Feed page's global list is capped at the configured count (25),
+	// NOT 20 per show (the union would be 40).
+	expect(store.getAllEpisodesChronological().length).toBe(25);
+
+	// Press 1: cap grows to 50 AND every feed's window deepens by 25 — the
+	// list reveals exactly the next 25 most-recent episodes (A's 25 more),
+	// not 25 from every show.
+	await store.loadMoreAllFeeds();
+	expect(store.getAllEpisodesChronological().length).toBe(50);
+	expect(store.getFeed(aId)!.episodes.length).toBe(45);
+	expect(store.getFeed(bId)!.episodes.length).toBe(45);
+	expect(store.hasMoreAcrossAll()).toBe(true);
+
+	// Press 2: cap grows to 75.
+	await store.loadMoreAllFeeds();
+	expect(store.getAllEpisodesChronological().length).toBe(75);
+
+	// Keep pressing until every cache is exhausted. The global cap stays
+	// (never lifts — rendering the full deep union froze the UI), so the
+	// Feed list stays at count×(presses+1) = 25×9 = 225 while the per-show
+	// windows hold everything.
+	let guard = 0;
+	while (store.hasMoreAcrossAll() && guard++ < 30) {
+		await store.loadMoreAllFeeds();
+	}
+	expect(guard).toBeLessThan(30);
+	expect(store.hasMoreAcrossAll()).toBe(false);
+	expect(store.getFeed(aId)!.episodes.length).toBe(200);
+	expect(store.getFeed(bId)!.episodes.length).toBe(200);
+	expect(store.getAllEpisodesChronological().length).toBe(225);
+
+	// Reset to date mode for subsequent tests.
+	app.updatePreferences({ episodeCacheMode: "date" });
+});

tests/restore-session.test.ts

@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ process.env.XDG_CONFIG_HOME = CONFIG;
 process.env.XDG_DATA_HOME = DATA;
 process.env.PODTUI_AUDIO_BACKEND = "none";
 
-// ── Local RSS feed server (episode ids = feedUrl#index) ────────────────────
+// ── Local RSS feed server (episode ids derive from enclosure URLs) ─────────
 let server: ReturnType<typeof Bun.serve> | null = null;
 function feedXml(origin: string): string {
 	const items = ["Episode One", "Episode Two"]

tests/rss-episode-ids.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+/**
+ * Episode id stability regression tests.
+ *
+ * The parser used to key episodes by their position in the feed
+ * (`feedUrl#index`). Any feed change — a new episode published, an old one
+ * pruned — shifted every episode's id, so saved progress/downloads attached
+ * to whichever episode happened to occupy that index afterward ("start a new
+ * episode and it resumes minutes in"). Ids must instead be stable per
+ * episode: <guid> when present, else the enclosure URL, else the index.
+ */
+
+import { describe, expect, test } from "bun:test"
+import { getRSSItems, parseRSSItem } from "../src/api/rss-parser"
+
+const FEED = "https://example.com/feed.xml"
+
+const item = (
+  title: string,
+  date: string,
+  audioUrl: string,
+  guid?: string,
+): string =>
+  `<item>
+<title>${title}</title>
+<pubDate>${date}</pubDate>
+${guid ? `<guid>${guid}</guid>` : ""}
+<enclosure url="${audioUrl}" length="12345" type="audio/mpeg"/>
+</item>`
+
+const parse = (xml: string): ReturnType<typeof parseRSSItem>[] =>
+  getRSSItems(xml).map((it, i) => parseRSSItem(it, FEED, i))
+
+describe("stable episode ids", () => {
+  test("guid-based ids survive a new episode being prepended", () => {
+    // Two episodes, newest first. Positional ids would be feedUrl#0 / #1.
+    const before = parse(
+      `<rss><channel>${item("Ep 2", "2026-08-02", "https://cdn.example.com/e2.mp3", "ep-2")}${item("Ep 1", "2026-08-01", "https://cdn.example.com/e1.mp3", "ep-1")}</channel></rss>`,
+    )
+
+    // A third, newer episode appears at the top — every index shifts.
+    const after = parse(
+      `<rss><channel>${item("Ep 3", "2026-08-03", "https://cdn.example.com/e3.mp3", "ep-3")}${item("Ep 2", "2026-08-02", "https://cdn.example.com/e2.mp3", "ep-2")}${item("Ep 1", "2026-08-01", "https://cdn.example.com/e1.mp3", "ep-1")}</channel></rss>`,
+    )
+
+    // The known episodes keep their ids — only the newcomer differs.
+    expect(after[1].id).toBe(before[0].id) // Ep 2
+    expect(after[2].id).toBe(before[1].id) // Ep 1
+    expect(after[0].id).not.toBe(before[0].id) // Ep 3 is new
+  })
+
+  test("enclosure-URL fallback ids survive reordering (no guid)", () => {
+    const a = item("A", "2026-08-02", "https://cdn.example.com/a.mp3")
+    const b = item("B", "2026-08-01", "https://cdn.example.com/b.mp3")
+    const first = parse(`<rss><channel>${a}${b}</channel></rss>`)
+    const reordered = parse(`<rss><channel>${b}${a}</channel></rss>`)
+
+    // The same episodes at different indexes still carry their own ids.
+    expect(reordered[0].id).toBe(first[1].id) // B moved to index 0
+    expect(reordered[1].id).toBe(first[0].id) // A moved to index 1
+  })
+
+  test("ids are namespaced per feed", () => {
+    const xml = `<rss><channel>${item("Ep", "2026-08-01", "https://cdn.example.com/e.mp3", "same-guid")}</channel></rss>`
+    const parsed = getRSSItems(xml)
+    const a = parseRSSItem(parsed[0], "https://a.example/feed.xml", 0)
+    const b = parseRSSItem(parsed[0], "https://b.example/feed.xml", 0)
+    expect(a.id).not.toBe(b.id)
+  })
+
+  test("id is deterministic across parses of the same item", () => {
+    const xml = `<rss><channel>${item("Ep", "2026-08-01", "https://cdn.example.com/e.mp3")}</channel></rss>`
+    const one = parse(xml)
+    const two = parse(xml)
+    expect(one[0].id).toBe(two[0].id)
+  })
+})

tests/show-row-wrap.test.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,189 @@
+/**
+ * Show-row height regression — My Shows depth-0 rows must stay exactly one
+ * line tall: marker + show title + episode count (+ watchlist dot). The
+ * flexible title carries `wrapMode="none"` + `truncate` (middle-ellipsis:
+ * head and tail of the title stay visible) and the fixed-width cells carry
+ * `flexShrink={0}`, so Yoga can never shrink them and wrap the row — a
+ * wrapped row grows to 2+ lines and the episode count + watchlist dot shift
+ * below the title while scrolling (the original bug). Same guard for the
+ * 20%-wide parent-pane shows list at depth ≥1.
+ *
+ * Rendered at 70 columns so the 35-col current pane / 14-col parent pane are
+ * narrow enough to force truncation on the long title; at the default
+ * 100-col/50-col pane the same rows show everything in full.
+ */
+
+import { describe, test, expect, afterAll } from "bun:test";
+import type { JSX } from "solid-js";
+import { testRender } from "@opentui/solid";
+import { ThemeProvider } from "../src/context/ThemeContext";
+import { PaneRow } from "../src/components/PaneRow";
+
+type Frame = { cols: number; lines: { spans: { text: string }[] }[] };
+
+function frameText(spans: Frame): string[] {
+	return spans.lines.map((l) => l.spans.map((s) => s.text).join(""));
+}
+
+const LONG_TITLE =
+	"Out of Whiskey and Reaching for the Rotgut (Members Only #338)";
+
+// The exact depth-0 row shape MyShowsPage renders: marker + title + count +
+// watchlist dot. Static text, no store hooks — pure layout probe.
+const ShowRowFixed = () => (
+	<box flexDirection="row" gap={1} paddingRight={1}>
+		<text flexShrink={0}>❯</text>
+		<text wrapMode="none" truncate>
+			{LONG_TITLE}
+		</text>
+		<text flexShrink={0}>(123)</text>
+		<text flexShrink={0}>●</text>
+	</box>
+);
+
+// Pre-fix shape: no wrapMode/truncate/flexShrink props — the long title
+// wraps at the shrunken width and pushes the count + dot onto wrapped lines.
+const ShowRowNaive = () => (
+	<box flexDirection="row" gap={1} paddingRight={1}>
+		<text>❯</text>
+		<text>{LONG_TITLE}</text>
+		<text>(123)</text>
+		<text>●</text>
+	</box>
+);
+
+// The depth-1 parent-pane shows-list row (marker + title + count).
+const ParentRowFixed = () => (
+	<box flexDirection="row" gap={1} paddingRight={1}>
+		<text flexShrink={0}>❯</text>
+		<text wrapMode="none" truncate>
+			{LONG_TITLE}
+		</text>
+		<text flexShrink={0}>(123)</text>
+	</box>
+);
+
+const ParentRowNaive = () => (
+	<box flexDirection="row" gap={1} paddingRight={1}>
+		<text>❯</text>
+		<text>{LONG_TITLE}</text>
+		<text>(123)</text>
+	</box>
+);
+
+async function renderRow(
+	row: () => JSX.Element,
+	pane: "current" | "parent",
+	width = 70,
+): Promise<{ lines: string[]; destroy: () => Promise<void> }> {
+	const setup = await testRender(
+		() => (
+			<ThemeProvider mode="dark">
+				<PaneRow
+					parent={pane === "parent" ? row : null}
+					current={pane === "current" ? row : null}
+					preview={null}
+					currentLabel="List"
+				/>
+			</ThemeProvider>
+		),
+		{ width, height: 10, useThread: false },
+	);
+	// ThemeProvider mounts children only once the theme resolves; poll for
+	// the header row so the captured frame is a mounted PaneRow.
+	let lines: string[] | null = null;
+	for (let i = 0; i < 40 && !lines; i++) {
+		await setup.renderOnce();
+		const frame = setup.captureSpans() as unknown as Frame;
+		const ls = frameText(frame);
+		if (ls.some((l) => l.includes("List"))) lines = ls;
+		else await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 100));
+	}
+	if (!lines) throw new Error("PaneRow did not render before timeout");
+	return {
+		lines,
+		destroy: async () => {
+			setup.renderer.destroy();
+		},
+	};
+}
+
+const cleanups: (() => void | Promise<void>)[] = [];
+afterAll(async () => {
+	for (const c of cleanups) {
+		try {
+			await c();
+		} catch {
+			// renderer already torn down — ignore
+		}
+	}
+});
+
+describe("show row height in the current pane (70-wide → 35-col pane)", () => {
+	test("long title stays on one line — middle-ellipsis keeps head AND tail, count + dot stay aligned", async () => {
+		const { lines, destroy } = await renderRow(ShowRowFixed, "current");
+		cleanups.push(destroy);
+
+		// Middle-ellipsis: the title head and its tail both survive, on a
+		// single line (end-truncation would drop the tail).
+		expect(lines.filter((l) => l.includes("Out of Wh"))).toHaveLength(1);
+		expect(lines.filter((l) => l.includes("#338)"))).toHaveLength(1);
+		// The count and watchlist dot sit on that same line — nothing wrapped.
+		const aligned = lines.filter(
+			(l) =>
+				l.includes("Out of Wh") &&
+				l.includes("#338)") &&
+				l.includes("(123)") &&
+				l.includes("●"),
+		);
+		expect(aligned).toHaveLength(1);
+		// Row occupies exactly 1 content line below the header.
+		const content = lines.filter(
+			(l) => l.includes("Out of Wh") || l.includes("(123)"),
+		);
+		expect(content).toHaveLength(1);
+	});
+
+	test("naive row (pre-fix props) wraps the title — the regression the test guards", async () => {
+		const { lines, destroy } = await renderRow(ShowRowNaive, "current");
+		cleanups.push(destroy);
+
+		// The title's wrapped fragments span 3 frame lines instead of 1 —
+		// every row below shifts while scrolling.
+		const titleFragments = lines.filter(
+			(l) =>
+				l.includes("Out of Whiskey") ||
+				l.includes("Rotgut") ||
+				l.includes("#338)"),
+		);
+		expect(titleFragments).toHaveLength(3);
+	});
+});
+
+describe("show row in the parent pane (70-wide → 14-col pane)", () => {
+	test("long title stays on one line with count aligned", async () => {
+		const { lines, destroy } = await renderRow(ParentRowFixed, "parent");
+		cleanups.push(destroy);
+
+		// The 14-col slot truncates the title to a head stub (too narrow for
+		// head + tail), but the row stays one line and the count pins to it.
+		expect(lines.filter((l) => l.includes("O..."))).toHaveLength(1);
+		expect(
+			lines.filter((l) => l.includes("O...") && l.includes("(123)")),
+		).toHaveLength(1);
+	});
+
+	test("naive parent row wraps the title — the regression the test guards", async () => {
+		const { lines, destroy } = await renderRow(ParentRowNaive, "parent");
+		cleanups.push(destroy);
+
+		const titleFragments = lines.filter(
+			(l) =>
+				l.includes("Out of") ||
+				l.includes("Whiskey") ||
+				l.includes("Rotgut") ||
+				l.includes("#3"),
+		);
+		expect(titleFragments.length).toBeGreaterThan(1);
+	});
+});

tests/visualizer-store.test.ts

@@ -230,15 +230,118 @@ test.skipIf(skip)(
 		app.updateVisualizer({ enabled: false });
 		await waitFor(() => !viz.isRunning(), 10000);
 		expect(viz.isLoading()).toBe(false);
+		// Stopping the pipeline must drop the last rendered frame — a cold
+		// restart (re-enable, unload, episode change) would otherwise show
+		// stale bars from the previous run and never reach the loading
+		// state (the spinner only shows while bars are empty).
+		expect(viz.barData().length).toBe(0);
 
 		app.updateVisualizer({ enabled: true });
-		await waitFor(() => viz.isRunning(), 10000);
+		// The restart surfaces the loading state before the first frame.
+		await waitFor(() => viz.isLoading(), 5000);
 		await waitFor(() => !viz.isLoading() && viz.barData().length > 0, 10000);
 		expect(viz.barData().length).toBe(64);
 	},
 	{ timeout: 20000 },
 );
 
+// A pause followed by a seek while paused, then resume, lands OUTSIDE the
+// decoded sliding window: the cache can't serve bars instantly, so the
+// store must surface the warm-up as a loading state instead of silently
+// holding the stale pre-pause frame. Regression: resumeVisualization never
+// set isLoading, so the last frame froze with no feedback until the
+// re-decode's first frame landed.
+test.skipIf(skip)(
+	"resume into undecoded audio shows the loading state until bars land",
+	async () => {
+		const viz = useVisualizer();
+		await startPlaying();
+		expect(viz.barData().length).toBe(64);
+
+		// Pause, then seek far ahead while paused (outside the ~10s of
+		// decoded coverage), then resume.
+		setIsPlaying(false);
+		await waitFor(() => !viz.isRunning(), 10000);
+		setPosition(30);
+		setIsPlaying(true);
+
+		// The resume position isn't decoded yet — loading, not frozen bars.
+		await waitFor(() => viz.isLoading(), 5000);
+		expect(viz.isRunning()).toBe(true);
+
+		// Playback advances past the resume point (mpv moves the clock);
+		// once the re-decode covers it, fresh bars replace the stale
+		// pre-pause frame (chirp spectrum at 30s ≠ 2s) and the loading
+		// state clears.
+		setPosition(31);
+		const barsBefore = viz.barData();
+		await waitFor(
+			() => !viz.isLoading() && viz.barData() !== barsBefore,
+			15000,
+		);
+		expect(viz.barData().length).toBe(64);
+	},
+	{ timeout: 30000 },
+);
+
+// After a long pause on a network stream, the player (mpv) re-buffers:
+// `isPlaying` stays true but the position clock freezes. Without
+// detection the waveform rendered the same cached window forever — static
+// bars and no feedback. The render loop must report the stall as a
+// loading state and clear it the moment the clock moves again.
+test.skipIf(skip)(
+	"a frozen position clock while playing surfaces a stall; recovery clears it",
+	async () => {
+		const viz = useVisualizer();
+		await startPlaying();
+		expect(viz.isStalled()).toBe(false);
+
+		// Freeze the position: isPlaying stays true, the clock never moves.
+		await waitFor(() => viz.isStalled(), 10000);
+
+		// Player recovers — the clock advances again.
+		setPosition(4);
+		await waitFor(() => !viz.isStalled(), 3000);
+		expect(viz.isRunning()).toBe(true);
+	},
+	{ timeout: 20000 },
+);
+
+// Resume re-arms a pipeline whose ffmpeg pass was killed at pause: the
+// stale pre-pause bars must not masquerade as live data while the player
+// recovers. The spinner shows IN THEIR PLACE until the position clock
+// advances past the resume point — a frozen clock (mpv re-buffering after
+// a long pause) keeps the spinner even though the cache can serve the
+// same window.
+test.skipIf(skip)(
+	"resume shows the loading state in place of stale bars until the position clock advances",
+	async () => {
+		const viz = useVisualizer();
+		await startPlaying();
+		expect(viz.isLoading()).toBe(false);
+
+		// Pause, then resume against the still-covered position.
+		setIsPlaying(false);
+		await waitFor(() => !viz.isRunning(), 10000);
+		setIsPlaying(true);
+
+		// The spinner replaces the bars immediately on resume.
+		await waitFor(() => viz.isLoading(), 5000);
+		expect(viz.isRunning()).toBe(true);
+
+		// Position clock stays frozen at the resume point (re-buffering):
+		// the loading state must persist, not yield to static cached bars.
+		await Bun.sleep(250);
+		expect(viz.isLoading()).toBe(true);
+
+		// Player recovers — the clock advances → fresh bars, spinner gone.
+		setPosition(3);
+		await waitFor(() => !viz.isLoading(), 3000);
+		expect(viz.barData().length).toBe(64);
+	},
+	{ timeout: 20000 },
+);
+
 // ── Teardown ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 afterAll(() => {