feat(podcasts): unset listening order defaults to reversed (audiobook-first)

The per-feed listening order — the Order dropdown on the podcast page
and player — resolved its UNSET state to "native": feed document order,
which runs newest-first for classic RSS. This platform is audiobook-
first, so native started every book at its LAST chapter (verified on
live data: 7th Son position 1 = Bonus Episode #2, positions descending
through the chapters).

The unset fallback flips to "reverse" at every resolution site of that
ONE setting — the podcast page's list + dropdown (podcastOrderForFeed),
the player's feed chain (reader.go), and the download queue
(orderOverrideFor) — so the dropdown shows reversed selected, the page
renders in that order, and play/download follow. Stored overrides are
untouched (native stays a valid savable choice); no ordering semantics
changed; collections are untouched.

Pins: the flipped native expectation is changelogged in contract_pins;
new pins cover the sequence config carrying reverse, feed position 1
playing last, and the page dropdown rendering reverse selected for an
unset feed.

internal/router/podcast_page.go

@@ -381,6 +381,13 @@ func buildPodcastDetailData(c *echo.Context, cfg *Config, user templates.User, f
 }
 
 // podcastOrderForFeed reads the caller's order override (D5).
+//
+// The UNSET default is "reverse" (2026-11-01 user request): the platform
+// is audiobook-first and feed document order runs newest-first, so
+// native starts a book at its LAST chapter. This is the same per-feed
+// setting the Order dropdown shows — page list, player chain, and
+// download queue all resolve through it. Stored overrides are untouched:
+// anyone who picked an order keeps exactly what they picked.
 func podcastOrderForFeed(cfg *Config, c *echo.Context, feedID string) string {
 	user := handlers.MustGetAuthenticatedUser(c)
 	row, err := cfg.Queries.GetUserSettingByKey(c.Request().Context(), database.GetUserSettingByKeyParams{
@@ -388,16 +395,16 @@ func podcastOrderForFeed(cfg *Config, c *echo.Context, feedID string) string {
 		SettingKey: "podcast_order:" + feedID,
 	})
 	if err != nil {
-		return "native"
+		return "reverse"
 	}
 	var v struct {
 		Order string `json:"order"`
 	}
 	if err := json.Unmarshal(row, &v); err != nil {
-		return "native"
+		return "reverse"
 	}
 	if !services.ValidPodcastEpisodeOrder(v.Order) {
-		return "native"
+		return "reverse"
 	}
 	return v.Order
 }

internal/router/reader.go

@@ -187,8 +187,11 @@ func buildPodcastSequenceContext(c *echo.Context, cfg *Config, item *database.Me
 		return nil
 	}
 
-	// Effective order override (D5): reader_settings KV.
-	order := "native"
+	// Effective order override (D5): reader_settings KV. UNSET defaults
+	// to "reverse" (2026-11-01: audiobook-first — native document order
+	// starts a book at its last chapter); the same default the podcast
+	// page's Order dropdown shows. Stored overrides are untouched.
+	order := "reverse"
 	if row, err := cfg.Queries.GetUserSettingByKey(ctx, database.GetUserSettingByKeyParams{
 		UserID:     userID,
 		SettingKey: "podcast_order:" + uuid.UUID(item.SourceFeedID.Bytes).String(),

internal/services/podcast_worker.go

@@ -317,7 +317,11 @@ func (w *PodcastDownloadWorker) QueueFeedDownloadsAs(ctx context.Context, userID
 		return 0, err
 	}
 
-	order := "native"
+	// THE order helper (§0 item 5a) — same semantics as the sequence,
+	// reader chain, and page list; no per-surface sort drift. UNSET
+	// defaults to "reverse" (2026-11-01, audiobook-first: chapter order
+	// downloads first so listening can start while the rest fetches).
+	order := "reverse"
 	if userID.Valid {
 		order = w.orderOverrideFor(actx, userID, feedID)
 	}
@@ -344,19 +348,21 @@ func (w *PodcastDownloadWorker) QueueFeedDownloadsAs(ctx context.Context, userID
 }
 
 // orderOverrideFor reads a user's podcast_order override via the
-// reader_settings KV (the D5 storage; native when absent/invalid).
+// reader_settings KV (the D5 storage; "reverse" when absent/invalid —
+// the 2026-11-01 audiobook-first default, same as every other
+// resolution site of this setting).
 func (w *PodcastDownloadWorker) orderOverrideFor(ctx context.Context, userID, feedID pgtype.UUID) string {
 	row, err := w.db.GetUserSettingByKey(ctx, database.GetUserSettingByKeyParams{
 		UserID: userID, SettingKey: "podcast_order:" + feedID.String(),
 	})
 	if err != nil {
-		return "native"
+		return "reverse"
 	}
 	var v struct {
 		Order string `json:"order"`
 	}
 	if json.Unmarshal(row, &v) != nil || !ValidPodcastEpisodeOrder(v.Order) {
-		return "native"
+		return "reverse"
 	}
 	return v.Order
 }