A2a (metadata round): narrators TEXT[] + narrators_search (tags
pattern: accumulator + GIN pairs) + abridged bool on media_items;
scanner fills from the Libation/ABS sidecar (narrators verbatim,
abridged flag) with audio-payload promotion; editorial fields ride
the real columns while audio_metadata stays scan-derived (duration/
codec/chapters). Detail/edit/save paths carry the fields; the web
edit dialog grows an Audio section (Narrator(s) comma-input, Abridged
toggle, scanned duration read-only); search weights + narrator filter
(word_similarity over narrators_search) + narrator autocomplete added.
A2c (per-media-type wording): copy helpers keyed on format_group —
Listen Now, Mark Complete/Not Complete, Listening Progress, Your
Listening Stats, Time Listening, Time listened (pages tile swapped for
audio), Position H:MM:SS / total H:MM:SS on detail + progress pages
(duration parsed from audio_metadata). Dashboard: system collections
swap to Continue Listening / Recently Listened at DISPLAY time when
the audiobooks library is selected (stored names unchanged; restores
keep working); week card = Listening Time / Sessions / Books Touched;
cover-corner badges identify audiobook (headphones) / comic / manga
cards on mixed grids — books stay unbadged; hover action icon follows
the media type.
A2b (player): the scrubber binds value to the playhead with an explicit
scrub guard (the handle previously froze at its initial max); header
row = reader-style back arrow + Chapter n/total launcher; chapters
open in a floating top-down drawer (current chapter highlighted, page
never shifts); Skip/Speed rows share one label-left layout; honest
wall-clock session accounting (playing-only deltas, paused flush).
A2d (bookmarks): note-bearing time bookmarks ride the existing
media_bookmarks substrate (notes column + sync-aware service already
there) — audio locator convention audio:<seconds>, chapter_number
filled, auto-title '<chapter> — H:MM:SS', capture popover with optional
note, drawer with jump/edit-note/delete. Zero server changes needed.
Verified live on the Libation sample: narrators backfilled by rescan;
PUT edit persisted + overrides detected (narrators, abridged); force
rescan preserved the user edit; reset-to-scanned-of-defaults restored
truth; narrator filter/autocomplete scoped by library; dashboard
listsening wording + badges render; bookmark save with note deduped to
one row.
Phase 1 (foundation): 'audiobooks' library type seeded (schema + DB);
audio_metadata JSONB on media_items (the kobo_metadata precedent —
only audio paths read it); reading_progress.audio_offset_seconds for
the honest {chapter, offset} locator; extensions/mimes registered for
ALL breadth formats (m4b/m4a/mp3/flac — deliberate per the DOC/LIT
doctrine, m4b scans richly first); classifyFormatGroup 'audiobook'
case (gotcha 39 recomputes on rescan); Go mime table extended at boot
so media elements accept the streams; ffmpeg/ffprobe in the image
(8.1.2 — also the xHE-AAC identification tripwire).
Phase 2 (ingest): sidecar-first (Libation/ABS metadata.json —
narrators/ASIN/curated chapters), ffprobe fallback/filler (duration,
bitrate, codec/profile, embedded chapters). Fixed three real
parser brittlenesses the Libation sidecar exposed: series accepts
string OR array-of-objects, publishedYear accepts number OR string,
ffprobe chapter timings accept number OR string (flexFloat). Folder-
structure fallback now runs on the UPDATE path too (rescans were
clearing sidecar-absent series/author); audio facts re-derive on
every rescan (gotcha 39).
Phase 3 (playback + sync): GET /api/media-items/:id/chapters (the
format-abstraction list); streaming rides the existing cookie-authed
Range /uploads path; PUT progress carries audio_offset_seconds +
elapsed_seconds (honest wall-clock playing time) — the reading-
history capture prefers player-reported elapsed over the inter-push
delta, same 2h ceiling; reading_mode='audio' marks the row.
Phase 4 (web player): dedicated audio reader page (foliate not
involved) — cover, chapter title, whole-book scrubber, skip ± (chips
1/5/10/15/30s, default 10s), speed (0.75×–2×), chapter list with
jump-to, Media Session lockscreen/notification transport, periodic
playing-only progress pushes, position restore on open.
Verified live: ingest of the Libation sample (Gardens of the Moon —
title/author/series/cover/date from sidecar+folders, 34 chapters,
26h duration, aac/LC); chapters endpoint; the reader route serving
the player; playback with position restore (0:57 round-trip);
progress rows in audio mode; wall-clock session rows in
reading_history.
John O'Keefe