Merge pull request 'Release v2026.05.14.0 — player polish, CacheFiller, offline mutation queue' (#47) from dev into main

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

flutter_client/lib/api/endpoints/library.dart

@@ -54,6 +54,24 @@ class LibraryApi {
     return ArtistRef.fromJson(r.data ?? const {});
   }
 
+  /// GET /api/artists/{id} — full response with the ArtistRef AND the
+  /// embedded album list, both parsed. Single round-trip variant used
+  /// by CacheFiller and other callers that want to populate both
+  /// cached_artists and cached_albums in one shot. The existing
+  /// getArtist / getArtistAlbums keep working for callers that only
+  /// need one half — they hit the same URL but the per-id Riverpod
+  /// caching layer dedupes.
+  Future<({ArtistRef artist, List<AlbumRef> albums})> getArtistDetail(
+      String id) async {
+    final r = await _dio.get<Map<String, dynamic>>('/api/artists/$id');
+    final body = r.data ?? const <String, dynamic>{};
+    final artist = ArtistRef.fromJson(body);
+    final albums = ((body['albums'] as List?) ?? const [])
+        .map((e) => AlbumRef.fromJson((e as Map).cast<String, dynamic>()))
+        .toList(growable: false);
+    return (artist: artist, albums: albums);
+  }
+
   /// Pulls the "albums" array out of the same ArtistDetail body. Callers
   /// that need both the artist and its albums should issue two provider
   /// reads (artistProvider + artistAlbumsProvider) — both hit the same

flutter_client/lib/app.dart

@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
 import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
 import 'package:flutter_riverpod/flutter_riverpod.dart';
 
+import 'cache/cache_filler.dart';
 import 'cache/metadata_prefetcher.dart';
+import 'cache/mutation_queue.dart';
 import 'cache/prefetcher.dart';
 import 'cache/sync_controller.dart';
 import 'shared/live_events_dispatcher.dart';
@@ -39,6 +41,20 @@ class _MinstrelAppState extends ConsumerState<MinstrelApp> {
       // arrive. Also installs an AppLifecycleState observer for
       // resume-time defensive invalidation.
       ref.read(liveEventsDispatcherProvider);
+      // Cache filler: background sweeper that walks cached_artists
+      // / cached_albums for missing relations and fetches the
+      // per-entity detail so tapping an artist surfaces albums
+      // immediately (drift hit, no /api/artists/:id round-trip at
+      // tap time). First sweep 10s after launch; every 5 minutes
+      // thereafter. Throttled 200ms between requests so it never
+      // competes with user activity.
+      ref.read(cacheFillerProvider);
+      // Mutation replayer: drains the cached_mutations queue when
+      // connectivity comes back. Controllers (LikesController,
+      // MyQuarantineController, the add-to-playlist + request flows)
+      // enqueue on REST failure so user intent persists across
+      // network loss instead of getting rolled back.
+      ref.read(mutationReplayerProvider);
     });
   }
 

flutter_client/lib/cache/adapters.dart

@@ -17,10 +17,21 @@ import '../models/track.dart';
 import 'db.dart';
 
 extension CachedArtistAdapter on CachedArtist {
-  ArtistRef toRef() => ArtistRef(
+  /// `coverAlbumId` lets the caller pass a representative album id so
+  /// the ArtistRef carries a reconstructed `/api/albums/<id>/cover`
+  /// URL. cached_artists doesn't store this directly — the server
+  /// derives it from the most-recent album at query time — so drift
+  /// readers that want the cover URL join cached_albums and pass the
+  /// first album's id through. Empty string yields empty coverUrl,
+  /// matching the server's behavior for endpoints that don't carry
+  /// the lookup (artist detail, search, raw cached_artists row reads).
+  ArtistRef toRef({String coverAlbumId = ''}) => ArtistRef(
         id: id,
         name: name,
         sortName: sortName,
+        coverUrl: coverAlbumId.isNotEmpty
+            ? '/api/albums/$coverAlbumId/cover'
+            : '',
       );
 }
 

flutter_client/lib/cache/cache_filler.dart

@@ -0,0 +1,235 @@
+// Background metadata sweeper that walks the drift cache for missing
+// relations and fills them via /api/artists/:id + /api/albums/:id.
+// Cover bytes for newly-filled albums are pre-warmed too so the
+// per-tile display path doesn't have to wait on network.
+//
+// Why this layer on top of SyncController and HydrationQueue:
+//   - SyncController.sync only ingests entities the server emitted
+//     into the library_changes delta for this user. For a fresh
+//     install, that's everything; for an existing user, only recent
+//     changes. The per-artist album list and per-album track list
+//     are NOT in those deltas — they're derived at query time.
+//   - HydrationQueue fills these lazily on tile render. CacheFiller
+//     fills them proactively on a slow schedule so tapping an artist
+//     surfaces albums immediately instead of triggering a fresh
+//     /api/artists/:id at tap time.
+//
+// Pacing is conservative — 200ms between requests, max 200 entities
+// per sweep, 5-minute interval. Designed to never compete with user
+// activity. Wall time on a 1000-artist library: ~3-4 minutes spread
+// over multiple sweeps.
+
+import 'dart:async';
+
+import 'package:drift/drift.dart' show Variable;
+import 'package:flutter/foundation.dart' show debugPrint;
+import 'package:flutter_cache_manager/flutter_cache_manager.dart';
+import 'package:flutter_riverpod/flutter_riverpod.dart';
+
+import '../auth/auth_provider.dart'
+    show serverUrlProvider, sessionTokenProvider;
+import '../cache/adapters.dart';
+import '../cache/audio_cache_manager.dart' show appDbProvider;
+import '../cache/connectivity_provider.dart';
+import '../library/library_providers.dart' show libraryApiProvider;
+
+class CacheFiller {
+  CacheFiller(this._ref);
+  final Ref _ref;
+
+  Timer? _initialTimer;
+  Timer? _intervalTimer;
+  bool _running = false;
+  bool _disposed = false;
+
+  /// Delay between launch and the first sweep. Long enough for
+  /// SyncController to land its initial /api/library/sync so the
+  /// CacheFiller's "unfilled relations" query has meaningful work.
+  static const _initialDelay = Duration(seconds: 10);
+
+  /// Cadence between sweeps. Once a sweep finds nothing to do (steady
+  /// state) the interval becomes a cheap drift query + early exit.
+  static const _interval = Duration(minutes: 5);
+
+  /// Throttle between per-entity REST requests so the filler doesn't
+  /// saturate the server or compete with user-initiated playback.
+  static const _requestThrottle = Duration(milliseconds: 200);
+
+  /// Per-sweep cap. Without this, a fresh install with thousands of
+  /// artists would tie up the network for many minutes in one go.
+  /// The next sweep continues where this one left off (the WHERE
+  /// NOT EXISTS query naturally skips already-filled rows).
+  static const _maxIdsPerSweep = 200;
+
+  void start() {
+    _initialTimer = Timer(_initialDelay, _sweep);
+    _intervalTimer = Timer.periodic(_interval, (_) => _sweep());
+  }
+
+  Future<void> _sweep() async {
+    if (_disposed || _running) return;
+    final online = await _ref
+        .read(connectivityProvider.future)
+        .timeout(const Duration(seconds: 3), onTimeout: () => true);
+    if (!online) return;
+    _running = true;
+    try {
+      await _fillArtists();
+      if (_disposed) return;
+      await _fillAlbums();
+    } catch (e, st) {
+      debugPrint('cache_filler: sweep failed: $e\n$st');
+    } finally {
+      _running = false;
+    }
+  }
+
+  /// Find artists with no albums in cache and fetch /api/artists/:id
+  /// for each (single round-trip yields artist + albums via the new
+  /// getArtistDetail API method). Newly-discovered album covers
+  /// land in flutter_cache_manager's disk cache too so the next
+  /// visit to the artist's albums grid paints from disk.
+  Future<void> _fillArtists() async {
+    final db = _ref.read(appDbProvider);
+    final rows = await db.customSelect(
+      '''
+      SELECT a.id FROM cached_artists a
+      WHERE NOT EXISTS (
+        SELECT 1 FROM cached_albums b WHERE b.artist_id = a.id
+      )
+      LIMIT ?
+      ''',
+      variables: [Variable.withInt(_maxIdsPerSweep)],
+    ).get();
+    final ids = rows.map((r) => r.read<String>('id')).toList();
+    if (ids.isEmpty) return;
+
+    final api = await _ref.read(libraryApiProvider.future);
+    final newAlbumIds = <String>[];
+
+    for (final id in ids) {
+      if (_disposed) return;
+      try {
+        final detail = await api.getArtistDetail(id);
+        await db.transaction(() async {
+          await db
+              .into(db.cachedArtists)
+              .insertOnConflictUpdate(detail.artist.toDrift());
+          if (detail.albums.isNotEmpty) {
+            await db.batch((b) {
+              b.insertAllOnConflictUpdate(
+                db.cachedAlbums,
+                detail.albums.map((a) => a.toDrift()).toList(),
+              );
+            });
+            newAlbumIds.addAll(detail.albums.map((a) => a.id));
+          }
+        });
+      } catch (e) {
+        debugPrint('cache_filler: fillArtist($id) failed: $e');
+      }
+      await Future.delayed(_requestThrottle);
+    }
+
+    if (newAlbumIds.isNotEmpty) {
+      await _prewarmCovers(newAlbumIds);
+    }
+  }
+
+  /// Find albums with no tracks in cache and fetch /api/albums/:id
+  /// for each. The bulk response carries the album's track list which
+  /// we persist into cached_tracks for instant album detail render
+  /// on the next visit.
+  Future<void> _fillAlbums() async {
+    final db = _ref.read(appDbProvider);
+    final rows = await db.customSelect(
+      '''
+      SELECT a.id FROM cached_albums a
+      WHERE NOT EXISTS (
+        SELECT 1 FROM cached_tracks t WHERE t.album_id = a.id
+      )
+      LIMIT ?
+      ''',
+      variables: [Variable.withInt(_maxIdsPerSweep)],
+    ).get();
+    final ids = rows.map((r) => r.read<String>('id')).toList();
+    if (ids.isEmpty) return;
+
+    final api = await _ref.read(libraryApiProvider.future);
+    for (final id in ids) {
+      if (_disposed) return;
+      try {
+        final result = await api.getAlbum(id);
+        if (result.tracks.isNotEmpty) {
+          await db.batch((b) {
+            b.insertAllOnConflictUpdate(
+              db.cachedTracks,
+              result.tracks.map((t) => t.toDrift()).toList(),
+            );
+          });
+        }
+      } catch (e) {
+        debugPrint('cache_filler: fillAlbum($id) failed: $e');
+      }
+      await Future.delayed(_requestThrottle);
+    }
+  }
+
+  /// Pre-warm album cover bytes via flutter_cache_manager so the
+  /// per-tile ServerImage / CachedNetworkImage paints from disk on
+  /// the user's first visit. Mirrors SyncController's prewarm
+  /// helper — duplicated here intentionally to keep this file self-
+  /// contained; a shared helper can come out of #357 follow-up if
+  /// the duplication grows.
+  Future<void> _prewarmCovers(List<String> albumIds) async {
+    final baseUrl = await _ref.read(serverUrlProvider.future);
+    if (baseUrl == null || baseUrl.isEmpty) return;
+    final token = await _ref.read(sessionTokenProvider.future);
+    final headers = (token != null && token.isNotEmpty)
+        ? {'Authorization': 'Bearer $token'}
+        : <String, String>{};
+    final base = baseUrl.endsWith('/')
+        ? baseUrl.substring(0, baseUrl.length - 1)
+        : baseUrl;
+    final mgr = DefaultCacheManager();
+
+    var idx = 0;
+    Future<void> worker() async {
+      while (idx < albumIds.length) {
+        if (_disposed) return;
+        final i = idx++;
+        try {
+          await mgr.downloadFile(
+            '$base/api/albums/${albumIds[i]}/cover',
+            authHeaders: headers,
+          );
+        } catch (_) {
+          // Best-effort prewarm — 404 (missing collage) and 401
+          // (token refresh races) shouldn't abort the rest.
+        }
+      }
+    }
+
+    // Concurrency 3 — same as SyncController's prewarm. Covers are
+    // small enough that more parallelism doesn't help much and
+    // burns radio.
+    await Future.wait(List.generate(3, (_) => worker()));
+  }
+
+  void dispose() {
+    _disposed = true;
+    _initialTimer?.cancel();
+    _intervalTimer?.cancel();
+  }
+}
+
+/// Read once at app start (from app.dart's postFrameCallback) to
+/// activate the filler. Disposed via ref.onDispose when the provider
+/// scope tears down; in practice the scope lives for the app's
+/// lifetime so dispose only fires on uninstall / process death.
+final cacheFillerProvider = Provider<CacheFiller>((ref) {
+  final filler = CacheFiller(ref);
+  ref.onDispose(filler.dispose);
+  filler.start();
+  return filler;
+});

flutter_client/lib/cache/cache_first.dart

@@ -48,9 +48,22 @@ Stream<T> cacheFirst<D, T>({
   // drift re-emission (otherwise the populate cycles forever).
   var revalidated = false;
 
+  // Tracks whether we've already tried a cold-cache fetch on this
+  // subscription. Without this, providers can spin forever in the
+  // rows-empty branch when fetchAndPopulate writes rows that don't
+  // match THIS filter — e.g. three liked-tab streams sharing one
+  // populate: the track populate writes track-typed rows, drift
+  // watch fires for the cached_likes table, the album stream
+  // re-emits with rows-empty (no album likes), the rows-empty
+  // branch re-fires populate, repeats forever. Setting this guard
+  // makes the first fetch attempt also the last for any given
+  // subscription.
+  var coldFetchAttempted = false;
+
   await for (final rows in driftStream) {
     if (rows.isNotEmpty) {
       yield toResult(rows);
+      coldFetchAttempted = true;
       // Stale-while-revalidate: yield cache immediately, then kick off
       // a REST refresh in the background. Drift watch() picks up the
       // resulting writes and re-emits via this same stream loop.
@@ -62,11 +75,25 @@ Stream<T> cacheFirst<D, T>({
       }
       continue;
     }
+    // rows is empty. If we've already attempted a cold fetch and
+    // drift is still empty for this filter, yield empty so the UI
+    // shows the no-content state instead of spinning forever.
+    if (coldFetchAttempted) {
+      yield toResult(rows);
+      continue;
+    }
+    coldFetchAttempted = true;
     if (await isOnline()) {
       try {
         await fetchAndPopulate();
-        // The drift watch() stream re-emits with the populated rows on
-        // the next loop iteration. Don't yield here.
+        // Yield the current (still-empty) rows so the UI moves past
+        // loading even if populate was a no-op for this filter
+        // (server returned nothing matching, or all rows were
+        // already in drift via sync). If populate DID write rows
+        // matching this filter, the drift watch's next emission
+        // yields them via the rows.isNotEmpty branch — UI briefly
+        // shows empty then populates, instead of spinning.
+        yield toResult(rows);
       } catch (e, st) {
         if (tag != null) {
           debugPrint('cacheFirst[$tag]: fetchAndPopulate failed: $e\n$st');

flutter_client/lib/cache/db.dart

@@ -178,6 +178,30 @@ class CachedHomeIndex extends Table {
   Set<Column> get primaryKey => {section, position};
 }
 
+/// Outbound mutation queue for offline-resilient REST calls. Likes,
+/// quarantine flag/unflag, playlist appendTracks, Lidarr request
+/// create/cancel all enqueue here on REST failure so the user's
+/// intent persists across network loss. MutationReplayer drains on
+/// connectivity transitions and a 1-minute periodic tick; entries
+/// with attempts >= 5 are skipped (the server treats them as
+/// permanent failures and library_changes sync will correct any
+/// resulting drift drift on next sync). Schema 8+.
+class CachedMutations extends Table {
+  IntColumn get id => integer().autoIncrement()();
+  /// Stable kind string (see mutation_queue.dart constants). The
+  /// replayer looks up the handler in a kind→Function map; unknown
+  /// kinds are dropped to avoid getting stuck.
+  TextColumn get kind => text()();
+  /// JSON-encoded payload — args needed to replay the REST call.
+  /// Shape depends on kind; see mutation_queue.dart.
+  TextColumn get payload => text()();
+  DateTimeColumn get createdAt => dateTime().withDefault(currentDateAndTime)();
+  /// When the last drain attempt fired against this row. Null until
+  /// the first attempt. Useful for diagnostic queries.
+  DateTimeColumn get lastAttemptAt => dateTime().nullable()();
+  IntColumn get attempts => integer().withDefault(const Constant(0))();
+}
+
 /// Caller-scoped quarantine ("hidden") rows. Mirrors the wire shape of
 /// /api/quarantine/mine — fully denormalized (track + album + artist
 /// fields inline) because the Hidden tab renders straight from this row
@@ -217,12 +241,13 @@ enum CacheSource { manual, autoLiked, autoPlaylist, autoPrefetch, incidental }
   CachedQuarantineMine,
   CachedHomeIndex,
   CachedSystemPlaylistsStatus,
+  CachedMutations,
 ])
 class AppDb extends _$AppDb {
   AppDb([QueryExecutor? e]) : super(e ?? driftDatabase(name: 'minstrel_cache'));
 
   @override
-  int get schemaVersion => 7;
+  int get schemaVersion => 8;
 
   @override
   MigrationStrategy get migration => MigrationStrategy(
@@ -270,6 +295,11 @@ class AppDb extends _$AppDb {
             // populates.
             await m.createTable(cachedSystemPlaylistsStatus);
           }
+          if (from < 8) {
+            // Schema 8: cached_mutations outbound queue. Empty on
+            // upgrade; populated by controllers when REST calls fail.
+            await m.createTable(cachedMutations);
+          }
         },
       );
 }

flutter_client/lib/cache/mutation_queue.dart

@@ -0,0 +1,296 @@
+// Outbound mutation queue for offline-resilient REST calls.
+//
+// Controllers (LikesController, MyQuarantineController, the add-to-
+// playlist sheet, the Discover request flow, the Requests cancel
+// action) write their optimistic local state to drift first and try
+// the corresponding REST call. On failure they enqueue here. The
+// replayer drains the queue when connectivity comes back; the user's
+// intent persists across network loss without rolling back their
+// visible action.
+//
+// Why this is separate from SyncController: sync ingests AUTHORITATIVE
+// SERVER state into drift. The mutation queue carries USER INTENT
+// outbound to the server. They flow in opposite directions and
+// shouldn't be conflated — sync wins on conflict (server is the
+// source of truth), and a mutation that fails forever (5 attempts)
+// is dropped on the trust that next sync will reconcile drift to
+// match the server's actual state.
+//
+// Drop semantics: 5 attempts then drop. The drop is intentional —
+// holding onto a forever-failing mutation just delays sync's
+// reconciliation. The user's optimistic drift state will diverge
+// from server, and the next library_changes delta corrects it.
+
+import 'dart:async';
+import 'dart:convert';
+
+import 'package:dio/dio.dart' show DioException, DioExceptionType;
+import 'package:drift/drift.dart';
+import 'package:flutter/foundation.dart' show debugPrint;
+import 'package:flutter_riverpod/flutter_riverpod.dart';
+
+import '../api/endpoints/discover.dart';
+import '../api/endpoints/likes.dart';
+import '../library/library_providers.dart' show dioProvider;
+import '../likes/likes_provider.dart' show likesApiProvider;
+import '../models/lidarr.dart' show LidarrRequestKind;
+import '../playlists/playlists_provider.dart' show playlistsApiProvider;
+import '../quarantine/quarantine_provider.dart' show quarantineApiProvider;
+import '../requests/requests_provider.dart' show requestsApiProvider;
+import 'audio_cache_manager.dart' show appDbProvider;
+import 'connectivity_provider.dart';
+import 'db.dart';
+
+/// Stable kind constants. Each controller emits one of these via
+/// MutationQueue.enqueue; the replayer dispatches by kind.
+class MutationKinds {
+  MutationKinds._();
+  static const likeAdd = 'like.add';
+  static const likeRemove = 'like.remove';
+  static const quarantineFlag = 'quarantine.flag';
+  static const quarantineUnflag = 'quarantine.unflag';
+  static const playlistAppend = 'playlist.append';
+  static const requestCreate = 'request.create';
+  static const requestCancel = 'request.cancel';
+}
+
+class MutationQueue {
+  MutationQueue(this._ref);
+  final Ref _ref;
+
+  /// Persist a mutation for replay. Caller has already done the
+  /// optimistic local mutation (drift write, in-memory state update)
+  /// — this only records the REST call that needs to fire eventually.
+  Future<void> enqueue(String kind, Map<String, dynamic> payload) async {
+    final db = _ref.read(appDbProvider);
+    await db.into(db.cachedMutations).insert(
+          CachedMutationsCompanion.insert(
+            kind: kind,
+            payload: jsonEncode(payload),
+          ),
+        );
+    // Nudge the replayer in case we're online right now.
+    unawaited(_ref.read(mutationReplayerProvider).drain());
+  }
+
+  /// Count of pending mutations (attempts < 5). Diagnostic / future
+  /// UI surface for a "syncing N pending changes" indicator.
+  Future<int> pendingCount() async {
+    final db = _ref.read(appDbProvider);
+    final rows = await db.customSelect(
+      'SELECT COUNT(*) AS c FROM cached_mutations WHERE attempts < 5',
+    ).get();
+    return rows.first.read<int>('c');
+  }
+}
+
+final mutationQueueProvider =
+    Provider<MutationQueue>((ref) => MutationQueue(ref));
+
+class MutationReplayer {
+  MutationReplayer(this._ref);
+  final Ref _ref;
+
+  Timer? _initialTimer;
+  Timer? _intervalTimer;
+  bool _running = false;
+  bool _disposed = false;
+
+  /// Periodic poll cadence. The connectivity listener catches most
+  /// transitions; this is the belt-and-suspenders for cases where
+  /// connectivity_plus misses a state change (e.g. flaky Wi-Fi).
+  static const _interval = Duration(minutes: 1);
+
+  /// Max replay attempts before we drop a mutation. 5 is enough to
+  /// span a few reconnection cycles without holding onto a forever-
+  /// broken request. See file header for the drop rationale.
+  static const _maxAttempts = 5;
+
+  void start() {
+    // Drain shortly after launch in case there are queued mutations
+    // from a prior session that died offline. 3s lets the auth +
+    // server-url + dio providers finish their async warmup.
+    _initialTimer = Timer(const Duration(seconds: 3), drain);
+    // Periodic ticker is the only reconnect signal. We previously had
+    // a ref.listen(connectivityProvider, …) edge trigger here, but
+    // subscribing at start-time eagerly mounted the connectivity
+    // StreamProvider and leaked its initial-timeout Timer through
+    // tests that never reach the auth state. The drain() loop itself
+    // gates on connectivity via the .future read below.
+    _intervalTimer = Timer.periodic(_interval, (_) => drain());
+  }
+
+  /// Walk the queue oldest-first, replaying each mutation. Stops on
+  /// any transient network error (we'll retry on the next tick); a
+  /// permanent error (404 etc.) increments the attempt counter and
+  /// moves on to the next mutation. This is public so MutationQueue.
+  /// enqueue can trigger an immediate attempt after writing.
+  Future<void> drain() async {
+    if (_disposed || _running) return;
+    final online = await _ref
+        .read(connectivityProvider.future)
+        .timeout(const Duration(seconds: 3), onTimeout: () => true);
+    if (!online) return;
+    _running = true;
+    try {
+      while (!_disposed) {
+        final db = _ref.read(appDbProvider);
+        final next = await (db.select(db.cachedMutations)
+              ..where((t) => t.attempts.isSmallerThanValue(_maxAttempts))
+              ..orderBy([(t) => OrderingTerm.asc(t.createdAt)])
+              ..limit(1))
+            .getSingleOrNull();
+        if (next == null) break;
+
+        final handler = _handlers[next.kind];
+        if (handler == null) {
+          debugPrint('mutation_replayer: unknown kind ${next.kind}, dropping');
+          await (db.delete(db.cachedMutations)
+                ..where((t) => t.id.equals(next.id)))
+              .go();
+          continue;
+        }
+
+        Map<String, dynamic> payload;
+        try {
+          payload = jsonDecode(next.payload) as Map<String, dynamic>;
+        } catch (e) {
+          debugPrint('mutation_replayer: bad payload for ${next.kind}: $e');
+          await (db.delete(db.cachedMutations)
+                ..where((t) => t.id.equals(next.id)))
+              .go();
+          continue;
+        }
+
+        try {
+          await handler(_ref, payload);
+          await (db.delete(db.cachedMutations)
+                ..where((t) => t.id.equals(next.id)))
+              .go();
+        } on DioException catch (e) {
+          await (db.update(db.cachedMutations)
+                ..where((t) => t.id.equals(next.id)))
+              .write(CachedMutationsCompanion(
+            attempts: Value(next.attempts + 1),
+            lastAttemptAt: Value(DateTime.now()),
+          ));
+          if (_isTransient(e)) {
+            // Network is flaky again — bail and try the whole queue
+            // later. The current mutation will be retried next tick.
+            break;
+          }
+          // Permanent failure (4xx/5xx with a real response). Leave
+          // the row with bumped attempts and move on to the next so
+          // one bad mutation doesn't block the others.
+        } catch (e, st) {
+          debugPrint('mutation_replayer: unexpected error: $e\n$st');
+          await (db.update(db.cachedMutations)
+                ..where((t) => t.id.equals(next.id)))
+              .write(CachedMutationsCompanion(
+            attempts: Value(next.attempts + 1),
+            lastAttemptAt: Value(DateTime.now()),
+          ));
+        }
+      }
+    } finally {
+      _running = false;
+    }
+  }
+
+  bool _isTransient(DioException e) {
+    switch (e.type) {
+      case DioExceptionType.connectionError:
+      case DioExceptionType.connectionTimeout:
+      case DioExceptionType.sendTimeout:
+      case DioExceptionType.receiveTimeout:
+        return true;
+      default:
+        return false;
+    }
+  }
+
+  void dispose() {
+    _disposed = true;
+    _initialTimer?.cancel();
+    _intervalTimer?.cancel();
+  }
+}
+
+final mutationReplayerProvider = Provider<MutationReplayer>((ref) {
+  final r = MutationReplayer(ref);
+  ref.onDispose(r.dispose);
+  r.start();
+  return r;
+});
+
+/// Type signature for kind-specific replay handlers.
+typedef _Handler = Future<void> Function(Ref, Map<String, dynamic>);
+
+/// Kind → handler dispatch. Each handler decodes its payload and
+/// re-fires the original REST call. Throws on failure (caught by the
+/// replayer's drain loop above).
+///
+/// Payload shapes (see also enqueue call sites for the writer side):
+/// * like.add / like.remove: {'kind': 'track'|'album'|'artist', 'id': uuid}
+/// * quarantine.flag: {'trackId': uuid, 'reason': str, 'notes': str}
+/// * quarantine.unflag: {'trackId': uuid}
+/// * playlist.append: {'playlistId': uuid, 'trackIds': [uuid, …]}
+/// * request.create: {full createRequest args; see DiscoverApi}
+/// * request.cancel: {'id': uuid}
+final Map<String, _Handler> _handlers = {
+  MutationKinds.likeAdd: (ref, p) async {
+    final api = await ref.read(likesApiProvider.future);
+    await api.like(_likeKindFromString(p['kind'] as String), p['id'] as String);
+  },
+  MutationKinds.likeRemove: (ref, p) async {
+    final api = await ref.read(likesApiProvider.future);
+    await api.unlike(
+        _likeKindFromString(p['kind'] as String), p['id'] as String);
+  },
+  MutationKinds.quarantineFlag: (ref, p) async {
+    final api = await ref.read(quarantineApiProvider.future);
+    await api.flag(
+      p['trackId'] as String,
+      p['reason'] as String,
+      notes: (p['notes'] as String?) ?? '',
+    );
+  },
+  MutationKinds.quarantineUnflag: (ref, p) async {
+    final api = await ref.read(quarantineApiProvider.future);
+    await api.unflag(p['trackId'] as String);
+  },
+  MutationKinds.playlistAppend: (ref, p) async {
+    final api = await ref.read(playlistsApiProvider.future);
+    final ids = (p['trackIds'] as List).cast<String>();
+    await api.appendTracks(p['playlistId'] as String, ids);
+  },
+  MutationKinds.requestCreate: (ref, p) async {
+    final dio = await ref.read(dioProvider.future);
+    final api = DiscoverApi(dio);
+    await api.createRequest(
+      kind: _lidarrKindFromString(p['kind'] as String),
+      artistMbid: p['artistMbid'] as String,
+      artistName: p['artistName'] as String,
+      albumMbid: p['albumMbid'] as String?,
+      albumTitle: p['albumTitle'] as String?,
+      trackMbid: p['trackMbid'] as String?,
+      trackTitle: p['trackTitle'] as String?,
+    );
+  },
+  MutationKinds.requestCancel: (ref, p) async {
+    final api = await ref.read(requestsApiProvider.future);
+    await api.cancel(p['id'] as String);
+  },
+};
+
+LikeKind _likeKindFromString(String s) => switch (s) {
+      'album' => LikeKind.album,
+      'artist' => LikeKind.artist,
+      _ => LikeKind.track,
+    };
+
+LidarrRequestKind _lidarrKindFromString(String s) => switch (s) {
+      'album' => LidarrRequestKind.album,
+      'track' => LidarrRequestKind.track,
+      _ => LidarrRequestKind.artist,
+    };

flutter_client/lib/cache/prefetcher.dart

@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
+import 'dart:async';
+
 import 'package:audio_service/audio_service.dart';
 import 'package:flutter_riverpod/flutter_riverpod.dart';
 
+import '../player/album_color_extractor.dart';
 import '../player/player_provider.dart';
 import 'audio_cache_manager.dart';
 import 'cache_settings_provider.dart';
@@ -39,14 +42,48 @@ class Prefetcher {
         (currentIdx + settings.prefetchWindow).clamp(0, queue.length - 1);
 
     final mgr = _ref.read(audioCacheManagerProvider);
+    final coverCache = _ref.read(albumCoverCacheProvider);
+    final colorCache = _ref.read(albumColorCacheProvider);
 
+    // Walk the window. For each upcoming track we want THREE things
+    // ready when the player transitions into it:
+    //
+    //   1. Audio file on disk (otherwise playback stalls on stream
+    //      load — the original prefetcher concern).
+    //   2. Cover bytes on disk under AlbumCoverCache (otherwise
+    //      _toMediaItem's peekCached returns null, mediaItem
+    //      broadcasts with artUri=null, and the now-playing screen
+    //      stalls in _scheduleSwap awaiting precacheImage of a file
+    //      that doesn't exist yet).
+    //   3. Palette color extracted and memoized in AlbumColorCache
+    //      (otherwise the gradient backdrop has to wait for
+    //      PaletteGenerator to run after the cover lands —
+    //      visible as the cover snapping in before the gradient).
+    //
+    // Each call is idempotent (cache-aware): if already cached, it's
+    // a no-op. Everything fire-and-forget so the reconcile completes
+    // quickly even on a fresh queue.
     for (var i = currentIdx; i <= endIdx; i++) {
-      final trackId = queue[i].id;
-      if (await mgr.isCached(trackId)) continue;
-      // Fire-and-forget; downloads happen in the background. Errors
-      // inside pin() are caught + cleaned up internally.
-      // ignore: unawaited_futures
-      mgr.pin(trackId, source: CacheSource.autoPrefetch);
+      final media = queue[i];
+      final trackId = media.id;
+      final albumId = media.extras?['album_id'] as String?;
+
+      if (!await mgr.isCached(trackId)) {
+        // ignore: unawaited_futures
+        mgr.pin(trackId, source: CacheSource.autoPrefetch);
+      }
+
+      if (albumId != null && albumId.isNotEmpty) {
+        // Cover bytes: getOrFetch returns the file path; the side
+        // effect (writing to disk) is what we care about.
+        // ignore: unawaited_futures
+        coverCache.getOrFetch(albumId);
+        // Palette: getOrExtract chains off coverCache.getOrFetch so
+        // it'll wait for the cover before sampling — safe to call
+        // in parallel here.
+        // ignore: unawaited_futures
+        colorCache.getOrExtract(albumId);
+      }
     }
 
     // Eviction pass after pinning new files.

flutter_client/lib/cache/tile_providers.dart

@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 // subscriptions; drift handles this fine in practice but worth
 // measuring if a future surface scales to hundreds.
 
+import 'package:drift/drift.dart' as drift show OrderingTerm;
 import 'package:drift/drift.dart' show leftOuterJoin;
 import 'package:flutter_riverpod/flutter_riverpod.dart';
 
@@ -63,6 +64,12 @@ final albumTileProvider =
 
 /// Watches the cached_artists row for [id]. Triggers background
 /// hydration on miss; yields the row once it lands.
+///
+/// LEFT JOIN cached_albums ordered by sort_title so the first row per
+/// artist carries a representative album id; toRef() reconstructs
+/// `/api/albums/<id>/cover` from it. Without this join the ArtistRef
+/// has an empty coverUrl and tiles fall back to the music-notes
+/// placeholder even though the server has the cover available.
 final artistTileProvider =
     StreamProvider.family<ArtistRef?, String>((ref, id) async* {
   if (id.isEmpty) {
@@ -70,7 +77,12 @@ final artistTileProvider =
     return;
   }
   final db = ref.watch(appDbProvider);
-  final query = db.select(db.cachedArtists)..where((t) => t.id.equals(id));
+  final query = (db.select(db.cachedArtists)..where((t) => t.id.equals(id)))
+      .join([
+    leftOuterJoin(db.cachedAlbums,
+        db.cachedAlbums.artistId.equalsExp(db.cachedArtists.id)),
+  ])
+    ..orderBy([drift.OrderingTerm.asc(db.cachedAlbums.sortTitle)]);
   var enqueued = false;
   await for (final rows in query.watch()) {
     if (rows.isEmpty) {
@@ -83,7 +95,12 @@ final artistTileProvider =
       yield null;
       continue;
     }
-    yield rows.first.toRef();
+    // First row has the alphabetically-first album (or null if artist
+    // has no albums in drift yet — yields a coverless ArtistRef which
+    // the UI falls back to the placeholder icon for).
+    final artist = rows.first.readTable(db.cachedArtists);
+    final firstAlbum = rows.first.readTableOrNull(db.cachedAlbums);
+    yield artist.toRef(coverAlbumId: firstAlbum?.id ?? '');
   }
 });
 

flutter_client/lib/discover/discover_screen.dart

@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import 'package:go_router/go_router.dart';
 
 import '../api/endpoints/discover.dart';
 import '../api/errors.dart';
+import '../cache/mutation_queue.dart';
 import '../library/library_providers.dart' show dioProvider;
 import '../models/lidarr.dart';
 import '../shared/widgets/main_app_bar_actions.dart';
@@ -48,14 +49,23 @@ class _DiscoverScreenState extends ConsumerState<DiscoverScreen> {
 
   Future<void> _request(LidarrSearchResult row) async {
     final fs = Theme.of(context).extension<FabledSwordTheme>()!;
+    final args = {
+      'kind': _kind.wire,
+      'artistMbid':
+          _kind == LidarrRequestKind.artist ? row.mbid : row.artistMbid,
+      'artistName':
+          _kind == LidarrRequestKind.artist ? row.name : row.secondaryText,
+      'albumMbid': _kind == LidarrRequestKind.album ? row.mbid : null,
+      'albumTitle': _kind == LidarrRequestKind.album ? row.name : null,
+    };
     try {
       final api = await ref.read(_discoverApiProvider.future);
       await api.createRequest(
         kind: _kind,
-        artistMbid: _kind == LidarrRequestKind.artist ? row.mbid : row.artistMbid,
-        artistName: _kind == LidarrRequestKind.artist ? row.name : row.secondaryText,
-        albumMbid: _kind == LidarrRequestKind.album ? row.mbid : null,
-        albumTitle: _kind == LidarrRequestKind.album ? row.name : null,
+        artistMbid: args['artistMbid'] as String,
+        artistName: args['artistName'] as String,
+        albumMbid: args['albumMbid'],
+        albumTitle: args['albumTitle'],
       );
       if (mounted) {
         ScaffoldMessenger.of(context).showSnackBar(SnackBar(
@@ -65,12 +75,18 @@ class _DiscoverScreenState extends ConsumerState<DiscoverScreen> {
         // Re-run search to refresh the `requested` flag on the row.
         _runSearch();
       }
-    } on DioException catch (e) {
+    } on DioException catch (_) {
+      // Queue for replay so the user's request persists across
+      // network loss. We don't have a drift table for in-flight
+      // requests yet, so the row won't show on the Requests screen
+      // until replay succeeds — accept that for v1.
+      await ref
+          .read(mutationQueueProvider)
+          .enqueue(MutationKinds.requestCreate, args);
       if (mounted) {
-        final code = ApiError.fromDio(e).code;
         ScaffoldMessenger.of(context).showSnackBar(SnackBar(
-          content: Text('Request failed: $code'),
-          backgroundColor: fs.error,
+          content: Text('Request queued: ${row.name}'),
+          backgroundColor: fs.iron,
         ));
       }
     }

flutter_client/lib/library/library_providers.dart

@@ -233,17 +233,28 @@ Map<String, dynamic> _trackToJson(TrackRef t) => {
 final artistProvider =
     StreamProvider.family<ArtistRef, String>((ref, id) {
   final db = ref.watch(appDbProvider);
-  return cacheFirst<CachedArtist, ArtistRef>(
-    driftStream: (db.select(db.cachedArtists)..where((t) => t.id.equals(id)))
-        .watch(),
+  // LEFT JOIN cached_albums for cover-URL reconstruction (see
+  // CachedArtistAdapter.toRef). First row carries the alphabetically-
+  // first album.
+  final query = (db.select(db.cachedArtists)..where((t) => t.id.equals(id)))
+      .join([
+    drift.leftOuterJoin(db.cachedAlbums,
+        db.cachedAlbums.artistId.equalsExp(db.cachedArtists.id)),
+  ])
+    ..orderBy([drift.OrderingTerm.asc(db.cachedAlbums.sortTitle)]);
+  return cacheFirst<drift.TypedResult, ArtistRef>(
+    driftStream: query.watch(),
     fetchAndPopulate: () async {
       final api = await ref.read(libraryApiProvider.future);
       final fresh = await api.getArtist(id);
       await db.into(db.cachedArtists).insertOnConflictUpdate(fresh.toDrift());
     },
-    toResult: (rows) => rows.isEmpty
-        ? const ArtistRef(id: '', name: '')
-        : rows.first.toRef(),
+    toResult: (rows) {
+      if (rows.isEmpty) return const ArtistRef(id: '', name: '');
+      final artist = rows.first.readTable(db.cachedArtists);
+      final firstAlbum = rows.first.readTableOrNull(db.cachedAlbums);
+      return artist.toRef(coverAlbumId: firstAlbum?.id ?? '');
+    },
     isOnline: () async => (await ref
         .read(connectivityProvider.future)
         .timeout(const Duration(seconds: 3), onTimeout: () => true)),

flutter_client/lib/library/library_screen.dart

@@ -62,9 +62,19 @@ final _meApiProvider = FutureProvider<MeApi>((ref) async {
 /// via /api/library/sync.
 final _libraryArtistsProvider = StreamProvider<List<ArtistRef>>((ref) {
   final db = ref.watch(appDbProvider);
-  final query = db.select(db.cachedArtists)
-    ..orderBy([(t) => drift.OrderingTerm.asc(t.sortName)]);
-  return cacheFirst<CachedArtist, List<ArtistRef>>(
+  // LEFT JOIN cached_albums so each artist row carries a representative
+  // album id for cover-URL reconstruction. Sorted by artist sortName
+  // then album sortTitle: the first row per artist gets the
+  // alphabetically-first album. Dedup happens in toResult.
+  final query = db.select(db.cachedArtists).join([
+    drift.leftOuterJoin(db.cachedAlbums,
+        db.cachedAlbums.artistId.equalsExp(db.cachedArtists.id)),
+  ])
+    ..orderBy([
+      drift.OrderingTerm.asc(db.cachedArtists.sortName),
+      drift.OrderingTerm.asc(db.cachedAlbums.sortTitle),
+    ]);
+  return cacheFirst<drift.TypedResult, List<ArtistRef>>(
     driftStream: query.watch(),
     fetchAndPopulate: () async {
       // Cold-cache fallback: sync should have populated drift already,
@@ -80,7 +90,23 @@ final _libraryArtistsProvider = StreamProvider<List<ArtistRef>>((ref) {
         );
       });
     },
-    toResult: (rows) => rows.map((r) => r.toRef()).toList(),
+    toResult: (rows) {
+      // The join multiplies rows by album count; dedup by artist id
+      // keeping the first occurrence so we get one ArtistRef per
+      // artist with the alphabetically-first album's id for the
+      // cover-URL projection. Artists with no albums in drift yet
+      // come through as a single row with null cachedAlbums and an
+      // empty coverUrl — UI falls back to the placeholder icon.
+      final seen = <String>{};
+      final out = <ArtistRef>[];
+      for (final r in rows) {
+        final a = r.readTable(db.cachedArtists);
+        if (!seen.add(a.id)) continue;
+        final album = r.readTableOrNull(db.cachedAlbums);
+        out.add(a.toRef(coverAlbumId: album?.id ?? ''));
+      }
+      return out;
+    },
     isOnline: () async => (await ref
         .read(connectivityProvider.future)
         .timeout(const Duration(seconds: 3), onTimeout: () => true)),
@@ -216,7 +242,9 @@ final _likedTrackIdsProvider = StreamProvider<List<String>>((ref) {
     driftStream: query,
     fetchAndPopulate: () => _populateLikeIds(ref),
     toResult: _idsForEntity,
-    isOnline: () async => (await ref.read(connectivityProvider.future)),
+    isOnline: () async => (await ref
+        .read(connectivityProvider.future)
+        .timeout(const Duration(seconds: 3), onTimeout: () => true)),
     alwaysRefresh: true,
     tag: 'likedTrackIds',
   );
@@ -232,7 +260,9 @@ final _likedAlbumIdsProvider = StreamProvider<List<String>>((ref) {
     driftStream: query,
     fetchAndPopulate: () => _populateLikeIds(ref),
     toResult: _idsForEntity,
-    isOnline: () async => (await ref.read(connectivityProvider.future)),
+    isOnline: () async => (await ref
+        .read(connectivityProvider.future)
+        .timeout(const Duration(seconds: 3), onTimeout: () => true)),
     alwaysRefresh: true,
     tag: 'likedAlbumIds',
   );
@@ -248,7 +278,9 @@ final _likedArtistIdsProvider = StreamProvider<List<String>>((ref) {
     driftStream: query,
     fetchAndPopulate: () => _populateLikeIds(ref),
     toResult: _idsForEntity,
-    isOnline: () async => (await ref.read(connectivityProvider.future)),
+    isOnline: () async => (await ref
+        .read(connectivityProvider.future)
+        .timeout(const Duration(seconds: 3), onTimeout: () => true)),
     alwaysRefresh: true,
     tag: 'likedArtistIds',
   );

flutter_client/lib/likes/likes_provider.dart

@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import '../cache/audio_cache_manager.dart' show appDbProvider;
 import '../cache/cache_first.dart';
 import '../cache/connectivity_provider.dart';
 import '../cache/db.dart';
+import '../cache/mutation_queue.dart';
 import '../library/library_providers.dart';
 
 final likesApiProvider = FutureProvider<LikesApi>((ref) async {
@@ -147,26 +148,18 @@ class LikesController {
       } else {
         await api.like(kind, id);
       }
-    } catch (e, st) {
-      // Rollback drift
-      if (wasLiked) {
-        await db.into(db.cachedLikes).insert(
-              CachedLikesCompanion.insert(
-                userId: user.id,
-                entityType: entityType,
-                entityId: id,
-              ),
-              mode: drift.InsertMode.insertOrIgnore,
-            );
-      } else {
-        await (db.delete(db.cachedLikes)
-              ..where((t) =>
-                  t.userId.equals(user.id) &
-                  t.entityType.equals(entityType) &
-                  t.entityId.equals(id)))
-            .go();
-      }
-      Error.throwWithStackTrace(e, st);
+    } catch (_) {
+      // REST failed (network or HTTP). Don't roll back drift — the
+      // user's intent is to like/unlike, and we want that visible to
+      // them even when offline. Queue the call for replay; the
+      // MutationReplayer will retry on next connectivity transition.
+      // If retries exhaust (5 attempts), the row drops and the next
+      // SyncController.sync brings drift back in line with the
+      // server's authoritative state.
+      await _ref.read(mutationQueueProvider).enqueue(
+        wasLiked ? MutationKinds.likeRemove : MutationKinds.likeAdd,
+        {'kind': entityType, 'id': id},
+      );
     }
   }
 

flutter_client/lib/player/album_color_extractor.dart

@@ -39,6 +39,15 @@ class AlbumColorCache {
     return color;
   }
 
+  /// Synchronous peek. Returns the previously-extracted color if this
+  /// album has been resolved this process; otherwise null. Used by
+  /// the now-playing fast-path swap so a warm cache transitions the
+  /// gradient in lockstep with the audio, instead of awaiting the
+  /// async [getOrExtract] future. A null return means "either no
+  /// extraction yet or extraction returned null" — caller falls back
+  /// to the async path.
+  Color? peekColor(String albumId) => _cache[albumId];
+
   Future<Color?> _extract(String albumId) async {
     try {
       final coverCache = _ref.read(albumCoverCacheProvider);

flutter_client/lib/player/album_cover_cache.dart

@@ -27,6 +27,32 @@ class AlbumCoverCache {
   /// same album dedupe to one fetch.
   final Map<String, Future<String?>> _inflight = {};
 
+  /// Cached covers directory path resolved once on the first
+  /// async cacheDir call, then reused for sync existsSync() checks
+  /// in [peekCached]. Without this every "is the cover already on
+  /// disk?" check would have to await path_provider, blocking the
+  /// MediaItem broadcast on every track change.
+  String? _coversDirPath;
+
+  /// Returns the local file path for [albumId]'s cover if it's
+  /// already cached on disk, or null otherwise. Synchronous — uses
+  /// File.existsSync() against a path computed from the directory
+  /// resolved by an earlier async [getOrFetch] call. Returns null
+  /// until at least one getOrFetch has populated _coversDirPath.
+  ///
+  /// The audio handler uses this to seed MediaItem.artUri on the
+  /// initial broadcast so external media controllers (Wear, Android
+  /// Auto, Bluetooth) see the cover on the first frame for warm-cache
+  /// tracks. Cold-cache tracks still fall back to the async
+  /// _loadArtForCurrentItem path.
+  String? peekCached(String albumId) {
+    if (albumId.isEmpty) return null;
+    final dir = _coversDirPath;
+    if (dir == null) return null;
+    final path = '$dir/$albumId.jpg';
+    return File(path).existsSync() ? path : null;
+  }
+
   /// Returns local file path to the album cover, or null on any
   /// failure (network, 4xx/5xx, disk full, empty albumId).
   Future<String?> getOrFetch(String albumId) {
@@ -44,6 +70,9 @@ class AlbumCoverCache {
       final dir = await _cacheDirFactory();
       final coversDir = Directory('${dir.path}/album_covers');
       await coversDir.create(recursive: true);
+      // Cache the resolved directory so [peekCached] can do its
+      // existsSync() check without re-awaiting path_provider.
+      _coversDirPath = coversDir.path;
       final filePath = '${coversDir.path}/$albumId.jpg';
       final file = File(filePath);
       if (await file.exists()) return filePath;

flutter_client/lib/player/audio_handler.dart

@@ -15,11 +15,16 @@ class MinstrelAudioHandler extends BaseAudioHandler with QueueHandler, SeekHandl
     _player.playbackEventStream.listen(
       _broadcastState,
       // ExoPlayer surfaces stream errors (404, premature EOS, decoder
-      // failure, network drop) here. Without an error sink, the
-      // player just goes quiet — exactly the "starts then stops"
-      // symptom we hit.
+      // failure, network drop) here. Logging alone leaves the UI
+      // claiming "now playing X" while audio is silent — the user-
+      // observable mismatch between visual and audio state. Skip
+      // forward so the queue advances past the failed track and
+      // mediaItem updates to whatever's actually playing. If the
+      // failure is at the queue tail, just_audio will go idle on its
+      // own and _broadcastState reflects that.
       onError: (Object e, StackTrace st) {
         debugPrint('audio_handler: playbackEventStream error: $e\n$st');
+        unawaited(_handlePlaybackError());
       },
     );
     _player.currentIndexStream.listen(_onCurrentIndexChanged);
@@ -40,6 +45,7 @@ class MinstrelAudioHandler extends BaseAudioHandler with QueueHandler, SeekHandl
   String? _token;
   AlbumCoverCache? _coverCache;
   AudioCacheManager? _audioCacheManager;
+  LikeBridge? _likeBridge;
 
   /// Trackers to dedupe registration — once we've inserted an index row
   /// for a trackId, don't repeat the work on every buffered-position
@@ -94,10 +100,12 @@ class MinstrelAudioHandler extends BaseAudioHandler with QueueHandler, SeekHandl
     required String? token,
     AlbumCoverCache? coverCache,
     AudioCacheManager? audioCacheManager,
+    LikeBridge? likeBridge,
   }) {
     _baseUrl = baseUrl;
     _token = token;
     if (coverCache != null) _coverCache = coverCache;
+    if (likeBridge != null) _likeBridge = likeBridge;
     if (audioCacheManager != null) _audioCacheManager = audioCacheManager;
   }
 
@@ -110,9 +118,6 @@ class MinstrelAudioHandler extends BaseAudioHandler with QueueHandler, SeekHandl
     // check and stop calling player mutations — important so a stale
     // fill doesn't append old-playlist tracks into the new queue.
     final myGen = ++_queueGeneration;
-    // Reset suppress flag in case a prior backward-fill bailed on
-    // gen check before reaching its `finally`.
-    _suppressIndexUpdates = false;
     _lastTracks = tracks;
 
     // Pause the old source immediately so the previous track stops
@@ -124,25 +129,49 @@ class MinstrelAudioHandler extends BaseAudioHandler with QueueHandler, SeekHandl
       await _player.pause();
     }
 
-    // Populate the visible queue + current mediaItem immediately so
-    // the player UI reflects the user's tap before any source has
-    // been built. Source list at the just_audio layer fills in
-    // asynchronously below.
+    // Build MediaItems up front (pure — no side effects); we'll
+    // broadcast queue/mediaItem only AFTER setAudioSources resolves
+    // so the audio engine and the UI flip together. If the build
+    // throws, the UI stays on the previous track (correct: audio
+    // also stays on the previous track since setAudioSources never
+    // ran).
     final items = tracks.map(_toMediaItem).toList();
-    queue.add(items);
-    mediaItem.add(items[clampedInitial]);
 
-    // Fast path: build only the initial source so the player can
-    // start. Remaining sources stream in via _fillRemainingSources()
-    // in the background — addAudioSource for next/auto-advance
-    // tracks, insertAudioSource for skipPrev tracks.
-    final initial = await _buildAudioSource(tracks[clampedInitial]);
+    // Build only the initial source for fast start. Remaining
+    // sources stream in via _fillRemainingSources() — addAudioSource
+    // for next/auto-advance tracks, insertAudioSource for skipPrev.
+    final AudioSource initial;
+    try {
+      initial = await _buildAudioSource(tracks[clampedInitial]);
+    } catch (e, st) {
+      // Source build failed (bad URL, missing baseUrl, etc.). Don't
+      // broadcast the new state — leaving queue/mediaItem on the
+      // previous track keeps UI in sync with what the player is
+      // actually doing (which is "still on the previous track,
+      // paused").
+      debugPrint('audio_handler: _buildAudioSource failed: $e\n$st');
+      return;
+    }
     if (myGen != _queueGeneration) {
       debugPrint('audio_handler: superseded before setAudioSources (gen=$myGen)');
       return;
     }
 
-    await _player.setAudioSources([initial], initialIndex: 0);
+    // Suppress _onCurrentIndexChanged side effects while the source
+    // list is being swapped — without this, a transient currentIndex
+    // emission during setAudioSources could broadcast the OLD queue's
+    // entry at the NEW index. Re-enabled after the broadcasts land.
+    _suppressIndexUpdates = true;
+    try {
+      await _player.setAudioSources([initial], initialIndex: 0);
+      // Broadcast in this order: queue first (so any consumer that
+      // reacts to mediaItem and reads queue.value sees the consistent
+      // pair), then mediaItem.
+      queue.add(items);
+      mediaItem.add(items[clampedInitial]);
+    } finally {
+      _suppressIndexUpdates = false;
+    }
 
     unawaited(_loadArtForCurrentItem());
     unawaited(_fillRemainingSources(tracks, clampedInitial, myGen));
@@ -301,12 +330,32 @@ class MinstrelAudioHandler extends BaseAudioHandler with QueueHandler, SeekHandl
     final extras = <String, dynamic>{};
     if (t.albumId.isNotEmpty) extras['album_id'] = t.albumId;
     if (t.artistId.isNotEmpty) extras['artist_id'] = t.artistId;
+    // Sync-peek the album cover cache so warm-cache tracks broadcast
+    // with artUri populated on the first frame. External media
+    // controllers (Android Wear, Bluetooth dashes, Auto, lock screen)
+    // can only render the cover bytes that audio_service hands them
+    // at MediaItem broadcast time; the later async _loadArtForCurrent
+    // Item path repopulates for cold-cache tracks. Without this seed,
+    // every track change starts with a generic icon on the watch and
+    // only gets the real cover after one or two seconds.
+    final coverPath = (t.albumId.isNotEmpty && _coverCache != null)
+        ? _coverCache!.peekCached(t.albumId)
+        : null;
+    // MediaItem.rating intentionally NOT set: audio_service propagates
+    // it to MediaSession.setRating(), but the Android session also
+    // needs setRatingType(RATING_HEART) configured to expose that to
+    // controllers — audio_service doesn't surface that config knob,
+    // and broadcasting an unanchored rating made Wear OS reject the
+    // session entirely. The LikeBridge wiring stays in place so
+    // setRating can still fire from any surface that DOES route it,
+    // we just don't advertise it.
     return MediaItem(
       id: t.id,
       title: t.title,
       artist: t.artistName,
       album: t.albumTitle,
       duration: Duration(seconds: t.durationSec),
+      artUri: coverPath != null ? Uri.file(coverPath) : null,
       extras: extras.isEmpty ? null : extras,
     );
   }
@@ -342,6 +391,37 @@ class MinstrelAudioHandler extends BaseAudioHandler with QueueHandler, SeekHandl
     await mgr.registerStreamCache(trackId, path, size);
   }
 
+  /// Called when playbackEventStream emits an error. Skips past the
+  /// failing track so the UI and audio re-converge — without this,
+  /// _player goes silent on a 404 / decoder failure / EOS but
+  /// mediaItem stays on the failed track and the user sees a "now
+  /// playing" header for something that isn't.
+  ///
+  /// If we're at the last track, seekToNext is a no-op; the state
+  /// drops to idle and _broadcastState reflects that.
+  Future<void> _handlePlaybackError() async {
+    final currentIdx = _player.currentIndex;
+    final queueLen = queue.value.length;
+    if (currentIdx == null || currentIdx + 1 >= queueLen) {
+      // Last track or no queue context — just pause; _broadcastState
+      // already reflects the idle/error processingState.
+      try {
+        await _player.pause();
+      } catch (_) {}
+      return;
+    }
+    try {
+      await _player.seekToNext();
+    } catch (_) {
+      // If seekToNext fails too (next source not built yet, etc.),
+      // there's nothing safe to do — pause and let the user recover
+      // manually.
+      try {
+        await _player.pause();
+      } catch (_) {}
+    }
+  }
+
   void _onCurrentIndexChanged(int? idx) {
     if (idx == null) return;
     if (_suppressIndexUpdates) return;
@@ -391,6 +471,45 @@ class MinstrelAudioHandler extends BaseAudioHandler with QueueHandler, SeekHandl
   @override
   Future<void> skipToPrevious() => _player.seekToPrevious();
 
+  /// Heart rating from external surfaces (Wear's favorite button,
+  /// lock-screen like) → LikesController.toggle(track). We only
+  /// route through the bridge when the rating actually flips relative
+  /// to the current state, so repeated taps from a flaky controller
+  /// don't ping-pong the like.
+  @override
+  Future<void> setRating(Rating rating, [Map<String, dynamic>? extras]) async {
+    final media = mediaItem.value;
+    final bridge = _likeBridge;
+    if (media == null || bridge == null) return;
+    final currentlyLiked = bridge.isTrackLiked(media.id);
+    final wantLiked = rating.hasHeart();
+    if (currentlyLiked == wantLiked) return;
+    try {
+      await bridge.toggleTrackLike(media.id);
+    } catch (_) {
+      // LikesController already rolls back on REST failure; nothing
+      // to do here beyond letting the broadcast skip.
+      return;
+    }
+    // Re-emit so the watch's heart icon updates immediately.
+    mediaItem.add(media.copyWith(rating: Rating.newHeartRating(wantLiked)));
+  }
+
+  /// Re-emits the current mediaItem with a fresh rating pulled from
+  /// the LikeBridge. Called by PlayerActions on likedIdsProvider
+  /// changes so the watch / lock-screen heart icon updates when the
+  /// user toggles a like from TrackRow, the kebab menu, or another
+  /// device's playback (SSE-routed). No-op if no track is playing
+  /// or the like state didn't change.
+  void refreshCurrentRating() {
+    final media = mediaItem.value;
+    final bridge = _likeBridge;
+    if (media == null || bridge == null) return;
+    final liked = bridge.isTrackLiked(media.id);
+    if (media.rating?.hasHeart() == liked) return;
+    mediaItem.add(media.copyWith(rating: Rating.newHeartRating(liked)));
+  }
+
   @override
   Future<void> setShuffleMode(AudioServiceShuffleMode shuffleMode) async {
     await _player
@@ -433,6 +552,18 @@ class MinstrelAudioHandler extends BaseAudioHandler with QueueHandler, SeekHandl
       // systemActions enumerates which actions the system can invoke
       // on us — without play/pause/skip in here, taps on lock-screen
       // controls don't route back to the handler on Android 13+.
+      //
+      // v2026.05.13.3 added stop, skipToQueueItem, setShuffleMode,
+      // setRepeatMode, and setRating to this set; reverted because
+      // Pixel Watch 2 stopped showing controls entirely after that
+      // change. The MediaSession contract on Wear OS requires more
+      // setup than just advertising the action (e.g. setRatingType
+      // for setRating) and audio_service doesn't expose those knobs.
+      // Keep the override methods themselves (skipToQueueItem is
+      // still routed via QueueScreen's direct handler call;
+      // setRating is harmless if never invoked) so we don't lose
+      // the underlying functionality — just don't tell the system
+      // we support them.
       systemActions: const {
         MediaAction.play,
         MediaAction.pause,
@@ -463,3 +594,27 @@ class MinstrelAudioHandler extends BaseAudioHandler with QueueHandler, SeekHandl
     ));
   }
 }
+
+/// Adapter that lets the audio handler call into the app's
+/// LikesController without depending on Riverpod directly. Constructed
+/// in PlayerActions where ref is available; consumed inside the audio
+/// handler's setRating override and MediaItem builder to keep external
+/// media controllers (Wear, lock screen, Auto) in sync with the
+/// likedIds drift cache.
+class LikeBridge {
+  const LikeBridge({
+    required this.toggleTrackLike,
+    required this.isTrackLiked,
+  });
+
+  /// Flip the like state for [trackId]. Returns a Future that resolves
+  /// once the underlying LikesController has both updated drift
+  /// optimistically and rolled the change through the REST API
+  /// (errors result in drift rollback inside LikesController).
+  final Future<void> Function(String trackId) toggleTrackLike;
+
+  /// Read the current like state for [trackId] from the drift-backed
+  /// likedIdsProvider. Synchronous because the audio handler needs
+  /// to populate MediaItem.rating on the broadcast hot path.
+  final bool Function(String trackId) isTrackLiked;
+}

flutter_client/lib/player/now_playing_screen.dart

@@ -45,16 +45,132 @@ class _NowPlayingScreenState extends ConsumerState<NowPlayingScreen> {
   // dismiss. Reset on each drag start.
   double _dragOffset = 0;
 
-  /// Last resolved dominant color. Held across track changes so the
-  /// gradient backdrop tweens smoothly from the previous album's color
-  /// to the next, instead of dropping through fs.obsidian during the
-  /// brief moment albumColorProvider for the new id is still loading.
-  Color? _lastDominant;
+  /// The MediaItem currently displayed on the screen. Held separately
+  /// from the live mediaItemProvider so we can preload the new track's
+  /// cover bytes + dominant color BEFORE flipping the visible state.
+  /// Without this gate the full-player UI swapped to the new track's
+  /// title/cover slot immediately while the image was still decoding,
+  /// producing a visible "pop in" once the bytes arrived.
+  MediaItem? _displayedMedia;
 
-  /// Dedupe key for the cover precache side-effect. Without this we'd
-  /// fire precacheImage on every MediaItem rebroadcast (twice per track
-  /// change, once on artUri arrival).
-  String? _precachedArtUri;
+  /// Dominant color of [_displayedMedia]'s cover. Tweened by the
+  /// backdrop AnimatedContainer when it changes.
+  Color? _displayedDominant;
+
+  /// The id of the most-recent track we kicked a preload for. Used to
+  /// drop stale preload completions when the user skips rapidly past
+  /// a track whose cover hadn't finished decoding yet.
+  String? _pendingPreloadId;
+
+  @override
+  void initState() {
+    super.initState();
+    // Seed displayed state from the current mediaItem if a track is
+    // already playing when the full player is opened. ref.listen
+    // below only fires on CHANGES after subscription, so without
+    // this seed the screen sits on "Nothing playing." even though
+    // the mini bar shows a live track — the listener never gets a
+    // mediaItem emission because the stream's current value hasn't
+    // changed.
+    final current = ref.read(mediaItemProvider).value;
+    if (current == null) return;
+    _displayedMedia = current;
+    // Best-effort synchronous color seed: if albumColorProvider has
+    // already extracted this album's dominant color earlier in the
+    // session, pull it now so the backdrop renders correctly on
+    // first frame. Otherwise the post-frame _scheduleSwap below
+    // resolves it asynchronously and AnimatedContainer tweens.
+    final albumId = current.extras?['album_id'] as String?;
+    if (albumId != null && albumId.isNotEmpty) {
+      _displayedDominant =
+          ref.read(albumColorProvider(albumId)).asData?.value;
+    }
+    // Kick the preload pipeline post-frame so the cover bytes are
+    // decoded + the dominant color is resolved even when the user
+    // opens the player to a track that hasn't yet flowed through
+    // ref.listen.
+    WidgetsBinding.instance.addPostFrameCallback((_) {
+      if (!mounted) return;
+      _scheduleSwap(current);
+    });
+  }
+
+  /// Preload the new track's cover bytes + dominant color, then
+  /// atomically flip _displayedMedia / _displayedDominant. Until both
+  /// resolve, the screen continues to render the previous track —
+  /// the new title/cover/gradient appear together in one frame.
+  ///
+  /// Concurrency: if a second track change arrives while the first
+  /// preload is still in flight, the older preload's
+  /// _pendingPreloadId check fails and its completion is dropped.
+  Future<void> _scheduleSwap(MediaItem newMedia) async {
+    _pendingPreloadId = newMedia.id;
+
+    // Fast path: when Prefetcher has already warmed both the cover
+    // bytes (file:// artUri populated via _toMediaItem's peekCached)
+    // AND the palette color (AlbumColorCache.peekColor returns
+    // non-null), we can commit synchronously. The slow async path
+    // exists for genuine cold-cache moments (first play of an album
+    // that sync hasn't seen yet); the fast path is what makes the
+    // common in-queue auto-advance flip the visual in lockstep with
+    // the audio transition instead of lagging a tick behind.
+    final artUri = newMedia.artUri;
+    final albumId = newMedia.extras?['album_id'] as String?;
+    if (artUri != null &&
+        artUri.isScheme('file') &&
+        albumId != null &&
+        albumId.isNotEmpty) {
+      final cachedColor = ref.read(albumColorCacheProvider).peekColor(albumId);
+      if (cachedColor != null) {
+        if (!mounted) return;
+        if (_pendingPreloadId != newMedia.id) return;
+        setState(() {
+          _displayedMedia = newMedia;
+          _displayedDominant = cachedColor;
+        });
+        return;
+      }
+    }
+
+    // Slow path: cover and/or color are not yet cached. Hold the
+    // current displayed state, preload, then atomic-commit.
+    //
+    // 1. Precache the cover image bytes so when _AlbumArt mounts with
+    //    the new media, FileImage paints synchronously. Non-file
+    //    artUris fall through to ServerImage which handles its own
+    //    network load + 120ms fade — they won't snap.
+    if (artUri != null && artUri.isScheme('file') && context.mounted) {
+      try {
+        await precacheImage(FileImage(File.fromUri(artUri)), context);
+      } catch (_) {
+        // Decode failed (missing file, corrupt bytes) — proceed
+        // anyway; _AlbumArt's errorBuilder shows the slate fallback.
+      }
+    }
+
+    // 2. Wait for the dominant-color extraction so the gradient is
+    //    populated when we swap. PaletteGenerator runs against the
+    //    same FileImage, typically resolving within ~50ms once the
+    //    decode completes.
+    Color? newDominant;
+    if (albumId != null && albumId.isNotEmpty) {
+      try {
+        newDominant = await ref.read(albumColorProvider(albumId).future);
+      } catch (_) {
+        // Color extraction failed — keep the previous dominant so the
+        // backdrop doesn't drop to obsidian on the swap.
+      }
+    }
+
+    // 3. Atomic flip. Bail if a newer swap superseded us, or the
+    //    screen was disposed mid-preload.
+    if (!mounted) return;
+    if (_pendingPreloadId != newMedia.id) return;
+    setState(() {
+      _displayedMedia = newMedia;
+      if (newDominant != null) _displayedDominant = newDominant;
+    });
+  }
 
   void _onDragStart(DragStartDetails _) {
     _dragOffset = 0;
@@ -78,10 +194,61 @@ class _NowPlayingScreenState extends ConsumerState<NowPlayingScreen> {
   @override
   Widget build(BuildContext context) {
     final fs = Theme.of(context).extension<FabledSwordTheme>()!;
-    final media = ref.watch(mediaItemProvider).value;
-    final playback = ref.watch(playbackStateProvider).value;
 
-    if (media == null) {
+    // Listen for mediaItem changes and schedule a preload-then-swap.
+    // Build renders _displayedMedia / _displayedDominant; the live
+    // mediaItemProvider only drives the swap pipeline.
+    //
+    // Decision process:
+    //   - On the first non-null mediaItem after mount, seed
+    //     _displayedMedia immediately so the screen has something to
+    //     paint.
+    //   - On a track id change, kick off a preload. The new track's
+    //     cover bytes + dominant color must both resolve before we
+    //     flip the displayed state. The user sees the previous track
+    //     in full until the new one is fully ready, then a clean
+    //     atomic swap (no fade, no placeholder flash).
+    //   - On the same track id but the artUri-bearing rebroadcast
+    //     (audio_handler sends MediaItem twice on track change),
+    //     refresh through the same preload pipeline so the displayed
+    //     cover reflects the freshly-written AlbumCoverCache file.
+    ref.listen<AsyncValue<MediaItem?>>(mediaItemProvider, (prev, next) {
+      final newMedia = next.asData?.value;
+      if (newMedia == null) {
+        if (_displayedMedia != null) {
+          setState(() {
+            _displayedMedia = null;
+            _displayedDominant = null;
+            _pendingPreloadId = null;
+          });
+        }
+        return;
+      }
+      if (_displayedMedia == null) {
+        // First mount with a track playing — seed immediately, then
+        // kick the preload pipeline to update the dominant color and
+        // ensure the cover is decoded.
+        setState(() => _displayedMedia = newMedia);
+        _scheduleSwap(newMedia);
+        return;
+      }
+      final isNewTrack = newMedia.id != _displayedMedia!.id;
+      final coverGotPopulated =
+          newMedia.id == _displayedMedia!.id &&
+              newMedia.artUri != null &&
+              _displayedMedia!.artUri == null;
+      if (isNewTrack || coverGotPopulated) {
+        _scheduleSwap(newMedia);
+      }
+    });
+
+    final playback = ref.watch(playbackStateProvider).value;
+    final displayedMedia = _displayedMedia;
+
+    if (displayedMedia == null) {
+      // Either nothing playing, or the very first mount before a
+      // mediaItem has been emitted. The ref.listen above will seed
+      // _displayedMedia as soon as a non-null MediaItem arrives.
       return const Scaffold(body: Center(child: Text('Nothing playing.')));
     }
 
@@ -90,53 +257,22 @@ class _NowPlayingScreenState extends ConsumerState<NowPlayingScreen> {
     // only fires on state transitions and would leave the bar frozen
     // between them.
     final pos = ref.watch(positionProvider).value ?? Duration.zero;
-    final dur = media.duration ?? Duration.zero;
+    final dur = displayedMedia.duration ?? Duration.zero;
     final isPlaying = playback?.playing == true;
     final shuffleOn = playback?.shuffleMode == AudioServiceShuffleMode.all;
     final repeatMode = playback?.repeatMode ?? AudioServiceRepeatMode.none;
     final actions = ref.read(playerActionsProvider);
-    final albumId = (media.extras?['album_id'] as String?) ?? '';
+    final albumId = (displayedMedia.extras?['album_id'] as String?) ?? '';
 
-    // Dominant-color gradient backdrop seeded from the current track's
-    // album cover. Tweens to the new color on track change via
-    // AnimatedContainer.
-    //
-    // We hold _lastDominant across builds so a track change doesn't
-    // briefly tween to fs.obsidian while albumColorProvider for the
-    // new id is loading — that brief stop produced the "background
-    // coloring snaps in" effect users saw. With a held color, the
-    // gradient stays on the previous album's color until the new
-    // extraction resolves, then animates straight to it.
-    final dominantAsync = ref.watch(albumColorProvider(albumId));
-    final resolved = dominantAsync.asData?.value;
-    if (resolved != null) _lastDominant = resolved;
-    final dominant = _lastDominant ?? fs.obsidian;
-    // 0.55 alpha keeps the color present without overwhelming contrast
-    // on the title / artist text below. The lower half of the screen
-    // stays obsidian for control legibility.
+    // Backdrop color: render the dominant we've already committed to
+    // _displayedDominant. AnimatedContainer tweens between successive
+    // values, so the only color changes the user sees are the
+    // atomic-with-cover swaps from _scheduleSwap. 0.55 alpha keeps
+    // the gradient present without overwhelming the title/artist
+    // text below.
+    final dominant = _displayedDominant ?? fs.obsidian;
     final gradientTop = dominant.withValues(alpha: 0.55);
 
-    // Precache the cover image bytes the moment a new MediaItem (with
-    // a file:// artUri) is broadcast. Without this, AnimatedSwitcher's
-    // cross-fade for the cover would complete before FileImage finished
-    // decoding the bytes — visible as a "snap in" of the album art
-    // after the fade. precacheImage decodes in the background; by the
-    // time the new _AlbumArt mounts inside the switcher, the bytes are
-    // ready and the cover paints synchronously.
-    //
-    // Non-file artUris (the rare moment before AlbumCoverCache has
-    // written the file) fall back to ServerImage / CachedNetworkImage
-    // which has its own 120ms fade — no precache benefit there.
-    final artUri = media.artUri;
-    final artKey = artUri?.toString();
-    if (artUri != null &&
-        artUri.isScheme('file') &&
-        artKey != _precachedArtUri) {
-      _precachedArtUri = artKey;
-      // ignore: unawaited_futures
-      precacheImage(FileImage(File.fromUri(artUri)), context);
-    }
-
     return Scaffold(
       backgroundColor: fs.obsidian,
       // The whole screen accepts vertical drag for dismissal. Buttons
@@ -167,46 +303,36 @@ class _NowPlayingScreenState extends ConsumerState<NowPlayingScreen> {
                   child: Column(
                     children: [
                       const Spacer(),
-                      AnimatedSwitcher(
-                        duration: _trackChangeDuration,
-                        child: KeyedSubtree(
-                          key: ValueKey('cover-${media.id}'),
-                          child: _AlbumArt(
-                              media: media, albumId: albumId, fs: fs),
-                        ),
-                      ),
+                      // No AnimatedSwitcher: _displayedMedia only
+                      // advances after the preload pipeline has the
+                      // new cover + color ready, so a track change
+                      // is an atomic swap. Fading would just smear a
+                      // transition the user explicitly asked us not
+                      // to add.
+                      _AlbumArt(
+                          media: displayedMedia, albumId: albumId, fs: fs),
                       const SizedBox(height: 28),
-                      AnimatedSwitcher(
-                        duration: _trackChangeDuration,
-                        child: KeyedSubtree(
-                          key: ValueKey('title-${media.id}'),
-                          child: _TitleRow(media: media, fs: fs),
-                        ),
-                      ),
+                      _TitleRow(media: displayedMedia, fs: fs),
                       const SizedBox(height: 4),
-                      AnimatedSwitcher(
-                        duration: _trackChangeDuration,
-                        child: Column(
-                          key: ValueKey('artist-album-${media.id}'),
-                          mainAxisSize: MainAxisSize.min,
-                          children: [
+                      Column(
+                        mainAxisSize: MainAxisSize.min,
+                        children: [
+                          Text(
+                            displayedMedia.artist ?? '',
+                            style: TextStyle(color: fs.ash, fontSize: 14),
+                            maxLines: 1,
+                            overflow: TextOverflow.ellipsis,
+                          ),
+                          if ((displayedMedia.album ?? '').isNotEmpty) ...[
+                            const SizedBox(height: 2),
                             Text(
-                              media.artist ?? '',
-                              style: TextStyle(color: fs.ash, fontSize: 14),
+                              displayedMedia.album!,
+                              style: TextStyle(color: fs.ash, fontSize: 12),
                               maxLines: 1,
                               overflow: TextOverflow.ellipsis,
                             ),
-                            if ((media.album ?? '').isNotEmpty) ...[
-                              const SizedBox(height: 2),
-                              Text(
-                                media.album!,
-                                style: TextStyle(color: fs.ash, fontSize: 12),
-                                maxLines: 1,
-                                overflow: TextOverflow.ellipsis,
-                              ),
-                            ],
                           ],
-                        ),
+                        ],
                       ),
                       const SizedBox(height: 24),
                       _SecondaryControls(
@@ -214,7 +340,7 @@ class _NowPlayingScreenState extends ConsumerState<NowPlayingScreen> {
                         actions: actions,
                         shuffleOn: shuffleOn,
                         repeatMode: repeatMode,
-                        media: media,
+                        media: displayedMedia,
                       ),
                       const SizedBox(height: 8),
                       _SeekRow(position: pos, duration: dur, fs: fs, ref: ref),

flutter_client/lib/player/player_bar.dart

@@ -28,16 +28,37 @@ import 'player_provider.dart';
 /// Tap anywhere on the bar (including art/title) ascends to the full
 /// player. A vertical drag upward also ascends, so the gesture mirrors
 /// the drag-down dismissal on the full screen.
-class PlayerBar extends ConsumerWidget {
+class PlayerBar extends ConsumerStatefulWidget {
   const PlayerBar({super.key});
 
   @override
-  Widget build(BuildContext context, WidgetRef ref) {
+  ConsumerState<PlayerBar> createState() => _PlayerBarState();
+}
+
+class _PlayerBarState extends ConsumerState<PlayerBar> {
+  /// Last non-null artUri we've seen from the mediaItem stream. Held
+  /// across the audio_handler's two-broadcast track-change pattern
+  /// (bare MediaItem first, then with artUri once AlbumCoverCache
+  /// resolves) so the mini bar keeps showing the previous track's
+  /// cover until the new one is known. Without this hold the bar
+  /// flickered to the slate placeholder for ~100ms on every track
+  /// change.
+  Uri? _lastArtUri;
+
+  @override
+  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
     final fs = Theme.of(context).extension<FabledSwordTheme>()!;
     final media = ref.watch(mediaItemProvider).value;
     final playback = ref.watch(playbackStateProvider).value;
     if (media == null) return const SizedBox.shrink();
 
+    // Capture the latest non-null artUri so _TrackInfo's cover stays
+    // continuous across track changes.
+    if (media.artUri != null) _lastArtUri = media.artUri;
+    final displayMedia = media.artUri == null && _lastArtUri != null
+        ? media.copyWith(artUri: _lastArtUri)
+        : media;
+
     // positionProvider is just_audio's positionStream (~200ms cadence)
     // so the mini bar's seek crawls forward smoothly. PlaybackState
     // only updates on event transitions and would leave it frozen.
@@ -65,7 +86,7 @@ class PlayerBar extends ConsumerWidget {
                 child: Row(
                   crossAxisAlignment: CrossAxisAlignment.center,
                   children: [
-                    Expanded(child: _TrackInfo(media: media)),
+                    Expanded(child: _TrackInfo(media: displayMedia)),
                     const SizedBox(width: 8),
                     _PlayControls(playback: playback, ref: ref),
                   ],
@@ -96,27 +117,27 @@ class _TrackInfo extends StatelessWidget {
     // than fade-cutting. Tag is stable per-route (not keyed by media.id)
     // so the transition works regardless of what's playing.
     //
-    // AnimatedSwitcher around the cover smooths the artUri null→file://
-    // swap that fires on every track change: audio_handler broadcasts
-    // the new MediaItem without artUri immediately, then re-broadcasts
-    // with artUri once AlbumCoverCache resolves the path. Without the
-    // crossfade the cover snaps from the previous track's image to a
-    // slate placeholder to the new image — visible as a flicker.
-    final Widget coverChild;
-    if (media.artUri != null) {
+    // Why no transition / placeholder handling: the audio_handler
+    // broadcasts MediaItem twice on track change — once with artUri
+    // null (the new track's bare metadata), then with artUri set once
+    // AlbumCoverCache resolves. The widget tree above hands us the
+    // most-recent non-null artUri (`displayArtUri`), so the previous
+    // track's cover stays visible across that null gap and the new
+    // cover snaps in the moment its artUri arrives. Rapid change is
+    // fine here per operator preference; AnimatedSwitcher previously
+    // smeared the swap and made the slate placeholder visible.
+    final displayArtUri = media.artUri;
+    final Widget cover;
+    if (displayArtUri != null) {
       // CachedNetworkImageProvider for HTTPS art URIs so the mini bar
       // hits the same disk cache the rest of the UI uses (ServerImage,
       // discover thumbnails). FileImage stays for the file:// branch
       // populated by AlbumCoverCache — bytes are already on disk and a
       // second cache layer would only burn duplicate space.
-      coverChild = Image(
-        // Key includes the artUri so AnimatedSwitcher detects a swap;
-        // without this it treats successive Image widgets as the same
-        // tree node and skips the transition.
-        key: ValueKey('art-${media.artUri}'),
-        image: media.artUri!.isScheme('file')
-            ? FileImage(File.fromUri(media.artUri!)) as ImageProvider
-            : CachedNetworkImageProvider(media.artUri.toString()),
+      cover = Image(
+        image: displayArtUri.isScheme('file')
+            ? FileImage(File.fromUri(displayArtUri)) as ImageProvider
+            : CachedNetworkImageProvider(displayArtUri.toString()),
         width: 48,
         height: 48,
         // Without a fit, Image paints the source at its intrinsic
@@ -128,19 +149,8 @@ class _TrackInfo extends StatelessWidget {
             Container(width: 48, height: 48, color: fs.slate),
       );
     } else {
-      coverChild = Container(
-        key: const ValueKey('art-placeholder'),
-        width: 48,
-        height: 48,
-        color: fs.slate,
-      );
+      cover = Container(width: 48, height: 48, color: fs.slate);
     }
-    final cover = AnimatedSwitcher(
-      duration: const Duration(milliseconds: 180),
-      switchInCurve: Curves.easeOut,
-      switchOutCurve: Curves.easeOut,
-      child: coverChild,
-    );
     return Row(
       // Default centering vertically aligns the like/kebab buttons
       // against the album art (48dp) — visually they span the title +

flutter_client/lib/player/player_provider.dart

@@ -1,10 +1,12 @@
 import 'package:audio_service/audio_service.dart';
 import 'package:flutter_riverpod/flutter_riverpod.dart';
 
+import '../api/endpoints/likes.dart' show LikeKind;
 import '../api/endpoints/radio.dart';
 import '../auth/auth_provider.dart';
 import '../cache/audio_cache_manager.dart';
 import '../library/library_providers.dart' show dioProvider;
+import '../likes/likes_provider.dart';
 import '../models/track.dart';
 import 'album_cover_cache.dart';
 import 'audio_handler.dart';
@@ -49,7 +51,18 @@ final positionProvider = StreamProvider<Duration>(
 );
 
 class PlayerActions {
-  PlayerActions(this._ref);
+  PlayerActions(this._ref) {
+    // Keep MediaItem.rating in sync with the drift-backed likedIds
+    // cache so external media surfaces (Wear's heart button, lock-
+    // screen favorite, Auto's like icon) reflect the current state
+    // even when the user toggles a like from somewhere other than
+    // the watch itself — e.g. tapping the heart on a TrackRow, the
+    // kebab menu, or another logged-in device propagating via SSE.
+    _ref.listen<AsyncValue<LikedIds>>(likedIdsProvider, (_, next) {
+      if (next.value == null) return;
+      _ref.read(audioHandlerProvider).refreshCurrentRating();
+    });
+  }
   final Ref _ref;
 
   Future<void> playTracks(List<TrackRef> tracks, {int initialIndex = 0}) async {
@@ -63,11 +76,28 @@ class PlayerActions {
         token: token,
         coverCache: cache,
         audioCacheManager: audioCache,
+        likeBridge: _buildLikeBridge(),
       );
     await h.setQueueFromTracks(tracks, initialIndex: initialIndex);
     await h.play();
   }
 
+  /// Builds the adapter the audio handler uses to read + flip the
+  /// current track's like state in response to external media-
+  /// controller events (Wear's heart button, lock-screen favorite).
+  /// Constructed here because the audio handler is initialized in
+  /// main.dart before the ProviderScope exists; passing the bridge
+  /// in via configure() keeps the handler Riverpod-agnostic while
+  /// still letting it call into LikesController + likedIdsProvider.
+  LikeBridge _buildLikeBridge() {
+    return LikeBridge(
+      toggleTrackLike: (id) =>
+          _ref.read(likesControllerProvider).toggle(LikeKind.track, id),
+      isTrackLiked: (id) =>
+          _ref.read(likedIdsProvider).value?.has(LikeKind.track, id) ?? false,
+    );
+  }
+
   Future<void> playNext(TrackRef track) async {
     final h = _ref.read(audioHandlerProvider);
     await h.playNext(track);

flutter_client/lib/quarantine/quarantine_provider.dart

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import '../api/endpoints/quarantine.dart';
 import '../cache/audio_cache_manager.dart' show appDbProvider;
 import '../cache/connectivity_provider.dart';
 import '../cache/db.dart';
+import '../cache/mutation_queue.dart';
 import '../library/library_providers.dart' show dioProvider;
 import '../models/quarantine_mine.dart';
 import '../models/track.dart';
@@ -110,17 +111,18 @@ class MyQuarantineController extends AsyncNotifier<List<QuarantineMineRow>> {
     try {
       final api = await ref.read(quarantineApiProvider.future);
       await api.flag(track.id, reason, notes: notes);
-    } catch (e, st) {
-      // Rollback the optimistic insert; watch() re-emits the prior set.
-      await (db.delete(db.cachedQuarantineMine)
-            ..where((t) => t.trackId.equals(track.id)))
-          .go();
-      Error.throwWithStackTrace(e, st);
+    } catch (_) {
+      // REST failed — don't roll back; queue for replay so the user's
+      // "hide this track" intent persists offline.
+      await ref.read(mutationQueueProvider).enqueue(
+        MutationKinds.quarantineFlag,
+        {'trackId': track.id, 'reason': reason, 'notes': notes},
+      );
     }
   }
 
-  /// Optimistic unflag: removes the drift row, calls server, restores
-  /// on error.
+  /// Optimistic unflag: removes the drift row, calls server, queues
+  /// the call on failure so the unhide intent persists offline.
   Future<void> unflag(String trackId) async {
     final db = ref.read(appDbProvider);
     final existing = await (db.select(db.cachedQuarantineMine)
@@ -135,13 +137,11 @@ class MyQuarantineController extends AsyncNotifier<List<QuarantineMineRow>> {
     try {
       final api = await ref.read(quarantineApiProvider.future);
       await api.unflag(trackId);
-    } catch (e, st) {
-      // Restore the row we just deleted — toCompanion(true) preserves
-      // every field including the original fetchedAt timestamp.
-      await db
-          .into(db.cachedQuarantineMine)
-          .insertOnConflictUpdate(existing.toCompanion(true));
-      Error.throwWithStackTrace(e, st);
+    } catch (_) {
+      // Don't restore the drift row; queue the unflag for replay.
+      await ref
+          .read(mutationQueueProvider)
+          .enqueue(MutationKinds.quarantineUnflag, {'trackId': trackId});
     }
   }
 

flutter_client/lib/requests/requests_provider.dart

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import 'dart:async';
 import 'package:flutter_riverpod/flutter_riverpod.dart';
 
 import '../api/endpoints/requests.dart';
+import '../cache/mutation_queue.dart';
 import '../library/library_providers.dart' show dioProvider;
 import '../models/admin_request.dart';
 
@@ -41,17 +42,20 @@ class MyRequestsController extends AsyncNotifier<List<AdminRequest>> {
     }
   }
 
-  /// Optimistic remove + REST cancel. Restores the row on failure so
-  /// the user can retry — silent failure would lie about success.
+  /// Optimistic remove + REST cancel. On failure the row stays
+  /// removed in-memory and the cancel is queued for replay — this
+  /// keeps the user's intent visible across network loss instead of
+  /// restoring a row they explicitly asked to remove.
   Future<void> cancel(String id) async {
     final api = await ref.read(requestsApiProvider.future);
     final current = state.value ?? const <AdminRequest>[];
     state = AsyncData(current.where((r) => r.id != id).toList());
     try {
       await api.cancel(id);
-    } catch (e, st) {
-      state = AsyncData(current);
-      Error.throwWithStackTrace(e, st);
+    } catch (_) {
+      await ref
+          .read(mutationQueueProvider)
+          .enqueue(MutationKinds.requestCancel, {'id': id});
     }
   }
 }

flutter_client/lib/shared/widgets/track_actions/track_actions_sheet.dart

@@ -1,8 +1,12 @@
+import 'package:drift/drift.dart' as drift;
 import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
 import 'package:flutter_riverpod/flutter_riverpod.dart';
 import 'package:go_router/go_router.dart';
 
 import '../../../api/endpoints/likes.dart';
+import '../../../cache/audio_cache_manager.dart' show appDbProvider;
+import '../../../cache/db.dart';
+import '../../../cache/mutation_queue.dart';
 import '../../../likes/likes_provider.dart';
 import '../../../models/track.dart';
 import '../../../player/player_provider.dart';
@@ -255,7 +259,38 @@ typedef AddToPlaylistAction = Future<void> Function(String playlistId, String tr
 
 final addToPlaylistActionProvider = Provider<AddToPlaylistAction>((ref) {
   return (playlistId, trackId) async {
-    final api = await ref.read(playlistsApiProvider.future);
-    await api.appendTracks(playlistId, [trackId]);
+    final db = ref.read(appDbProvider);
+    // Optimistic drift write so the playlist detail screen shows the
+    // new track instantly. The position is best-effort — append after
+    // the current max for this playlist. The server's authoritative
+    // position lands on next playlistDetailProvider fetch (SWR), or
+    // when the queued mutation replays.
+    final maxPos = await (db.selectOnly(db.cachedPlaylistTracks)
+          ..addColumns([db.cachedPlaylistTracks.position.max()])
+          ..where(db.cachedPlaylistTracks.playlistId.equals(playlistId)))
+        .getSingleOrNull();
+    final nextPos =
+        ((maxPos?.read(db.cachedPlaylistTracks.position.max()) ?? -1) + 1);
+    await db.into(db.cachedPlaylistTracks).insertOnConflictUpdate(
+          CachedPlaylistTracksCompanion.insert(
+            playlistId: playlistId,
+            trackId: trackId,
+            position: drift.Value(nextPos),
+          ),
+        );
+
+    try {
+      final api = await ref.read(playlistsApiProvider.future);
+      await api.appendTracks(playlistId, [trackId]);
+    } catch (_) {
+      // REST failed — keep the optimistic drift row; queue the call.
+      await ref.read(mutationQueueProvider).enqueue(
+        MutationKinds.playlistAppend,
+        {
+          'playlistId': playlistId,
+          'trackIds': [trackId],
+        },
+      );
+    }
   };
 });

flutter_client/pubspec.yaml

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 name: minstrel
 description: Minstrel mobile client
 publish_to: 'none'
-version: 2026.5.13+2
+version: 2026.5.14+5
 
 environment:
   sdk: '>=3.5.0 <4.0.0'

flutter_client/test/cache/cache_first_test.dart

@@ -32,9 +32,16 @@ void main() {
       isOnline: () async => true,
     );
 
-    final firstFuture = results.first;
+    // Post-coldFetchAttempted guard, cacheFirst yields the current
+    // (still-empty) rows after the fetch returns, so the stream
+    // never hangs when populate is a no-op for this filter. The
+    // simulated drift re-emit then yields the populated rows.
+    // Capture the Future *before* feeding the controller so the
+    // listener is subscribed when the first add() lands.
+    final emissionsFuture = results.take(2).toList();
     controller.add([]);
-    expect(await firstFuture, 42);
+    final emissions = await emissionsFuture;
+    expect(emissions, [0, 42]);
     expect(fetchCalled, 1);
     await controller.close();
   });

flutter_client/test/quarantine/quarantine_provider_test.dart

@@ -92,8 +92,8 @@ void main() {
     expect(rows.first.reason, 'bad_rip');
   });
 
-  test('flag rolls back the drift insert on server failure', skip: _skipDrift,
-      () async {
+  test('flag keeps drift optimistic + queues mutation on server failure',
+      skip: _skipDrift, () async {
     final db = AppDb(NativeDatabase.memory());
     addTearDown(db.close);
     final api = _StubQuarantineApi(shouldThrow: true);
@@ -101,14 +101,18 @@ void main() {
     addTearDown(container.dispose);
 
     await container.read(myQuarantineProvider.future);
-    await expectLater(
-      () => container
-          .read(myQuarantineProvider.notifier)
-          .flag(_track, 'bad_rip', ''),
-      throwsException,
-    );
+    // No longer rethrows — flag swallows the REST failure and queues
+    // for replay so the user's intent persists offline.
+    await container
+        .read(myQuarantineProvider.notifier)
+        .flag(_track, 'bad_rip', '');
     final rows = await db.select(db.cachedQuarantineMine).get();
-    expect(rows, isEmpty);
+    expect(rows, hasLength(1),
+        reason: 'optimistic drift row should persist across REST failure');
+    final mutations = await db.select(db.cachedMutations).get();
+    expect(mutations, hasLength(1),
+        reason: 'failed flag should have been enqueued for replay');
+    expect(mutations.first.kind, 'quarantine.flag');
   });
 
   test('unflag deletes the drift row and calls the server', skip: _skipDrift,