# Session 0022.0 — Transcript

> App: human-experience-filter-art
> Start: 2026-06-26T08-40 (PST)
> End: 2026-06-26T08-50 (PST)
> Type: executing-plans (operator-driven follow-up to the audio feature)
> Posture: yolo
> Claude-Session: e0cc053a-41fa-416d-a4f5-493f14984e75
> Status: FINALIZED

## Launch prompt

> (1) "It shouldn't say 'Tap to Start Sound'… it can start with both sound and video
> off but immediately go to the app. We should have a 'Loading Universe…' loading
> screen until all media has been downloaded and the experience is ready to run."
> (2) "I still can't hear the sound, even in private mode."
> (3) "The first time video is turned on, also turn on audio. If audio is turned on
> before video after the app loads, just audio should turn on."

## Pre-state

- Sessions 0020/0021 had shipped the audio feature + a 0021 "Safari fix" (tap-to-start
  overlay that primed A/B `<audio>` elements). The operator reported audio STILL
  silent on their real browser (even in private mode), plus the UX requests above.

## Session arc

1. **Why the 0021 fix failed.** It primed *srcless* A/B elements in the tap gesture
   and played the real audio in an *async continuation* (after `await fetch`). Safari
   unlocks an element only when `play()` runs **synchronously inside** the gesture and
   on an element **with a src** — so neither condition was met. Headless WebKit relaxes
   autoplay, which is why automated tests never caught it.
2. **Redesign (client-only, branch `session-0022`):**
   - **Single `<audio id="aud">`** element (dropped A/B). It's played **synchronously
     inside the toggle's own `change` handler** — the canonical Safari unlock. Altitude
     changes reuse the now-unlocked element with a brief fade-swap.
   - **"Loading Universe…" splash** (`#loading`, in the HTML so it shows pre-JS): `main()`
     now `await`s `preloadAllMedia()` (driving a progress bar), then `hideLoading()`.
     Replaces the tap-to-start wall.
   - **Both toggles default OFF** (black + silent at start) — no autoplay needed until a
     toggle is flipped.
   - **First Video-on couples Audio:** the Video `change` handler, on the first on,
     sets `#audio` checked and plays — in the same gesture (so it unlocks on Safari).
     Audio toggled on first stays audio-only.
   - Server contract unchanged (`{off,soundtrack}`); the client now drives playback
     directly from the ring's `scale.audio`, ignoring `render.audio`.
3. **Verify + ship.** Rewrote the 5 E2E for the new flow (single `#aud`, no gesture,
   loading wait, the coupling, video-off blanking). Caught a test bug — `#black.hidden`
   is `display:none`, so `wait_for_selector` default (visible) timed out; switched to
   `state="attached"`. **290 passed, 2 skipped; 5 E2E pass.** Verified in headless
   **Chromium AND WebKit**: first-Video-on couples audio, soundtrack plays, video shows,
   zero JS errors; screenshotted the splash + running app. Merged to `main`.

## Deferred decisions

_No low-confidence calls — all three were explicit operator requests. The
single-element synchronous-in-gesture play is the standard Safari remedy._

## Cut state

- `main` @ `4ac39c9`, clean, pushed. 290 tests + 5 Playwright E2E pass.
- **Honest caveat — still unverifiable headlessly:** every engine Playwright ships
  (Chromium, WebKit) relaxes autoplay, so I cannot *prove* real-Safari/iOS now plays.
  The fix is the canonical pattern (sync `play()` in the gesture, real src) and is a
  genuine change from 0021's broken approach — but it needs the operator's real-device ear.

## Operator plate

- No tap wall: "Loading Universe…" → app with both toggles off (black/silent). Flip
  **Video** → video + audio together; flip **Audio** alone → audio only.
- If sound is STILL silent on the real device, that points to something beyond autoplay
  (codec/MIME, file, or element error) — next session should capture `aud.error` and the
  exact browser.

## Next /goal

```
/goal confirm on a REAL device (esp. iPad/Safari) that audio is now audible when Video/Audio is toggled on and the "Loading Universe…" → app flow feels right; if still silent, capture aud.error + the exact browser. Then the deferred per-altitude music layer per docs/audio-candidate-pool.md
```
