fix(playback): play local files and downloads on iOS via resource path (#100) by chhoumann · Pull Request #184 · chhoumann/PodNotes

chhoumann · 2026-06-15T08:31:37Z

Summary

Local audio files and downloaded episodes could not be played on iOS — the player never started — while streaming worked (issue #100, filed Jul 2024).

Root cause. Both local files and downloaded episodes were played from in-memory blob: URLs (URL.createObjectURL), while streaming used the raw https:// URL. iOS's WKWebView <audio> element loads media out-of-process and cannot read an in-memory blob: URL, so playback silently failed on iOS. Desktop (Electron/Chromium) plays blob: audio fine, which is why the bug was iOS-only and never reproduced on desktop.

The player code path is identical for streaming vs. local/downloaded except for the value bound to <audio src> — getSrc() returns a real URL for streaming (works on iOS) vs. a blob for local/downloaded (fails). That isolates the blob URL as the cause.

Fix. Resolve vault files with app.vault.getResourcePath(file) — the same native-served, byte-range-capable URL Obsidian uses for its own ![[media]] embeds (which play on iOS). The change lives in the shared createMediaUrlObjectFromFilePath helper, so both call sites (getContextMenuHandler and EpisodePlayer.getSrc) are fixed with no player-UI changes. It also stops reading the entire audio file into memory as an ArrayBuffer just to play it.

Changes

src/utility/createMediaUrlObjectFromFilePath.ts — blob URL → getResourcePath; removed the now-dead BlobUrlManager.
src/main.ts — removed the blobUrlManager import + revokeAll() unload wiring (its only consumer).
src/getContextMenuHandler.ts — fixed the "Play with PodNotes" extension check: the inline regex /mp3|…|/ had a trailing empty alternative that matched every file, so the menu item appeared on all files. Replaced with an explicit PLAYABLE_EXTENSIONS set.
src/utility/createMediaUrlObjectFromFilePath.test.ts — new unit tests (forwards resource URL; "" for missing/non-file; non-mp3 extensions).
docs/docs/local_files.md — note that local/downloaded files play on all platforms.

Verification

Desktop (real dev vault, Obsidian CLI eval): both the blob URL and getResourcePath play (loadedmetadata, duration: 3, readyState: 4) — confirming desktop cannot reproduce the iOS-only failure and that the resource URL is a valid, playable source.
Gates (Node 22, npm): lint, format:check, typecheck, build, test (248 passed / 27 files, incl. EpisodePlayer.test.ts) all green. docs:build not run locally (mkdocs unavailable in the environment; change is one prose line, no nav/reference changes).

⚠️ Pre-merge verification needed (iOS device)

This fix is reasoned and desktop-validated but not device-proven. The exact URL getResourcePath returns on iOS could not be confirmed here (the typings document resourcePathPrefix as file:/// on mobile). It is the same API behind Obsidian's own iOS-working media embeds, so it is very likely correct — but before relying on it, please confirm on a real iPhone: log app.vault.getResourcePath(tfile) for a local audio file and verify <audio> fires loadedmetadata (readyState >= 2).

Closes #100

#100) Local files and downloaded episodes were played from in-memory blob: URLs, which iOS WKWebView cannot play: its media element loads audio out-of-process and cannot read an in-memory blob, so playback silently failed on iOS while streaming (a real https URL) worked. Desktop (Electron/Chromium) plays blob audio fine, which is why the bug was iOS-only. Use app.vault.getResourcePath() — the same native-served, byte-range-capable URL Obsidian uses for its own media embeds — for both local and downloaded playback. This also stops reading the entire audio file into memory as an ArrayBuffer just to play it. - Replace blob URL with getResourcePath in createMediaUrlObjectFromFilePath; remove the now-dead BlobUrlManager and its unload wiring in main.ts - Fix the context-menu extension check that matched every file (the inline regex had a trailing empty alternative) - Add unit tests for the resource-path helper - Note cross-platform playback in the local files docs Closes #100

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chatgpt-codex-connector · 2026-06-15T08:35:06Z

+const PLAYABLE_EXTENSIONS = new Set([
+	"mp3",
+	"mp4",
+	"wma",
+	"aac",
+	"wav",
+	"webm",
+	"flac",
+	"m4a",
+]);


Include all supported local audio extensions

For local files with extensions that the rest of PodNotes already treats as audio, such as .ogg and .amr (detectAudioFileExtension and getExtensionFromContentType both return those extensions), this new allow-list suppresses the Play with PodNotes menu item entirely. The old regex was overly broad, but replacing it with this incomplete set regresses users who right-click an existing OGG/AMR audio file in the vault; those files can no longer be added to the Local Files playlist or played through the local-file flow.

Useful? React with 👍 / 👎.

Good catch — fixed in 1-line follow-up: PLAYABLE_EXTENSIONS now includes ogg and amr (and stays in sync with detectAudioFileExtension / getExtensionFromContentType), so right-clicking those files offers "Play with PodNotes" again while still suppressing the menu on non-audio files.

devin-ai-integration

✅ Devin Review: No Issues Found

Devin Review analyzed this PR and found no bugs or issues to report.

…files docs Review follow-up (PR #184). The helper no longer does any async work after the blob->getResourcePath change, so drop the now-misleading `async`/Promise wrapping and return a plain string; the awaiting call site is simplified accordingly. Also reword the local-files docs to describe the native resource-path mechanism rather than asserting unverified cross-platform coverage.

chhoumann · 2026-06-15T08:46:15Z

Review summary — adversarial + ultracode

Ran two independent review tracks on this implementation:

3 adversarial reviewers on the opposing model (Codex) — Skeptic / Architect / Minimalist lenses: all PASS (no high-severity findings). They independently confirmed a repo-wide grep finds zero remaining createObjectURL / revokeObjectURL / blobUrlManager references, so the BlobUrlManager removal is fully contained.
Ultracode review (multi-lens + adversarial verification of each finding): ready to merge, no confirmed blockers/majors. The lone "major" (helper declared async with no await) was downgraded to minor on verification. getResourcePath is correctly called with a TFile behind the instanceof guard, so the right overload is used and path traversal is structurally prevented; the streaming path is untouched.

Addressed in `7163070`

Helper made synchronous — it no longer does any async work after the blob→getResourcePath change, so dropped the misleading async/Promise wrapping (returns string); simplified the awaiting call site. (Most-cited finding across both tracks.)
Docs reworded — describes the native resource-path mechanism instead of asserting unverified "all platforms" coverage.
Test — added a direct getAbstractFileByPath call assertion.

Deferred as follow-ups (pre-existing / out of scope for this contained fix)

These predate this PR (the blob path had the same behavior) and would expand the change beyond the iOS playback fix:

A local episode's streamUrl holds a playback URL (now app://… instead of a blob: that was invalid after reload) which is persisted and surfaced via {{stream}}. Cleaner design: keep a canonical path on the episode and resolve to a resource URL only at the <audio src> boundary. Playback is unaffected (the player resolves downloaded/local episodes via filePath, not streamUrl).
downloadEpisodeWithNotice fetches episode.streamUrl with no isLocalFile guard (fails identically before/after this change for local files).
Missing/desynced vault file degrades to a silent empty <audio src=""> with no notice.
ogg is absent from the playable-extension set despite the download pipeline recognizing it (note: Ogg/Opus aren't decodable in iOS WebKit, so I left it out of an iOS-focused change).
Rename createMediaUrlObjectFromFilePath (it no longer creates an object URL).

⚠️ Still needs one on-device check before release

The fix is desktop-validated and unit-tested, but unit tests use mocks and the root cause is platform-specific WKWebView behavior. Before release, please confirm on a real iPhone: log app.vault.getResourcePath(tfile) for a local audio file and verify <audio> fires loadedmetadata (readyState >= 2).

The new extension allow-list was stricter than the (buggy match-everything) regex it replaced, so right-clicking an .ogg or .amr file no longer offered "Play with PodNotes" — a regression for formats PodNotes already recognizes as audio via detectAudioFileExtension and getExtensionFromContentType. Align the set with those sources.

# [2.17.0](2.16.0...2.17.0) (2026-06-22) ### Bug Fixes * behavioral-audit logic and robustness fixes (back-end, 1/2) ([#213](#213)) ([4e2845d](4e2845d)) * **download:** default per-episode download path and migrate empty default ([#183](#183)) ([#186](#186)) ([46a6486](46a6486)) * **download:** prevent Android crash and create missing folders on download ([#178](#178)) ([ecd09d5](ecd09d5)), closes [#113](#113) [#86](#86) [#113](#113) [#86](#86) * **lifecycle:** defer mobile podcast view startup ([#208](#208)) ([8bf9ce4](8bf9ce4)) * **notes:** cap note path length and harden folder creation ([#22](#22), [#87](#87)) ([#192](#192)) ([858e280](858e280)), closes [#87-class](#87) * **playback:** persist listened time during playback ([#33](#33)) ([#190](#190)) ([e3433c2](e3433c2)), closes [#191](#191) [#108](#108) [#163](#163) [#183](#183) * **playback:** play local files and downloads on iOS via resource path ([#100](#100)) ([#184](#184)) ([12c503a](12c503a)) * **player:** clear progress on episode switch to stop end-of-playback glitch ([#94](#94)) ([#194](#194)) ([59dccb3](59dccb3)) * **player:** reveal PodNotes view on Play with PodNotes so local files play ([#84](#84)) ([#198](#198)) ([5953625](5953625)) * **settings:** show labelled Add/Remove buttons in podcast search ([#109](#109)) ([#195](#195)) ([33399f5](33399f5)) * show downloaded episodes in the Local Files playlist ([#176](#176)) ([#177](#177)) ([184188c](184188c)) * **timestamps:** capture into the cursor's table cell without breaking the row ([#165](#165)) ([#203](#203)) ([964e342](964e342)) * **transcription:** always transcribe the currently playing episode ([#182](#182)) ([62b488a](62b488a)), closes [#107](#107) * **uri:** preserve '+' in episode titles and paths for timestamp links ([#181](#181)) ([8ad7aa5](8ad7aa5)), closes [#164](#164) * **view:** reliably reveal PodNotes view via command + ribbon icon ([#55](#55)) ([#199](#199)) ([fa1d708](fa1d708)) ### Features * add podcast segment links ([#205](#205)) ([d97e59e](d97e59e)) * **api:** expose generated episode transcripts ([e264465](e264465)), closes [#105](#105) * behavioral-audit UI and interaction fixes (front-end, 2/2) ([#215](#215)) ([894d93d](894d93d)) * **commands:** add playback rate and media timestamp controls ([#206](#206)) ([a8bb44a](a8bb44a)) * **devx:** isolated per-worktree Obsidian E2E vault wrapper ([#188](#188)) ([a8b7a4a](a8b7a4a)) * **episodes:** add a setting to control the Latest Episodes list length ([#114](#114)) ([#200](#200)) ([7b3e3c6](7b3e3c6)) * **notes:** add {{episodelink}} template tag to resume an episode from its note ([#35](#35)) ([#193](#193)) ([8c1ddd6](8c1ddd6)) * **notes:** add podcast feed-level notes ([#163](#163)) ([#187](#187)) ([db0de47](db0de47)), closes [#161](#161) [#160](#160) * **notes:** ship a Bases-friendly default episode note template ([#160](#160)) ([#201](#201)) ([209431d](209431d)), closes [#163](#163) [#183](#183) * **player:** scale episode title font size to its length ([#81](#81)) ([#202](#202)) ([659b6b8](659b6b8)) * **player:** support video episode playback ([#209](#209)) ([f92a91f](f92a91f)) * **queue:** add setting to disable queue auto-population and auto-advance ([#108](#108)) ([#185](#185)) ([cf3d73c](cf3d73c)) * **queue:** allow reordering the playback queue ([#80](#80)) ([#179](#179)) ([d994d61](d994d61)), closes [#173](#173) * **settings:** import/export settings & templates ([#180](#180)) ([a27d23d](a27d23d)), closes [#162](#162) [#162](#162) * **templates:** add {{currentDate}}, {{episodeNumber}}, {{duration}} template variables ([#189](#189)) ([ec573eb](ec573eb)), closes [#75](#75) [#34](#34) [#88](#88) [163/#186](#186) * **templates:** add episode chapters tag ([#207](#207)) ([9c98863](9c98863)) * **transcripts:** opt-in speaker diarization for transcripts ([#168](#168)) ([#204](#204)) ([a96e12f](a96e12f))

github-actions · 2026-06-22T11:13:43Z

🎉 This PR is included in version 2.17.0 🎉

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chhoumann merged commit 12c503a into master Jun 15, 2026
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chhoumann deleted the chhoumann/100-local-files-ios branch June 16, 2026 06:16

chhoumann mentioned this pull request Jun 16, 2026

fix(player): open and reveal the PodNotes view from "Play with PodNotes" (#84) #198

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fix(playback): play local files and downloads on iOS via resource path (#100) - #184

fix(playback): play local files and downloads on iOS via resource path (#100)#184
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Summary

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⚠️ Pre-merge verification needed (iOS device)

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✅ Devin Review: No Issues Found

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chhoumann commented Jun 15, 2026

Review summary — adversarial + ultracode

Addressed in 7163070

Deferred as follow-ups (pre-existing / out of scope for this contained fix)

⚠️ Still needs one on-device check before release

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Addressed in `7163070`