Waves 7-8: playback engine selection, and missing files you can see

Wave 7 - engines, chosen per file by the client's own capabilities - internal/engine: a registry. html5 is built in and declares a CONSERVATIVE browser baseline (h264/vp8/vp9/av1, deliberately no hevc and no mpeg4, because that is what was measured). mpv, vlc and mdk are registered as native engines declaring the broad support those libraries really have. - The server never declares a file playable. It reports what is in the file and matches it against the engines the CLIENT declares. Proven: engines=["html5"] -> playable=false engine=null reason=vcodec:hevc engines=["html5","mpv"] -> playable=true engine=mpv Same file, different answer, because the client offered a different engine. That is what makes adding a native client a registration rather than a rewrite. - internal/playback: GET /playback/engines and POST /playback/resolve, behind auth and the same grant chokepoint. An unreadable item is 404, not 403. - web/src/lib/capabilities.ts: uses navigator.mediaCapabilities.decodingInfo(), which returns {supported, smooth, powerEfficient}. That is real client-hardware detection and it distinguishes "cannot decode" from "can decode but it will stutter and drain the battery". Feature-detected; degrades to the server baseline rather than throwing. - VideoPlayer consults the server as an ADVISORY only. The element remains the source of truth: the server's note appears first, then the element's own confirmation replaces it once videoWidth proves the answer. Verified on HEVC — "Playback may not work here" at 0-906ms, "Video cannot play here" from ~1208ms. Wave 8 - missing files: visibility and an explicit purge - migrations/0011 adds missing_since to media_items and media_files. - It is written only on the TRANSITION into missing, so the age says when the file first vanished rather than the last rescan. Proven byte-identical across a rescan, and cleared when a file is restored. - GET /api/v1/missing (grant-scoped) and POST /api/v1/libraries/{id}/purge (admin only). The purge deletes only items that are missing AND have no present file, and its cascade into progress/item_people/item_views/game_saves is enumerated in a comment — that cascade is exactly why deletion is never automatic. Proven: 19 items -> 18, only the missing one, the non-missing item untouched and its files intact, second purge returns 0. - MissingFiles.svelte in the Manage nav: title, kind, library, path, human age, and a per-library Purge behind a confirmation that names the count and says progress cannot be regenerated. Coordinator wired playback.NewHandlers into main.go (the one line agents were told to leave alone). Verified end to end: 17 packages pass, gofmt/vet clean, svelte-check 0/0, and every claim above checked against the running server.
2026-10-11 14:36:55 -04:00 · 2026-10-11 14:36:55 -04:00 · 67f145a9b1
commit 67f145a9b1
parent 915f390156
15 changed files with 1774 additions and 17 deletions
--- a/cmd/vellum/main.go
+++ b/cmd/vellum/main.go
@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/mithral/vellum/internal/modules/ebooks"
 	"github.com/mithral/vellum/internal/modules/games"
 	_ "github.com/mithral/vellum/internal/modules/photos" // registers the thumbnail extractor
+	"github.com/mithral/vellum/internal/playback"
 	"github.com/mithral/vellum/internal/search"
 	"github.com/mithral/vellum/migrations"
 )
@ -104,6 +105,10 @@ func run(cfg core.Config, log *slog.Logger) error {
 	comics.NewHandlers(db, log, authenticator).Register(api.Mux())
 	games.NewHandlers(db, log, authenticator).Register(api.Mux())
 	search.NewHandlers(db, log, authenticator).Register(api.Mux())
+	// Playback engine registry + selection. Vellum never transcodes, so the
+	// server reports what is inside a file and matches it against the engines the
+	// CLIENT declares — a browser offers "html5", a native client can offer mpv.
+	playback.NewHandlers(db, log, authenticator).Register(api.Mux())

 	// Scans run on the queue rather than inside the request: a real library
 	// takes longer than any sensible timeout, and a hanging request is
--- a/internal/engine/engine.go
+++ b/internal/engine/engine.go
@ -0,0 +1,203 @@
+// Package engine describes the playback engines a client can offer and decides
+// whether a particular file can be direct-played by that client.
+//
+// Vellum never transcodes: the server is a headless, GPU-less Xeon, and measured
+// against real files, playability turned out to be a property of the CLIENT, not
+// the file. Chrome on Linux plays an MKV carrying H.264 perfectly well, yet
+// cannot decode an MP4 carrying HEVC at all. So the server's job is only to
+// report what is inside each file (see internal/probe) and to match it against
+// what the client says it has.
+//
+// This package is the registry of those engines and the matcher. The web app's
+// only engine is "html5"; native clients (mpv, libvlc, MDK) declare their own.
+// Adding a native engine later is a registration, not a re-architecture — the
+// native libraries themselves can only live inside a native client, never in a
+// browser.
+package engine
+
+import (
+	"sort"
+	"strings"
+)
+
+// Engine kinds. A "browser" engine is an HTML5 media element and is bound by
+// what the browser's decoders support; a "native" engine links a real media
+// library (mpv/libmpv, libvlc, MDK) and can therefore live only inside a native
+// client.
+const (
+	KindBrowser = "browser"
+	KindNative  = "native"
+)
+
+// HTML5ID is the built-in browser engine every client can be assumed to have.
+const HTML5ID = "html5"
+
+// Engine declares one playback backend and the media it can open.
+//
+// The JSON tags are the frozen EngineSupport contract in web/src/lib/api.ts and
+// must not change without changing that file too.
+type Engine struct {
+	// ID is the stable identifier clients pass in their declared engine list.
+	ID string `json:"id"`
+	// Name is the human label shown in the UI.
+	Name string `json:"name"`
+	// Kind is KindBrowser or KindNative.
+	Kind string `json:"kind"`
+	// Containers are lowercase extensions, without a leading dot ("mkv").
+	Containers []string `json:"containers"`
+	// VCodecs are ffprobe video codec names ("h264", "hevc", ...).
+	VCodecs []string `json:"vcodecs"`
+	// ACodecs are ffprobe audio codec names ("aac", "opus", ...).
+	ACodecs []string `json:"acodecs"`
+}
+
+// builtins are the engines Vellum knows out of the box. html5 is the browser
+// baseline; the native engines are registered so a native client can name them,
+// and are never selectable from a browser.
+var builtins = []Engine{
+	{
+		ID:   HTML5ID,
+		Name: "HTML5",
+		Kind: KindBrowser,
+		// A deliberately CONSERVATIVE browser baseline. The real answer comes
+		// from the client: MediaCapabilities (see web/src/lib/capabilities.ts)
+		// can distinguish "cannot decode at all" from "decodes but will
+		// stutter", and only the client's GPU knows that. This list is what the
+		// server can honestly assume of a browser with no other information.
+		//
+		// Note what is absent: hevc/h265 and mpeg4 are measured as undecodable
+		// in Chrome, so they must not be claimed here. Container support is
+		// broad because mkv/mov play fine when the video track is h264.
+		Containers: []string{
+			"mp4", "m4v", "mov", "mkv", "webm",
+			"mp3", "m4a", "m4b", "aac", "flac", "ogg", "opus", "wav",
+		},
+		VCodecs: []string{"h264", "vp8", "vp9", "av1"},
+		// pcm appears under several ffprobe names (pcm_s16le, ...); the aliases
+		// are listed so a WAV is not rejected over a naming detail.
+		ACodecs: []string{"aac", "mp3", "opus", "vorbis", "flac", "pcm", "pcm_s16le", "pcm_s24le", "pcm_f32le", "pcm_u8"},
+	},
+	{
+		// mpv (libmpv) handles essentially every ffmpeg demuxer and decoder.
+		// Registered for NATIVE clients only: a browser cannot link libmpv.
+		ID:   "mpv",
+		Name: "mpv",
+		Kind: KindNative,
+		Containers: []string{
+			"mkv", "mp4", "m4v", "mov", "webm", "avi", "wmv", "flv",
+			"ts", "m2ts", "mpg", "mpeg", "ogv", "ogm", "3gp", "vob",
+		},
+		VCodecs: []string{
+			"h264", "avc1", "hevc", "h265", "mpeg4", "mpeg2video", "mpeg1video",
+			"vc1", "wmv3", "av1", "vp8", "vp9", "theora", "prores", "dvvideo",
+		},
+		ACodecs: []string{
+			"aac", "mp3", "opus", "vorbis", "flac", "ac3", "eac3", "dts",
+			"truehd", "alac", "wma", "pcm", "pcm_s16le", "pcm_s24le", "pcm_f32le", "pcm_u8",
+		},
+	},
+	{
+		// libvlc is similarly broad. Registered for NATIVE clients only.
+		ID:   "vlc",
+		Name: "VLC",
+		Kind: KindNative,
+		Containers: []string{
+			"mkv", "mp4", "m4v", "mov", "webm", "avi", "wmv", "flv",
+			"ts", "m2ts", "mpg", "mpeg", "ogv", "ogm", "3gp", "vob", "asf", "rm",
+		},
+		VCodecs: []string{
+			"h264", "avc1", "hevc", "h265", "mpeg4", "mpeg2video", "mpeg1video",
+			"vc1", "wmv3", "av1", "vp8", "vp9", "theora", "prores", "dvvideo", "rv40",
+		},
+		ACodecs: []string{
+			"aac", "mp3", "opus", "vorbis", "flac", "ac3", "eac3", "dts",
+			"truehd", "alac", "wma", "pcm", "pcm_s16le", "pcm_s24le", "pcm_f32le", "pcm_u8", "cook",
+		},
+	},
+	{
+		// MDK is a cross-platform multimedia SDK (ffmpeg-based). Registered for
+		// NATIVE clients only.
+		ID:   "mdk",
+		Name: "MDK",
+		Kind: KindNative,
+		Containers: []string{
+			"mkv", "mp4", "m4v", "mov", "webm", "avi", "wmv", "flv",
+			"ts", "m2ts", "mpg", "mpeg", "ogv", "ogm", "3gp", "vob",
+		},
+		VCodecs: []string{
+			"h264", "avc1", "hevc", "h265", "mpeg4", "mpeg2video", "mpeg1video",
+			"vc1", "wmv3", "av1", "vp8", "vp9", "theora", "prores", "dvvideo",
+		},
+		ACodecs: []string{
+			"aac", "mp3", "opus", "vorbis", "flac", "ac3", "eac3", "dts",
+			"truehd", "alac", "wma", "pcm", "pcm_s16le", "pcm_s24le", "pcm_f32le", "pcm_u8",
+		},
+	},
+}
+
+// registry is built once from builtins. Read-only after init, so All/Get need no
+// lock; if runtime registration is ever added it must grow a mutex.
+var registry = func() map[string]Engine {
+	m := make(map[string]Engine, len(builtins))
+	for _, e := range builtins {
+		m[e.ID] = e
+	}
+	return m
+}()
+
+// All returns every registered engine, sorted by ID so the response is stable.
+func All() []Engine {
+	out := make([]Engine, 0, len(registry))
+	for _, e := range registry {
+		out = append(out, e)
+	}
+	sort.Slice(out, func(i, j int) bool { return out[i].ID < out[j].ID })
+	return out
+}
+
+// Get looks up one engine by ID. The second result is false for an unknown ID,
+// which callers treat as "this client has no such engine" rather than an error.
+func Get(id string) (Engine, bool) {
+	e, ok := registry[strings.ToLower(strings.TrimSpace(id))]
+	return e, ok
+}
+
+// Facts packs a file's codec facts into the positional slice Resolve expects:
+// container, video codec, audio codec. An empty video codec means there is no
+// video track (audio, or a comic).
+func Facts(container, vcodec, acodec string) []string {
+	return []string{container, vcodec, acodec}
+}
+
+// canPlay reports whether an engine can direct-play a file with these facts.
+//
+// A missing codec ("" for an audio-only file's video track) is not a blocker:
+// there is simply no such track to decode. Container is always required.
+func (e Engine) canPlay(container, vcodec, acodec string) bool {
+	if !contains(e.Containers, container) {
+		return false
+	}
+	if vcodec != "" && !contains(e.VCodecs, vcodec) {
+		return false
+	}
+	if acodec != "" && !contains(e.ACodecs, acodec) {
+		return false
+	}
+	return true
+}
+
+// contains reports membership, case-insensitively, so "H264" and "h264" match
+// and a stray leading dot on a container extension does not.
+func contains(list []string, want string) bool {
+	want = strings.ToLower(strings.TrimSpace(want))
+	want = strings.TrimPrefix(want, ".")
+	if want == "" {
+		return false
+	}
+	for _, v := range list {
+		if strings.ToLower(strings.TrimSpace(v)) == want {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
--- a/internal/engine/engine_test.go
+++ b/internal/engine/engine_test.go
@ -0,0 +1,245 @@
+package engine
+
+import (
+	"encoding/json"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// TestRegistryHasBuiltins pins the engines a client can name out of the box.
+func TestRegistryHasBuiltins(t *testing.T) {
+	for _, id := range []string{HTML5ID, "mpv", "vlc", "mdk"} {
+		if _, ok := Get(id); !ok {
+			t.Errorf("engine %q is not registered", id)
+		}
+	}
+	if _, ok := Get("nope"); ok {
+		t.Error("Get returned an unknown engine")
+	}
+	// Get is case/space tolerant so a client's casing never matters.
+	if _, ok := Get(" HTML5 "); !ok {
+		t.Error("Get should trim and lower-case the id")
+	}
+}
+
+// TestHTML5BaselineIsHonest guards the measured facts: the browser baseline must
+// NOT claim HEVC or mpeg4, which Chrome cannot decode, and must not claim a
+// container it does not handle.
+func TestHTML5BaselineIsHonest(t *testing.T) {
+	html5, _ := Get(HTML5ID)
+	if contains(html5.VCodecs, "hevc") || contains(html5.VCodecs, "h265") {
+		t.Error("html5 baseline claims HEVC, which browsers cannot decode")
+	}
+	if contains(html5.VCodecs, "mpeg4") {
+		t.Error("html5 baseline claims mpeg4, which browsers cannot decode")
+	}
+	if !contains(html5.VCodecs, "h264") || !contains(html5.VCodecs, "vp9") || !contains(html5.VCodecs, "av1") {
+		t.Errorf("html5 baseline is missing a measured-playable codec: %v", html5.VCodecs)
+	}
+	if !contains(html5.Containers, "mkv") {
+		t.Error("html5 baseline must accept mkv (h264-in-mkv plays)")
+	}
+	if contains(html5.Containers, "avi") {
+		t.Error("html5 baseline must not claim avi")
+	}
+}
+
+// TestEngineJSONMatchesContract pins the frozen wire shape (web/src/lib/api.ts).
+func TestEngineJSONMatchesContract(t *testing.T) {
+	e, _ := Get(HTML5ID)
+	b, err := json.Marshal(e)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	var raw map[string]json.RawMessage
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(b, &raw); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	for _, key := range []string{"id", "name", "kind", "containers", "vcodecs", "acodecs"} {
+		if _, ok := raw[key]; !ok {
+			t.Errorf("engine JSON is missing %q", key)
+		}
+	}
+	if len(raw) != 6 {
+		t.Errorf("engine JSON has %d keys, want exactly 6: %s", len(raw), b)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestResolve(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name      string
+		facts     []string
+		engines   []string
+		playable  bool
+		engine    string // expected engine id, or "" for nil
+		reason    string
+		msgSubstr string // must appear in Message when not playable
+	}{
+		{
+			name:     "mp4 h264 aac plays in html5",
+			facts:    Facts("mp4", "h264", "aac"),
+			engines:  []string{"html5"},
+			playable: true,
+			engine:   "html5",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "mkv h264 plays despite the container",
+			facts:    Facts("mkv", "h264", "aac"),
+			engines:  []string{"html5"},
+			playable: true,
+			engine:   "html5",
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "mp4 hevc aac is not playable",
+			facts:     Facts("mp4", "hevc", "aac"),
+			engines:   []string{"html5"},
+			playable:  false,
+			reason:    "vcodec:hevc",
+			msgSubstr: "HEVC",
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "avi mpeg4 is a container blocker",
+			facts:     Facts("avi", "mpeg4", "mp3"),
+			engines:   []string{"html5"},
+			playable:  false,
+			reason:    "container:avi",
+			msgSubstr: "AVI",
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "unsupported audio codec",
+			facts:     Facts("mp4", "h264", "dts"),
+			engines:   []string{"html5"},
+			playable:  false,
+			reason:    "acodec:dts",
+			msgSubstr: "DTS",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "audio-only mp3 is playable",
+			facts:    Facts("mp3", "", "mp3"),
+			engines:  []string{"html5"},
+			playable: true,
+			engine:   "html5",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "audio-only flac is playable",
+			facts:    Facts("flac", "", "flac"),
+			engines:  []string{"html5"},
+			playable: true,
+			engine:   "html5",
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "audio-only dts is not playable",
+			facts:     Facts("m4a", "", "dts"),
+			engines:   []string{"html5"},
+			playable:  false,
+			reason:    "acodec:dts",
+			msgSubstr: "DTS",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "empty engine list falls back to html5 baseline",
+			facts:    Facts("mp4", "h264", "aac"),
+			engines:  nil,
+			playable: true,
+			engine:   "html5",
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "empty engine list still rejects hevc",
+			facts:     Facts("mp4", "hevc", "aac"),
+			engines:   nil,
+			playable:  false,
+			reason:    "vcodec:hevc",
+			msgSubstr: "mpv",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "native engine changes the answer for hevc",
+			facts:    Facts("mp4", "hevc", "aac"),
+			engines:  []string{"html5", "mpv"},
+			playable: true,
+			engine:   "mpv",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "native engine handles avi",
+			facts:    Facts("avi", "mpeg4", "mp3"),
+			engines:  []string{"html5", "vlc"},
+			playable: true,
+			engine:   "vlc",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "client ordering wins among capable engines",
+			facts:    Facts("mkv", "h264", "aac"),
+			engines:  []string{"mpv", "html5"},
+			playable: true,
+			engine:   "mpv",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "capable engine beats an earlier incapable one",
+			facts:    Facts("mp4", "hevc", "aac"),
+			engines:  []string{"html5", "vlc", "mpv"},
+			playable: true,
+			engine:   "vlc",
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "unknown engines are skipped, reason uses fallback",
+			facts:     Facts("mp4", "hevc", "aac"),
+			engines:   []string{"bogus"},
+			playable:  false,
+			reason:    "vcodec:hevc",
+			msgSubstr: "mpv",
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			got := Resolve(tt.facts, tt.engines)
+			if got.Playable != tt.playable {
+				t.Fatalf("playable = %v, want %v (reason %q)", got.Playable, tt.playable, got.Reason)
+			}
+			if tt.playable {
+				if got.Engine == nil || *got.Engine != tt.engine {
+					t.Errorf("engine = %v, want %q", got.Engine, tt.engine)
+				}
+				if got.Reason != "" || got.Message != "" {
+					t.Errorf("playable result carried reason=%q message=%q", got.Reason, got.Message)
+				}
+				return
+			}
+			if got.Engine != nil {
+				t.Errorf("engine = %q, want null", *got.Engine)
+			}
+			if got.Reason != tt.reason {
+				t.Errorf("reason = %q, want %q", got.Reason, tt.reason)
+			}
+			if tt.msgSubstr != "" && !strings.Contains(got.Message, tt.msgSubstr) {
+				t.Errorf("message = %q, want it to mention %q", got.Message, tt.msgSubstr)
+			}
+			if strings.Contains(strings.ToLower(got.Message), "you ") {
+				t.Errorf("message blames the user: %q", got.Message)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+// TestResolutionJSONEngineNull pins that a non-playable answer serialises
+// engine as JSON null, exactly as PlaybackResolution declares.
+func TestResolutionJSONEngineNull(t *testing.T) {
+	got := Resolve(Facts("mp4", "hevc", "aac"), []string{"html5"})
+	b, err := json.Marshal(got)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	var raw struct {
+		Playable bool            `json:"playable"`
+		Engine   json.RawMessage `json:"engine"`
+		Reason   string          `json:"reason"`
+		Message  string          `json:"message"`
+	}
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(b, &raw); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if string(raw.Engine) != "null" {
+		t.Errorf("engine = %s, want null", raw.Engine)
+	}
+	if raw.Playable || raw.Reason != "vcodec:hevc" || raw.Message == "" {
+		t.Errorf("unexpected resolution JSON: %s", b)
+	}
+}
--- a/internal/engine/resolve.go
+++ b/internal/engine/resolve.go
@ -0,0 +1,156 @@
+package engine
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"strings"
+)
+
+// Resolution is the answer to "can this client play this file, and with what?".
+//
+// The JSON shape is frozen by PlaybackResolution in web/src/lib/api.ts:
+// playable, engine (null when nothing can), reason, message. Reason is
+// machine-readable ("vcodec:hevc"); message is the human text the UI shows.
+type Resolution struct {
+	Playable bool `json:"playable"`
+	// Engine is the ID of the engine that should play the file, or nil when
+	// nothing the client declared can. It is a pointer so it serialises to JSON
+	// null, matching the frozen contract.
+	Engine *string `json:"engine"`
+	// Reason is empty when playable; otherwise a machine-readable cause such as
+	// "vcodec:hevc", "container:avi" or "acodec:dts".
+	Reason string `json:"reason"`
+	// Message is human text for the UI. Empty when playable.
+	Message string `json:"message"`
+}
+
+// Resolve decides whether a client can direct-play a file.
+//
+// fileFacts is the positional slice produced by Facts: container, video codec,
+// audio codec. clientEngineIDs is the list of engines the CLIENT declared, in
+// the client's own preference order.
+//
+// Semantics:
+//   - Only engines the client declared are considered. If the client declared
+//     none (an older client, or one that has not implemented capability
+//     detection), we fall back to the html5 baseline rather than refusing to
+//     answer.
+//   - An engine that can play the file always beats one that cannot; among
+//     capable engines the client's ordering wins, so a native client can say
+//     "try mpv first".
+//   - A file with no video codec (audio-only) is playable as soon as its audio
+//     codec is supported.
+func Resolve(fileFacts, clientEngineIDs []string) Resolution {
+	container, vcodec, acodec := splitFacts(fileFacts)
+
+	ids := clientEngineIDs
+	if len(ids) == 0 {
+		// No declared engines: fall back to the conservative html5 baseline so
+		// the caller still gets a useful verdict. The client is always free to
+		// refine it (see web/src/lib/capabilities.ts).
+		ids = []string{HTML5ID}
+	}
+
+	// First declared capable engine wins.
+	for _, id := range ids {
+		e, ok := Get(id)
+		if !ok {
+			continue
+		}
+		if e.canPlay(container, vcodec, acodec) {
+			engineID := e.ID
+			return Resolution{Playable: true, Engine: &engineID}
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Nothing the client declared can play it. Explain the blocker using the
+	// client's first *known* engine — its stated preference — falling back to
+	// html5 when the client named only engines we do not know.
+	ref, ok := Get(firstKnown(ids))
+	if !ok {
+		ref, _ = Get(HTML5ID)
+	}
+	reason := blocker(ref, container, vcodec, acodec)
+	return Resolution{
+		Playable: false,
+		Reason:   reason,
+		Message:  message(reason, container, vcodec, acodec),
+	}
+}
+
+// splitFacts unpacks the positional fileFacts slice, tolerating a short slice.
+func splitFacts(fileFacts []string) (container, vcodec, acodec string) {
+	get := func(i int) string {
+		if i < len(fileFacts) {
+			return fileFacts[i]
+		}
+		return ""
+	}
+	return get(0), get(1), get(2)
+}
+
+// firstKnown returns the first ID the registry knows, or "" if none.
+func firstKnown(ids []string) string {
+	for _, id := range ids {
+		if _, ok := Get(id); ok {
+			return id
+		}
+	}
+	return ""
+}
+
+// blocker names the first fact the reference engine cannot handle, in the order
+// container, video codec, audio codec. The reason is machine-readable; the
+// caller turns it into a human message.
+func blocker(e Engine, container, vcodec, acodec string) string {
+	switch {
+	case container != "" && !contains(e.Containers, container):
+		return "container:" + strings.ToLower(strings.TrimPrefix(container, "."))
+	case vcodec != "" && !contains(e.VCodecs, vcodec):
+		return "vcodec:" + strings.ToLower(vcodec)
+	case acodec != "" && !contains(e.ACodecs, acodec):
+		return "acodec:" + strings.ToLower(acodec)
+	default:
+		// canPlay was false, so one of the checks above should have matched.
+		return "unsupported"
+	}
+}
+
+// message renders the human explanation for a non-playable file. It names the
+// offending codec, never blames the user, and — when a registered native engine
+// could play the file — points at it, because the browser is not the only way
+// in and a native client may well be on hand.
+func message(reason, container, vcodec, acodec string) string {
+	var lead string
+	switch {
+	case strings.HasPrefix(reason, "container:"):
+		lead = fmt.Sprintf("This file is a %s, which this browser cannot open directly.",
+			strings.ToUpper(strings.TrimPrefix(container, ".")))
+	case strings.HasPrefix(reason, "vcodec:"):
+		lead = fmt.Sprintf("This file uses %s video, which this browser cannot decode.",
+			strings.ToUpper(vcodec))
+	case strings.HasPrefix(reason, "acodec:"):
+		lead = fmt.Sprintf("This file uses %s audio, which this browser cannot decode.",
+			strings.ToUpper(acodec))
+	default:
+		lead = "This browser cannot play this file directly."
+	}
+
+	if native := nativeEngineFor(container, vcodec, acodec); native != "" {
+		lead += fmt.Sprintf(" A native player such as %s can play this.", native)
+	}
+	lead += " Vellum does not transcode."
+	return lead
+}
+
+// nativeEngineFor returns the ID of a registered native engine that can play
+// the file, or "" if none can. It is used only to make the message honest about
+// the ways the file could still be played. mpv is named first because it is the
+// engine Vellum's native client reaches for; the others follow.
+func nativeEngineFor(container, vcodec, acodec string) string {
+	for _, id := range []string{"mpv", "vlc", "mdk"} {
+		if e, ok := Get(id); ok && e.Kind == KindNative && e.canPlay(container, vcodec, acodec) {
+			return e.ID
+		}
+	}
+	return ""
+}
--- a/internal/library/handlers.go
+++ b/internal/library/handlers.go
@ -42,10 +42,12 @@ func (h *Handlers) Register(mux *http.ServeMux) {
 	mux.Handle("GET /api/v1/libraries/{id}", h.auth.Require(h.handleGet))
 	mux.Handle("GET /api/v1/libraries/{id}/items", h.auth.Require(h.handleListItems))
 	mux.Handle("GET /api/v1/libraries/{id}/scan/status", h.auth.RequireAuth(http.HandlerFunc(h.handleScanStatus)))
+	mux.Handle("GET /api/v1/missing", h.auth.Require(h.handleMissing))

 	mux.Handle("POST /api/v1/libraries", h.auth.RequireAdmin(http.HandlerFunc(h.handleCreate)))
 	mux.Handle("DELETE /api/v1/libraries/{id}", h.auth.RequireAdmin(http.HandlerFunc(h.handleDelete)))
 	mux.Handle("POST /api/v1/libraries/{id}/scan", h.auth.RequireAdmin(http.HandlerFunc(h.handleScan)))
+	mux.Handle("POST /api/v1/libraries/{id}/purge", h.auth.RequireAdmin(http.HandlerFunc(h.handlePurge)))
 }

 // handleMediaTypes is public: the UI needs the list before login to render.
@ -262,8 +264,66 @@ func (h *Handlers) handleListItems(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, u aut
 	httpx.WriteJSON(w, http.StatusOK, map[string]any{"items": items, "limit": limit})
 }

+// handleMissing lists the files the scanner has flagged missing in the
+// libraries the caller may read. An optional ?library_id= narrows the result
+// to a single library, and an id outside the caller's visible set simply
+// yields nothing rather than leaking that the library exists.
+func (h *Handlers) handleMissing(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, u auth.User) {
+	ids, err := auth.VisibleLibraryIDs(r.Context(), h.db, u)
+	if err != nil {
+		h.fail(w, "visible libraries", err)
+		return
+	}
+
+	if v := r.URL.Query().Get("library_id"); v != "" {
+		id, err := strconv.ParseInt(v, 10, 64)
+		if err != nil || id <= 0 {
+			httpx.WriteError(w, http.StatusBadRequest, "invalid library_id")
+			return
+		}
+		ids = narrowToLibrary(ids, id)
+	}
+
+	entries, err := ListMissing(r.Context(), h.db, ids)
+	if err != nil {
+		h.fail(w, "list missing", err)
+		return
+	}
+	httpx.WriteJSON(w, http.StatusOK, map[string]any{"items": entries, "total": len(entries)})
+}
+
+// handlePurge deletes a library's genuinely missing items on explicit admin
+// request. It is admin-only and never runs automatically: the delete cascades
+// into progress, which cannot be regenerated. See PurgeMissing for the full
+// cascade and the exact "actually missing" condition.
+func (h *Handlers) handlePurge(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+	id, ok := pathInt(w, r, "id")
+	if !ok {
+		return
+	}
+	n, err := PurgeMissing(r.Context(), h.db, id)
+	if err != nil {
+		h.fail(w, "purge missing", err)
+		return
+	}
+	h.log.Info("purged missing items", "library", id, "count", n)
+	httpx.WriteJSON(w, http.StatusOK, map[string]any{"purged": n})
+}
+
 // ── helpers ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

+// narrowToLibrary keeps only id when the caller asks for one library. An id
+// outside the visible set yields an empty set, so a non-admin cannot probe a
+// library they cannot read.
+func narrowToLibrary(ids []int64, id int64) []int64 {
+	for _, v := range ids {
+		if v == id {
+			return []int64{id}
+		}
+	}
+	return []int64{}
+}
+
 func (h *Handlers) fail(w http.ResponseWriter, what string, err error) {
 	h.log.Error(what, "err", err)
 	httpx.WriteError(w, http.StatusInternalServerError, "internal server error")
--- a/internal/library/library.go
+++ b/internal/library/library.go
@ -118,6 +118,107 @@ func CountItems(ctx context.Context, db *sql.DB, id int64) (int, error) {
 	return n, err
 }

+// MissingEntry is one missing file, surfaced so an admin can see what the
+// scanner has flagged and decide whether to purge it.
+//
+// It carries both the file (file_id) and its owning item (item_id) because the
+// file is what actually vanished, while the item is what a purge deletes. A
+// multi-file item (an audiobook of tracks) produces one entry per missing file.
+type MissingEntry struct {
+	ItemID       int64  `json:"item_id"`
+	FileID       int64  `json:"file_id"`
+	LibraryID    int64  `json:"library_id"`
+	Kind         string `json:"kind"`
+	Title        string `json:"title"`
+	Path         string `json:"path"`
+	MissingSince string `json:"missing_since"`
+}
+
+// ListMissing returns the missing files in the given libraries, grouped by
+// library and then by title.
+//
+// It is keyed on media_files because a missing file is the thing the scanner
+// saw disappear; an item whose whole group is gone has each of its files
+// flagged, so every missing item still appears. ids is the caller's visible
+// set, resolved by the auth layer — an empty set yields nothing, never "all",
+// which is the same rule ListVisible follows.
+func ListMissing(ctx context.Context, db *sql.DB, ids []int64) ([]MissingEntry, error) {
+	if len(ids) == 0 {
+		return []MissingEntry{}, nil
+	}
+	placeholders := make([]string, len(ids))
+	args := make([]any, len(ids))
+	for i, id := range ids {
+		placeholders[i] = "?"
+		args[i] = id
+	}
+	rows, err := db.QueryContext(ctx, `
+		SELECT i.id, f.id, i.library_id, i.kind, i.title, f.path,
+		       CASE WHEN f.missing_since <> '' THEN f.missing_since ELSE i.missing_since END
+		FROM media_files f
+		JOIN media_items i ON i.id = f.item_id
+		WHERE f.missing = 1 AND i.library_id IN (`+strings.Join(placeholders, ",")+`)
+		ORDER BY i.library_id, i.sort_title, f.path`, args...)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("library: list missing: %w", err)
+	}
+	defer rows.Close()
+
+	out := []MissingEntry{}
+	for rows.Next() {
+		var e MissingEntry
+		if err := rows.Scan(&e.ItemID, &e.FileID, &e.LibraryID, &e.Kind, &e.Title, &e.Path, &e.MissingSince); err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		out = append(out, e)
+	}
+	return out, rows.Err()
+}
+
+// PurgeMissing deletes the items in a library that are genuinely missing:
+// flagged missing and with no file left present. It returns how many items were
+// removed.
+//
+// This is the ONLY place media rows are deleted on purpose, and it is an
+// explicit admin action rather than part of a scan because the delete is a
+// one-way door. Deleting a media_items row cascades (foreign_keys is on) into:
+//
+//   - media_files.item_id      — the files themselves
+//   - progress.item_id         — watch/read positions, which cannot be
+//     regenerated; this is why a scan never deletes
+//   - progress.file_id         — via the cascaded media_files rows
+//   - item_people.item_id      — cast and author credits
+//   - provider_ids.item_id     — external metadata matches
+//   - metadata_fetch.item_id   — provider attempt history
+//   - assets.item_id           — covers, thumbnails, extracted pages
+//   - collection_items.item_id — collection membership
+//   - favorites.item_id
+//   - item_views.item_id       — per-user view counts
+//   - game_saves.item_id       — emulator save states
+//   - child media_items        — the parent_id self-reference
+//
+// The WHERE clause is deliberately narrow: an item is purged only when it is
+// flagged missing AND has no present file, so an item missing one track while
+// its other tracks remain on disk is never touched.
+func PurgeMissing(ctx context.Context, db *sql.DB, libraryID int64) (int64, error) {
+	res, err := db.ExecContext(ctx, `
+		DELETE FROM media_items
+		WHERE library_id = ?
+		  AND missing = 1
+		  AND NOT EXISTS (
+		      SELECT 1 FROM media_files f
+		      WHERE f.item_id = media_items.id AND f.missing = 0
+		  )`, libraryID)
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, fmt.Errorf("library: purge missing: %w", err)
+	}
+	n, err := res.RowsAffected()
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, fmt.Errorf("library: purge missing: %w", err)
+	}
+	return n, nil
+}
+
 // ── helpers ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

 func resolveRoot(rootPath string) (string, error) {
--- a/internal/library/library_test.go
+++ b/internal/library/library_test.go
@ -109,3 +109,194 @@ func TestListVisibleNeverMeansAll(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("ListVisible(nil) returned %d libraries; empty set must mean none", len(libs))
 	}
 }
+
+func TestMissingSinceLifecycle(t *testing.T) {
+	db := testDB(t)
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	root := t.TempDir()
+	writeFile(t, filepath.Join(root, "a.epub"), "aaaaaaaaaa")
+	writeFile(t, filepath.Join(root, "b.epub"), "bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb")
+
+	lib, err := Create(ctx, db, "Ebooks", "ebooks", root)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Create: %v", err)
+	}
+	if _, err := Scan(ctx, db, lib, testLogger()); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("first Scan: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// A present file has no missing timestamp.
+	var since string
+	if err := db.QueryRowContext(ctx,
+		`SELECT missing_since FROM media_files WHERE path = ?`, "b.epub").Scan(&since); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if since != "" {
+		t.Errorf("present file missing_since = %q, want empty", since)
+	}
+
+	// Delete b.epub: it goes missing and the timestamp is recorded.
+	if err := os.Remove(filepath.Join(root, "b.epub")); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if _, err := Scan(ctx, db, lib, testLogger()); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("missing Scan: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := db.QueryRowContext(ctx,
+		`SELECT missing_since FROM media_files WHERE path = ?`, "b.epub").Scan(&since); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if since == "" {
+		t.Fatal("missing_since was not set on the transition into missing")
+	}
+	first := since
+
+	// A rescan must not refresh the age.
+	if _, err := Scan(ctx, db, lib, testLogger()); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("rescan: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := db.QueryRowContext(ctx,
+		`SELECT missing_since FROM media_files WHERE path = ?`, "b.epub").Scan(&since); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if since != first {
+		t.Errorf("missing_since reset on rescan: %q -> %q", first, since)
+	}
+
+	// ListMissing surfaces the file with its age.
+	entries, err := ListMissing(ctx, db, []int64{lib.ID})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("ListMissing: %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(entries) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("ListMissing returned %d entries, want 1", len(entries))
+	}
+	e := entries[0]
+	if e.Title != "b" || e.Path != "b.epub" || e.Kind != "ebooks" || e.LibraryID != lib.ID {
+		t.Errorf("unexpected missing entry: %+v", e)
+	}
+	if e.MissingSince != first {
+		t.Errorf("entry missing_since = %q, want %q", e.MissingSince, first)
+	}
+
+	// Restore the file: missing_since must be cleared, not left behind.
+	writeFile(t, filepath.Join(root, "b.epub"), "bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb")
+	if _, err := Scan(ctx, db, lib, testLogger()); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("restore Scan: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := db.QueryRowContext(ctx,
+		`SELECT missing_since FROM media_files WHERE path = ?`, "b.epub").Scan(&since); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if since != "" {
+		t.Errorf("missing_since after restore = %q, want empty", since)
+	}
+	if got, _ := ListMissing(ctx, db, []int64{lib.ID}); len(got) != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("ListMissing after restore returned %d entries, want 0", len(got))
+	}
+}
+
+func TestPurgeMissingOnlyDeletesMissingItems(t *testing.T) {
+	db := testDB(t)
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	root := t.TempDir()
+
+	// Two audiobooks, each a folder of tracks.
+	writeFile(t, filepath.Join(root, "Book A", "01.mp3"), "a1")
+	writeFile(t, filepath.Join(root, "Book A", "02.mp3"), "a2")
+	writeFile(t, filepath.Join(root, "Book B", "01.mp3"), "b1")
+	writeFile(t, filepath.Join(root, "Book B", "02.mp3"), "b2")
+
+	lib, err := Create(ctx, db, "Audiobooks", "audiobooks", root)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Create: %v", err)
+	}
+	if _, err := Scan(ctx, db, lib, testLogger()); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Scan: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// A second library with its own missing item, to prove purge is scoped.
+	otherRoot := t.TempDir()
+	writeFile(t, filepath.Join(otherRoot, "gone.epub"), "x")
+	other, err := Create(ctx, db, "Other", "ebooks", otherRoot)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Create other: %v", err)
+	}
+	if _, err := Scan(ctx, db, other, testLogger()); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Scan other: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := os.Remove(filepath.Join(otherRoot, "gone.epub")); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if _, err := Scan(ctx, db, other, testLogger()); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Scan other (missing): %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// Remove one track from Book A: the item is not missing, only that file.
+	// Remove Book B entirely: the item and both its files are missing.
+	if err := os.Remove(filepath.Join(root, "Book A", "02.mp3")); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if err := os.RemoveAll(filepath.Join(root, "Book B")); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if _, err := Scan(ctx, db, lib, testLogger()); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("second Scan: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	entries, err := ListMissing(ctx, db, []int64{lib.ID})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("ListMissing: %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(entries) != 3 {
+		t.Fatalf("ListMissing returned %d entries, want 3 (Book A/02 + Book B/01 + Book B/02)", len(entries))
+	}
+
+	// Purge must remove only Book B.
+	n, err := PurgeMissing(ctx, db, lib.ID)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("PurgeMissing: %v", err)
+	}
+	if n != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("purged = %d, want 1 (only the fully missing item)", n)
+	}
+
+	// Book A survives, with its present and missing files intact.
+	var items int
+	if err := db.QueryRowContext(ctx,
+		`SELECT count(*) FROM media_items WHERE library_id = ?`, lib.ID).Scan(&items); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if items != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("media_items after purge = %d, want 1", items)
+	}
+	var bookATitle string
+	if err := db.QueryRowContext(ctx,
+		`SELECT title FROM media_items WHERE library_id = ? AND path = ?`, lib.ID, "Book A").Scan(&bookATitle); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("a non-missing item was purged: %v", err)
+	}
+	var files int
+	if err := db.QueryRowContext(ctx, `
+		SELECT count(*) FROM media_files f JOIN media_items i ON i.id = f.item_id
+		WHERE i.library_id = ? AND i.path = ?`, lib.ID, "Book A").Scan(&files); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if files != 2 {
+		t.Errorf("Book A files after purge = %d, want 2", files)
+	}
+
+	// The other library's missing item is untouched.
+	var otherItems int
+	if err := db.QueryRowContext(ctx,
+		`SELECT count(*) FROM media_items WHERE library_id = ?`, other.ID).Scan(&otherItems); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if otherItems != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("other library items after purge = %d, want 1 (purge must be scoped)", otherItems)
+	}
+
+	// A second purge has nothing left to remove.
+	if n, err := PurgeMissing(ctx, db, lib.ID); err != nil || n != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("second purge = %d, %v; want 0, nil", n, err)
+	}
+}
--- a/internal/library/scan.go
+++ b/internal/library/scan.go
@ -237,7 +237,7 @@ func Scan(ctx context.Context, db *sql.DB, lib Library, log *slog.Logger) (ScanR

 		err := commitBatch(ctx, db, func(tx *sql.Tx) error {
 			for _, rel := range batch {
-				if err := markFileMissing(ctx, tx, rel); err != nil {
+				if err := markFileMissing(ctx, tx, rel, now); err != nil {
 					res.addError(fmt.Sprintf("%s: %v", rel, err))
 				}
 			}
@ -431,10 +431,10 @@ func loadKnownItems(ctx context.Context, db *sql.DB, libraryID int64) (map[strin
 func upsertItem(ctx context.Context, tx *sql.Tx, lib Library, key, title string) (int64, error) {
 	var id int64
 	err := tx.QueryRowContext(ctx, `
-		INSERT INTO media_items (library_id, kind, path, title, sort_title, missing)
-		VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, 0)
+		INSERT INTO media_items (library_id, kind, path, title, sort_title, missing, missing_since)
+		VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, 0, '')
 		ON CONFLICT (library_id, path)
-		DO UPDATE SET missing = 0
+		DO UPDATE SET missing = 0, missing_since = ''
 		RETURNING id`,
 		lib.ID, lib.Kind, key, title, strings.ToLower(title),
 	).Scan(&id)
@ -450,12 +450,13 @@ func upsertFile(ctx context.Context, tx *sql.Tx, itemID int64, c candidate, info
 	// upsert never mentions those columns at all.
 	if !probed {
 		_, err := tx.ExecContext(ctx, `
-			INSERT INTO media_files (item_id, path, size, mtime, inode, container, missing)
-			VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, 0)
+			INSERT INTO media_files (item_id, path, size, mtime, inode, container, missing, missing_since)
+			VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, 0, '')
 			ON CONFLICT (path)
 			DO UPDATE SET item_id = excluded.item_id, size = excluded.size,
 			              mtime = excluded.mtime, inode = excluded.inode,
-			              container = excluded.container, missing = 0`,
+			              container = excluded.container, missing = 0,
+			              missing_since = ''`,
 			itemID, c.relPath, c.size, fmt.Sprint(c.mtime), c.inode, c.ext)
 		if err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("upsert file: %w", err)
@ -464,13 +465,14 @@ func upsertFile(ctx context.Context, tx *sql.Tx, itemID int64, c candidate, info
 	}

 	_, err := tx.ExecContext(ctx, `
-		INSERT INTO media_files (item_id, path, size, mtime, inode, container, missing,
+		INSERT INTO media_files (item_id, path, size, mtime, inode, container, missing, missing_since,
 		                         duration_ms, vcodec, acodec, width, height, probed_at)
-		VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, 0, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)
+		VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, 0, '', ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)
 		ON CONFLICT (path)
 		DO UPDATE SET item_id = excluded.item_id, size = excluded.size,
 		              mtime = excluded.mtime, inode = excluded.inode,
 		              container = excluded.container, missing = 0,
+		              missing_since = '',
 		              duration_ms = excluded.duration_ms, vcodec = excluded.vcodec,
 		              acodec = excluded.acodec, width = excluded.width,
 		              height = excluded.height, probed_at = excluded.probed_at`,
@ -535,15 +537,28 @@ func probeable(kind string) bool {
 	}
 }

+// markItemMissing flags an item whose whole group has vanished. missing_since
+// records when it first disappeared, and is written only on that transition: a
+// rescan of an already-missing item must not refresh the age, or a file gone
+// for months would look "just now missing" on every pass. An empty timestamp
+// (a row that went missing before this column existed) is filled once, so the
+// age is still real rather than permanently blank.
 func markItemMissing(ctx context.Context, tx *sql.Tx, libraryID int64, key, now string) error {
 	_, err := tx.ExecContext(ctx, `
-		UPDATE media_items SET missing = 1
-		WHERE library_id = ? AND path = ?`, libraryID, key)
+		UPDATE media_items SET missing = 1, missing_since = ?
+		WHERE library_id = ? AND path = ? AND (missing = 0 OR missing_since = '')`,
+		now, libraryID, key)
 	return err
 }

-func markFileMissing(ctx context.Context, tx *sql.Tx, rel string) error {
-	_, err := tx.ExecContext(ctx, `UPDATE media_files SET missing = 1 WHERE path = ?`, rel)
+// markFileMissing flags a file that vanished while its item survived. It obeys
+// the same transition rule as markItemMissing: the timestamp is set once and
+// never rewritten by a later scan.
+func markFileMissing(ctx context.Context, tx *sql.Tx, rel, now string) error {
+	_, err := tx.ExecContext(ctx, `
+		UPDATE media_files SET missing = 1, missing_since = ?
+		WHERE path = ? AND (missing = 0 OR missing_since = '')`,
+		now, rel)
 	return err
 }

--- a/internal/playback/handlers.go
+++ b/internal/playback/handlers.go
@ -0,0 +1,118 @@
+// Package playback exposes the server side of direct-play selection: the list
+// of playback engines and the decision of whether a particular item can be
+// direct-played by the engines a client declares.
+//
+// Vellum does not transcode. The server reports what is in each file (codec
+// facts written by the scanner) and matches it against the client's declared
+// engines; the client is the only party that knows its own hardware. The web
+// app declares "html5"; a native client declares "mpv"/"vlc"/"mdk" as well.
+package playback
+
+import (
+	"database/sql"
+	"errors"
+	"log/slog"
+	"net/http"
+
+	"github.com/mithral/vellum/internal/auth"
+	"github.com/mithral/vellum/internal/engine"
+	"github.com/mithral/vellum/internal/httpx"
+)
+
+// Handlers serves the playback selection endpoints.
+type Handlers struct {
+	db   *sql.DB
+	log  *slog.Logger
+	auth *auth.Authenticator
+}
+
+// NewHandlers builds the playback HTTP layer.
+func NewHandlers(db *sql.DB, log *slog.Logger, a *auth.Authenticator) *Handlers {
+	return &Handlers{db: db, log: log, auth: a}
+}
+
+// Register mounts the routes. Both require an authenticated user; the resolve
+// endpoint additionally scopes to items the caller may read.
+func (h *Handlers) Register(mux *http.ServeMux) {
+	mux.Handle("GET /api/v1/playback/engines", h.auth.Require(h.handleEngines))
+	mux.Handle("POST /api/v1/playback/resolve", h.auth.Require(h.handleResolve))
+}
+
+// handleEngines lists every engine the server knows about. A client uses this to
+// show what it could offer and to name engines in a resolve request.
+func (h *Handlers) handleEngines(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, u auth.User) {
+	httpx.WriteJSON(w, http.StatusOK, map[string]any{"engines": engine.All()})
+}
+
+// handleResolve answers whether the caller's client can direct-play an item.
+//
+// The body is {"item_id":N,"engines":["html5",...]}. The item's codec facts
+// (container, vcodec, acodec) are read from the database and handed to
+// engine.Resolve together with the client's declared engines.
+func (h *Handlers) handleResolve(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, u auth.User) {
+	var req struct {
+		ItemID  int64    `json:"item_id"`
+		Engines []string `json:"engines"`
+	}
+	if err := httpx.DecodeJSON(r, &req); err != nil {
+		httpx.WriteError(w, http.StatusBadRequest, err.Error())
+		return
+	}
+	if req.ItemID <= 0 {
+		httpx.WriteError(w, http.StatusBadRequest, "invalid item_id")
+		return
+	}
+
+	// The same access-control chokepoint the media handlers use: load the item's
+	// library, then ask CanAccessLibrary. An item the user cannot read is a 404,
+	// not a 403, so its existence is not disclosed.
+	var libraryID int64
+	err := h.db.QueryRowContext(r.Context(),
+		`SELECT library_id FROM media_items WHERE id = ?`, req.ItemID).Scan(&libraryID)
+	if errors.Is(err, sql.ErrNoRows) {
+		httpx.WriteError(w, http.StatusNotFound, "item not found")
+		return
+	}
+	if err != nil {
+		h.fail(w, "load item", err)
+		return
+	}
+
+	allowed, err := auth.CanAccessLibrary(r.Context(), h.db, u, libraryID)
+	if err != nil {
+		h.fail(w, "check access", err)
+		return
+	}
+	if !allowed {
+		httpx.WriteError(w, http.StatusNotFound, "item not found")
+		return
+	}
+
+	// The first file carries the codec facts the player will try. An item with
+	// no file cannot be played, but is still a 200 with a resolution so the UI
+	// has one shape to render.
+	var container, vcodec, acodec string
+	err = h.db.QueryRowContext(r.Context(),
+		`SELECT container, vcodec, acodec FROM media_files WHERE item_id = ? ORDER BY id LIMIT 1`,
+		req.ItemID).Scan(&container, &vcodec, &acodec)
+	if errors.Is(err, sql.ErrNoRows) {
+		httpx.WriteJSON(w, http.StatusOK, engine.Resolution{
+			Playable: false,
+			Reason:   "nofile",
+			Message:  "This item has no file to play.",
+		})
+		return
+	}
+	if err != nil {
+		h.fail(w, "load file facts", err)
+		return
+	}
+
+	res := engine.Resolve(engine.Facts(container, vcodec, acodec), req.Engines)
+	httpx.WriteJSON(w, http.StatusOK, res)
+}
+
+func (h *Handlers) fail(w http.ResponseWriter, what string, err error) {
+	h.log.Error(what, "err", err)
+	httpx.WriteError(w, http.StatusInternalServerError, "internal server error")
+}
--- a/internal/playback/handlers_test.go
+++ b/internal/playback/handlers_test.go
@ -0,0 +1,230 @@
+package playback
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"database/sql"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"io"
+	"log/slog"
+	"net/http"
+	"net/http/httptest"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strconv"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/mithral/vellum/internal/auth"
+	"github.com/mithral/vellum/internal/core"
+	"github.com/mithral/vellum/internal/engine"
+	"github.com/mithral/vellum/migrations"
+)
+
+func testDB(t *testing.T) *sql.DB {
+	t.Helper()
+	db, err := core.OpenDB(filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "playback.db"))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("OpenDB: %v", err)
+	}
+	t.Cleanup(func() { _ = db.Close() })
+	log := slog.New(slog.NewTextHandler(io.Discard, nil))
+	if err := core.Migrate(context.Background(), db, migrations.FS, log); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Migrate: %v", err)
+	}
+	return db
+}
+
+func mustExec(t *testing.T, db *sql.DB, q string, args ...any) {
+	t.Helper()
+	if _, err := db.ExecContext(context.Background(), q, args...); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("exec %q: %v", q, err)
+	}
+}
+
+func mustID(t *testing.T, db *sql.DB, q string, args ...any) int64 {
+	t.Helper()
+	var id int64
+	if err := db.QueryRowContext(context.Background(), q, args...).Scan(&id); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("query %q: %v", q, err)
+	}
+	return id
+}
+
+func newHandlers(t *testing.T, db *sql.DB) *Handlers {
+	t.Helper()
+	log := slog.New(slog.NewTextHandler(io.Discard, nil))
+	a := auth.NewAuthenticator(db, "vellum_session", 0, false, log)
+	return NewHandlers(db, log, a)
+}
+
+// fixture builds two libraries with one item each and a user granted only the
+// first. The item in the second library must be invisible.
+type fixture struct {
+	db    *sql.DB
+	libA  int64
+	libB  int64
+	userA int64
+	itemA int64 // mp4 h264 aac, readable
+	itemB int64 // mp4 hevc aac, NOT readable
+}
+
+func setup(t *testing.T) fixture {
+	t.Helper()
+	db := testDB(t)
+	f := fixture{db: db}
+	f.libA = mustID(t, db, `INSERT INTO libraries (name, kind, root_path) VALUES ('A','video','/a') RETURNING id`)
+	f.libB = mustID(t, db, `INSERT INTO libraries (name, kind, root_path) VALUES ('B','video','/b') RETURNING id`)
+	f.userA = mustID(t, db, `INSERT INTO users (username, password_hash) VALUES ('alice','x') RETURNING id`)
+	mustExec(t, db, `INSERT INTO library_grants (user_id, library_id, can_read, can_download) VALUES (?, ?, 1, 1)`, f.userA, f.libA)
+
+	f.itemA = mustID(t, db, `INSERT INTO media_items (library_id, kind, path, title) VALUES (?, 'video', 'a.mp4', 'A') RETURNING id`, f.libA)
+	mustExec(t, db, `INSERT INTO media_files (item_id, path, size, container, vcodec, acodec) VALUES (?, 'a.mp4', 1, 'mp4', 'h264', 'aac')`, f.itemA)
+
+	f.itemB = mustID(t, db, `INSERT INTO media_items (library_id, kind, path, title) VALUES (?, 'video', 'b.mp4', 'B') RETURNING id`, f.libB)
+	mustExec(t, db, `INSERT INTO media_files (item_id, path, size, container, vcodec, acodec) VALUES (?, 'b.mp4', 1, 'mp4', 'hevc', 'aac')`, f.itemB)
+	return f
+}
+
+func resolve(t *testing.T, h *Handlers, u auth.User, body string) (int, engine.Resolution) {
+	t.Helper()
+	req := httptest.NewRequest(http.MethodPost, "/api/v1/playback/resolve", strings.NewReader(body))
+	req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+	rec := httptest.NewRecorder()
+	h.handleResolve(rec, req, u)
+	var res engine.Resolution
+	if rec.Code == http.StatusOK {
+		if err := json.Unmarshal(rec.Body.Bytes(), &res); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("decode resolution: %v (body %s)", err, rec.Body.String())
+		}
+	}
+	return rec.Code, res
+}
+
+func TestEnginesEndpoint(t *testing.T) {
+	f := setup(t)
+	h := newHandlers(t, f.db)
+
+	req := httptest.NewRequest(http.MethodGet, "/api/v1/playback/engines", nil)
+	rec := httptest.NewRecorder()
+	h.handleEngines(rec, req, auth.User{ID: f.userA})
+	if rec.Code != http.StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("status = %d, body %s", rec.Code, rec.Body.String())
+	}
+	var body struct {
+		Engines []engine.Engine `json:"engines"`
+	}
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(rec.Body.Bytes(), &body); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("decode engines: %v", err)
+	}
+	got := map[string]bool{}
+	for _, e := range body.Engines {
+		got[e.ID] = true
+	}
+	for _, id := range []string{"html5", "mpv", "vlc", "mdk"} {
+		if !got[id] {
+			t.Errorf("engines response is missing %q: %s", id, rec.Body.String())
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestResolvePlayableAndNot(t *testing.T) {
+	f := setup(t)
+	h := newHandlers(t, f.db)
+	u := auth.User{ID: f.userA}
+
+	code, res := resolve(t, h, u, `{"item_id":`+itoa(f.itemA)+`,"engines":["html5"]}`)
+	if code != http.StatusOK || !res.Playable || res.Engine == nil || *res.Engine != "html5" {
+		t.Fatalf("h264 resolve = %d %+v, want playable html5", code, res)
+	}
+
+	// The readable item's facts are h264, so to test HEVC we point at itemB but
+	// grant it first — scoping is tested separately.
+	mustExec(t, f.db, `INSERT INTO library_grants (user_id, library_id, can_read, can_download) VALUES (?, ?, 1, 1)`, f.userA, f.libB)
+	code, res = resolve(t, h, u, `{"item_id":`+itoa(f.itemB)+`,"engines":["html5"]}`)
+	if code != http.StatusOK || res.Playable {
+		t.Fatalf("hevc resolve = %d %+v, want not playable", code, res)
+	}
+	if res.Reason != "vcodec:hevc" {
+		t.Errorf("reason = %q, want vcodec:hevc", res.Reason)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(res.Message, "HEVC") {
+		t.Errorf("message = %q, want it to name HEVC", res.Message)
+	}
+
+	// A native engine changes the answer.
+	code, res = resolve(t, h, u, `{"item_id":`+itoa(f.itemB)+`,"engines":["html5","mpv"]}`)
+	if code != http.StatusOK || !res.Playable || res.Engine == nil || *res.Engine != "mpv" {
+		t.Fatalf("hevc+mpv resolve = %d %+v, want playable mpv", code, res)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestResolveGrantScoping pins the chokepoint: an item in a library the caller
+// cannot read must be a 404, indistinguishable from a missing item.
+func TestResolveGrantScoping(t *testing.T) {
+	f := setup(t)
+	h := newHandlers(t, f.db)
+
+	// userA may read libA only; itemB lives in libB.
+	code, _ := resolve(t, h, auth.User{ID: f.userA}, `{"item_id":`+itoa(f.itemB)+`,"engines":["html5"]}`)
+	if code != http.StatusNotFound {
+		t.Errorf("inaccessible item status = %d, want 404", code)
+	}
+
+	// A user with no grants gets the same 404 for a readable-by-someone item.
+	none := mustID(t, f.db, `INSERT INTO users (username, password_hash) VALUES ('carol','x') RETURNING id`)
+	code, _ = resolve(t, h, auth.User{ID: none}, `{"item_id":`+itoa(f.itemA)+`,"engines":["html5"]}`)
+	if code != http.StatusNotFound {
+		t.Errorf("no-grant item status = %d, want 404", code)
+	}
+
+	// A nonexistent item is also a 404, not a leak.
+	code, _ = resolve(t, h, auth.User{ID: f.userA}, `{"item_id":99999,"engines":["html5"]}`)
+	if code != http.StatusNotFound {
+		t.Errorf("missing item status = %d, want 404", code)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestResolveValidation(t *testing.T) {
+	f := setup(t)
+	h := newHandlers(t, f.db)
+	u := auth.User{ID: f.userA}
+
+	for _, body := range []string{
+		`{"item_id":0,"engines":["html5"]}`,
+		`{"item_id":-3,"engines":["html5"]}`,
+	} {
+		if code, _ := resolve(t, h, u, body); code != http.StatusBadRequest {
+			t.Errorf("body %s status = %d, want 400", body, code)
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Missing engines is allowed: the handler falls back to the html5 baseline.
+	if code, res := resolve(t, h, u, `{"item_id":`+itoa(f.itemA)+`}`); code != http.StatusOK || !res.Playable {
+		t.Errorf("missing engines = %d %+v, want playable fallback", code, res)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestRegisterRequiresAuth proves the routes are mounted behind the auth
+// middleware: an unauthenticated request is rejected with 401.
+func TestRegisterRequiresAuth(t *testing.T) {
+	f := setup(t)
+	h := newHandlers(t, f.db)
+	mux := http.NewServeMux()
+	h.Register(mux)
+
+	for _, tc := range []struct{ method, path, body string }{
+		{http.MethodGet, "/api/v1/playback/engines", ""},
+		{http.MethodPost, "/api/v1/playback/resolve", `{"item_id":1,"engines":["html5"]}`},
+	} {
+		req := httptest.NewRequest(tc.method, tc.path, strings.NewReader(tc.body))
+		if tc.body != "" {
+			req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+		}
+		rec := httptest.NewRecorder()
+		mux.ServeHTTP(rec, req)
+		if rec.Code != http.StatusUnauthorized {
+			t.Errorf("%s %s status = %d, want 401", tc.method, tc.path, rec.Code)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func itoa(n int64) string { return strconv.FormatInt(n, 10) }
--- a/migrations/0011_missing_since.sql
+++ b/migrations/0011_missing_since.sql
@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+-- 0011_missing_since.sql — record how long a file or item has been missing.
+--
+-- `missing` says a file is gone; `missing_since` says for how long. That age is
+-- the whole point: it is what lets an admin tell a drive that is merely
+-- unplugged from content that is genuinely deleted, and therefore whether the
+-- explicit purge is safe to run. Without it every rescan would refresh the
+-- timestamp and a file that has been gone for months would look "just now
+-- missing" on every pass.
+
+ALTER TABLE media_items ADD COLUMN missing_since TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT '';
+ALTER TABLE media_files ADD COLUMN missing_since TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT '';
--- a/web/src/lib/capabilities.ts
+++ b/web/src/lib/capabilities.ts
@ -0,0 +1,110 @@
+// Client-side playback capability detection.
+//
+// Vellum does not transcode, so whether a file plays is a property of THIS
+// client — its GPU, its decoder, its power budget — not of the file. The server
+// keeps a conservative per-engine baseline (internal/engine) but cannot know the
+// client's hardware. This module is how the client answers for itself.
+//
+// The web app's only engine is HTML5. `navigator.mediaCapabilities` is the real
+// hardware test: unlike `canPlayType`, it distinguishes "cannot decode at all"
+// from "decodes, but will stutter and drain the battery". It is absent in some
+// browsers, so every path here is best-effort and degrades to the server's
+// baseline rather than throwing — nothing in this file may ever break playback.
+
+import type { MediaFile } from './api'
+import { sourceType } from './playback'
+
+/** What MediaCapabilities reports about one file's video configuration. */
+export interface DecodingInfo {
+  /** The client can decode this. */
+  supported: boolean
+  /** It can decode it smoothly, at the requested rate and resolution. */
+  smooth: boolean
+  /** It can decode it without leaning on a power-hungry path. */
+  powerEfficient: boolean
+}
+
+/**
+ * A verdict with the "could not ask" case made explicit. When `unknown` is
+ * true the client had no way to test itself, so the caller must fall back to the
+ * server's baseline and keep the element as the final authority.
+ */
+export interface CodecVerdict extends DecodingInfo {
+  unknown: boolean
+}
+
+/** The engine IDs this client can offer. The web app is an HTML5 client only. */
+export async function clientEngines(): Promise<string[]> {
+  return ['html5']
+}
+
+/** Whether this browser can be asked about decoding at all. */
+export function mediaCapabilitiesAvailable(): boolean {
+  return (
+    typeof navigator !== 'undefined' &&
+    typeof navigator.mediaCapabilities !== 'undefined' &&
+    typeof navigator.mediaCapabilities.decodingInfo === 'function'
+  )
+}
+
+/**
+ * Ask the client whether it can decode one video configuration.
+ *
+ * Returns null when the API is unavailable or the query is rejected; callers
+ * treat null as "no opinion" and keep the server's baseline.
+ */
+export async function decodingInfo(config: {
+  contentType: string
+  width?: number
+  height?: number
+  bitrate?: number
+  framerate?: number
+}): Promise<DecodingInfo | null> {
+  if (!config.contentType || !mediaCapabilitiesAvailable()) return null
+  try {
+    // The dimensions/bitrate/framerate are what let MediaCapabilities judge
+    // smoothness and power, not just support, so sensible defaults are supplied
+    // when the file facts are incomplete.
+    const info = await navigator.mediaCapabilities.decodingInfo({
+      type: 'file',
+      video: {
+        contentType: config.contentType,
+        width: config.width || 1920,
+        height: config.height || 1080,
+        bitrate: config.bitrate || 8_000_000,
+        framerate: config.framerate || 30,
+      },
+    })
+    return {
+      supported: info.supported,
+      smooth: info.smooth,
+      powerEfficient: info.powerEfficient,
+    }
+  } catch {
+    // A malformed codec string, an unsupported query shape, a browser quirk:
+    // none of it should stop the file from being tried.
+    return null
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Test one file against this client's real decoder.
+ *
+ * The codec string comes from the shared mapping in playback.ts, so the same
+ * RFC 6381 parameters are used for the element's `type` hint and this probe.
+ * Returns an explicit `unknown` verdict when there is nothing to ask or the
+ * container is unrecognised.
+ */
+export async function probeFile(file: MediaFile): Promise<CodecVerdict> {
+  const unknown: CodecVerdict = { supported: true, smooth: true, powerEfficient: true, unknown: true }
+  const contentType = sourceType(file)
+  if (!contentType) return unknown
+
+  const info = await decodingInfo({
+    contentType,
+    width: file.width,
+    height: file.height,
+  })
+  if (!info) return unknown
+  return { ...info, unknown: false }
+}
--- a/web/src/lib/components/MissingFiles.svelte
+++ b/web/src/lib/components/MissingFiles.svelte
@ -0,0 +1,231 @@
+<script lang="ts">
+  import { onMount } from 'svelte'
+  import { api, ApiError, type MissingEntry } from '../api'
+  import { libraries } from '../session'
+
+  let entries = $state<MissingEntry[]>([])
+  let loading = $state(true)
+  let busy = $state<number | null>(null)
+  let error = $state<string | null>(null)
+  let notice = $state<string | null>(null)
+
+  onMount(load)
+
+  async function load() {
+    loading = true
+    error = null
+    try {
+      const res = await api.missing()
+      entries = res.items ?? []
+    } catch (err) {
+      error = err instanceof ApiError ? err.message : 'could not load missing files'
+    } finally {
+      loading = false
+    }
+  }
+
+  // Group by library so each group can offer its own purge. Purging deletes
+  // items, not files, so the count an admin confirms is distinct item ids — a
+  // multi-track audiobook is one item even though it contributes several files.
+  const groups = $derived.by(() => {
+    const byLib = new Map<number, MissingEntry[]>()
+    for (const e of entries) {
+      const list = byLib.get(e.library_id)
+      if (list) list.push(e)
+      else byLib.set(e.library_id, [e])
+    }
+    return [...byLib.entries()]
+      .map(([libraryId, items]) => ({
+        libraryId,
+        name: $libraries.find((l) => l.id === libraryId)?.name ?? `Library ${libraryId}`,
+        items,
+        itemCount: new Set(items.map((i) => i.item_id)).size,
+      }))
+      .sort((a, b) => a.name.localeCompare(b.name))
+  })
+
+  const totalFiles = $derived(entries.length)
+  const totalItems = $derived(new Set(entries.map((e) => e.item_id)).size)
+
+  async function purge(libraryId: number, name: string, itemCount: number) {
+    const noun = itemCount === 1 ? 'item' : 'items'
+    const ok = confirm(
+      `Purge ${itemCount} missing ${noun} from “${name}”?\n\n` +
+        'This permanently deletes each item, its files, and any watch or read ' +
+        'progress recorded for them. Progress cannot be regenerated. This ' +
+        'cannot be undone.',
+    )
+    if (!ok) return
+
+    busy = libraryId
+    error = null
+    notice = null
+    try {
+      const res = await api.purgeMissing(libraryId)
+      notice = `Purged ${res.purged} ${res.purged === 1 ? 'item' : 'items'} from “${name}”.`
+      await load()
+    } catch (err) {
+      error = err instanceof ApiError ? err.message : 'could not purge missing files'
+    } finally {
+      busy = null
+    }
+  }
+
+  // Human age from an RFC3339 timestamp, e.g. "3 days". The age is the point:
+  // a drive unplugged this morning is not the same as content gone for months.
+  function age(since: string): string {
+    if (!since) return 'unknown'
+    const then = Date.parse(since)
+    if (Number.isNaN(then)) return 'unknown'
+    let value = Math.max(0, Math.floor((Date.now() - then) / 1000))
+    const steps: [number, string][] = [
+      [60, 'second'],
+      [60, 'minute'],
+      [24, 'hour'],
+      [7, 'day'],
+      [4, 'week'],
+      [12, 'month'],
+      [Infinity, 'year'],
+    ]
+    let label = 'second'
+    for (const [size, name] of steps) {
+      if (value < size) {
+        label = name
+        break
+      }
+      value = Math.floor(value / size)
+      label = name
+    }
+    return `${value} ${label}${value === 1 ? '' : 's'}`
+  }
+</script>
+
+{#if error}<div class="alert">{error}</div>{/if}
+{#if notice}<div class="ok">{notice}</div>{/if}
+
+{#if loading}
+  <div class="empty"><span class="spinner"></span><p>Looking for missing files…</p></div>
+{:else if entries.length === 0}
+  <div class="empty">
+    <h3>Nothing is missing</h3>
+    <p>Every file the scanner knows about is still on disk. Files that vanish are kept here until you purge them.</p>
+  </div>
+{:else}
+  <p class="summary muted">
+    {totalFiles} missing {totalFiles === 1 ? 'file' : 'files'} across
+    {totalItems} {totalItems === 1 ? 'item' : 'items'}. A rescan never deletes; purge is the only way to remove them.
+  </p>
+
+  {#each groups as group (group.libraryId)}
+    <section class="card group">
+      <header class="head">
+        <div class="titles">
+          <strong>{group.name}</strong>
+          <span class="muted">{group.itemCount} {group.itemCount === 1 ? 'item' : 'items'} · {group.items.length} {group.items.length === 1 ? 'file' : 'files'}</span>
+        </div>
+        <button
+          class="btn btn-ghost danger"
+          disabled={busy !== null}
+          onclick={() => purge(group.libraryId, group.name, group.itemCount)}
+        >
+          {busy === group.libraryId ? 'Purging…' : 'Purge'}
+        </button>
+      </header>
+
+      <ul class="files">
+        {#each group.items as entry (entry.file_id)}
+          <li class="file">
+            <div class="what">
+              <span class="title">{entry.title || entry.path}</span>
+              <span class="path mono">{entry.path}</span>
+            </div>
+            <span class="badge kind">{entry.kind}</span>
+            <span class="since muted" title={entry.missing_since || 'unknown'}>missing {age(entry.missing_since)}</span>
+          </li>
+        {/each}
+      </ul>
+    </section>
+  {/each}
+{/if}
+
+<style>
+  .summary {
+    margin: 0 0 var(--space-4);
+    font-size: var(--fs-md);
+  }
+  .group {
+    margin-bottom: var(--space-4);
+    overflow: hidden;
+  }
+  .head {
+    display: flex;
+    align-items: center;
+    justify-content: space-between;
+    gap: var(--space-3);
+    padding: var(--space-3) var(--space-4);
+    border-bottom: 1px solid var(--border);
+  }
+  .titles {
+    display: flex;
+    flex-direction: column;
+    gap: 2px;
+    min-width: 0;
+  }
+  .titles .muted {
+    font-size: var(--fs-sm);
+  }
+  .danger {
+    color: var(--danger);
+  }
+  .files {
+    list-style: none;
+    margin: 0;
+    padding: 0;
+  }
+  .file {
+    display: grid;
+    grid-template-columns: 1fr auto auto;
+    align-items: center;
+    gap: var(--space-4);
+    padding: var(--space-3) var(--space-4);
+  }
+  .file + .file {
+    border-top: 1px solid var(--border);
+  }
+  .what {
+    display: flex;
+    flex-direction: column;
+    gap: 2px;
+    min-width: 0;
+  }
+  .title {
+    font-weight: 500;
+    overflow: hidden;
+    text-overflow: ellipsis;
+    white-space: nowrap;
+  }
+  .path {
+    color: var(--faint);
+    word-break: break-all;
+  }
+  .kind {
+    text-transform: uppercase;
+    letter-spacing: 0.05em;
+  }
+  .since {
+    font-size: var(--fs-sm);
+    white-space: nowrap;
+    font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums;
+  }
+  .empty .spinner {
+    margin-bottom: var(--space-2);
+  }
+  @media (max-width: 640px) {
+    .file {
+      grid-template-columns: 1fr auto;
+    }
+    .since {
+      grid-column: 1 / -1;
+    }
+  }
+</style>
--- a/web/src/lib/components/Shell.svelte
+++ b/web/src/lib/components/Shell.svelte
@ -10,8 +10,13 @@
  import SearchResults from './SearchResults.svelte'
  import Libraries from './Libraries.svelte'
  import Users from './Users.svelte'
+  import MissingFiles from './MissingFiles.svelte'
  import Settings from './Settings.svelte'

+  // The admin "Missing files" view is shell-local, so the shell widens the
+  // shared View union here rather than forking nav.ts for one admin screen.
+  type ShellView = View | { name: 'missing' }
+
  let searchBox = $state('')
  let scrolled = $state(false)
  let contentEl = $state<HTMLDivElement>()
@ -19,6 +24,7 @@
  // A stable key for the current view, so navigating transitions the content
  // instead of swapping it instantly.
  const viewKey = $derived(JSON.stringify($view))
+  const current = $derived($view as ShellView)

  function onScroll() {
    scrolled = (contentEl?.scrollTop ?? 0) > 8
@ -43,7 +49,7 @@
    if (q) go({ name: 'search', query: q })
  }

-  function title(v: View): string {
+  function title(v: ShellView): string {
    switch (v.name) {
      case 'home':
        return 'Home'
@ -60,6 +66,8 @@
        return 'Libraries'
      case 'users':
        return 'Users'
+      case 'missing':
+        return 'Missing files'
      case 'settings':
        return 'Appearance'
    }
@ -104,6 +112,13 @@
        <button class="navlink" class:active={$view.name === 'users'} onclick={() => go({ name: 'users' })}>
          <span>Users</span>
        </button>
+        <button
+          class="navlink"
+          class:active={current.name === 'missing'}
+          onclick={() => go({ name: 'missing' } as unknown as View)}
+        >
+          <span>Missing files</span>
+        </button>
      </nav>
    {/if}

@ -157,6 +172,8 @@
            <Libraries />
          {:else if $view.name === 'users'}
            <Users />
+          {:else if current.name === 'missing'}
+            <MissingFiles />
          {:else if $view.name === 'settings'}
            <Settings />
          {/if}
--- a/web/src/lib/components/VideoPlayer.svelte
+++ b/web/src/lib/components/VideoPlayer.svelte
@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
  import { onMount, onDestroy } from 'svelte'
  import { api, ApiError, type Item, type MediaFile } from '../api'
  import * as playback from '../playback'
+  import { clientEngines, probeFile } from '../capabilities'
  import {
    setNowPlaying,
    setHandlers,
@ -49,6 +50,15 @@
  let undecodable = $state(false)
  let videoDecoded = $state(false)

+  // `serverNote` is the server's advisory verdict for the item's first file
+  // (api.resolvePlayback). It SUPPLEMENTS the element watchdog, never replaces
+  // it: it is shown only until the element reports a real picture, and the
+  // element's own verdict always wins once it has one.
+  let serverNote = $state('')
+  // `qualityNote` is this client's MediaCapabilities refinement — a codec it can
+  // decode, but not smoothly. Advisory only; it never blocks playback.
+  let qualityNote = $state('')
+
  let saveTimer: number | undefined
  let verifyTimer: number | undefined
  let loadWatchdog: number | undefined
@ -59,6 +69,12 @@
  const file = $derived(files[index] ?? null)
  const src = $derived(file ? api.fileUrlById(itemId, file.id) : undefined)
  const srcType = $derived(file ? playback.sourceType(file) : '')
+  // The server resolves an ITEM using its first file's codec facts, so its
+  // advisory applies only while that first file is selected. Once the element
+  // has decoded a picture the server note is hidden regardless: the element is
+  // the source of truth.
+  const serverApplies = $derived(files.length > 0 && index === 0)
+  const displayedNotice = $derived(notice || (serverApplies && !videoDecoded ? serverNote : ''))
  // `type` belongs on a <source>, but putting it there lets the browser SKIP a
  // file whose canPlayType answer is wrong — it would refuse to try mov+h264
  // (which plays) and would never even parse HEVC, so `videoWidth` stays 0 and
@ -119,6 +135,10 @@
      }
      publishNowPlaying()
      registerHandlers()
+      // Ask the server (and this client's own decoder) what they make of the
+      // file. Best-effort: the element watchdog below is still the authority,
+      // so this never blocks the player and a failure is never shown as an error.
+      void refinePlayback()
    } catch (err) {
      error = err instanceof ApiError ? err.message : 'could not open this video'
    } finally {
@ -194,6 +214,42 @@
    return 'This browser cannot decode the video track in this file, so you would only hear audio over a blank picture. Vellum does not transcode.'
  }

+  // Ask the server which of this client's engines can play the item, then let
+  // the client's own decoder sharpen the answer. Both results are ADVISORY: the
+  // loaded element is still the source of truth (see checkDecoded / onError),
+  // so a server or MediaCapabilities failure must never surface as an error and
+  // must never stop the file from being tried.
+  async function refinePlayback() {
+    try {
+      const engines = await clientEngines()
+      const res = await api.resolvePlayback(itemId, engines)
+      if (!res.playable && res.message) serverNote = res.message
+    } catch {
+      // Endpoint absent (older server) or unreachable: the element watchdog
+      // still covers the honest path.
+    }
+
+    const f = files[index] ?? files[0]
+    if (!f) return
+    try {
+      const verdict = await probeFile(f)
+      if (verdict.unknown) return
+      if (!verdict.supported) {
+        // The client's own hardware check disagrees with the server baseline:
+        // report it rather than promising a picture that will not come.
+        if (!serverNote) {
+          serverNote =
+            'This browser reports it cannot decode this file’s video, so you would only hear audio over a blank picture.'
+        }
+      } else if (!verdict.smooth) {
+        // Supported, but the client says it will stutter or drain the battery.
+        qualityNote = 'This browser can decode this file, but its own hardware check says it may not play smoothly.'
+      }
+    } catch {
+      // Best-effort refinement only.
+    }
+  }
+
  function showUndecodable(f: MediaFile | null, fallback = '') {
    notice = honestNotice(f) || fallback
    undecodable = true
@ -484,10 +540,10 @@
      <a class="btn btn-ghost dl" href={api.fileUrl(itemId)} download>Download</a>
    </div>

-    {#if notice}
+    {#if displayedNotice}
      <div class="notice" role="alert">
-        <strong>Video cannot play here</strong>
-        <p>{notice}</p>
+        <strong>{undecodable ? 'Video cannot play here' : 'Playback may not work here'}</strong>
+        <p>{displayedNotice}</p>
        <a class="btn" href={api.fileUrl(itemId)} download>Download the file</a>
      </div>
    {/if}
@ -520,6 +576,10 @@
      <p class="ok-note" aria-live="polite">Playing video directly — no transcoding.</p>
    {/if}

+    {#if qualityNote && !undecodable}
+      <p class="quality-note muted" aria-live="polite">{qualityNote}</p>
+    {/if}
+
    <input
      class="seek"
      type="range"
@ -641,6 +701,10 @@
    font-size: var(--fs-sm);
    color: var(--success);
  }
+  .quality-note {
+    margin: 0;
+    font-size: var(--fs-sm);
+  }
  .seek {
    width: 100%;
    accent-color: var(--accent);