# torttube

Kodi addon for YouTube via [RustyPipe](https://codeberg.org/ThetaDev/rustypipe)
extraction + [SponsorBlock](https://sponsor.ajay.app/) segment skipping.

Replaces the dead `plugin.video.youtube` on LibreELEC RPi TVs after Google
required account-linking for the upstream addon.

## Architecture

```
Kodi (LibreELEC, RPi)
  └── plugin.video.torttube     [Python addon — UI, browse, SponsorBlock]
        ├── torttube-sidecar    [Rust binary — JSON-over-stdio]
        │     ├── rustypipe         [Native Rust Innertube for browse]
        │     ├── yt-dlp subprocess [Fallback resolve]
        │     └── sponsorblock      [REST client, SHA-256 prefix lookup]
        └── plugin.video.youtube    [DEPENDENCY — handles HD playback]
              └── inputstream.adaptive  [DASH demux + decode]
```

`plugin.video.youtube` is declared as a Kodi addon dependency in
[addon.xml](addon/plugin.video.torttube/addon.xml). When a user installs
torttube, Kodi auto-fetches pv.youtube from the official Kodi addon
repository — user only manages torttube; the dep is transparent.

torttube does what it's faster at: rustypipe-backed search/channel/playlist
browse, SponsorBlock auto-skip via a tight `xbmc.Player()` monitor loop,
JSON-RPC remote-control for share-to-TV. Playback hands off to
pv.youtube via `plugin://plugin.video.youtube/play/?video_id=<id>` —
they've spent years getting the DASH-MPD + multi-client Innertube
fallback right. Our SponsorBlock monitor runs in parallel because
`xbmc.Player()` is a global accessor that works regardless of which
addon initiated playback.

Kodi addons are Python — the engine layer (n-param sig decoding, Innertube,
SponsorBlock hashing) lives in a Rust sidecar so we get a single maintained
extraction surface and clean aarch64/armv7 cross-compiles.

**Three-tier resolve** because YouTube actively fights every extractor:

1. **rustypipe (Rust)** — preferred. Fast, in-process, no Python dep on the RPi.
2. **yt-dlp subprocess** — fallback when rustypipe sig-decoding falls behind YouTube's deobfuscator changes. yt-dlp updates weekly; we shell out, parse `-j` JSON.
3. **Rip-to-temp** — last resort when stream URLs 403 mid-playback (poToken expiry, cookie session mismatch). yt-dlp downloads to `/storage/.kodi/temp/torttube/<id>.<ext>`, Kodi plays the local file. Temp dir has size cap + age cleanup.

## Status

M0 scaffold. Nothing playable yet — see [MILESTONES.md](MILESTONES.md).

## Upstream — we fight with the FOSS extractor ecosystem, not next to it

YouTube's anti-scraping changes hit every extractor: NewPipe, yt-dlp, Invidious,
rustypipe. Every fix we make in our sidecar gets evaluated for "is this
upstreamable?" — if yes, the fix lands at the upstream project, not just here.

Active lanes:

- **rustypipe** (Rust, codeberg.org/ThetaDev/rustypipe) — maintenance has slowed.
  Open PR #77 "Some fixes" is unmerged as of 2026-05-23. We will either help land
  it (review + ping maintainer) or fork to `Sulkta-Coop/rustypipe` if upstream
  stays quiet. Forking is the worst case, not the first move.
- **NewPipeExtractor** (Java, github.com/TeamNewPipe/NewPipeExtractor) — actively
  maintained, 177 open issues. We use it as the reference implementation for
  Innertube behaviour. PRs to NPE land in Rust here via rustypipe, and vice
  versa.
- **yt-dlp** (Python, github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp) — the gold standard. We're more
  consumers than contributors here, but if our rip-to-temp tier surfaces a
  specific extractor bug we file it.

Issues we're watching:
- [NPE #1339](https://github.com/TeamNewPipe/NewPipeExtractor/issues/1339) — n-parameter deobfuscation
- [NPE #1444](https://github.com/TeamNewPipe/NewPipeExtractor/issues/1444) — distinguish unavailable vs unextractable
- [NPE #1360](https://github.com/TeamNewPipe/NewPipeExtractor/issues/1360) — refactor link handlers (help wanted)
- [NPE #1357](https://github.com/TeamNewPipe/NewPipeExtractor/issues/1357) — JDoc checks in PR pipeline (good first issue)
- [rustypipe PR #77](https://codeberg.org/ThetaDev/rustypipe/pulls/77) — open as of 2026-05-23, unmerged

Contribution log lives at [docs/upstream.md](docs/upstream.md) — every PR we
file lands there with its outcome.

## License

GPL-3.0-or-later. Matches RustyPipe and NewPipeExtractor.