Feature plan: Step 1 · Step 2 · Step 3 · Step 4

Debug mode: disabled

Problem

Members cannot reliably share the five prioritized media URL types within discussions. Spotify, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts lack embeds; existing YouTube and Instagram behavior needs live and browser verification.

User stories

• As a member, I want to paste a supported media link so that readers can watch, listen, or preview it within the discussion.

• As a reader, I want control over player loading and an accessible source link so that unavailable embeds do not prevent access to the original content.

Core requirements

• Recognize direct HTTP/HTTPS URLs for YouTube youtube.com/watch?v=ID, youtu.be/ID, and youtube.com/shorts/ID; Instagram instagram.com/p/ID/ and /reel/ID/; Spotify open.spotify.com/track/ID, /album/ID, and /playlist/ID; TikTok tiktok.com/@USER/video/ID. Accept optional www. on youtube.com, instagram.com, and tiktok.com; validate hosts and complete identifiers, preserving meaningful URL parameters in source links.

• With both existing embed flags enabled, offer expandable YouTube/Shorts, Spotify, and TikTok players whose content loads only after expansion. Keep a visible source link outside every player. Instagram retains cached linked previews and a plain-card fallback; metadata fetching must not block page rendering.

• With only the main embed flag enabled, render provider link cards; with it disabled, preserve existing body rendering. Retain current flag defaults and stored post text. Unsupported links must not trigger provider fetches or players.

• Preserve existing subjects and YouTube/Instagram title fetching, including Shorts. Bare Spotify/TikTok threads retain the normal body-derived title fallback and must not enter the fetched-title “Untitled” state or request unsupported title fetching.

• Apply behavior consistently wherever shared post bodies render. Controls must work by keyboard; players must fit desktop and approximately 360px layouts without horizontal overflow, using proportions appropriate to their content.

Delivery scope

Work type: Application change. Extend existing embeds for the five ranked types and document verified coverage. Exclude Instagram playback, new Spotify/TikTok metadata fetching, redirecting share links, additional providers, YouTube live/mobile/embed paths, playlist-only YouTube links, timestamp playback, and a general preview framework. Production enablement is separate from implementation.

Completion boundary

Entry: A member posts a supported URL in a thread or reply. Outcome: Readers receive the corresponding player or Instagram preview. Recovery: A source link remains usable if playback or metadata fails; the surrounding post remains readable. Release: Automated regression checks and real-provider/browser checks pass, with unavailable-content behavior recorded. Provider restrictions may limit playback; successful recognition alone does not prove playback compatibility.

Risks

• Provider compatibility: Permissions, login requirements, or availability can prevent playback. Validate representative Spotify/TikTok content early; use provider-compatible players and retain source links. Unresolved integration failures block release of the affected support.

• Instagram metadata: Live pages may not yield previews. Check public posts/reels and cold-cache reloads early; preserve bounded fetching and plain-card fallback, recording observed limitations.

• Title regression: Broader detection could strand Spotify/TikTok threads as “Untitled.” Check bare-URL threads before wiring new providers; keep title eligibility separate from embed recognition.

• Layout and view drift: Shared styles or missing scripts could break a presentation. Inspect all shared render consumers before Step 3; reuse canonical components and verify mobile, desktop, and shipped themes.

Shared component inventory

• Extend MediaEmbedDetector, MediaEmbedRenderer, existing player controls, styles, and feature flags; no parallel provider-rendering system.

• Reuse TemplateRenderer for board cards, thread roots, replies, Forte board/reply panels, QDB quote/news views, and reply-composer context; retain script inclusion in regular and standalone layouts.

• Extend title eligibility in ThreadTitle; preserve its application, board, Forte board, Forte content-summary API, and template consumers. Reuse existing preview cache/controller/fetchers and board/root title beacons for YouTube/Instagram only.

Simple user flow

1. Paste a supported direct URL into a thread or reply and submit.

2. Read the provider card or Instagram preview; expand a player when desired.

3. Use the source link if content is unavailable; reload to see asynchronously fetched existing-provider metadata.

Success criteria

• Every URL family above passes accepted/rejected URL, flag, source-link, and applicable title tests.

• Real examples of all five types are checked across board/thread/Forte views, including mobile layout; other shared consumers pass regression checks.

• Player requests begin only after expansion; failed metadata does not block rendering; existing subjects remain unchanged; Spotify/TikTok bare-URL threads have usable titles.

Status: Step 1 approved; Step 2 drafted for review. Implementation has not started.