feat: write playlist/channel metadata files where their items go (#660)

yt-dlp emits the feed-level .info.json, description and thumbnail from
__process_playlist_result without consulting `download`, so they fell out of
MeTube's classification pass with nothing steering them: they landed in
DOWNLOAD_DIR under yt-dlp's own pl_* names, ignoring OUTPUT_TEMPLATE, the
download's folder and AUDIO_DOWNLOAD_DIR. #1040 reported the names; #660 asked
for control over them. Same accident from both sides.

The classification pass now writes nothing at all, and the files are produced
once the feed has been accepted and its type is known, reusing the template its
items use — OUTPUT_TEMPLATE_CHANNEL for a channel, OUTPUT_TEMPLATE_PLAYLIST for
a playlist, falling back to OUTPUT_TEMPLATE — evaluated against the feed dict.
With the defaults that puts them in the same folder as the videos, named after
the feed, which is the Jellyfin layout #660 asked for. No new environment
variable: knowing the feed type is what makes reusing the item template
possible, and doing this after extraction is what makes the type known.

The write re-runs yt-dlp over a copy of the feed with its entries removed,
which reaches the playlist-file writing without re-extracting anything and
without touching yt-dlp's private write helpers. It runs in an executor and
never fails the add.

Nothing new appears for anyone who hasn't enabled writeinfojson /
writethumbnail, an explicit allow_playlist_files=false still turns it off, and
a failed or cancelled add no longer leaves metadata behind.

Subscription scans keep allow_playlist_files=False: a scan is a timer-driven
poll, and items it finds are queued through the download queue, which does the
writing. Previously every check interval rewrote these files.

Test doubles for __extract_info now take *args/**kwargs.

README.md

@@ -83,6 +83,8 @@ Certain values can be set via environment variables, using the `-e` parameter on
 * __ALLOW_PRIVATE_ADDRESSES__: Whether to allow downloads from private, loopback, link-local and other non-global addresses. Defaults to `false`, which protects against SSRF by refusing URLs that resolve to internal hosts. Set to `true` only in trusted environments — for example when routing traffic through a proxy/VPN client in Fake-IP mode (sing-box, Clash, Mihomo), which resolves hosts to the `198.18.0.0/15` range. Enabling this disables the SSRF protection entirely, so only use it when you control the network.
 * __YTDL_NIGHTLY_UPDATE_TIME__: If set, will cause MeTube to use [nightly yt-dlp builds](https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp-nightly-builds) instead of the stable releases. Set to the time (`HH:MM`, 24-hour) when you want the daily upgrades and MeTube restart to happen. Defaults to empty (disabled).
 
+Enabling `writeinfojson` or `writethumbnail` in `YTDL_OPTIONS` also writes a feed-level `.info.json` and thumbnail when you add a playlist or channel. These reuse the template of the items they belong to — `OUTPUT_TEMPLATE_CHANNEL` or `OUTPUT_TEMPLATE_PLAYLIST` — evaluated against the feed itself, so with the defaults they land in the same folder as the videos, named after the feed. Set `allow_playlist_files` to `false` in `YTDL_OPTIONS` to skip them.
+
 ### 🌐 Web Server & URLs
 
 * __HOST__: The host address the web server will bind to. Defaults to `0.0.0.0` (all interfaces).

app/subscriptions.py

@@ -64,6 +64,12 @@ def _build_ydl_params(
         "paths": {"home": config.DOWNLOAD_DIR, "temp": config.TEMP_DIR},
         **config.YTDL_OPTIONS,
         **(extra_opts or {}),
+        # A scan is a poll, not an add: it runs on a timer and queues items
+        # through the download queue, which writes the feed metadata itself.
+        # yt-dlp emits the playlist-level infojson/description/thumbnail
+        # regardless of `download`, so without this a writeinfojson user would
+        # get those files rewritten on every check interval. See issue #1040.
+        "allow_playlist_files": False,
     }
     params = _impersonate_opt(params)
     if playlistend is not None and playlistend > 0:

app/tests/test_download_queue.py

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+import copy
 import os
 import re
 import tempfile
@@ -89,7 +90,7 @@ def test_get_returns_tuple_of_lists(dq_env):
 async def test_add_single_video_goes_to_pending_when_auto_start_false(dq_env):
     notifier = AsyncMock()
 
-    def fake_extract(self, url, ytdl_options_presets=None, ytdl_options_overrides=None):
+    def fake_extract(self, url, *_args, **_kwargs):
         return {
             "_type": "video",
             "id": "vid1",
@@ -124,7 +125,7 @@ async def test_add_unsupported_url_recorded_as_failed_entry(dq_env):
     notifier = AsyncMock()
     url = "https://example.com/not-a-video"
 
-    def boom(self, url, ytdl_options_presets=None, ytdl_options_overrides=None):
+    def boom(self, url, *_args, **_kwargs):
         raise ytdl.yt_dlp.utils.YoutubeDLError(f'Unsupported URL: {url}')
 
     dq = DownloadQueue(dq_env, notifier)
@@ -167,7 +168,7 @@ async def test_add_ssrf_rejected_url_recorded_as_failed_entry(dq_env):
 async def test_cancel_removes_from_pending(dq_env):
     notifier = AsyncMock()
 
-    def fake_extract(self, url, ytdl_options_presets=None, ytdl_options_overrides=None):
+    def fake_extract(self, url, *_args, **_kwargs):
         return {
             "_type": "video",
             "id": "vid1",
@@ -204,7 +205,7 @@ async def test_cancel_before_start_marks_download_canceled(dq_env):
     cancelling, because its ``download.canceled`` guard was never flipped."""
     notifier = AsyncMock()
 
-    def fake_extract(self, url, ytdl_options_presets=None, ytdl_options_overrides=None):
+    def fake_extract(self, url, *_args, **_kwargs):
         return {
             "_type": "video",
             "id": "vid1",
@@ -242,7 +243,7 @@ async def test_cancel_before_start_marks_download_canceled(dq_env):
 async def test_start_pending_moves_to_queue(dq_env):
     notifier = AsyncMock()
 
-    def fake_extract(self, url, ytdl_options_presets=None, ytdl_options_overrides=None):
+    def fake_extract(self, url, *_args, **_kwargs):
         return {
             "_type": "video",
             "id": "vid1",
@@ -331,7 +332,7 @@ async def test_retry_restores_playlist_output_context(dq_env):
     failed_info.status = "error"
     dq.done.put(Download(None, None, None, None, "best", "any", {}, failed_info))
 
-    def fake_extract(self, extracted_url, ytdl_options_presets=None, ytdl_options_overrides=None):
+    def fake_extract(self, extracted_url, *_args, **_kwargs):
         return {
             "_type": "video",
             "id": "vid1",
@@ -390,7 +391,7 @@ async def test_retry_keeps_playlist_context_through_url_indirection(dq_env):
     resolved = "https://example.com/resolved?v=1"
     dq.done.put(Download(None, None, None, None, "best", "any", {}, _failed_playlist_item(url)))
 
-    def fake_extract(self, extracted_url, ytdl_options_presets=None, ytdl_options_overrides=None):
+    def fake_extract(self, extracted_url, *_args, **_kwargs):
         if extracted_url == url:
             return {"_type": "url", "url": resolved, "id": "vid1"}
         return {
@@ -428,7 +429,7 @@ async def test_retry_reapplies_current_options_gates(dq_env):
     )
     dq.done.put(Download(None, None, None, None, "best", "any", {}, info))
 
-    def fake_extract(self, extracted_url, ytdl_options_presets=None, ytdl_options_overrides=None):
+    def fake_extract(self, extracted_url, *_args, **_kwargs):
         return {
             "_type": "video",
             "id": "vid1",
@@ -458,7 +459,7 @@ async def test_retry_keeps_overrides_while_still_allowed(dq_env):
     info = _failed_playlist_item(url, ytdl_options_overrides={"writesubtitles": True})
     dq.done.put(Download(None, None, None, None, "best", "any", {}, info))
 
-    def fake_extract(self, extracted_url, ytdl_options_presets=None, ytdl_options_overrides=None):
+    def fake_extract(self, extracted_url, *_args, **_kwargs):
         return {
             "_type": "video",
             "id": "vid1",
@@ -537,7 +538,7 @@ async def test_channel_download_uses_output_template_when_channel_template_empty
 
     channel_id = "UCabcd123"
 
-    def fake_extract(self, url, ytdl_options_presets=None, ytdl_options_overrides=None):
+    def fake_extract(self, url, *_args, **_kwargs):
         return {
             "_type": "playlist",
             "id": channel_id,
@@ -586,7 +587,7 @@ async def test_playlist_download_not_treated_as_channel(dq_env):
     dq_env.OUTPUT_TEMPLATE_CHANNEL = ""
     dq_env.OUTPUT_TEMPLATE_PLAYLIST = "%(playlist_title)s/%(title)s.%(ext)s"
 
-    def fake_extract(self, url, ytdl_options_presets=None, ytdl_options_overrides=None):
+    def fake_extract(self, url, *_args, **_kwargs):
         return {
             "_type": "playlist",
             "id": "PLxyz789",
@@ -633,7 +634,7 @@ async def test_add_merges_global_preset_and_override_options(dq_env):
         "Preset B": {"writesubtitles": False, "ratelimit": 1000},
     }
 
-    def fake_extract(self, url, ytdl_options_presets=None, ytdl_options_overrides=None):
+    def fake_extract(self, url, *_args, **_kwargs):
         return {
             "_type": "video",
             "id": "vid2",
@@ -756,11 +757,191 @@ async def test_extract_info_metube_extract_keys_win_over_preset(dq_env):
     assert captured_params[0]["noplaylist"] is True
 
 
+def _feed_extract(feed):
+    """Patch for __extract_info that returns a playlist/channel feed dict."""
+
+    def fake_extract(self, url, *_args, **_kwargs):
+        return copy.deepcopy(feed)
+
+    return fake_extract
+
+
+_CHANNEL_FEED = {
+    "_type": "playlist",
+    "id": "UC123",
+    "title": "Vanessa - Videos",
+    "channel": "Vanessa",
+    "channel_id": "UC123",
+    "uploader": "Vanessa",
+    "extractor": "youtube:tab",
+    "extractor_key": "YoutubeTab",
+    "webpage_url": "https://example.com/@vanessa/videos",
+    "entries": [
+        {"id": "v1", "title": "One", "url": "https://example.com/v1",
+         "webpage_url": "https://example.com/v1", "_type": "url"},
+    ],
+}
+
+_PLAYLIST_FEED = {
+    "_type": "playlist",
+    "id": "PL123",
+    "title": "My Playlist",
+    "extractor": "generic",
+    "extractor_key": "Generic",
+    "webpage_url": "https://example.com/playlist?list=PL123",
+    "entries": [
+        {"id": "v1", "title": "One", "url": "https://example.com/v1",
+         "webpage_url": "https://example.com/v1", "_type": "url"},
+    ],
+}
+
+
+def _written_files(root):
+    found = []
+    for dirpath, _dirs, files in os.walk(root):
+        for f in files:
+            found.append(os.path.relpath(os.path.join(dirpath, f), root))
+    return sorted(found)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_channel_feed_metadata_lands_beside_its_items(dq_env):
+    """Issues #660/#1040: the feed-level .info.json follows the same template
+    the items use, so it sits in the channel's own folder rather than in
+    DOWNLOAD_DIR under yt-dlp's pl_* default name."""
+    dq_env.YTDL_OPTIONS = {"writeinfojson": True}
+    dq_env.OUTPUT_TEMPLATE_CHANNEL = "%(channel)s/%(title)s.%(ext)s"
+
+    dq = DownloadQueue(dq_env, AsyncMock())
+    with patch.object(DownloadQueue, "_DownloadQueue__extract_info", _feed_extract(_CHANNEL_FEED)), \
+         patch.object(DownloadQueue, "_DownloadQueue__start_download", new=AsyncMock()):
+        result = await dq.add(
+            "https://example.com/@vanessa/videos", "video", "auto", "any", "best",
+            "", "", 0, auto_start=False,
+        )
+
+    assert result["status"] == "ok"
+    assert _written_files(dq_env.DOWNLOAD_DIR) == [
+        os.path.join("Vanessa", "Vanessa - Videos.info.json")
+    ]
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_playlist_feed_metadata_uses_the_playlist_template(dq_env):
+    dq_env.YTDL_OPTIONS = {"writeinfojson": True}
+    dq_env.OUTPUT_TEMPLATE_PLAYLIST = "%(playlist_title)s/%(title)s.%(ext)s"
+
+    dq = DownloadQueue(dq_env, AsyncMock())
+    with patch.object(DownloadQueue, "_DownloadQueue__extract_info", _feed_extract(_PLAYLIST_FEED)), \
+         patch.object(DownloadQueue, "_DownloadQueue__start_download", new=AsyncMock()):
+        await dq.add(
+            "https://example.com/playlist?list=PL123", "video", "auto", "any", "best",
+            "", "", 0, auto_start=False,
+        )
+
+    assert _written_files(dq_env.DOWNLOAD_DIR) == [
+        os.path.join("My Playlist", "My Playlist.info.json")
+    ]
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_feed_metadata_honours_custom_folder(dq_env):
+    dq_env.YTDL_OPTIONS = {"writeinfojson": True}
+    dq_env.OUTPUT_TEMPLATE_PLAYLIST = "%(playlist_title)s/%(title)s.%(ext)s"
+
+    dq = DownloadQueue(dq_env, AsyncMock())
+    with patch.object(DownloadQueue, "_DownloadQueue__extract_info", _feed_extract(_PLAYLIST_FEED)), \
+         patch.object(DownloadQueue, "_DownloadQueue__start_download", new=AsyncMock()):
+        await dq.add(
+            "https://example.com/playlist?list=PL123", "video", "auto", "any", "best",
+            "Music", "", 0, auto_start=False,
+        )
+
+    assert _written_files(dq_env.DOWNLOAD_DIR) == [
+        os.path.join("Music", "My Playlist", "My Playlist.info.json")
+    ]
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_no_feed_metadata_without_writeinfojson(dq_env):
+    """Nothing new appears for users who never asked for these files."""
+    dq_env.YTDL_OPTIONS = {}
+
+    dq = DownloadQueue(dq_env, AsyncMock())
+    with patch.object(DownloadQueue, "_DownloadQueue__extract_info", _feed_extract(_PLAYLIST_FEED)), \
+         patch.object(DownloadQueue, "_DownloadQueue__start_download", new=AsyncMock()):
+        await dq.add(
+            "https://example.com/playlist?list=PL123", "video", "auto", "any", "best",
+            "", "", 0, auto_start=False,
+        )
+
+    assert _written_files(dq_env.DOWNLOAD_DIR) == []
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_feed_metadata_can_be_turned_off_by_the_user(dq_env):
+    dq_env.YTDL_OPTIONS = {"writeinfojson": True, "allow_playlist_files": False}
+
+    dq = DownloadQueue(dq_env, AsyncMock())
+    with patch.object(DownloadQueue, "_DownloadQueue__extract_info", _feed_extract(_PLAYLIST_FEED)), \
+         patch.object(DownloadQueue, "_DownloadQueue__start_download", new=AsyncMock()):
+        await dq.add(
+            "https://example.com/playlist?list=PL123", "video", "auto", "any", "best",
+            "", "", 0, auto_start=False,
+        )
+
+    assert _written_files(dq_env.DOWNLOAD_DIR) == []
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_feed_metadata_failure_does_not_fail_the_add(dq_env):
+    dq_env.YTDL_OPTIONS = {"writeinfojson": True}
+
+    dq = DownloadQueue(dq_env, AsyncMock())
+    with patch.object(DownloadQueue, "_DownloadQueue__extract_info", _feed_extract(_PLAYLIST_FEED)), \
+         patch.object(DownloadQueue, "_DownloadQueue__start_download", new=AsyncMock()), \
+         patch.object(
+             DownloadQueue, "_DownloadQueue__write_feed_metadata_sync",
+             side_effect=OSError("read-only filesystem"),
+         ):
+        result = await dq.add(
+            "https://example.com/playlist?list=PL123", "video", "auto", "any", "best",
+            "", "", 0, auto_start=False,
+        )
+
+    assert result["status"] == "ok"
+    assert dq.pending.exists("https://example.com/v1")
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_extraction_pass_never_writes_feed_metadata(dq_env):
+    """The classification pass must not produce files: it runs before the add is
+    known to succeed, and yt-dlp writes playlist files regardless of `download`."""
+    dq_env.YTDL_OPTIONS = {"writeinfojson": True, "allow_playlist_files": True}
+    captured: list = []
+
+    class FakeYoutubeDL:
+        def __init__(self, params=None):
+            captured.append(params)
+
+        def extract_info(self, url, download=False):
+            return {"_type": "video", "id": "v", "title": "V", "url": url, "webpage_url": url}
+
+    dq = DownloadQueue(dq_env, AsyncMock())
+    with patch("ytdl.yt_dlp.YoutubeDL", FakeYoutubeDL):
+        await dq.add(
+            "https://example.com/watch?v=1", "video", "auto", "any", "best",
+            "", "", 0, auto_start=False,
+        )
+
+    assert captured[0]["allow_playlist_files"] is False
+
+
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_add_sets_clip_bounds_on_download_info(dq_env):
     notifier = AsyncMock()
 
-    def fake_extract(self, url, ytdl_options_presets=None, ytdl_options_overrides=None):
+    def fake_extract(self, url, *_args, **_kwargs):
         return {
             "_type": "video",
             "id": "vid1",

app/tests/test_subscriptions.py

@@ -1171,6 +1171,44 @@ class SubscriptionScanExtraOptsTests(unittest.IsolatedAsyncioTestCase):
         self.assertEqual(captured_params[0].get("cookiefile"), "preset.txt")
         self.assertEqual(captured_params[0].get("extra"), "override")
 
+    async def test_scan_never_writes_playlist_sidecar_files(self):
+        """A subscription scan is a metadata probe. yt-dlp writes the
+        playlist-level infojson/description/thumbnail regardless of ``download``,
+        so without this a writeinfojson/writethumbnail user would get stray files
+        in DOWNLOAD_DIR on every check interval. Issue #1040."""
+        captured_params: list = []
+        fake_ydl = _make_scan_capturing_fake_ydl(
+            captured_params,
+            [{"id": "v1", "title": "One", "webpage_url": "https://example.com/v1"}],
+        )
+
+        with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory() as tmp:
+            cfg = _Config(tmp)
+            cfg.YTDL_OPTIONS = {"writeinfojson": True, "writethumbnail": True}
+            mgr = SubscriptionManager(cfg, _Queue(), _Notifier())
+
+            with patch("subscriptions.yt_dlp.YoutubeDL", fake_ydl, create=True):
+                await mgr.add_subscription(
+                    "https://example.com/channel",
+                    check_interval_minutes=60,
+                    download_type="video",
+                    codec="auto",
+                    format="any",
+                    quality="best",
+                    folder="",
+                    custom_name_prefix="",
+                    auto_start=True,
+                    playlist_item_limit=0,
+                    split_by_chapters=False,
+                    chapter_template="",
+                    subtitle_language="en",
+                    subtitle_mode="prefer_manual",
+                    ytdl_options_overrides={"allow_playlist_files": True},
+                )
+
+        self.assertTrue(captured_params)
+        self.assertIs(captured_params[0].get("allow_playlist_files"), False)
+
     async def test_check_now_scan_applies_stored_subscription_presets(self):
         entries = [{"id": "v1", "title": "One", "webpage_url": "https://example.com/v1"}]
 

app/ytdl.py

@@ -1314,6 +1314,14 @@ class DownloadQueue:
             'ignore_no_formats_error': True,
             'noplaylist': True,
             'paths': {"home": self.config.DOWNLOAD_DIR, "temp": self.config.TEMP_DIR},
+            # This is a classification pass, not a download. yt-dlp emits the
+            # feed-level infojson/description/thumbnail from
+            # __process_playlist_result without consulting `download`, so
+            # without this a writeinfojson user gets stray files here — in
+            # DOWNLOAD_DIR, under yt-dlp's pl_* names, even for an add that goes
+            # on to fail. __write_feed_metadata writes them properly once the
+            # feed is accepted. See issues #1040 and #660.
+            'allow_playlist_files': False,
         }
         imp = user_opts.get('impersonate')
         if imp is not None:
@@ -1377,6 +1385,81 @@ class DownloadQueue:
             self.pending.put(download)
         await self.notifier.added(dl)
 
+    def __write_feed_metadata_sync(self, entry, etype, download_type, folder,
+                                   ytdl_options_presets, ytdl_options_overrides):
+        """Write the feed-level .info.json/description/thumbnail for a playlist
+        or channel add, using the same output template its items will use.
+
+        yt-dlp produces these from __process_playlist_result, which ignores
+        ``download`` — so they used to fall out of the classification pass with
+        yt-dlp's own pl_* names, in DOWNLOAD_DIR, ignoring the download's folder
+        (issue #1040) and with no way to steer them (issue #660). Doing it here
+        instead means the feed type is already known, so the file lands beside
+        the items rather than in a differently-named sibling directory.
+
+        Re-runs yt-dlp on a copy of the feed with no entries: that reaches the
+        playlist-file writing without re-extracting anything or touching
+        yt-dlp's private write helpers.
+        """
+        user_opts = self._build_ytdl_options(ytdl_options_presets, ytdl_options_overrides)
+        wants = ('writeinfojson', 'writedescription', 'writethumbnail', 'write_all_thumbnails')
+        if not any(user_opts.get(key) for key in wants):
+            return
+        # An explicit allow_playlist_files=false is the user asking for exactly
+        # this to not happen.
+        if user_opts.get('allow_playlist_files') is False:
+            return
+
+        dldirectory, error_message = self.__calc_download_path(download_type, folder)
+        if error_message is not None:
+            return
+
+        template = (
+            self.config.OUTPUT_TEMPLATE_CHANNEL if etype == 'channel'
+            else self.config.OUTPUT_TEMPLATE_PLAYLIST
+        ) or self.config.OUTPUT_TEMPLATE
+
+        debug_logging = logging.getLogger().isEnabledFor(logging.DEBUG)
+        params = {
+            **user_opts,
+            'quiet': not debug_logging,
+            'verbose': debug_logging,
+            'no_color': True,
+            'skip_download': True,
+            'extract_flat': True,
+            'allow_playlist_files': True,
+            'paths': {"home": dldirectory, "temp": self.config.TEMP_DIR},
+            # Feed-level keys only; per-item names are resolved by __add_download.
+            'outtmpl': {
+                'pl_infojson': template,
+                'pl_thumbnail': template,
+                'pl_description': template,
+            },
+        }
+        imp = user_opts.get('impersonate')
+        if imp is not None:
+            params['impersonate'] = yt_dlp.networking.impersonate.ImpersonateTarget.from_str(imp)
+
+        # A copy: process_ie_result mutates entries/requested_entries, and the
+        # caller still needs the real feed dict to queue the items.
+        feed = {k: v for k, v in entry.items() if k != 'entries'}
+        feed['entries'] = []
+        yt_dlp.YoutubeDL(params=params).process_ie_result(feed, download=False)
+
+    async def __write_feed_metadata(self, entry, etype, download_type, folder,
+                                    ytdl_options_presets, ytdl_options_overrides):
+        try:
+            await asyncio.get_running_loop().run_in_executor(
+                None,
+                partial(
+                    self.__write_feed_metadata_sync, entry, etype, download_type, folder,
+                    ytdl_options_presets, ytdl_options_overrides,
+                ),
+            )
+        except Exception as exc:
+            # Supplemental output must never fail the add.
+            log.warning(f'Could not write {etype} metadata files: {exc}')
+
     async def __add_entry(
         self,
         entry,
@@ -1453,6 +1536,10 @@ class DownloadQueue:
                 entries = list(entries)
             total_entries = len(entries)
             log.info(f'{etype} detected with {total_entries} entries')
+            await self.__write_feed_metadata(
+                entry, etype, download_type, folder,
+                ytdl_options_presets, ytdl_options_overrides,
+            )
             index_digits = len(str(total_entries))
             results = []
             if playlist_item_limit > 0: