fix: carry yt-dlp warning context on the DownloadError path (closes #1047)

MeTube never sets ignoreerrors, so yt-dlp's trouble() raises DownloadError
instead of returning nonzero for failures like "No video formats found!".
That is the path issue #1047 reports, and it dropped the warnings that
explain the failure because only the nonzero-return branch attached them.

The exception branch now reports the retained warnings with the exception
text as the final line, so the actual error stays prominent under the
context. yt-dlp labels errors "ERROR:" but hands warnings to the logger
unlabelled, so a last warning that repeats the error text is skipped.

Retention is bounded to the last five distinct warnings: fragmented and
live downloads emit a warning per fragment, and the joined message is
persisted with the completed queue and broadcast to every client.

Co-authored-by: Matt Van Horn <mvanhorn@users.noreply.github.com>

app/tests/test_ytdl_utils.py

@@ -450,6 +450,65 @@ class DownloadLoggerTests(unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertIn('WARNING:ytdl: useful warning ', logs.output)
         self.assertIn('ERROR:ytdl:error detail', logs.output)
 
+    def test_retains_only_the_last_distinct_warnings(self):
+        logger = ytdl._DownloadYtdlLogger()
+        cap = ytdl._MAX_RETAINED_WARNINGS
+
+        with self.assertLogs('ytdl', level='WARNING') as logs:
+            for index in range(cap + 3):
+                logger.warning(f'fragment {index} not found')
+
+        self.assertEqual(
+            logger.warnings,
+            [f'fragment {index} not found' for index in range(3, cap + 3)],
+        )
+        # Every warning still reaches the log; only the retained list is bounded.
+        self.assertEqual(len(logs.output), cap + 3)
+
+    def test_repeated_warning_is_retained_once(self):
+        logger = ytdl._DownloadYtdlLogger()
+
+        with self.assertLogs('ytdl', level='WARNING'):
+            logger.warning('Requested format is not available')
+            logger.warning('Only images are available for download')
+            logger.warning('Requested format is not available')
+
+        self.assertEqual(
+            logger.warnings,
+            ['Requested format is not available', 'Only images are available for download'],
+        )
+
+    def test_failure_message_puts_the_error_last(self):
+        logger = ytdl._DownloadYtdlLogger()
+
+        with self.assertLogs('ytdl', level='WARNING'):
+            logger.warning('Only images are available for download')
+
+        self.assertEqual(
+            logger.failure_message('ERROR: [youtube] u2HSc2Ym1Vk: No video formats found!'),
+            'Only images are available for download\n'
+            'ERROR: [youtube] u2HSc2Ym1Vk: No video formats found!',
+        )
+
+    def test_failure_message_skips_a_last_warning_that_repeats_the_error(self):
+        logger = ytdl._DownloadYtdlLogger()
+
+        with self.assertLogs('ytdl', level='WARNING'):
+            logger.warning('Video unavailable')
+            # yt-dlp labels errors but hands warnings to the logger unlabelled,
+            # so the same text can arrive through both routes.
+            logger.warning('Requested format is not available')
+
+        self.assertEqual(
+            logger.failure_message('ERROR: Requested format is not available'),
+            'Video unavailable\nERROR: Requested format is not available',
+        )
+
+    def test_failure_message_without_warnings_is_the_error_alone(self):
+        logger = ytdl._DownloadYtdlLogger()
+
+        self.assertEqual(logger.failure_message('ERROR: boom'), 'ERROR: boom')
+
 
 class DownloadResultTests(unittest.TestCase):
     def _run_download(self, result=0, warnings=(), error=None):
@@ -508,13 +567,72 @@ class DownloadResultTests(unittest.TestCase):
 
         self.assertEqual(statuses[-1], {'status': 'finished'})
 
-    def test_youtube_dl_error_message_takes_precedence_over_warnings(self):
+    def test_youtube_dl_error_carries_the_warnings_that_explain_it(self):
+        # The sequence from issue #1047: yt-dlp raises DownloadError, so the
+        # warnings naming the real cause only reach the user if the exception
+        # branch carries them too.
         statuses, _ = self._run_download(
-            warnings=['Earlier warning'],
+            warnings=[
-            error=ytdl.yt_dlp.utils.YoutubeDLError('extractor failed'),
+                '[youtube] Video unavailable. This video contains content from bryhuangpub,'
+                ' who has blocked it from display on this website or application',
+                'Only images are available for download. use --list-formats to see them',
+                'Requested format is not available',
+            ],
+            error=ytdl.yt_dlp.utils.YoutubeDLError(
+                'ERROR: [youtube] u2HSc2Ym1Vk: No video formats found!'
+            ),
         )
 
-        self.assertEqual(statuses[-1], {'status': 'error', 'msg': 'extractor failed'})
+        self.assertEqual(
+            statuses[-1],
+            {
+                'status': 'error',
+                'msg': '[youtube] Video unavailable. This video contains content from bryhuangpub,'
+                ' who has blocked it from display on this website or application\n'
+                'Only images are available for download. use --list-formats to see them\n'
+                'Requested format is not available\n'
+                'ERROR: [youtube] u2HSc2Ym1Vk: No video formats found!',
+            },
+        )
+
+    def test_youtube_dl_error_drops_a_last_warning_that_repeats_it(self):
+        statuses, _ = self._run_download(
+            warnings=['Earlier warning', 'Requested format is not available'],
+            error=ytdl.yt_dlp.utils.YoutubeDLError('ERROR: Requested format is not available'),
+        )
+
+        self.assertEqual(
+            statuses[-1],
+            {
+                'status': 'error',
+                'msg': 'Earlier warning\nERROR: Requested format is not available',
+            },
+        )
+
+    def test_youtube_dl_error_message_is_bounded(self):
+        cap = ytdl._MAX_RETAINED_WARNINGS
+        statuses, _ = self._run_download(
+            warnings=[f'fragment {index} not found' for index in range(cap + 4)],
+            error=ytdl.yt_dlp.utils.YoutubeDLError('ERROR: giving up'),
+        )
+
+        msg = statuses[-1]['msg']
+        self.assertEqual(
+            msg.split('\n'),
+            [f'fragment {index} not found' for index in range(4, cap + 4)] + ['ERROR: giving up'],
+        )
+
+    def test_nonzero_result_message_is_bounded(self):
+        cap = ytdl._MAX_RETAINED_WARNINGS
+        statuses, _ = self._run_download(
+            result=1,
+            warnings=[f'fragment {index} not found' for index in range(cap + 4)],
+        )
+
+        self.assertEqual(
+            statuses[-1]['msg'].split('\n'),
+            [f'fragment {index} not found' for index in range(4, cap + 4)],
+        )
 
 
 class ProgressThrottleTests(unittest.TestCase):

app/ytdl.py

@@ -33,23 +33,53 @@ from urllib.parse import urlsplit
 log = logging.getLogger('ytdl')
 
 
+# Fragmented and live downloads can emit a warning per fragment, and the joined
+# text is persisted with the completed queue and broadcast to every client, so
+# only the last few distinct warnings are kept.
+_MAX_RETAINED_WARNINGS = 5
+
+_REPORT_LABEL_RE = re.compile(r'^(?:ERROR|WARNING):\s*')
+
+
+def _report_body(message):
+    """yt-dlp labels errors with an ``ERROR:`` prefix but hands warnings to the
+    logger unlabelled, so compare the two with any such label removed."""
+    return _REPORT_LABEL_RE.sub('', message).strip()
+
+
 class _DownloadYtdlLogger:
     """Forward yt-dlp output while retaining warnings for failed downloads."""
 
     def __init__(self):
-        self.warnings = []
+        self._warnings = collections.deque(maxlen=_MAX_RETAINED_WARNINGS)
+
+    @property
+    def warnings(self):
+        return list(self._warnings)
 
     def debug(self, msg):
         log.debug('%s', msg)
 
     def warning(self, msg):
         log.warning('%s', msg)
-        if msg is not None and (warning := str(msg).strip()):
+        if msg is not None and (warning := str(msg).strip()) and warning not in self._warnings:
-            self.warnings.append(warning)
+            self._warnings.append(warning)
 
     def error(self, msg):
         log.error('%s', msg)
 
+    def failure_message(self, error_text):
+        """Retained warnings followed by *error_text*, kept last so the actual
+        error stays prominent under the context that explains it."""
+        lines = self.warnings
+        error_text = (error_text or '').strip()
+        if not error_text:
+            return '\n'.join(lines)
+        if lines and _report_body(lines[-1]) == _report_body(error_text):
+            lines.pop()
+        lines.append(error_text)
+        return '\n'.join(lines)
+
 
 # Python 3.14 switches the default multiprocessing start method on Linux
 # (this app's only supported deployment target, per the Dockerfile) from fork
@@ -683,10 +713,12 @@ class Download:
         # anything else. Skipped when ALLOW_PRIVATE_ADDRESSES trusts the environment.
         install_socket_guard(self.allow_private, proxy_urls=(self.ytdl_opts.get('proxy'),))
         log.info(f"Starting download for: {self.info.title} ({self.info.url})")
+        # Bound outside the try so the except branch can read what was captured
+        # before the error was raised.
+        ytdl_logger = _DownloadYtdlLogger()
         try:
             debug_logging = logging.getLogger().isEnabledFor(logging.DEBUG)
             put_status = self._make_progress_hook()
-            ytdl_logger = _DownloadYtdlLogger()
 
             def put_status_postprocessor(d):
                 if d['postprocessor'] == 'MoveFiles' and d['status'] == 'finished':
@@ -730,6 +762,8 @@ class Download:
                 'postprocessor_hooks': [put_status_postprocessor],
                 **self.ytdl_opts,
             }
+            # Set after the ytdl_opts merge: the failure messages below depend on
+            # this logger, so a user-supplied one must not replace it.
             ytdl_params['logger'] = ytdl_logger
 
             # Add chapter splitting options if enabled
@@ -761,7 +795,7 @@ class Download:
             log.info(f"Finished download for: {self.info.title}")
         except yt_dlp.utils.YoutubeDLError as exc:
             log.error(f"Download error for {self.info.title}: {str(exc)}")
-            self.status_queue.put({'status': 'error', 'msg': str(exc)})
+            self.status_queue.put({'status': 'error', 'msg': ytdl_logger.failure_message(str(exc))})
 
     async def start(self, notifier, executor=None):
         log.info(f"Preparing download for: {self.info.title}")