gavdevs · Nov 2, 2026 · Nov 2, 2026 · Nov 2, 2026 · Nov 2, 2026 · Nov 2, 2026
diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -17,8 +17,8 @@ jobs:
       - name: Checkout companion light-sdk
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:
-          repository: LooseWireDev/light-sdk
-          ref: codex/kelp-official-sdk
+          repository: gavdevs/light-sdk
+          ref: 251237ef3778c907c5dbd89e84685532c9d99a28
           path: light-sdk
 
       - name: Set up JDK 17

diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -18,8 +18,8 @@ jobs:
       - name: Checkout companion light-sdk
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:
-          repository: LooseWireDev/light-sdk
-          ref: codex/kelp-official-sdk
+          repository: gavdevs/light-sdk
+          ref: 251237ef3778c907c5dbd89e84685532c9d99a28
           path: light-sdk
 
       - name: Set up JDK 17

diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # Kelp – agent notes
 
-Light Phone III TIDAL client built on `lightphone/light-sdk` (composite build from `../light-sdk`, branch `codex/kelp-official-sdk`, based on official v0.1.1). Kotlin + Compose throughout.
+Light Phone III TIDAL client built on the `gavdevs/light-sdk` fork (composite build from `../light-sdk`, pinned to `main` at `251237e`). Kotlin + Compose throughout.
 
 ## Module map
 
@@ -17,9 +17,9 @@ Distribution lane: **sideload-only, experimental/local.** Not eligible for Light
 - **`:app` never imports TIDAL SDK, okhttp, Media3, or `:server` types.** Everything crosses the Light binder via `KelpRemoteMethod` IDs (`com.loosewire.kelp.*`). Add a feature by extending `:protocol` contracts, dispatch in `KelpServiceMethods`, and a client method in `KelpClient.kt`.
 - **`:protocol` stays Android/TIDAL-free.** Serializable models only, no platform imports.
 - **Two TIDAL sessions** (`KelpRuntime`): developer-app auth3 login for the v2 Public API (catalog) + `TidalStreamingAuth` first-party PKCE for playback. Catalog endpoints only accept the developer token; full-length streams only resolve with the first-party token. Do not collapse them.
-- **Playback is service-owned**: `KelpPlaybackService` owns the MediaSession and `KelpPlayerController`/ExoPlayer. It explicitly calls `addSession` because Binder RPCs start playback without a MediaController connection. `TidalMediaSource` lazily resolves BTS/clear-DASH through `TidalStreamResolver`. Never create a second player from a screen or reintroduce the official TIDAL Player SDK.
-- **Playback threading**: queue mutations and ExoPlayer calls are main-looper confined; Binder reads an immutable `@Volatile` snapshot. MediaSource lifecycle uses ExoPlayer's playback looper and resolution runs on IO. Cancellation must prevent stale stream/continuous-queue results; screen hide must not release playback.
-- **Media3 is strict-pinned to 1.5.0** in both `app` and `server` (Light SDK resolves a newer version). Keep both pins in sync.
+- **The Light SDK owns playback** through `LightAudioQueueSessions` and its detached `MediaSessionService`. Kelp owns TIDAL stream resolution (`playbackinfopostpaywall`, BTS/clear-DASH) and catalog recommendations. Do not create a second player or reintroduce the official TIDAL Player SDK.
+- **Playback threading**: the SDK queue is main-thread confined. TIDAL resolver callbacks use IO. Synchronous playback RPCs must stay off Main. Never hold `catalogLock` while waiting for the SDK. Playback commands and sign-out serialize under `playerLock`.
+- **The SDK owns Media3 versions and decoder dependencies**, including DASH. The old app/server 1.5.0 pins are removed. Both Kelp modules exclude desktop Tink from their SDK-client dependency because authentication requires `tink-android`.
 - **Only implemented settings**: continuous playback is applied at queue start. Quality selection, normalization, explicit filtering, and offline playback are not implemented; do not reintroduce preference-only controls.
 - **`lighttool.toml` is the identity source** (app id, version, capabilities, `serverPackage = "com.loosewire.kelp"`). Do not hand-write what the plugin generates.
 - **Secrets**: `local.properties` holds the developer-app client id and is git-ignored. Never embed it. The first-party client id in `TidalStreamingAuth` is intentionally embedded (public, shared with orpheusdl/phono; rotation procedure in `docs/TIDAL_ARCHITECTURE.md` and README).
@@ -35,9 +35,11 @@ scripts/build-release.sh          # tests + minified release APK in dist/ (handl
 
 Verification for any change: the narrowest useful unit tests first (`:protocol:test`, `:app:testDebugUnitTest`, `:server:testDebugUnitTest`), then `:app:assembleDebug`; run `:app:assembleRelease` for anything touching server code (R8 path) — or just run `scripts/build-release.sh`. Install: `adb -s <serial> install -r app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk`; pick an explicit serial when devices are ambiguous.
 
+Playback changes also require the companion SDK's `:sdk:client:testDebugUnitTest` and a device lifecycle check. Verify screen-off playback across track transitions after the Activity and controller are released. A stock emulator cannot prove LP3-specific power behavior.
+
 ## CI / releases
 
-- `.github/workflows/build.yml`: tests + debug assemble on push/PR. CI checks out the companion `LooseWireDev/light-sdk` (branch `codex/kelp-official-sdk`) next to the repo; locally that checkout must sit at `../light-sdk` (override with `-Ptide.sdkPath=...`).
+- `.github/workflows/build.yml`: tests + debug assemble on push/PR. CI checks out the companion `gavdevs/light-sdk` (pinned revision on `main`) next to the repo; locally that checkout must sit at `../light-sdk` (override with `-Ptide.sdkPath=...`).
 - `.github/workflows/release.yml`: tag-triggered (`v*`) signed release. Tag must match `versionName` in `app/lighttool.toml`; bump `versionCode` each release. Signing uses Actions secrets `TIDE_RELEASE_*`; the keystore backup lives at `~/.tide-keys/tide-release.jks` (storepass in `tide-release.storepass`, 600), outside the repo.
 - GitHub Release APKs are signed with the release key; dev-key-signed installs must be uninstalled first (signature mismatch on upgrade).
 

diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
 
 ## What is it?
 
-Kelp streams TIDAL through saved songs, albums, artists, playlists, daily mixes, and search in a text-first Light UI. The Light SDK owns the tool UI and navigation; a Kelp-owned Media3 media-session service owns background playback and publishes system transport controls. Full-length stream resolution uses the unofficial first-party-client technique used by [phono](https://github.com/jonathancaudill/phono), not the official TIDAL Player SDK.
+Kelp provides saved songs, albums, artists, playlists, daily mixes, and search in a monochrome interface. Kelp resolves full-length TIDAL streams with first-party credentials, using the approach of [phono](https://github.com/jonathancaudill/phono). The Light SDK owns the audio player and its background service.
 
 **You need a paid TIDAL subscription.** Like phono, kelp never works around that and never will.
 
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ Kelp is **sideload-only** today. It can't go through Light's hosted tool builder
 - Foreground-service playback outside Kelp, with track metadata and system play/pause/previous/next controls
 - Full-width navigation and transport touch targets, with Now Playing accessible from the top-left waveform
 - LOSSLESS streaming by default (falls back to lower quality if needed)
+- SDK-owned background playback, track transitions, and system media controls
 - Follows LightOS theming and hardware-button navigation
 
 Loading audio is distinct from playing; preparation failures remain visible in Now Playing. Returning from playback keeps loaded browse results. Settings exposes continuous playback and sign-out, with read-only information about the actual streaming policy. Nonfunctional quality, normalization, explicit-filter, and offline controls are not presented as working features.
@@ -51,7 +52,7 @@ Background playback is not persistent playback recovery: force-stop, reboot, or
 
 ## Build it yourself
 
-You'll need JDK 17, an Android SDK (platform 36), and the companion Light SDK checkout at `../light-sdk` (branch `codex/kelp-official-sdk`, based on upstream v0.1.1 plus kelp's small compatibility patches):
+Builds require JDK 17, Android SDK platform 36, and the companion `gavdevs/light-sdk` fork at `../light-sdk` on `main`. The fork carries the `LightAudioQueueSessions` streaming API and the companion cert override Kelp needs; Kelp and its companion SDK changes must ship together.
 
 ```bash
 ./gradlew :app:assembleDebug
@@ -70,6 +71,16 @@ Local builds default to one worker, two JVM-visible processors, a 1.5 GiB heap,
 
 CI runs tests + assemble on every push; pushing a matching `v*` tag publishes a signed release automatically.
 
+### Background playback
+
+`detached-audio` declares the SDK media service and its required permissions. Kelp starts a service-owned streaming queue through `LightAudioQueueSessions`. The service resolves each track when needed and loads recommendations without a screen or controller.
+
+Closing Kelp disconnects the UI without stopping playback. Reopening Kelp reads the existing queue and position. Sign-out clears the queue and cancels pending playback work. An abandoned paused session stops after 60 seconds. Queue restoration after service or process destruction is not supported.
+
+The SDK owns Media3 and the DASH decoder dependency. Kelp no longer pins the older Media3 runtime used by its separate player.
+
+For device verification, play several tracks with the screen off for at least 15 minutes. Verify automatic transitions, system pause/resume and next controls, reconnection, and sign-out. JVM tests cannot establish LightOS power-management behavior.
+
 ## Legal / disclaimers
 
 Unofficial project, unaffiliated with TIDAL or Light. A paid TIDAL subscription is required for everything to work. If TIDAL rotates their first-party client id (you'll notice as playback suddenly failing), the fix procedure is documented in [docs/TIDAL_ARCHITECTURE.md](docs/TIDAL_ARCHITECTURE.md).

diff --git a/app/build.gradle.kts b/app/build.gradle.kts
@@ -66,6 +66,15 @@ android {
         error += "RestrictedApi"
     }
 
+    packaging {
+        resources {
+            // Legacy jar indexes and version manifests from the SDK server's
+            // Netty/ktor stack; nothing reads them at runtime.
+            excludes += "META-INF/INDEX.LIST"
+            pickFirsts += "META-INF/io.netty.versions.properties"
+        }
+    }
+
     compileOptions {
         sourceCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_17
         targetCompatibility = JavaVersion.VERSION_17
@@ -87,22 +96,6 @@ dependencies {
     }
     implementation(libs.kotlinx.coroutines)
 
-    // Keep the SDK client and Kelp's foreground media session on one tested
-    // Media3 runtime; TIDAL Auth/API do not own the player.
-    listOf(
-        "media3-common",
-        "media3-exoplayer",
-        "media3-session",
-        "media3-exoplayer-dash",
-        "media3-exoplayer-hls",
-        "media3-datasource-okhttp",
-    ).forEach { module ->
-        implementation("androidx.media3:$module") {
-            version { strictly("1.5.0") }
-            because("Keep the SDK client and Kelp playback service on the same Media3 runtime")
-        }
-    }
-
     testImplementation(libs.kotlin.test)
     testImplementation(libs.kotlinx.coroutines.test)
 

diff --git a/docs/PRODUCT.md b/docs/PRODUCT.md
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ Following Lightious's lifecycle lessons, browse screens retain loaded results on
 
 1. **Shell:** authentication, five-icon catalog navigation, search entry, persistent local playback settings, and Light-native styling.
 2. **Catalog:** album details and tracks, playlists, artists, saved tracks, and live search results.
-3. **Player:** TIDAL stream resolution, service-owned media queue, Now Playing, native system transports, and media-state reconnection. Per-network quality selection remains unimplemented.
+3. **Player:** TIDAL stream resolution through an SDK-owned detached queue, Now Playing, queue controls, and media-state reconnection. Quality application remains separate work.
 4. **Offline:** downloads and storage management, only after online playback is reliable.
 
-The current implementation includes the shell, paginated collection reads, artist/album/playlist details, grouped search, and basic online playback from every song list. Offline controls must only appear as active actions when their backing behavior is connected.
+The current implementation includes the shell, paginated collection reads, artist/album/playlist details, grouped search, and SDK-owned online playback from song lists. The audio service owns background track transitions and continuous playback. Offline controls must only appear as active actions when their backing behavior is connected.