The custom screen share picker intercepted getDisplayMedia() and created
a raw loopback stream, bypassing Chromium's constraint pipeline entirely.
restrictOwnAudio was silently discarded. Removing the handler lets
Chromium 144's native getDisplayMedia run end-to-end with restrictOwnAudio
applied, eliminating the audio feedback loop in the desktop app.
Screen sharing with audio captured the app's own voice playback, causing
users to hear themselves echoed back. Fixed via two layers:
- Add restrictOwnAudio constraint (Chrome 141+/Chromium 144) to exclude
the app's own audio from system audio capture
- Add shareAudio toggle so users can disable system audio entirely
- Remove outdated macOS audio block (now supported via ScreenCaptureKit)
- Upgrade Electron 33→40 (Chromium 130→144) so restrictOwnAudio works
natively in the desktop app
- Add NSAudioCaptureUsageDescription for macOS 14.2+ audio capture
- Add GTK 3 fallback for Linux GNOME compatibility (Electron 36+)
- Custom screen share picker for Electron (ScreenSharePicker.tsx) with
Aether Drift design: glass-bubble footer, adaptive grid, pill tabs,
border-based selection (avoids overflow clipping), hover brightness
- Instance URL picker so Electron connects to any Backspace server
- System audio loopback on Windows/Linux via desktopCapturer callback
- macOS: video-only callback (OS blocks system audio capture)
- IPC bridge for screen source enumeration and selection
- Purge stale service worker caches on Electron launch
Replace hard-edged ring ripples with blurred radial gradient orbs, add
subtle glass refraction shimmer, and use gentler glow/breathing curves
for a calmer incoming call experience.
- SSRF protection: DNS resolution + private IP blocking on metadata fetcher
- Upload security: CSP/X-Frame-Options headers, SVG forced download, nosniff
- Auth hardening: JWT secret min length, password min 8 chars, token revocation via password_changed_at
- Attachment ownership verification before linking to messages
- Message length limit (4000 chars) enforced on client and server
- Asset URL validation on avatar/banner updates
- Federation instance validation (domain regex, origin scheme, length limits)
- DB indexes on all FK columns for query performance
- Migrations: nullable moderator columns, dm_messages reply_to FK constraint
- File cleanup on avatar/banner replacement and space deletion
- Fastify trustProxy, AbortController on fetches, typing map size cap
Track last speaker via ref so avatar fallback doesn't snap to array-order
first remote when everyone stops talking. Parse :stream suffix from
focusedParticipantId so clicking a stream tile in the grid pins that
screen share to PiP. Remember last focus via ref so PiP content persists
when grid focus is cleared.
Three changes to bring output volume closer to native apps:
- Insert masterBoost GainNode (+3dB) before the compressor/limiter
- Raise default system sound volume from 0.5 to 0.8
- Add configurable Sound Effects Volume slider (0–200%) in Voice settings
Voice channels already support video/screen share, so the separate video
type was redundant. Adds migration to convert existing video channels.
Also adds border-border-soft to CreateChannel input fields for visibility.
Add drag-and-drop support for moving users between voice channels
(MOVE_MEMBERS permission required). Fix voice_moved handler using
wrong user ID for federated users — now uses the same isHome/
getMyUserIdForOrigin pattern as adjacent voice handlers.
Add .glass-modal CSS class (0.82 opacity) for dialogs and apply
consistent glass tiers across all floating UI: modals, context menus,
tooltips, popovers, and call cards. Replaces ad-hoc bg-surface-elevated
and inline styles with the documented 5-tier glass hierarchy.
Broadcast user_updated events over WebSocket when profile fields change,
updating members, DM participants, friends, and cached messages in real time.
Widen useVoiceParticipantMeta to return the full user object and add a
standalone avatarColor prop to Avatar so all ~16 callsites now resolve
the user's chosen gradient color instead of falling back to hash-based colors.
Add flex to speaking ring wrapper divs in VoiceUser and PictureInPicture
to eliminate baseline descender space that made the ring oval. Extract
useVoiceParticipantMeta hook to resolve real display names and avatars
for voice participants instead of showing raw usernames with null avatars.
Remove the unused USE_VOICE_ACTIVITY permission bit (was bit 25) and shift
STREAM to bit 25, DISCONNECT_MEMBERS to bit 26. Add a database migration to
remap stored permission values. Gate camera and screen share buttons in
VoiceControlBar behind canSpeak/canStream, matching VoiceControls behavior.
Permission changes now take effect immediately without requiring
disconnect/reconnect. Modeled as "permission mute" parallel to
server mute — server recomputes SPEAK for all voice participants
on role/override changes and broadcasts state via WebSocket.
Includes amber UI indicators and mic toggle blocking.
Use neutral bg-white/20 for unwatched camera badge in grid tile instead
of bg-accent-rose/90, matching the local mute badge convention. Show
crossed-out camera icon in channel sidebar when a remote user's camera
is locally unwatched. Add local mute badge to both grid tile and sidebar.
Add ability to unsubscribe from remote camera tracks via context menu,
with unwatched state tracked in voiceStore. Fix click propagation through
React portals by adding onClick stopPropagation alongside onMouseDown on
both the main context menu and MoveToSubmenu flyout portal containers.
Use rose badge color for unwatched cameras (user choice) instead of amber
(reserved for server-enforced states).
- Add DISCONNECT_MEMBERS permission (bit 27) to disconnect users from voice
- Implement voice_disconnect WebSocket handler with permission checks
- Add disconnect button to voice user context menu
- Grant instance admins full permissions across all spaces
- Fix voice_disconnected handler to use federation-aware identity resolution
- Update CLAUDE.md with new event types and permission docs
Both the channel sidebar (VoiceChannel.tsx) and voice panel (VoiceUser.tsx)
now share one context menu with volume slider + conditional mod items,
eliminating duplicated portal/positioning/click-outside code from VoiceUser.
Replace the flat channel list with a single "Move to" trigger that opens
a cascading flyout on hover, preventing the menu from bloating vertically
when many voice channels exist.
Replace hardcoded Tailwind grid-cols breakpoints with a container-aware
layout algorithm that uses ResizeObserver to recompute optimal tile
arrangement. Maximizes tile area while maintaining 16:9 aspect ratio,
automatically adapting when VoiceChatPanel opens/closes, window resizes,
or fullscreen is toggled.
Add isServerDeafened to mic icon slash conditions in VoiceControlBar and
ChannelSidebar. Restructure VoiceUser badge rendering to gate on effective
state (intent OR server enforcement) instead of only LiveKit participant
intent, fixing missing badges in the voice grid for server-muted users.
When a moderator lifted a server mute/deafen, the client was involuntarily
turning on the user's microphone because isMuted/isDeafened conflated user
intent with server enforcement. Now intent (isMuted/isDeafened) is never
mutated by server events. Effective state (intent || serverEnforcement) is
computed at broadcast and hardware time via centralized helpers.
- The client now dynamically resolves the user's federated identity via `getMyUserIdForOrigin` when evaluating incoming `voice_server_muted` and `voice_server_deafened` events. Previously, the client incorrectly compared the remote event's federated `userId` against the local `authStore` home `userId`, causing federated users to silently drop restriction events.
- Client-side mic/deafen toggles (`toggleMic`, `toggleDeafen`) now accurately evaluate the user's origin-specific ID against the restriction sets, preventing federated users from bypassing locks.
- UI state selectors (`VoiceControlBar`, `ChannelSidebar`) now compute `myOriginId` to correctly render the yellow server-lockdown indicators for cross-instance users.
- Replaces global `userId` tracking with `spaceId:userId` composite keys across both backend and frontend, fixing the issue where server-muting a user in one space bled into others.
- Modifies client-side `ready` event hydration to merge voice states per-origin instead of completely overwriting the store, preventing federated connections from wiping out home instance mutes.
- Excludes server voice restrictions from `zustand/persist` so stale client caches don't override the server's authority on reload.
- Fixes React component reactivity by using reactive store selections for `spaceId` instead of imperative `getState()` calls, ensuring UI lockdown indicators accurately reflect the initial websocket handshake.
When a moderator server-deafens a user, the implied mute is server-imposed
and should display amber (not red) everywhere. Updated VoiceControlBar,
ChannelSidebar, VoiceChannel, and VoiceUser to check isServerDeafened
alongside isServerMuted for amber color and cursor-not-allowed state.
Also includes smart mute/deafen toggle logic (Discord-style coupling),
server-side enforcement of mute/deafen bypass, and cleanup of server
voice state on user departure.
Add ban/unban functionality with BansPanel in space settings, voice
moderation context menu (mute/deafen/disconnect), and fix federated
space settings panels to use origin-aware API client. Show domain
indicators for federated members in MembersPanel.
Replace inline Save/Discard/Reset buttons with sticky glass-bubble pills
that float at the bottom of scrollable modal content. Make SpaceSettings
tab sidebar sticky with glass material. Convert RoleEditView "Back to
roles" into a sticky glass pill at the top. UserSettings Log Out + Save
always visible in a glass pill with separator. Also includes floating
position hook and popover/tooltip improvements from prior work.
Replace the unreliable client-side DM dedup loop in populateFromReady with
a creation-time guard (findExistingDmForUser) that checks all instances
before opening a new DM. Guards added to FriendsPage, NewDmModal, and
UserProfilePopout.
Also fixes: corrupted read_states from temp_ optimistic message IDs (server
migration + client-side validation), federation-aware closeDm/addDmMember
API routing, isSelf-based DM member filtering in sidebar/header, and WS
event error isolation.
- Fix DM welcome header avatar using home identity for correct gradient color
- Register DM channel IDs in channelOriginMap so federated DM operations
(reactions, messages, typing) route to the correct instance
- Pass origin when creating DM channels from friends list and WS events
- Add server discovery/explore page with public server listings
- Add server visibility and description fields
Store the original home snowflake ID (homeUserId) during federation replication
so that avatar gradient colors resolve identically across instances. Previously,
replicated users got new snowflake IDs on each instance, causing different
gradient colors. Now Avatar, UserProfilePopout, VoiceUser, StreamTile, and
VoiceChannel all resolve through homeUserId when available. Includes backfill
logic for existing federated users missing the field.
Federated users get a different snowflake ID on remote instances,
causing avatar gradients to mismatch their home identity. Apply
resolveDisplayIdentity/isSelf resolution in VoiceUser, StreamTile,
VoiceChannel sidebar, and MemberSidebar so the current user's avatar
color is consistent across all views.
Move TypingIndicator from document flow (between MessageList and
MessageInput) into MessageInput's outer wrapper using absolute
bottom-full positioning. Fixes indicator being hidden behind the
floating glass input bubble on desktop.
Phase 5 of multi-instance federation. Adds a two-layer fix:
Layer 1 — Data ingestion normalization: Remote instance user avatars,
server icons, and attachment filenames are rewritten to absolute URLs
when entering the app (via WebSocket events or API responses), so all
downstream components render them correctly without changes.
Layer 2 — Outbound action routing: wsSend calls (voice join/leave/status,
typing) and file uploads in UI components now route through the correct
instance based on the active channel's origin.
Root cause fix for all broken CSS variable opacity modifiers. Converted
every hex CSS variable to space-separated RGB channels (e.g. #fda4af →
253 164 175) and updated Tailwind config to use rgb(var(...) / <alpha-value>).
This makes bg-accent-rose/10, border-border-hard/50, etc. work natively
everywhere — no more currentColor fallback. Reverted all previous explicit
rgba() workarounds back to clean Tailwind syntax. Also fixed the voice
connection wifi icon SVG (was bottom-left aligned, now centered).
Server-side: handleReactionAdd/Remove now check dm_messages table when
message isn't found in server messages, enabling DM emoji reactions
via the same unified client event path.
Client-side: replaced all remaining broken opacity modifiers on CSS
variables (border-border-soft/50, bg-accent-rose/10, bg-surface-*/N,
etc.) with explicit rgba values. Tailwind can't decompose var() for
opacity, causing fallback to currentColor. Fixes 16 files across
error boxes, table borders, surface tints, and input separators.
Channel sidebar: subtle bg-surface-elevated highlight with rounded-[6px],
active channel left pill, rose unread dot on right, smaller #/voice icons
(18px), 10px horizontal padding, 24px voice user avatars at 36px indent.
Reaction bubbles: inline styles for background/border colors to bypass
Tailwind opacity modifier failures on hex CSS variables. Both mine (mint
tint) and non-mine states now render visible pill containers reliably.
PiP positioning:
- Replace hardcoded layout constants with dynamic DOM measurement system
- Obstacle elements declare themselves via data-pip-obstacle="left|bottom"
- getPipBounds() queries actual element rects at runtime via getBoundingClientRect
- MutationObserver + ResizeObserver re-clamp PiP when obstacles appear/resize
- PiP reappears after close when navigating away from voice channel
Reactions:
- Align reaction pills with Aether Drift prototype
- Own-reaction accent: purple → mint (bg, border, count color)
- Default pills: subtle white overlay bg + border-soft border
- Count text: 12px/semibold/txt-secondary per prototype spec
Bug fix:
- Deduplicate channel insertion in createChannel store action
- Prevents double-add race between REST response and WS broadcast
Avatar fallback gradients were hashed by display name alone when no
user prop was passed, causing the same person to appear in different
colors across messages, replies, member lists, voice panels, etc.
Added userId prop to Avatar and wired it through all 17 call sites
so the gradient always hashes by user ID.
Phase 5: Remove all 54 legacy Discord token definitions from tailwind.config.js,
migrate body classes in index.html to Aether Drift tokens, update ARCHITECTURE_AUDIT.md.
Phase 6: Replace flat purple fallback avatars with deterministic colorful gradients
(mint, sky, lavender, coral, rose, teal, amber) based on user/server ID hash.
Replace Discord logo SVG with Backspace "B" in server strip. Add per-server gradient
icons with hover glow. Update profile popout banner and incoming call modal to match.
Migrate all 10 voice/video components from Discord visual language to
Aether Drift design system. Zero discord-* classes or hardcoded hex
values remain in components/voice/.
Key changes:
- Status indicators use pastel accents: mint (connected/speaking),
amber (connecting/idle), rose (muted/deafened/error)
- VoiceControlBar converted to frosted glass-bubble material
- ConnectionInfoPopover and ScreenShareSettingsPopover use glass popovers
- Speaking ring glow changed from Discord green to mint (#86efac)
- Slider accents use lavender instead of blurple
- All bg/text/border tokens mapped to surface-*/txt-*/interactive-* system
Jannis Braun