quixotic/.serena/memories/youtube_abandonment_decision.md

YouTube Abandonment Decision - August 27, 2025

Decision Made

Abandon YouTube integration completely and switch to SoundCloud for the Quixotic Telegram MiniApp.

Reasoning

1. YouTube bot detection too strong - all anonymous methods blocked
2. Cookie-based auth inappropriate for Telegram MiniApp (should be anonymous)
3. User needs mainstream music like "Virtual Insanity" - Archive.org won't have it
4. SoundCloud still viable option for popular tracks

Actions Taken

• Remove all YouTube-related code from src/youtube.js
• Remove YouTube dependencies (play-dl, ytdl-core, youtube-dl-exec)
• Replace with SoundCloud integration
• Keep similar API interface for frontend compatibility

SoundCloud Implementation Plan

1. Use scdl-core or soundcloud-downloader npm packages
2. Search functionality via SoundCloud API
3. Download functionality for available tracks
4. Keep same UI/UX, just change backend source

Fallback Strategy

If SoundCloud also fails, consider:

1. Multiple source aggregation
2. User-provided links approach
3. Different content strategy (playlists, podcasts, etc.)