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+# SignSync Web App - Project Specifications
+
+## 1. Product Summary
+
+SignSync is a browser-based practice and comparison tool for sign language interpreters.
+Users watch a YouTube source video, record their own interpretation via webcam, save that recording, and share a link so a second interpreter can record against the same source. The app then plays the source plus both interpretation videos in sync for side-by-side review.
+
+## 2. Core Objectives
+
+1. Let interpreters practice against any YouTube video.
+2. Capture webcam + microphone recordings directly in-browser.
+3. Persist recordings with lightweight user metadata.
+4. Generate a shareable link for collaboration.
+5. Compare two interpreters in synchronized playback.
+
+## 3. User Roles
+
+1. First interpreter:
+Creates an initial recording and share link.
+2. Second interpreter:
+Opens shared link and adds a second recording.
+3. Viewer/reviewer:
+Uses playback controls to compare source + interpretations.
+
+## 4. Primary User Flows
+
+### Flow A: Create first recording
+
+1. User opens app.
+2. User pastes YouTube URL (or raw video ID) and clicks `Load Video`.
+3. User enters name/email.
+4. User records interpretation from webcam.
+5. User stops recording and previews it.
+6. User clicks `Save Recording`.
+7. Backend stores metadata + video file and returns unique link ID.
+8. Frontend shows full share URL (`?share=<id>`) and copy button.
+9. Saved recording appears in "First Recording" panel.
+
+### Flow B: Add second recording from shared link
+
+1. User opens shared link with `?share=<unique_link>`.
+2. App loads existing record and cues stored YouTube video.
+3. If second recording does not exist:
+   - First recording video is shown blurred with overlay text: "Recording done, waiting for other person..."
+   - Playback controls (play/pause, timeline seek) are disabled.
+   - Form + recorder are shown for the second user.
+4. User records and submits second video.
+5. Backend updates same row with `name_2`, `email_2`, `recorded_video_path_2`.
+6. Frontend refreshes shared data and shows both videos immediately (no reload needed).
+7. First video blur is removed and playback controls are enabled.
+8. Once both videos exist, form + recorder are hidden.
+
+### Flow C: Synchronized comparison
+
+1. User presses global play/pause button.
+2. App controls YouTube + local videos together.
+3. Timeline slider seeks all videos simultaneously.
+4. First interpretation is always offset +2 seconds (headstart).
+5. User can swap left/right interpreter panels.
+
+## 5. Functional Requirements
+
+### 5.1 YouTube Loading
+
+1. Must support:
+- Full URLs (`youtube.com/watch?v=...`)
+- Short URLs (`youtu.be/...`)
+- Embed URLs
+- Raw 11-char video IDs
+2. Invalid input must show alert: `Please enter a valid YouTube URL`.
+3. Default loaded video ID: `wLM5bzt1xks`.
+4. Use YouTube IFrame API (`https://www.youtube.com/iframe_api`).
+5. Show title + duration once available.
+
+### 5.2 Webcam Recording
+
+1. Request `getUserMedia` with:
+- Video: 640x480
+- Audio: true
+2. Use `MediaRecorder` with preferred mime:
+- `video/webm;codecs=vp9` if supported
+- fallback `video/webm`
+3. Record in 1-second chunks.
+4. Show recording timer (`mm:ss`) and active indicator.
+5. After stop, create preview player using `URL.createObjectURL`.
+6. Provide `Discard` and `Re-record` actions.
+7. On camera failure, show:
+`Unable to access webcam. Please ensure camera permissions are granted.`
+
+### 5.3 Form Validation
+
+1. Name required (non-empty).
+2. Email required and regex-validated in UI.
+3. Submission blocked if no recorded blob.
+4. Show inline validation errors in form.
+
+### 5.4 Recording Submission Logic
+
+1. New recording (no share context):
+- `POST /api/recordings`
+- Include `name`, `email`, `video`, `youtubeVideoUrl`
+2. Second recording (share context, second not yet present):
+- `POST /api/share/:uniqueLink/second-video`
+- Include `name`, `email`, `video`
+3. On success for first recording:
+- Show success message
+- Generate and display share URL
+- Load saved recording into first video panel immediately (no reload needed)
+4. On success for second recording:
+- Show success message
+- Refresh shared recording data and show second video immediately (no reload needed)
+5. On server/network failure:
+- Show friendly error message.
+
+### 5.5 Shared Recording Behavior
+
+1. If URL has `share` query param, app must load recording via `GET /api/share/:uniqueLink`.
+2. If record includes YouTube URL, cue corresponding source video.
+3. If first/second local video exists, load into respective HTML5 video elements.
+4. If second recording exists, disable additional recording UI.
+5. If second recording does not yet exist (`isSecondUserPending`):
+   - First video is blurred (`filter: blur(15px)`) with pointer events disabled.
+   - Overlay text "Recording done, waiting for other person..." is shown centered on the blurred video.
+   - Play/pause button and timeline slider are disabled.
+
+### 5.6 Playback + Sync
+
+1. Global play button label toggles:
+- `▶ Play`
+- `⏸ Pause`
+2. Pressing play should reset all media to start state:
+- YouTube at `0`
+- First local video at `2` seconds
+- Second local video at `0`
+3. Timeline reflects YouTube current time (poll every 250ms while playing).
+4. Seek operation:
+- YouTube seek to `t`
+- First local video seek to `min(t + 2, duration1)`
+- Second local video seek to `min(t, duration2)`
+5. If user presses play/pause on local videos, YouTube should sync play/pause.
+
+### 5.7 Video Panels and Swap
+
+1. Show two local video panels in one row on desktop.
+2. Left panel is "First Recording" and marked with `This video has 2 seconds headstart`.
+3. Right panel is "Second Recording".
+4. If content missing, show placeholders:
+- `No recording yet`
+- `Waiting for second recording...`
+- `Record your interpretation above` (in shared state with missing second video)
+5. Swap button (`⇄`) exchanges displayed first/second recording content.
+6. Swap disabled until second recording exists.
+
+## 6. UI/UX Requirements
+
+### 6.1 Page Layout (top to bottom)
+
+1. YouTube URL input + Load button
+2. YouTube title + duration
+3. Embedded YouTube player
+4. User form + webcam recorder (when allowed)
+5. Timeline slider with current/duration text
+6. Two local recording panels + swap button
+7. Global play/pause control
+
+### 6.2 Responsive Behavior
+
+1. Mobile breakpoint around `600px`.
+2. URL input stack vertically on mobile.
+3. Local video panels stack vertically on mobile.
+4. Swap button rotates 90 degrees on mobile.
+
+### 6.3 Visual Style Baseline
+
+1. Dark UI theme.
+2. Blue primary actions (`#2563eb`).
+3. Red recording actions (`#e63946`).
+4. Rounded cards, slider, and buttons.
+
+## 7. Technical Architecture
+
+### 7.1 Frontend
+
+1. Stack: React + Vite.
+2. Main components:
+- `YouTubePlayer` (orchestrator + sync + state)
+- `WebcamRecorder` (capture and preview)
+- `UserForm` (metadata input + validation)
+3. Frontend API base URL: `http://localhost:3001`.
+4. Share state is URL-driven (`window.location.search`).
+
+### 7.2 Backend
+
+1. Stack: Node.js + Express + SQLite.
+2. Middleware:
+- `cors()`
+- `express.json()`
+- `multer` for multipart uploads
+3. Upload constraints:
+- max file size: 100MB
+- accept only `video/*` mimetypes
+4. File naming pattern:
+- `recording_<timestamp>.webm`
+5. Storage path:
+- `public/media/` (local filesystem)
+
+### 7.3 Data Persistence Model
+
+Single table: `recordings`
+
+- `id` INTEGER PK AUTOINCREMENT
+- `unique_link` TEXT UNIQUE NOT NULL
+- `name` TEXT NOT NULL
+- `email` TEXT NOT NULL
+- `recorded_video_path` TEXT NOT NULL
+- `youtube_video_url` TEXT NOT NULL
+- `name_2` TEXT NULL
+- `email_2` TEXT NULL
+- `recorded_video_path_2` TEXT NULL
+- `created_at` DATETIME DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
+
+Unique link generation: 8 random bytes hex string.
+
+## 8. Backend API Contract
+
+### `POST /api/recordings`
+
+Creates first recording.
+
+Multipart fields:
+- `name` (required)
+- `email` (required)
+- `youtubeVideoUrl` (optional, stored as empty string if missing)
+- `video` file (required)
+
+Success `200`:
+- `success`
+- `id`
+- `uniqueLink`
+- `recordedVideoPath`
+- `message`
+
+Validation failure `400`:
+- `error: Name, email, and video file are required`
+
+### `GET /api/recordings`
+
+Returns all recordings ordered by newest first.
+
+### `GET /api/recordings/:id`
+
+Returns one recording by numeric ID.
+
+`404` if not found.
+
+### `GET /api/share/:uniqueLink`
+
+Returns one recording by share token.
+
+`404` if not found.
+
+### `POST /api/share/:uniqueLink/second-video`
+
+Adds second interpreter video to existing row.
+
+Multipart fields:
+- `name` (required)
+- `email` (required)
+- `video` file (required)
+
+Errors:
+- `404` recording not found
+- `400` second video already recorded
+- `400` missing required fields
+
+Success `200`:
+- `success`
+- `recordedVideoPath2`
+- `message`
+
+## 9. Error Handling and Edge Cases
+
+1. Invalid YouTube URL input blocks load.
+2. Camera permission denied shows inline error.
+3. Missing recording on submit blocked client-side.
+4. Backend returns generic `500` on server exceptions.
+5. Shared link with invalid token should show not-found behavior (current app logs and remains mostly empty).
+6. If local video shorter than seek target, clamp to video duration.
+7. Newly uploaded video files may not be immediately available from Vite's dev server. A `loadWithRetry` mechanism retries `.load()` up to 5 times at 500ms intervals using native `addEventListener('error')` on the video element.
+8. WebM files from `MediaRecorder` lack seek indices. Setting `currentTime` before metadata loads crashes the demuxer. Only set `currentTime` in `onLoadedMetadata` handlers.
+9. React's synthetic `onError` prop on `<video>` elements is unreliable for media errors. Use native event listeners instead.
+
+## 10. Browser/Platform Requirements
+
+1. Modern Chromium/Safari/Firefox with support for:
+- `navigator.mediaDevices.getUserMedia`
+- `MediaRecorder`
+- `URL.createObjectURL`
+- Clipboard API (`navigator.clipboard.writeText`)
+2. Desktop-first, mobile supported via responsive CSS.
+
+## 11. Security and Privacy Baseline
+
+1. No authentication.
+2. No authorization; share link is access mechanism.
+3. No encryption-at-rest beyond host defaults.
+4. User email stored in plaintext SQLite.
+5. CORS enabled broadly (default permissive).
+6. Uploaded files are stored locally and directly web-accessible via `/media/...`.
+
+## 12. Local Development and Run Commands
+
+1. Install dependencies: `npm install`
+2. Run frontend + backend: `npm run dev:all`
+3. Frontend only: `npm run dev` (Vite default port `5173`)
+4. Backend only: `npm run server` (port `3001`)
+
+## 13. Implementation Notes for Another AI Builder
+
+1. Keep functionality equivalent to this baseline rather than redesigning feature behavior.
+2. Preserve the 2-second headstart offset for first recording in all sync/seek/play reset paths.
+3. Keep shared-link mode logic URL-driven.
+4. Ensure form+recorder are hidden once both recordings exist.
+5. Use multipart uploads and SQLite schema exactly unless explicitly changing architecture.
+6. If deploying production, ensure `/media` static files are served from the same origin expected by frontend paths.
+7. Video loading after upload uses a belt-and-suspenders approach: callback refs trigger `loadWithRetry` when video elements mount, and backup `useEffect` hooks watching `sharedRecording.recorded_video_path` / `recorded_video_path_2` catch edge cases where the callback ref alone is insufficient.
+8. Always clean up previous native error listeners before adding new ones on the same video element to prevent duplicate retry loops.
+9. Never set `currentTime` on a video element before its metadata has loaded — use `onLoadedMetadata` handlers instead.
+
+## 14. Acceptance Criteria
+
+1. User can load a YouTube video and see title/duration.
+2. User can record webcam video with audio and preview it.
+3. User can submit first recording and receive usable share link.
+4. Shared link opens same source video and first recording.
+5. Second user can add second recording exactly once.
+6. App can play/pause/seek source + local videos in sync.
+7. First recording consistently plays with +2s offset.
+8. User can swap left/right recording panels.
+9. UI works on desktop and mobile widths.
+10. After saving first recording, video appears immediately in the first video panel without page reload.
+11. After saving second recording, video appears immediately in the second video panel without page reload.
+12. Second user sees first video blurred with overlay text before recording, with playback controls disabled.
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diff --git a/src/components/WebcamRecorder.jsx b/src/components/WebcamRecorder.jsx
index 5bd4441..0042bd4 100644
--- a/src/components/WebcamRecorder.jsx
+++ b/src/components/WebcamRecorder.jsx
@@ -143,7 +143,6 @@ export default function WebcamRecorder({ onRecordingComplete, onRecordingStart,
 
   return (
     <div className="webcam-recorder">
-      <h2 className="webcam-title">Record Your Interpretation</h2>
 
       {error && <p className="webcam-error">{error}</p>}
 
diff --git a/src/components/YouTubePlayer.css b/src/components/YouTubePlayer.css
index f9ad5e8..d8c6988 100644
--- a/src/components/YouTubePlayer.css
+++ b/src/components/YouTubePlayer.css
@@ -167,6 +167,7 @@
 }
 
 .video-wrapper {
+  position: relative;
   width: 100%;
   max-width: 800px;
   aspect-ratio: 16 / 9;
@@ -191,6 +192,25 @@
   object-fit: contain;
 }
 
+.video-wrapper.blurred-unplayable video {
+  filter: blur(15px);
+  pointer-events: none;
+}
+
+.blur-overlay-text {
+  position: absolute;
+  top: 50%;
+  left: 50%;
+  transform: translate(-50%, -50%);
+  z-index: 10;
+  color: #fff;
+  font-size: 1.25rem;
+  font-weight: 600;
+  text-align: center;
+  pointer-events: none;
+  text-shadow: 0 2px 8px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.7);
+}
+
 .no-video-placeholder {
   width: 100%;
   height: 100%;
diff --git a/src/components/YouTubePlayer.jsx b/src/components/YouTubePlayer.jsx
index d4e4473..70a4f57 100644
--- a/src/components/YouTubePlayer.jsx
+++ b/src/components/YouTubePlayer.jsx
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { useEffect, useRef, useState, useCallback } from 'react';
+import { useEffect, useRef, useState, useCallback, useMemo } from 'react';
 import './YouTubePlayer.css';
 import UserForm from './UserForm';
 import WebcamRecorder from './WebcamRecorder';
@@ -58,6 +58,12 @@ export default function YouTubePlayer() {
   // Video swap state
   const [videosSwapped, setVideosSwapped] = useState(false);
 
+  // Detect if this is a second user viewing a shared link with no second video yet
+  const isSecondUserPending = useMemo(() => {
+    const urlParams = new URLSearchParams(window.location.search);
+    return !!urlParams.get('share') && !!sharedRecording?.recorded_video_path && !sharedRecording?.recorded_video_path_2;
+  }, [sharedRecording]);
+
   // Check for shared recording in URL
   useEffect(() => {
     const urlParams = new URLSearchParams(window.location.search);
@@ -95,15 +101,52 @@ export default function YouTubePlayer() {
     }
   }, [isReady, sharedRecording]);
 
-  // Load local videos when sharedRecording changes
+  // Load video with retry — newly uploaded files may not be served immediately.
+  // Uses native error events (not React synthetic) to guarantee they fire for media errors.
+  const loadWithRetry = useCallback((videoEl) => {
+    if (!videoEl) return;
+    // Clean up any previous retry listener on this element
+    if (videoEl._cleanupRetry) videoEl._cleanupRetry();
+    videoEl._retryCount = 0;
+    const onError = () => {
+      if (videoEl._retryCount < 5) {
+        videoEl._retryCount++;
+        setTimeout(() => videoEl.load(), 500);
+      } else {
+        videoEl.removeEventListener('error', onError);
+      }
+    };
+    videoEl.addEventListener('error', onError);
+    videoEl._cleanupRetry = () => videoEl.removeEventListener('error', onError);
+    videoEl.load();
+  }, []);
+
+  // Callback refs: trigger loadWithRetry the moment each video element mounts.
+  const video1RefCallback = useCallback((el) => {
+    if (localVideo1Ref.current?._cleanupRetry) localVideo1Ref.current._cleanupRetry();
+    localVideo1Ref.current = el;
+    if (el) loadWithRetry(el);
+  }, [loadWithRetry]);
+
+  const video2RefCallback = useCallback((el) => {
+    if (localVideo2Ref.current?._cleanupRetry) localVideo2Ref.current._cleanupRetry();
+    localVideo2Ref.current = el;
+    if (el) loadWithRetry(el);
+  }, [loadWithRetry]);
+
+  // Backup: also trigger loadWithRetry when sharedRecording video paths change.
+  // Handles edge cases where callback refs may not fire (e.g. same element, new src).
   useEffect(() => {
     if (sharedRecording?.recorded_video_path && localVideo1Ref.current) {
-      localVideo1Ref.current.load();
+      loadWithRetry(localVideo1Ref.current);
     }
+  }, [sharedRecording?.recorded_video_path, loadWithRetry]);
+
+  useEffect(() => {
     if (sharedRecording?.recorded_video_path_2 && localVideo2Ref.current) {
-      localVideo2Ref.current.load();
+      loadWithRetry(localVideo2Ref.current);
     }
-  }, [sharedRecording?.recorded_video_path, sharedRecording?.recorded_video_path_2]);
+  }, [sharedRecording?.recorded_video_path_2, loadWithRetry]);
 
   const formatTime = (seconds) => {
     const mins = Math.floor(seconds / 60);
@@ -205,6 +248,7 @@ export default function YouTubePlayer() {
     }
   };
 
+
   const playAllLocalVideos = () => {
     if (localVideo1Ref.current) {
       localVideo1Ref.current.play();
@@ -549,7 +593,7 @@ export default function YouTubePlayer() {
           step="0.1"
           value={currentTime}
           onChange={handleSeek}
-          disabled={!isReady}
+          disabled={!isReady || isSecondUserPending}
         />
         <span className="time-display">{formatTime(duration)}</span>
       </div>
@@ -565,12 +609,15 @@ export default function YouTubePlayer() {
             </p>
             <p className="video-note">This video has 2 seconds headstart</p>
           </div>
-          <div className="video-wrapper">
+          <div className={`video-wrapper${isSecondUserPending ? ' blurred-unplayable' : ''}`}>
+            {isSecondUserPending && (
+              <div className="blur-overlay-text">Recording done, waiting for other person...</div>
+            )}
             {sharedRecording ? (
               videosSwapped ? (
                 sharedRecording.recorded_video_path_2 ? (
                   <video
-                    ref={localVideo1Ref}
+                    ref={video1RefCallback}
                     className="local-video"
                     onPlay={handleLocalVideoPlay}
                     onPause={handleLocalVideoPause}
@@ -587,11 +634,11 @@ export default function YouTubePlayer() {
                 )
               ) : (
                 <video
-                  ref={localVideo1Ref}
+                  ref={isSecondUserPending ? undefined : video1RefCallback}
                   className="local-video"
-                  onPlay={handleLocalVideoPlay}
-                  onPause={handleLocalVideoPause}
-                  onLoadedMetadata={handleVideo1LoadedMetadata}
+                  onPlay={isSecondUserPending ? undefined : handleLocalVideoPlay}
+                  onPause={isSecondUserPending ? undefined : handleLocalVideoPause}
+                  onLoadedMetadata={isSecondUserPending ? undefined : handleVideo1LoadedMetadata}
                   key={`shared-${sharedRecording.id}-${sharedRecording.recorded_video_path}`}
                   src={sharedRecording.recorded_video_path}
                 >
@@ -629,7 +676,7 @@ export default function YouTubePlayer() {
             {sharedRecording?.recorded_video_path_2 ? (
               videosSwapped ? (
                 <video
-                  ref={localVideo2Ref}
+                  ref={video2RefCallback}
                   className="local-video"
                   onPlay={handleLocalVideoPlay}
                   onPause={handleLocalVideoPause}
@@ -640,7 +687,7 @@ export default function YouTubePlayer() {
                 </video>
               ) : (
                 <video
-                  ref={localVideo2Ref}
+                  ref={video2RefCallback}
                   className="local-video"
                   onPlay={handleLocalVideoPlay}
                   onPause={handleLocalVideoPause}
@@ -663,7 +710,7 @@ export default function YouTubePlayer() {
         <button
           className="control-btn toggle-btn"
           onClick={handleToggle}
-          disabled={!isReady}
+          disabled={!isReady || isSecondUserPending}
         >
           {isPlaying ? '⏸ Pause' : '▶ Play'}
         </button>