Release 0.6.3 — in-app screen-sharing controls + hwdec fixes

Bump to 0.6.3 and document the screen-share work merged on this branch:
the advanced Settings section + per-call quality picker (96e41de), the
hardware-decode-defaults-off frame-1 freeze fix (96e41de), the per-call
quality override fix (e378b2e), and the VLC-honors-viewer-settings fix
(faad8ce). All local-only — no wire-protocol change, old configs load
unchanged.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -2,7 +2,19 @@
 
 All notable changes to PeerSpeak are documented here.
 
-## [Unreleased]
+## [0.6.3] — 2026-07-06
+
+### Added
+- **In-app screen-sharing controls.** A new **Screen sharing** section in Settings, plus a per-call **quality picker** on the Share control, put the whole share pipeline under your control without editing config files. Encode side: quality preset, bitrate, framerate, maximum resolution, maximum viewers, a force-software-encode switch, and an escape hatch for extra pixelpass arguments. Playback side: choose **mpv or VLC**, toggle **hardware decoding**, pick a buffering posture (low-latency vs. smooth), set the demuxer cache, and pass extra mpv arguments. Everything is stored locally in your config and defaults are unchanged, so existing setups keep working as-is.
+
+### Fixed
+- **Shared video no longer freezes on the first frame while audio keeps playing.** Hardware decoding now defaults **off**; forcing `--hwdec=auto` stalled some viewers' hardware decoder on frame 1. You can re-enable hardware decoding from the new Screen sharing settings if your machine handles it well.
+- **The per-call quality picker is now honored.** The inline quality dropdown next to the Share button was being reset to the saved default before a share started, so every share silently used the default quality regardless of what you picked.
+- **VLC now respects your playback settings.** VLC hardware-decodes by default, so a VLC viewer previously ignored the hardware-decode toggle (and could hit the same frame-1 freeze) and the buffering posture. VLC viewers now map both settings onto VLC's own options.
+
+[0.6.3]: https://gitbutter.xyz/mollusk/peerspeak/releases/tag/v0.6.3
+
+## [0.6.2] — 2026-07-03
 
 ### Fixed
 - **Friends list now reflects status changes without a restart.** A presence probe that fails now actively marks the friend **offline**, so a friend who goes offline, leaves a room, or turns invisible no longer lingers showing a stale "online" / "in a room" status until PeerSpeak is relaunched. Previously only successful probes updated the list, so it could ratchet a friend's status up but never down. The auto-refresh interval was also shortened from 60s to **15s** so the list tracks changes more closely.
@@ -13,6 +25,8 @@ All notable changes to PeerSpeak are documented here.
 ### Licensing
 - **PeerSpeak is now released under the MIT License** (previously an unlicensed private build). Added a `LICENSE` file and a `THIRD_PARTY_LICENSES` file enumerating the full dependency manifest plus the canonical text of every referenced license, with notices for the statically bundled Opus codec and the embedded fonts (Iced-Icons, Cantarell/OFL-1.1). Both files ship in the Arch and Debian packages.
 
+[0.6.2]: https://gitbutter.xyz/mollusk/peerspeak/releases/tag/v0.6.2
+
 ## [0.6.0] — 2026-06-28
 
 ### Added

Cargo.lock

@@ -4871,7 +4871,7 @@ checksum = "35fb2e5f958ec131621fdd531e9fc186ed768cbe395337403ae56c17a74c68ec"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "peerspeak"
-version = "0.6.1"
+version = "0.6.3"
 dependencies = [
  "anyhow",
  "async-trait",

Cargo.toml

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "peerspeak"
-version = "0.6.1"
+version = "0.6.3"
 edition = "2024"
 description = "Decentralized peer-to-peer voice chat (Rust/iroh/PipeWire/Opus/iced)"
 license = "MIT"

docs/WINDOWS.md

@@ -1,19 +1,28 @@
 # PeerSpeak on Windows
 
-Current status: the Windows port cross-compiles to `x86_64-pc-windows-gnu` and the `.exe`
+Current status: PeerSpeak cross-compiles to `x86_64-pc-windows-gnu` from Linux and
-launches under Wine. A real Windows/WASAPI host is still needed for the final audio-device
+has passed an older native Windows 11 VM smoke test for launch, GUI render, call
-checks listed below.
+join, and audio flow. The build environment is **not** the Windows VM; current
+Windows binaries are built from Linux, normally inside the `peerspeak-win`
+distrobox or with the same GNU target environment.
+
+The Windows runtime still trails Linux in a few important areas. See the Claude
+handoff file `windows-parity-audit.md` for the full audit and task breakdown.
 
 ## What works today
 
 | Area | Status |
 |---|---|
-| GUI | Iced/wgpu builds and renders under Wine. |
+| GUI | Iced/wgpu builds for Windows and rendered in the Windows 11 VM. |
-| Networking | Iroh QUIC transport and gossip compile on Windows. |
+| Networking | Iroh QUIC transport and gossip compile on Windows; VM call reached two peers. |
 | Audio backend | `cpal` drives WASAPI capture/playback behind `AudioBackend`. |
+| Device selection | cpal enumerates input/output devices; see caveat below about stable IDs. |
+| Resampling/remap | WASAPI devices can run non-48 kHz formats; PeerSpeak converts at the backend boundary. |
 | Codec | Opus remains 48 kHz mono, 20 ms frames. |
-| Identity | `ring` identity generation/load is platform-neutral. |
+| Identity/config | Stored through `dirs` under the Windows profile. |
 | Chimes | Windows uses PowerShell `System.Media.SoundPlayer` for WAV playback. |
+| Game detection | Steam registry `RunningAppID` plus Toolhelp process-scan fallback compile on Windows. |
+| File dialogs | `rfd` uses the native Win32 dialog backend. |
 
 Windows paths are resolved through `dirs`:
 
@@ -23,55 +32,72 @@ Windows paths are resolved through `dirs`:
 
 ## Building
 
-### Native Windows
+### Cross-compile from Linux
 
-Install MSVC Build Tools and CMake, then build normally:
+Preferred local path:
 
-```powershell
+```sh
-cargo build --release
+distrobox enter peerspeak-win -- bash -lc '
+  cd ~/git/butter/peerspeak &&
+  RUSTC_BOOTSTRAP=1 ./win-cross-build.sh -Z build-std=std,panic_abort
+'
 ```
 
-If CMake is 4.x or newer, the vendored `opus`/`libopus` build may need:
+Equivalent direct command when the host has the GNU target, MinGW, `rust-src`, and
+CMake available:
+
+```sh
+CMAKE_POLICY_VERSION_MINIMUM=3.5 RUSTC_BOOTSTRAP=1 \
+  cargo build --release --target x86_64-pc-windows-gnu --bin peerspeak \
+  -Z build-std=std,panic_abort
+```
+
+`CMAKE_POLICY_VERSION_MINIMUM=3.5` is required with host CMake 4.x because the
+vendored Opus build used by `audiopus_sys` still declares an old minimum CMake
+version. Without that env var, the Windows build/check fails during Opus configure.
+
+### Native Windows
+
+A native MSVC build is not the active development path. If used, install MSVC Build
+Tools and CMake, then build normally:
 
 ```powershell
 $env:CMAKE_POLICY_VERSION_MINIMUM = "3.5"
 cargo build --release
 ```
 
-### Cross-compile from Linux
-
-The current dev path cross-compiles from an Arch environment to the GNU Windows target:
-
-```sh
-rustup target add x86_64-pc-windows-gnu
-sudo pacman -S mingw-w64-gcc cmake
-CMAKE_POLICY_VERSION_MINIMUM=3.5 cargo build --release --target x86_64-pc-windows-gnu --bin peerspeak
-```
-
-Wine is useful for launch/render smoke tests, but it is not a substitute for a real
-Windows audio-device pass. The deeper migration plan (phases, decisions, the opus build
-spike) lives in the maintainer's handoff docs, outside the repo.
-
 ## First run and networking
 
-Expect a Windows Firewall prompt the first time the app opens network sockets. Allow it:
+Expect a Windows Firewall prompt the first time the app opens network sockets, or
-PeerSpeak uses UDP for QUIC, plus relay traffic when direct NAT traversal is not available.
+use the Inno installer option that pre-adds a firewall allow rule. PeerSpeak uses
+UDP for QUIC plus relay traffic when direct NAT traversal is unavailable.
 
-The default network mode keeps the n0 relay available for NAT traversal without publishing
+The default network mode keeps the n0 relay available for NAT traversal without
-presence to n0 DNS. Direct peer-to-peer paths may work when both networks allow them; relayed
+publishing presence to n0 DNS. Relayed connections are expected and valid.
-connections are expected and valid.
 
 ## Known gaps
 
 | Item | Status |
 |---|---|
-| Echo cancellation | Linux-only PipeWire feature. The Windows UI shows it disabled as unavailable. |
+| Echo cancellation | Linux-only today. The Windows UI shows it disabled as unavailable. |
-| Screen share | Requires a Windows `pixelpass.exe` on `PATH` or a configured override. |
+| Screen share | Blocked by PixelPass, which is currently Linux-only in practice. PeerSpeak can spawn `pixelpass.exe`, but there is no Windows PixelPass host/viewer parity yet. |
-| Chimes | Now routed through Windows `SoundPlayer`; needs a real Windows host to audibly verify. |
+| Device persistence | Uses cpal friendly names as keys. These can duplicate or change across Windows driver/profile changes; stable WASAPI endpoint IDs are still needed. |
-| Resampling/device format | Cross-compiled. cpal/WASAPI now chooses native 48 kHz when available and otherwise resamples/remaps at the device boundary; needs real Windows hardware audio verification. |
+| Release hygiene | Keep `.iss` and installer output in sync with `Cargo.toml`; rebuild Windows artifacts during each release. |
-| Device persistence | Open. WASAPI friendly names may duplicate or change across driver/profile changes. |
+| Runtime coverage | The Windows VM smoke test proved an older tester build. Current `main` needs a fresh VM smoke matrix before calling parity current. |
-| Playback pacing | Cross-compiled. The fixed playback target under WASAPI shared mode still needs real-hardware verification with `audio_probe`. |
 
-Before calling Windows support done, verify a real Windows machine can create/join a room,
+## Current smoke checklist
-capture mic audio, hear remote audio, select devices, restart with selections preserved, and
+
-play notification chimes.
+Before calling a Windows build current, verify on the Windows VM or real Windows
+hardware:
+
+- Launch current `peerspeak.exe`; GUI renders and settings open.
+- Run `audio_probe.exe 440 30`; listen for glitches and inspect `playout-health`.
+- Create/join a Linux <-> Windows room; confirm mic and playback both directions.
+- Select input/output devices, restart, and confirm selections persist or fall back clearly.
+- Play chimes and custom chime paths.
+- Send chat, image/file attachments, and save an attachment through the native dialog.
+- Import/play/share/listen to music from Windows file paths.
+- Record mixed/stems/both and inspect the WAV output path.
+- Exercise friends/presence/recents and the clock-skew banner.
+- Test Steam and non-Steam game detection on a real Windows Steam install.
+- Install/upgrade/uninstall through the Inno installer, including firewall rule cleanup.

packaging/PKGBUILD

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # Maintainer: mollusk <jitty+lc1iz0dc@protonmail.com>
 pkgname=peerspeak-git
 _pkgname=peerspeak
-pkgver=0.6.1.r310.g660261a
+pkgver=0.6.2.r319.g8014edf
 pkgrel=1
 pkgdesc="Decentralized peer-to-peer voice chat (Rust/iroh/PipeWire/Opus/iced)"
 arch=('x86_64')

packaging/appimage/.gitignore

@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+.tools/
+AppDir/
+*.AppImage
+squashfs-root/

packaging/appimage/AppRun

@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+# AppRun for the PeerSpeak AppImage.
+#
+# PeerSpeak bundles the pixelpass screen-share helper in usr/bin. We prepend our
+# own usr/bin to PATH so peerspeak's $PATH lookup for `pixelpass` finds the
+# bundled copy, while the host's tools (gst-launch-1.0, pactl, mpv — which
+# pixelpass in turn shells out to) remain reachable via the appended host PATH.
+# That no-sandbox spawning is exactly why this app suits AppImage over Flatpak.
+HERE="$(dirname "$(readlink -f "$0")")"
+export PATH="$HERE/usr/bin:$PATH"
+exec "$HERE/usr/bin/peerspeak" "$@"

packaging/appimage/README.md

@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+# PeerSpeak AppImage
+
+A "thin" AppImage: the `peerspeak` binary, the bundled `pixelpass` screen-share
+helper, a launcher (`AppRun`), and the desktop entry + icon. Run
+`./build-appimage.sh` to produce `peerspeak-<version>-x86_64.AppImage`.
+
+## Why thin, and why pixelpass is bundled
+
+PeerSpeak owns voice; **pixelpass** owns pixels. They are never Cargo
+dependencies of each other — peerspeak shells out to the `pixelpass` binary over
+its CLI. The AppImage co-locates `pixelpass` in `usr/bin`, and `AppRun` prepends
+`usr/bin` to `PATH`, so peerspeak's normal `$PATH` lookup finds it with no code
+change. Joe gets one file, and screen-share works out of the box.
+
+Almost nothing is bundled: peerspeak's own assets (notification WAVs, avatar
+presets, window icon, fonts) are `include_bytes!`-embedded, and the graphics
+stack (`libGL`, `libvulkan`, `libwayland-*`, `libxkbcommon`, X11) is dlopen'd at
+runtime and on the AppImage excludelist because it must match the host driver.
+So the image carries just the two binaries plus a handful of small libs.
+
+## Host requirements
+
+The AppImage runs on any reasonably current glibc-based distro that has:
+
+- **A Vulkan-capable GPU + driver** (peerspeak's iced/wgpu renderer). Mesa/RADV
+  on AMD/Intel or the NVIDIA driver all work.
+- **PipeWire** (with the PulseAudio shim, for `pactl`).
+- For **screen-share only** — pixelpass shells out to these on the host `PATH`;
+  it prints the exact package names for your distro if any are missing:
+  - **GStreamer + plugins** (`gst-launch-1.0`/`gst-inspect-1.0`, base,
+    good/bad/ugly, libav, and the PipeWire plugin),
+  - **mpv** (or vlc) for the viewer side,
+  - on X11, `xwininfo` for single-window capture.
+
+On Arch/Artix that is one pacman line, e.g.:
+
+```sh
+sudo pacman -S gstreamer gst-plugins-base gst-plugins-good gst-plugins-bad \
+  gst-plugins-ugly gst-libav gst-plugin-pipewire mpv xorg-xwininfo libpulse
+```
+
+(Add `gstreamer-vaapi` for hardware H.264 encode on AMD/Intel; the software
+x264 path always works. On XLibre / X11 the capture path uses `ximagesrc` and
+needs no XDG portal — no systemd required.)
+
+## Building for broad compatibility (glibc baseline)
+
+An AppImage requires a host glibc **at least as new** as the build host's. Built
+on a rolling distro (glibc 2.43) it only runs on equally-new systems. Build
+inside **Ubuntu 24.04** (glibc 2.39, PipeWire 1.0.5) for wide reach — pixelpass's
+`pipewire` crate binds the system PipeWire headers and needs PipeWire >= 1.0, so
+the older Debian 12 `peerspeak-bookworm` box (PW 0.3.65) cannot build it. 2.39
+covers Debian 13+, Fedora 40+, and current rolling distros.
+
+```sh
+# One-time: an Ubuntu 24.04 distrobox that reuses the host rustup toolchain.
+distrobox create --yes --image ubuntu:24.04 --name peerspeak-appimage
+distrobox enter peerspeak-appimage -- sudo apt-get update
+distrobox enter peerspeak-appimage -- sudo apt-get install -y \
+  build-essential cmake clang libclang-dev pkg-config \
+  libpipewire-0.3-dev libspa-0.2-dev libasound2-dev libxcb1-dev \
+  curl ca-certificates file patchelf git
+
+# Build (the host's ~/.rustup toolchain is glibc-2.17-baseline, so it runs in the
+# box; isolated CARGO_TARGET_DIRs keep it off the host target/):
+distrobox enter peerspeak-appimage -- env \
+  PATH="$HOME/.rustup/toolchains/stable-x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu/bin:$PATH" \
+  ./packaging/appimage/build-appimage.sh
+```
+
+## Caveats
+
+- **Hardware encode (VAAPI)** uses the host GPU driver and can't be bundled; the
+  software x264 path always works.
+- The bundled `pixelpass` is built headless (no `gui` feature) — it is only ever
+  driven by peerspeak, never launched standalone from this image.

packaging/appimage/build-appimage.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Build a "thin" PeerSpeak AppImage that also bundles the pixelpass screen-share
+# helper.
+#
+# PeerSpeak is an iced/wgpu GUI app; pixelpass is the separate screen-share
+# orchestrator peerspeak shells out to (never a Cargo dependency). Both link
+# almost nothing — the graphics stack (libGL, libvulkan, wayland, xkbcommon,
+# X11) is dlopen'd at runtime and is on the AppImage excludelist because it must
+# match the host driver, and pixelpass's capture/encode tools (gst-launch-1.0,
+# pactl, mpv) are expected on the host PATH. So the AppImage carries just the two
+# binaries plus their handful of non-excludelisted libs. The custom AppRun
+# prepends usr/bin to PATH so peerspeak's own $PATH lookup finds the bundled
+# pixelpass, while the host's tools stay reachable.
+#
+# All runtime assets (notification WAVs, avatar presets, window icon, fonts) are
+# include_bytes!-embedded in the peerspeak binary, so nothing else is bundled.
+#
+# Usage:   packaging/appimage/build-appimage.sh
+# Output:  packaging/appimage/peerspeak-<version>-x86_64.AppImage
+#
+# Build inside an Ubuntu 24.04 distrobox (glibc 2.39, PipeWire 1.0.5) for broad
+# reach — pixelpass's `pipewire` crate needs PipeWire >= 1.0 headers, so the
+# older peerspeak-bookworm box (PW 0.3.65) cannot build it. The 2.39 baseline
+# covers Debian 13+, Fedora 40+, and all current rolling distros. See README.md.
+set -euo pipefail
+
+here="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
+repo="$(cd "$here/../.." && pwd)"
+tools="$here/.tools"
+appdir="$here/AppDir"
+mkdir -p "$tools"
+
+# linuxdeploy is itself an AppImage; run it without FUSE so this works in a
+# container / on CI without libfuse2.
+export APPIMAGE_EXTRACT_AND_RUN=1
+VERSION="$(grep -m1 '^version' "$repo/Cargo.toml" | sed -E 's/.*"(.*)".*/\1/')"
+export VERSION
+
+# Isolated target dirs so an old-glibc box build never clobbers the host target/.
+cache="${PEERSPEAK_APPIMAGE_CACHE:-$HOME/.cache/peerspeak-appimage}"
+ps_target="$cache/peerspeak-target"
+pp_target="$cache/pixelpass-target"
+
+# The pixelpass screen-share helper we bundle. Sibling checkout by default.
+pixelpass_repo="${PIXELPASS_REPO:-$repo/../pixelpass}"
+if [ ! -d "$pixelpass_repo" ]; then
+  echo "!! pixelpass repo not found at $pixelpass_repo (set PIXELPASS_REPO)" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+echo ">> building peerspeak (release)"
+( cd "$repo" && CARGO_TARGET_DIR="$ps_target" cargo build --release )
+ps_bin="$ps_target/release/peerspeak"
+
+# Headless pixelpass: peerspeak drives it via `--host`/viewer + `--output json`,
+# never its GUI, so the default (no `gui` feature) keeps the GL toolkit out.
+echo ">> building pixelpass (release, headless) from $pixelpass_repo"
+( cd "$pixelpass_repo" && CARGO_TARGET_DIR="$pp_target" cargo build --release )
+pp_bin="$pp_target/release/pixelpass"
+
+echo ">> fetching linuxdeploy"
+ld="$tools/linuxdeploy-x86_64.AppImage"
+if [ ! -x "$ld" ]; then
+  curl -fL --retry 3 -o "$ld" \
+    "https://github.com/linuxdeploy/linuxdeploy/releases/download/continuous/linuxdeploy-x86_64.AppImage"
+  chmod +x "$ld"
+fi
+
+echo ">> assembling AppDir"
+rm -rf "$appdir"
+mkdir -p "$appdir/usr/bin"
+install -m755 "$ps_bin" "$appdir/usr/bin/peerspeak"
+install -m755 "$pp_bin" "$appdir/usr/bin/pixelpass"
+
+echo ">> running linuxdeploy (bundles libs, builds the AppImage)"
+# -e (repeated): analyse both binaries for libraries to bundle; excludelisted
+#   graphics/glibc libs are skipped. -d/-i: desktop entry + icon.
+# --custom-apprun: our launcher that puts the bundled pixelpass on PATH.
+( cd "$here" && OUTPUT="peerspeak-${VERSION}-x86_64.AppImage" "$ld" \
+    --appdir "$appdir" \
+    -e "$appdir/usr/bin/peerspeak" \
+    -e "$appdir/usr/bin/pixelpass" \
+    -d "$repo/packaging/peerspeak.desktop" \
+    -i "$repo/assets/icons/peerspeak-256.png" \
+    --icon-filename peerspeak \
+    --custom-apprun "$here/AppRun" \
+    --output appimage )
+
+echo ">> done: $here/peerspeak-${VERSION}-x86_64.AppImage"

packaging/windows/INSTALL.md

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ it once, then you and I connect directly to each other.
 
 ## 1. Install it
 
-1. Double-click **`peerspeak-0.4.0-setup.exe`** (the file I sent you).
+1. Double-click **`peerspeak-<version>-setup.exe`** (the file I sent you).
 
 2. **Windows will probably show a blue "Windows protected your PC" warning.**
    This is normal — it shows up for any app that isn't from a big company with a

packaging/windows/README.md

@@ -11,8 +11,9 @@ runtime, so there are no extra DLLs to bundle. The installer payload is just the
 
 ## Version compatibility
 
-The installer version tracks the crate version in `Cargo.toml` (currently
+The installer version tracks the release version in `Cargo.toml` — keep
-**0.4.0**) — keep `MyAppVersion` in `peerspeak.iss` in sync when it changes.
+`MyAppVersion` in `peerspeak.iss` in sync when cutting a release. Do not reuse an
+old installer filename after a crate-version bump.
 
 Per `VERSIONING.md`, a **MINOR** bump in `0.x` is a **breaking wire change**:
 peers on different MINOR versions can't connect (they fail fast at the

packaging/windows/peerspeak.iss

@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 ; (x86_64-pc-windows-gnu, statically linked -- no extra DLLs needed).
 
 #define MyAppName "PeerSpeak"
-#define MyAppVersion "0.6.0"
+#define MyAppVersion "0.6.3"
 #define MyAppPublisher "mollusk"
 #define MyAppExeName "peerspeak.exe"
 

src/app/mod.rs

@@ -4,7 +4,10 @@ use crate::audio::clip_player::{
 };
 use crate::audio::eq::{EQ_GAIN_DB_MAX, EQ_GAIN_DB_MIN, EqSettings};
 use crate::audio::{AudioDevice, enumerate_audio_devices};
-use crate::config::{AppConfig, AudioProfile, NetworkMode, RecordingMode, RoomLayout};
+use crate::config::{
+    AppConfig, AudioProfile, NetworkMode, RecordingMode, RoomLayout, ShareBuffering, SharePlayer,
+    ShareQuality,
+};
 use crate::core::{
     CoreController,
     messages::{CoreCommand, UiEvent},
@@ -60,18 +63,20 @@ pub enum SettingsCategory {
     Profile,
     Appearance,
     Network,
+    Advanced,
     Notifications,
     Games,
 }
 
 impl SettingsCategory {
-    const ALL: [SettingsCategory; 8] = [
+    const ALL: [SettingsCategory; 9] = [
         SettingsCategory::Audio,
         SettingsCategory::Hotkeys,
         SettingsCategory::Recording,
         SettingsCategory::Profile,
         SettingsCategory::Appearance,
         SettingsCategory::Network,
+        SettingsCategory::Advanced,
         SettingsCategory::Notifications,
         SettingsCategory::Games,
     ];
@@ -84,6 +89,7 @@ impl SettingsCategory {
             SettingsCategory::Profile => "Profile",
             SettingsCategory::Appearance => "Appearance",
             SettingsCategory::Network => "Network",
+            SettingsCategory::Advanced => "Advanced",
             SettingsCategory::Notifications => "Notifications",
             SettingsCategory::Games => "Games",
         }
@@ -97,6 +103,7 @@ impl SettingsCategory {
             SettingsCategory::Profile => "Avatar and identity",
             SettingsCategory::Appearance => "Layout and theme",
             SettingsCategory::Network => "Relay and privacy mode",
+            SettingsCategory::Advanced => "Screen sharing",
             SettingsCategory::Notifications => "Chimes and sounds",
             SettingsCategory::Games => "Detection, presence, backgrounds",
         }
@@ -109,6 +116,176 @@ impl std::fmt::Display for SettingsCategory {
     }
 }
 
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq)]
+pub enum ShareMaxHeightChoice {
+    Source,
+    P720,
+    P1080,
+    P1440,
+}
+
+impl ShareMaxHeightChoice {
+    const ALL: [ShareMaxHeightChoice; 4] = [
+        ShareMaxHeightChoice::Source,
+        ShareMaxHeightChoice::P720,
+        ShareMaxHeightChoice::P1080,
+        ShareMaxHeightChoice::P1440,
+    ];
+
+    fn from_config(value: Option<u32>) -> Self {
+        match value {
+            Some(720) => ShareMaxHeightChoice::P720,
+            Some(1080) => ShareMaxHeightChoice::P1080,
+            Some(1440) => ShareMaxHeightChoice::P1440,
+            _ => ShareMaxHeightChoice::Source,
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn to_config(self) -> Option<u32> {
+        match self {
+            ShareMaxHeightChoice::Source => None,
+            ShareMaxHeightChoice::P720 => Some(720),
+            ShareMaxHeightChoice::P1080 => Some(1080),
+            ShareMaxHeightChoice::P1440 => Some(1440),
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl std::fmt::Display for ShareMaxHeightChoice {
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut std::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> std::fmt::Result {
+        f.write_str(match self {
+            ShareMaxHeightChoice::Source => "Source",
+            ShareMaxHeightChoice::P720 => "720p",
+            ShareMaxHeightChoice::P1080 => "1080p",
+            ShareMaxHeightChoice::P1440 => "1440p",
+        })
+    }
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq)]
+pub enum ShareFramerateChoice {
+    Preset,
+    Fps15,
+    Fps24,
+    Fps30,
+    Fps60,
+}
+
+impl ShareFramerateChoice {
+    const ALL: [ShareFramerateChoice; 5] = [
+        ShareFramerateChoice::Preset,
+        ShareFramerateChoice::Fps15,
+        ShareFramerateChoice::Fps24,
+        ShareFramerateChoice::Fps30,
+        ShareFramerateChoice::Fps60,
+    ];
+
+    fn from_config(value: Option<u32>) -> Self {
+        match value {
+            Some(15) => ShareFramerateChoice::Fps15,
+            Some(24) => ShareFramerateChoice::Fps24,
+            Some(30) => ShareFramerateChoice::Fps30,
+            Some(60) => ShareFramerateChoice::Fps60,
+            _ => ShareFramerateChoice::Preset,
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn to_config(self) -> Option<u32> {
+        match self {
+            ShareFramerateChoice::Preset => None,
+            ShareFramerateChoice::Fps15 => Some(15),
+            ShareFramerateChoice::Fps24 => Some(24),
+            ShareFramerateChoice::Fps30 => Some(30),
+            ShareFramerateChoice::Fps60 => Some(60),
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl std::fmt::Display for ShareFramerateChoice {
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut std::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> std::fmt::Result {
+        f.write_str(match self {
+            ShareFramerateChoice::Preset => "Preset default",
+            ShareFramerateChoice::Fps15 => "15 fps",
+            ShareFramerateChoice::Fps24 => "24 fps",
+            ShareFramerateChoice::Fps30 => "30 fps",
+            ShareFramerateChoice::Fps60 => "60 fps",
+        })
+    }
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq)]
+pub enum ShareMaxViewersChoice {
+    Auto,
+    One,
+    Two,
+    Three,
+    Four,
+    Five,
+    Six,
+    Seven,
+    Eight,
+}
+
+impl ShareMaxViewersChoice {
+    const ALL: [ShareMaxViewersChoice; 9] = [
+        ShareMaxViewersChoice::Auto,
+        ShareMaxViewersChoice::One,
+        ShareMaxViewersChoice::Two,
+        ShareMaxViewersChoice::Three,
+        ShareMaxViewersChoice::Four,
+        ShareMaxViewersChoice::Five,
+        ShareMaxViewersChoice::Six,
+        ShareMaxViewersChoice::Seven,
+        ShareMaxViewersChoice::Eight,
+    ];
+
+    fn from_config(value: Option<u32>) -> Self {
+        match value {
+            Some(1) => ShareMaxViewersChoice::One,
+            Some(2) => ShareMaxViewersChoice::Two,
+            Some(3) => ShareMaxViewersChoice::Three,
+            Some(4) => ShareMaxViewersChoice::Four,
+            Some(5) => ShareMaxViewersChoice::Five,
+            Some(6) => ShareMaxViewersChoice::Six,
+            Some(7) => ShareMaxViewersChoice::Seven,
+            Some(8) => ShareMaxViewersChoice::Eight,
+            _ => ShareMaxViewersChoice::Auto,
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn to_config(self) -> Option<u32> {
+        match self {
+            ShareMaxViewersChoice::Auto => None,
+            ShareMaxViewersChoice::One => Some(1),
+            ShareMaxViewersChoice::Two => Some(2),
+            ShareMaxViewersChoice::Three => Some(3),
+            ShareMaxViewersChoice::Four => Some(4),
+            ShareMaxViewersChoice::Five => Some(5),
+            ShareMaxViewersChoice::Six => Some(6),
+            ShareMaxViewersChoice::Seven => Some(7),
+            ShareMaxViewersChoice::Eight => Some(8),
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl std::fmt::Display for ShareMaxViewersChoice {
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut std::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> std::fmt::Result {
+        f.write_str(match self {
+            ShareMaxViewersChoice::Auto => "Auto",
+            ShareMaxViewersChoice::One => "1",
+            ShareMaxViewersChoice::Two => "2",
+            ShareMaxViewersChoice::Three => "3",
+            ShareMaxViewersChoice::Four => "4",
+            ShareMaxViewersChoice::Five => "5",
+            ShareMaxViewersChoice::Six => "6",
+            ShareMaxViewersChoice::Seven => "7",
+            ShareMaxViewersChoice::Eight => "8",
+        })
+    }
+}
+
+const SHARE_CACHE_MB_OPTIONS: [u32; 8] = [1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128];
+
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq)]
 enum HomeLayoutMode {
     FocusedEmpty,
@@ -379,6 +556,18 @@ pub enum AppMessage {
     NetworkModeSelected(NetworkMode),
     AudioProfileSelected(AudioProfile),
     RecordingModeSelected(RecordingMode),
+    ScreenShareQualitySelected(ShareQuality),
+    ScreenSharePlayerSelected(SharePlayer),
+    ScreenShareBufferingSelected(ShareBuffering),
+    ScreenShareMaxHeightSelected(ShareMaxHeightChoice),
+    ScreenShareFramerateSelected(ShareFramerateChoice),
+    ScreenShareMaxViewersSelected(ShareMaxViewersChoice),
+    ScreenShareCacheMbSelected(u32),
+    ScreenShareBitrateChanged(String),
+    ToggleScreenShareForceSoftwareEncode(bool),
+    ToggleScreenShareHardwareDecode(bool),
+    ScreenShareExtraMpvArgsChanged(String),
+    ScreenShareExtraHostArgsChanged(String),
     /// Choose the friends presence posture (W7): invisible / normal / discoverable.
     PresenceModeSelected(PresenceMode),
     /// Friends list (W7 P5): add-form edits, add, remove, and local rename.
@@ -537,6 +726,8 @@ pub enum AppMessage {
     /// Select which app's audio to share in the picker: `Some(name)` for one app,
     /// `None` for the whole desktop ("All system audio").
     SelectShareAudioApp(Option<String>),
+    /// Session-only quality preset for the next share start.
+    SelectShareQualityOverride(ShareQuality),
     /// Confirm the picker: start the share with the currently selected audio app.
     ConfirmShareScreen,
     /// Watch a peer's screen share, identified by their pixelpass ticket.
@@ -761,6 +952,8 @@ pub struct AppState {
     /// The picker's current selection: `Some(name)` = capture that app's audio,
     /// `None` = "All system audio" (whole desktop; may echo the call).
     share_audio_selection: Option<String>,
+    /// Session-only quality override for the next screen-share start.
+    share_quality_selection: ShareQuality,
     /// A share start is in flight: `ConfirmShareScreen` was sent but the core
     /// hasn't yet replied with `ScreenShareStarted`/an error. Blocks reopening
     /// the picker (and re-confirming) during that startup window. Cleared on
@@ -871,6 +1064,7 @@ impl AppState {
         self.share_picker_open = false;
         self.share_audio_apps.clear();
         self.share_audio_selection = None;
+        self.share_quality_selection = self.config.screen_share.quality;
         self.share_starting = false;
         self.share_audio_dropped = false;
         self.share_audio_app_active = false;
@@ -975,6 +1169,7 @@ impl Default for AppState {
         let (clip_player, clip_status) = ClipPlayer::new(config.clip_volume);
         let (music_player, music_status) = ClipPlayer::new(config.music_volume);
         let music_broadcasting = config.music_broadcast;
+        let share_quality_selection = config.screen_share.quality;
         let music_playlist = config
             .music_playlist
             .iter()
@@ -1049,6 +1244,7 @@ impl Default for AppState {
             share_picker_open: false,
             share_audio_apps: Vec::new(),
             share_audio_selection: None,
+            share_quality_selection,
             share_starting: false,
             share_audio_dropped: false,
             share_audio_app_active: false,
@@ -1563,6 +1759,11 @@ fn update(state: &mut AppState, message: AppMessage) -> Task<AppMessage> {
                 // so the picker can't be reopened during the startup window.
                 state.share_picker_open = true;
                 state.share_audio_selection = None;
+                // NB: do NOT reset `share_quality_selection` here. It is the
+                // per-call override set by the inline quality dropdown next to
+                // the Share button, and the picker has no quality control of its
+                // own — resetting it would silently discard the user's pick
+                // before `ConfirmShareScreen` reads it.
                 state.share_audio_apps.clear();
                 let _ = state.controller.send(CoreCommand::ListAudioApps);
             }
@@ -1573,6 +1774,9 @@ fn update(state: &mut AppState, message: AppMessage) -> Task<AppMessage> {
         AppMessage::SelectShareAudioApp(app) => {
             state.share_audio_selection = app;
         }
+        AppMessage::SelectShareQualityOverride(quality) => {
+            state.share_quality_selection = quality;
+        }
         AppMessage::ConfirmShareScreen => {
             // Only a confirm from an open picker starts a share; a stray confirm
             // (or one arriving while a start is already in flight) is ignored, so
@@ -1581,14 +1785,21 @@ fn update(state: &mut AppState, message: AppMessage) -> Task<AppMessage> {
                 state.share_picker_open = false;
                 state.share_starting = true;
                 let audio_app = state.share_audio_selection.clone();
-                let _ = state
+                let settings = state.config.screen_share.clone();
-                    .controller
+                let quality = state.share_quality_selection;
-                    .send(CoreCommand::StartScreenShare { audio_app });
+                let _ = state.controller.send(CoreCommand::StartScreenShare {
+                    audio_app,
+                    settings,
+                    quality,
+                });
                 state.status_message = "Starting screen share…".to_string();
             }
         }
         AppMessage::WatchShare(ticket) => {
-            let _ = state.controller.send(CoreCommand::ViewShare(ticket));
+            let settings = state.config.screen_share.clone();
+            let _ = state
+                .controller
+                .send(CoreCommand::ViewShare { ticket, settings });
             state.status_message = "Opening screen share…".to_string();
         }
         AppMessage::ToggleMutePressed => {
@@ -2064,6 +2275,61 @@ fn update(state: &mut AppState, message: AppMessage) -> Task<AppMessage> {
             // Takes effect on the next recording start.
             let _ = state.controller.send(CoreCommand::SetRecordingMode(mode));
         }
+        AppMessage::ScreenShareQualitySelected(quality) => {
+            state.config.screen_share.quality = quality;
+            state.share_quality_selection = quality;
+            state.config.save();
+        }
+        AppMessage::ScreenSharePlayerSelected(player) => {
+            state.config.screen_share.player = player;
+            state.config.save();
+        }
+        AppMessage::ScreenShareBufferingSelected(buffering) => {
+            state.config.screen_share.buffering = buffering;
+            state.config.save();
+        }
+        AppMessage::ScreenShareMaxHeightSelected(choice) => {
+            state.config.screen_share.max_height = choice.to_config();
+            state.config.save();
+        }
+        AppMessage::ScreenShareFramerateSelected(choice) => {
+            state.config.screen_share.framerate = choice.to_config();
+            state.config.save();
+        }
+        AppMessage::ScreenShareMaxViewersSelected(choice) => {
+            state.config.screen_share.max_viewers = choice.to_config();
+            state.config.save();
+        }
+        AppMessage::ScreenShareCacheMbSelected(cache_mb) => {
+            state.config.screen_share.cache_mb = cache_mb;
+            state.config.save();
+        }
+        AppMessage::ScreenShareBitrateChanged(value) => {
+            let trimmed = value.trim();
+            if trimmed.is_empty() {
+                state.config.screen_share.bitrate_mbps = None;
+                state.config.save();
+            } else if let Ok(mbps) = trimmed.parse::<u32>() {
+                state.config.screen_share.bitrate_mbps = Some(mbps);
+                state.config.save();
+            }
+        }
+        AppMessage::ToggleScreenShareForceSoftwareEncode(enabled) => {
+            state.config.screen_share.force_software_encode = enabled;
+            state.config.save();
+        }
+        AppMessage::ToggleScreenShareHardwareDecode(enabled) => {
+            state.config.screen_share.hardware_decode = enabled;
+            state.config.save();
+        }
+        AppMessage::ScreenShareExtraMpvArgsChanged(args) => {
+            state.config.screen_share.extra_mpv_args = args;
+            state.config.save();
+        }
+        AppMessage::ScreenShareExtraHostArgsChanged(args) => {
+            state.config.screen_share.extra_host_args = args;
+            state.config.save();
+        }
         AppMessage::PresenceModeSelected(mode) => {
             state.config.presence_mode = mode;
             state.config.save();
@@ -3166,6 +3432,30 @@ fn presence_mode_hint(mode: PresenceMode) -> &'static str {
     }
 }
 
+fn share_quality_hint(quality: ShareQuality) -> &'static str {
+    match quality {
+        ShareQuality::Auto => "Use pixelpass bandwidth pre-flight; falls back to Medium.",
+        ShareQuality::Low => "Lower bandwidth: up to 480p, about 1 Mbps.",
+        ShareQuality::Medium => "Balanced preset: up to 720p, about 2.5 Mbps.",
+        ShareQuality::High => "Sharper preset: up to 1080p, about 4 Mbps.",
+        ShareQuality::Source => "Native source resolution, about 6 Mbps.",
+    }
+}
+
+fn share_player_hint(player: SharePlayer) -> &'static str {
+    match player {
+        SharePlayer::Mpv => "Try mpv first, then VLC if mpv is unavailable.",
+        SharePlayer::Vlc => "Try VLC first, then mpv if VLC is unavailable.",
+    }
+}
+
+fn share_buffering_hint(buffering: ShareBuffering) -> &'static str {
+    match buffering {
+        ShareBuffering::LowLatency => "Small buffers for interactive screen sharing.",
+        ShareBuffering::Smooth => "Larger cache/readahead for steadier playback.",
+    }
+}
+
 /// Formats a call duration as `m:ss` (or `h:mm:ss` past an hour).
 fn format_duration(total_secs: u64) -> String {
     let h = total_secs / 3600;
@@ -4759,6 +5049,135 @@ fn view(state: &AppState) -> Element<'_, AppMessage> {
         // Spacing between one category and the next.
         let section_gap = 18.0;
 
+        let screen_share = &state.config.screen_share;
+        let screen_share_bitrate = screen_share
+            .bitrate_mbps
+            .map(|v| v.to_string())
+            .unwrap_or_default();
+        let screen_share_section = column![
+            column![
+                text("Host encoding").size(13).color(color_subtext),
+                row![
+                    column![
+                        text("Quality").size(12).color(color_subtext),
+                        pick_list(
+                            &ShareQuality::ALL[..],
+                            Some(screen_share.quality),
+                            AppMessage::ScreenShareQualitySelected,
+                        ).width(iced::Length::Fill),
+                        text(share_quality_hint(screen_share.quality)).size(11).color(color_subtext),
+                    ].spacing(4).width(iced::Length::Fill),
+                    column![
+                        text("Max resolution").size(12).color(color_subtext),
+                        pick_list(
+                            &ShareMaxHeightChoice::ALL[..],
+                            Some(ShareMaxHeightChoice::from_config(screen_share.max_height)),
+                            AppMessage::ScreenShareMaxHeightSelected,
+                        ).width(iced::Length::Fill),
+                        text("Source keeps the captured display height.").size(11).color(color_subtext),
+                    ].spacing(4).width(iced::Length::Fill),
+                ].spacing(16).width(iced::Length::Fill),
+                row![
+                    column![
+                        text("Framerate").size(12).color(color_subtext),
+                        pick_list(
+                            &ShareFramerateChoice::ALL[..],
+                            Some(ShareFramerateChoice::from_config(screen_share.framerate)),
+                            AppMessage::ScreenShareFramerateSelected,
+                        ).width(iced::Length::Fill),
+                        text("Preset default lets pixelpass choose.").size(11).color(color_subtext),
+                    ].spacing(4).width(iced::Length::Fill),
+                    column![
+                        text("Bitrate Mbps").size(12).color(color_subtext),
+                        context_input("preset default", &screen_share_bitrate)
+                            .on_input(AppMessage::ScreenShareBitrateChanged)
+                            .style(t_style)
+                            .padding(8)
+                            .width(iced::Length::Fill),
+                        text("Blank uses the quality preset.").size(11).color(color_subtext),
+                    ].spacing(4).width(iced::Length::Fill),
+                ].spacing(16).width(iced::Length::Fill),
+                row![
+                    column![
+                        text("Max viewers").size(12).color(color_subtext),
+                        pick_list(
+                            &ShareMaxViewersChoice::ALL[..],
+                            Some(ShareMaxViewersChoice::from_config(screen_share.max_viewers)),
+                            AppMessage::ScreenShareMaxViewersSelected,
+                        ).width(iced::Length::Fill),
+                        text("Auto uses pixelpass' connection-aware recommendation.").size(11).color(color_subtext),
+                    ].spacing(4).width(iced::Length::Fill),
+                    column![
+                        checkbox(screen_share.force_software_encode)
+                            .label("Force software encode")
+                            .on_toggle(AppMessage::ToggleScreenShareForceSoftwareEncode),
+                        text("Passes --no-hwencode to pixelpass.").size(11).color(color_subtext),
+                    ].spacing(8).width(iced::Length::Fill),
+                ].spacing(16).width(iced::Length::Fill),
+            ].spacing(10).width(iced::Length::Fill),
+            vertical_space(section_gap),
+            column![
+                text("Viewer playback").size(13).color(color_subtext),
+                row![
+                    column![
+                        text("Player").size(12).color(color_subtext),
+                        pick_list(
+                            &SharePlayer::ALL[..],
+                            Some(screen_share.player),
+                            AppMessage::ScreenSharePlayerSelected,
+                        ).width(iced::Length::Fill),
+                        text(share_player_hint(screen_share.player)).size(11).color(color_subtext),
+                    ].spacing(4).width(iced::Length::Fill),
+                    column![
+                        text("Buffering").size(12).color(color_subtext),
+                        pick_list(
+                            &ShareBuffering::ALL[..],
+                            Some(screen_share.buffering),
+                            AppMessage::ScreenShareBufferingSelected,
+                        ).width(iced::Length::Fill),
+                        text(share_buffering_hint(screen_share.buffering)).size(11).color(color_subtext),
+                    ].spacing(4).width(iced::Length::Fill),
+                ].spacing(16).width(iced::Length::Fill),
+                row![
+                    column![
+                        text("Cache MB").size(12).color(color_subtext),
+                        pick_list(
+                            &SHARE_CACHE_MB_OPTIONS[..],
+                            Some(screen_share.cache_mb),
+                            AppMessage::ScreenShareCacheMbSelected,
+                        ).width(iced::Length::Fill),
+                        text("mpv demuxer cache size (mpv only).").size(11).color(color_subtext),
+                    ].spacing(4).width(iced::Length::Fill),
+                    column![
+                        checkbox(screen_share.hardware_decode)
+                            .label("Hardware video decode")
+                            .on_toggle(AppMessage::ToggleScreenShareHardwareDecode),
+                        text("GPU decode (mpv --hwdec=auto / VLC hardware decode). Off avoids the known frame-freeze bug.").size(11).color(color_subtext),
+                    ].spacing(8).width(iced::Length::Fill),
+                ].spacing(16).width(iced::Length::Fill),
+            ].spacing(10).width(iced::Length::Fill),
+            vertical_space(section_gap),
+            column![
+                text("Extra mpv args").size(12).color(color_subtext),
+                context_input("--no-osc --vd-lavc-threads=2", &screen_share.extra_mpv_args)
+                    .on_input(AppMessage::ScreenShareExtraMpvArgsChanged)
+                    .style(t_style)
+                    .padding(8)
+                    .width(iced::Length::Fill),
+                text("⚠ Advanced — may break playback").size(11).color(color_yellow),
+                text("Extra pixelpass args").size(12).color(color_subtext),
+                context_input("--relay https://relay.example/", &screen_share.extra_host_args)
+                    .on_input(AppMessage::ScreenShareExtraHostArgsChanged)
+                    .style(t_style)
+                    .padding(8)
+                    .width(iced::Length::Fill),
+                text("⚠ Advanced — may break playback").size(11).color(color_yellow),
+            ].spacing(6).width(iced::Length::Fill),
+            text("Applies the next time you start or watch a screen share. These are local preferences only.").size(11).color(color_subtext),
+        ]
+        .spacing(10)
+        .width(iced::Length::Fill);
+
         // One recording-mode radio with a hover tooltip explaining it. (iced's
         // pick_list can't host per-option tooltips, so the modes are radios.)
         let mode_radio = |mode: RecordingMode, label: &'static str| -> Element<'_, AppMessage> {
@@ -5082,6 +5501,13 @@ fn view(state: &AppState) -> Element<'_, AppMessage> {
             .spacing(10)
             .width(iced::Length::Fill)
             .into(),
+            SettingsCategory::Advanced => column![
+                section_header("Screen sharing"),
+                screen_share_section,
+            ]
+            .spacing(10)
+            .width(iced::Length::Fill)
+            .into(),
             SettingsCategory::Notifications => column![
                 section_header("Notifications & Sounds"),
                 column![
@@ -6479,11 +6905,29 @@ fn view(state: &AppState) -> Element<'_, AppMessage> {
                 } else {
                     AppMessage::OpenPixelpassHelp
                 };
-                button(btn_content(share_kind, share_label, share_fg))
+                let share_button = button(btn_content(share_kind, share_label, share_fg))
                     .on_press(share_press)
                     .style(b_style(share_bg, share_hover, share_fg, 8.0))
                     .padding(14)
+                    .width(iced::Length::Fill);
+                let share_control: Element<'_, AppMessage> = if state.self_sharing {
+                    share_button.into()
+                } else {
+                    row![
+                        share_button,
+                        pick_list(
+                            &ShareQuality::ALL[..],
+                            Some(state.share_quality_selection),
+                            AppMessage::SelectShareQualityOverride,
+                        )
+                        .width(iced::Length::Fixed(112.0)),
+                    ]
+                    .spacing(8)
+                    .align_y(iced::alignment::Vertical::Center)
                     .width(iced::Length::Fill)
+                    .into()
+                };
+                share_control
             },
         ];
 
@@ -8703,6 +9147,10 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(!state.share_picker_open);
         assert!(state.share_audio_apps.is_empty());
         assert!(state.share_audio_selection.is_none());
+        assert_eq!(
+            state.share_quality_selection,
+            state.config.screen_share.quality
+        );
         assert!(!state.share_starting);
         assert!(!state.share_audio_dropped);
         assert!(!state.share_audio_app_active);
@@ -8827,6 +9275,42 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(!state.share_picker_open);
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn inline_quality_override_survives_opening_the_picker() {
+        // The inline quality dropdown (next to the Share button) sets a
+        // per-call `share_quality_selection`. Opening the audio picker via
+        // ToggleScreenShare must NOT reset it back to the saved config default,
+        // or the override the user just made is silently discarded before
+        // ConfirmShareScreen reads it into StartScreenShare.
+        use crate::config::ShareQuality;
+        let mut state = AppState::default();
+        // Saved default is Auto; the user picks a different per-call quality.
+        assert_eq!(state.config.screen_share.quality, ShareQuality::Auto);
+        let _ = update(
+            &mut state,
+            AppMessage::SelectShareQualityOverride(ShareQuality::High),
+        );
+        assert_eq!(state.share_quality_selection, ShareQuality::High);
+
+        // Clicking Share opens the picker — the override must be preserved.
+        let _ = update(&mut state, AppMessage::ToggleScreenShare);
+        assert!(state.share_picker_open);
+        assert_eq!(
+            state.share_quality_selection,
+            ShareQuality::High,
+            "opening the picker must not clobber the inline per-call override"
+        );
+
+        // Confirming reads that same override into the share start.
+        let _ = update(&mut state, AppMessage::ConfirmShareScreen);
+        assert!(state.share_starting);
+        assert_eq!(
+            state.share_quality_selection,
+            ShareQuality::High,
+            "the override the picker preserved must still be what ConfirmShareScreen sends"
+        );
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn share_start_failure_clears_in_flight_flag() {
         // A failed spawn surfaces as UiEvent::Error (not ScreenShareStopped); the
@@ -9198,12 +9682,14 @@ mod tests {
                 "Profile",
                 "Appearance",
                 "Network",
+                "Advanced",
                 "Notifications",
                 "Games"
             ]
         );
         assert_eq!(SettingsCategory::Audio.hint(), "Devices, mic gate, echo");
         assert_eq!(SettingsCategory::Profile.hint(), "Avatar and identity");
+        assert_eq!(SettingsCategory::Advanced.hint(), "Screen sharing");
         assert_eq!(
             SettingsCategory::Games.hint(),
             "Detection, presence, backgrounds"

src/config.rs

@@ -168,6 +168,139 @@ impl std::fmt::Display for NetworkMode {
     }
 }
 
+/// Pixelpass host quality preset for screen shares. `Auto` leaves pixelpass free
+/// to choose from its bandwidth pre-flight; fixed presets are passed as CLI flags.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq, Serialize, Deserialize, Default)]
+#[serde(rename_all = "snake_case")]
+pub enum ShareQuality {
+    #[default]
+    Auto,
+    Low,
+    Medium,
+    High,
+    Source,
+}
+
+impl ShareQuality {
+    pub const ALL: [ShareQuality; 5] = [
+        ShareQuality::Auto,
+        ShareQuality::Low,
+        ShareQuality::Medium,
+        ShareQuality::High,
+        ShareQuality::Source,
+    ];
+}
+
+impl std::fmt::Display for ShareQuality {
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut std::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> std::fmt::Result {
+        f.write_str(match self {
+            ShareQuality::Auto => "Auto",
+            ShareQuality::Low => "Low",
+            ShareQuality::Medium => "Medium",
+            ShareQuality::High => "High",
+            ShareQuality::Source => "Source",
+        })
+    }
+}
+
+/// Preferred local player for watching a peer's screen share.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq, Serialize, Deserialize, Default)]
+#[serde(rename_all = "snake_case")]
+pub enum SharePlayer {
+    #[default]
+    Mpv,
+    Vlc,
+}
+
+impl SharePlayer {
+    pub const ALL: [SharePlayer; 2] = [SharePlayer::Mpv, SharePlayer::Vlc];
+}
+
+impl std::fmt::Display for SharePlayer {
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut std::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> std::fmt::Result {
+        f.write_str(match self {
+            SharePlayer::Mpv => "mpv",
+            SharePlayer::Vlc => "VLC",
+        })
+    }
+}
+
+/// Local player buffering posture for screen-share playback.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq, Serialize, Deserialize, Default)]
+#[serde(rename_all = "snake_case")]
+pub enum ShareBuffering {
+    #[default]
+    LowLatency,
+    Smooth,
+}
+
+impl ShareBuffering {
+    pub const ALL: [ShareBuffering; 2] = [ShareBuffering::LowLatency, ShareBuffering::Smooth];
+}
+
+impl std::fmt::Display for ShareBuffering {
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut std::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> std::fmt::Result {
+        f.write_str(match self {
+            ShareBuffering::LowLatency => "Low latency",
+            ShareBuffering::Smooth => "Smooth",
+        })
+    }
+}
+
+fn default_screen_share_cache_mb() -> u32 {
+    2
+}
+
+/// Local-only screen-share preferences. Host fields become pixelpass host CLI
+/// flags; viewer fields shape local mpv/VLC launch. None/empty/default values
+/// deliberately let pixelpass/player defaults stand.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize, PartialEq, Eq)]
+pub struct ScreenShareSettings {
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub quality: ShareQuality,
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub bitrate_mbps: Option<u32>,
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub framerate: Option<u32>,
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub max_height: Option<u32>,
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub max_viewers: Option<u32>,
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub force_software_encode: bool,
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub extra_host_args: String,
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub player: SharePlayer,
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub hardware_decode: bool,
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub buffering: ShareBuffering,
+    #[serde(default = "default_screen_share_cache_mb")]
+    pub cache_mb: u32,
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub extra_mpv_args: String,
+}
+
+impl Default for ScreenShareSettings {
+    fn default() -> Self {
+        Self {
+            quality: ShareQuality::default(),
+            bitrate_mbps: None,
+            framerate: None,
+            max_height: None,
+            max_viewers: None,
+            force_software_encode: false,
+            extra_host_args: String::new(),
+            player: SharePlayer::default(),
+            hardware_decode: false,
+            buffering: ShareBuffering::default(),
+            cache_mb: default_screen_share_cache_mb(),
+            extra_mpv_args: String::new(),
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 fn default_true() -> bool {
     true
 }
@@ -369,6 +502,9 @@ pub struct AppConfig {
     /// Empty / unset = look it up on `$PATH`. Hand-editable; no Settings UI yet.
     #[serde(default)]
     pub pixelpass_path: Option<String>,
+    /// Local-only host/player controls for screen sharing.
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub screen_share: ScreenShareSettings,
     /// Recently-joined rooms (W7), most-recent-first. Purely local UI state for a
     /// one-click rejoin; never sent over the wire. De-duped by room topic and
     /// capped (see `recents`). Defaulted empty so older configs upgrade cleanly.
@@ -474,6 +610,7 @@ impl Default for AppConfig {
             sound_mic_toggle_enabled: true,
             sound_reconnect_failed_enabled: true,
             pixelpass_path: None,
+            screen_share: ScreenShareSettings::default(),
             recents: Vec::new(),
             peer_eq: HashMap::new(),
             peer_pan: HashMap::new(),
@@ -803,6 +940,14 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(deserialized.custom_sound_self_leave.is_none());
         assert!(deserialized.custom_sound_mic_toggle.is_none());
         assert!(deserialized.custom_sound_reconnect_failed.is_none());
+        assert_eq!(deserialized.screen_share, ScreenShareSettings::default());
+        assert_eq!(deserialized.screen_share.quality, ShareQuality::Auto);
+        assert_eq!(deserialized.screen_share.player, SharePlayer::Mpv);
+        assert_eq!(
+            deserialized.screen_share.buffering,
+            ShareBuffering::LowLatency
+        );
+        assert_eq!(deserialized.screen_share.cache_mb, 2);
         // Configs predating the per-sound flags (W6) enable every chime, so an
         // upgrade is silent-change-free.
         for sound in Sound::ALL {

src/core/messages.rs

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-use crate::config::{AudioProfile, NetworkMode, RecordingMode};
+use crate::config::{AudioProfile, NetworkMode, RecordingMode, ScreenShareSettings, ShareQuality};
 use crate::friends::Friend;
 use crate::network::PeerState;
 use crate::presence::{FriendPresence, PresenceMode};
@@ -119,13 +119,18 @@ pub enum CoreCommand {
     /// whole desktop audio (the legacy behavior).
     StartScreenShare {
         audio_app: Option<String>,
+        settings: ScreenShareSettings,
+        quality: ShareQuality,
     },
     /// Stop sharing our screen: kill the pixelpass host and clear the presence
     /// ticket. No-op when not sharing.
     StopScreenShare,
     /// Watch a peer's screen share: spawn a pixelpass viewer for `ticket` and
     /// open it in a local player.
-    ViewShare(String),
+    ViewShare {
+        ticket: String,
+        settings: ScreenShareSettings,
+    },
     /// Mint a fresh persistent identity (W7), discarding the old one. Takes effect
     /// on the next room join (the endpoint is rebuilt then). The core replies with
     /// an updated [`UiEvent::IdentityStatus`].
@@ -244,9 +249,16 @@ pub fn delivery_class(cmd: &CoreCommand) -> DeliveryClass {
         }
         | CoreCommand::SetPixelpassPath(_)
         | CoreCommand::ListAudioApps
-        | CoreCommand::StartScreenShare { audio_app: _ }
+        | CoreCommand::StartScreenShare {
+            audio_app: _,
+            settings: _,
+            quality: _,
+        }
         | CoreCommand::StopScreenShare
-        | CoreCommand::ViewShare(_)
+        | CoreCommand::ViewShare {
+            ticket: _,
+            settings: _,
+        }
         | CoreCommand::RegenerateIdentity
         | CoreCommand::AddFriend {
             id: _,
@@ -325,9 +337,16 @@ pub fn coalesce_key(cmd: &CoreCommand) -> Option<CoalesceKey> {
         }
         | CoreCommand::SetPixelpassPath(_)
         | CoreCommand::ListAudioApps
-        | CoreCommand::StartScreenShare { audio_app: _ }
+        | CoreCommand::StartScreenShare {
+            audio_app: _,
+            settings: _,
+            quality: _,
+        }
         | CoreCommand::StopScreenShare
-        | CoreCommand::ViewShare(_)
+        | CoreCommand::ViewShare {
+            ticket: _,
+            settings: _,
+        }
         | CoreCommand::RegenerateIdentity
         | CoreCommand::AddFriend {
             id: _,

src/core/mod.rs

@@ -662,9 +662,11 @@ struct ActiveSession {
     /// Our pixelpass screen-share host child while sharing (`kill_on_drop`, so it
     /// also dies if the session is dropped without an explicit stop).
     screenshare_host: Option<tokio::process::Child>,
-    /// pixelpass viewer children we spawned to watch peers' shares; killed on
+    /// pixelpass viewer children we spawned to watch peers' shares, each paired
-    /// session teardown (each also self-exits when its player window closes).
+    /// with the share ticket it's viewing so a re-watch of the same share can
-    screenshare_viewers: Vec<tokio::process::Child>,
+    /// replace (not stack) its player. Killed on session teardown (each also
+    /// self-exits when its player window closes).
+    screenshare_viewers: Vec<(String, tokio::process::Child)>,
 }
 
 impl ActiveSession {
@@ -676,7 +678,7 @@ impl ActiveSession {
         if let Some(mut host) = self.screenshare_host.take() {
             let _ = host.kill().await;
         }
-        for mut viewer in self.screenshare_viewers.drain(..) {
+        for (_, mut viewer) in self.screenshare_viewers.drain(..) {
             let _ = viewer.kill().await;
         }
         self.datagram_task.abort();
@@ -2497,7 +2499,7 @@ async fn run_core_loop(
                     #[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
                     echo_cancel: echo_cancel_guard,
                     screenshare_host: None,
-                    screenshare_viewers: Vec::new(),
+                    screenshare_viewers: Vec::<(String, tokio::process::Child)>::new(),
                 };
 
                 let self_id = endpoint.id().to_string();
@@ -3121,7 +3123,11 @@ async fn run_core_loop(
                     .await;
             }
 
-            CoreCommand::StartScreenShare { audio_app } => {
+            CoreCommand::StartScreenShare {
+                audio_app,
+                settings,
+                quality,
+            } => {
                 let Some(session) = &mut active_session else {
                     let _ = ui_tx
                         .send(UiEvent::Error(
@@ -3171,7 +3177,15 @@ async fn run_core_loop(
                     });
                     tx
                 });
-                match crate::screenshare::spawn_host(&bin, audio_app.as_deref(), notices).await {
+                match crate::screenshare::spawn_host(
+                    &bin,
+                    audio_app.as_deref(),
+                    &settings,
+                    quality,
+                    notices,
+                )
+                .await
+                {
                     Ok((child, ticket)) => {
                         crate::log_msg("Screen share host started");
                         session.screenshare_host = Some(child);
@@ -3209,7 +3223,7 @@ async fn run_core_loop(
                 let _ = ui_tx.send(UiEvent::ScreenShareStopped).await;
             }
 
-            CoreCommand::ViewShare(ticket) => {
+            CoreCommand::ViewShare { ticket, settings } => {
                 let bin = match crate::screenshare::pixelpass_path(pixelpass_override.as_deref()) {
                     Some(b) => b,
                     None => {
@@ -3221,11 +3235,27 @@ async fn run_core_loop(
                         continue;
                     }
                 };
-                match crate::screenshare::spawn_viewer(&bin, &ticket).await {
+                if let Some(session) = &mut active_session {
+                    // Drop viewers whose player window has already closed so the
+                    // list only tracks live players.
+                    session
+                        .screenshare_viewers
+                        .retain_mut(|(_, child)| !matches!(child.try_wait(), Ok(Some(_))));
+                    // One player per share: a second Watch click on a share we're
+                    // already viewing is a retry (usually because the first window
+                    // froze), so replace the existing player rather than stacking a
+                    // second mpv — two players would double the shared audio.
+                    if let Some(pos) = replace_viewer_index(&session.screenshare_viewers, &ticket) {
+                        let (_, mut old) = session.screenshare_viewers.remove(pos);
+                        let _ = old.kill().await;
+                        crate::log_msg("Screen share viewer replaced (re-watch)");
+                    }
+                }
+                match crate::screenshare::spawn_viewer(&bin, &ticket, &settings).await {
                     Ok(child) => {
                         crate::log_msg("Screen share viewer started");
                         if let Some(session) = &mut active_session {
-                            session.screenshare_viewers.push(child);
+                            session.screenshare_viewers.push((ticket, child));
                         }
                     }
                     Err(e) => {
@@ -3241,14 +3271,23 @@ async fn run_core_loop(
     Ok(())
 }
 
+/// Index of an existing viewer for `ticket` in the live-viewers list, if any.
+/// A re-watch of the same share replaces that player instead of stacking a
+/// second one — two players decoding the same stream would double the shared
+/// audio. Generic over the child value so the dedup rule is unit-testable
+/// without spawning real player processes.
+fn replace_viewer_index<T>(viewers: &[(String, T)], ticket: &str) -> Option<usize> {
+    viewers.iter().position(|(t, _)| t == ticket)
+}
+
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
     use super::{
         KnownPeers, MAX_OPUS_PAYLOAD, MAX_RETAINED_PEERS, MIC_LEVEL_REPORT_SAMPLES, MicLevelMeter,
         PLAYBACK_HANDOFF_QUEUE_FRAMES, PeerSpeakTicket, admit_retained, apply_peer_volume,
         apply_volume, audio_datagram_len_ok, coalesce_insert, coalesce_pop, frame_level,
-        mix_frames, mix_stereo_frames, next_game_change, send_playback_frame, should_auto_fetch,
+        mix_frames, mix_stereo_frames, next_game_change, replace_viewer_index, send_playback_frame,
-        stereo_to_mono,
+        should_auto_fetch, stereo_to_mono,
     };
     use crate::core::messages::{CoalesceKey, CoreCommand, coalesce_key};
     use std::collections::{HashMap, HashSet};
@@ -3259,6 +3298,19 @@ mod tests {
         iroh::SecretKey::generate().public()
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn re_watch_replaces_existing_viewer_for_same_ticket() {
+        // The value type stands in for a viewer Child; only the ticket matters.
+        let viewers = vec![("ticket-A".to_string(), 0u8), ("ticket-B".to_string(), 1u8)];
+        // Re-watching an already-open share finds the existing player to replace.
+        assert_eq!(replace_viewer_index(&viewers, "ticket-A"), Some(0));
+        assert_eq!(replace_viewer_index(&viewers, "ticket-B"), Some(1));
+        // A different (new) share has nothing to replace — it opens fresh.
+        assert_eq!(replace_viewer_index(&viewers, "ticket-C"), None);
+        // Empty list: first watch of anything opens fresh.
+        assert_eq!(replace_viewer_index::<u8>(&[], "ticket-A"), None);
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn admit_retained_rejects_only_new_ids_at_the_cap() {
         // Below the cap, a brand-new identity is retained.

src/game/scan.rs

@@ -97,14 +97,12 @@ fn windows_toolhelp_executables() -> Vec<String> {
 
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
-    use super::*;
-
     #[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
     #[test]
     fn enumerates_at_least_this_process() {
         // The test runner itself is a process, so /proc enumeration must be
         // non-empty and include something that normalizes to our own exe basename.
-        let exes = running_executables();
+        let exes = super::running_executables();
         assert!(
             !exes.is_empty(),
             "expected to see running processes via /proc"

src/screenshare/mod.rs

@@ -21,6 +21,8 @@ use std::time::Duration;
 use tokio::io::{AsyncBufReadExt, BufReader};
 use tokio::process::{Child, Command};
 
+use crate::config::{ScreenShareSettings, ShareBuffering, SharePlayer, ShareQuality};
+
 /// The binary we shell out to. Looked up on `$PATH` unless a config override
 /// points elsewhere.
 const PIXELPASS_BIN: &str = "pixelpass";
@@ -139,7 +141,11 @@ fn json_u32(v: &serde_json::Value, key: &str) -> u32 {
 /// otherwise rejects hyphen-leading option values). The name is locally chosen
 /// (our own enumeration / the user's pick), not peer-supplied, but is still
 /// sanitized via [`sanitize_app_name`] before reaching here. Pure: no I/O.
-pub fn host_args(audio_app: Option<&str>) -> Vec<String> {
+pub fn host_args(
+    audio_app: Option<&str>,
+    settings: &ScreenShareSettings,
+    quality: ShareQuality,
+) -> Vec<String> {
     let mut args = vec![
         "--host".to_string(),
         "--output".to_string(),
@@ -149,9 +155,44 @@ pub fn host_args(audio_app: Option<&str>) -> Vec<String> {
         args.push(format!("--app={name}"));
         args.push("--strict-audio".to_string());
     }
+    if quality != ShareQuality::Auto {
+        args.push(format!("--quality={}", pixelpass_quality(quality)));
+    }
+    if let Some(height) = settings.max_height {
+        args.push(format!("--max-height={height}"));
+    }
+    if let Some(mbps) = settings.bitrate_mbps {
+        args.push(format!("--bitrate={}", mbps.saturating_mul(1000)));
+    }
+    if let Some(fps) = settings.framerate {
+        args.push(format!("--framerate={fps}"));
+    }
+    if settings.force_software_encode {
+        args.push("--no-hwencode".to_string());
+    }
+    if let Some(max) = settings.max_viewers {
+        args.push(format!("--max-viewers={max}"));
+    }
+    args.extend(split_extra_args(&settings.extra_host_args));
     args
 }
 
+fn pixelpass_quality(quality: ShareQuality) -> &'static str {
+    match quality {
+        ShareQuality::Auto => "auto",
+        ShareQuality::Low => "low",
+        ShareQuality::Medium => "medium",
+        ShareQuality::High => "high",
+        ShareQuality::Source => "source",
+    }
+}
+
+/// Split user-supplied advanced argv text into separate tokens. Peerspeak does
+/// not depend on a shell lexer, so quoted values are not interpreted here.
+fn split_extra_args(raw: &str) -> impl Iterator<Item = String> + '_ {
+    raw.split_whitespace().map(str::to_string)
+}
+
 /// Validate a locally-chosen audio app name before it becomes a `--app` value:
 /// trim, reject empty / overlong, and reject names carrying control characters
 /// (newlines etc.) that have no place in a real `application.name`. `None` means
@@ -320,15 +361,22 @@ pub fn is_available(config_override: Option<&str>) -> bool {
 /// whole desktop sink, which avoids the call-loopback echo (A23). The child keeps
 /// running (streaming to viewers) until killed or dropped; remaining stdout is
 /// drained in a background task so a full pipe can't stall the host. We do
-/// **not** pass `--max-viewers`: pixelpass bandwidth-measures its own safe cap,
+/// not pass encode/viewer overrides unless the local settings explicitly ask for
-/// protecting the sharer's uplink, and refuses extras with `viewer_refused`.
+/// them, so pixelpass keeps its own defaults in the common case.
 pub async fn spawn_host(
     bin: &Path,
     audio_app: Option<&str>,
+    settings: &ScreenShareSettings,
+    quality: ShareQuality,
     notices: Option<tokio::sync::mpsc::UnboundedSender<PixelpassEvent>>,
 ) -> std::io::Result<(Child, String)> {
+    let args = host_args(audio_app, settings, quality);
+    // Log the exact argv we hand pixelpass so a field log can confirm which
+    // encode/quality flags (e.g. --bitrate) actually reached the host — these
+    // are local flags with no ticket/secret, so logging them verbatim is safe.
+    crate::log_msg(&format!("pixelpass host spawn: {} {}", bin.display(), args.join(" ")));
     let mut child = Command::new(bin)
-        .args(host_args(audio_app))
+        .args(&args)
         .stdin(Stdio::null())
         .stdout(Stdio::piped())
         // Capture stderr (not null): pixelpass prints its startup precondition
@@ -428,10 +476,14 @@ pub fn pixelpass_failure_detail(stderr: &str) -> String {
 }
 
 /// Spawn a pixelpass viewer for `ticket`, wait for it to connect, and open the
-/// stream in a local player (mpv, falling back to vlc). Returns the live viewer
+/// stream in a local player (mpv/VLC in the configured order, then fallback).
-/// child so the caller can kill it on room-leave; it also self-exits when the
+/// Returns the live viewer child so the caller can kill it on room-leave; it also
-/// player window closes (its tunnel ends).
+/// self-exits when the player window closes (its tunnel ends).
-pub async fn spawn_viewer(bin: &Path, ticket: &str) -> std::io::Result<Child> {
+pub async fn spawn_viewer(
+    bin: &Path,
+    ticket: &str,
+    settings: &ScreenShareSettings,
+) -> std::io::Result<Child> {
     let mut child = Command::new(bin)
         .args(viewer_args(ticket))
         .stdin(Stdio::null())
@@ -465,7 +517,7 @@ pub async fn spawn_viewer(bin: &Path, ticket: &str) -> std::io::Result<Child> {
         }
     };
 
-    if let Err(e) = launch_player(&url) {
+    if let Err(e) = launch_player(&url, settings) {
         let _ = child.kill().await;
         return Err(e);
     }
@@ -547,23 +599,33 @@ fn event_for_log(ev: &PixelpassEvent) -> String {
     }
 }
 
-/// Open the viewer stream URL in a media player. Mirrors pixelpass's own
+/// Open the viewer stream URL in a media player, then fall back to vlc. The
-/// low-latency mpv invocation; falls back to vlc. The player is reaped in a
+/// player is reaped in a background task so it doesn't linger as a zombie when
-/// background task so it doesn't linger as a zombie when its window closes.
+/// its window closes.
-fn launch_player(url: &str) -> std::io::Result<()> {
+///
-    const MPV_ARGS: &[&str] = &[
+/// The flags keep latency low while preserving A/V sync. We deliberately do
-        "--profile=low-latency",
+/// NOT pass mpv's `--untimed`: that displays each video frame the instant it
-        "--untimed",
+/// decodes, ignoring audio timestamps, which makes a shared *video* drift
-        "--hwdec=auto",
+/// progressively out of sync with its audio. Pacing to the audio clock costs a
-        "--audio-buffer=0.2",
+/// little latency (negligible for pointing at a desktop) and keeps a shared
-        "--demuxer-max-bytes=2M",
+/// video in sync. We also leave hwdec at the `low-latency` default (software
-        "--demuxer-readahead-secs=0.5",
+/// decode): forcing `--hwdec=auto` froze some viewers on frame 1 while audio
-    ];
+/// kept playing.
-    const VLC_ARGS: &[&str] = &["--network-caching=200", "--live-caching=200"];
+fn launch_player(url: &str, settings: &ScreenShareSettings) -> std::io::Result<()> {
+    let mpv_args = mpv_args(settings);
+    let vlc_args = vlc_args(settings);
+    let first = match settings.player {
+        SharePlayer::Mpv => ("mpv", &mpv_args),
+        SharePlayer::Vlc => ("vlc", &vlc_args),
+    };
+    let second = match settings.player {
+        SharePlayer::Mpv => ("vlc", &vlc_args),
+        SharePlayer::Vlc => ("mpv", &mpv_args),
+    };
 
-    let child = match spawn_player("mpv", MPV_ARGS, url) {
+    let child = match spawn_player(first.0, first.1, url) {
         Ok(c) => c,
-        Err(_) => spawn_player("vlc", VLC_ARGS, url).map_err(|_| {
+        Err(_) => spawn_player(second.0, second.1, url).map_err(|_| {
             std::io::Error::new(
                 std::io::ErrorKind::NotFound,
                 "no media player found — install mpv or vlc to watch screen shares",
@@ -577,7 +639,64 @@ fn launch_player(url: &str) -> std::io::Result<()> {
     Ok(())
 }
 
-fn spawn_player(bin: &str, args: &[&str], url: &str) -> std::io::Result<Child> {
+pub fn mpv_args(settings: &ScreenShareSettings) -> Vec<String> {
+    let mut args = Vec::new();
+    match settings.buffering {
+        ShareBuffering::LowLatency => {
+            args.push("--profile=low-latency".to_string());
+            args.push("--audio-buffer=0.2".to_string());
+            args.push("--demuxer-readahead-secs=0.5".to_string());
+        }
+        ShareBuffering::Smooth => {
+            args.push("--cache=yes".to_string());
+            args.push("--demuxer-readahead-secs=2".to_string());
+        }
+    }
+    args.push(format!("--demuxer-max-bytes={}M", settings.cache_mb));
+    if settings.hardware_decode {
+        args.push("--hwdec=auto".to_string());
+    }
+    args.extend(split_extra_args(&settings.extra_mpv_args));
+    args
+}
+
+/// Build the argv for a VLC viewer. VLC honors the subset of viewer settings
+/// that map cleanly onto its option set: the buffering posture (network/live
+/// caching, in ms) and hardware decoding. The rest of the viewer knobs are
+/// mpv-specific — `cache_mb` is an mpv demuxer *byte* cache (VLC's caching is
+/// time-based, already covered by `buffering`) and `extra_mpv_args` is literally
+/// mpv flags — so they are deliberately not mapped here; the Settings UI labels
+/// them as mpv-only. Pure: no I/O.
+///
+/// The hardware-decode mapping is the load-bearing one: VLC hardware-decodes by
+/// default, so without an explicit `--avcodec-hw=none` a VLC viewer would ignore
+/// the (default-off) hardware-decode toggle and could hit the frame-1 freeze
+/// that default exists to avoid — the same A-bug that made us drop mpv's forced
+/// `--hwdec=auto`.
+fn vlc_args(settings: &ScreenShareSettings) -> Vec<String> {
+    let caching_ms = match settings.buffering {
+        ShareBuffering::LowLatency => 200,
+        ShareBuffering::Smooth => 1500,
+    };
+    let hw = if settings.hardware_decode {
+        "--avcodec-hw=any"
+    } else {
+        "--avcodec-hw=none"
+    };
+    vec![
+        format!("--network-caching={caching_ms}"),
+        format!("--live-caching={caching_ms}"),
+        hw.to_string(),
+    ]
+}
+
+fn spawn_player(bin: &str, args: &[String], url: &str) -> std::io::Result<Child> {
+    // Log the player + its flags (mpv/vlc, incl. hardware-decode: --hwdec /
+    // --avcodec-hw) so a field log can confirm the viewer settings reached the
+    // player. The `url` is omitted deliberately — it is the local stream address
+    // and is not needed to verify the flags. Logged on each attempt, so a
+    // fallback from the preferred player to the other one is visible too.
+    crate::log_msg(&format!("player spawn: {bin} {}", args.join(" ")));
     Command::new(bin)
         .args(args)
         .arg(url)
@@ -621,7 +740,11 @@ mod tests {
     fn host_args_without_app_shares_whole_desktop() {
         // No app selected → no --app flag → pixelpass keeps its default
         // (whole-desktop) audio capture.
-        assert_eq!(host_args(None), vec!["--host", "--output", "json"]);
+        let settings = ScreenShareSettings::default();
+        assert_eq!(
+            host_args(None, &settings, ShareQuality::Auto),
+            vec!["--host", "--output", "json"]
+        );
     }
 
     #[test]
@@ -629,8 +752,9 @@ mod tests {
         // The chosen app rides in the `--app=<name>` single-token form so a
         // name beginning with `-` can never be reparsed as a flag (A23), plus
         // `--strict-audio` so pixelpass never falls back to whole-desktop audio.
+        let settings = ScreenShareSettings::default();
         assert_eq!(
-            host_args(Some("Firefox")),
+            host_args(Some("Firefox"), &settings, ShareQuality::Auto),
             vec![
                 "--host",
                 "--output",
@@ -641,7 +765,7 @@ mod tests {
         );
         // The hyphen-leading name is still bound to --app as a single token;
         // --strict-audio is the trailing flag.
-        let args = host_args(Some("-rm -rf"));
+        let args = host_args(Some("-rm -rf"), &settings, ShareQuality::Auto);
         assert_eq!(args[3], "--app=-rm -rf");
         assert_eq!(args[4], "--strict-audio");
     }
@@ -650,11 +774,122 @@ mod tests {
     fn host_args_blank_or_control_app_is_dropped() {
         // An empty / whitespace / control-laden selection is sanitized away,
         // falling back to whole-desktop capture rather than a broken flag.
-        assert_eq!(host_args(Some("   ")), vec!["--host", "--output", "json"]);
+        let settings = ScreenShareSettings::default();
         assert_eq!(
-            host_args(Some("bad\nname")),
+            host_args(Some("   "), &settings, ShareQuality::Auto),
             vec!["--host", "--output", "json"]
         );
+        assert_eq!(
+            host_args(Some("bad\nname"), &settings, ShareQuality::Auto),
+            vec!["--host", "--output", "json"]
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn host_args_apply_screen_share_settings_and_extra_args_last() {
+        let settings = ScreenShareSettings {
+            bitrate_mbps: Some(5),
+            framerate: Some(60),
+            max_height: Some(1080),
+            max_viewers: Some(4),
+            force_software_encode: true,
+            extra_host_args: "--relay https://relay.example --verbose".to_string(),
+            ..ScreenShareSettings::default()
+        };
+
+        assert_eq!(
+            host_args(Some("Firefox"), &settings, ShareQuality::High),
+            vec![
+                "--host",
+                "--output",
+                "json",
+                "--app=Firefox",
+                "--strict-audio",
+                "--quality=high",
+                "--max-height=1080",
+                "--bitrate=5000",
+                "--framerate=60",
+                "--no-hwencode",
+                "--max-viewers=4",
+                "--relay",
+                "https://relay.example",
+                "--verbose",
+            ]
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn mpv_args_default_matches_low_latency_software_decode() {
+        assert_eq!(
+            mpv_args(&ScreenShareSettings::default()),
+            vec![
+                "--profile=low-latency",
+                "--audio-buffer=0.2",
+                "--demuxer-readahead-secs=0.5",
+                "--demuxer-max-bytes=2M",
+            ]
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn mpv_args_smooth_hwdecode_and_extra_args_last() {
+        let settings = ScreenShareSettings {
+            hardware_decode: true,
+            buffering: ShareBuffering::Smooth,
+            cache_mb: 16,
+            extra_mpv_args: "--no-osc --vd-lavc-threads=2".to_string(),
+            ..ScreenShareSettings::default()
+        };
+
+        assert_eq!(
+            mpv_args(&settings),
+            vec![
+                "--cache=yes",
+                "--demuxer-readahead-secs=2",
+                "--demuxer-max-bytes=16M",
+                "--hwdec=auto",
+                "--no-osc",
+                "--vd-lavc-threads=2",
+            ]
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn vlc_args_default_disables_hardware_decode() {
+        // The A-bug fix default (hardware_decode = false) must reach VLC too:
+        // VLC hardware-decodes by default, so without an explicit
+        // `--avcodec-hw=none` a VLC viewer would ignore the toggle and could hit
+        // the frame-1 freeze. Low-latency buffering keeps the 200 ms caches.
+        assert_eq!(
+            vlc_args(&ScreenShareSettings::default()),
+            vec![
+                "--network-caching=200",
+                "--live-caching=200",
+                "--avcodec-hw=none",
+            ]
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn vlc_args_smooth_buffering_and_hwdecode() {
+        // Enabling hardware decode flips VLC to `--avcodec-hw=any`; Smooth
+        // buffering raises the network/live caches. cache_mb / extra_mpv_args are
+        // mpv-only and must NOT leak into the VLC argv.
+        let settings = ScreenShareSettings {
+            hardware_decode: true,
+            buffering: ShareBuffering::Smooth,
+            cache_mb: 16,
+            extra_mpv_args: "--no-osc".to_string(),
+            ..ScreenShareSettings::default()
+        };
+        assert_eq!(
+            vlc_args(&settings),
+            vec![
+                "--network-caching=1500",
+                "--live-caching=1500",
+                "--avcodec-hw=any",
+            ]
+        );
     }
 
     #[test]

src/widget/context_input.rs

@@ -70,6 +70,13 @@ pub fn paste(value: &str, start: usize, end: usize, clip: &str) -> Edit {
     }
 }
 
+/// Strip control characters (e.g. a trailing newline on an X11 PRIMARY
+/// selection) from clipboard text before it is pasted. Shared by the
+/// right-click menu Paste and the middle-click PRIMARY paste.
+pub fn sanitize_clip(raw: &str) -> String {
+    raw.chars().filter(|c| !c.is_control()).collect()
+}
+
 pub fn select_all_range(value: &str) -> (usize, usize) {
     let value = text_input::Value::new(value);
 
@@ -362,6 +369,48 @@ where
             return;
         }
 
+        // Middle-click pastes the X11 PRIMARY selection at the cursor. iced's
+        // base text_input only wires Ctrl+V to the Standard (CLIPBOARD)
+        // selection, so without this the common "select text, middle-click to
+        // paste" workflow does nothing on X11.
+        let middle_click_on_input = matches!(
+            event,
+            Event::Mouse(mouse::Event::ButtonPressed(mouse::Button::Middle))
+        ) && cursor.is_over(layout.bounds());
+
+        if middle_click_on_input && !self.locked {
+            let clip = sanitize_clip(&clipboard.read(clipboard::Kind::Primary).unwrap_or_default());
+
+            if !clip.is_empty() {
+                let value = text_input::Value::new(&self.value);
+                let input_state = tree.children[0]
+                    .state
+                    .downcast_mut::<text_input::State<Renderer::Paragraph>>();
+                let (start, end) = match input_state.cursor().state(&value) {
+                    text_input::cursor::State::Index(index) => {
+                        let index = index.min(value.len());
+                        (index, index)
+                    }
+                    text_input::cursor::State::Selection { start, end } => {
+                        normalized_range(&value, start, end)
+                    }
+                };
+
+                let edit = paste(&self.value, start, end, &clip);
+                input_state.move_cursor_to(edit.cursor);
+
+                if let Some(on_paste) = &self.on_paste {
+                    shell.publish(on_paste.as_ref()(edit.value));
+                } else if let Some(on_input) = &self.on_input {
+                    shell.publish(on_input.as_ref()(edit.value));
+                }
+            }
+
+            shell.capture_event();
+            shell.request_redraw();
+            return;
+        }
+
         Widget::update(
             &mut self.input,
             &mut tree.children[0],
@@ -717,12 +766,7 @@ where
                 }
             }
             MenuAction::Paste => {
-                let clip = clipboard
+                let clip = sanitize_clip(&clipboard.read(clipboard::Kind::Standard).unwrap_or_default());
-                    .read(clipboard::Kind::Standard)
-                    .unwrap_or_default()
-                    .chars()
-                    .filter(|c| !c.is_control())
-                    .collect::<String>();
                 let edit = paste(self.value, start, end, &clip);
 
                 self.publish_paste(edit, shell);
@@ -842,6 +886,16 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(clip, None);
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn sanitize_clip_strips_control_chars_keeps_text() {
+        // An X11 PRIMARY selection commonly carries a trailing newline.
+        assert_eq!(sanitize_clip("pixelpassF1:abc\n"), "pixelpassF1:abc");
+        assert_eq!(sanitize_clip("a\tb\r\nc"), "abc");
+        // Non-control unicode is preserved.
+        assert_eq!(sanitize_clip("héllo🦀"), "héllo🦀");
+        assert_eq!(sanitize_clip(""), "");
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn paste_replaces_selection_or_inserts_at_cursor() {
         assert_eq!(