core: survive a failed net-stack rebuild instead of silently dying

The four live-rebuild sites (deferred rebuild on Join/Leave, idle
SetNetworkMode, idle RegenerateIdentity) all did
`net.shutdown().await` then `build_net_stack(...).await?` — a build
failure propagated out of run_core_loop, which its supervisor only
logs. Every subsequent command went nowhere: window alive, app dead,
user told nothing. (The initial startup build already reported.)

New replace_net_stack() helper: tear down the old stack, build for the
requested posture, and on failure fall back to the posture the old
stack was actually running (tracked in the new `net_mode` local; when
the postures are equal the fallback is a plain retry — e.g. identity
regeneration, where reverting the already-persisted key would be
wrong). If the fallback lands, the UI is told the change didn't stick
and `network_mode` reverts so state stays honest and the change stays
re-attemptable. If both builds fail the UI gets a fatal 'Networking
lost … restart' error before the loop exits — informed, not a zombie.

Retry policy isolated in rebuild_with_fallback(), generic over the
builder: 4 new unit tests cover first-try success, fall-back, plain
retry, and double failure without binding sockets.

Fixes finding 2 of the 2026-07-16 full-codebase review.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

.cargo/audit.toml

@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+# cargo-audit configuration. Keep the ignore list in sync with deny.toml,
+# which carries the full justification for each entry.
+[advisories]
+ignore = [
+    # quick-xml DoS advisories: build-time only, reached solely via the
+    # wayland-scanner proc-macro parsing trusted vendored protocol XML.
+    # Fix (0.41.0) is semver-incompatible with wayland-scanner's `^0.39`;
+    # drop once wayland-scanner bumps. See deny.toml.
+    "RUSTSEC-2026-0194",
+    "RUSTSEC-2026-0195",
+]

.gitea/workflows/cargo-deny.yml

@@ -1,34 +0,0 @@
-name: cargo-deny
-
-# Enforce the supply-chain policy in deny.toml (advisories / bans / licenses /
-# sources) on every push to main and every PR. Runs on a *locked* tree so the
-# pinned, vetted versions in Cargo.lock are exactly what get audited — see the
-# deny.toml header and VERSIONING.md. A new poisoned release of a dependency
-# cannot reach CI until Cargo.lock is deliberately updated.
-
-on:
-  push:
-    branches: [main]
-  pull_request:
-
-jobs:
-  cargo-deny:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    # rust:1 provides the cargo toolchain that cargo-deny shells out to for
-    # `cargo metadata`. Adjust the runner label if your act_runner uses a
-    # different one.
-    container: rust:1
-    steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
-
-      - name: Install cargo-deny (pinned prebuilt)
-        run: |
-          set -euo pipefail
-          version=0.19.9
-          curl -sSfL \
-            "https://github.com/EmbarkStudios/cargo-deny/releases/download/${version}/cargo-deny-${version}-x86_64-unknown-linux-musl.tar.gz" \
-            | tar -xz -C /usr/local/bin --strip-components=1 --wildcards '*/cargo-deny'
-          cargo-deny --version
-
-      - name: cargo deny check
-        run: cargo deny --locked check

.gitea/workflows/ci.yml

@@ -36,7 +36,9 @@ jobs:
         run: cargo test --doc
 
       - name: cargo-deny (advisories, bans, licenses, sources)
-        run: cargo deny check
+        # --locked so the pinned, vetted versions in Cargo.lock are exactly
+        # what get audited (the lockfile-as-review-checkpoint model).
+        run: cargo deny --locked check
 
       - name: cargo-audit
         run: cargo audit

.gitea/workflows/windows-build.yml

@@ -7,11 +7,20 @@ name: windows-build
 # alias) so a Unix-only assumption can't sneak back in and break Windows.
 #
 # RUNNER REQUIREMENT: this needs a Windows act_runner registered with the
-# `windows-latest` label (the Linux `cargo-deny` job's container approach does
+# `windows-latest` label (a Linux-container approach does NOT apply here —
-# NOT apply here — Windows jobs run on the host, not a Linux container). If your
+# Windows jobs run on the host, not a Linux container). If your runner
-# runner advertises a different label, change `runs-on` below. Until a Windows
+# advertises a different label, change `runs-on` below.
-# runner exists this workflow is simply skipped/queued, not a failure of the
+#
-# Linux CI.
+# MANUAL-ONLY until that runner exists: with push/PR triggers enabled, every
+# push queued a run no runner could claim and Gitea auto-cancelled it ~24h
+# later, littering the Actions page with cancelled runs. Restore the push/PR
+# triggers when a Windows runner is registered:
+#
+#   on:
+#     push:
+#       branches: [main, "windows-port-**"]
+#     pull_request:
+#     workflow_dispatch:
 #
 # BUILD-HOST REQUIREMENTS (validated by the opus spike, see
 # peerspeak-windows-opus-spike.md):
@@ -23,12 +32,7 @@ name: windows-build
 # must provide both.
 
 on:
-  push:
+  # Manual runs from the Gitea Actions UI only — see the header comment.
-    # `main` plus the in-progress port branches, so the Windows path is exercised
-    # before merge rather than only after.
-    branches: [main, "windows-port-**"]
-  pull_request:
-  # Allow manual runs from the Gitea Actions UI.
   workflow_dispatch:
 
 permissions:

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -2,6 +2,18 @@
 
 All notable changes to PeerSpeak are documented here.
 
+## [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

Cargo.lock

@@ -1207,9 +1207,9 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "crossbeam-epoch"
-version = "0.9.18"
+version = "0.9.20"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "5b82ac4a3c2ca9c3460964f020e1402edd5753411d7737aa39c3714ad1b5420e"
+checksum = "2d6914041f254d6e9176c01941b21115dcfb7089e55135a35411081bd106ef3f"
 dependencies = [
  "crossbeam-utils",
 ]
@@ -4871,7 +4871,7 @@ checksum = "35fb2e5f958ec131621fdd531e9fc186ed768cbe395337403ae56c17a74c68ec"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "peerspeak"
-version = "0.6.2"
+version = "0.6.3"
 dependencies = [
  "anyhow",
  "async-trait",

Cargo.toml

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "peerspeak"
-version = "0.6.2"
+version = "0.6.3"
 edition = "2024"
 description = "Decentralized peer-to-peer voice chat (Rust/iroh/PipeWire/Opus/iced)"
 license = "MIT"

deny.toml

@@ -24,6 +24,19 @@ ignore = [
     # audiopus_sys: unmaintained FFI bindings to the stable libopus C library,
     # pulled in via our direct `opus 0.3.1` dep. No drop-in replacement.
     "RUSTSEC-2026-0150",
+    # ttf-parser: unmaintained, transitive via iced/cosmic-text (font parsing
+    # for the GUI). Inputs are system + embedded fonts, not network data. No
+    # upstream migration yet; revisit when iced moves off it.
+    "RUSTSEC-2026-0192",
+    # quick-xml 0.39.4 DoS advisories (quadratic dup-attr check; unbounded
+    # namespace allocation). Build-time only: quick-xml is reached solely via
+    # the wayland-scanner PROC-MACRO, which parses the wayland protocol XML
+    # files vendored inside the wayland-* crates at compile time. Attacker
+    # input never reaches it and it is not in the shipped binary. The fix
+    # (0.41.0) is semver-incompatible with wayland-scanner 0.31.x's `^0.39`
+    # requirement; drop both ignores once wayland-scanner releases a bump.
+    "RUSTSEC-2026-0194",
+    "RUSTSEC-2026-0195",
 ]
 
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

docs/FEATURES.md

@@ -102,6 +102,7 @@ covers internals). When you ship a feature, add it here.
 | iroh QUIC transport | ✅ | |
 | Network mode picker | ✅ | `RelayNoDiscovery` (default), `N0Full`, `DirectOnly`. Takes effect next join. |
 | Retained-address reconnect | ✅ | Dials last-known full addr before falling back to bare id. |
+| Per-peer connection badge (direct/relay + RTT, hover for addr/loss/bitrate) | ✅ | Peer-card badge fed by a 1 Hz poll of the live audio link's selected QUIC path (`connection_stats` → `core::connstats::derive`). Field-verified on a real 2-machine call 2026-07-08. |
 | Reconnect + eviction model | ✅ | Incl. two-outage reconnect-eviction fix + regression test. |
 | Self-hosted relay | ❌ | Decided against — rely on n0 relays, `RelayNoDiscovery` default. |
 

packaging/PKGBUILD

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # Maintainer: mollusk <jitty+lc1iz0dc@protonmail.com>
 pkgname=peerspeak-git
 _pkgname=peerspeak
-pkgver=0.6.1.r315.ga78860d
+pkgver=0.6.2.r319.g8014edf
 pkgrel=1
 pkgdesc="Decentralized peer-to-peer voice chat (Rust/iroh/PipeWire/Opus/iced)"
 arch=('x86_64')

packaging/windows/peerspeak.iss

@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 ; (x86_64-pc-windows-gnu, statically linked -- no extra DLLs needed).
 
 #define MyAppName "PeerSpeak"
-#define MyAppVersion "0.6.2"
+#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.
@@ -678,6 +869,10 @@ pub struct AppState {
     game_override: GameOverrideChoice,
     peers: HashMap<EndpointId, PeerState>,
     audio_levels: HashMap<EndpointId, f32>,
+    /// Latest per-peer connection transparency info (direct/relay, RTT, window
+    /// loss/bitrate), replaced wholesale by each `UiEvent::ConnectionStats`
+    /// (~1/sec). A peer with no entry has no live audio link right now.
+    conn_stats: HashMap<EndpointId, crate::core::connstats::PeerConnInfo>,
     /// Peers we've locally muted (their audio isn't mixed into our output).
     locally_muted: HashSet<EndpointId>,
     /// When we joined the current room, for the in-room call-duration timer.
@@ -761,6 +956,8 @@ 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
@@ -853,6 +1050,7 @@ impl AppState {
         self.music_prefetch_inflight = None;
         self.peers.clear();
         self.audio_levels.clear();
+        self.conn_stats.clear();
         self.locally_muted.clear();
         self.chat_messages.clear();
         self.chat_input.clear();
@@ -871,6 +1069,7 @@ 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 +1174,7 @@ 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()
@@ -1014,6 +1214,7 @@ impl Default for AppState {
             game_override: GameOverrideChoice::Auto,
             peers: HashMap::new(),
             audio_levels: HashMap::new(),
+            conn_stats: HashMap::new(),
             locally_muted: HashSet::new(),
             call_started: None,
             recording: false,
@@ -1049,6 +1250,7 @@ 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,
@@ -1490,6 +1692,37 @@ fn pan_label(pan: f32) -> String {
     }
 }
 
+/// Connection badge text on the peer card: path type + RTT ("Direct · 12 ms").
+fn conn_badge_label(info: &crate::core::connstats::PeerConnInfo) -> String {
+    let kind = if info.relay { "Relay" } else { "Direct" };
+    format!("{kind} · {} ms", info.rtt_ms)
+}
+
+/// First tooltip line: path type + remote address ("Direct (1.2.3.4:5)" /
+/// "Relay (https://relay.example./)").
+fn conn_tooltip_path(info: &crate::core::connstats::PeerConnInfo) -> String {
+    let kind = if info.relay { "Relay" } else { "Direct" };
+    format!("{kind} ({})", info.remote_addr)
+}
+
+/// Loss line for the tooltip. `None` (first poll / idle window) reads as clean.
+fn conn_loss_label(loss_pct: Option<f32>) -> String {
+    match loss_pct {
+        Some(pct) => format!("Loss {:.1}% (last second)", pct.clamp(0.0, 100.0)),
+        None => "Loss — (last second)".to_string(),
+    }
+}
+
+/// One direction of the bitrate line ("32 kbps", "1.5 Mbps", or "—" until a
+/// full poll window has elapsed on the current path).
+fn conn_rate_label(kbps: Option<f32>) -> String {
+    match kbps {
+        None => "—".to_string(),
+        Some(k) if k >= 1000.0 => format!("{:.1} Mbps", k / 1000.0),
+        Some(k) => format!("{k:.0} kbps"),
+    }
+}
+
 fn update(state: &mut AppState, message: AppMessage) -> Task<AppMessage> {
     match message {
         AppMessage::NicknameChanged(val) => {
@@ -1563,6 +1796,11 @@ 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 +1811,9 @@ 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 +1822,21 @@ 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 => {
@@ -1723,6 +1971,11 @@ fn update(state: &mut AppState, message: AppMessage) -> Task<AppMessage> {
                         state.audio_levels.insert(id, val);
                     }
                 }
+                UiEvent::ConnectionStats(infos) => {
+                    // Full replacement: a peer missing from this round has no
+                    // live link, so its (stale) badge must go away too.
+                    state.conn_stats = infos.into_iter().collect();
+                }
                 UiEvent::MicLevel(level) => {
                     state.mic_level = level;
                 }
@@ -2064,6 +2317,61 @@ 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 +3474,30 @@ 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 +5091,135 @@ 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 +5543,13 @@ 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![
@@ -5766,6 +6234,49 @@ fn view(state: &AppState) -> Element<'_, AppMessage> {
                             name_col = name_col
                                 .push(text(format!("Playing {game}")).size(11).color(color_blue));
                         }
+                        // Connection-transparency badge: path type + RTT, with
+                        // the full story (address, loss, bitrate) on hover.
+                        // Rendered only while the audio link is live — the
+                        // Connecting/Reconnecting indicator covers the rest.
+                        if let Some(info) = state.conn_stats.get(peer_id) {
+                            let dot_color = if info.relay {
+                                color_yellow
+                            } else {
+                                color_green
+                            };
+                            let badge = row![
+                                text("●").size(9).color(dot_color),
+                                text(conn_badge_label(info)).size(11).color(color_subtext),
+                            ]
+                            .spacing(4)
+                            .align_y(iced::alignment::Vertical::Center);
+                            let detail = column![
+                                text(conn_tooltip_path(info)).size(11).color(color_text),
+                                text(conn_loss_label(info.loss_pct))
+                                    .size(11)
+                                    .color(color_subtext),
+                                text(format!(
+                                    "↑ {}   ↓ {}",
+                                    conn_rate_label(info.up_kbps),
+                                    conn_rate_label(info.down_kbps)
+                                ))
+                                .size(11)
+                                .color(color_subtext),
+                            ]
+                            .spacing(2);
+                            name_col = name_col.push(
+                                tooltip(
+                                    badge,
+                                    container(detail).padding(8).style(c_style(
+                                        color_crust,
+                                        color_surface,
+                                        6.0,
+                                    )),
+                                    iced::widget::tooltip::Position::Bottom,
+                                )
+                                .gap(6),
+                            );
+                        }
                         name_col
                     },
                     add_friend_el,
@@ -6479,11 +6990,29 @@ 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
             },
         ];
 
@@ -8656,6 +9185,17 @@ mod tests {
         state.invalid_audio.insert(attachment_id);
         state.connecting.insert(peer);
         state.ever_connected.insert(peer);
+        state.conn_stats.insert(
+            peer,
+            crate::core::connstats::PeerConnInfo {
+                relay: false,
+                remote_addr: "1.2.3.4:5".to_string(),
+                rtt_ms: 12,
+                loss_pct: None,
+                up_kbps: None,
+                down_kbps: None,
+            },
+        );
         state.recording = true;
         state.recording_started = Some(now);
         state.call_started = Some(now);
@@ -8695,6 +9235,7 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(state.invalid_audio.is_empty());
         assert!(state.connecting.is_empty());
         assert!(state.ever_connected.is_empty());
+        assert!(state.conn_stats.is_empty());
         assert!(!state.recording);
         assert!(state.recording_started.is_none());
         assert!(state.call_started.is_none());
@@ -8703,6 +9244,10 @@ 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 +9372,42 @@ 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 +9779,14 @@ 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"
@@ -9300,6 +9883,38 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(ch.is_finite() && ch >= CHAT_MIN_H);
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn conn_badge_and_tooltip_labels() {
+        use super::{conn_badge_label, conn_loss_label, conn_rate_label, conn_tooltip_path};
+        let direct = crate::core::connstats::PeerConnInfo {
+            relay: false,
+            remote_addr: "192.168.1.7:53340".to_string(),
+            rtt_ms: 12,
+            loss_pct: Some(0.44),
+            up_kbps: Some(32.4),
+            down_kbps: None,
+        };
+        assert_eq!(conn_badge_label(&direct), "Direct · 12 ms");
+        assert_eq!(conn_tooltip_path(&direct), "Direct (192.168.1.7:53340)");
+
+        let relay = crate::core::connstats::PeerConnInfo {
+            relay: true,
+            remote_addr: "https://relay.example./".to_string(),
+            ..direct.clone()
+        };
+        assert_eq!(conn_badge_label(&relay), "Relay · 12 ms");
+        assert_eq!(conn_tooltip_path(&relay), "Relay (https://relay.example./)");
+
+        assert_eq!(conn_loss_label(Some(0.44)), "Loss 0.4% (last second)");
+        // Out-of-range inputs clamp instead of reading nonsense.
+        assert_eq!(conn_loss_label(Some(250.0)), "Loss 100.0% (last second)");
+        assert_eq!(conn_loss_label(None), "Loss — (last second)");
+
+        assert_eq!(conn_rate_label(Some(32.4)), "32 kbps");
+        assert_eq!(conn_rate_label(Some(1500.0)), "1.5 Mbps");
+        assert_eq!(conn_rate_label(None), "—");
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn controls_and_drawer_width_clamps() {
         use super::{CHAT_MIN_W, CONTROLS_MIN_W, clamp_chat_drawer_width, clamp_controls_width};

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/connstats.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,187 @@
+//! Per-peer connection-transparency derivation.
+//!
+//! The transport hands us cumulative counters for each peer's selected QUIC
+//! path ([`PathSnapshot`]); this module turns two consecutive snapshots into
+//! the human-facing [`PeerConnInfo`] the UI renders (badge + tooltip): path
+//! type, RTT, and loss/bitrate over the poll window. Pure functions only —
+//! the polling task in `core::mod` owns the clock and the previous-snapshot
+//! map.
+
+use crate::network::PathSnapshot;
+use std::time::Duration;
+
+/// How often the core polls the transport for path snapshots.
+pub const POLL_INTERVAL: Duration = Duration::from_secs(1);
+
+/// Derived, display-ready connection info for one peer, sent to the UI via
+/// `UiEvent::ConnectionStats`. Window-relative fields are `None` when they
+/// can't be derived yet (first poll, path switch, or an idle window).
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq)]
+pub struct PeerConnInfo {
+    /// True = relayed path, false = direct IP path.
+    pub relay: bool,
+    /// `ip:port` for a direct path, the relay URL for a relayed one.
+    pub remote_addr: String,
+    /// Path round-trip time, rounded to whole milliseconds.
+    pub rtt_ms: u32,
+    /// Percentage of packets sent in the window that were detected lost.
+    pub loss_pct: Option<f32>,
+    /// Outbound bitrate over the window, kilobits per second.
+    pub up_kbps: Option<f32>,
+    /// Inbound bitrate over the window, kilobits per second.
+    pub down_kbps: Option<f32>,
+}
+
+/// Derive display info from the current snapshot and (when comparable) the
+/// previous one. `prev` is comparable only if it's the same path — a relay→
+/// direct migration or a reconnect resets the counters, so those windows
+/// yield `None` rates rather than garbage (negative deltas show up as
+/// `cur < prev` and are treated the same way).
+pub fn derive(prev: Option<&PathSnapshot>, cur: &PathSnapshot, elapsed: Duration) -> PeerConnInfo {
+    let rates = prev
+        .filter(|p| comparable(p, cur))
+        .and_then(|p| window_rates(p, cur, elapsed));
+    PeerConnInfo {
+        relay: cur.is_relay,
+        remote_addr: cur.remote_addr.clone(),
+        rtt_ms: cur.rtt.as_millis().min(u128::from(u32::MAX)) as u32,
+        loss_pct: rates.and_then(|r| r.loss_pct),
+        up_kbps: rates.map(|r| r.up_kbps),
+        down_kbps: rates.map(|r| r.down_kbps),
+    }
+}
+
+/// True when `cur`'s counters continue `prev`'s: same path (address) and
+/// monotonically non-decreasing counters (a reconnect on the same address
+/// restarts them from zero).
+fn comparable(prev: &PathSnapshot, cur: &PathSnapshot) -> bool {
+    prev.remote_addr == cur.remote_addr
+        && cur.tx_bytes >= prev.tx_bytes
+        && cur.rx_bytes >= prev.rx_bytes
+        && cur.tx_datagrams >= prev.tx_datagrams
+        && cur.lost_packets >= prev.lost_packets
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy)]
+struct WindowRates {
+    loss_pct: Option<f32>,
+    up_kbps: f32,
+    down_kbps: f32,
+}
+
+fn window_rates(prev: &PathSnapshot, cur: &PathSnapshot, elapsed: Duration) -> Option<WindowRates> {
+    let secs = elapsed.as_secs_f64();
+    if secs <= 0.0 {
+        return None;
+    }
+    let sent = cur.tx_datagrams - prev.tx_datagrams;
+    let lost = cur.lost_packets - prev.lost_packets;
+    // Loss detection lags sending (it needs ACK timeouts), so a window can see
+    // more losses than sends; clamp to 100% rather than exceeding it. An idle
+    // window (nothing sent or lost) has no loss story to tell.
+    let loss_pct = if sent == 0 && lost == 0 {
+        None
+    } else {
+        Some(((lost as f64 / (sent.max(lost)) as f64) * 100.0) as f32)
+    };
+    let kbps = |bytes: u64| ((bytes as f64 * 8.0 / 1000.0) / secs) as f32;
+    Some(WindowRates {
+        loss_pct,
+        up_kbps: kbps(cur.tx_bytes - prev.tx_bytes),
+        down_kbps: kbps(cur.rx_bytes - prev.rx_bytes),
+    })
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    fn snap(addr: &str, tx_b: u64, rx_b: u64, tx_d: u64, lost: u64) -> PathSnapshot {
+        PathSnapshot {
+            is_relay: false,
+            remote_addr: addr.to_string(),
+            rtt: Duration::from_millis(12),
+            tx_bytes: tx_b,
+            rx_bytes: rx_b,
+            tx_datagrams: tx_d,
+            lost_packets: lost,
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn first_poll_has_type_and_rtt_but_no_rates() {
+        let cur = snap("1.2.3.4:5", 1000, 2000, 50, 0);
+        let info = derive(None, &cur, POLL_INTERVAL);
+        assert_eq!(info.rtt_ms, 12);
+        assert!(!info.relay);
+        assert_eq!(info.remote_addr, "1.2.3.4:5");
+        assert_eq!(info.loss_pct, None);
+        assert_eq!(info.up_kbps, None);
+        assert_eq!(info.down_kbps, None);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn steady_window_yields_rates_and_loss() {
+        let prev = snap("1.2.3.4:5", 0, 0, 0, 0);
+        // 1s window: 4000 bytes up (32 kbps), 2000 down (16 kbps), 2 of 100 lost.
+        let cur = snap("1.2.3.4:5", 4000, 2000, 100, 2);
+        let info = derive(Some(&prev), &cur, Duration::from_secs(1));
+        assert_eq!(info.up_kbps, Some(32.0));
+        assert_eq!(info.down_kbps, Some(16.0));
+        assert_eq!(info.loss_pct, Some(2.0));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn idle_window_has_no_loss_story() {
+        let prev = snap("1.2.3.4:5", 4000, 2000, 100, 2);
+        let cur = prev.clone();
+        let info = derive(Some(&prev), &cur, Duration::from_secs(1));
+        assert_eq!(info.loss_pct, None);
+        assert_eq!(info.up_kbps, Some(0.0));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn loss_detected_in_an_idle_window_clamps_to_full() {
+        // Losses can be *detected* after sending stops (ACK timeouts fire late).
+        let prev = snap("1.2.3.4:5", 4000, 2000, 100, 0);
+        let cur = snap("1.2.3.4:5", 4000, 2000, 100, 3);
+        let info = derive(Some(&prev), &cur, Duration::from_secs(1));
+        assert_eq!(info.loss_pct, Some(100.0));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn path_switch_resets_the_window() {
+        let prev = snap("relay.example:443", 9000, 9000, 900, 5);
+        let cur = snap("1.2.3.4:5", 100, 100, 10, 0);
+        let info = derive(Some(&prev), &cur, Duration::from_secs(1));
+        assert_eq!(info.up_kbps, None);
+        assert_eq!(info.loss_pct, None);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn counter_reset_on_same_address_resets_the_window() {
+        // Same address but the connection was rebuilt → counters restarted.
+        let prev = snap("1.2.3.4:5", 9000, 9000, 900, 5);
+        let cur = snap("1.2.3.4:5", 100, 100, 10, 0);
+        let info = derive(Some(&prev), &cur, Duration::from_secs(1));
+        assert_eq!(info.up_kbps, None);
+        assert_eq!(info.loss_pct, None);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn zero_elapsed_yields_no_rates() {
+        let prev = snap("1.2.3.4:5", 0, 0, 0, 0);
+        let cur = snap("1.2.3.4:5", 4000, 2000, 100, 2);
+        let info = derive(Some(&prev), &cur, Duration::ZERO);
+        assert_eq!(info.up_kbps, None);
+        assert_eq!(info.loss_pct, None);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn oversized_rtt_saturates_instead_of_wrapping() {
+        let mut cur = snap("1.2.3.4:5", 0, 0, 0, 0);
+        cur.rtt = Duration::from_secs(u64::MAX);
+        let info = derive(None, &cur, POLL_INTERVAL);
+        assert_eq!(info.rtt_ms, u32::MAX);
+    }
+}

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: _,
@@ -382,6 +401,11 @@ pub enum UiEvent {
         id: EndpointId,
     },
     AudioLevels(Vec<(EndpointId, f32)>),
+    /// Periodic per-peer connection transparency snapshot (~1/sec): path type
+    /// (direct/relay), RTT, and window loss/bitrate for every peer with a live
+    /// audio link. A FULL replacement each time — a peer absent from the list
+    /// has no live link right now, so its badge should disappear.
+    ConnectionStats(Vec<(EndpointId, crate::core::connstats::PeerConnInfo)>),
     /// Raw (pre-gate, pre-mute) normalized RMS of the local mic, `0.0..=1.0`,
     /// for the settings level meter. Throttled to ~10/sec.
     MicLevel(f32),

src/core/mod.rs

@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+pub mod connstats;
 pub mod jitter;
 pub mod messages;
 mod recovery;
@@ -652,6 +653,7 @@ struct ActiveSession {
     mixer_task: tokio::task::JoinHandle<()>,
     event_task: tokio::task::JoinHandle<()>,
     conn_event_task: tokio::task::JoinHandle<()>,
+    conn_stats_task: tokio::task::JoinHandle<()>,
     recovery_task: tokio::task::JoinHandle<()>,
     recovery_terminal_task: tokio::task::JoinHandle<()>,
     grace_timers: GraceTimers,
@@ -662,9 +664,11 @@ 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 {
@@ -676,13 +680,14 @@ 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();
         self.mixer_task.abort();
         self.event_task.abort();
         self.conn_event_task.abort();
+        self.conn_stats_task.abort();
         // Abort any pending reconnect grace timers so they can't fire a stray
         // eviction (or touch a torn-down transport) after the session is gone.
         for (_, handle) in self.grace_timers.lock().unwrap().drain() {
@@ -883,6 +888,103 @@ async fn build_net_stack(
     })
 }
 
+/// Retry policy for a live net-stack replacement, generic over the builder so
+/// it is unit-testable without binding sockets: build for `requested`; if that
+/// fails, build for `live` (the posture the old stack was actually running) so
+/// a bad posture change degrades to the previous posture instead of leaving no
+/// stack at all. When `requested == live` the second attempt is a plain retry.
+///
+/// `Ok((stack, mode, primary_err))` — a stack is up on `mode`; `primary_err`
+/// is `Some` when the first attempt failed. `Err((primary, fallback))` — both
+/// attempts failed and networking is gone.
+async fn rebuild_with_fallback<T, E, F, Fut>(
+    mut build: F,
+    requested: NetworkMode,
+    live: NetworkMode,
+) -> Result<(T, NetworkMode, Option<E>), (E, E)>
+where
+    F: FnMut(NetworkMode) -> Fut,
+    Fut: std::future::Future<Output = Result<T, E>>,
+{
+    match build(requested).await {
+        Ok(stack) => Ok((stack, requested, None)),
+        Err(primary) => match build(live).await {
+            Ok(stack) => Ok((stack, live, Some(primary))),
+            Err(fallback) => Err((primary, fallback)),
+        },
+    }
+}
+
+/// Tear down `old` and stand up a replacement stack for `requested_mode`.
+///
+/// A build failure here is rare (only the local socket bind can fail; the
+/// relay handshake is backgrounded), but it used to propagate straight out of
+/// `run_core_loop` with no `UiEvent`, silently killing every future command —
+/// the app looked alive and did nothing. Instead, fall back to `live_mode`
+/// via `rebuild_with_fallback`, tell the UI when the requested change did not
+/// stick, and return the mode the new stack actually runs so the caller can
+/// keep its state honest. `Err` only when both builds fail: networking is
+/// gone (already reported to the UI as fatal) and the caller should exit.
+#[allow(clippy::too_many_arguments)]
+async fn replace_net_stack(
+    old: NetStack,
+    what: &str,
+    secret_key: &SecretKey,
+    requested_mode: NetworkMode,
+    live_mode: NetworkMode,
+    friends_handler: &crate::presence_net::Handler,
+    publish: bool,
+    ui_tx: &mpsc::Sender<UiEvent>,
+) -> Result<(NetStack, NetworkMode), anyhow::Error> {
+    let lookup = old.memory_lookup.clone();
+    old.shutdown().await;
+    let outcome = rebuild_with_fallback(
+        |mode| {
+            build_net_stack(
+                secret_key.clone(),
+                mode,
+                lookup.clone(),
+                friends_handler.clone(),
+                publish,
+            )
+        },
+        requested_mode,
+        live_mode,
+    )
+    .await;
+    match outcome {
+        Ok((stack, mode, None)) => Ok((stack, mode)),
+        Ok((stack, mode, Some(primary))) => {
+            if mode == requested_mode {
+                // Same-posture retry succeeded — everything the user asked for
+                // is in effect, so log it rather than raising a UI error.
+                crate::log_msg(&format!(
+                    "{what}: net stack build failed once ({primary:#}); retry succeeded"
+                ));
+            } else {
+                let _ = ui_tx
+                    .send(UiEvent::Error(format!(
+                        "{what} failed ({primary:#}); staying on the previous \
+                         network mode for this session"
+                    )))
+                    .await;
+            }
+            Ok((stack, mode))
+        }
+        Err((primary, fallback)) => {
+            let _ = ui_tx
+                .send(UiEvent::Error(format!(
+                    "Networking lost: {primary:#} (recovery attempt also failed: \
+                     {fallback:#}). Restart PeerSpeak to reconnect."
+                )))
+                .await;
+            Err(anyhow::anyhow!(
+                "net stack rebuild failed: {primary:#}; fallback: {fallback:#}"
+            ))
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 /// Maximum number of *automatic* chat-attachment fetches in flight at once.
 ///
 /// Auto-fetch (inline image preview) is triggered by an untrusted peer's chat
@@ -1330,6 +1432,10 @@ async fn run_core_loop(
     // rebuilt on the next Leave (or before the next Join), preserving the old
     // "applies on next join" semantics while keeping the endpoint up while idle.
     let mut net_rebuild_pending = false;
+    // The posture the live stack was actually built with. Trails `network_mode`
+    // while a rebuild is pending, and is the fallback posture when a rebuild
+    // fails (see `replace_net_stack`).
+    let mut net_mode = network_mode;
 
     // When Discoverable is on, the instant it auto-reverts to Normal (W7 P6 time-box).
     // `None` = not Discoverable, no pending revert. Set on SetPresenceMode(Discoverable),
@@ -1547,17 +1653,24 @@ async fn run_core_loop(
                 // active, rebuild the persistent stack now — after the old session is
                 // gone, before the new one binds — so this join uses the new posture.
                 if net_rebuild_pending {
-                    let lookup = net.memory_lookup.clone();
-                    net.shutdown().await;
                     let publish = presence_mode.lock().unwrap().publishes_to_discovery();
-                    net = build_net_stack(
+                    let (stack, live) = replace_net_stack(
-                        secret_key.clone(),
+                        net,
+                        "Applying deferred network settings",
+                        &secret_key,
                         network_mode,
-                        lookup,
+                        net_mode,
-                        friends_handler.clone(),
+                        &friends_handler,
                         publish,
+                        &ui_tx,
                     )
                     .await?;
+                    net = stack;
+                    net_mode = live;
+                    // If the new posture failed and we fell back, keep the mode
+                    // state honest (and re-attemptable) rather than pretending
+                    // the change applied. The join proceeds on the live stack.
+                    network_mode = live;
                     net_rebuild_pending = false;
                 }
 
@@ -2483,6 +2596,40 @@ async fn run_core_loop(
                     }
                 });
 
+                // Connection-transparency poll: ~1/sec, snapshot every live audio
+                // link's selected path and hand the UI derived badge info (path
+                // type, RTT, window loss/bitrate). Read-only against the
+                // transport; owns the previous-snapshot map the derivation diffs
+                // against.
+                let transport_stats = transport.clone();
+                let ui_tx_stats = ui_tx.clone();
+                let conn_stats_task = tokio::spawn(async move {
+                    let mut prev: HashMap<EndpointId, crate::network::PathSnapshot> =
+                        HashMap::new();
+                    let mut last = tokio::time::Instant::now();
+                    let mut ticker = tokio::time::interval(connstats::POLL_INTERVAL);
+                    ticker.set_missed_tick_behavior(tokio::time::MissedTickBehavior::Delay);
+                    loop {
+                        ticker.tick().await;
+                        let now = tokio::time::Instant::now();
+                        let elapsed = now - last;
+                        last = now;
+                        let snaps = transport_stats.connection_stats();
+                        let infos = snaps
+                            .iter()
+                            .map(|(id, cur)| (*id, connstats::derive(prev.get(id), cur, elapsed)))
+                            .collect();
+                        prev = snaps.into_iter().collect();
+                        if ui_tx_stats
+                            .send(UiEvent::ConnectionStats(infos))
+                            .await
+                            .is_err()
+                        {
+                            break;
+                        }
+                    }
+                });
+
                 let session = ActiveSession {
                     room_state: room_state.clone(),
                     capture_thread,
@@ -2490,6 +2637,7 @@ async fn run_core_loop(
                     mixer_task,
                     event_task,
                     conn_event_task,
+                    conn_stats_task,
                     recovery_task,
                     recovery_terminal_task,
                     grace_timers,
@@ -2497,7 +2645,7 @@ 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();
@@ -2554,17 +2702,21 @@ async fn run_core_loop(
                 // Apply any network-mode / identity change that was deferred while we
                 // were in the call (rebuild while idle keeps the endpoint reachable).
                 if net_rebuild_pending {
-                    let lookup = net.memory_lookup.clone();
-                    net.shutdown().await;
                     let publish = presence_mode.lock().unwrap().publishes_to_discovery();
-                    net = build_net_stack(
+                    let (stack, live) = replace_net_stack(
-                        secret_key.clone(),
+                        net,
+                        "Applying deferred network settings",
+                        &secret_key,
                         network_mode,
-                        lookup,
+                        net_mode,
-                        friends_handler.clone(),
+                        &friends_handler,
                         publish,
+                        &ui_tx,
                     )
                     .await?;
+                    net = stack;
+                    net_mode = live;
+                    network_mode = live;
                     net_rebuild_pending = false;
                 }
             }
@@ -2710,17 +2862,21 @@ async fn run_core_loop(
                     // idle; if a call is active, defer to the next Leave/Join so the
                     // live call isn't disrupted (preserves "applies on next join").
                     if active_session.is_none() {
-                        let lookup = net.memory_lookup.clone();
-                        net.shutdown().await;
                         let publish = presence_mode.lock().unwrap().publishes_to_discovery();
-                        net = build_net_stack(
+                        let (stack, live) = replace_net_stack(
-                            secret_key.clone(),
+                            net,
+                            "Network mode change",
+                            &secret_key,
                             network_mode,
-                            lookup,
+                            net_mode,
-                            friends_handler.clone(),
+                            &friends_handler,
                             publish,
+                            &ui_tx,
                         )
                         .await?;
+                        net = stack;
+                        net_mode = live;
+                        network_mode = live;
                     } else {
                         net_rebuild_pending = true;
                     }
@@ -2758,17 +2914,22 @@ async fn run_core_loop(
                 // key unchanged, so a rebuild would be pointless churn).
                 if regenerated {
                     if active_session.is_none() {
-                        let lookup = net.memory_lookup.clone();
-                        net.shutdown().await;
                         let publish = presence_mode.lock().unwrap().publishes_to_discovery();
-                        net = build_net_stack(
+                        // Same mode both attempts — the fallback is a plain
-                            secret_key.clone(),
+                        // retry under the (already persisted) new key.
+                        let (stack, live) = replace_net_stack(
+                            net,
+                            "Endpoint restart after identity change",
+                            &secret_key,
                             network_mode,
-                            lookup,
+                            net_mode,
-                            friends_handler.clone(),
+                            &friends_handler,
                             publish,
+                            &ui_tx,
                         )
                         .await?;
+                        net = stack;
+                        net_mode = live;
                     } else {
                         net_rebuild_pending = true;
                     }
@@ -3121,7 +3282,11 @@ 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 +3336,15 @@ 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 +3382,7 @@ 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 +3394,27 @@ 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 +3430,23 @@ 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,
+        NetworkMode, PLAYBACK_HANDOFF_QUEUE_FRAMES, PeerSpeakTicket, admit_retained,
-        apply_volume, audio_datagram_len_ok, coalesce_insert, coalesce_pop, frame_level,
+        apply_peer_volume, apply_volume, audio_datagram_len_ok, coalesce_insert, coalesce_pop,
-        mix_frames, mix_stereo_frames, next_game_change, send_playback_frame, should_auto_fetch,
+        frame_level, mix_frames, mix_stereo_frames, next_game_change, rebuild_with_fallback,
-        stereo_to_mono,
+        replace_viewer_index, send_playback_frame, should_auto_fetch, stereo_to_mono,
     };
     use crate::core::messages::{CoalesceKey, CoreCommand, coalesce_key};
     use std::collections::{HashMap, HashSet};
@@ -3259,6 +3457,114 @@ 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);
+    }
+
+    // --- rebuild_with_fallback: the retry policy behind replace_net_stack ---
+    // The builder is injected, so these cover the policy without sockets. The
+    // closure does its bookkeeping synchronously and returns a ready future.
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn rebuild_keeps_requested_posture_on_first_success() {
+        let calls = std::cell::RefCell::new(Vec::new());
+        let out = rebuild_with_fallback(
+            |mode| {
+                calls.borrow_mut().push(mode);
+                std::future::ready(Ok::<u8, String>(7))
+            },
+            NetworkMode::DirectOnly,
+            NetworkMode::N0Full,
+        )
+        .await;
+        assert_eq!(out, Ok((7, NetworkMode::DirectOnly, None)));
+        // No second build: the live posture is only a fallback.
+        assert_eq!(*calls.borrow(), vec![NetworkMode::DirectOnly]);
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn rebuild_falls_back_to_the_live_posture_when_the_requested_one_fails() {
+        let calls = std::cell::RefCell::new(Vec::new());
+        let out = rebuild_with_fallback(
+            |mode| {
+                calls.borrow_mut().push(mode);
+                std::future::ready(if mode == NetworkMode::DirectOnly {
+                    Err("bind failed".to_string())
+                } else {
+                    Ok(7u8)
+                })
+            },
+            NetworkMode::DirectOnly,
+            NetworkMode::N0Full,
+        )
+        .await;
+        // A stack is up on the OLD posture and the caller learns both that it
+        // fell back (mode) and why (the primary error) — no silent zombie.
+        assert_eq!(
+            out,
+            Ok((7, NetworkMode::N0Full, Some("bind failed".to_string())))
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            *calls.borrow(),
+            vec![NetworkMode::DirectOnly, NetworkMode::N0Full]
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn rebuild_reports_both_errors_when_networking_is_gone() {
+        let out = rebuild_with_fallback(
+            |_| std::future::ready(Err::<u8, String>("bind failed".to_string())),
+            NetworkMode::DirectOnly,
+            NetworkMode::N0Full,
+        )
+        .await;
+        assert_eq!(
+            out,
+            Err(("bind failed".to_string(), "bind failed".to_string()))
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn rebuild_with_equal_postures_is_a_plain_retry() {
+        // RegenerateIdentity rebuilds under the same mode: the fallback is a
+        // second attempt with identical parameters, not a posture change.
+        let calls = std::cell::Cell::new(0u8);
+        let out = rebuild_with_fallback(
+            |mode| {
+                calls.set(calls.get() + 1);
+                assert_eq!(mode, NetworkMode::RelayNoDiscovery);
+                std::future::ready(if calls.get() == 1 {
+                    Err("transient".to_string())
+                } else {
+                    Ok(7u8)
+                })
+            },
+            NetworkMode::RelayNoDiscovery,
+            NetworkMode::RelayNoDiscovery,
+        )
+        .await;
+        // Succeeded on the requested posture, so the caller treats the change
+        // as applied (the Some(err) is logged, not surfaced as a UI error).
+        assert_eq!(
+            out,
+            Ok((
+                7,
+                NetworkMode::RelayNoDiscovery,
+                Some("transient".to_string())
+            ))
+        );
+        assert_eq!(calls.get(), 2);
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn admit_retained_rejects_only_new_ids_at_the_cap() {
         // Below the cap, a brand-new identity is retained.

src/network/iroh_impl.rs

@@ -689,6 +689,57 @@ impl IrohTransport {
         Ok(bytes)
     }
 
+    /// Snapshot the selected QUIC path of every live audio connection, for the
+    /// UI's per-peer connection badge (direct/relay, RTT, loss, bitrate).
+    /// Cheap and lock-light: the `live_conns` guard is released before touching
+    /// any connection, and `Connection::paths()` reads shared state without I/O.
+    pub fn connection_stats(&self) -> Vec<(EndpointId, crate::network::PathSnapshot)> {
+        // Clone the connections out so the map lock isn't held while we inspect
+        // paths (a supervisor inserts/removes entries as links come and go).
+        let conns: Vec<(EndpointId, Connection)> = self
+            .shared
+            .live_conns
+            .lock()
+            .unwrap()
+            .iter()
+            .map(|(id, conn)| (*id, conn.clone()))
+            .collect();
+        conns
+            .into_iter()
+            .filter_map(|(id, conn)| {
+                let paths = conn.paths();
+                // The selected path is the one carrying application data. In the
+                // brief window where none is flagged (e.g. mid-migration), fall
+                // back to the first open path rather than dropping the badge.
+                let path = paths
+                    .iter()
+                    .find(|p| p.is_selected())
+                    .or_else(|| paths.iter().next())?;
+                let stats = path.stats();
+                // Per-variant display: `TransportAddr`'s own `Display` prefixes
+                // a scheme ("ip:1.2.3.4:5") that's noise next to the badge's
+                // Direct/Relay label.
+                let remote_addr = match path.remote_addr() {
+                    iroh::TransportAddr::Ip(sock) => sock.to_string(),
+                    iroh::TransportAddr::Relay(url) => url.to_string(),
+                    other => other.to_string(),
+                };
+                Some((
+                    id,
+                    crate::network::PathSnapshot {
+                        is_relay: path.remote_addr().is_relay(),
+                        remote_addr,
+                        rtt: stats.rtt,
+                        tx_bytes: stats.udp_tx.bytes,
+                        rx_bytes: stats.udp_rx.bytes,
+                        tx_datagrams: stats.udp_tx.datagrams,
+                        lost_packets: stats.lost_packets,
+                    },
+                ))
+            })
+            .collect()
+    }
+
     /// Fetch a chat attachment's bytes from its sender over the file plane.
     pub async fn fetch_attachment(
         &self,

src/network/mod.rs

@@ -184,6 +184,32 @@ pub enum ConnEvent {
     Left(EndpointId),
 }
 
+/// Owned snapshot of a peer's *selected* QUIC path (the one currently carrying
+/// application data), taken from the live audio connection for the UI's
+/// connection-transparency badge. Counters are cumulative for the path's
+/// lifetime; rate/loss derivation over a poll window happens in
+/// `core::connstats` (which also detects path switches via `remote_addr`).
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq)]
+pub struct PathSnapshot {
+    /// True when the path runs through a relay server, false for a direct
+    /// (holepunched or local) IP path.
+    pub is_relay: bool,
+    /// The path's remote transport address: `ip:port` for a direct path, the
+    /// relay URL for a relayed one.
+    pub remote_addr: String,
+    /// Current QUIC round-trip-time estimate for the path.
+    pub rtt: std::time::Duration,
+    /// Cumulative bytes sent in UDP datagrams on the path.
+    pub tx_bytes: u64,
+    /// Cumulative bytes received in UDP datagrams on the path.
+    pub rx_bytes: u64,
+    /// Cumulative UDP datagrams sent on the path (the loss denominator: for our
+    /// small voice frames these map ~1:1 to QUIC packets).
+    pub tx_datagrams: u64,
+    /// Cumulative packets detected lost on the path.
+    pub lost_packets: u64,
+}
+
 #[derive(Serialize, Deserialize, Clone, Debug)]
 pub struct PeerSpeakTicket {
     pub host_addr: iroh::EndpointAddr,

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 +361,26 @@ 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 +480,14 @@ 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 +521,7 @@ 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 +603,33 @@ 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 +643,64 @@ 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 +744,11 @@ 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 +756,9 @@ 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 +769,7 @@ 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 +778,122 @@ 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 +766,11 @@ where
                 }
             }
             MenuAction::Paste => {
-                let clip = clipboard
+                let clip = sanitize_clip(
-                    .read(clipboard::Kind::Standard)
+                    &clipboard
-                    .unwrap_or_default()
+                        .read(clipboard::Kind::Standard)
-                    .chars()
+                        .unwrap_or_default(),
-                    .filter(|c| !c.is_control())
+                );
-                    .collect::<String>();
                 let edit = paste(self.value, start, end, &clip);
 
                 self.publish_paste(edit, shell);
@@ -842,6 +890,16 @@ 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!(

tests/transport_loopback.rs

@@ -244,6 +244,73 @@ async fn loopback_sequenced_audio_reaches_peer_and_decodes() {
     );
 }
 
+/// Connection transparency: over a real loopback link, `connection_stats()`
+/// must report the peer's selected path as direct (relay disabled here), with
+/// an IP remote address and counters that advance while audio flows — and the
+/// `connstats::derive` seam must turn two such snapshots into badge info with
+/// live rates.
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn connection_stats_report_a_direct_path_with_live_counters() {
+    let a = spawn_node().await;
+    let b = spawn_node().await;
+
+    a.lookup.add_endpoint_info(b.endpoint.addr());
+    b.lookup.add_endpoint_info(a.endpoint.addr());
+
+    let a_id = a.endpoint.id();
+    let b_id = b.endpoint.id();
+    a.transport.admit_audio_sender(b_id);
+    b.transport.admit_audio_sender(a_id);
+
+    // Keep B's receive path subscribed like production (drained implicitly).
+    let _b_rx = b.transport.receive_datagrams().await.expect("subscribe B");
+
+    a.transport.connect_peer(b.endpoint.addr()).await;
+    b.transport.connect_peer(a.endpoint.addr()).await;
+    tokio::time::sleep(Duration::from_millis(500)).await;
+
+    let snap = |stats: Vec<(iroh::EndpointId, peerspeak::network::PathSnapshot)>| {
+        stats
+            .into_iter()
+            .find(|(id, _)| *id == b_id)
+            .map(|(_, s)| s)
+            .expect("peer B should appear in A's connection stats")
+    };
+    let s1 = snap(a.transport.connection_stats());
+    assert!(!s1.is_relay, "loopback with relay disabled must be direct");
+    assert!(
+        s1.remote_addr.parse::<std::net::SocketAddr>().is_ok(),
+        "direct path address should be ip:port, got {}",
+        s1.remote_addr
+    );
+
+    // Stream real audio so the path counters move.
+    let mut enc = OpusEncoder::new(48000, Channels::Mono, Application::Voip).unwrap();
+    for seq in 0..25u32 {
+        a.transport.broadcast(packet(&mut enc, seq));
+        tokio::time::sleep(Duration::from_millis(5)).await;
+    }
+
+    let s2 = snap(a.transport.connection_stats());
+    assert!(s2.tx_bytes > s1.tx_bytes, "sent bytes should advance");
+    assert!(
+        s2.tx_datagrams > s1.tx_datagrams,
+        "sent datagrams should advance"
+    );
+
+    // The derivation seam turns the two snapshots into live badge info.
+    let info = peerspeak::core::connstats::derive(Some(&s1), &s2, Duration::from_millis(200));
+    assert!(!info.relay);
+    assert_eq!(info.remote_addr, s2.remote_addr);
+    assert!(info.rtt_ms < 1000, "localhost RTT should be sane");
+    assert!(
+        info.up_kbps
+            .expect("same path + positive window has a rate")
+            > 0.0,
+        "audio was flowing, so the upstream rate must be non-zero"
+    );
+}
+
 /// Read datagrams off a raw connection until `target` arrive or the deadline
 /// passes, asserting each carries the 4-byte sequence header.
 async fn count_audio(conn: &Connection, target: u32, deadline: tokio::time::Instant) -> u32 {