From bfc7eba03fe2d5785307878f31a087fcc353af74 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: xpltd <dev@xpltd.co>
Date: Sat, 21 Mar 2026 22:36:18 -0500
Subject: [PATCH] =?UTF-8?q?Demote=20extractor=5Fargs=20to=20troubleshootin?=
 =?UTF-8?q?g=20=E2=80=94=20yt-dlp=20defaults=20work=20out=20of=20the=20box?=
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The 403 was a VPN IP issue, not a client selection issue. yt-dlp already
picks the right player clients (android_vr + web_safari). Moved
YTDLP__EXTRACTOR_ARGS out of 'Most Useful Settings' into a
'Troubleshooting: YouTube 403 Errors' section that explains the actual
common causes (VPN IPs, private content) before the escape hatch.
---
 README.md          | 20 ++++++--------------
 docker-compose.yml |  3 ---
 2 files changed, 6 insertions(+), 17 deletions(-)

diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index e4f7db1..c4954ad 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -54,7 +54,6 @@ These are the knobs most operators actually touch — all shown commented out in
 | `MEDIARIP__DOWNLOADS__MAX_CONCURRENT` | `3` | Increase for faster connections, decrease on low-spec hardware |
 | `MEDIARIP__PURGE__MAX_AGE_MINUTES` | `1440` | Raise for longer retention, or set `PURGE__ENABLED=false` to keep forever |
 | `MEDIARIP__ADMIN__PASSWORD_HASH` | _(empty)_ | Pre-set to skip the first-run wizard (useful for automated deployments) |
-| `MEDIARIP__YTDLP__EXTRACTOR_ARGS` | `{}` | Tune YouTube player client if downloads 403 (see [yt-dlp Tuning](#yt-dlp-tuning)) |
 
 ### All Settings
 
@@ -127,25 +126,18 @@ docker run --rm python:3.12-slim python -c \
 # MEDIARIP__ADMIN__PASSWORD_HASH=$2b$12$...your.hash...
 ```
 
-### yt-dlp Tuning
+### Troubleshooting: YouTube 403 Errors
 
-If YouTube downloads fail with HTTP 403, try changing the player client:
+YouTube downloads work out of the box — yt-dlp automatically selects the right player clients. If you do hit HTTP 403 errors, it's usually one of:
+
+1. **VPN/datacenter IP** — YouTube blocks many VPN exit IPs. Run the container on your direct internet connection instead.
+2. **Private/age-restricted content** — Upload a `cookies.txt` from a logged-in browser session via the UI.
+3. **YouTube-side changes** — As a last resort, you can override yt-dlp's player client selection:
 
 ```bash
-# Environment variable
 MEDIARIP__YTDLP__EXTRACTOR_ARGS='{"youtube": {"player_client": ["web_safari"]}}'
 ```
 
-```yaml
-# Or in config.yaml
-ytdlp:
-  extractor_args:
-    youtube:
-      player_client: ["web_safari", "android_vr"]
-```
-
-You can also upload a `cookies.txt` from a logged-in browser session via the UI for authenticated downloads.
-
 ## Custom Themes
 
 1. Create a folder in your themes volume: `./themes/my-theme/`
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index 81052c6..99259f3 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -31,9 +31,6 @@ services:
       #
       ## Pre-set admin password (skip first-run wizard):
       # - MEDIARIP__ADMIN__PASSWORD_HASH=$2b$12$...
-      #
-      ## YouTube tuning — change player client if downloads fail:
-      # - MEDIARIP__YTDLP__EXTRACTOR_ARGS={"youtube":{"player_client":["web_safari"]}}
     restart: unless-stopped
     healthcheck:
       test: ["CMD", "curl", "-f", "http://localhost:8000/api/health"]