---
slug: 01-09-save-stops-recording
status: awaiting_human_verify
goal: find_and_fix
trigger: Plan 01-13 Task 9 operator empirical UAT — clicking SAVE downloads archive but recording continues; toolbar press re-opens SAVE-only popup; operator confusion (4× toolbar presses → 2 zips downloaded, 1 misclick)
tdd_mode: true
phase: 01-stabilize-video-pipeline
plan: 01-09
opened: 2026-05-19
orchestrator_diagnosed: true
red_commit: cd83eb0
green_commit: 4f4c3e2
a14_commit: 2b6c24b
---

# Debug session 01-09-save-stops-recording — SAVE_ARCHIVE must auto-stop recording (SPEC one-shot intent)

## Problem statement

During the Plan 01-13 Task 9 operator empirical UAT 2026-05-19, after the
operator clicked SAVE in the popup during an active recording session, the
extension produced the requested archive zip (downloaded to `~/Downloads`)
but the recording **did not stop**: the toolbar badge stayed `REC`, Chrome's
"Sharing your screen" banner remained visible, and subsequent toolbar
presses re-opened the SAVE-only popup with no feedback indicating the
prior SAVE had succeeded. The operator performed 4 toolbar presses across
~94 seconds; 2 zips downloaded (`session_report_2026-05-19_10-59-44.zip` +
`session_report_2026-05-19_11-01-18.zip`); the SW console captured 2
`SAVE_ARCHIVE` receives + 2 `Archive download started` events, with the
recording stream alive throughout.

## Root cause (orchestrator-diagnosed)

`src/background/index.ts:744-748` SAVE_ARCHIVE handler invokes `saveArchive()`,
which produces the zip + calls `chrome.downloads.download`, then returns
`{success: true}` — but the handler **never signals offscreen to stop the
recording**. The recorder's mediaStream + MediaRecorder + rotation timer
all stay live. The operator's perception ("nothing happened") was correct:
the popup did not transition state after SAVE; the badge did not transition;
no notification fired. This violates the SPEC `Тз расширение фаза1.md`
"one click MUST produce a self-contained archive" — which implies one-shot
save-and-done semantics. The original design's "always-on" framing was
over-extended by engineering interpretation; the SPEC actually calls for
a deliberate stop after each save.

## Fix design

Two-file patch matched to the existing parallel Bug B (user-stopped-sharing)
pattern in `.planning/debug/resolved/01-09-recovery-flow.md`:

### `src/background/index.ts` SAVE_ARCHIVE handler

After `downloadArchive` returns (i.e. inside `saveArchive()` after
the download dispatch succeeds, before the function returns `{success: true}`):

```typescript
// Plan 01-13 Task 9 operator UAT closure: SAVE = one-shot per SPEC intent.
// Send STOP_RECORDING to offscreen + transition state to IDLE so the
// operator sees a clean reset (badge clears, popup empties, sharing
// banner closes via track.stop()). Mirrors the Bug B user-stopped-sharing
// path: deliberate stop ≠ error; no recovery notification.
try {
  await chrome.runtime.sendMessage({ type: 'STOP_RECORDING' });
} catch (sendErr) {
  // Offscreen may be unreachable mid-teardown; non-fatal — SW-side
  // state still transitions to IDLE so the operator regains the
  // restart path.
  logger.warn('STOP_RECORDING dispatch after save failed:', sendErr);
}
isRecording = false;
setIdleMode();
```

### `src/offscreen/recorder.ts` STOP_RECORDING handler

ALREADY EXISTS at recorder.ts:848 — invokes `stopRecording()` which
correctly nulls mediaStream + stops the MediaRecorder + stops all tracks
+ clears the rotation timer. No edit needed on the offscreen side.

**Edge case decided:** `resetBuffer` is intentionally NOT called by the SW
post-save because:
1. `stopRecording()` in recorder.ts does NOT call resetBuffer (line 559
   comment: "we do NOT call resetBuffer() here — the operator may want
   to STOP and then SAVE the buffered footage").
2. After SAVE_ARCHIVE the buffer's contents have already been consumed
   into the zip; the operator's next session will start fresh because
   `startRecording()` calls resetBuffer at line 318.
3. Calling resetBuffer here would be defensive overkill — the segments
   are about to be overwritten on the next START anyway, and a no-op
   resetBuffer on an already-cleared-at-next-start buffer wastes nothing.

## TDD plan

### RED unit tests (NEW file: `tests/background/save-archive-stops-recording.test.ts`)

1. After `SAVE_ARCHIVE` receive completes → `chrome.action.setBadgeText`
   called with `text=''` (setIdleMode side effect)
2. After `SAVE_ARCHIVE` receive → `chrome.action.setPopup` called with
   `popup=''` (setIdleMode side effect — the popup-empties signal that
   re-enables onClicked restart path)
3. After `SAVE_ARCHIVE` receive → `chrome.runtime.sendMessage` called
   with `{type:'STOP_RECORDING'}` (the SW → offscreen STOP signal)
4. After `SAVE_ARCHIVE` receive → NO recovery notification fired
   (`chrome.notifications.create` not called with `mokosh-recovery-*` id)

### A14 harness extension

`tests/uat/extension-page-harness.ts` — add `assertA14` after assertA13:
- Pre-condition: A13 just dispatched a SAVE_ARCHIVE; recording state
  after that save should now be IDLE (badge='', popup='').
- Reads `chrome.action.getBadgeText({})` → expects `''`
- Reads `chrome.action.getPopup({})` → expects `''` (relative path empty;
  Chrome returns empty string when setPopup was called with `''`)
- Snapshots `chrome.notifications.getAll()` keys → expects NO id with
  `mokosh-recovery-` prefix added since A13 (verifies no recovery notif
  fired on the SAVE auto-stop)

Recommended simplification per spec: skip direct `isRecording` query
(no bridge op exposes it). The badge proxy is sufficient — production
state machine pairs `isRecording` updates with badge transitions
atomically (no state-machine path desyncs them).

### Files touched

- `tests/background/save-archive-stops-recording.test.ts` (NEW)
- `src/background/index.ts` (saveArchive() function — append STOP signal
  + setIdleMode + isRecording=false)
- `tests/uat/extension-page-harness.ts` (assertA14 + global surface)
- `tests/uat/lib/harness-page-driver.ts` (driveA14)
- `tests/uat/harness.test.ts` (orchestrator — add A14 in sequence)

Note: STOP_RECORDING is already in `MessageType` (src/shared/types.ts:14)
— no type-system surface change needed.

## RED → GREEN evidence

- RED commit SHA: `cd83eb0` (4 tests, 3 RED + 1 regression-guard GREEN)
- GREEN commit SHA: `4f4c3e2` (`src/background/index.ts` saveArchive
  finally block)
- A14 commit SHA: `2b6c24b` (harness extension + A13 amendment)
- vitest count: **98/98 GREEN** (was 94/94 baseline; +4 from
  `tests/background/save-archive-stops-recording.test.ts`)
- `npm run test:uat`: **15/15 GREEN** (was 14/14; +1 from A14)
- `npx tsc --noEmit`: exit 0
- `npm run build`: exit 0

### Vitest output snippet (Tests A-D)

```
✓ A: SAVE_ARCHIVE triggers setBadgeText({text:""}) — recording cleared after save
✓ B: SAVE_ARCHIVE triggers setPopup({popup:""}) — onClicked path re-enabled
✓ C: SAVE_ARCHIVE dispatches STOP_RECORDING via chrome.runtime.sendMessage
✓ D: SAVE_ARCHIVE does NOT fire a mokosh-recovery-* notification
```

### Harness A14 output snippet

```
A14 — post-SAVE auto-stop state: badge='' + popup='' + no new mokosh-recovery-* notif: PASS
  [PASS] A14.1: badge text is '' after SAVE_ARCHIVE auto-stop (setIdleMode)
  [PASS] A14.2: popup is '' after SAVE_ARCHIVE auto-stop (setIdleMode re-enables onClicked)
  [PASS] A14.3: NO new mokosh-recovery-* notification (deliberate stop != error)
```

## Harness A14 addition rationale

A14 verifies the fix end-to-end via real Chrome + real MediaRecorder.
A13 amended to setupFreshRecording + 11s segment-settle before its own
SAVE dispatch (A12's SAVE now auto-stops per the new fix). A14 itself
is read-only: snapshots recovery-notif ids, settles 500ms, then asserts
post-state badge='' + popup='' + recoveryDelta=0. No new SAVE dispatch
in A14 — chains off A13's SAVE for the event under test. Minimizes
harness wall-clock cost (~11s for A13 re-setup; ~500ms for A14 settle).

Direct isRecording proxy check skipped per orchestrator simpler-design
recommendation: the production state machine pairs isRecording with
badge transitions atomically; badge='' is a reliable proxy.

## Noteworthy

- **No PortMessage / Message type changes were needed.** `STOP_RECORDING`
  was already in `src/shared/types.ts:14` MessageType union (from Plan
  01-05's offscreen rebuild). The offscreen `STOP_RECORDING` case at
  `src/offscreen/recorder.ts:848` was also already wired (calls
  `stopRecording()` which correctly nulls mediaStream + stops tracks +
  clears rotation timer). The fix was purely a missing dispatch on
  the SW side — not a missing type or handler.

- **`resetBuffer` question resolved cleanly:** NOT called from the SW
  post-save. Rationale documented in the debug record's "Fix design"
  section: `stopRecording()` deliberately does not call resetBuffer
  (recorder.ts:559 comment "operator may want to STOP then SAVE"); the
  next session's `startRecording()` calls resetBuffer at line 318 so
  the buffer is fresh anyway. Calling it from the SW would be
  defensive overkill.

- **Empty-buffer-path trade-off documented inline in src/background/index.ts:**
  the catch branch emits `RECORDING_ERROR{error:'empty-video-buffer'}`
  which the SW's own onMessage handler routes through setErrorMode +
  creates a `mokosh-recovery-*` notification. The new finally block
  then runs setIdleMode after — so the FINAL badge state is OFF but
  the recovery notif lingers visibly. The unit test mock for
  `chrome.runtime.sendMessage` doesn't loop back to the SW's own
  onMessage (so Test D appears clean), but in production an
  empty-buffer SAVE WOULD briefly surface a recovery notification.
  This is acceptable UX — operator sees "something went wrong, click
  to restart" and the badge correctly resolves to OFF.

## Follow-ups

- Orchestrator runs pre-checkpoint bundle gates (SW CSP-safety, Node-globals
  in SW chunk, DOM-globals not in SW chunk, Tier-1 hook-string grep over
  dist/) BEFORE re-surfacing operator UAT. Per
  `feedback-pre-checkpoint-bundle-gates.md` operator time = automation
  cannot verify.
- Operator UAT after this lands should confirm: SAVE click → zip lands +
  badge clears + sharing banner closes + popup empties + subsequent
  toolbar click starts a NEW recording session (clean state machine).

## Follow-ups

- Orchestrator runs pre-checkpoint bundle gates (SW CSP-safety, Node-globals
  in SW chunk, DOM-globals not in SW chunk, Tier-1 hook-string grep over
  dist/) BEFORE re-surfacing operator UAT. Per
  `feedback-pre-checkpoint-bundle-gates.md` operator time = automation
  cannot verify.
- Operator UAT after this lands should confirm: SAVE click → zip lands +
  badge clears + sharing banner closes + popup empties + subsequent
  toolbar click starts a NEW recording session (clean state machine).

---

## SUPERSEDED 2026-05-19 — Charter REVERSED

This fix was REVERSED on 2026-05-19 per operator UX iteration preferring
the original "always-on safety net" charter. The new (= original-original)
contract: SAVE creates a zip but does NOT stop the recorder; recording
is continuous until the operator clicks Chrome's "Stop sharing" banner,
the browser closes, or the extension is uninstalled.

See the new debug record: `.planning/debug/resolved/01-09-save-does-not-stop-recording.md`
and Plan 01-09 Amendment 3.

This record remains as audit trail for the charter cycle. The 4f4c3e2 fix
was technically correct against the (now-reversed) Amendment 2 charter;
the reversal is a UX preference, not a technical defect.
