Separate per-kind video/audio folders, defaulting to Documents\Video and Documents\Audio

Existing installs had outputDir persisted to the Downloads folder (auto-filled by
earlier versions), so the v0.3.0 per-kind routing never triggered — downloads kept
going to Downloads. Replace the single outputDir setting with independent videoDir
and audioDir settings:

- Settings model: drop Settings.outputDir; add videoDir + audioDir (both blank by
  default). A blank value routes that kind into Documents\Video / Documents\Audio;
  a chosen folder overrides it. The stale outputDir key in old settings files is
  simply ignored, so existing users now get the Documents defaults.
- buildCommand routes by kind: per-download override → per-kind folder → default.
- The renderer no longer sends a global outputDir, so main always routes by kind.
- Settings: the single "Download folder" field becomes separate "Video folder" and
  "Audio folder" pickers, each with a Browse + Reset and a Documents\… placeholder.
  Store gains chooseDir(target) / clearDir(target).
- Onboarding: replace the folder picker with a short note about the two default
  folders (changeable in Settings).
- Bump version to 0.3.1.

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

package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "aerofetch",
-  "version": "0.3.0",
+  "version": "0.3.1",
   "description": "A yt-dlp frontend for Windows",
   "main": "./out/main/index.js",
   "author": "AeroFetch",

src/main/download.ts

@@ -166,10 +166,10 @@ function resolveExtraArgs(opts: StartDownloadOptions, settings: Settings): strin
 export function buildCommand(opts: StartDownloadOptions): string[] {
   const settings = getSettings()
   // Output dir resolution: a per-download override wins, then the user's explicit
-  // global folder (Settings → Download folder), and finally — when both are blank —
+  // per-kind folder (Settings → Video/Audio folder), and finally — when that's
-  // the per-kind default (Documents\Video for video, Documents\Audio for audio).
+  // blank — the per-kind default (Documents\Video for video, Documents\Audio for audio).
-  const outDir =
+  const perKindDir = (opts.kind === 'audio' ? settings.audioDir : settings.videoDir)?.trim()
-    opts.outputDir?.trim() || settings.outputDir?.trim() || getDefaultMediaDir(opts.kind)
+  const outDir = opts.outputDir?.trim() || perKindDir || getDefaultMediaDir(opts.kind)
   // A collection (media-manager) download is filed into <channel>/<playlist>/
   // <NNN> - <title> folders; an ordinary download uses the flat filenameTemplate.
   const filenameTemplate = settings.filenameTemplate?.trim() || '%(title)s.%(ext)s'

src/main/settings.ts

@@ -17,7 +17,10 @@ import {
 } from '@shared/ipc'
 
 const DEFAULTS: Settings = {
-  outputDir: '', // blank = route by kind into Documents\Video / Documents\Audio (see getDefaultMediaDir)
+  // Both blank by default → downloads land in Documents\Video / Documents\Audio
+  // (see getDefaultMediaDir). A non-empty value is an explicit per-kind override.
+  videoDir: '',
+  audioDir: '',
   defaultKind: 'video',
   defaultVideoQuality: 'Best available',
   defaultAudioQuality: 'Best (MP3)',
@@ -126,9 +129,9 @@ export function getSettings(): Settings {
   // `set`, so only write when something actually changed — otherwise this churns
   // the settings file on every read. (audit P1)
   const cur = s.store
-  // outputDir is intentionally left blank by default — an empty value routes each
+  // videoDir/audioDir are intentionally left blank by default — an empty value
-  // download into Documents\Video / Documents\Audio by kind (see buildCommand).
+  // routes that kind into Documents\Video / Documents\Audio (see buildCommand).
-  // Only an explicit user choice (Settings → Download folder) overrides that.
+  // Only an explicit user choice (Settings → folders) overrides that.
   // Migrate settings files that predate downloadOptions (or hold a partial one),
   // but only persist when sanitizing actually altered the stored value.
   const sanitized = sanitizeOptions(cur.downloadOptions)
@@ -212,8 +215,13 @@ export function setSettings(partial: Partial<Settings>): Settings {
         // group (it merges field changes locally before calling setSettings).
         s.set('downloadOptions', sanitizeOptions(value))
         break
-      case 'outputDir':
+      case 'videoDir':
-        if (typeof value === 'string' && isSafeOutputDir(value.trim())) s.set('outputDir', value.trim())
+      case 'audioDir':
+        // An empty string is allowed — it clears the override and restores the
+        // Documents\Video / Documents\Audio default for that kind.
+        if (typeof value === 'string' && (value.trim() === '' || isSafeOutputDir(value.trim()))) {
+          s.set(key, value.trim())
+        }
         break
       case 'filenameTemplate':
         if (typeof value === 'string' && isSafeFilenameTemplate(value.trim())) {

src/renderer/src/components/Onboarding.tsx

@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@ import {
   Body1,
   Caption1,
   Field,
-  Input,
   Button,
   makeStyles,
   tokens,
@@ -12,7 +11,6 @@ import {
 } from '@fluentui/react-components'
 import {
   ArrowDownloadFilled,
-  FolderRegular,
   ClipboardPasteRegular,
   HistoryRegular,
   OptionsRegular,
@@ -56,13 +54,8 @@ const useStyles = makeStyles({
     justifyContent: 'center',
     fontSize: '26px'
   },
-  folderRow: {
+  folderNote: {
-    display: 'flex',
+    color: tokens.colorNeutralForeground3
-    gap: '8px',
-    alignItems: 'flex-end'
-  },
-  folderInput: {
-    flexGrow: 1
   },
   tips: {
     display: 'flex',
@@ -99,8 +92,6 @@ const TIPS: { icon: React.JSX.Element; text: string }[] = [
 
 export function Onboarding(): React.JSX.Element {
   const styles = useStyles()
-  const outputDir = useSettings((s) => s.outputDir)
-  const chooseOutputDir = useSettings((s) => s.chooseOutputDir)
   const update = useSettings((s) => s.update)
 
   return (
@@ -118,22 +109,12 @@ export function Onboarding(): React.JSX.Element {
           audio. yt-dlp and ffmpeg are bundled, so there's nothing else to install.
         </Body1>
 
-        <Field
+        <Field label="Where downloads go">
-          label="Download folder"
+          <Caption1 className={styles.folderNote}>
-          hint="Leave blank to sort downloads into Documents\Video and Documents\Audio by type, or pick a folder for everything."
+            Videos save to your <strong>Documents\Video</strong> folder and audio to{' '}
-        >
+            <strong>Documents\Audio</strong>. You can point each to a different folder any time
-          <div className={styles.folderRow}>
+            in Settings.
-            <Input
+          </Caption1>
-              readOnly
-              className={styles.folderInput}
-              value={outputDir}
-              placeholder="Documents\Video and Documents\Audio (by type)"
-              contentBefore={<FolderRegular />}
-            />
-            <Button icon={<FolderRegular />} onClick={chooseOutputDir}>
-              Browse
-            </Button>
-          </div>
         </Field>
 
         <div className={styles.tips}>

src/renderer/src/components/SettingsView.tsx

@@ -170,8 +170,10 @@ const UPDATE_CHANNEL_OPTIONS = [
 export function SettingsView(): React.JSX.Element {
   const styles = useStyles()
 
-  const outputDir = useSettings((s) => s.outputDir)
+  const videoDir = useSettings((s) => s.videoDir)
-  const chooseOutputDir = useSettings((s) => s.chooseOutputDir)
+  const audioDir = useSettings((s) => s.audioDir)
+  const chooseDir = useSettings((s) => s.chooseDir)
+  const clearDir = useSettings((s) => s.clearDir)
   const defaultKind = useSettings((s) => s.defaultKind)
   const defaultVideoQuality = useSettings((s) => s.defaultVideoQuality)
   const defaultAudioQuality = useSettings((s) => s.defaultAudioQuality)
@@ -329,20 +331,48 @@ export function SettingsView(): React.JSX.Element {
         </div>
 
         <Field
-          label="Download folder"
+          label="Video folder"
-          hint="Leave blank to sort downloads by type into Documents\Video and Documents\Audio. Choose a folder to send everything there instead."
+          hint="Where video downloads are saved. Leave blank to use Documents\Video."
         >
           <div className={styles.folderRow}>
             <Input
               readOnly
               className={styles.folderInput}
-              value={outputDir}
+              value={videoDir}
-              placeholder="Documents\Video and Documents\Audio (by type)"
+              placeholder="Documents\Video (default)"
               contentBefore={<FolderRegular />}
             />
-            <Button icon={<FolderRegular />} onClick={chooseOutputDir}>
+            <Button icon={<FolderRegular />} onClick={() => chooseDir('videoDir')}>
               Browse
             </Button>
+            {videoDir && (
+              <Button appearance="subtle" onClick={() => clearDir('videoDir')}>
+                Reset
+              </Button>
+            )}
+          </div>
+        </Field>
+
+        <Field
+          label="Audio folder"
+          hint="Where audio downloads are saved. Leave blank to use Documents\Audio."
+        >
+          <div className={styles.folderRow}>
+            <Input
+              readOnly
+              className={styles.folderInput}
+              value={audioDir}
+              placeholder="Documents\Audio (default)"
+              contentBefore={<FolderRegular />}
+            />
+            <Button icon={<FolderRegular />} onClick={() => chooseDir('audioDir')}>
+              Browse
+            </Button>
+            {audioDir && (
+              <Button appearance="subtle" onClick={() => clearDir('audioDir')}>
+                Reset
+              </Button>
+            )}
           </div>
         </Field>
 

src/renderer/src/main.tsx

@@ -11,7 +11,8 @@ import App from './App'
 // In the real Electron app this branch is skipped — preload provides window.api.
 if (import.meta.env.DEV && !window.api) {
   const MOCK_SETTINGS: Settings = {
-    outputDir: 'C:\\Users\\you\\Downloads',
+    videoDir: 'C:\\Users\\you\\Documents\\Video',
+    audioDir: 'C:\\Users\\you\\Documents\\Audio',
     defaultKind: 'video',
     defaultVideoQuality: 'Best available',
     defaultAudioQuality: 'Best (MP3)',
@@ -121,11 +122,11 @@ if (import.meta.env.DEV && !window.api) {
     previewCommand: async (opts) => {
       await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 300)) // simulate the main-process round-trip
       const extra = opts.extraArgs ? ` ${opts.extraArgs}` : ''
+      const dir = opts.kind === 'audio' ? MOCK_SETTINGS.audioDir : MOCK_SETTINGS.videoDir
       return {
         ok: true,
         command:
-          `yt-dlp.exe -f "bv*+ba/b" -o "${MOCK_SETTINGS.outputDir}\\%(title)s.%(ext)s"` +
+          `yt-dlp.exe -f "bv*+ba/b" -o "${dir}\\%(title)s.%(ext)s"` + `${extra} -- ${opts.url}`
-          `${extra} -- ${opts.url}`
       }
     },
     updateYtdlp: async (channel) => {

src/renderer/src/store/downloads.ts

@@ -247,7 +247,8 @@ export const useDownloads = create<DownloadState>((set, get) => {
         url: item.url,
         kind: item.kind,
         quality: item.quality,
-        outputDir: useSettings.getState().outputDir || undefined,
+        // No outputDir here: main routes each download into the user's per-kind
+        // folder (Settings → Video/Audio folder), or the Documents\… default.
         formatId: item.formatId,
         formatHasAudio: item.formatHasAudio,
         options: item.options,

src/renderer/src/store/settings.ts

@@ -5,7 +5,8 @@ import { DEFAULT_DOWNLOAD_OPTIONS, type Settings } from '@shared/ipc'
 const PREVIEW = typeof window === 'undefined' || !window.electron
 
 const FALLBACK: Settings = {
-  outputDir: PREVIEW ? 'C:\\Users\\you\\Downloads' : '',
+  videoDir: PREVIEW ? 'C:\\Users\\you\\Documents\\Video' : '',
+  audioDir: PREVIEW ? 'C:\\Users\\you\\Documents\\Audio' : '',
   defaultKind: 'video',
   defaultVideoQuality: 'Best available',
   defaultAudioQuality: 'Best (MP3)',
@@ -35,7 +36,10 @@ interface SettingsState extends Settings {
   /** true once persisted settings have loaded (always true in preview) */
   loaded: boolean
   update: (partial: Partial<Settings>) => void
-  chooseOutputDir: () => void
+  /** open the OS folder picker and store the result as the video or audio folder */
+  chooseDir: (target: 'videoDir' | 'audioDir') => void
+  /** clear a per-kind folder override, restoring its Documents\… default */
+  clearDir: (target: 'videoDir' | 'audioDir') => void
 }
 
 export const useSettings = create<SettingsState>((set, get) => ({
@@ -47,12 +51,14 @@ export const useSettings = create<SettingsState>((set, get) => ({
     if (!PREVIEW) window.api.setSettings(partial).catch(() => {})
   },
 
-  chooseOutputDir: () => {
+  chooseDir: (target) => {
     if (PREVIEW) return
     window.api.chooseFolder().then((dir) => {
-      if (dir) get().update({ outputDir: dir })
+      if (dir) get().update({ [target]: dir })
     })
-  }
+  },
+
+  clearDir: (target) => get().update({ [target]: '' })
 }))
 
 // Load persisted settings on startup.

src/shared/ipc.ts

@@ -340,8 +340,10 @@ export type DownloadEvent =
 
 /** Persisted user settings (electron-store). */
 export interface Settings {
-  /** absolute output directory (empty string resolves to the OS Downloads folder) */
+  /** where video downloads are saved; empty string = the default Documents\Video folder */
-  outputDir: string
+  videoDir: string
+  /** where audio downloads are saved; empty string = the default Documents\Audio folder */
+  audioDir: string
   defaultKind: MediaKind
   defaultVideoQuality: string
   defaultAudioQuality: string