Merge pull request #1080 from webadderallorg/codex/export-preferences-separation

Keep export preferences separate from project edits

src/components/video-editor/VideoEditor.tsx

@@ -162,13 +162,8 @@ export default function VideoEditor() {
 		t,
 		appearance,
 		timeline,
-		exportSettings,
 		aspectRatio,
 		setAspectRatio,
-		whisperExecutablePath,
-		setWhisperExecutablePath,
-		whisperModelPath,
-		setWhisperModelPath,
 	});
 	const { refreshProjectLibrary, captureProjectThumbnail } = useProjectLibraryController({
 		project,
@@ -223,7 +218,6 @@ export default function VideoEditor() {
 		project,
 		appearance,
 		timeline,
-		exportSettings,
 		initialPreferences: initialEditorPreferences,
 		smokeConfig: smokeExportConfig,
 		devConfig: devOpenRecordingConfig,

src/components/video-editor/editorPreferences.test.ts

@@ -502,15 +502,81 @@ describe("editorPreferences", () => {
 	});
 });
 
-
 describe("source-specific webcam metadata", () => {
 	it("does not copy imported source ranges into a reusable style preset", () => {
 		vi.stubGlobal("localStorage", createStorageMock());
-		saveEditorPresets([{ id: "webcam", name: "Webcam", createdAt: "2026-09-20T00:00:00Z", updatedAt: "2026-09-20T00:00:00Z", snapshot: {
-			...DEFAULT_EDITOR_PREFERENCES, cropRegion: DEFAULT_CROP_REGION, autoCaptionSettings: DEFAULT_AUTO_CAPTION_SETTINGS,
-			webcam: { ...DEFAULT_EDITOR_PREFERENCES.webcam, sourcePath: "/imported-webcam.mp4", visibleRanges: [{ startMs: 1000, endMs: 2000 }] },
-		} as never }]);
+		saveEditorPresets([
+			{
+				id: "webcam",
+				name: "Webcam",
+				createdAt: "2026-09-20T00:00:00Z",
+				updatedAt: "2026-09-20T00:00:00Z",
+				snapshot: {
+					...DEFAULT_EDITOR_PREFERENCES,
+					cropRegion: DEFAULT_CROP_REGION,
+					autoCaptionSettings: DEFAULT_AUTO_CAPTION_SETTINGS,
+					webcam: {
+						...DEFAULT_EDITOR_PREFERENCES.webcam,
+						sourcePath: "/imported-webcam.mp4",
+						visibleRanges: [{ startMs: 1000, endMs: 2000 }],
+					},
+				} as never,
+			},
+		]);
 		expect(loadEditorPresets()[0].snapshot.webcam).not.toHaveProperty("visibleRanges");
 		expect(loadEditorPresets()[0].snapshot.webcam).not.toHaveProperty("sourcePath");
 	});
 });
+
+describe("user preferences stay independent from projects and presets", () => {
+	afterEach(() => vi.unstubAllGlobals());
+	it("defaults Publish to Link and persists Local and export settings across reloads", () => {
+		vi.stubGlobal("localStorage", createStorageMock());
+		expect(loadEditorPreferences().publishDestination).toBe("link");
+		saveEditorPreferences({
+			publishDestination: "local",
+			exportQuality: "high",
+			mp4FrameRate: 60,
+			includeCaptionSidecar: true,
+		});
+		expect(loadEditorPreferences()).toMatchObject({
+			publishDestination: "local",
+			exportQuality: "high",
+			mp4FrameRate: 60,
+			includeCaptionSidecar: true,
+		});
+		saveEditorPreferences({ wallpaper: "#123456" });
+		expect(loadEditorPreferences().publishDestination).toBe("local");
+		expect(normalizeEditorPreferences({ publishDestination: null }).publishDestination).toBe(
+			"link",
+		);
+	});
+	it("drops export settings and machine paths from legacy presets", () => {
+		vi.stubGlobal("localStorage", createStorageMock());
+		const snapshot = {
+			...DEFAULT_EDITOR_PREFERENCES,
+			cropRegion: DEFAULT_CROP_REGION,
+			autoCaptionSettings: DEFAULT_AUTO_CAPTION_SETTINGS,
+			whisperModelPath: "/machine/model.bin",
+		};
+		saveEditorPresets([
+			{
+				id: "legacy",
+				name: "Legacy",
+				createdAt: "2026-01-01",
+				updatedAt: "2026-01-01",
+				snapshot,
+			},
+		]);
+		const loaded = loadEditorPresets()[0].snapshot;
+		expect(loaded.wallpaper).toBe(snapshot.wallpaper);
+		for (const key of [
+			"exportQuality",
+			"mp4FrameRate",
+			"publishDestination",
+			"whisperExecutablePath",
+			"whisperModelPath",
+		])
+			expect(loaded).not.toHaveProperty(key);
+	});
+});

src/components/video-editor/editorPreferences.ts

@@ -1,10 +1,8 @@
+import { normalizeExportPreferences, type ExportPreferences } from "./exportPreferences";
 import { loadAppSetting, saveAppSetting } from "../../lib/appSettings";
 import {
 	getDefaultBorderRadiusPercent,
 	legacyBorderRadiusPixelsToPercent,
-	normalizeExportBackendPreference,
-	normalizeExportMp4FrameRate,
-	normalizeExportPipelineModel,
 	normalizeProjectEditor,
 	type ProjectEditorState,
 	stripPersistedDevMotionBlurSettings,
@@ -50,15 +48,6 @@ type PersistedEditorControls = Pick<
 	| "padding"
 	| "webcam"
 	| "aspectRatio"
-	| "exportEncodingMode"
-	| "exportBackendPreference"
-	| "exportPipelineModel"
-	| "exportQuality"
-	| "mp4FrameRate"
-	| "exportFormat"
-	| "gifFrameRate"
-	| "gifLoop"
-	| "gifSizePreset"
 >;
 
 type PartialEditorControls = Partial<PersistedEditorControls>;
@@ -72,8 +61,6 @@ export interface EditorPresetSnapshot extends Omit<PersistedEditorControls, "web
 	cropRegion: PresetCropRegion;
 	webcam: PresetWebcamSettings;
 	autoCaptionSettings: PresetAutoCaptionSettings;
-	whisperExecutablePath: string | null;
-	whisperModelPath: string | null;
 }
 
 export interface EditorPreset {
@@ -84,7 +71,7 @@ export interface EditorPreset {
 	snapshot: EditorPresetSnapshot;
 }
 
-export interface EditorPreferences extends PersistedEditorControls {
+export interface EditorPreferences extends PersistedEditorControls, ExportPreferences {
 	borderRadiusUnit: "percent";
 	customAspectWidth: string;
 	customAspectHeight: string;
@@ -139,15 +126,7 @@ export const DEFAULT_EDITOR_PREFERENCES: EditorPreferences = {
 	padding: DEFAULT_EDITOR_CONTROLS.padding,
 	webcam: DEFAULT_EDITOR_CONTROLS.webcam,
 	aspectRatio: DEFAULT_EDITOR_CONTROLS.aspectRatio,
-	exportEncodingMode: DEFAULT_EDITOR_CONTROLS.exportEncodingMode,
-	exportBackendPreference: DEFAULT_EDITOR_CONTROLS.exportBackendPreference,
-	exportPipelineModel: DEFAULT_EDITOR_CONTROLS.exportPipelineModel,
-	exportQuality: DEFAULT_EDITOR_CONTROLS.exportQuality,
-	mp4FrameRate: DEFAULT_EDITOR_CONTROLS.mp4FrameRate,
-	exportFormat: DEFAULT_EDITOR_CONTROLS.exportFormat,
-	gifFrameRate: DEFAULT_EDITOR_CONTROLS.gifFrameRate,
-	gifLoop: DEFAULT_EDITOR_CONTROLS.gifLoop,
-	gifSizePreset: DEFAULT_EDITOR_CONTROLS.gifSizePreset,
+	...normalizeExportPreferences({}),
 	customAspectWidth: "16",
 	customAspectHeight: "9",
 	customWallpapers: [],
@@ -226,11 +205,6 @@ function normalizeEditorPresetSnapshot(candidate: unknown): EditorPresetSnapshot
 		webcam,
 		cropRegion: normalizedCropRegion,
 		autoCaptionSettings: normalizePresetAutoCaptionSettings(raw.autoCaptionSettings),
-		whisperExecutablePath:
-			normalizeNullablePath(raw.whisperExecutablePath) ??
-			normalizedPreferences.whisperExecutablePath,
-		whisperModelPath:
-			normalizeNullablePath(raw.whisperModelPath) ?? normalizedPreferences.whisperModelPath,
 	};
 }
 
@@ -348,24 +322,6 @@ function normalizeEditorControls(
 		padding: sanitizedRaw.padding ?? fallback.padding,
 		webcam: sanitizedRaw.webcam ?? fallback.webcam,
 		aspectRatio: sanitizedRaw.aspectRatio ?? fallback.aspectRatio,
-		exportEncodingMode: sanitizedRaw.exportEncodingMode ?? fallback.exportEncodingMode,
-		exportBackendPreference:
-			sanitizedRaw.exportBackendPreference === undefined
-				? fallback.exportBackendPreference
-				: normalizeExportBackendPreference(sanitizedRaw.exportBackendPreference),
-		exportPipelineModel:
-			sanitizedRaw.exportPipelineModel === undefined
-				? fallback.exportPipelineModel
-				: normalizeExportPipelineModel(sanitizedRaw.exportPipelineModel),
-		exportQuality: sanitizedRaw.exportQuality ?? fallback.exportQuality,
-		mp4FrameRate:
-			sanitizedRaw.mp4FrameRate === undefined
-				? fallback.mp4FrameRate
-				: normalizeExportMp4FrameRate(sanitizedRaw.mp4FrameRate),
-		exportFormat: sanitizedRaw.exportFormat ?? fallback.exportFormat,
-		gifFrameRate: sanitizedRaw.gifFrameRate ?? fallback.gifFrameRate,
-		gifLoop: sanitizedRaw.gifLoop ?? fallback.gifLoop,
-		gifSizePreset: sanitizedRaw.gifSizePreset ?? fallback.gifSizePreset,
 	};
 
 	const normalized = normalizeProjectEditor(candidate);
@@ -409,15 +365,6 @@ function normalizeEditorControls(
 		padding: normalized.padding,
 		webcam: normalized.webcam,
 		aspectRatio: normalized.aspectRatio,
-		exportEncodingMode: normalized.exportEncodingMode,
-		exportBackendPreference: normalized.exportBackendPreference,
-		exportPipelineModel: normalized.exportPipelineModel,
-		exportQuality: normalized.exportQuality,
-		mp4FrameRate: normalized.mp4FrameRate,
-		exportFormat: normalized.exportFormat,
-		gifFrameRate: normalized.gifFrameRate,
-		gifLoop: normalized.gifLoop,
-		gifSizePreset: normalized.gifSizePreset,
 	};
 }
 
@@ -440,6 +387,7 @@ export function normalizeEditorPreferences(
 
 	return {
 		...normalizeEditorControls(controls, fallback),
+		...normalizeExportPreferences({ ...fallback, ...raw }),
 		borderRadiusUnit: "percent",
 		customAspectWidth: normalizePositiveIntegerString(
 			raw.customAspectWidth,

src/components/video-editor/export/useExportSettings.ts

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { useMemo, useState } from "react";
+import { useEffect, useMemo, useState } from "react";
 import type {
 	ExportBackendPreference,
 	ExportEncodingMode,
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import type {
 	GifSizePreset,
 } from "@/lib/exporter";
 import { projectCaptionCues } from "../captionTimeline";
-import type { EditorPreferences } from "../editorPreferences";
+import { saveEditorPreferences, type EditorPreferences } from "../editorPreferences";
 import type { CaptionCue, ClipRegion } from "../types";
 
 const DEFAULT_MP4_EXPORT_FRAME_RATE: ExportMp4FrameRate = 30;
@@ -20,7 +20,10 @@ export function useExportSettings(
 	autoCaptions: CaptionCue[],
 	clips: ClipRegion[],
 ) {
-	const [includeCaptionSidecar, setIncludeCaptionSidecar] = useState(false);
+	const [includeCaptionSidecar, setIncludeCaptionSidecar] = useState(
+		preferences.includeCaptionSidecar,
+	);
+	const [publishDestination, setPublishDestination] = useState(preferences.publishDestination);
 	const [exportQuality, setExportQuality] = useState<ExportQuality>(preferences.exportQuality);
 	const [exportEncodingMode, setExportEncodingMode] = useState<ExportEncodingMode>(
 		preferences.exportEncodingMode,
@@ -38,6 +41,34 @@ export function useExportSettings(
 	const [gifFrameRate, setGifFrameRate] = useState<GifFrameRate>(preferences.gifFrameRate);
 	const [gifLoop, setGifLoop] = useState(preferences.gifLoop);
 	const [gifSizePreset, setGifSizePreset] = useState<GifSizePreset>(preferences.gifSizePreset);
+	useEffect(() => {
+		saveEditorPreferences({
+			publishDestination,
+			includeCaptionSidecar,
+			exportQuality,
+			exportEncodingMode,
+			exportBackendPreference,
+			exportPipelineModel,
+			mp4FrameRate,
+			exportFormat,
+			gifFrameRate,
+			gifLoop,
+			gifSizePreset,
+		});
+	}, [
+		publishDestination,
+		includeCaptionSidecar,
+		exportQuality,
+		exportEncodingMode,
+		exportBackendPreference,
+		exportPipelineModel,
+		mp4FrameRate,
+		exportFormat,
+		gifFrameRate,
+		gifLoop,
+		gifSizePreset,
+	]);
+
 	const captionSidecarCues = useMemo(
 		() =>
 			projectCaptionCues(autoCaptions, clips)
@@ -54,6 +85,8 @@ export function useExportSettings(
 	);
 
 	return {
+		publishDestination,
+		setPublishDestination,
 		includeCaptionSidecar,
 		setIncludeCaptionSidecar,
 		exportQuality,

src/components/video-editor/exportPreferences.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+import type {
+	ExportBackendPreference,
+	ExportEncodingMode,
+	ExportFormat,
+	ExportMp4FrameRate,
+	ExportPipelineModel,
+	ExportQuality,
+	GifFrameRate,
+	GifSizePreset,
+} from "@/lib/exporter";
+import { isValidMp4FrameRate } from "@/lib/exporter/types";
+
+export interface ExportPreferences {
+	exportEncodingMode: ExportEncodingMode;
+	exportBackendPreference: ExportBackendPreference;
+	exportPipelineModel: ExportPipelineModel;
+	exportQuality: ExportQuality;
+	mp4FrameRate: ExportMp4FrameRate;
+	exportFormat: ExportFormat;
+	gifFrameRate: GifFrameRate;
+	gifLoop: boolean;
+	gifSizePreset: GifSizePreset;
+	publishDestination: "link" | "local";
+	includeCaptionSidecar: boolean;
+}
+
+export function normalizeExportEncodingMode(value: unknown): ExportEncodingMode {
+	if (value === "fast" || value === "balanced" || value === "quality") {
+		return value;
+	}
+
+	return "balanced";
+}
+
+export function normalizeExportBackendPreference(value: unknown): ExportBackendPreference {
+	if (value === "auto" || value === "webcodecs" || value === "breeze") {
+		return value;
+	}
+
+	return "auto";
+}
+
+export function normalizeExportPipelineModel(_value: unknown): ExportPipelineModel {
+	// Legacy remains available to internal smoke/export routing, but persisted
+	// user selections migrate to the only pipeline exposed by the editor UI.
+	return "modern";
+}
+
+export function normalizeExportMp4FrameRate(value: unknown): ExportMp4FrameRate {
+	return typeof value === "number" && isValidMp4FrameRate(value) ? value : 30;
+}
+
+export function normalizeExportPreferences(raw: Partial<ExportPreferences>): ExportPreferences {
+	return {
+		exportEncodingMode: normalizeExportEncodingMode(raw.exportEncodingMode),
+		exportBackendPreference: normalizeExportBackendPreference(raw.exportBackendPreference),
+		exportPipelineModel: normalizeExportPipelineModel(raw.exportPipelineModel),
+		exportQuality:
+			raw.exportQuality === "medium" ||
+			raw.exportQuality === "good" ||
+			raw.exportQuality === "high" ||
+			raw.exportQuality === "source"
+				? raw.exportQuality
+				: "source",
+		mp4FrameRate: normalizeExportMp4FrameRate(raw.mp4FrameRate),
+		exportFormat: raw.exportFormat === "gif" ? "gif" : "mp4",
+		gifFrameRate:
+			raw.gifFrameRate === 15 ||
+			raw.gifFrameRate === 20 ||
+			raw.gifFrameRate === 25 ||
+			raw.gifFrameRate === 30
+				? raw.gifFrameRate
+				: 15,
+		gifLoop: typeof raw.gifLoop === "boolean" ? raw.gifLoop : true,
+		gifSizePreset:
+			raw.gifSizePreset === "medium" ||
+			raw.gifSizePreset === "large" ||
+			raw.gifSizePreset === "original"
+				? raw.gifSizePreset
+				: "medium",
+		publishDestination: raw.publishDestination === "local" ? "local" : "link",
+		includeCaptionSidecar: raw.includeCaptionSidecar === true,
+	};
+}

src/components/video-editor/presets/useEditorPreferencesPersistence.ts

@@ -1,12 +1,10 @@
 import { useEffect } from "react";
 import type { AspectRatio } from "@/utils/aspectRatioUtils";
 import { saveEditorPreferences } from "../editorPreferences";
-import type { useExportSettings } from "../export/useExportSettings";
 import type { useAppearanceState } from "../state/useAppearanceState";
 
 type Input = {
 	appearance: ReturnType<typeof useAppearanceState>;
-	exportSettings: ReturnType<typeof useExportSettings>;
 	aspectRatio: AspectRatio;
 	whisperExecutablePath: string | null;
 	whisperModelPath: string | null;
@@ -14,7 +12,6 @@ type Input = {
 
 export function useEditorPreferencesPersistence({
 	appearance,
-	exportSettings,
 	aspectRatio,
 	whisperExecutablePath,
 	whisperModelPath,
@@ -60,15 +57,6 @@ export function useEditorPreferencesPersistence({
 			padding: appearance.padding,
 			webcam: appearance.webcam,
 			aspectRatio,
-			exportEncodingMode: exportSettings.exportEncodingMode,
-			exportBackendPreference: exportSettings.exportBackendPreference,
-			exportPipelineModel: exportSettings.exportPipelineModel,
-			exportQuality: exportSettings.exportQuality,
-			mp4FrameRate: exportSettings.mp4FrameRate,
-			exportFormat: exportSettings.exportFormat,
-			gifFrameRate: exportSettings.gifFrameRate,
-			gifLoop: exportSettings.gifLoop,
-			gifSizePreset: exportSettings.gifSizePreset,
 			whisperExecutablePath,
 			whisperModelPath,
 		});
@@ -112,15 +100,6 @@ export function useEditorPreferencesPersistence({
 		appearance.padding,
 		appearance.webcam,
 		aspectRatio,
-		exportSettings.exportEncodingMode,
-		exportSettings.exportBackendPreference,
-		exportSettings.exportPipelineModel,
-		exportSettings.exportQuality,
-		exportSettings.mp4FrameRate,
-		exportSettings.exportFormat,
-		exportSettings.gifFrameRate,
-		exportSettings.gifLoop,
-		exportSettings.gifSizePreset,
 		whisperExecutablePath,
 		whisperModelPath,
 	]);

src/components/video-editor/presets/useVideoEditorPresets.ts

@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 import { type Dispatch, type SetStateAction, useCallback, useMemo, useState } from "react";
 import type { AspectRatio } from "@/utils/aspectRatioUtils";
 import { type EditorPresetSnapshot, loadEditorPresets } from "../editorPreferences";
-import type { useExportSettings } from "../export/useExportSettings";
 import type { useAppearanceState } from "../state/useAppearanceState";
 import type { useTimelineState } from "../state/useTimelineState";
 import { useEditorPresets } from "./useEditorPresets";
@@ -10,26 +9,16 @@ type Input = {
 	t: Parameters<typeof useEditorPresets>[0]["t"];
 	appearance: ReturnType<typeof useAppearanceState>;
 	timeline: ReturnType<typeof useTimelineState>;
-	exportSettings: ReturnType<typeof useExportSettings>;
 	aspectRatio: AspectRatio;
 	setAspectRatio: Dispatch<SetStateAction<AspectRatio>>;
-	whisperExecutablePath: string | null;
-	setWhisperExecutablePath: Dispatch<SetStateAction<string | null>>;
-	whisperModelPath: string | null;
-	setWhisperModelPath: Dispatch<SetStateAction<string | null>>;
 };
 
 export function useVideoEditorPresets({
 	t,
 	appearance,
 	timeline,
-	exportSettings,
 	aspectRatio,
 	setAspectRatio,
-	whisperExecutablePath,
-	setWhisperExecutablePath,
-	whisperModelPath,
-	setWhisperModelPath,
 }: Input) {
 	const [editorPresets, setEditorPresets] = useState(() => loadEditorPresets());
 	const [activeEditorPresetId, setActiveEditorPresetId] = useState<string | null>(null);
@@ -79,27 +68,9 @@ export function useVideoEditorPresets({
 			webcam: (({ sourcePath: _sourcePath, visibleRanges: _visibleRanges, ...settings }) =>
 				settings)(appearance.webcam),
 			aspectRatio,
-			exportEncodingMode: exportSettings.exportEncodingMode,
-			exportBackendPreference: exportSettings.exportBackendPreference,
-			exportPipelineModel: exportSettings.exportPipelineModel,
-			exportQuality: exportSettings.exportQuality,
-			mp4FrameRate: exportSettings.mp4FrameRate,
-			exportFormat: exportSettings.exportFormat,
-			gifFrameRate: exportSettings.gifFrameRate,
-			gifLoop: exportSettings.gifLoop,
-			gifSizePreset: exportSettings.gifSizePreset,
 			autoCaptionSettings: { ...timeline.autoCaptionSettings },
-			whisperExecutablePath,
-			whisperModelPath,
 		}),
-		[
-			appearance,
-			timeline.autoCaptionSettings,
-			exportSettings,
-			aspectRatio,
-			whisperExecutablePath,
-			whisperModelPath,
-		],
+		[appearance, timeline.autoCaptionSettings, aspectRatio],
 	);
 
 	const applySnapshot = useCallback(
@@ -147,27 +118,9 @@ export function useVideoEditorPresets({
 				visibleRanges: current.visibleRanges,
 			}));
 			setAspectRatio(snapshot.aspectRatio);
-			exportSettings.setExportEncodingMode(snapshot.exportEncodingMode);
-			exportSettings.setExportBackendPreference(snapshot.exportBackendPreference);
-			exportSettings.setExportPipelineModel(snapshot.exportPipelineModel);
-			exportSettings.setExportQuality(snapshot.exportQuality);
-			exportSettings.setMp4FrameRate(snapshot.mp4FrameRate);
-			exportSettings.setExportFormat(snapshot.exportFormat);
-			exportSettings.setGifFrameRate(snapshot.gifFrameRate);
-			exportSettings.setGifLoop(snapshot.gifLoop);
-			exportSettings.setGifSizePreset(snapshot.gifSizePreset);
 			timeline.setAutoCaptionSettings({ ...snapshot.autoCaptionSettings });
-			setWhisperExecutablePath(snapshot.whisperExecutablePath);
-			setWhisperModelPath(snapshot.whisperModelPath);
 		},
-		[
-			appearance,
-			exportSettings,
-			timeline,
-			setAspectRatio,
-			setWhisperExecutablePath,
-			setWhisperModelPath,
-		],
+		[appearance, timeline, setAspectRatio],
 	);
 
 	const actions = useEditorPresets({

src/components/video-editor/project/useEditorProjectController.ts

@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@ import type { useI18n } from "@/contexts/I18nContext";
 import type { AspectRatio } from "@/utils/aspectRatioUtils";
 import { useAutoCaptionController } from "../captions/useAutoCaptionController";
 import { loadEditorPreferences } from "../editorPreferences";
-import type { useExportSettings } from "../export/useExportSettings";
 import { useEditorHistory } from "../hooks/useEditorHistory";
 import { useEditorPreferencesPersistence } from "../presets/useEditorPreferencesPersistence";
 import { hasUnsavedProjectChanges } from "../projectDirtyState";
@@ -25,7 +24,6 @@ type Input = {
 	project: ReturnType<typeof useProjectState>;
 	appearance: ReturnType<typeof useAppearanceState>;
 	timeline: ReturnType<typeof useTimelineState>;
-	exportSettings: ReturnType<typeof useExportSettings>;
 	initialPreferences: ReturnType<typeof loadEditorPreferences>;
 	smokeConfig: ReturnType<typeof getSmokeExportConfig>;
 	devConfig: ReturnType<typeof getDevOpenRecordingConfig>;
@@ -85,7 +83,6 @@ export function useEditorProjectController(input: Input) {
 		project: input.project,
 		appearance: input.appearance,
 		timeline: input.timeline,
-		exportSettings: input.exportSettings,
 		aspectRatio: input.aspectRatio,
 		projectNameInputRef: input.projectNameInputRef,
 		projectSaveDialogInputRef: input.projectSaveDialogInputRef,
@@ -103,7 +100,6 @@ export function useEditorProjectController(input: Input) {
 		project: input.project,
 		appearance: input.appearance,
 		timeline: input.timeline,
-		exportSettings: input.exportSettings,
 		aspectRatio: input.aspectRatio,
 		setAspectRatio: input.setAspectRatio,
 		currentSourcePath: snapshot.currentSourcePath,
@@ -154,7 +150,6 @@ export function useEditorProjectController(input: Input) {
 	});
 	useEditorPreferencesPersistence({
 		appearance: input.appearance,
-		exportSettings: input.exportSettings,
 		aspectRatio: input.aspectRatio,
 		whisperExecutablePath: input.whisperExecutablePath,
 		whisperModelPath: input.whisperModelPath,

src/components/video-editor/project/useProjectLifecycle.ts

@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ import {
 } from "react";
 import { toast } from "@/components/ui/toast";
 import type { AspectRatio } from "@/utils/aspectRatioUtils";
-import type { useExportSettings } from "../export/useExportSettings";
 import type { UnsavedChangesDecision } from "../layout/EditorDialogs";
 import {
 	createProjectData,
@@ -35,7 +34,6 @@ type Input = {
 	project: ReturnType<typeof useProjectState>;
 	appearance: ReturnType<typeof useAppearanceState>;
 	timeline: ReturnType<typeof useTimelineState>;
-	exportSettings: ReturnType<typeof useExportSettings>;
 	aspectRatio: AspectRatio;
 	setAspectRatio: Dispatch<SetStateAction<AspectRatio>>;
 	currentSourcePath: string | null;
@@ -81,7 +79,7 @@ export function useProjectLifecycle(input: Input) {
 
 	const applyLoadedProject = useCallback(async (candidate: unknown, path?: string | null) => {
 		const current = inputRef.current;
-		const { project, appearance, timeline, exportSettings, refs } = current;
+		const { project, appearance, timeline, refs } = current;
 		if (!validateProjectData(candidate)) return false;
 		const loadedProject = candidate;
 		const sourcePath = fromFileUrl(loadedProject.videoPath);
@@ -185,15 +183,6 @@ export function useProjectLifecycle(input: Input) {
 		timeline.setAutoCaptions(editor.autoCaptions);
 		timeline.setAutoCaptionSettings(editor.autoCaptionSettings);
 		current.setAspectRatio(editor.aspectRatio);
-		exportSettings.setExportEncodingMode(editor.exportEncodingMode);
-		exportSettings.setExportBackendPreference(editor.exportBackendPreference);
-		exportSettings.setExportPipelineModel(editor.exportPipelineModel);
-		exportSettings.setExportQuality(editor.exportQuality);
-		exportSettings.setMp4FrameRate(editor.mp4FrameRate);
-		exportSettings.setExportFormat(editor.exportFormat);
-		exportSettings.setGifFrameRate(editor.gifFrameRate);
-		exportSettings.setGifLoop(editor.gifLoop);
-		exportSettings.setGifSizePreset(editor.gifSizePreset);
 		timeline.setSelectedZoomId(null);
 		timeline.setSelectedClipId(null);
 		timeline.setSelectedAnnotationId(null);

src/components/video-editor/project/useProjectSnapshotModel.ts

@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 import { type RefObject, useCallback, useEffect, useMemo } from "react";
 import type { AspectRatio } from "@/utils/aspectRatioUtils";
-import type { useExportSettings } from "../export/useExportSettings";
 import {
 	fromFileUrl,
 	type ProjectEditorState,
@@ -15,7 +14,6 @@ type Input = {
 	project: ReturnType<typeof useProjectState>;
 	appearance: ReturnType<typeof useAppearanceState>;
 	timeline: ReturnType<typeof useTimelineState>;
-	exportSettings: ReturnType<typeof useExportSettings>;
 	aspectRatio: AspectRatio;
 	projectNameInputRef: RefObject<HTMLInputElement | null>;
 	projectSaveDialogInputRef: RefObject<HTMLInputElement | null>;
@@ -26,7 +24,6 @@ export function useProjectSnapshotModel({
 	project,
 	appearance,
 	timeline,
-	exportSettings,
 	aspectRatio,
 	projectNameInputRef,
 	projectSaveDialogInputRef,
@@ -120,15 +117,6 @@ export function useProjectSnapshotModel({
 				autoCaptions: timeline.autoCaptions,
 				autoCaptionSettings: timeline.autoCaptionSettings,
 				aspectRatio,
-				exportEncodingMode: exportSettings.exportEncodingMode,
-				exportBackendPreference: exportSettings.exportBackendPreference,
-				exportPipelineModel: exportSettings.exportPipelineModel,
-				exportQuality: exportSettings.exportQuality,
-				mp4FrameRate: exportSettings.mp4FrameRate,
-				exportFormat: exportSettings.exportFormat,
-				gifFrameRate: exportSettings.gifFrameRate,
-				gifLoop: exportSettings.gifLoop,
-				gifSizePreset: exportSettings.gifSizePreset,
 				sourceAudioTrackSettingsByClip: timeline.sourceAudioTrackSettingsByClip,
 				defaultSourceAudioTrackSettings: timeline.defaultSourceAudioTrackSettings,
 			}),
@@ -182,15 +170,6 @@ export function useProjectSnapshotModel({
 			timeline.autoCaptions,
 			timeline.autoCaptionSettings,
 			aspectRatio,
-			exportSettings.exportEncodingMode,
-			exportSettings.exportBackendPreference,
-			exportSettings.exportPipelineModel,
-			exportSettings.exportQuality,
-			exportSettings.mp4FrameRate,
-			exportSettings.exportFormat,
-			exportSettings.gifFrameRate,
-			exportSettings.gifLoop,
-			exportSettings.gifSizePreset,
 			timeline.sourceAudioTrackSettingsByClip,
 			timeline.defaultSourceAudioTrackSettings,
 			buildPersistedEditorState,

src/components/video-editor/projectDirtyState.test.ts

@@ -119,3 +119,19 @@ describe("hasUnsavedProjectChanges", () => {
 		expect(hasUnsavedProjectChanges(current, saved)).toBe(true);
 	});
 });
+
+it("does not mark legacy export preferences as project edits", () => {
+	const original = createProjectData();
+	const legacy = {
+		...original,
+		editor: { ...original.editor, exportQuality: "high", mp4FrameRate: 60 },
+	};
+	expect(hasUnsavedProjectChanges(original, legacy)).toBe(false);
+	expect(hasUnsavedProjectChanges(legacy, original)).toBe(false);
+	expect(
+		hasUnsavedProjectChanges(
+			{ ...legacy, editor: { ...legacy.editor, wallpaper: "#000000" } },
+			original,
+		),
+	).toBe(true);
+});

src/components/video-editor/projectDirtyState.ts

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import type { EditorProjectData } from "./projectPersistence";
+import { stripProjectUserPreferences, type EditorProjectData } from "./projectPersistence";
 
 function isComparableObject(value: unknown): value is Record<string, unknown> {
 	return typeof value === "object" && value !== null;
@@ -47,10 +47,10 @@ function omitTransientWebcamMediaFields(project: EditorProjectData | null) {
 		return project;
 	}
 
-	const editor = project.editor as Record<string, unknown>;
+	const editor = stripProjectUserPreferences(project.editor) as Record<string, unknown>;
 	const webcam = editor.webcam;
 	if (!isComparableObject(webcam)) {
-		return project;
+		return { ...project, editor };
 	}
 
 	const {

src/components/video-editor/projectPersistence.test.ts

@@ -267,3 +267,28 @@ it("discards inverted saved source bounds while preserving the in-point", () =>
 	expect(editor.clipRegions[0].sourceMinMs).toBeUndefined();
 	expect(editor.clipRegions[0].sourceMaxMs).toBeUndefined();
 });
+
+it("ignores legacy export preferences when opening and resaving a project", async () => {
+	const { createProjectData } = await import("./projectPersistence");
+	const legacyEditor = {
+		wallpaper: "#112233",
+		exportQuality: "high",
+		exportFormat: "gif",
+		mp4FrameRate: 60,
+		publishDestination: "local",
+		whisperModelPath: "/machine/model.bin",
+	};
+	const loaded = normalizeProjectEditor(legacyEditor);
+	expect(loaded.wallpaper).toBe("#112233");
+	for (const key of [
+		"exportQuality",
+		"exportFormat",
+		"mp4FrameRate",
+		"publishDestination",
+		"whisperModelPath",
+	]) {
+		expect(loaded).not.toHaveProperty(key);
+		expect(createProjectData("/clip.mp4", legacyEditor).editor).not.toHaveProperty(key);
+	}
+	expect(legacyEditor.exportQuality).toBe("high");
+});

src/components/video-editor/projectPersistence.ts

@@ -1,16 +1,5 @@
 import { getLocalMediaServerPath } from "@/lib/localMediaUrl";
 import type { SourceAudioTrackSettings } from "@/components/video-editor/audio/audioTypes";
-import type {
-	ExportBackendPreference,
-	ExportEncodingMode,
-	ExportFormat,
-	ExportMp4FrameRate,
-	ExportPipelineModel,
-	ExportQuality,
-	GifFrameRate,
-	GifSizePreset,
-} from "@/lib/exporter";
-import { isValidMp4FrameRate } from "@/lib/exporter/types";
 import { DEFAULT_WALLPAPER_PATH } from "@/lib/wallpapers";
 import { ASPECT_RATIOS, type AspectRatio, isCustomAspectRatio } from "@/utils/aspectRatioUtils";
 import { closeClipGaps, rippleRegionAnchors, rippleRegions } from "./clipSequence";
@@ -146,15 +135,6 @@ export interface ProjectEditorState {
 	aspectRatio: AspectRatio;
 	sourceAudioTrackSettingsByClip?: Record<string, SourceAudioTrackSettings>;
 	defaultSourceAudioTrackSettings?: SourceAudioTrackSettings;
-	exportEncodingMode: ExportEncodingMode;
-	exportBackendPreference: ExportBackendPreference;
-	exportPipelineModel: ExportPipelineModel;
-	exportQuality: ExportQuality;
-	mp4FrameRate: ExportMp4FrameRate;
-	exportFormat: ExportFormat;
-	gifFrameRate: GifFrameRate;
-	gifLoop: boolean;
-	gifSizePreset: GifSizePreset;
 }
 
 export interface EditorProjectData {
@@ -184,32 +164,6 @@ export function stripPersistedDevMotionBlurSettings<T extends PersistedDevMotion
 	return persistedEditor;
 }
 
-export function normalizeExportEncodingMode(value: unknown): ExportEncodingMode {
-	if (value === "fast" || value === "balanced" || value === "quality") {
-		return value;
-	}
-
-	return "balanced";
-}
-
-export function normalizeExportBackendPreference(value: unknown): ExportBackendPreference {
-	if (value === "auto" || value === "webcodecs" || value === "breeze") {
-		return value;
-	}
-
-	return "auto";
-}
-
-export function normalizeExportPipelineModel(_value: unknown): ExportPipelineModel {
-	// Legacy remains available to internal smoke/export routing, but persisted
-	// user selections migrate to the only pipeline exposed by the editor UI.
-	return "modern";
-}
-
-export function normalizeExportMp4FrameRate(value: unknown): ExportMp4FrameRate {
-	return typeof value === "number" && isValidMp4FrameRate(value) ? value : 30;
-}
-
 function normalizeZoomTransitionEasing(
 	value: unknown,
 	fallback: ZoomTransitionEasing,
@@ -1094,32 +1048,6 @@ export function normalizeProjectEditor(editor: Partial<ProjectEditorState>): Pro
 				isCustomAspectRatio(editor.aspectRatio))
 				? (editor.aspectRatio as AspectRatio)
 				: "16:9",
-		exportEncodingMode: normalizeExportEncodingMode(editor.exportEncodingMode),
-		exportBackendPreference: normalizeExportBackendPreference(editor.exportBackendPreference),
-		exportPipelineModel: normalizeExportPipelineModel(editor.exportPipelineModel),
-		exportQuality:
-			editor.exportQuality === "medium" ||
-			editor.exportQuality === "good" ||
-			editor.exportQuality === "high" ||
-			editor.exportQuality === "source"
-				? editor.exportQuality
-				: "source",
-		mp4FrameRate: normalizeExportMp4FrameRate(editor.mp4FrameRate),
-		exportFormat: editor.exportFormat === "gif" ? "gif" : "mp4",
-		gifFrameRate:
-			editor.gifFrameRate === 15 ||
-			editor.gifFrameRate === 20 ||
-			editor.gifFrameRate === 25 ||
-			editor.gifFrameRate === 30
-				? editor.gifFrameRate
-				: 15,
-		gifLoop: typeof editor.gifLoop === "boolean" ? editor.gifLoop : true,
-		gifSizePreset:
-			editor.gifSizePreset === "medium" ||
-			editor.gifSizePreset === "large" ||
-			editor.gifSizePreset === "original"
-				? editor.gifSizePreset
-				: "medium",
 	};
 }
 
@@ -1132,6 +1060,29 @@ export function createProjectData(
 		version: PROJECT_VERSION,
 		...(typeof projectId === "string" && projectId.trim().length > 0 ? { projectId } : {}),
 		videoPath,
-		editor,
+		editor: stripProjectUserPreferences(editor),
 	};
 }
+
+// Older project files may contain app preferences. Never write or compare them as edits.
+export function stripProjectUserPreferences<T extends object>(editor: T): T {
+	const result = { ...editor };
+	for (const key of [
+		"exportEncodingMode",
+		"exportBackendPreference",
+		"exportPipelineModel",
+		"exportQuality",
+		"mp4FrameRate",
+		"exportFormat",
+		"gifFrameRate",
+		"gifLoop",
+		"gifSizePreset",
+		"publishDestination",
+		"includeCaptionSidecar",
+		"whisperExecutablePath",
+		"whisperModelPath",
+	]) {
+		delete (result as Record<string, unknown>)[key];
+	}
+	return result;
+}