Merge feature/demo-account: shared demo account (whitelist login, gating, admin reset)

backend/alembic/versions/0014_demo_account.py

@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+"""demo account: users.is_demo + demo_whitelist
+
+Revision ID: 0014_demo_account
+Revises: 0013_playlist_fingerprint
+Create Date: 2026-06-16
+
+Adds the shared demo-account plumbing:
+  - users.is_demo — marks the single shared demo user (no OAuth token / YouTube scope).
+  - demo_whitelist — admin-curated emails that may enter the demo account from the login
+    page without Google sign-in. Multiple emails are just keys to the same shared door.
+The demo user row itself is created lazily on first demo login (works across all three DBs
+without a data migration), so this only adds the schema.
+"""
+from typing import Sequence, Union
+
+import sqlalchemy as sa
+from alembic import op
+
+revision: str = "0014_demo_account"
+down_revision: Union[str, None] = "0013_playlist_fingerprint"
+branch_labels: Union[str, Sequence[str], None] = None
+depends_on: Union[str, Sequence[str], None] = None
+
+
+def upgrade() -> None:
+    op.add_column(
+        "users",
+        sa.Column(
+            "is_demo",
+            sa.Boolean(),
+            nullable=False,
+            server_default=sa.false(),
+        ),
+    )
+    op.create_index("ix_users_is_demo", "users", ["is_demo"])
+
+    op.create_table(
+        "demo_whitelist",
+        sa.Column("id", sa.Integer(), primary_key=True),
+        sa.Column("email", sa.String(length=320), nullable=False),
+        sa.Column("note", sa.Text(), nullable=True),
+        sa.Column("added_by", sa.String(length=320), nullable=True),
+        sa.Column(
+            "created_at",
+            sa.DateTime(timezone=True),
+            server_default=sa.func.now(),
+            nullable=False,
+        ),
+    )
+    op.create_index(
+        "ix_demo_whitelist_email", "demo_whitelist", ["email"], unique=True
+    )
+
+
+def downgrade() -> None:
+    op.drop_index("ix_demo_whitelist_email", table_name="demo_whitelist")
+    op.drop_table("demo_whitelist")
+    op.drop_index("ix_users_is_demo", table_name="users")
+    op.drop_column("users", "is_demo")

backend/app/auth.py

@@ -11,11 +11,21 @@ from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
 from app import email as email_mod
 from app.config import settings
 from app.db import get_db
-from app.models import Invite, OAuthToken, User
+from app.models import DemoWhitelist, Invite, OAuthToken, User
+from app.ratelimit import RateLimiter
 from app.security import encrypt
 
 _EMAIL_RE = re.compile(r"^[^@\s]+@[^@\s]+\.[^@\s]+$")
 
+# The single shared demo account's stable identity. The row is created lazily on first
+# demo login (see get_or_create_demo_user); these are just its sentinel keys.
+DEMO_GOOGLE_SUB = "__demo__"
+DEMO_EMAIL = "demo@siftlode.local"
+
+# Throttle the hidden demo-login endpoint per client IP: enough for a real paste-and-wait,
+# stingy enough that the field can't be hammered as an enumeration oracle or for DoS.
+_demo_limiter = RateLimiter(max_events=5, window_seconds=60)
+
 # How many recently-used accounts to keep switchable in one browser session.
 MAX_SESSION_ACCOUNTS = 6
 
@@ -77,6 +87,45 @@ def is_allowed(db: Session, email: str) -> bool:
     return email in settings.allowed_email_set or email in settings.admin_email_set
 
 
+def is_demo_allowed(db: Session, email: str) -> bool:
+    """Whether this email may enter the shared demo account (no Google sign-in)."""
+    if not email:
+        return False
+    return (
+        db.execute(
+            select(DemoWhitelist).where(DemoWhitelist.email == email.lower())
+        ).scalar_one_or_none()
+        is not None
+    )
+
+
+def get_or_create_demo_user(db: Session) -> User:
+    """The one shared demo user, created on first use. No OAuth token / YouTube scope, so
+    has_read_scope/has_write_scope are False and every YouTube-touching path is closed to it."""
+    user = db.query(User).filter(User.is_demo.is_(True)).one_or_none()
+    if user is None:
+        user = User(
+            google_sub=DEMO_GOOGLE_SUB,
+            email=DEMO_EMAIL,
+            display_name="Demo",
+            role="user",
+            is_demo=True,
+            preferences={"language": "en"},
+        )
+        db.add(user)
+        db.commit()
+    return user
+
+
+def _client_ip(request: Request) -> str:
+    """Best-effort client IP for rate limiting. Behind our reverse proxy (Caddy/NPM) the
+    real client is the first X-Forwarded-For hop; fall back to the socket peer otherwise."""
+    xff = request.headers.get("x-forwarded-for")
+    if xff:
+        return xff.split(",")[0].strip()
+    return request.client.host if request.client else "unknown"
+
+
 def upsert_pending_invite(db: Session, email: str) -> Invite | None:
     """Idempotently record an access request. Returns the Invite if a *new* pending row
     was created (so the caller can notify admins), else None for already-known emails."""
@@ -224,6 +273,24 @@ async def request_access(
     return {"status": "pending"}
 
 
+@router.post("/demo")
+def demo_login(payload: dict, request: Request, db: Session = Depends(get_db)) -> dict:
+    """Hidden demo entry: a whitelisted email logs straight into the shared demo account,
+    no Google OAuth. The login page fires this quietly (debounced) as the user types/pastes,
+    so there is no visible 'demo login' button. Rate-limited per IP; when blocked it answers
+    exactly like a non-match (authenticated=false) so the field can't be hammered as an
+    enumeration oracle. On a match it sets the session and the client reloads into the app."""
+    if not _demo_limiter.allow(_client_ip(request)):
+        return {"authenticated": False}
+    email = (payload.get("email") or "").strip().lower()
+    if _EMAIL_RE.match(email) and is_demo_allowed(db, email):
+        demo = get_or_create_demo_user(db)
+        request.session["user_id"] = demo.id
+        log.info("Demo login (key=%s, demo_id=%s)", email, demo.id)
+        return {"authenticated": True}
+    return {"authenticated": False}
+
+
 def current_user(request: Request, db: Session = Depends(get_db)) -> User:
     user_id = request.session.get("user_id")
     if not user_id:
@@ -241,9 +308,19 @@ def current_user(request: Request, db: Session = Depends(get_db)) -> User:
     return user
 
 
+def require_human(user: User = Depends(current_user)) -> User:
+    """Reject the shared demo account from actions that need a real Google/YouTube identity
+    or spend the shared quota. Most YouTube paths are already closed to it implicitly (it has
+    no token, so has_read_scope/has_write_scope are False); this makes the boundary explicit
+    where there's no scope check to lean on."""
+    if user.is_demo:
+        raise HTTPException(status_code=403, detail="Not available in the demo account.")
+    return user
+
+
 @router.get("/upgrade")
 async def upgrade(
-    request: Request, access: str = "read", user: User = Depends(current_user)
+    request: Request, access: str = "read", user: User = Depends(require_human)
 ):
     """Incremental consent for the onboarding wizard. `access=read` grants YouTube
     read-only (enough to build the feed); `access=write` additionally grants management

backend/app/models.py

@@ -28,6 +28,12 @@ class User(Base):
     display_name: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(String(255))
     avatar_url: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(String(1024))
     role: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(String(16), default="user", server_default="user")
+    # The single shared "demo" account: signed into without Google OAuth (via a whitelisted
+    # email on the login page), has no OAuth token / YouTube scope, and its per-user state is
+    # shared by everyone who enters this way. Exactly one such row is expected.
+    is_demo: Mapped[bool] = mapped_column(
+        Boolean, default=False, server_default="false", index=True
+    )
     # Free-form UI preferences (theme, color scheme, font scale, default filters…).
     preferences: Mapped[dict | None] = mapped_column(JSON)
     created_at: Mapped[datetime] = mapped_column(
@@ -81,6 +87,22 @@ class Invite(Base):
     decided_by: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(String(320))  # admin email
 
 
+class DemoWhitelist(Base):
+    """Emails that may enter the shared demo account from the login page (no Google OAuth).
+    A hidden, admin-curated list of "keys to the same door" — every entry logs into the one
+    shared demo user. Distinct from Invite (which gates real Google sign-in)."""
+
+    __tablename__ = "demo_whitelist"
+
+    id: Mapped[int] = mapped_column(primary_key=True)
+    email: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(String(320), unique=True, index=True)
+    note: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(Text)
+    added_by: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(String(320))  # admin email
+    created_at: Mapped[datetime] = mapped_column(
+        DateTime(timezone=True), server_default=func.now()
+    )
+
+
 class Channel(Base):
     """A YouTube channel. Shared across all users (one channel's videos are the same
     for everyone), so its expensive metadata is fetched and stored only once."""

backend/app/ratelimit.py

@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+"""A tiny in-process sliding-window rate limiter.
+
+Generic groundwork: keyed by an arbitrary string (e.g. a client IP), so it can throttle any
+endpoint. Single-worker uvicorn → in-memory state is sufficient; it resets on restart, which
+is fine for abuse throttling (not for anything that must survive a deploy). Not shared across
+processes — if we ever run multiple workers, swap the backing store for Redis behind the same
+``allow()`` interface.
+"""
+import threading
+import time
+
+
+class RateLimiter:
+    def __init__(self, max_events: int, window_seconds: float):
+        self.max_events = max_events
+        self.window = window_seconds
+        self._hits: dict[str, list[float]] = {}
+        self._lock = threading.Lock()
+
+    def allow(self, key: str) -> bool:
+        """Record an attempt for ``key`` and return whether it is within the limit.
+
+        True  -> under the cap (the attempt is counted).
+        False -> the cap for the current window is already reached (attempt NOT counted, so a
+                 blocked caller can't keep pushing the window forward)."""
+        now = time.monotonic()
+        cutoff = now - self.window
+        with self._lock:
+            hits = [t for t in self._hits.get(key, []) if t > cutoff]
+            if len(hits) >= self.max_events:
+                self._hits[key] = hits
+                return False
+            hits.append(now)
+            self._hits[key] = hits
+            # Opportunistic cleanup so abandoned keys don't accumulate unboundedly.
+            if len(self._hits) > 4096:
+                for k in list(self._hits):
+                    fresh = [t for t in self._hits[k] if t > cutoff]
+                    if fresh:
+                        self._hits[k] = fresh
+                    else:
+                        del self._hits[k]
+            return True

backend/app/routes/admin.py

@@ -1,17 +1,29 @@
-"""Admin-only onboarding: review access requests (Invites), approve/deny, manual add."""
+"""Admin-only onboarding: review access requests (Invites), approve/deny, manual add.
+Also the demo-account admin surface: the demo email whitelist + a manual state reset."""
+import re
 from datetime import datetime, timezone
 
 from fastapi import APIRouter, BackgroundTasks, Depends, HTTPException
-from sqlalchemy import select
+from sqlalchemy import delete, select
 from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
 
 from app import email as email_mod
-from app.auth import current_user
+from app.auth import current_user, get_or_create_demo_user
 from app.db import get_db
-from app.models import Invite, User
+from app.models import (
+    DemoWhitelist,
+    Invite,
+    Playlist,
+    PlaylistItem,
+    User,
+    Video,
+    VideoState,
+)
 
 router = APIRouter(prefix="/api/admin", tags=["admin"])
 
+_EMAIL_RE = re.compile(r"^[^@\s]+@[^@\s]+\.[^@\s]+$")
+
 
 def admin_user(user: User = Depends(current_user)) -> User:
     if user.role != "admin":
@@ -98,3 +110,117 @@ def add_invite(
     inv.decided_by = admin.email
     db.commit()
     return _serialize(inv)
+
+
+# --- Demo account: email whitelist + state reset -------------------------------------
+
+def _serialize_demo(row: DemoWhitelist) -> dict:
+    return {
+        "id": row.id,
+        "email": row.email,
+        "note": row.note,
+        "added_by": row.added_by,
+        "created_at": row.created_at.isoformat() if row.created_at else None,
+    }
+
+
+@router.get("/demo/whitelist")
+def list_demo_whitelist(
+    _: User = Depends(admin_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
+) -> list[dict]:
+    rows = (
+        db.execute(select(DemoWhitelist).order_by(DemoWhitelist.created_at.desc()))
+        .scalars()
+        .all()
+    )
+    return [_serialize_demo(r) for r in rows]
+
+
+@router.post("/demo/whitelist")
+def add_demo_whitelist(
+    payload: dict,
+    admin: User = Depends(admin_user),
+    db: Session = Depends(get_db),
+) -> dict:
+    """Add an email that may enter the shared demo account from the login page (no Google
+    sign-in). Idempotent — re-adding an existing email just returns it."""
+    email = (payload.get("email") or "").strip().lower()
+    if not _EMAIL_RE.match(email):
+        raise HTTPException(status_code=400, detail="Enter a valid email address.")
+    row = db.execute(
+        select(DemoWhitelist).where(DemoWhitelist.email == email)
+    ).scalar_one_or_none()
+    if row is None:
+        row = DemoWhitelist(
+            email=email,
+            note=(payload.get("note") or "").strip() or None,
+            added_by=admin.email,
+        )
+        db.add(row)
+        db.commit()
+    return _serialize_demo(row)
+
+
+@router.delete("/demo/whitelist/{entry_id}")
+def remove_demo_whitelist(
+    entry_id: int,
+    _: User = Depends(admin_user),
+    db: Session = Depends(get_db),
+) -> dict:
+    row = db.get(DemoWhitelist, entry_id)
+    if row is not None:
+        db.delete(row)
+        db.commit()
+    return {"deleted": entry_id}
+
+
+def _seed_demo_playlists(db: Session, demo: User) -> int:
+    """Seed a few sample playlists from the shared catalog so a freshly-reset demo isn't
+    empty — gives visitors something to play with. Best-effort: skips silently if the
+    catalog is too small."""
+    recent = (
+        db.execute(
+            select(Video.id)
+            .where(Video.is_short.is_(False), Video.live_status == "none")
+            .order_by(Video.published_at.desc().nullslast())
+            .limit(60)
+        )
+        .scalars()
+        .all()
+    )
+    if not recent:
+        return 0
+    samples = [
+        ("Fresh picks", recent[0:10]),
+        ("Quick watch", recent[10:18]),
+        ("Saved for later", recent[18:26]),
+    ]
+    created = 0
+    for pos, (name, vids) in enumerate(samples):
+        if not vids:
+            continue
+        pl = Playlist(user_id=demo.id, name=name, position=pos)
+        db.add(pl)
+        db.flush()
+        for ipos, vid in enumerate(vids):
+            db.add(PlaylistItem(playlist_id=pl.id, video_id=vid, position=ipos))
+        created += 1
+    return created
+
+
+@router.post("/demo/reset")
+def reset_demo(
+    _: User = Depends(admin_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
+) -> dict:
+    """Wipe the shared demo account's per-user state (watch/save/hide states, playlists,
+    preferences) back to a clean baseline and re-seed a few sample playlists. There's no
+    automatic reset — this is the admin's manual 'clean up the sandbox' button."""
+    demo = get_or_create_demo_user(db)
+    db.execute(delete(VideoState).where(VideoState.user_id == demo.id))
+    # Playlist items cascade on playlist delete (ondelete="CASCADE").
+    db.execute(delete(Playlist).where(Playlist.user_id == demo.id))
+    demo.preferences = {"language": "en"}
+    db.commit()
+    seeded = _seed_demo_playlists(db, demo)
+    db.commit()
+    return {"reset": True, "playlists_seeded": seeded}

backend/app/routes/me.py

@@ -77,6 +77,7 @@ def get_me(
         "display_name": user.display_name,
         "avatar_url": user.avatar_url,
         "role": user.role,
+        "is_demo": user.is_demo,
         "can_read": has_read_scope(user),
         "can_write": has_write_scope(user),
         "pending_invites": pending_invites,

backend/app/routes/sync.py

@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ from sqlalchemy import and_, case, func, select, update
 from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
 
 from app import quota, state
-from app.auth import current_user, has_read_scope
+from app.auth import current_user, has_read_scope, require_human
 from app.db import get_db
 from app.models import Channel, Subscription, User, Video
 from app.sync.runner import (
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ def _user_channels(db: Session, user: User) -> list[Channel]:
 
 @router.post("/subscriptions")
 def sync_subscriptions(
-    user: User = Depends(current_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
+    user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
 ) -> dict:
     if not has_read_scope(user):
         # No YouTube read grant yet — the onboarding wizard hasn't been completed.
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ def sync_subscriptions(
 
 @router.post("/rss")
 def sync_rss(
-    user: User = Depends(current_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
+    user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
 ) -> dict:
     new = run_rss_poll(db, _user_channels(db, user))
     return {"new_videos": new}
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ def sync_rss(
 
 @router.post("/backfill")
 def sync_backfill(
-    user: User = Depends(current_user),
+    user: User = Depends(require_human),
     db: Session = Depends(get_db),
     max_channels: int = 25,
 ) -> dict:
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ def sync_backfill(
 
 @router.post("/enrich")
 def sync_enrich(
-    user: User = Depends(current_user), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
+    user: User = Depends(require_human), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
 ) -> dict:
     before = quota.units_used_today(db)
     with quota.attribute(user.id, "enrich"):
@@ -175,7 +175,7 @@ def my_status(
 
 @router.post("/deep-all")
 def deep_all(
-    user: User = Depends(current_user),
+    user: User = Depends(require_human),
     db: Session = Depends(get_db),
     on: bool = True,
 ) -> dict:

frontend/src/App.tsx

@@ -189,6 +189,17 @@ export default function App() {
         message: t("common.accessRequestsMessage", { count: pending }),
       });
     }
+    // The demo account is shared: there are no subscriptions, so default it to the whole
+    // library (the "my" feed would be empty), and warn that its state is communal.
+    if (meQuery.data?.is_demo) {
+      setFilters({ ...loadStoredFilters(), scope: "all" });
+      notify({
+        level: "warning",
+        title: t("common.demoTitle"),
+        message: t("common.demoSharedNotice"),
+        requiresInteraction: true,
+      });
+    }
     // eslint-disable-next-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
   }, [meQuery.data?.id]);
 

frontend/src/components/Login.tsx

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { useState } from "react";
+import { useEffect, useState } from "react";
 import { useTranslation } from "react-i18next";
 import { api } from "../lib/api";
 import { setLanguage, type LangCode } from "../i18n";
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ import LanguageSwitcher from "./LanguageSwitcher";
 
 type Phase = "idle" | "sending" | "requested" | "approved" | "error";
 
+const EMAIL_RE = /^[^@\s]+@[^@\s]+\.[^@\s]+$/;
+
 export default function Login() {
   const { t, i18n } = useTranslation();
 
@@ -18,6 +20,28 @@ export default function Login() {
   const [phase, setPhase] = useState<Phase>(bounced === "requested" ? "requested" : "idle");
   const [error, setError] = useState("");
 
+  // Hidden demo entry: a whitelisted email signs straight into the shared demo account, with
+  // no button to give it away. We watch the field and — once it holds a syntactically valid
+  // email and typing has settled — quietly probe /auth/demo. A match sets the session, so we
+  // reload into the app; a non-match does nothing visible (the normal "request access" flow
+  // stays available). The server is rate-limited and answers uniformly, so this can't be
+  // hammered as an oracle. Skipped while the request-access form is mid-submit/done.
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const candidate = email.trim().toLowerCase();
+    const settled = phase === "requested" || phase === "approved";
+    if (phase === "sending" || settled || !EMAIL_RE.test(candidate)) return;
+    const timer = setTimeout(() => {
+      api
+        .demoLogin(candidate)
+        .then((r) => {
+          if (r.authenticated) window.location.reload();
+        })
+        .catch(() => {});
+    }, 700);
+    return () => clearTimeout(timer);
+    // eslint-disable-next-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
+  }, [email, phase]);
+
   async function submit(e: React.FormEvent) {
     e.preventDefault();
     setError("");

frontend/src/components/SettingsPanel.tsx

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { useCallback, useEffect, useState, useSyncExternalStore } from "react";
 import { useTranslation } from "react-i18next";
 import { useMutation, useQuery, useQueryClient } from "@tanstack/react-query";
-import { Bell, Check, History, Monitor, Pause, Play, RefreshCw, User, UserPlus, X } from "lucide-react";
+import { Bell, Check, History, Monitor, Pause, Play, RefreshCw, RotateCcw, Trash2, User, UserPlus, X } from "lucide-react";
 import { SCHEMES, type Scheme, type ThemePrefs } from "../lib/theme";
 import { api, type Invite, type Me } from "../lib/api";
 import { formatEta, quotaActionLabel } from "../lib/format";
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import {
 } from "../lib/notifications";
 import { hintsEnabled, setHintsEnabled, subscribeHints } from "../lib/hints";
 import Tooltip from "./Tooltip";
+import { useConfirm } from "./ConfirmProvider";
 
 type TabId = "appearance" | "notifications" | "sync" | "account";
 const TABS: { id: TabId; icon: typeof Monitor }[] = [
@@ -397,28 +398,30 @@ function Sync({ me }: { me: Me }) {
         )}
       </Section>
 
-      <Section title={t("settings.sync.actions")}>
+      {!me.is_demo && (
-        <Tooltip hint={t("settings.sync.syncSubscriptionsHint")}>
+        <Section title={t("settings.sync.actions")}>
-          <button
+          <Tooltip hint={t("settings.sync.syncSubscriptionsHint")}>
-            onClick={() => syncSubs.mutate()}
+            <button
-            disabled={syncSubs.isPending}
+              onClick={() => syncSubs.mutate()}
-            className="glass-card glass-hover flex items-center gap-2 px-3 py-2 rounded-xl text-sm disabled:opacity-50 transition"
+              disabled={syncSubs.isPending}
-          >
+              className="glass-card glass-hover flex items-center gap-2 px-3 py-2 rounded-xl text-sm disabled:opacity-50 transition"
-            <RefreshCw className={`w-4 h-4 ${syncSubs.isPending ? "animate-spin" : ""}`} />
+            >
-            {t("settings.sync.syncSubscriptions")}
+              <RefreshCw className={`w-4 h-4 ${syncSubs.isPending ? "animate-spin" : ""}`} />
-          </button>
+              {t("settings.sync.syncSubscriptions")}
-        </Tooltip>
+            </button>
-        <Tooltip hint={t("settings.sync.backfillEverythingHint")}>
+          </Tooltip>
-          <button
+          <Tooltip hint={t("settings.sync.backfillEverythingHint")}>
-            onClick={() => deepAll.mutate()}
+            <button
-            disabled={deepAll.isPending}
+              onClick={() => deepAll.mutate()}
-            className="glass-card glass-hover flex items-center gap-2 px-3 py-2 rounded-xl text-sm disabled:opacity-50 transition mt-2"
+              disabled={deepAll.isPending}
-          >
+              className="glass-card glass-hover flex items-center gap-2 px-3 py-2 rounded-xl text-sm disabled:opacity-50 transition mt-2"
-            <History className={`w-4 h-4 ${deepAll.isPending ? "animate-pulse" : ""}`} />
+            >
-            {t("settings.sync.backfillEverything")}
+              <History className={`w-4 h-4 ${deepAll.isPending ? "animate-pulse" : ""}`} />
-          </button>
+              {t("settings.sync.backfillEverything")}
-        </Tooltip>
+            </button>
-      </Section>
+          </Tooltip>
+        </Section>
+      )}
 
       {me.role === "admin" && s && (
         <Section title={t("settings.sync.admin")}>
@@ -498,38 +501,47 @@ function Account({ me, onOpenWizard }: { me: Me; onOpenWizard: () => void }) {
       </div>
     </Section>
 
-    <Section title={t("settings.account.youtubeAccess")}>
+    {me.is_demo ? (
-      <p className="text-xs text-muted leading-relaxed mb-1">
+      <Section title={t("settings.account.youtubeAccess")}>
-        {t("settings.account.youtubeAccessIntro")}
+        <p className="text-xs text-muted leading-relaxed">
-      </p>
+          {t("settings.account.demoNotice")}
-      <div className="divide-y divide-border">
+        </p>
-        <AccessRow
+      </Section>
-          title={t("settings.account.readTitle")}
+    ) : (
-          granted={me.can_read}
+      <Section title={t("settings.account.youtubeAccess")}>
-          grantedHint={t("settings.account.readGrantedHint")}
+        <p className="text-xs text-muted leading-relaxed mb-1">
-          enableHint={t("settings.account.readEnableHint")}
+          {t("settings.account.youtubeAccessIntro")}
-          onEnable={() => {
+        </p>
-            window.location.href = "/auth/upgrade?access=read";
+        <div className="divide-y divide-border">
-          }}
+          <AccessRow
-        />
+            title={t("settings.account.readTitle")}
-        <AccessRow
+            granted={me.can_read}
-          title={t("settings.account.writeTitle")}
+            grantedHint={t("settings.account.readGrantedHint")}
-          granted={me.can_write}
+            enableHint={t("settings.account.readEnableHint")}
-          grantedHint={t("settings.account.writeGrantedHint")}
+            onEnable={() => {
-          enableHint={t("settings.account.writeEnableHint")}
+              window.location.href = "/auth/upgrade?access=read";
-          onEnable={() => {
+            }}
-            window.location.href = "/auth/upgrade?access=write";
+          />
-          }}
+          <AccessRow
-        />
+            title={t("settings.account.writeTitle")}
-      </div>
+            granted={me.can_write}
-      <button
+            grantedHint={t("settings.account.writeGrantedHint")}
-        onClick={onOpenWizard}
+            enableHint={t("settings.account.writeEnableHint")}
-        className="mt-2 text-sm text-accent hover:underline"
+            onEnable={() => {
-      >
+              window.location.href = "/auth/upgrade?access=write";
-        {t("settings.account.walkMeThrough")}
+            }}
-      </button>
+          />
-    </Section>
+        </div>
+        <button
+          onClick={onOpenWizard}
+          className="mt-2 text-sm text-accent hover:underline"
+        >
+          {t("settings.account.walkMeThrough")}
+        </button>
+      </Section>
+    )}
     {me.role === "admin" && <AdminInvites />}
+    {me.role === "admin" && <AdminDemo />}
     </>
   );
 }
@@ -631,6 +643,118 @@ function AdminInvites() {
   );
 }
 
+function AdminDemo() {
+  const { t } = useTranslation();
+  const qc = useQueryClient();
+  const confirm = useConfirm();
+  const list = useQuery({ queryKey: ["demo-whitelist"], queryFn: () => api.adminDemoWhitelist() });
+  const [newEmail, setNewEmail] = useState("");
+
+  const add = useMutation({
+    mutationFn: (email: string) => api.addDemoWhitelist(email),
+    onSuccess: () => {
+      setNewEmail("");
+      qc.invalidateQueries({ queryKey: ["demo-whitelist"] });
+      notify({ level: "success", message: t("settings.demo.added") });
+    },
+    onError: () => notify({ level: "error", message: t("settings.demo.addFailed") }),
+  });
+  const remove = useMutation({
+    mutationFn: (id: number) => api.removeDemoWhitelist(id),
+    onSuccess: () => qc.invalidateQueries({ queryKey: ["demo-whitelist"] }),
+    onError: () => notify({ level: "error", message: t("settings.demo.removeFailed") }),
+  });
+  const reset = useMutation({
+    mutationFn: () => api.resetDemo(),
+    onSuccess: (r: { playlists_seeded: number }) =>
+      notify({
+        level: "success",
+        message: t("settings.demo.resetDone", { count: r.playlists_seeded }),
+      }),
+    onError: () => notify({ level: "error", message: t("settings.demo.resetFailed") }),
+  });
+
+  const rows = list.data ?? [];
+
+  return (
+    <Section title={t("settings.demo.title")}>
+      <p className="text-xs text-muted leading-relaxed mb-2">{t("settings.demo.intro")}</p>
+
+      {rows.length > 0 && (
+        <div className="space-y-1.5 mb-3">
+          {rows.map((r) => (
+            <div key={r.id} className="glass-card flex items-center gap-2 p-2.5 rounded-xl">
+              <div className="min-w-0 flex-1">
+                <div className="text-sm truncate">{r.email}</div>
+                {r.added_by && (
+                  <div className="text-[11px] text-muted truncate">
+                    {t("settings.demo.addedBy", { who: r.added_by })}
+                  </div>
+                )}
+              </div>
+              <Tooltip hint={t("settings.demo.removeHint")}>
+                <button
+                  onClick={() => remove.mutate(r.id)}
+                  disabled={remove.isPending}
+                  className="shrink-0 p-1.5 rounded-lg border border-border text-muted hover:text-red-400 disabled:opacity-50 transition"
+                  aria-label={t("settings.demo.remove")}
+                >
+                  <Trash2 className="w-4 h-4" />
+                </button>
+              </Tooltip>
+            </div>
+          ))}
+        </div>
+      )}
+
+      <form
+        onSubmit={(e) => {
+          e.preventDefault();
+          if (newEmail.trim()) add.mutate(newEmail.trim());
+        }}
+        className="flex items-center gap-2"
+      >
+        <input
+          type="email"
+          value={newEmail}
+          onChange={(e) => setNewEmail(e.target.value)}
+          placeholder={t("settings.demo.addPlaceholder")}
+          className="flex-1 min-w-0 bg-card border border-border rounded-xl px-3 py-2 text-sm outline-none focus:border-accent"
+        />
+        <button
+          type="submit"
+          className="shrink-0 glass-card glass-hover flex items-center gap-1.5 px-3 py-2 rounded-xl text-sm transition"
+        >
+          <UserPlus className="w-4 h-4" /> {t("settings.demo.add")}
+        </button>
+      </form>
+
+      <div className="mt-4 pt-3 border-t border-border">
+        <Tooltip hint={t("settings.demo.resetHint")}>
+          <button
+            onClick={async () => {
+              if (
+                await confirm({
+                  title: t("settings.demo.resetTitle"),
+                  message: t("settings.demo.resetConfirm"),
+                  confirmLabel: t("settings.demo.reset"),
+                  danger: true,
+                })
+              )
+                reset.mutate();
+            }}
+            disabled={reset.isPending}
+            className="glass-card glass-hover flex items-center gap-2 px-3 py-2 rounded-xl text-sm disabled:opacity-50 transition"
+          >
+            <RotateCcw className={`w-4 h-4 ${reset.isPending ? "animate-spin" : ""}`} />
+            {t("settings.demo.reset")}
+          </button>
+        </Tooltip>
+      </div>
+    </Section>
+  );
+}
+
 function InviteRow({
   inv,
   onApprove,

frontend/src/i18n/locales/de/common.json

@@ -12,5 +12,7 @@
   "language": "Sprache",
   "somethingWrong": "Etwas ist schiefgelaufen.",
   "accessRequestsTitle": "Zugangsanfragen",
-  "accessRequestsMessage": "{{count}} ausstehend — prüfe sie unter Einstellungen → Konto."
+  "accessRequestsMessage": "{{count}} ausstehend — prüfe sie unter Einstellungen → Konto.",
+  "demoTitle": "Demo-Konto",
+  "demoSharedNotice": "Du bist im gemeinsamen Demo-Konto. Alles, was du hier tust — Playlists, ausgeblendete Videos, Einstellungen — ist gemeinsam und kann von anderen Demo-Besuchern gleichzeitig geändert werden."
 }

frontend/src/i18n/locales/de/settings.json

@@ -79,7 +79,26 @@
     "granted": "Erteilt",
     "enable": "Aktivieren",
     "enableHint": "Leitet zu Google weiter, um die Berechtigung zu erteilen. Google zeigt einen Hinweis „nicht verifizierte App“ — das ist zu erwarten; klicke auf Erweitert → Weiter zu Siftlode.",
-    "walkMeThrough": "Führe mich durch die Einrichtung"
+    "walkMeThrough": "Führe mich durch die Einrichtung",
+    "demoNotice": "Dies ist das gemeinsame Demo-Konto. Es hat keine YouTube-Verbindung — du kannst die gesamte gemeinsame Bibliothek durchsuchen, filtern und sortieren, Playlists erstellen und Dinge ausprobieren, aber nichts berührt ein echtes YouTube-Konto."
+  },
+  "demo": {
+    "title": "Demo-Zugang",
+    "intro": "E-Mails hier können das gemeinsame Demo-Konto direkt von der Anmeldeseite aus betreten — ohne Google-Anmeldung. Sie tippen die Adresse einfach ins Feld und werden nach einem Moment eingelassen.",
+    "addPlaceholder": "E-Mail für die Demo auf die Whitelist…",
+    "add": "Hinzufügen",
+    "added": "Zur Demo-Whitelist hinzugefügt",
+    "addFailed": "Diese E-Mail konnte nicht hinzugefügt werden",
+    "removeFailed": "Diese E-Mail konnte nicht entfernt werden",
+    "remove": "Entfernen",
+    "removeHint": "Diese E-Mail von der Demo-Whitelist entfernen.",
+    "addedBy": "hinzugefügt von {{who}}",
+    "reset": "Demo-Zustand zurücksetzen",
+    "resetHint": "Löscht die Playlists, ausgeblendeten/angesehenen/gespeicherten Videos und Einstellungen des Demo-Kontos und legt dann ein paar Beispiel-Playlists neu an.",
+    "resetTitle": "Demo-Zustand zurücksetzen?",
+    "resetConfirm": "Dies löscht alles, was das Demo-Konto angesammelt hat — Playlists, ausgeblendete/angesehene/gespeicherte Videos und Einstellungen — und legt ein paar Beispiel-Playlists neu an. Es kann nicht rückgängig gemacht werden.",
+    "resetDone": "Demo zurückgesetzt — {{count}} Beispiel-Playlist(s) angelegt",
+    "resetFailed": "Das Demo-Konto konnte nicht zurückgesetzt werden"
   },
   "invites": {
     "title": "Zugriffsanfragen",

frontend/src/i18n/locales/en/common.json

@@ -12,5 +12,7 @@
   "language": "Language",
   "somethingWrong": "Something went wrong.",
   "accessRequestsTitle": "Access requests",
-  "accessRequestsMessage": "{{count}} pending — review in Settings → Account."
+  "accessRequestsMessage": "{{count}} pending — review in Settings → Account.",
+  "demoTitle": "Demo account",
+  "demoSharedNotice": "You're in the shared demo account. Everything you do here — playlists, hidden videos, settings — is communal and may be changed by other demo visitors at the same time."
 }

frontend/src/i18n/locales/en/settings.json

@@ -79,7 +79,26 @@
     "granted": "Granted",
     "enable": "Enable",
     "enableHint": "Redirects to Google to grant the permission. Google shows an 'unverified app' notice — that's expected; click Advanced → Go to Siftlode.",
-    "walkMeThrough": "Walk me through setup"
+    "walkMeThrough": "Walk me through setup",
+    "demoNotice": "This is the shared demo account. It has no YouTube connection — you can browse the whole shared library, filter and sort it, build playlists and try things out, but nothing touches a real YouTube account."
+  },
+  "demo": {
+    "title": "Demo access",
+    "intro": "Emails here can enter the shared demo account straight from the login page — no Google sign-in. They just type the address into the field and are let in after a moment.",
+    "addPlaceholder": "Whitelist an email for demo…",
+    "add": "Add",
+    "added": "Added to the demo whitelist",
+    "addFailed": "Couldn't add that email",
+    "removeFailed": "Couldn't remove that email",
+    "remove": "Remove",
+    "removeHint": "Remove this email from the demo whitelist.",
+    "addedBy": "added by {{who}}",
+    "reset": "Reset demo state",
+    "resetHint": "Wipe the demo account's playlists, hidden/watched/saved videos and settings, then re-seed a few sample playlists.",
+    "resetTitle": "Reset demo state?",
+    "resetConfirm": "This clears everything the demo account has accumulated — playlists, hidden/watched/saved videos and settings — and re-seeds a few sample playlists. It can't be undone.",
+    "resetDone": "Demo reset — {{count}} sample playlist(s) seeded",
+    "resetFailed": "Couldn't reset the demo account"
   },
   "invites": {
     "title": "Access requests",

frontend/src/i18n/locales/hu/common.json

@@ -12,5 +12,7 @@
   "language": "Nyelv",
   "somethingWrong": "Hiba történt.",
   "accessRequestsTitle": "Hozzáférési kérések",
-  "accessRequestsMessage": "{{count}} függőben — nézd át a Beállítások → Fiók menüben."
+  "accessRequestsMessage": "{{count}} függőben — nézd át a Beállítások → Fiók menüben.",
+  "demoTitle": "Demo fiók",
+  "demoSharedNotice": "Egy közös demo fiókban vagy. Minden, amit itt csinálsz — lejátszási listák, elrejtett videók, beállítások — közös, és más demo látogatók egyszerre módosíthatják."
 }

frontend/src/i18n/locales/hu/settings.json

@@ -79,7 +79,26 @@
     "granted": "Megadva",
     "enable": "Engedélyezés",
     "enableHint": "Átirányít a Google-höz az engedély megadásához. A Google „nem ellenőrzött alkalmazás” figyelmeztetést mutat — ez normális; kattints a Speciális → Tovább a Siftlode-ra lehetőségre.",
-    "walkMeThrough": "Vezess végig a beállításon"
+    "walkMeThrough": "Vezess végig a beállításon",
+    "demoNotice": "Ez a közös demo fiók. Nincs YouTube-kapcsolata — böngészheted a teljes közös könyvtárat, szűrheted és rendezheted, listákat építhetsz és kipróbálhatsz dolgokat, de semmi nem nyúl valódi YouTube-fiókhoz."
+  },
+  "demo": {
+    "title": "Demo hozzáférés",
+    "intro": "Az itt szereplő e-mailek a bejelentkező oldalról közvetlenül beléphetnek a közös demo fiókba — Google-bejelentkezés nélkül. Csak beírják a címet a mezőbe, és pár pillanat múlva bekerülnek.",
+    "addPlaceholder": "E-mail fehérlistára a demóhoz…",
+    "add": "Hozzáadás",
+    "added": "Hozzáadva a demo fehérlistához",
+    "addFailed": "Nem sikerült hozzáadni ezt az e-mailt",
+    "removeFailed": "Nem sikerült eltávolítani ezt az e-mailt",
+    "remove": "Eltávolítás",
+    "removeHint": "E-mail eltávolítása a demo fehérlistáról.",
+    "addedBy": "hozzáadta: {{who}}",
+    "reset": "Demo állapot visszaállítása",
+    "resetHint": "Törli a demo fiók lejátszási listáit, elrejtett/megnézett/mentett videóit és beállításait, majd újra létrehoz pár minta lejátszási listát.",
+    "resetTitle": "Visszaállítod a demo állapotot?",
+    "resetConfirm": "Ez törli mindazt, amit a demo fiók összegyűjtött — lejátszási listák, elrejtett/megnézett/mentett videók és beállítások —, és újra létrehoz pár minta lejátszási listát. Nem vonható vissza.",
+    "resetDone": "Demo visszaállítva — {{count}} minta lejátszási lista létrehozva",
+    "resetFailed": "Nem sikerült visszaállítani a demo fiókot"
   },
   "invites": {
     "title": "Hozzáférési kérelmek",

frontend/src/lib/api.ts

@@ -6,12 +6,21 @@ export interface Me {
   display_name: string | null;
   avatar_url: string | null;
   role: string;
+  is_demo: boolean;
   can_read: boolean;
   can_write: boolean;
   pending_invites: number;
   preferences: Record<string, any>;
 }
 
+export interface DemoWhitelistEntry {
+  id: number;
+  email: string;
+  note: string | null;
+  added_by: string | null;
+  created_at: string | null;
+}
+
 export interface Invite {
   id: number;
   email: string;
@@ -395,6 +404,18 @@ export const api = {
   // --- onboarding / admin ---
   requestAccess: (email: string): Promise<{ status: string }> =>
     req("/auth/request-access", { method: "POST", body: JSON.stringify({ email }) }),
+  // Hidden demo entry: a whitelisted email logs into the shared demo account, no Google
+  // sign-in. Returns whether a session was established.
+  demoLogin: (email: string): Promise<{ authenticated: boolean }> =>
+    req("/auth/demo", { method: "POST", body: JSON.stringify({ email }) }),
+  adminDemoWhitelist: (): Promise<DemoWhitelistEntry[]> =>
+    req("/api/admin/demo/whitelist"),
+  addDemoWhitelist: (email: string): Promise<DemoWhitelistEntry> =>
+    req("/api/admin/demo/whitelist", { method: "POST", body: JSON.stringify({ email }) }),
+  removeDemoWhitelist: (id: number) =>
+    req(`/api/admin/demo/whitelist/${id}`, { method: "DELETE" }),
+  resetDemo: (): Promise<{ reset: boolean; playlists_seeded: number }> =>
+    req("/api/admin/demo/reset", { method: "POST" }),
   adminInvites: (status?: string): Promise<Invite[]> =>
     req(`/api/admin/invites${status ? `?status=${status}` : ""}`),
   approveInvite: (id: number) =>

frontend/src/lib/onboarding.ts

@@ -15,7 +15,9 @@
 export const ONBOARD_ACTIVE = "subfeed.onboarding.active";
 export const ONBOARD_DISMISSED = "subfeed.onboarding.dismissed";
 
-export function shouldAutoOpenOnboarding(me: { can_read: boolean }): boolean {
+export function shouldAutoOpenOnboarding(me: { can_read: boolean; is_demo?: boolean }): boolean {
+  // The shared demo account can never connect YouTube, so never nudge it to.
+  if (me.is_demo) return false;
   if (sessionStorage.getItem(ONBOARD_ACTIVE)) return true;
   return !me.can_read && !localStorage.getItem(ONBOARD_DISMISSED);
 }