fix(server): improve transcoding failure diagnostics and error responses (#5227)

* fix(server): capture ffmpeg stderr and warn on empty transcoded output

When ffmpeg fails during transcoding (e.g., missing codec like libopus),
the error was silently discarded because stderr was sent to io.Discard
and the HTTP response returned 200 OK with a 0-byte body.

- Capture ffmpeg stderr in a bounded buffer (4KB) and include it in the
  error message when the process exits with a non-zero status code
- Log a warning when transcoded output is 0 bytes, guiding users to
  check codec support and enable Trace logging for details
- Remove log level guard so transcoding errors are always logged, not
  just at Debug level

Signed-off-by: Deluan <deluan@navidrome.org>

* fix(server): return proper error responses for empty transcoded output

Instead of returning HTTP 200 with 0-byte body when transcoding fails,
return a Subsonic error response (for stream/download/getTranscodeStream)
or HTTP 500 (for public shared streams). This gives clients a clear
signal that the request failed rather than a misleading empty success.

Signed-off-by: Deluan <deluan@navidrome.org>

* test(e2e): add tests for empty transcoded stream error responses

Add E2E tests verifying that stream and download endpoints return
Subsonic error responses when transcoding produces empty output.
Extend spyStreamer with SimulateEmptyStream and SimulateError fields
to support failure injection in tests.

Signed-off-by: Deluan <deluan@navidrome.org>

* refactor(server): extract stream serving logic into Stream.Serve method

Extract the duplicated non-seekable stream serving logic (header setup,
estimateContentLength, HEAD draining, io.Copy with error/empty detection)
from server/subsonic/stream.go and server/public/handle_streams.go into a
single Stream.Serve method on core/stream. Both callers now delegate to it,
eliminating ~30 lines of near-identical code.

* fix(server): return 200 with empty body for stream/download on empty transcoded output

Don't return a Subsonic error response when transcoding produces empty
output on stream/download endpoints — just log the error and return 200
with an empty body. The getTranscodeStream and public share endpoints
still return HTTP 500 for empty output. Stream.Serve now returns
(int64, error) so callers can check the byte count.

---------

Signed-off-by: Deluan <deluan@navidrome.org>

core/ffmpeg/ffmpeg.go

@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package ffmpeg
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"context"
 	"encoding/json"
 	"errors"
@@ -258,10 +259,11 @@ func (e *ffmpeg) start(ctx context.Context, args []string, input ...io.Reader) (
 
 type ffCmd struct {
 	*io.PipeReader
-	out   *io.PipeWriter
+	out    *io.PipeWriter
-	args  []string
+	args   []string
-	cmd   *exec.Cmd
+	cmd    *exec.Cmd
-	input io.Reader // optional stdin source
+	input  io.Reader // optional stdin source
+	stderr *bytes.Buffer
 }
 
 func (j *ffCmd) start(ctx context.Context) error {
@@ -270,10 +272,12 @@ func (j *ffCmd) start(ctx context.Context) error {
 	if j.input != nil {
 		cmd.Stdin = j.input
 	}
+	j.stderr = &bytes.Buffer{}
+	stderrWriter := &limitedWriter{buf: j.stderr, limit: 4096}
 	if log.IsGreaterOrEqualTo(log.LevelTrace) {
-		cmd.Stderr = os.Stderr
+		cmd.Stderr = io.MultiWriter(os.Stderr, stderrWriter)
 	} else {
-		cmd.Stderr = io.Discard
+		cmd.Stderr = stderrWriter
 	}
 	j.cmd = cmd
 
@@ -287,7 +291,11 @@ func (j *ffCmd) wait() {
 	if err := j.cmd.Wait(); err != nil {
 		var exitErr *exec.ExitError
 		if errors.As(err, &exitErr) {
-			_ = j.out.CloseWithError(fmt.Errorf("%s exited with non-zero status code: %d", j.args[0], exitErr.ExitCode()))
+			errMsg := fmt.Sprintf("%s exited with non-zero status code: %d", j.args[0], exitErr.ExitCode())
+			if stderrOutput := strings.TrimSpace(j.stderr.String()); stderrOutput != "" {
+				errMsg += ": " + stderrOutput
+			}
+			_ = j.out.CloseWithError(errors.New(errMsg))
 		} else {
 			_ = j.out.CloseWithError(fmt.Errorf("waiting %s cmd: %w", j.args[0], err))
 		}
@@ -296,6 +304,26 @@ func (j *ffCmd) wait() {
 	_ = j.out.Close()
 }
 
+// limitedWriter wraps a bytes.Buffer and stops writing once the limit is reached.
+// Writes that would exceed the limit are silently discarded to prevent unbounded memory usage.
+type limitedWriter struct {
+	buf   *bytes.Buffer
+	limit int
+}
+
+func (w *limitedWriter) Write(p []byte) (int, error) {
+	n := len(p)
+	remaining := w.limit - w.buf.Len()
+	if remaining <= 0 {
+		return n, nil // Discard but report success to avoid breaking the writer
+	}
+	if len(p) > remaining {
+		p = p[:remaining]
+	}
+	w.buf.Write(p)
+	return n, nil // Always report full write to avoid ErrShortWrite from io.MultiWriter
+}
+
 // formatCodecMap maps target format to ffmpeg codec flag.
 var formatCodecMap = map[string]string{
 	"mp3":  "libmp3lame",

core/ffmpeg/ffmpeg_test.go

@@ -604,6 +604,46 @@ var _ = Describe("ffmpeg", func() {
 			})
 		})
 
+		Context("stderr capture", func() {
+			BeforeEach(func() {
+				if runtime.GOOS == "windows" {
+					Skip("stderr capture tests use /bin/sh, skipping on Windows")
+				}
+			})
+
+			It("should include stderr in error when process fails", func() {
+				ff := &ffmpeg{}
+				ctx := GinkgoT().Context()
+
+				// Directly call start() with a bash command that writes to stderr and fails
+				args := []string{"/bin/sh", "-c", "echo 'codec not found: libopus' >&2; exit 1"}
+				stream, err := ff.start(ctx, args)
+				Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+				defer stream.Close()
+
+				buf := make([]byte, 1024)
+				_, err = stream.Read(buf)
+				Expect(err).To(HaveOccurred())
+				Expect(err.Error()).To(ContainSubstring("codec not found: libopus"))
+			})
+
+			It("should not include stderr in error when process succeeds", func() {
+				ff := &ffmpeg{}
+				ctx := GinkgoT().Context()
+
+				// Command that writes to stderr but exits successfully
+				args := []string{"/bin/sh", "-c", "echo 'warning: something' >&2; printf 'output'"}
+				stream, err := ff.start(ctx, args)
+				Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+				defer stream.Close()
+
+				buf := make([]byte, 1024)
+				n, err := stream.Read(buf)
+				Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+				Expect(string(buf[:n])).To(Equal("output"))
+			})
+		})
+
 		Context("with mock process behavior", func() {
 			var longRunningCmd string
 			BeforeEach(func() {

core/stream/media_streamer.go

@@ -5,8 +5,9 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"mime"
+	"net/http"
 	"os"
-	"strings"
+	"strconv"
 	"sync"
 	"time"
 
@@ -17,6 +18,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/navidrome/navidrome/model"
 	"github.com/navidrome/navidrome/model/request"
 	"github.com/navidrome/navidrome/utils/cache"
+	"github.com/navidrome/navidrome/utils/req"
 )
 
 type MediaStreamer interface {
@@ -51,6 +53,9 @@ func (j *streamJob) Key() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("%s.%s.%d.%d.%d.%d.%s.%d", j.mf.ID, j.mf.UpdatedAt.Format(time.RFC3339Nano), j.bitRate, j.sampleRate, j.bitDepth, j.channels, j.format, j.offset)
 }
 
+// NewStream creates a Stream for the given MediaFile and Request. It handles both raw streaming (no transcoding)
+// and transcoded streaming based on the requested format and bitrate. It also logs detailed information about
+// the streaming request and whether the transcoding result was served from cache or not.
 func (ms *mediaStreamer) NewStream(ctx context.Context, mf *model.MediaFile, req Request) (*Stream, error) {
 	var format string
 	var bitRate int
@@ -133,14 +138,59 @@ func (s *Stream) EstimatedContentLength() int {
 	return int(s.mf.Duration * float32(s.bitRate) / 8 * 1024)
 }
 
-// NewTestStream creates a Stream for testing purposes.
+// Serve writes the stream to the HTTP response. For seekable streams it uses http.ServeContent
-func NewTestStream(mf *model.MediaFile, format string, bitRate int) *Stream {
+// (supporting range requests). For non-seekable streams it writes directly and logs any errors.
+// Returns the number of bytes written and an error only when io.Copy fails with 0 bytes written
+// (meaning the HTTP 200 status has not been flushed yet and the caller can still send an error response).
+// Empty output (0 bytes, no error) is logged but not treated as an error.
+func (s *Stream) Serve(ctx context.Context, w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) (int64, error) {
+	if s.Seekable() {
+		http.ServeContent(w, r, s.Name(), s.ModTime(), s)
+		return -1, nil
+	}
+
+	w.Header().Set("Accept-Ranges", "none")
+	w.Header().Set("Content-Type", s.ContentType())
+
+	if req.Params(r).BoolOr("estimateContentLength", false) {
+		length := strconv.Itoa(s.EstimatedContentLength())
+		log.Trace(ctx, "Estimated content-length", "contentLength", length)
+		w.Header().Set("Content-Length", length)
+	}
+
+	if r.Method == http.MethodHead {
+		go func() { _, _ = io.Copy(io.Discard, s) }()
+		return 0, nil
+	}
+
+	id := s.mf.ID
+	c, err := io.Copy(w, s)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Error(ctx, "Error sending transcoded file", "id", id, err)
+		if c == 0 {
+			w.Header().Del("Content-Length")
+			return 0, fmt.Errorf("sending transcoded file: %w", err)
+		}
+		return c, nil
+	}
+	if c == 0 {
+		log.Error(ctx, "Transcoding returned empty output, ffmpeg may have failed. "+
+			"Check that ffmpeg supports the requested codec. Enable Trace logging for ffmpeg stderr details",
+			"id", id, "format", s.ContentType())
+	} else {
+		log.Trace(ctx, "Success sending transcoded file", "id", id, "size", c)
+	}
+	return c, nil
+}
+
+// NewStream creates a non-seekable Stream from the given components.
+func NewStream(mf *model.MediaFile, format string, bitRate int, r io.ReadCloser) *Stream {
 	return &Stream{
 		ctx:        context.Background(),
 		mf:         mf,
 		format:     format,
 		bitRate:    bitRate,
-		ReadCloser: io.NopCloser(strings.NewReader("")),
+		ReadCloser: r,
 	}
 }
 

server/e2e/e2e_suite_test.go

@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import (
 	"net/url"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
 	"testing"
 	"testing/fstest"
 	"time"
@@ -287,18 +288,28 @@ func (n noopArtwork) GetOrPlaceholder(_ context.Context, _ string, _ int, _ bool
 // spyStreamer captures the Request passed to NewStream for test assertions,
 // then returns a minimal fake Stream so the handler completes without error.
 type spyStreamer struct {
-	LastRequest   stream.Request
+	LastRequest         stream.Request
-	LastMediaFile *model.MediaFile
+	LastMediaFile       *model.MediaFile
+	SimulateError       error // When set, NewStream returns this error
+	SimulateEmptyStream bool  // When true, returns a 0-byte stream (simulates ffmpeg producing no output)
 }
 
 func (s *spyStreamer) NewStream(_ context.Context, mf *model.MediaFile, req stream.Request) (*stream.Stream, error) {
 	s.LastRequest = req
 	s.LastMediaFile = mf
+	if s.SimulateError != nil {
+		return nil, s.SimulateError
+	}
 	format := req.Format
 	if format == "" || format == "raw" {
 		format = mf.Suffix
 	}
-	return stream.NewTestStream(mf, format, req.BitRate), nil
+	content := "fake audio data"
+	if s.SimulateEmptyStream {
+		content = ""
+	}
+	r := io.NopCloser(strings.NewReader(content))
+	return stream.NewStream(mf, format, req.BitRate, r), nil
 }
 
 // noopFFmpeg implements ffmpeg.FFmpeg with no-op methods.

server/e2e/subsonic_stream_test.go

@@ -1,9 +1,12 @@
 package e2e
 
 import (
+	"encoding/json"
+	"errors"
 	"net/http"
 
 	"github.com/navidrome/navidrome/conf"
+	"github.com/navidrome/navidrome/server/subsonic/responses"
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
 )
@@ -124,4 +127,56 @@ var _ = Describe("stream.view (legacy streaming)", Ordered, func() {
 			Expect(streamerSpy.LastRequest.Offset).To(Equal(30))
 		})
 	})
+
+	Describe("stream creation failure", func() {
+		BeforeEach(func() {
+			streamerSpy.SimulateError = errors.New("ffmpeg exited with non-zero status code: 1: Unknown encoder 'libopus'")
+		})
+		AfterEach(func() {
+			streamerSpy.SimulateError = nil
+		})
+
+		It("returns a Subsonic error for stream endpoint", func() {
+			w := doRawReq("stream", "id", flacTrackID, "format", "opus")
+			Expect(w.Code).To(Equal(http.StatusOK)) // Subsonic errors are returned as 200
+
+			var wrapper responses.JsonWrapper
+			Expect(json.Unmarshal(w.Body.Bytes(), &wrapper)).To(Succeed())
+			Expect(wrapper.Subsonic.Status).To(Equal(responses.StatusFailed))
+			Expect(wrapper.Subsonic.Error).ToNot(BeNil())
+		})
+
+		It("returns a Subsonic error for download endpoint", func() {
+			conf.Server.EnableDownloads = true
+			w := doRawReq("download", "id", flacTrackID, "format", "opus")
+			Expect(w.Code).To(Equal(http.StatusOK))
+
+			var wrapper responses.JsonWrapper
+			Expect(json.Unmarshal(w.Body.Bytes(), &wrapper)).To(Succeed())
+			Expect(wrapper.Subsonic.Status).To(Equal(responses.StatusFailed))
+			Expect(wrapper.Subsonic.Error).ToNot(BeNil())
+		})
+	})
+
+	Describe("empty transcoded output", func() {
+		BeforeEach(func() {
+			streamerSpy.SimulateEmptyStream = true
+		})
+		AfterEach(func() {
+			streamerSpy.SimulateEmptyStream = false
+		})
+
+		It("returns 200 with empty body for stream endpoint", func() {
+			w := doRawReq("stream", "id", flacTrackID, "format", "opus")
+			Expect(w.Code).To(Equal(http.StatusOK))
+			Expect(w.Body.Len()).To(Equal(0))
+		})
+
+		It("returns 200 with empty body for download endpoint", func() {
+			conf.Server.EnableDownloads = true
+			w := doRawReq("download", "id", flacTrackID, "format", "opus")
+			Expect(w.Code).To(Equal(http.StatusOK))
+			Expect(w.Body.Len()).To(Equal(0))
+		})
+	})
 })

server/e2e/subsonic_transcode_test.go

@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package e2e
 
 import (
+	"errors"
 	"net/http"
 	"time"
 
@@ -602,6 +603,36 @@ var _ = Describe("Transcode Endpoints", Ordered, func() {
 				mf.UpdatedAt = originalUpdatedAt
 				Expect(ds.MediaFile(ctx).Put(mf)).To(Succeed())
 			})
+
+			It("returns 500 when stream creation fails", func() {
+				// Get a valid decision token
+				resp := doPostReq("getTranscodeDecision", mp3OnlyClient, "mediaId", flacTrackID, "mediaType", "song")
+				Expect(resp.Status).To(Equal(responses.StatusOK))
+				token := resp.TranscodeDecision.TranscodeParams
+				Expect(token).ToNot(BeEmpty())
+
+				// Simulate streamer failure (e.g., ffmpeg missing codec)
+				streamerSpy.SimulateError = errors.New("ffmpeg exited with non-zero status code: 1: Unknown encoder 'libopus'")
+				defer func() { streamerSpy.SimulateError = nil }()
+
+				w := doRawReq("getTranscodeStream", "mediaId", flacTrackID, "mediaType", "song", "transcodeParams", token)
+				Expect(w.Code).To(Equal(http.StatusInternalServerError))
+			})
+
+			It("returns 500 when transcoded stream is empty", func() {
+				// Get a valid decision token
+				resp := doPostReq("getTranscodeDecision", mp3OnlyClient, "mediaId", flacTrackID, "mediaType", "song")
+				Expect(resp.Status).To(Equal(responses.StatusOK))
+				token := resp.TranscodeDecision.TranscodeParams
+				Expect(token).ToNot(BeEmpty())
+
+				// Simulate ffmpeg producing 0 bytes
+				streamerSpy.SimulateEmptyStream = true
+				defer func() { streamerSpy.SimulateEmptyStream = false }()
+
+				w := doRawReq("getTranscodeStream", "mediaId", flacTrackID, "mediaType", "song", "transcodeParams", token)
+				Expect(w.Code).To(Equal(http.StatusInternalServerError))
+			})
 		})
 
 		Describe("round-trip: decision then stream", func() {

server/public/handle_streams.go

@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ package public
 
 import (
 	"errors"
-	"io"
 	"net/http"
 	"strconv"
 
@@ -54,34 +53,9 @@ func (pub *Router) handleStream(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 	w.Header().Set("X-Content-Type-Options", "nosniff")
 	w.Header().Set("X-Content-Duration", strconv.FormatFloat(float64(stream.Duration()), 'G', -1, 32))
 
-	if stream.Seekable() {
+	n, err := stream.Serve(ctx, w, r)
-		http.ServeContent(w, r, stream.Name(), stream.ModTime(), stream)
+	if err != nil || n == 0 {
-	} else {
+		http.Error(w, "internal error", http.StatusInternalServerError)
-		// If the stream doesn't provide a size (i.e. is not seekable), we can't support ranges/content-length
-		w.Header().Set("Accept-Ranges", "none")
-		w.Header().Set("Content-Type", stream.ContentType())
-
-		estimateContentLength := p.BoolOr("estimateContentLength", false)
-
-		// if Client requests the estimated content-length, send it
-		if estimateContentLength {
-			length := strconv.Itoa(stream.EstimatedContentLength())
-			log.Trace(ctx, "Estimated content-length", "contentLength", length)
-			w.Header().Set("Content-Length", length)
-		}
-
-		if r.Method == http.MethodHead {
-			go func() { _, _ = io.Copy(io.Discard, stream) }()
-		} else {
-			c, err := io.Copy(w, stream)
-			if log.IsGreaterOrEqualTo(log.LevelDebug) {
-				if err != nil {
-					log.Error(ctx, "Error sending shared transcoded file", "id", info.id, err)
-				} else {
-					log.Trace(ctx, "Success sending shared transcode file", "id", info.id, "size", c)
-				}
-			}
-		}
 	}
 }
 

server/subsonic/stream.go

@@ -1,15 +1,12 @@
 package subsonic
 
 import (
-	"context"
 	"fmt"
-	"io"
 	"net/http"
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/navidrome/navidrome/conf"
-	"github.com/navidrome/navidrome/core/stream"
 	"github.com/navidrome/navidrome/log"
 	"github.com/navidrome/navidrome/model"
 	"github.com/navidrome/navidrome/model/request"
@@ -17,38 +14,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/navidrome/navidrome/utils/req"
 )
 
-func (api *Router) serveStream(ctx context.Context, w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, stream *stream.Stream, id string) {
-	if stream.Seekable() {
-		http.ServeContent(w, r, stream.Name(), stream.ModTime(), stream)
-	} else {
-		// If the stream doesn't provide a size (i.e. is not seekable), we can't support ranges/content-length
-		w.Header().Set("Accept-Ranges", "none")
-		w.Header().Set("Content-Type", stream.ContentType())
-
-		estimateContentLength := req.Params(r).BoolOr("estimateContentLength", false)
-
-		// if Client requests the estimated content-length, send it
-		if estimateContentLength {
-			length := strconv.Itoa(stream.EstimatedContentLength())
-			log.Trace(ctx, "Estimated content-length", "contentLength", length)
-			w.Header().Set("Content-Length", length)
-		}
-
-		if r.Method == http.MethodHead {
-			go func() { _, _ = io.Copy(io.Discard, stream) }()
-		} else {
-			c, err := io.Copy(w, stream)
-			if log.IsGreaterOrEqualTo(log.LevelDebug) {
-				if err != nil {
-					log.Error(ctx, "Error sending transcoded file", "id", id, err)
-				} else {
-					log.Trace(ctx, "Success sending transcode file", "id", id, "size", c)
-				}
-			}
-		}
-	}
-}
-
 func (api *Router) Stream(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) (*responses.Subsonic, error) {
 	ctx := r.Context()
 	p := req.Params(r)
@@ -81,9 +46,8 @@ func (api *Router) Stream(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) (*responses.Su
 	w.Header().Set("X-Content-Type-Options", "nosniff")
 	w.Header().Set("X-Content-Duration", strconv.FormatFloat(float64(stream.Duration()), 'G', -1, 32))
 
-	api.serveStream(ctx, w, r, stream, id)
+	_, err = stream.Serve(ctx, w, r)
-
+	return nil, err
-	return nil, nil
 }
 
 func (api *Router) Download(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) (*responses.Subsonic, error) {
@@ -151,20 +115,18 @@ func (api *Router) Download(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) (*responses.
 		disposition := fmt.Sprintf("attachment; filename=\"%s\"", stream.Name())
 		w.Header().Set("Content-Disposition", disposition)
 
-		api.serveStream(ctx, w, r, stream, id)
+		_, err = stream.Serve(ctx, w, r)
-		return nil, nil
+		return nil, err
 	case *model.Album:
 		setHeaders(v.Name)
-		err = api.archiver.ZipAlbum(ctx, id, format, maxBitRate, w)
+		return nil, api.archiver.ZipAlbum(ctx, id, format, maxBitRate, w)
 	case *model.Artist:
 		setHeaders(v.Name)
-		err = api.archiver.ZipArtist(ctx, id, format, maxBitRate, w)
+		return nil, api.archiver.ZipArtist(ctx, id, format, maxBitRate, w)
 	case *model.Playlist:
 		setHeaders(v.Name)
-		err = api.archiver.ZipPlaylist(ctx, id, format, maxBitRate, w)
+		return nil, api.archiver.ZipPlaylist(ctx, id, format, maxBitRate, w)
 	default:
-		err = model.ErrNotFound
+		return nil, model.ErrNotFound
 	}
-
-	return nil, err
 }

server/subsonic/transcode.go

@@ -395,7 +395,9 @@ func (api *Router) GetTranscodeStream(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) (*
 
 	w.Header().Set("X-Content-Type-Options", "nosniff")
 
-	api.serveStream(ctx, w, r, stream, mediaID)
+	n, err := stream.Serve(ctx, w, r)
-
+	if err != nil || n == 0 {
+		http.Error(w, "Internal Server Error", http.StatusInternalServerError)
+	}
 	return nil, nil
 }