Fix startup autoplay and dictionary progress sequencing

- keep paused startup release retries aligned with the full gate window
- restore dictionary sync progress and reuse merged zips on unchanged revisits
- surface later dictionary OSD updates once tokenization is ready

backlog/tasks/task-143 - Keep-character-dictionary-auto-sync-non-blocking-during-startup.md

@@ -1,10 +1,11 @@
 ---
 id: TASK-143
 title: Keep character dictionary auto-sync non-blocking during startup
-status: Done
-assignee: []
+status: In Progress
+assignee:
+  - codex
 created_date: '2026-03-09 01:45'
-updated_date: '2026-03-18 05:28'
+updated_date: '2026-03-20 09:22'
 labels:
   - dictionary
   - startup
@@ -33,8 +34,20 @@ Keep character dictionary auto-sync running in parallel during startup without d
 - [x] #3 Regression coverage verifies auto-sync builds before the gate and only mutates Yomitan after the gate resolves.
 <!-- AC:END -->
 
+## Implementation Plan
+
+<!-- SECTION:PLAN:BEGIN -->
+1. Add a regression test for startup autoplay release surviving delayed mpv readiness or late subtitle refresh after dictionary sync.
+2. Harden the autoplay-ready release path so paused startup keeps retrying until mpv is actually released or media changes, without resuming user-paused playback later.
+3. Keep the existing character-dictionary revisit fixes and paused-startup OSD fixes aligned with the autoplay change, then run targeted runtime tests and typecheck.
+<!-- SECTION:PLAN:END -->
+
 ## Implementation Notes
 
 <!-- SECTION:NOTES:BEGIN -->
 Added a small current-media tokenization gate in main runtime. Media changes reset the gate, the first tokenization-ready event marks it ready, and auto-sync now waits on that gate only before Yomitan dictionary inspection/import/settings updates. Snapshot generation and merged ZIP build still run immediately in parallel.
+
+2026-03-20: User reports startup remains paused after annotations/tokenization are visible and only resumes after character-dictionary generation/import finishes. Investigating autoplay-ready release regression vs dictionary sync completion refresh.
+
+2026-03-20: Added startup autoplay retry-budget helper so paused startup retries cover the full plugin gate window instead of only ~2.8s. Verification: bun test src/main/runtime/startup-autoplay-release-policy.test.ts src/main/runtime/character-dictionary-auto-sync.test.ts src/main/runtime/startup-osd-sequencer.test.ts src/main/runtime/character-dictionary-auto-sync-completion.test.ts; bun run typecheck; bun run test:fast; bun run test:env; bun run build; bun run test:smoke:dist; runtime-compat verifier passed at .tmp/skill-verification/subminer-verify-20260320-022106-nM28Nk. Pending real installed-app/mpv validation.
 <!-- SECTION:NOTES:END -->

backlog/tasks/task-212 - Fix-mac-texthooker-helper-startup-blocking-mpv-launch.md

@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+---
+id: TASK-212
+title: Fix mac texthooker helper startup blocking mpv launch
+status: In Progress
+assignee: []
+created_date: '2026-03-20 08:27'
+updated_date: '2026-03-20 08:45'
+labels:
+  - bug
+  - macos
+  - startup
+dependencies: []
+references:
+  - /Users/sudacode/projects/japanese/SubMiner/src/core/services/startup.ts
+  - /Users/sudacode/projects/japanese/SubMiner/src/main.ts
+  - /Users/sudacode/projects/japanese/SubMiner/plugin/subminer/process.lua
+priority: high
+---
+
+## Description
+
+<!-- SECTION:DESCRIPTION:BEGIN -->
+`subminer` mpv auto-start on mac can stall before the video is usable because the helper process launched with `--texthooker` still runs heavy app-ready startup. Recent logs show the helper loading the Yomitan Chromium extension, emitting `Permission 'contextMenus' is unknown` warnings, then hitting Chromium runtime errors before SubMiner signals readiness back to the mpv plugin. The texthooker helper should take the minimal startup path needed to serve texthooker traffic without loading overlay/window-only startup work that can crash or delay readiness.
+<!-- SECTION:DESCRIPTION:END -->
+
+## Acceptance Criteria
+<!-- AC:BEGIN -->
+- [x] #1 Launching SubMiner with `--texthooker` avoids heavy app-ready startup work that is not required for texthooker helper mode.
+- [x] #2 A regression test covers texthooker helper startup so it fails if Yomitan extension loading is reintroduced on that path.
+- [x] #3 The change preserves existing startup behavior for non-texthooker app launches.
+<!-- AC:END -->
+
+## Implementation Notes
+
+<!-- SECTION:NOTES:BEGIN -->
+Follow-up: user confirmed the root issue is the plugin auto-start ordering. Adjust mpv plugin sequencing so `--start` launches before any separate `--texthooker` helper, then verify plugin regressions still pass.
+<!-- SECTION:NOTES:END -->
+
+## Final Summary
+
+<!-- SECTION:FINAL_SUMMARY:BEGIN -->
+Fixed the mac mpv startup hang caused by the `--texthooker` helper taking the full app-ready path. `runAppReadyRuntime` now fast-paths texthooker-only mode through minimal startup (`reloadConfig` plus CLI handling) so it no longer loads Yomitan or first-run setup work before serving texthooker traffic. Added regression coverage in `src/core/services/app-ready.test.ts`, then verified with `bun test src/core/services/app-ready.test.ts src/core/services/startup.test.ts`, `bun test src/cli/args.test.ts src/main/early-single-instance.test.ts src/main/runtime/stats-cli-command.test.ts`, and `bun run typecheck`.
+<!-- SECTION:FINAL_SUMMARY:END -->

backlog/tasks/task-213 - Show-character-dictionary-progress-during-paused-startup-waits.md

@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+---
+id: TASK-213
+title: Show character dictionary progress during paused startup waits
+status: In Progress
+assignee: []
+created_date: '2026-03-20 08:59'
+updated_date: '2026-03-20 09:22'
+labels:
+  - bug
+  - ux
+  - dictionary
+  - startup
+dependencies: []
+references:
+  - >-
+    /Users/sudacode/projects/japanese/SubMiner/src/main/runtime/startup-osd-sequencer.ts
+  - >-
+    /Users/sudacode/projects/japanese/SubMiner/src/main/runtime/character-dictionary-auto-sync-notifications.ts
+  - /Users/sudacode/projects/japanese/SubMiner/src/main.ts
+priority: medium
+---
+
+## Description
+
+<!-- SECTION:DESCRIPTION:BEGIN -->
+During startup on mpv auto-start, character dictionary regeneration/update can be active while playback remains paused. The current startup OSD sequencer buffers dictionary progress behind annotation-loading OSD, which leaves the user with no visible dictionary-specific progress while the pause is active. Adjust the startup OSD sequencing so dictionary progress can surface once tokenization is ready during the paused startup window, without regressing later ready/failure handling.
+<!-- SECTION:DESCRIPTION:END -->
+
+## Acceptance Criteria
+<!-- AC:BEGIN -->
+- [ ] #1 When tokenization is ready during startup, later character dictionary progress updates are shown on OSD even if annotation-loading state is still active.
+- [ ] #2 Startup OSD completion/failure behavior for character dictionary sync remains coherent after the new progress ordering.
+- [ ] #3 Regression coverage exercises the paused startup sequencing for dictionary progress.
+<!-- AC:END -->
+
+## Implementation Notes
+
+<!-- SECTION:NOTES:BEGIN -->
+2026-03-20: Confirmed issue is broader than OSD-only. Paused-startup OSD fixes remain relevant, but current user report also points at a regression in non-blocking startup playback release (tracked in TASK-143).
+
+2026-03-20: OSD sequencing fix remains in local patch alongside TASK-143 regression fix. Covered by startup-osd-sequencer tests; pending installed-app/mpv validation before task finalization.
+<!-- SECTION:NOTES:END -->