soulsync/webui
Broque Thomas 402d851cac Deezer search: drop advanced-syntax at endpoint, free-text + rerank wins
Live-API verification revealed advanced-syntax queries hurt more
than they help on this endpoint. Switching the import-modal Deezer
search back to free-text + local rerank.

# What live testing showed

Hit Deezer's public API with both query forms for the issue #534
case (`Dirty White Boy` + `Foreigner`):

**Free-text (`q=Dirty White Boy Foreigner`):**
- Returns 21 results
- Real Foreigner Head Games studio cut at #1
- Live versions at #2-10
- Karaoke / cover variants at #11-15

**Advanced (`q=track:"Dirty White Boy" artist:"Foreigner"`):**
- Returns 12 results
- "(2008 Remaster)" at #1 — canonical Head Games cut MISSING from
  top 8 entirely
- Live + alt-album versions follow

Advanced syntax DOES filter karaoke at the API level (none in the
12-result set vs. 5 at positions 11-15 in free-text), but it has
its own ranking bias that surfaces remasters / "Best Of" cuts
ahead of the canonical recording. Net regression for the user-
facing goal.

# Fix

1. Endpoint reverts to free-text query with local rerank applied.
2. Local rerank gains "remaster" / "remastered" / "reissue"
   patterns under VARIANT_TAG_PATTERNS (soft 0.4× penalty — user
   may want them but they shouldn't outrank the original).
3. Client kwarg support (`track=` / `artist=` / `album=`) preserved
   for future opt-in callers (e.g. exact-match flows where API-
   level filtering matters more than ranking).

# Verified end-to-end against live Deezer API

Re-ran the exact #534 case through the live API + new rerank.
Top 15 results post-rerank:

1. Dirty White Boy — Foreigner — Head Games  ← REAL CUT AT TOP
2-10. Various Live versions
11-15. Karaoke / cover / tribute variants  ← BURIED

Real Foreigner Head Games studio cut at #1, exactly the user's
ask.

# Tests

- `test_relevance.py` — variant tag patterns extended; existing
  tests still pass (50 tests).
- `test_search_match_endpoints.py::test_joins_track_and_artist_into_free_text_query`
  — replaces `test_passes_track_and_artist_as_kwargs`; verifies
  endpoint sends free-text join, NOT field-scoped kwargs (the
  prior test asserted the wrong direction now).
- Karaoke-burying assertion at the endpoint still pins the
  user-visible behaviour.
- Client kwarg path tests untouched (still pin advanced-syntax
  construction for future opt-in callers).

# Verification

- 75 relevance + endpoint + query tests pass
- 2445 full suite passes
- Ruff clean
- Live Deezer API shows real cut at #1 post-rerank
2026-05-10 09:36:48 -07:00
..
static Deezer search: drop advanced-syntax at endpoint, free-text + rerank wins 2026-05-10 09:36:48 -07:00
index.html Bump version to 2.4.3 + make sidebar version dynamic 2026-05-08 09:17:20 -07:00