Crisp hero (prefer og:image), 7-card Highlights, no-recycle Replace + session History

- Hero blur fix: brief enrichment now prefers a page's og:image even when a
  feed thumbnail exists (feed thumbs are often tiny; the hero is shown large).
  Verified: BBC hero upgrades to the 1024px share image, ScienceDaily to 1920px.
- Today is now 'Highlights from Today' — hero + 6 (brief size 7), which also
  makes the secondary grid a balanced 3+3 instead of an orphaned 3+1.
- Replace now excludes every article seen this session (a client-side seen-set),
  so it never cycles back to something already shown.
- New session History panel (this tab only, no account): lists everything seen,
  including swapped-away stories, so they stay recoverable. Persistent
  history/favorites are tabled for sign-in later.

Tests: og:image upgrade of an existing feed image (86 total).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

frontend/src/routes/+page.svelte

@@ -12,39 +12,52 @@
   let feed = $state([]);
   let userPrefs = $state(P.blank());
   let showBoundaries = $state(false);
+  let showHistory = $state(false);
   let loading = $state(true);
   let error = $state('');
 
+  // Session memory (this tab only — cleared on close, no account):
+  // every article shown is remembered so Replace never recycles something
+  // already seen, and so a replaced-away story stays recoverable in History.
+  const seenIds = new Set();
+  let history = $state([]);
+  function remember(items) {
+    for (const a of items || []) {
+      if (a && !seenIds.has(a.id)) {
+        seenIds.add(a.id);
+        history.unshift(a);
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
   let filtersOn = $derived(P.active(userPrefs));
   let current = $derived(moods.find((m) => m.key === selected));
-  let viewLabel = $derived(current?.label ?? 'Today');
+  let viewLabel = $derived(selected === 'today' ? 'Highlights from Today' : (current?.label ?? ''));
   let viewSubtitle = $derived(
-    selected === 'today'
+    selected === 'today' ? (brief?.brief_date ?? '') : (current?.description ?? '')
-      ? brief?.brief_date
-        ? `Five good things · ${brief.brief_date}`
-        : 'Five good things today'
-      : (current?.description ?? '')
   );
 
-  function feedUrl(moodKey, limit) {
+  function mergedParam() {
-    const mood = moods.find((m) => m.key === moodKey);
+    const merged = P.merge(userPrefs, current?.filter ?? {});
-    const merged = P.merge(userPrefs, mood?.filter ?? {});
+    return P.param(merged);
-    const q = P.param(merged);
-    return `/api/feed?limit=${limit}${q ? '&' + q : ''}`;
-  }
-  function briefUrl() {
-    const q = P.param(userPrefs);
-    return `/api/brief?limit=5${q ? '&' + q : ''}`;
   }
 
   async function select(key) {
     selected = key;
     error = '';
     try {
-      // Today = just the day's highlights. Other moods reveal that category only
+      // Today = the day's highlights (hero + six). Other moods reveal that
-      // when chosen (categories live behind their selection, not on the home).
+      // category only when chosen.
-      if (key === 'today') brief = await getJSON(briefUrl());
+      if (key === 'today') {
-      else feed = (await getJSON(feedUrl(key, 24))).items;
+        const q = P.param(userPrefs);
+        brief = await getJSON(`/api/brief?limit=7${q ? '&' + q : ''}`);
+        remember(brief.items);
+      } else {
+        const mood = moods.find((m) => m.key === key);
+        const q = P.param(P.merge(userPrefs, mood?.filter ?? {}));
+        feed = (await getJSON(`/api/feed?limit=24${q ? '&' + q : ''}`)).items;
+        remember(feed);
+      }
     } catch (e) {
       error = 'Something went quiet — could not reach the feed.';
     }
@@ -70,11 +83,11 @@
   async function replaceArticle(article) {
     const list = selected === 'today' ? brief?.items : feed;
     if (!list) return;
-    const shown = list.map((a) => a.id).join(',');
     const isHero = selected === 'today' && list[0]?.id === article.id;
-    const merged = P.merge(userPrefs, current?.filter ?? {});
+    // Exclude everything seen this session, so Replace never cycles back.
-    const q = P.param(merged);
+    const exclude = Array.from(seenIds).join(',');
-    const url = `/api/replacement?exclude=${shown}&avoid_paywall=true${isHero ? '&gentle=true' : ''}${q ? '&' + q : ''}`;
+    const q = mergedParam();
+    const url = `/api/replacement?exclude=${exclude}&avoid_paywall=true${isHero ? '&gentle=true' : ''}${q ? '&' + q : ''}`;
     let repl;
     try {
       repl = await getJSON(url);
@@ -83,9 +96,10 @@
       return;
     }
     if (!repl) {
-      flash('Nothing else to swap in right now — try easing a boundary.');
+      flash("That's everything fresh for now — nothing new to swap in.");
       return;
     }
+    remember([repl]);
     if (selected === 'today') {
       const i = brief.items.findIndex((a) => a.id === article.id);
       if (i >= 0) {
@@ -118,7 +132,8 @@
 {/if}
 
 <div class="toptools">
-  <button class="boundaries" class:on={filtersOn} onclick={() => (showBoundaries = !showBoundaries)}>
+  <button class="link" class:on={history.length} onclick={() => (showHistory = !showHistory)}>History</button>
+  <button class="link" class:on={filtersOn} onclick={() => (showBoundaries = !showBoundaries)}>
     {filtersOn ? 'Boundaries ·' : 'Boundaries'}
   </button>
 </div>
@@ -127,6 +142,28 @@
   <BoundariesPanel prefs={userPrefs} onchange={refreshPrefs} onclose={() => (showBoundaries = false)} />
 {/if}
 
+{#if showHistory}
+  <section class="panel rise">
+    <div class="phead">
+      <h2>This session</h2>
+      <button class="close" onclick={() => (showHistory = false)}>done</button>
+    </div>
+    <p class="reassure">Everything you've seen this visit, including stories you swapped away. Kept on this device for this tab only — it clears when you close it. (Saved history & favorites come with sign-in, later.)</p>
+    {#if history.length}
+      <ul class="hist">
+        {#each history as a (a.id)}
+          <li>
+            <a href={a.url} target="_blank" rel="noopener">{a.title}</a>
+            <span class="hsrc">{a.source}</span>
+          </li>
+        {/each}
+      </ul>
+    {:else}
+      <p class="empty">Nothing yet — your seen stories will appear here.</p>
+    {/if}
+  </section>
+{/if}
+
 {#if notice}
   <p class="notice rise">{notice}</p>
 {/if}
@@ -156,7 +193,7 @@
         </section>
         <p class="endcap rise">✦ that's the good news for today ✦</p>
       {:else}
-        <p class="muted center pad">No brief yet today — try a calmer filter, or check back soon.</p>
+        <p class="muted center pad">No highlights yet today — try a calmer filter, or check back soon.</p>
       {/if}
     {:else if feed.length}
       <div class="grid rise">
@@ -171,13 +208,13 @@
 {/if}
 
 <style>
-  .toptools { display: flex; justify-content: flex-end; margin: 2px 0 0; }
+  .toptools { display: flex; justify-content: flex-end; gap: 18px; margin: 2px 0 0; }
-  .boundaries {
+  .link {
     background: none; border: none; color: var(--muted);
     font-size: 0.82rem; padding: 4px 2px; letter-spacing: 0.01em;
   }
-  .boundaries:hover { color: var(--sage-deep); }
+  .link:hover { color: var(--sage-deep); }
-  .boundaries.on { color: var(--sage-deep); font-weight: 600; }
+  .link.on { color: var(--sage-deep); font-weight: 600; }
 
   .view-head { margin: 20px 0 20px; }
   .view-head h1 {
@@ -185,12 +222,28 @@
     line-height: 1.05;
   }
   .view-head .sub { margin: 8px 0 0; color: var(--muted); font-size: 1.02rem; }
-  /* a quiet sage rule under the heading */
   .view-head::after {
     content: ''; display: block; width: 46px; height: 3px;
     background: var(--sage); border-radius: 2px; margin-top: 14px; opacity: 0.8;
   }
 
+  /* History panel */
+  .panel {
+    background: var(--surface); border: 1px solid var(--line); border-radius: var(--radius);
+    box-shadow: var(--shadow); padding: 20px 22px; margin: 8px 0 18px;
+  }
+  .phead { display: flex; align-items: baseline; justify-content: space-between; }
+  .phead h2 { font-size: 1.3rem; }
+  .close { background: none; border: none; color: var(--sage-deep); font-size: 0.85rem; text-decoration: underline; }
+  .reassure { margin: 4px 0 14px; color: var(--muted); font-size: 0.85rem; }
+  .hist { list-style: none; margin: 0; padding: 0; }
+  .hist li { padding: 8px 0; border-bottom: 1px solid var(--line); display: flex; gap: 12px; align-items: baseline; }
+  .hist li:last-child { border-bottom: none; }
+  .hist a { color: var(--ink); }
+  .hist a:hover { color: var(--sage-deep); }
+  .hsrc { margin-left: auto; color: var(--muted); font-size: 0.78rem; white-space: nowrap; }
+  .empty { margin: 0; color: var(--muted); font-style: italic; font-size: 0.85rem; }
+
   .notice {
     text-align: center; color: var(--sage-deep); background: var(--sage-soft);
     border-radius: 999px; padding: 8px 16px; margin: 10px auto 0; width: fit-content;

goodnews/briefs.py

@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ from .paywall import is_paywalled
 def build_daily_brief(
     conn: sqlite3.Connection,
     brief_date: str | None = None,
-    limit: int = 5,
+    limit: int = 7,
     replace: bool = False,
     window_days: int = 3,
 ) -> int:
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ def build_daily_brief(
 
     brief_id = conn.execute(
         "INSERT INTO daily_briefs (brief_date, title) VALUES (?, ?)",
-        (target_date, f"Five Good Things Today - {target_date}"),
+        (target_date, f"Highlights from Today - {target_date}"),
     ).lastrowid
 
     rows = _candidate_articles(conn, target_date, window_days)

goodnews/cli.py

@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ def main() -> None:
 
     brief_parser = subparsers.add_parser("build-brief", help="Build/freeze a daily brief")
     brief_parser.add_argument("--date", help="Brief date in YYYY-MM-DD format; defaults to today")
-    brief_parser.add_argument("--limit", type=int, default=5)
+    brief_parser.add_argument("--limit", type=int, default=7)
     brief_parser.add_argument("--replace", action="store_true")
 
     show_brief_parser = subparsers.add_parser("show-brief", help="Show a stored daily brief")
@@ -446,7 +446,7 @@ def _run_cycle_locked(conn: sqlite3.Connection, args: argparse.Namespace) -> Non
     if not args.no_brief:
         today = date.today().isoformat()
         try:
-            brief_id = build_daily_brief(conn, brief_date=today, limit=5, replace=True)
+            brief_id = build_daily_brief(conn, brief_date=today, limit=7, replace=True)
             found = enrich_brief_images(conn, today)
             print(f"brief: rebuilt {today} (id {brief_id}); {found} hero image(s) enriched")
         except Exception as exc:
@@ -672,7 +672,7 @@ def print_brief(rows: list[sqlite3.Row]) -> None:
         print("No brief items found.")
         return
     date = rows[0]["brief_date"]
-    print(f"Five Good Things Today - {date}")
+    print(f"Highlights from Today - {date}")
     for row in rows:
         print(f"{row['rank']}. {row['title']}")
         print(f"   {row['source_name']} | {row['default_category']} | {row['model_name']}")

goodnews/enrich.py

@@ -127,13 +127,16 @@ def enrich_brief_images(conn: sqlite3.Connection, brief_date: str, fetch=fetch_o
     stamps image_checked_at either way so failures are not retried forever.
     Returns how many images were newly found.
     """
+    # Brief items not yet checked. We fetch even when a feed image exists,
+    # because feed thumbnails are often tiny and the hero is shown large — a
+    # page's og:image (the social-share image) is the better hero visual.
     rows = conn.execute(
         """
         SELECT a.id, a.canonical_url
         FROM daily_briefs b
         JOIN daily_brief_items bi ON bi.brief_id = b.id
         JOIN articles a ON a.id = bi.article_id
-        WHERE b.brief_date = ? AND a.image_url IS NULL AND a.image_checked_at IS NULL
+        WHERE b.brief_date = ? AND a.image_checked_at IS NULL
         ORDER BY bi.rank
         LIMIT ?
         """,

ideas.md

@@ -18,3 +18,5 @@ $ I really like the coloring for the metadata highlighting in each card (The gra
 
 -l Shomehow include a daily inspirational/motivational/uplifting quote that would change each day.
 - Allow ability to forward/share articles
+* Session-only history of seen/swapped-away articles, recoverable without an account  [done: History panel; Replace no longer recycles seen stories]
+| Persistent history + favorites with sign-in  [tabled: needs accounts]

tests/test_enrich.py

@@ -53,3 +53,19 @@ def test_enrich_caches_failure_and_does_not_retry(conn):
     assert r["image_url"] is None and r["image_checked_at"] is not None  # checked, cached
     assert enrich_brief_images(conn, "2026-05-31", fetch=fail) == 0
     assert len(calls) == 1  # not retried once checked
+
+
+def test_enrich_upgrades_existing_feed_image(tmp_path):
+    # A brief item with a (small) feed image should be upgraded to og:image.
+    from goodnews.db import connect as _c, init_db as _i
+    c = _c(":memory:"); _i(c)
+    c.execute("INSERT INTO sources (id,name,feed_url,trust_score) VALUES (1,'S','http://s/f',5)")
+    c.execute("INSERT INTO articles (id,source_id,canonical_url,title,url_hash,image_url) "
+              "VALUES (1,1,'https://bbc.com/x','t1','h1','https://bbc.com/tiny-thumb.jpg')")
+    c.execute("INSERT INTO daily_briefs (id,brief_date,title) VALUES (1,'2026-05-31','B')")
+    c.execute("INSERT INTO daily_brief_items (brief_id,article_id,rank) VALUES (1,1,1)")
+    c.commit()
+    found = enrich_brief_images(c, "2026-05-31", fetch=lambda u: "https://bbc.com/big-og.jpg")
+    assert found == 1
+    assert c.execute("SELECT image_url FROM articles WHERE id=1").fetchone()["image_url"] == "https://bbc.com/big-og.jpg"
+    c.close()