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Review 2026-04-20 - Feature Expansion Beyond Stock

Scope

This pass was user-directed and intentionally changes the backlog filter:

  • previous default: minimum drift from stock eMule
  • this pass: add worthwhile higher-drift product features as backlog candidates

Sources used:

  • current analysis\emuleai release notes and codebase
  • historical mod feature catalogs and FAQs
  • current web demand signals around modern ED2K remote control and connectivity

Theme and translation work remained out of scope.

Existing Feature Drift Correction

FEAT-031 already existed on disk but had drifted out of docs/active/INDEX.md.

That item is restored to the active index in this pass:

  • FEAT-031 — auto-browse compatible remote shared-file inventories with persisted cache

New Feature Promotions

FEAT-035 - IPv6 dual-stack networking

Promoted because:

  • eMuleAI already carries an early IPv6 line
  • eMule Qt now publicly lists IPv6 as an upcoming community-requested feature
  • dual-stack connectivity is becoming harder to ignore on modern networks

FEAT-036 - NAT traversal and extended source exchange

Promoted because:

  • LowID/NAT/VPN connectivity remains one of the clearest current user pain points
  • eMuleAI explicitly pushes beyond stock behavior here with relay-assisted and traversal work
  • this is the natural next expansion step after FEAT-032

FEAT-037 - release-oriented sharing controls

Promoted because:

  • PowerShare, Release Bonus, Share Only The Need, and related release policies are among the most consistently cited historical mod differentiators
  • if the branch is now allowed to go beyond stock, this is one of the most recognizably eMule-native mod feature clusters worth tracking

FEAT-038 - shared-files watcher and live recursive sync

Promoted because:

  • eMuleAI already demonstrates the live watcher direction
  • it is meaningfully different from the narrower FEAT-034 manual-reload improvement
  • it offers a concrete large-library usability improvement once stock-only constraints are relaxed

FEAT-039 - download checker / duplicate intake guard

Promoted because:

  • it is a clear file-handling convenience feature with minimal protocol risk
  • it complements, but does not replace, the KnownFileList correctness fixes

FEAT-040 - headless core with modern web/mobile controller

Promoted because current demand signals now point well beyond the original desktop-only stock shape:

  • eMule Qt explicitly advertises daemon/GUI split plus REST/web control: https://emule-qt.org/2026/03/05/hello-emule-2026/
  • current self-hosted ED2K controller work shows active demand for remote management, multi-user permissions, API keys, and mobile-friendly interfaces: https://www.reddit.com/r/selfhosted/comments/1q2y41z/amule_web_controller_a_modern_replacement_for_the/ https://www.reddit.com/r/selfhosted/comments/1rgb9mv/amutorrent_v32_now_supports_5_download_clients/

This is the broadest feature promoted in this pass and should be treated as a separate product track, not a stabilization task.

Historical Mod Signals

Historical mod catalogs strongly support promotion of release/distribution-focused features.

Representative references:

  • MorphXT FAQ feature list includes Smart A4AF, Source Load Saver, SUC, Upload Speed Sense, PowerShare, Share Only The Need, and Downloaded History: https://wiki.emule-web.de/Morphxt_faq
  • Mephisto and related mod catalogs continue the same release/upload-policy direction: https://mephisto.emule-web.de/eng_faq.html
  • the eMule feature-category archive shows how central PowerShare, Release Bonus, Slot Focus, Source Cache, and similar features were in the historical mod ecosystem: https://wiki.emule-web.de/Category%3AFeatures

Current Web Signals

Useful current signals are clustered around:

  • remote/web control
  • automation/API use
  • modern deployment patterns
  • better connectivity under modern NAT and address conditions

This is inference from current projects and community tooling, not a formal feature poll. Still, the direction is clear enough to justify adding the expansion-track FEAT items.

Outcome

This pass:

  • restores FEAT-031 to the active index
  • adds FEAT-035 through FEAT-040
  • explicitly records these items as a feature-expansion track beyond the previous stock-preserving backlog filter