Fix non-interactive anikoto backup downloads

- force anikoto-cli backup runs to auto-select the queued anime title through fzf filter options
- add a regression test for the backup retry environment
- bump the project version to 0.46.3 and document the fix in the changelog and README

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -1,5 +1,9 @@
 # Changelog
 
+## 0.46.3 - 2026-07-09
+
+- Fixed backup `anikoto-cli` queue runs to force `fzf` into exact-match auto-select mode, which keeps the fallback downloader non-interactive inside the background worker instead of failing with `nothing selected` and `inappropriate ioctl for device`.
+
 ## 0.46.2 - 2026-07-09
 
 - Changed the backup downloader setting on the Config page from a hard-to-spot select field into a dedicated checkbox toggle so the enable/disable control is clearly visible.

README.md

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 Local web UI for a system-wide `ani-cli` install.
 
-Current version: `0.46.2`
+Current version: `0.46.3`
 
 ## What it does
 
@@ -125,6 +125,7 @@ Docker notes:
 - Configure the global backup toggle from `/config`
 - When enabled, any failed `ani-cli` queue job automatically retries with `anikoto-cli`
 - `anikoto-cli` ignores the saved quality setting, so backup attempts use the source's default stream quality
+- Backup retries now auto-select the queued anime title non-interactively so the fallback works inside the background download worker
 
 ### Jellyfin handoff
 

VERSION

@@ -1 +1 @@
-0.46.2
+0.46.3

queue_jobs.py

@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ from app_support import (
     now_iso,
     printable_command,
     send_discord_webhook_event,
+    sh_quote,
     strip_control,
 )
 
@@ -1346,6 +1347,18 @@ class DownloadQueue:
             attempts.append(("anikoto-cli", lambda job: command_for_job(job, downloader="anikoto-cli")))
         return attempts
 
+    def _attempt_env(self, base_env, job, downloader_name):
+        attempt_env = dict(base_env)
+        if downloader_name == "anikoto-cli":
+            query = str(job.get("query") or job.get("title") or "").strip()
+            if query:
+                # Force fzf into non-interactive exact-match mode so backup downloads
+                # can auto-select the intended anime inside the queue worker.
+                attempt_env["FZF_DEFAULT_OPTS"] = (
+                    f"--exact --filter={sh_quote(query)} --select-1 --exit-0"
+                )
+        return attempt_env
+
     def _fail_job_startup(self, job, exc):
         message = f"Could not start download: {exc}"
         with self.lock:
@@ -1455,10 +1468,11 @@ class DownloadQueue:
                 self._append_log(job, f"Launching {downloader_name}: {job['command']}")
 
                 try:
+                    attempt_env = self._attempt_env(env, job, downloader_name)
                     process = subprocess.Popen(
                         command,
                         cwd=str(PROJECT_ROOT),
-                        env=env,
+                        env=attempt_env,
                         stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
                         stderr=subprocess.STDOUT,
                         text=True,

test_app.py

@@ -695,7 +695,15 @@ class DownloadQueueWorkerFailureTests(unittest.TestCase):
             def wait(self):
                 return 0
 
-        with mock.patch.object(queue_jobs.subprocess, "Popen", side_effect=[FailedProc(), SuccessProc()]), mock.patch.object(
+        popen_calls = []
+
+        def fake_popen(command, **kwargs):
+            popen_calls.append({"command": command, "env": dict(kwargs.get("env") or {})})
+            if len(popen_calls) == 1:
+                return FailedProc()
+            return SuccessProc()
+
+        with mock.patch.object(queue_jobs.subprocess, "Popen", side_effect=fake_popen), mock.patch.object(
             queue, "_command_available", return_value=True
         ), mock.patch.object(
             queue_jobs, "finalize_library_files", return_value=["/tmp/example/tv/Queue Show/Season 01/Queue Show - S01E01.mp4"]
@@ -708,6 +716,11 @@ class DownloadQueueWorkerFailureTests(unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertIn("Retrying with backup downloader: anikoto-cli.", log_text)
         self.assertIn("anikoto-cli does not support ani-cli quality flags", log_text)
         self.assertIn("Download completed.", log_text)
+        self.assertEqual(len(popen_calls), 2)
+        self.assertNotIn("FZF_DEFAULT_OPTS", popen_calls[0]["env"])
+        self.assertIn("--exact", popen_calls[1]["env"]["FZF_DEFAULT_OPTS"])
+        self.assertIn("--select-1", popen_calls[1]["env"]["FZF_DEFAULT_OPTS"])
+        self.assertIn("Queue Show", popen_calls[1]["env"]["FZF_DEFAULT_OPTS"])
 
     def test_run_job_marks_post_start_exception_failed_without_killing_worker_state(self):
         queue = APP.DownloadQueue(lambda: {"mode": "sub", "quality": "best", "download_dir": "/tmp/example"}, start_worker=False)