feat: detect & link album mentions, not just artists (closes task/album-detection)

Source: task/album-detection (objective/linker-improvements) — project brief asks for artist OR album linking; MVP linked artists only.

- service/lib.js: pickAlbum (the exact-name gate, named for the album path) + linkResult now carries kind:"artist"|"album" (additive; defaults to artist so older clients keep working).
- service/resolver.js: one Spotify type=artist,album search per candidate, exact-match against either; returns {url,kind}; cache key includes the kind hint. resolveOne/resolveAll thread the LLM kind hint through.
- service/llm.js: parseClassification now returns Map(name -> "artist"|"album") so album-kind candidates route to the album path (.has() still works like the old Set).
- extension/extract.js: albumMatchesIn over two precise signals (quoted strings + album cue phrases "the album X", "X LP/EP"), folded into allMatchesIn.
- extension/content.js + styles.css: album links render italicised (.rsl-album) with an album tooltip; artist behavior unchanged.
- Tests: new pure-logic coverage in lib.test.js / llm.test.js / extract.test.cjs (album shaping, Map-kind routing, album candidate extraction). scripts/check.sh green.
- README.md + AGENTS.md: document album linking.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>

AGENTS.md

@@ -8,12 +8,18 @@ is tracked in the **towl** work-item store under project **`reddit-spotify-linke
 
 - `service/` — zero-dependency Node resolver (Node 18+, built-in `fetch`/`http`).
   `resolver.js` = the HTTP server; `lib.js` = pure, side-effect-free logic (the
-  artist-match precision lever) so it's unit-testable; `llm.js` = pure ollama
-  prompt/parse helpers (the optional local-LLM gate, HTTP-only — no in-process
-  model runtime); `lib.test.js` + `llm.test.js` = `node:test`. The only music API
-  is Spotify (MusicBrainz removed).
-- `extension/` — Firefox **MV2** content script (`content.js` + `manifest.json` +
-  `styles.css`). No build step.
+  exact-name match precision lever + link shaping) so it's unit-testable; `llm.js` =
+  pure ollama prompt/parse helpers (the optional local-LLM gate, HTTP-only — no
+  in-process model runtime); `lib.test.js` + `llm.test.js` = `node:test`. The only
+  music API is Spotify (MusicBrainz removed). The resolver confirms **both artists
+  and albums**: one `type=artist,album` Spotify search per candidate, exact
+  case-insensitive name match against either; each result carries
+  `kind: "artist" | "album"`.
+- `extension/` — Firefox **MV2** content script (`content.js` + `extract.js` +
+  `manifest.json` + `styles.css`). No build step. `extract.js` is the pure candidate
+  extractor (Title-Case runs + cue phrases for artists; quoted strings + album cue
+  phrases for albums) — node-testable via `extract.test.cjs`. Album links render
+  italicised (`.rsl-album`).
 - `scripts/check.sh` — the local check gate.
 
 ## How work lands (IMPORTANT — this is NOT the towl repo)
@@ -66,6 +72,8 @@ fixes small things directly.
   HTTP only, no in-process model runtime. The heuristic + Spotify exact-match is the
   zero-dep default when no LLM is configured.
 - Detection precision lever (zero-dep default): a candidate links **only** when
-  Spotify returns an artist whose name matches it case-insensitively. A confirmed
-  name links to its Spotify artist page if available, else a "<name> bandcamp"
-  Google fallback.
+  Spotify returns an **artist or album** whose name matches it case-insensitively. A
+  confirmed name links to its Spotify artist/album page if available, else a
+  "<name> bandcamp" Google fallback. Album candidates are over-generated from precise
+  signals only (quoted strings + album cue phrases) because album free-text is noisier
+  than artist names — the Spotify exact-match (and/or LLM `kind=album`) is the filter.

README.md

@@ -1,19 +1,22 @@
 # Reddit → Spotify / Bandcamp linker
 
 A Firefox extension that, while you browse a Reddit thread, finds **artist / band
-names** in the comments (and the post body) and turns them into inline links to
-**Spotify** and **Bandcamp** — so a recommendation thread like
+names and album titles** in the comments (and the post body) and turns them into
+inline links to **Spotify** and **Bandcamp** — so a recommendation thread like
 [this one](https://www.reddit.com/r/SlamDeathMetal/comments/1txh2r1/) becomes a
-list of clickable artists instead of names you have to copy-paste into search.
+list of clickable artists and albums instead of names you have to copy-paste into
+search.
 
-The hard part is *"which words are artists and which aren't?"*. Rather than guess
-with client-side rules, the extension hands candidate names to a tiny local
+The hard part is *"which words are artists/albums and which aren't?"*. Rather than
+guess with client-side rules, the extension hands candidate names to a tiny local
 **resolver service** that confirms each one and only links the names that are
-really artists. The resolver confirms names two ways (you enable either or both):
-**Spotify** (exact-name match → direct artist pages) and an optional **local LLM**
-via ollama (classifies which candidates are artists/albums). A confirmed name
-links to its Spotify artist page when available, otherwise to a Google search for
-"<name> bandcamp".
+really artists or albums. The resolver confirms names two ways (you enable either
+or both): **Spotify** (exact-name match across artists **and** albums → direct
+Spotify pages) and an optional **local LLM** via ollama (classifies which
+candidates are artists/albums). A confirmed name links to its Spotify
+artist/album page when available, otherwise to a Google search for
+"<name> bandcamp". Album links are italicised so you can tell an album from an
+artist at a glance.
 
 ```
  reddit page                 content script                 resolver service
@@ -56,8 +59,9 @@ warns at startup and nothing links.
 ### Spotify credentials (one of the two gates)
 
 Spotify does two jobs: it **gates** a name (a candidate links only when Spotify has
-that artist by exact name match) and supplies the **direct** artist-page link. To
-enable it:
+that **artist or album** by exact name match) and supplies the **direct** Spotify
+page link. A single search call covers both types, so albums confirm and link with
+no extra setup. To enable it:
 
 1. Create a free app at <https://developer.spotify.com/dashboard> and copy its
    **Client ID** and **Client Secret**.
@@ -129,8 +133,9 @@ with `xpinstall.signatures.required = false`.)
 
 1. Make sure the resolver service is running.
 2. Open any Reddit comments thread (a URL with `/comments/` in it).
-3. Artist names become a single link — to **Spotify** if the artist is on Spotify,
-   otherwise to **Bandcamp** — colour-coded (green = Spotify, teal = Bandcamp). New
+3. Artist names and album titles become a single link — to **Spotify** if it's on
+   Spotify, otherwise to **Bandcamp** — colour-coded (green = Spotify, blue =
+   Google/Bandcamp); album links are italicised so they read as albums. New
    comments loaded as you scroll are linked automatically.
 4. The toolbar icon shows the extension is active; its badge shows how many links were
    added on the current page.
@@ -162,13 +167,17 @@ let the content script reach it).
 
 ## Limitations (MVP)
 
-- **Detection is mostly capitalization-based**, with a cue-phrase pass that also catches
-  lowercase names right after "check out / by / fan of / recommend …". Names split across
-  inline formatting (e.g. **bold** mid-name) can still be missed. The resolver's
+- **Artist detection is mostly capitalization-based**, with a cue-phrase pass that also
+  catches lowercase names right after "check out / by / fan of / recommend …". Names split
+  across inline formatting (e.g. **bold** mid-name) can still be missed. The resolver's
   exact-name match keeps false *positives* low; the trade-off is some false *negatives*.
-- **Links are direct to Spotify when Spotify has the artist**; otherwise a confirmed
-  name links to a Google search for "<name> bandcamp" (which surfaces the artist's
-  Bandcamp page).
+- **Album detection leans on two precise signals** — quoted titles (`"Reek of Putrefaction"`)
+  and album cue phrases ("the album X", "X LP/EP"). Album free-text is noisier than artist
+  names, so it deliberately over-generates only from these cues and lets the Spotify
+  exact-album match (and/or the LLM) be the precision filter. A bare album title written with
+  no quotes or cue may be missed.
+- **Links are direct to Spotify when Spotify has the artist/album**; otherwise a confirmed
+  name links to a Google search for "<name> bandcamp" (which surfaces the Bandcamp page).
 - **Without Spotify creds or the LLM, nothing links** — at least one gate must be
   configured.
 - The optional LLM adds a little latency on the **first** call (ollama warms the

extension/content.js

@@ -48,19 +48,23 @@
   // ---- link building / rewriting --------------------------------------------
   // Per the user's "if on spotify, link that, else a Bandcamp Google-search fallback"
   // rule: one link to the primary platform, colour-coded so you can tell which at a glance.
+  // `kind` ("artist" | "album", absent => "artist") adds an rsl-album class + an album word
+  // in the tooltip so album links read as albums; the platform colour is unchanged.
   function makeLink(label, links) {
     const primary = links.primary || { platform: "spotify", url: links.spotify };
     const name = links.name || label;
     const platform = primary.platform;
+    const kind = links.kind === "album" ? "album" : "artist";
+    const noun = kind === "album" ? "album" : "artist";
     const a = document.createElement("a");
-    a.className = `rsl-link rsl-${platform}`;
+    a.className = `rsl-link rsl-${platform} rsl-${kind}`;
     a.textContent = label;
     a.href = primary.url;
     a.target = "_blank";
     a.rel = "noopener noreferrer";
     a.title = platform === "spotify"
-      ? `Open ${name} on Spotify`
-      : `Find ${name} on Bandcamp (Google search)`;
+      ? `Open ${name} (${noun}) on Spotify`
+      : `Find ${name} (${noun}) on Bandcamp (Google search)`;
     return a;
   }
 

extension/extract.js

@@ -21,6 +21,14 @@
   // the `d` flag gives us the group's position so the match can be wrapped in place.
   const CUE_RE = /\b(?:by|check ?out|listen(?: to)?|recommend(?:ed|ations?)?|fan of|into|loves?|playing)\s+([A-Za-z][A-Za-z0-9'’.&-]*(?:\s+[A-Za-z0-9][A-Za-z0-9'’.&-]*)?)/gid;
 
+  // Albums are noisier free-text than artists, so only TWO precise signals generate album
+  // candidates — the Spotify exact-album match (and/or LLM) is still the precision filter:
+  //   1. A quoted string ("Reek of Putrefaction" or 'Scum') — a strong "this is a title" cue.
+  //   2. An album cue phrase ("the album Scum", "Scum LP/EP") naming the next 1-4 words.
+  // Group 1 of each holds the candidate; the `d` flag gives its position for in-place wrapping.
+  const QUOTED_RE = /["“]([^"”]{2,80})["”]|['‘]([^'’]{2,80})['’]/gd;
+  const ALBUM_CUE_RE = /\b(?:the )?(?:album|record|ep|lp)\s+(?:called\s+|titled\s+|named\s+)?([A-Za-z0-9][A-Za-z0-9'’.&\- ]{0,79}?)(?=[.,;:!?)\]"”'’]|\s+(?:is|was|by|and|on|from|which|that)\b|$)|\b([A-Za-z0-9][A-Za-z0-9'’.&\- ]{0,79}?)\s+(?:LP|EP)\b/gd;
+
   // Common capitalized words that are almost never the artist being recommended.
   // Deliberately small: the resolver's exact-name match is the real filter.
   const STOP = new Set([
@@ -76,13 +84,40 @@
     return out;
   }
 
-  // Union of Title-Case + cue matches, sorted for the in-place wrapper
+  // Album candidates from the two precise signals (quoted strings + album cue phrases).
+  // Each match is { name, index, length } like the others; the server's exact Spotify
+  // album match is what actually confirms it (this only over-generates the candidates).
+  function albumMatchesIn(text) {
+    const out = [];
+    QUOTED_RE.lastIndex = 0;
+    let m;
+    while ((m = QUOTED_RE.exec(text))) {
+      const gi = m.indices[1] || m.indices[2]; // double- or single-quoted group
+      if (!gi) continue;
+      const name = text.slice(gi[0], gi[1]).trim();
+      if (name.length < 2 || /^\d+$/.test(name)) continue;
+      // index/length cover the inner text only (no quotes), so the wrapper links the title.
+      out.push({ name, index: gi[0], length: gi[1] - gi[0] });
+    }
+    ALBUM_CUE_RE.lastIndex = 0;
+    while ((m = ALBUM_CUE_RE.exec(text))) {
+      const gi = m.indices[1] || m.indices[2]; // "album X" group or "X LP/EP" group
+      if (!gi) continue;
+      const raw = text.slice(gi[0], gi[1]);
+      const name = raw.replace(TRAILING_PUNCT, "").trim();
+      if (name.length < 2 || /^\d+$/.test(name)) continue;
+      out.push({ name, index: gi[0], length: name.length });
+    }
+    return out;
+  }
+
+  // Union of Title-Case + cue + album matches, sorted for the in-place wrapper
   // (ascending index, longer match first so the wrapper's overlap guard prefers it).
   function allMatchesIn(text) {
-    const all = matchesIn(text).concat(cueMatchesIn(text));
+    const all = matchesIn(text).concat(cueMatchesIn(text), albumMatchesIn(text));
     all.sort((a, b) => a.index - b.index || b.length - a.length);
     return all;
   }
 
-  return { matchesIn, cueMatchesIn, allMatchesIn };
+  return { matchesIn, cueMatchesIn, albumMatchesIn, allMatchesIn };
 });

extension/extract.test.cjs

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 // CJS so it can require() extract.js, which is a UMD script (also a content script).
 const { test } = require("node:test");
 const assert = require("node:assert/strict");
-const { matchesIn, cueMatchesIn, allMatchesIn } = require("./extract.js");
+const { matchesIn, cueMatchesIn, albumMatchesIn, allMatchesIn } = require("./extract.js");
 
 test("matchesIn finds Title-Case / ALL-CAPS runs, skips stopwords", () => {
   // Note: "and" is a connector, so "X and Y" greedily joins into one run (by design,
@@ -34,11 +34,42 @@ test("cueMatchesIn skips lowercase stopwords right after the cue", () => {
   assert.ok(!names.includes("the"));
 });
 
-test("allMatchesIn merges cue + Title-Case and sorts ascending by index", () => {
-  const text = "Check out devourment and Cattle Decapitation";
+test("albumMatchesIn pulls quoted strings (double + single), excluding the quotes", () => {
+  const text = `their album "Reek of Putrefaction" and the 'Scum' demo`;
+  const ms = albumMatchesIn(text);
+  const names = ms.map((m) => m.name);
+  assert.ok(names.includes("Reek of Putrefaction"));
+  assert.ok(names.includes("Scum"));
+  // index/length cover the inner text only (no quote chars) so the wrapper links the title
+  for (const m of ms) assert.equal(text.substr(m.index, m.length), m.name);
+});
+
+test("albumMatchesIn catches album cue phrases ('the album X', 'X LP/EP')", () => {
+  const a = albumMatchesIn("the album Scum is a classic").map((m) => m.name);
+  assert.ok(a.includes("Scum"));
+  const b = albumMatchesIn("Reign in Blood LP rules").map((m) => m.name);
+  assert.ok(b.includes("Reign in Blood"));
+  const c = albumMatchesIn("the record called Bonus Tracks").map((m) => m.name);
+  assert.ok(c.includes("Bonus Tracks"));
+});
+
+test("albumMatchesIn cue positions map back to the text", () => {
+  const text = "the album Scum is great";
+  for (const m of albumMatchesIn(text)) assert.equal(text.substr(m.index, m.length), m.name);
+});
+
+test("albumMatchesIn skips pure-number and too-short quotes", () => {
+  const names = albumMatchesIn(`"42" and "X"`).map((m) => m.name);
+  assert.ok(!names.includes("42"));
+  assert.ok(!names.includes("X")); // length < 2
+});
+
+test("allMatchesIn merges cue + Title-Case + album and sorts ascending by index", () => {
+  const text = `Check out devourment and Cattle Decapitation; the album "Human Jerky" rules`;
   const ms = allMatchesIn(text);
   for (let i = 1; i < ms.length; i++) assert.ok(ms[i].index >= ms[i - 1].index);
   const names = ms.map((m) => m.name);
   assert.ok(names.includes("devourment")); // cue (lowercase)
   assert.ok(names.includes("Cattle Decapitation")); // title-case
+  assert.ok(names.includes("Human Jerky")); // quoted album
 });

extension/styles.css

@@ -1,10 +1,15 @@
-/* Injected links — kept subtle so reddit comments stay readable. One link per artist,
-   coloured by platform: green = Spotify, blue = Google (bandcamp-search fallback). */
+/* Injected links — kept subtle so reddit comments stay readable. One link per artist/album,
+   coloured by platform: green = Spotify, blue = Google (bandcamp-search fallback). Album links
+   are italicised (the usual title convention) so an album reads differently from an artist at
+   a glance; the platform colour is unchanged. */
 .rsl-link {
   text-decoration: underline dotted;
   text-underline-offset: 2px;
   cursor: pointer;
 }
+.rsl-album {
+  font-style: italic;
+}
 .rsl-spotify {
   text-decoration-color: #1db954 !important; /* spotify green */
 }

service/lib.js

@@ -9,12 +9,16 @@ export const norm = (s) => String(s).normalize("NFKC").trim().toLowerCase();
 export const googleSearch = (n) => `https://www.google.com/search?q=${encodeURIComponent(`${n} bandcamp`)}`;
 
 // The precision lever: return the item whose name matches the candidate
-// case-insensitively, else null. Tolerates null/garbage items.
+// case-insensitively, else null. Tolerates null/garbage items. Used for both
+// Spotify artist items and album items — the exact-name match is the same gate.
 export function pickArtist(name, items) {
   const want = norm(name);
   return (items ?? []).find((a) => a && norm(a.name) === want) ?? null;
 }
 
+// Same exact-name gate, named for the album path's readability.
+export const pickAlbum = pickArtist;
+
 // A "/search" url means we don't have a direct artist page (just a search fallback).
 export const isSearchUrl = (url) => typeof url === "string" && url.includes("/search");
 
@@ -29,14 +33,17 @@ export function isHttpUrl(u) {
   }
 }
 
-// Build the single link to show for a confirmed name. Prefer the direct Spotify artist
+// Build the single link to show for a confirmed name. Prefer the direct Spotify
 // url (validated http(s), not a /search url); otherwise fall back to a Google→Bandcamp
-// search. `primary` is what the extension renders ({ platform, url }).
-export function linkResult(name, spotifyUrl) {
+// search. `primary` is what the extension renders ({ platform, url }); `kind`
+// ("artist" | "album") tells it which affordance to show. `kind` is additive — the
+// extension defaults to "artist" when absent, so older clients keep working.
+export function linkResult(name, spotifyUrl, kind = "artist") {
+  const k = kind === "album" ? "album" : "artist";
   const direct = spotifyUrl && isHttpUrl(spotifyUrl) && !isSearchUrl(spotifyUrl) ? spotifyUrl : null;
   if (direct) {
-    return { name, spotify: direct, primary: { platform: "spotify", url: direct } };
+    return { name, kind: k, spotify: direct, primary: { platform: "spotify", url: direct } };
   }
   const url = googleSearch(name);
-  return { name, google: url, primary: { platform: "google", url } };
+  return { name, kind: k, google: url, primary: { platform: "google", url } };
 }

service/lib.test.js

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 // Unit tests for the resolver's pure logic (run with `node --test`). Zero-dep.
 import { test } from "node:test";
 import assert from "node:assert/strict";
-import { norm, googleSearch, pickArtist, linkResult, isSearchUrl, isHttpUrl } from "./lib.js";
+import { norm, googleSearch, pickArtist, pickAlbum, linkResult, isSearchUrl, isHttpUrl } from "./lib.js";
 
 test("norm lowercases, trims, NFKC-normalizes", () => {
   assert.equal(norm("  Cerebral Bore "), "cerebral bore");
@@ -28,6 +28,14 @@ test("googleSearch points at a Google query for '<name> bandcamp', url-encoded",
   assert.ok(googleSearch("A&B").includes("A%26B"));
 });
 
+test("pickAlbum is the same exact-name gate as pickArtist (album items)", () => {
+  const items = [{ name: "Scum" }, { name: "Reek of Putrefaction" }];
+  assert.equal(pickAlbum("reek of putrefaction", items)?.name, "Reek of Putrefaction");
+  assert.equal(pickAlbum("SCUM", items)?.name, "Scum");
+  assert.equal(pickAlbum("Not an album", items), null);
+  assert.equal(pickAlbum, pickArtist); // intentionally the same function, named for readability
+});
+
 test("linkResult prefers a direct Spotify url, primary = spotify", () => {
   const r = linkResult("Devourment", "https://open.spotify.com/artist/abc");
   assert.equal(r.spotify, "https://open.spotify.com/artist/abc");
@@ -35,6 +43,23 @@ test("linkResult prefers a direct Spotify url, primary = spotify", () => {
   assert.equal(r.google, undefined);
 });
 
+test("linkResult defaults kind to artist, carries kind=album when asked", () => {
+  assert.equal(linkResult("Devourment", "https://open.spotify.com/artist/abc").kind, "artist");
+  const al = linkResult("Reek of Putrefaction", "https://open.spotify.com/album/xyz", "album");
+  assert.equal(al.kind, "album");
+  assert.equal(al.spotify, "https://open.spotify.com/album/xyz");
+  assert.deepEqual(al.primary, { platform: "spotify", url: "https://open.spotify.com/album/xyz" });
+  // an unknown kind string degrades to "artist" rather than passing through
+  assert.equal(linkResult("X", "https://open.spotify.com/artist/abc", "bogus").kind, "artist");
+});
+
+test("linkResult keeps kind on the Google fallback path too", () => {
+  const r = linkResult("Some Local Album", null, "album");
+  assert.equal(r.kind, "album");
+  assert.equal(r.primary.platform, "google");
+  assert.match(r.primary.url, /^https:\/\/www\.google\.com\/search\?q=/);
+});
+
 test("linkResult falls back to Google->Bandcamp when there is no direct Spotify url", () => {
   const r = linkResult("Some Local Band", null);
   assert.equal(r.spotify, undefined);

service/llm.js

@@ -26,13 +26,15 @@ export function buildClassifyMessages(candidates) {
   ];
 }
 
-// Parse the model's JSON reply into a Set of norm(name) the model marked artist/album.
-// Defensive: only names that were actually in the candidate list count (guards against the
-// model inventing names); an unparseable reply yields an empty Set, and the caller then
-// falls back to the Spotify-exact-match gate.
+// Parse the model's JSON reply into a Map of norm(name) -> "artist" | "album" for the
+// candidates the model marked as music (the kind routes each to the artist or album Spotify
+// lookup). Defensive: only names that were actually in the candidate list count (guards
+// against the model inventing names); an unparseable reply yields an empty Map, and the
+// caller then falls back to the Spotify-exact-match gate. A Map still answers `.has()` like
+// the old Set, so a name absent from it is dropped exactly as before.
 export function parseClassification(text, candidates) {
   const allowed = new Set(candidates.map(norm));
-  const confirmed = new Set();
+  const confirmed = new Map();
   let obj;
   try {
     obj = JSON.parse(text);
@@ -45,7 +47,7 @@ export function parseClassification(text, candidates) {
     const k = norm(row.name);
     if (!allowed.has(k)) continue;
     const kind = String(row.kind ?? "").toLowerCase();
-    if (kind === "artist" || kind === "album") confirmed.add(k);
+    if (kind === "artist" || kind === "album") confirmed.set(k, kind);
   }
   return confirmed;
 }

service/llm.test.js

@@ -31,12 +31,28 @@ test("parseClassification keeps only artist/album candidates that were in the li
   assert.ok(!got.has("the best part"));
 });
 
+test("parseClassification returns a Map of norm(name) -> kind for routing", () => {
+  const got = parseClassification(
+    JSON.stringify({
+      results: [
+        { name: "Cattle Decapitation", kind: "artist" },
+        { name: "Reek of Putrefaction", kind: "ALBUM" }, // case-insensitive kind
+      ],
+    }),
+    ["Cattle Decapitation", "Reek of Putrefaction"],
+  );
+  assert.ok(got instanceof Map);
+  assert.equal(got.get("cattle decapitation"), "artist");
+  assert.equal(got.get("reek of putrefaction"), "album"); // normalized to lowercase kind
+});
+
 test("parseClassification accepts album kind and a bare array reply", () => {
   const got = parseClassification(
     JSON.stringify([{ name: "Reek of Putrefaction", kind: "album" }]),
     ["Reek of Putrefaction"],
   );
   assert.ok(got.has("reek of putrefaction"));
+  assert.equal(got.get("reek of putrefaction"), "album");
 });
 
 test("parseClassification ignores hallucinated names not in the candidate list", () => {

service/resolver.js

@@ -1,19 +1,21 @@
-// Tiny resolver service: candidate names -> artist links, for CONFIRMED artists only.
+// Tiny resolver service: candidate names -> artist/album links, for CONFIRMED names only.
 //
-// Zero npm deps; Node 18+ (built-in fetch). The "which words are real artists" problem is
-// not guessed client-side — it is gated one of two ways:
-//   * SPOTIFY_CLIENT_ID/SECRET set -> a candidate resolves only when Spotify has an artist
-//     whose name matches it case-insensitively (the exact-match precision lever), linking to
-//     the DIRECT Spotify artist page.
-//   * OLLAMA_URL set -> a local LLM (via ollama HTTP, still zero npm deps) classifies which
-//     candidates are artists/albums; confirmed names get a Spotify direct link when available,
-//     else a Google->Bandcamp search fallback. This is the better-matching path.
-// The two combine: with both set, the LLM gates and Spotify supplies direct links.
-// The pure matching/link/prompt logic lives in lib.js + llm.js (unit-tested).
+// Zero npm deps; Node 18+ (built-in fetch). The "which words are real artists/albums" problem
+// is not guessed client-side — it is gated one of two ways:
+//   * SPOTIFY_CLIENT_ID/SECRET set -> a candidate resolves only when Spotify has an artist OR
+//     album whose name matches it case-insensitively (the exact-match precision lever), linking
+//     to the DIRECT Spotify artist/album page. One search call covers both types.
+//   * OLLAMA_URL set -> a local LLM (via ollama HTTP, still zero npm deps) classifies each
+//     candidate as artist/album/none; the kind routes the Spotify lookup, and confirmed names
+//     get a Spotify direct link when available, else a Google->Bandcamp search fallback. This
+//     is the better-matching path.
+// The two combine: with both set, the LLM gates + routes the kind and Spotify supplies direct
+// links. Each result carries kind:"artist"|"album". The pure matching/link/prompt logic lives
+// in lib.js + llm.js (unit-tested).
 
 import { createServer } from "node:http";
 import { readFileSync } from "node:fs";
-import { norm, pickArtist, linkResult } from "./lib.js";
+import { norm, pickArtist, pickAlbum, linkResult } from "./lib.js";
 import { buildClassifyMessages, parseClassification, DEFAULT_MODEL } from "./llm.js";
 
 // --- minimal .env loader (no dependency) ------------------------------------
@@ -56,24 +58,36 @@ async function spotifyToken() {
   return spToken;
 }
 
-// The direct Spotify artist url for an exact name match, or null (no creds / no exact hit).
-async function spotifyDirect(name) {
+// The direct Spotify url for an exact name match across artist AND album, or null (no creds /
+// no exact hit). One search call covers both types; `kindHint` ("artist" | "album", from the
+// LLM gate) decides which exact hit wins when BOTH match the same string (e.g. a self-titled
+// album) — default prefers the artist, matching the artist-first MVP behaviour. Returns
+// { url, kind } so the caller can shape an artist vs album link.
+async function spotifyDirect(name, kindHint) {
   if (!USE_SPOTIFY) return null;
   const token = await spotifyToken();
-  const url = `https://api.spotify.com/v1/search?type=artist&limit=5&q=${encodeURIComponent(name)}`;
+  const url = `https://api.spotify.com/v1/search?type=artist,album&limit=5&q=${encodeURIComponent(name)}`;
   const r = await fetch(url, { headers: { authorization: `Bearer ${token}` } });
   if (!r.ok) throw new Error(`spotify search http ${r.status}`);
   const j = await r.json();
-  const hit = pickArtist(name, j.artists?.items);
-  return hit?.external_urls?.spotify ?? null;
+  const artist = pickArtist(name, j.artists?.items);
+  const album = pickAlbum(name, j.albums?.items);
+  const order = kindHint === "album" ? [["album", album], ["artist", artist]] : [["artist", artist], ["album", album]];
+  for (const [kind, hit] of order) {
+    const u = hit?.external_urls?.spotify;
+    if (u) return { url: u, kind };
+  }
+  return null;
 }
 
-async function spotifyDirectCached(name) {
-  const key = norm(name);
+async function spotifyDirectCached(name, kindHint) {
+  // Cache key includes the kind hint: the same string can resolve to an artist OR an album
+  // depending on which the gate confirmed, so a hint-blind cache would cross-contaminate.
+  const key = `${kindHint || "artist"}:${norm(name)}`;
   if (spCache.has(key)) return spCache.get(key);
-  const url = await spotifyDirect(name);
-  spCache.set(key, url);
-  return url;
+  const hit = await spotifyDirect(name, kindHint);
+  spCache.set(key, hit);
+  return hit;
 }
 
 // --- LLM gate (optional): which candidates are artists/albums? --------------
@@ -97,12 +111,14 @@ async function ollamaClassify(candidates) {
 // --- resolve --------------------------------------------------------------
 // allowFallback: when the gate has already confirmed this name is an artist/album, a missing
 // Spotify direct link still yields a Google->Bandcamp fallback link (instead of null).
-async function resolveOne(name, allowFallback) {
+// kindHint ("artist" | "album", from the LLM gate or undefined) biases the Spotify lookup and
+// the fallback link's kind; the actual exact Spotify hit's kind wins when there is one.
+async function resolveOne(name, allowFallback, kindHint) {
   if (!norm(name)) return null;
   try {
-    const sp = await spotifyDirectCached(name);
-    if (sp) return linkResult(name, sp); // direct Spotify page
-    return allowFallback ? linkResult(name, null) : null; // google fallback, or unconfirmed
+    const sp = await spotifyDirectCached(name, kindHint);
+    if (sp) return linkResult(name, sp.url, sp.kind); // direct Spotify page (artist or album)
+    return allowFallback ? linkResult(name, null, kindHint) : null; // google fallback, or unconfirmed
   } catch (e) {
     console.error(`resolve "${name}": ${e.message}`); // transient -> caller sees null this time
     return null;
@@ -112,9 +128,10 @@ async function resolveOne(name, allowFallback) {
 async function resolveAll(candidates) {
   const uniq = [...new Set(candidates.map((c) => String(c).trim()).filter(Boolean))].slice(0, MAX_CANDIDATES);
 
-  // Gate: which names may link? null => no LLM gate, the Spotify exact-match is the gate
-  // (only names actually on Spotify link). A Set => the LLM's verdict; names not in it are
-  // dropped, names in it may use the Google fallback when not on Spotify.
+  // Gate: which names may link? null => no LLM gate, the Spotify exact-match (artist OR album)
+  // is the gate (only names actually on Spotify link). A Map(name -> "artist"|"album") => the
+  // LLM's verdict; names not in it are dropped, names in it may use the Google fallback when
+  // not on Spotify, and the mapped kind routes the Spotify lookup to the right type.
   let confirmed = null;
   if (USE_LLM && uniq.length) {
     try {
@@ -132,7 +149,8 @@ async function resolveAll(candidates) {
         out[name] = null; // LLM said this is not an artist/album
         return;
       }
-      out[name] = await resolveOne(name, confirmed != null);
+      const kindHint = confirmed ? confirmed.get(norm(name)) : undefined;
+      out[name] = await resolveOne(name, confirmed != null, kindHint);
     }),
   );
   return out;