[Bug]: v0.23.0 Beta Videos not playing, TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'text')

[ACR-Jeff]

Guidelines

• I have encountered this bug in the latest release of FreeTube.
• I have encountered this bug in the official downloads of FreeTube.
• I have searched the issue tracker for open and closed issues that are similar to the bug report I want to file, without success.
• I have searched the documentation for information that matches the description of the bug I want to file, without success.
• This issue contains only one bug.

Describe the bug

1. Open freetube
2. Try to play a video
3. Video will not play
4. Presented with a popup error
5. Error: Error invoking remote method 'generate-po-token': Error: Failed to fetch

Expected Behavior

Open freetube and play a video without issues.

Issue Labels

content not loading

FreeTube Version

tried both v0.22.1 Beta portable and v0.23.0 Beta portable

Operating System Version

Void Linux

Installation Method

Portable

Primary API used

Local API

Last Known Working FreeTube Version (If Any)

Discovered after doing testing below v0.22.0 Beta Portable is the last known working version

Additional Information

It started today with version 0.22.1 Beta, So I decided to install the updated version 0.23.0 Beta same issue occurred, I didn't bother with nightly build due to v0.23.0 beta just being released, I Backed up config files and deleted the folder to make sure I would start fresh, Didn't solve the issue.

Nightly Build

• I have encountered this bug in the latest nightly build.

[ACR-Jeff]

Latest test: I still had v0.22.0 Beta on my system, So I decided to give that a try, First video I tried to play a popup was visible for only a second before the video played, I then restored my .config/Freetube backup, Restarted Freetube v0.22.0 Beta, Videos play fine so far. So Freetube v0.22.0 Beta is the latest version that works for me.

[mcpersonmcpeople]

I just updated FreeTube to the latest v0.23.0 Beta and have noticed anytime clicking on a video that is labeled as a Gaming video on YouTube, I get one of the following error messages.

TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'text')
SyntaxError: Unexpected token 'I', "I'm broken!" is not valid JSON
SyntaxError: Unexpected token '<', "<!DOCTYPE "... is not valid JSON
SyntaxError: Unexpected token 'A', "API disabled" is not valid JSON
Error: This helps protect our community. Learn more

For me, all other types of videos will load fine with the Local API, but strangely only videos marked as Gaming do not load. I think the different SyntaxErrors are due to Invidious API problems between the different instances. (I have it set to randomize on startup)

[VideoGames1000]

That would explain some of the issues I've been having (after and bar the other issue, which may be related? Not sure)
Feels like it might be an unrelated issue to what ACR-Jeff is getting at though, deserving of its own issue post.

[absidue]

@ACR-Jeff @mcpersonmcpeople If you have the local API set as your default the first error message is the important one, as that is the one from the local API. The "SyntaxError ... API disabled" messages are appearing because you probably have backend fallback enabled so FreeTube is trying to use an Invidious instance when the local API fails and just mean that you are using an Invidious instance that has disabled the API.

@ACR-Jeff Failed to fetch could mean various things such as your internet connection is down, you have a proxy but it isn't configured correctly or various other network related issues. Could you please try running FreeTube with --enable-logging? That will force Electron to dump the logs from all processes into the command line output, it'll be quite verbose but it might give you an insight into why it failed to fetch inside the hidden potoken window.

@mcpersonmcpeople Could you please provide a link to a video that you are having problems with?

[iDazai]

I'm also experiencing the same issue @mcpersonmcpeople has.
In a video series I was able to watch the episodes up until 8 with version 0.22.0. Today I upgraded to 0.23.0 and wanted to watch the latest episode of a series and I get the same error. Earlier episodes now also can't be watched. Example gaming video: https://youtu.be/spmCzm_zKJw
I only get this error, though: TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'text')

[rehashedsalt]

I think I may also be getting bitten by this bug here. Flatpak 0.23.0 presents the same error @iDazai mentioned. This video was used to produce a one-line log with a TypeError and no stacktrace:

[2:0131/030145.355802:INFO:CONSOLE(2)] "TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'text')", source: app://bundle/renderer.js (2)

Dug for some more examples -- these videos play fine:

• Louis Rossman - Krogers brings NYC style pricing to rest of America
• Sebastian Lague - I Tried Putting my Fluid Simulation on a Planet
• Anything I tried from Forgotten Weapons

These ones fail:

• The one iDazai mentioned above
• pannenkoek - SM64's Invisible Walls But Now With Viewer Comments!
• Yosh - AI learns to exploit a bug in Trackmania
• ZFG - Is This the Perfect Model For OoT Randomizer?

[absidue]

Going to lock this temporarily to cut down on the comments that are repeating the same thing that everyone else has already said with no added value (all it does is create unnecessary notification spam and make it harder to find the useful comments).

Thank you to the people that provided video links.