spotDL/spotify-downloader

--restrict=strict not sanitizing directories

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#2,371 opened on May 8, 2025

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BugGood First Issue

Description

System OS

Linux

Python Version

3.8 (CPython)

Install Source

pip / PyPi

Install version / commit hash

v4.2.11

Expected Behavior vs Actual Behavior

Actual Behavior: I am trying to use the --restrict=strict function, it sanitize the song name. But if I do something like "spotdl download mylink --restrict=strict --output "{artist}/{album}/{track} - {artist} - {album}.m4a" it sanitize just the m4a file name but not the folder names... How to do that?

Expected: Using --restrict whole directory names and file names should be sanitized.

Steps to reproduce - Ensure to include actual links!

Execute spotdl download mylink --restrict=strict --output "{artist}/{album}/{track} - {artist} - {album}.m4a

Just the file name gets sanitized (with spaces and special chars removed)

Traceback

I have no traceback, spotdl is logging nothing...

Just "Downloaded inputsong name"

Other details

No response

Contributor guide

Tech stack
python
Domain
cli
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-3 hours
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
basic Pythonfamiliarity with spotDL CLI
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
70
Research direction
The issue concerns the restrict=strict option which currently only sanitizes the file name but not directory names in the output path. The contributor should locate the sanitization function (likely in `spotdl/utils/path.py` or similar) and the code that constructs the final output path using the ` output` template. The fix involves applying the sanitization logic to each directory component as well. Check the issue comments for any maintainer guidance.