diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 584ffff..c1d7861 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -160,8 +160,11 @@ else()
     set(_PLUGIN_VER "${PROJECT_VERSION}")
 endif()
 
+option(DEBUG_BUILD "Debug build: show update dialog but don't stop server" OFF)
+
 target_compile_definitions(easy-irl-stream PRIVATE
     PLUGIN_VERSION="${_PLUGIN_VER}"
+    $<$<BOOL:${DEBUG_BUILD}>:DEBUG_BUILD>
 )
 
 set_target_properties(easy-irl-stream PROPERTIES PREFIX "")
diff --git a/build.ps1 b/build.ps1
index 0191e5c..fb91e8b 100644
--- a/build.ps1
+++ b/build.ps1
@@ -90,6 +90,8 @@ if (-not (Test-Path "$OBS_LIBS\obs.lib") -or (Get-Item "$OBS_LIBS\obs.lib").Leng
 
 # --- 5. Build ---
 Write-Host "[5/5] Building..."
+$debugFlag = if ($env:DEBUG_BUILD -eq "1") { "-DDEBUG_BUILD=ON" } else { "-DDEBUG_BUILD=OFF" }
+
 cmake -S $ROOT -B $BUILD_DIR -G "Ninja" `
     -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=RelWithDebInfo `
     -DCMAKE_C_COMPILER=cl `
@@ -97,7 +99,8 @@ cmake -S $ROOT -B $BUILD_DIR -G "Ninja" `
     -DOBS_SOURCE_DIR="$OBS_SRC" `
     -DOBS_LIB_DIR="$OBS_LIBS" `
     -DFFMPEG_DIR="$OBS_DEPS" `
-    -DQT6_DIR="$QT6_DIR"
+    -DQT6_DIR="$QT6_DIR" `
+    $debugFlag
 
 cmake --build $BUILD_DIR --config RelWithDebInfo
 
diff --git a/src/debug-log.h b/src/debug-log.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3a930e4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/debug-log.h
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+#pragma once
+
+#include <obs-module.h>
+
+#ifndef PLUGIN_NAME
+#define PLUGIN_NAME "Easy IRL Stream"
+#endif
+
+#ifdef DEBUG_BUILD
+#define dbg_log(...) blog(__VA_ARGS__)
+#else
+#define dbg_log(...) ((void)0)
+#endif
diff --git a/src/event-handler.c b/src/event-handler.c
index 7e6acbd..92c8f73 100644
--- a/src/event-handler.c
+++ b/src/event-handler.c
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ static void fire_low_quality_actions(struct irl_source_data *data)
 	char *src_copy = bstrdup(src_name ? src_name : "Easy IRL Stream");
 	pthread_mutex_unlock(&data->mutex);
 
-	blog(LOG_DEBUG, "[%s] Low quality detected (%lld kbps)", PLUGIN_NAME,
+	dbg_log(LOG_DEBUG, "[%s] Low quality detected (%lld kbps)", PLUGIN_NAME,
 	     (long long)data->current_bitrate_kbps);
 
 	queue_scene_switch(scene);
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ static void fire_quality_recovered_actions(struct irl_source_data *data)
 	char *src_copy = bstrdup(src_name ? src_name : "Easy IRL Stream");
 	pthread_mutex_unlock(&data->mutex);
 
-	blog(LOG_DEBUG, "[%s] Quality recovered (%lld kbps)", PLUGIN_NAME,
+	dbg_log(LOG_DEBUG, "[%s] Quality recovered (%lld kbps)", PLUGIN_NAME,
 	     (long long)data->current_bitrate_kbps);
 
 	queue_scene_switch(scene);
@@ -210,7 +210,7 @@ static void fire_disconnect_actions(struct irl_source_data *data)
 	char *src_copy = bstrdup(src_name ? src_name : "Easy IRL Stream");
 	pthread_mutex_unlock(&data->mutex);
 
-	blog(LOG_DEBUG, "[%s] Firing disconnect actions", PLUGIN_NAME);
+	dbg_log(LOG_DEBUG, "[%s] Firing disconnect actions", PLUGIN_NAME);
 
 	queue_scene_switch(scene);
 	queue_overlay(overlay, true);
@@ -249,7 +249,7 @@ static void fire_reconnect_actions(struct irl_source_data *data)
 	char *src_copy = bstrdup(src_name ? src_name : "Easy IRL Stream");
 	pthread_mutex_unlock(&data->mutex);
 
-	blog(LOG_DEBUG, "[%s] Firing reconnect actions", PLUGIN_NAME);
+	dbg_log(LOG_DEBUG, "[%s] Firing reconnect actions", PLUGIN_NAME);
 
 	queue_scene_switch(scene);
 	queue_overlay(overlay, false);
@@ -272,7 +272,7 @@ static void fire_reconnect_actions(struct irl_source_data *data)
 
 void event_handler_on_connect(struct irl_source_data *data)
 {
-	blog(LOG_DEBUG, "[%s] Client connected", PLUGIN_NAME);
+	dbg_log(LOG_DEBUG, "[%s] Client connected", PLUGIN_NAME);
 
 	bool was_disconnected;
 	pthread_mutex_lock(&data->mutex);
@@ -295,7 +295,7 @@ void event_handler_on_connect(struct irl_source_data *data)
 
 void event_handler_on_disconnect(struct irl_source_data *data)
 {
-	blog(LOG_DEBUG, "[%s] Client disconnected", PLUGIN_NAME);
+	dbg_log(LOG_DEBUG, "[%s] Client disconnected", PLUGIN_NAME);
 
 	pthread_mutex_lock(&data->mutex);
 	data->disconnect_time_ns = os_gettime_ns();
diff --git a/src/ingest-thread.c b/src/ingest-thread.c
index 9322914..be33171 100644
--- a/src/ingest-thread.c
+++ b/src/ingest-thread.c
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ static void build_url(struct irl_source_data *data, char *buf, size_t sz)
 				dstr_catf(&url, "&passphrase=%s",
 					  data->srt_passphrase);
 			} else {
-				blog(LOG_WARNING,
+				dbg_log(LOG_WARNING,
 				     "[%s] SRT passphrase ignored: "
 				     "must be 10-79 characters (got %zu)",
 				     PLUGIN_NAME, plen);
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ static void *ingest_thread_func(void *arg)
 
 		os_atomic_set_long(&data->connection_state,
 				   CONN_STATE_LISTENING);
-		blog(LOG_DEBUG, "[%s] Listening: %s", PLUGIN_NAME, url);
+		dbg_log(LOG_DEBUG, "[%s] Listening: %s", PLUGIN_NAME, url);
 
 		AVFormatContext *fmt_ctx = avformat_alloc_context();
 		if (!fmt_ctx) {
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ static void *ingest_thread_func(void *arg)
 				break;
 			char errbuf[256];
 			av_strerror(ret, errbuf, sizeof(errbuf));
-			blog(LOG_WARNING,
+			dbg_log(LOG_WARNING,
 			     "[%s] avformat_open_input failed: %s",
 			     PLUGIN_NAME, errbuf);
 			os_sleep_ms(2000);
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ static void *ingest_thread_func(void *arg)
 
 		ret = avformat_find_stream_info(fmt_ctx, NULL);
 		if (ret < 0) {
-			blog(LOG_WARNING, "[%s] Could not find stream info",
+			dbg_log(LOG_WARNING, "[%s] Could not find stream info",
 			     PLUGIN_NAME);
 			avformat_close_input(&data->fmt_ctx);
 			data->fmt_ctx = NULL;
@@ -191,7 +191,7 @@ static void *ingest_thread_func(void *arg)
 	srtla_server_stop(&data->srtla);
 
 	os_atomic_set_long(&data->connection_state, CONN_STATE_IDLE);
-	blog(LOG_DEBUG, "[%s] Ingest thread exited", PLUGIN_NAME);
+	dbg_log(LOG_DEBUG, "[%s] Ingest thread exited", PLUGIN_NAME);
 	return NULL;
 }
 
@@ -207,7 +207,7 @@ void ingest_thread_start(struct irl_source_data *data)
 			   data) == 0) {
 		data->thread_created = true;
 	} else {
-		blog(LOG_ERROR, "[%s] Failed to create ingest thread",
+		dbg_log(LOG_ERROR, "[%s] Failed to create ingest thread",
 		     PLUGIN_NAME);
 		data->active = false;
 	}
@@ -224,5 +224,5 @@ void ingest_thread_stop(struct irl_source_data *data)
 	data->thread_created = false;
 
 	os_atomic_set_long(&data->connection_state, CONN_STATE_IDLE);
-	blog(LOG_DEBUG, "[%s] Ingest thread stopped", PLUGIN_NAME);
+	dbg_log(LOG_DEBUG, "[%s] Ingest thread stopped", PLUGIN_NAME);
 }
diff --git a/src/irl-source.h b/src/irl-source.h
index 9d88ac4..d297baf 100644
--- a/src/irl-source.h
+++ b/src/irl-source.h
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@
 #define PLUGIN_NAME "Easy IRL Stream"
 #define SOURCE_ID   "easy_irl_stream_source"
 
+#include "debug-log.h"
+
 /* IP detection globals (filled by plugin-main.c on startup) */
 extern char g_local_ip[64];
 extern char g_external_ip[64];
diff --git a/src/media-decoder.c b/src/media-decoder.c
index 38fb086..baac165 100644
--- a/src/media-decoder.c
+++ b/src/media-decoder.c
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ bool decoder_open(struct irl_source_data *data)
 		data->stats_video_width = par->width;
 		data->stats_video_height = par->height;
 		data->stats_video_pixfmt[0] = '\0';
-		blog(LOG_DEBUG,
+		dbg_log(LOG_DEBUG,
 		     "[%s] Video stream #%u: %s %dx%d",
 		     PLUGIN_NAME, i, codec->name, par->width,
 		     par->height);
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ bool decoder_open(struct irl_source_data *data)
 			 sizeof(data->stats_audio_codec), "%s",
 			 codec->name);
 		data->stats_audio_sample_rate = par->sample_rate;
-		blog(LOG_DEBUG,
+		dbg_log(LOG_DEBUG,
 		     "[%s] Audio stream #%u: %s %dHz",
 		     PLUGIN_NAME, i, codec->name,
 		     par->sample_rate);
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ bool decoder_open(struct irl_source_data *data)
 	}
 
 	if (data->video_stream_idx < 0) {
-		blog(LOG_WARNING, "[%s] No video stream found", PLUGIN_NAME);
+		dbg_log(LOG_WARNING, "[%s] No video stream found", PLUGIN_NAME);
 		return false;
 	}
 
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ static void output_video_frame(struct irl_source_data *data, AVFrame *frame)
 			data->sws_width = w;
 			data->sws_height = h;
 			data->sws_src_fmt = src_fmt;
-			blog(LOG_DEBUG,
+			dbg_log(LOG_DEBUG,
 			     "[%s] Video: %s %dx%d -> direct output (fmt=%d, full_range=%d)",
 			     PLUGIN_NAME,
 			     av_get_pix_fmt_name(src_fmt), w, h,
@@ -220,7 +220,7 @@ static void output_video_frame(struct irl_source_data *data, AVFrame *frame)
 		data->sws_height = h;
 		data->sws_src_fmt = src_fmt;
 
-		blog(LOG_DEBUG,
+		dbg_log(LOG_DEBUG,
 		     "[%s] Video: %s %dx%d -> NV12 sws conversion",
 		     PLUGIN_NAME,
 		     av_get_pix_fmt_name(src_fmt), w, h);
@@ -329,7 +329,7 @@ bool decoder_decode_packet(struct irl_source_data *data, AVPacket *pkt)
 
 		if (send_ret < 0) {
 			if (data->dec_vid_pkt_count <= 5)
-				blog(LOG_WARNING,
+				dbg_log(LOG_WARNING,
 				     "[%s] avcodec_send_packet failed: %d (pkt #%d, size=%d)",
 				     PLUGIN_NAME, send_ret,
 				     data->dec_vid_pkt_count, pkt->size);
@@ -341,7 +341,7 @@ bool decoder_decode_packet(struct irl_source_data *data, AVPacket *pkt)
 			data->dec_vid_frame_count++;
 			if (data->dec_vid_frame_count <= 3 ||
 			    (data->dec_vid_frame_count % 300 == 0))
-				blog(LOG_DEBUG,
+				dbg_log(LOG_DEBUG,
 				     "[%s] Video frame #%d decoded (fmt=%d %dx%d)",
 				     PLUGIN_NAME,
 				     data->dec_vid_frame_count,
@@ -355,7 +355,7 @@ bool decoder_decode_packet(struct irl_source_data *data, AVPacket *pkt)
 
 		if (data->dec_vid_pkt_count == 30 &&
 		    data->dec_vid_frame_count == 0)
-			blog(LOG_WARNING,
+			dbg_log(LOG_WARNING,
 			     "[%s] 30 video packets sent but 0 frames decoded",
 			     PLUGIN_NAME);
 
diff --git a/src/obfuscation.cpp b/src/obfuscation.cpp
index 9cf343f..ff892b4 100644
--- a/src/obfuscation.cpp
+++ b/src/obfuscation.cpp
@@ -35,7 +35,8 @@ static void xor_dec(char *out, const XorStr<N> &x)
 OBF_FUNC(obf_stools_host,         "stools.cc")
 OBF_FUNC(obf_api_settings_path,   "/api/plugin/settings")
 OBF_FUNC(obf_api_obs_info_path,   "/api/plugin/obs-info")
-OBF_FUNC(obf_api_version_path,    "/api/plugin/version")
+OBF_FUNC(obf_api_me_path,         "/api/me")
+OBF_FUNC(obf_api_releases_path,   "/api/releases/easy-irl-stream")
 OBF_FUNC(obf_dash_tools_path,     "/dashboard/tools")
 OBF_FUNC(obf_dash_downloads_path, "/dashboard/downloads")
 OBF_FUNC(obf_ipify_host,          "api.ipify.org")
diff --git a/src/obfuscation.h b/src/obfuscation.h
index ce64a20..cebe7e9 100644
--- a/src/obfuscation.h
+++ b/src/obfuscation.h
@@ -1,15 +1,5 @@
 #pragma once
 
-#include <stddef.h>
-
-/* Simple XOR encode/decode — symmetric operation */
-static inline void xor_crypt(char *buf, const char *src, size_t len)
-{
-	for (size_t i = 0; i < len; i++)
-		buf[i] = src[i] ^ 0x5A;
-	buf[len] = '\0';
-}
-
 /* Obfuscated string accessors (implemented in obfuscation.cpp) */
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 extern "C" {
@@ -18,7 +8,8 @@ extern "C" {
 const char *obf_stools_host(void);
 const char *obf_api_settings_path(void);
 const char *obf_api_obs_info_path(void);
-const char *obf_api_version_path(void);
+const char *obf_api_me_path(void);
+const char *obf_api_releases_path(void);
 const char *obf_dash_tools_path(void);
 const char *obf_dash_downloads_path(void);
 const char *obf_ipify_host(void);
diff --git a/src/plugin-main.c b/src/plugin-main.c
index fdd7945..833fe01 100644
--- a/src/plugin-main.c
+++ b/src/plugin-main.c
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#include <obs-module.h>
+#include <obs-module.h>
 #include <obs-frontend-api.h>
 #include <util/threading.h>
 #include <string.h>
@@ -25,6 +25,8 @@
 #include "irl-source.h"
 #include "obfuscation.h"
 #include "translations.h"
+#include "help-dialog.hpp"
+#include "stats-dialog.hpp"
 
 OBS_DECLARE_MODULE()
 
@@ -184,10 +186,10 @@ void duckdns_update(const char *domain, const char *token)
 	http_get_body(obf_duckdns_host(), path, result, sizeof(result));
 
 	if (strncmp(result, "OK", 2) == 0 || strncmp(result, "KO", 2) == 0) {
-		blog(LOG_DEBUG, "[%s] DuckDNS update for %s.duckdns.org: %s",
+		dbg_log(LOG_DEBUG, "[%s] DuckDNS update for %s.duckdns.org: %s",
 		     PLUGIN_NAME, domain, result);
 	} else {
-		blog(LOG_WARNING, "[%s] DuckDNS update failed: %s",
+		dbg_log(LOG_WARNING, "[%s] DuckDNS update failed: %s",
 		     PLUGIN_NAME, result);
 	}
 }
@@ -230,7 +232,7 @@ static void *ip_detect_thread(void *arg)
 	detect_local_ip();
 	http_get_body(obf_ipify_host(), "/", g_external_ip,
 		      sizeof(g_external_ip));
-	blog(LOG_DEBUG, "[%s] Local IP: %s, External IP: %s", PLUGIN_NAME,
+	dbg_log(LOG_DEBUG, "[%s] Local IP: %s, External IP: %s", PLUGIN_NAME,
 	     g_local_ip, g_external_ip);
 
 	while (g_ip_thread_active) {
@@ -246,7 +248,7 @@ static void *ip_detect_thread(void *arg)
 
 		if (new_ip[0] && strcmp(new_ip, "?") != 0 &&
 		    strcmp(new_ip, g_external_ip) != 0) {
-			blog(LOG_DEBUG,
+			dbg_log(LOG_DEBUG,
 			     "[%s] External IP changed: %s -> %s",
 			     PLUGIN_NAME, g_external_ip, new_ip);
 			snprintf(g_external_ip, sizeof(g_external_ip),
@@ -258,161 +260,6 @@ static void *ip_detect_thread(void *arg)
 	return NULL;
 }
 
-/* ---- Update check ---- */
-
-static volatile bool g_update_required = false;
-static char g_remote_version[64] = "";
-
-struct update_mem_buf {
-	char *data;
-	size_t size;
-};
-
-static size_t update_write_cb(void *contents, size_t size, size_t nmemb,
-			      void *userp)
-{
-	size_t total = size * nmemb;
-	struct update_mem_buf *buf = (struct update_mem_buf *)userp;
-	char *tmp = realloc(buf->data, buf->size + total + 1);
-	if (!tmp) return 0;
-	buf->data = tmp;
-	memcpy(buf->data + buf->size, contents, total);
-	buf->size += total;
-	buf->data[buf->size] = '\0';
-	return total;
-}
-
-static int compare_versions(const char *a, const char *b)
-{
-	int a1 = 0, a2 = 0, a3 = 0, b1 = 0, b2 = 0, b3 = 0;
-	sscanf(a, "%d.%d.%d", &a1, &a2, &a3);
-	sscanf(b, "%d.%d.%d", &b1, &b2, &b3);
-	if (a1 != b1) return a1 - b1;
-	if (a2 != b2) return a2 - b2;
-	return a3 - b3;
-}
-
-struct update_ctx {
-	char version[64];
-};
-
-#include "help-dialog.hpp"
-#include "stats-dialog.hpp"
-
-static int curl_debug_cb(CURL *handle, curl_infotype type, char *data,
-			 size_t size, void *userptr)
-{
-	(void)handle;
-	(void)userptr;
-
-	const char *prefix;
-	switch (type) {
-	case CURLINFO_TEXT:
-		prefix = "* ";
-		break;
-	case CURLINFO_SSL_DATA_IN:
-	case CURLINFO_SSL_DATA_OUT:
-		return 0;
-	case CURLINFO_HEADER_IN:
-		prefix = "< ";
-		break;
-	case CURLINFO_HEADER_OUT:
-		prefix = "> ";
-		break;
-	case CURLINFO_DATA_IN:
-	case CURLINFO_DATA_OUT:
-		return 0;
-	default:
-		return 0;
-	}
-
-	char buf[1024];
-	size_t len = size < sizeof(buf) - 1 ? size : sizeof(buf) - 1;
-	memcpy(buf, data, len);
-	while (len > 0 && (buf[len - 1] == '\n' || buf[len - 1] == '\r'))
-		len--;
-	buf[len] = '\0';
-
-	blog(LOG_INFO, "[%s] curl: %s%s", PLUGIN_NAME, prefix, buf);
-	return 0;
-}
-
-static bool check_update_blocking(void)
-{
-	char url[256];
-	snprintf(url, sizeof(url), "%s%s%s",
-		 obf_https_prefix(), obf_stools_host(),
-		 obf_api_version_path());
-
-	char ua[128];
-	snprintf(ua, sizeof(ua), "%s%s", obf_ua_prefix(), PLUGIN_VERSION);
-
-	CURL *curl = curl_easy_init();
-	if (!curl) return false;
-
-	struct update_mem_buf buf = {NULL, 0};
-	char errbuf[CURL_ERROR_SIZE] = "";
-
-	curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_URL, url);
-	curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_WRITEFUNCTION, update_write_cb);
-	curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_WRITEDATA, &buf);
-	curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_TIMEOUT, 5L);
-	curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_CONNECTTIMEOUT, 3L);
-	curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_USERAGENT, ua);
-	curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_SSL_VERIFYPEER, 0L);
-	curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_SSL_VERIFYHOST, 0L);
-#ifdef _WIN32
-	curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_SSLVERSION,
-			 CURL_SSLVERSION_TLSv1_2 | CURL_SSLVERSION_MAX_TLSv1_2);
-	curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_SSL_OPTIONS, (long)CURLSSLOPT_NO_REVOKE);
-	curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_HTTP_VERSION,
-			 (long)CURL_HTTP_VERSION_1_1);
-	curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_SSL_ENABLE_ALPN, 0L);
-	curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_IPRESOLVE, (long)CURL_IPRESOLVE_V4);
-#endif
-	curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_VERBOSE, 1L);
-	curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_DEBUGFUNCTION, curl_debug_cb);
-	curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_ERRORBUFFER, errbuf);
-
-	CURLcode res = curl_easy_perform(curl);
-	long http_code = 0;
-	curl_easy_getinfo(curl, CURLINFO_RESPONSE_CODE, &http_code);
-	curl_easy_cleanup(curl);
-
-	if (res != CURLE_OK) {
-		blog(LOG_WARNING, "[%s] Update check failed: %s (%s)",
-		     PLUGIN_NAME, curl_easy_strerror(res),
-		     errbuf[0] ? errbuf : "no details");
-	}
-
-	if (res != CURLE_OK || http_code != 200 || !buf.data) {
-		free(buf.data);
-		return false;
-	}
-
-	const char *vkey = strstr(buf.data, "\"version\"");
-	if (!vkey) { free(buf.data); return false; }
-	const char *vstart = strchr(vkey + 9, '"');
-	if (!vstart) { free(buf.data); return false; }
-	vstart++;
-	const char *vend = strchr(vstart, '"');
-	if (!vend || vend - vstart > 60) { free(buf.data); return false; }
-
-	size_t vlen = (size_t)(vend - vstart);
-	memcpy(g_remote_version, vstart, vlen);
-	g_remote_version[vlen] = '\0';
-	free(buf.data);
-
-	return compare_versions(g_remote_version, PLUGIN_VERSION) > 0;
-}
-
-static void task_show_forced_update(void *param)
-{
-	struct update_ctx *ctx = param;
-	forced_update_show(ctx->version, obs_get_locale());
-	free(ctx);
-}
-
 /* ---- Tools menu ---- */
 
 static void tools_menu_cb(void *private_data)
@@ -436,49 +283,30 @@ bool obs_module_load(void)
 
 	curl_version_info_data *vi = curl_version_info(CURLVERSION_NOW);
 	if (vi) {
-		blog(LOG_INFO,
+		dbg_log(LOG_INFO,
 		     "[%s] curl %s, SSL: %s, features: 0x%x",
 		     PLUGIN_NAME, vi->version,
 		     vi->ssl_version ? vi->ssl_version : "none",
 		     (unsigned)vi->features);
 	}
 
-	if (check_update_blocking()) {
-		g_update_required = true;
-		blog(LOG_WARNING,
-		     "[%s] Update required (v%s available), plugin disabled",
-		     PLUGIN_NAME, g_remote_version);
-		return true;
-	}
-
 	obs_register_source(&irl_source_info);
 
 	g_ip_thread_active = true;
 	if (pthread_create(&g_ip_thread, NULL, ip_detect_thread, NULL) != 0)
 		g_ip_thread_active = false;
 
-	blog(LOG_INFO, "[%s] Plugin loaded (v%s)", PLUGIN_NAME, PLUGIN_VERSION);
+	dbg_log(LOG_INFO, "[%s] Plugin loaded (v%s)", PLUGIN_NAME, PLUGIN_VERSION);
 	return true;
 }
 
 void obs_module_post_load(void)
 {
-	if (g_update_required) {
-		struct update_ctx *ctx = malloc(sizeof(*ctx));
-		if (ctx) {
-			snprintf(ctx->version, sizeof(ctx->version), "%s",
-				 g_remote_version);
-			obs_queue_task(OBS_TASK_UI, task_show_forced_update,
-				       ctx, false);
-		}
-		return;
-	}
-
 	obs_frontend_add_tools_menu_item(tr_tools_menu_help(),
 					 tools_menu_cb, NULL);
 	obs_frontend_add_tools_menu_item(tr_tools_menu_stats(),
 					 tools_stats_cb, NULL);
-	blog(LOG_DEBUG, "[%s] Tools menu registered", PLUGIN_NAME);
+	dbg_log(LOG_DEBUG, "[%s] Tools menu registered", PLUGIN_NAME);
 }
 
 void obs_module_unload(void)
@@ -489,5 +317,5 @@ void obs_module_unload(void)
 	}
 
 	curl_global_cleanup();
-	blog(LOG_INFO, "[%s] Plugin unloaded", PLUGIN_NAME);
+	dbg_log(LOG_INFO, "[%s] Plugin unloaded", PLUGIN_NAME);
 }
diff --git a/src/remote-settings.c b/src/remote-settings.c
index 70a7b94..ec6322e 100644
--- a/src/remote-settings.c
+++ b/src/remote-settings.c
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ static int curl_debug_cb(CURL *handle, curl_infotype type, char *data,
 		len--;
 	buf[len] = '\0';
 
-	blog(LOG_INFO, "[%s] curl: %s%s", PLUGIN_NAME, prefix, buf);
+	dbg_log(LOG_INFO, "[%s] curl: %s%s", PLUGIN_NAME, prefix, buf);
 	return 0;
 }
 
@@ -159,16 +159,16 @@ static char *api_get(const char *path, const char *token)
 	curl_easy_cleanup(curl);
 
 	if (res != CURLE_OK) {
-		blog(LOG_WARNING, "[%s] API GET %s failed: %s (%s)",
-		     PLUGIN_NAME, path, curl_easy_strerror(res),
-		     errbuf[0] ? errbuf : "no details");
+		dbg_log(LOG_WARNING, "[%s] API GET %s failed: %s (%s)",
+			PLUGIN_NAME, path, curl_easy_strerror(res),
+			errbuf[0] ? errbuf : "no details");
 		maybe_show_ssl_error(res, errbuf);
 		free(buf.data);
 		return NULL;
 	}
 	if (http_code != 200) {
-		blog(LOG_WARNING, "[%s] API GET %s returned HTTP %ld",
-		     PLUGIN_NAME, path, http_code);
+		dbg_log(LOG_WARNING, "[%s] API GET %s returned HTTP %ld",
+			PLUGIN_NAME, path, http_code);
 		free(buf.data);
 		return NULL;
 	}
@@ -212,15 +212,15 @@ static bool api_post(const char *path, const char *token, const char *json_body)
 	curl_easy_cleanup(curl);
 
 	if (res != CURLE_OK) {
-		blog(LOG_WARNING, "[%s] API POST %s failed: %s (%s)",
-		     PLUGIN_NAME, path, curl_easy_strerror(res),
-		     errbuf[0] ? errbuf : "no details");
+		dbg_log(LOG_WARNING, "[%s] API POST %s failed: %s (%s)",
+			PLUGIN_NAME, path, curl_easy_strerror(res),
+			errbuf[0] ? errbuf : "no details");
 		maybe_show_ssl_error(res, errbuf);
 		return false;
 	}
 	if (http_code != 200) {
-		blog(LOG_WARNING, "[%s] API POST %s returned HTTP %ld",
-		     PLUGIN_NAME, path, http_code);
+		dbg_log(LOG_WARNING, "[%s] API POST %s returned HTTP %ld",
+			PLUGIN_NAME, path, http_code);
 		return false;
 	}
 
@@ -320,8 +320,6 @@ static void apply_remote_settings(struct irl_source_data *data, const char *json
 	data->srtla_enabled = json_get_bool(json, "srtlaEnabled", data->srtla_enabled);
 	data->srtla_port = json_get_int(json, "srtlaPort", data->srtla_port);
 
-	data->show_watermark = !json_get_bool(json, "patreon", false);
-
 	bfree(data->duckdns_domain);
 	data->duckdns_domain = json_get_string(json, "duckdnsDomain");
 
@@ -352,6 +350,89 @@ static void apply_remote_settings(struct irl_source_data *data, const char *json
 		ingest_thread_start(data);
 }
 
+/* ---- Update check via /api/releases ---- */
+
+static int compare_versions(const char *a, const char *b)
+{
+	int a1 = 0, a2 = 0, a3 = 0, b1 = 0, b2 = 0, b3 = 0;
+	sscanf(a, "%d.%d.%d", &a1, &a2, &a3);
+	sscanf(b, "%d.%d.%d", &b1, &b2, &b3);
+	if (a1 != b1) return a1 - b1;
+	if (a2 != b2) return a2 - b2;
+	return a3 - b3;
+}
+
+struct update_show_ctx {
+	char version[64];
+};
+
+static void task_show_forced_update(void *param)
+{
+	struct update_show_ctx *ctx = param;
+	forced_update_show(ctx->version, obs_get_locale());
+	free(ctx);
+}
+
+static bool check_update_with_token(const char *token)
+{
+	char *json = api_get(obf_api_releases_path(), token);
+	if (!json)
+		return false;
+
+	/* Find first stable release: scan for "prerelease":false */
+	const char *pos = json;
+	char remote_ver[64] = "";
+
+	while ((pos = strstr(pos, "\"version\"")) != NULL) {
+		/* Extract version value */
+		const char *vstart = strchr(pos + 9, '"');
+		if (!vstart) break;
+		vstart++;
+		const char *vend = strchr(vstart, '"');
+		if (!vend || (vend - vstart) > 60) break;
+
+		/* Check if this release has "prerelease":false nearby */
+		const char *next_version = strstr(vend, "\"version\"");
+		const char *pre = strstr(vend, "\"prerelease\"");
+		if (pre && (!next_version || pre < next_version)) {
+			const char *pval = pre + 12;
+			while (*pval == ' ' || *pval == ':') pval++;
+			if (strncmp(pval, "false", 5) == 0) {
+				const char *v = vstart;
+				if (*v == 'v') v++;
+				size_t len = (size_t)(vend - v);
+				memcpy(remote_ver, v, len);
+				remote_ver[len] = '\0';
+				break;
+			}
+		}
+
+		pos = vend;
+	}
+
+	free(json);
+
+	if (!remote_ver[0])
+		return false;
+
+	if (compare_versions(remote_ver, PLUGIN_VERSION) > 0) {
+		dbg_log(LOG_WARNING,
+			"[%s] Update required: v%s available (current: %s)",
+			PLUGIN_NAME, remote_ver, PLUGIN_VERSION);
+
+		struct update_show_ctx *ctx = malloc(sizeof(*ctx));
+		if (ctx) {
+			snprintf(ctx->version, sizeof(ctx->version), "%s",
+				 remote_ver);
+			obs_queue_task(OBS_TASK_UI, task_show_forced_update,
+				       ctx, false);
+		}
+		return true;
+	}
+
+	return false;
+}
+
 /* ---- Background poll thread ---- */
 
 static pthread_t g_settings_thread;
@@ -365,6 +446,8 @@ static void *settings_poll_thread(void *arg)
 
 	os_sleep_ms(3000);
 
+	bool update_checked = false;
+
 	while (g_settings_thread_active) {
 		obs_data_t *settings = obs_source_get_settings(data->source);
 		const char *api_token = obs_data_get_string(settings, "api_token");
@@ -372,6 +455,18 @@ static void *settings_poll_thread(void *arg)
 		obs_data_release(settings);
 
 		if (token_copy) {
+			if (!update_checked) {
+				update_checked = true;
+				if (check_update_with_token(token_copy)) {
+#ifndef DEBUG_BUILD
+					ingest_thread_stop(data);
+					bfree(token_copy);
+					g_settings_thread_active = false;
+					break;
+#endif
+				}
+			}
+
 			char *json = api_get(obf_api_settings_path(), token_copy);
 			bool force_sync = false;
 			if (json) {
@@ -380,6 +475,20 @@ static void *settings_poll_thread(void *arg)
 				free(json);
 			}
 
+			char *me_json = api_get(obf_api_me_path(), token_copy);
+			if (me_json) {
+				bool is_patreon = json_get_bool(me_json, "patreonSub", false);
+				data->show_watermark = !is_patreon;
+				dbg_log(LOG_INFO, "[%s] Patreon check: patreonSub=%s, watermark=%s",
+					PLUGIN_NAME,
+					is_patreon ? "true" : "false",
+					data->show_watermark ? "on" : "off");
+				free(me_json);
+			} else {
+				dbg_log(LOG_WARNING, "[%s] /api/me request failed, watermark stays on",
+					PLUGIN_NAME);
+			}
+
 			remote_report_obs_info(token_copy);
 
 			if (force_sync) {
diff --git a/src/srtla-server.c b/src/srtla-server.c
index 378e541..bb2574c 100644
--- a/src/srtla-server.c
+++ b/src/srtla-server.c
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 #include "srtla-server.h"
+#include "debug-log.h"
 #include <util/platform.h>
 #include <string.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
@@ -143,7 +144,7 @@ static void add_connection_to_group(struct srtla_group *g,
 		c->addr_len = from_len;
 		c->last_activity_ns = os_gettime_ns();
 		c->active = true;
-		blog(LOG_DEBUG,
+		dbg_log(LOG_DEBUG,
 		     "[%s] SRTLA: connection %d added to group",
 		     PLUGIN_NAME, g->num_conns);
 	}
@@ -187,13 +188,13 @@ static void handle_reg1(struct srtla_state *state, const uint8_t *buf, int len,
 			const struct sockaddr_storage *from, socklen_t from_len)
 {
 	if (len < SRTLA_REG_PKT_SIZE) {
-		blog(LOG_WARNING,
+		dbg_log(LOG_WARNING,
 		     "[%s] SRTLA: REG1 too short (%d, need %d)",
 		     PLUGIN_NAME, len, SRTLA_REG_PKT_SIZE);
 		return;
 	}
 
-	blog(LOG_DEBUG, "[%s] SRTLA: Got REG1 (create group)", PLUGIN_NAME);
+	dbg_log(LOG_DEBUG, "[%s] SRTLA: Got REG1 (create group)", PLUGIN_NAME);
 
 	uint8_t group_id[SRTLA_GROUP_ID_LEN];
 	memcpy(group_id, buf + 2, 128);
@@ -202,7 +203,7 @@ static void handle_reg1(struct srtla_state *state, const uint8_t *buf, int len,
 		group_id[128 + i] = (uint8_t)(rand() & 0xFF);
 
 	if (find_group(state, group_id)) {
-		blog(LOG_WARNING,
+		dbg_log(LOG_WARNING,
 		     "[%s] SRTLA: group ID collision, ignoring",
 		     PLUGIN_NAME);
 		return;
@@ -210,7 +211,7 @@ static void handle_reg1(struct srtla_state *state, const uint8_t *buf, int len,
 
 	struct srtla_group *g = alloc_group(state);
 	if (!g) {
-		blog(LOG_WARNING,
+		dbg_log(LOG_WARNING,
 		     "[%s] SRTLA: max groups reached",
 		     PLUGIN_NAME);
 		return;
@@ -221,7 +222,7 @@ static void handle_reg1(struct srtla_state *state, const uint8_t *buf, int len,
 	memcpy(g->group_id, group_id, SRTLA_GROUP_ID_LEN);
 	g->srt_sock = create_srt_forward_sock(state->srt_port);
 	if (g->srt_sock == SRTLA_INVALID_SOCKET) {
-		blog(LOG_WARNING,
+		dbg_log(LOG_WARNING,
 		     "[%s] SRTLA: failed to create SRT forward socket",
 		     PLUGIN_NAME);
 		return;
@@ -229,7 +230,7 @@ static void handle_reg1(struct srtla_state *state, const uint8_t *buf, int len,
 	g->active = true;
 	g->last_activity_ns = os_gettime_ns();
 
-	blog(LOG_DEBUG,
+	dbg_log(LOG_DEBUG,
 	     "[%s] SRTLA: group created, sending REG2 response",
 	     PLUGIN_NAME);
 
@@ -249,13 +250,13 @@ static void handle_reg2(struct srtla_state *state, const uint8_t *buf, int len,
 			const struct sockaddr_storage *from, socklen_t from_len)
 {
 	if (len < SRTLA_REG_PKT_SIZE) {
-		blog(LOG_WARNING,
+		dbg_log(LOG_WARNING,
 		     "[%s] SRTLA: REG2 too short (%d, need %d)",
 		     PLUGIN_NAME, len, SRTLA_REG_PKT_SIZE);
 		return;
 	}
 
-	blog(LOG_DEBUG,
+	dbg_log(LOG_DEBUG,
 	     "[%s] SRTLA: Got REG2 (register connection)",
 	     PLUGIN_NAME);
 
@@ -263,7 +264,7 @@ static void handle_reg2(struct srtla_state *state, const uint8_t *buf, int len,
 	struct srtla_group *g = find_group(state, gid);
 
 	if (!g) {
-		blog(LOG_DEBUG,
+		dbg_log(LOG_DEBUG,
 		     "[%s] SRTLA: unknown group, sending REG_NGP",
 		     PLUGIN_NAME);
 		uint8_t ngp[2];
@@ -276,7 +277,7 @@ static void handle_reg2(struct srtla_state *state, const uint8_t *buf, int len,
 	add_connection_to_group(g, from, from_len);
 	g->last_activity_ns = os_gettime_ns();
 
-	blog(LOG_DEBUG,
+	dbg_log(LOG_DEBUG,
 	     "[%s] SRTLA: connection registered, sending REG3 (%d conns)",
 	     PLUGIN_NAME, g->num_conns);
 
@@ -352,7 +353,7 @@ static void cleanup_stale_groups(struct srtla_state *state)
 		uint64_t age_ms =
 			(now - state->groups[i].last_activity_ns) / 1000000;
 		if (age_ms > 30000) {
-			blog(LOG_DEBUG,
+			dbg_log(LOG_DEBUG,
 			     "[%s] SRTLA: group %d timed out (age=%llu ms, last_ns=%llu, now_ns=%llu)",
 			     PLUGIN_NAME, i,
 			     (unsigned long long)age_ms,
@@ -371,7 +372,7 @@ static void *srtla_thread_func(void *arg)
 
 	state->listen_sock = socket(AF_INET, SOCK_DGRAM, IPPROTO_UDP);
 	if (state->listen_sock == SRTLA_INVALID_SOCKET) {
-		blog(LOG_ERROR, "[%s] SRTLA: failed to create socket",
+		dbg_log(LOG_ERROR, "[%s] SRTLA: failed to create socket",
 		     PLUGIN_NAME);
 		return NULL;
 	}
@@ -387,7 +388,7 @@ static void *srtla_thread_func(void *arg)
 
 	if (bind(state->listen_sock, (struct sockaddr *)&bind_addr,
 		 sizeof(bind_addr)) != 0) {
-		blog(LOG_ERROR,
+		dbg_log(LOG_ERROR,
 		     "[%s] SRTLA: failed to bind port %d",
 		     PLUGIN_NAME, state->listen_port);
 		closesocket(state->listen_sock);
@@ -406,7 +407,7 @@ static void *srtla_thread_func(void *arg)
 	}
 #endif
 
-	blog(LOG_DEBUG,
+	dbg_log(LOG_DEBUG,
 	     "[%s] SRTLA: listening on UDP port %d, forwarding to SRT port %d",
 	     PLUGIN_NAME, state->listen_port, state->srt_port);
 
@@ -484,7 +485,7 @@ static void *srtla_thread_func(void *arg)
 								from_len);
 							g->last_activity_ns =
 								os_gettime_ns();
-							blog(LOG_DEBUG,
+							dbg_log(LOG_DEBUG,
 							     "[%s] SRTLA: auto-registered client (%d bytes)",
 							     PLUGIN_NAME, n);
 						} else {
@@ -504,15 +505,14 @@ static void *srtla_thread_func(void *arg)
 							n, 0);
 					g->last_activity_ns = os_gettime_ns();
 					if (sent < 0) {
-						blog(LOG_WARNING,
-						     "[%s] SRTLA: forward failed (err=%d)",
-						     PLUGIN_NAME,
 #ifdef _WIN32
-						     WSAGetLastError()
+						int fwd_err = WSAGetLastError();
 #else
-						     errno
+						int fwd_err = errno;
 #endif
-						);
+						dbg_log(LOG_WARNING,
+							"[%s] SRTLA: forward failed (err=%d)",
+							PLUGIN_NAME, fwd_err);
 					}
 
 					if (is_srt_data_packet(buf, n) &&
@@ -608,7 +608,7 @@ static void *srtla_thread_func(void *arg)
 	closesocket(state->listen_sock);
 	state->listen_sock = SRTLA_INVALID_SOCKET;
 
-	blog(LOG_DEBUG, "[%s] SRTLA: server stopped", PLUGIN_NAME);
+	dbg_log(LOG_DEBUG, "[%s] SRTLA: server stopped", PLUGIN_NAME);
 	return NULL;
 }
 
@@ -631,7 +631,7 @@ void srtla_server_start(struct srtla_state *state, int listen_port,
 	    0) {
 		state->thread_created = true;
 	} else {
-		blog(LOG_ERROR, "[%s] SRTLA: failed to create thread",
+		dbg_log(LOG_ERROR, "[%s] SRTLA: failed to create thread",
 		     PLUGIN_NAME);
 		state->running = false;
 	}
diff --git a/src/webhook.c b/src/webhook.c
index 1b3e83a..1cb92da 100644
--- a/src/webhook.c
+++ b/src/webhook.c
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 #include "webhook.h"
 #include <obs-module.h>
+#include "debug-log.h"
 #include <util/threading.h>
 #include <util/platform.h>
 #include <string.h>
@@ -58,7 +59,7 @@ static int webhook_curl_debug_cb(CURL *handle, curl_infotype type, char *data,
 		len--;
 	buf[len] = '\0';
 
-	blog(LOG_INFO, "[Easy IRL Stream] curl: %s%s", prefix, buf);
+	dbg_log(LOG_INFO, "[Easy IRL Stream] curl: %s%s", prefix, buf);
 	return 0;
 }
 
@@ -66,7 +67,7 @@ static void webhook_do_send(const char *url, const char *json_body)
 {
 	CURL *curl = curl_easy_init();
 	if (!curl) {
-		blog(LOG_WARNING, "[%s] Webhook: curl_easy_init failed",
+		dbg_log(LOG_WARNING, "[%s] Webhook: curl_easy_init failed",
 		     "Easy IRL Stream");
 		return;
 	}
@@ -100,13 +101,13 @@ static void webhook_do_send(const char *url, const char *json_body)
 
 	CURLcode res = curl_easy_perform(curl);
 	if (res != CURLE_OK) {
-		blog(LOG_WARNING, "[%s] Webhook failed (%s): %s (%s)",
+		dbg_log(LOG_WARNING, "[%s] Webhook failed (%s): %s (%s)",
 		     "Easy IRL Stream", url, curl_easy_strerror(res),
 		     errbuf[0] ? errbuf : "no details");
 	} else {
 		long http_code = 0;
 		curl_easy_getinfo(curl, CURLINFO_RESPONSE_CODE, &http_code);
-		blog(LOG_DEBUG, "[%s] Webhook sent: %s (HTTP %ld)",
+		dbg_log(LOG_DEBUG, "[%s] Webhook sent: %s (HTTP %ld)",
 		     "Easy IRL Stream", url, http_code);
 	}
 
@@ -177,7 +178,7 @@ void webhook_send_async(const char *url, const char *event_name,
 static void *cmd_thread_func(void *arg)
 {
 	struct cmd_args *ca = arg;
-	blog(LOG_DEBUG, "[%s] Executing command: %s", "Easy IRL Stream",
+	dbg_log(LOG_DEBUG, "[%s] Executing command: %s", "Easy IRL Stream",
 	     ca->command);
 	(void)system(ca->command);
 	bfree(ca->command);