A thug threatened to shoot a man in the head and burn him after arranging to meet at his home on Grindr.
James Inglesby, 33, convinced Paul Weaver to let him visit his Kirkby address, after chatting on the online dating app.
But after drinking lager he suddenly became "erratic" and punched the victim in the head during a bizarre rant.
Police were called and found Inglesby topless and Mr Weaver hiding at a neighbour's house in only his underwear.
Internal CCTV cameras then revealed the victim's "terrifying" ordeal, at the hands of the convicted drug dealer.
Liverpool Crown Court heard they started chatting on the app at around 1.30pm, on Saturday, October 19 last year.
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Nick Cockrell, prosecuting, said Inglesby "seemed pleasant" and Mr Weaver eventually agreed to allow him to visit.
Inglesby arrived at around 8pm and at first, everything was "quite relaxed" as they watched TV and chatted.
However, Inglesby, who was drinking cans of lager he brought with him, suddenly became "erratic", at around 10.30pm.
Mr Cockrell said the victim was confused and worried about some of the things "aggressive" Inglesby was saying.
He asked Inglesby to leave, but the thug refused and shoved him on the sofa, then punched him in the face.
Mr Weaver escaped upstairs and pressed an alarm he had installed, then unlocked a door and fled outside.
Mr Cockrell said: "He was dressed only in his underwear, as he says he had taken a shower part way through the defendant's visit."
He hid in bushes then sought refuge with a neighbour, before his brother-in-law - alerted by the alarm - and police arrived.
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CCTV footage showed both men topless, Inglesby talking and Mr Weaver's "worried facial expression".
Inglesby said: "I will shoot you square in the head. I'll happily take a bullet straight away no problem and I'm sorry to cause offence or to even speak to you in an offending manner...[inaudible]"
When stood over Mr Weaver, Inglesby said: "I'll do you a f***ing favour right, please sit back. Let me speak, look at me.
"Don't [inaudible] I swear I will batter you. Look I apologise I'm sorry [inaudible].
"Look shake on it please and I'm sorry if I hit you."
Inglesby then took hold of Mr Weaver's hand and pulled him to his feet, before making "incoherent" demands.
He said: "You've got 30 seconds for me to come in to sit down yeah I'm not going to stop you. No cut, punch, bite and kill any male and female you want [inaudible]."
The victim replied "I don't want that" before Inglesby accidentally fell into him, stood up, offered his hand and apologised.
Inglesby said: "With the family, if not there's a gun, end of, did you hear that?" then made Mr Weaver recite what he had said.
Mr Weaver replied: "Right, I've got to meet you at ten past nine, with the family, otherwise we're dead."
Inglesby responded "sound" then punched him to the jaw, causing the victim to fall back, clutching his face in pain.
The thug said "don't even cry, don't even cry" then warned: "I will set you on fire and I will watch you burn."
He could be heard to demand "money now, money now" and when the victim said "I haven't got no money", he threatened: "Money now or I'll burn you."
When interviewed by police, Inglesby gave a "changing and inconsistent account", but denied threatening to kill Mr Weaver.
He admitted assault by beating but denied making threats to kill and was set to stand trial.
However, he later pleaded guilty, on the basis of what could be seen and heard on CCTV.
Mr Weaver said the attack left him "feeling petrified inside my own house", dealt his confidence "a huge blow", affected his sleep, and stopped him going into Northwood or Kirkby town centre in fear of bumping into Inglesby.
He said: "I would just like to know why he became aggressive with me, and why he wouldn't leave my house when I had asked him."
Inglesby, of no fixed address, but formerly of Prescot Road, Old Swan, has eight previous convictions for 12 offences.
He was locked up for three years for robbery in 2007 at 19, then for two years and three months for wounding in 2011.
Inglesby was part of a Merseyside gang caught selling crack cocaine and heroin in Kendal, Cumbria in 2017.
He was jailed for three years and four months that September for conspiring to supply heroin and crack cocaine.
He was still on licence at the time of these offences and has been recalled to prison on licence.
John Weate, defending, said his client was sorry and accepted he had been drinking, but was not found to have any drugs in his system.
He said Inglesby had broken up with his partner the previous day, but they had since reconciled.
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Judge Brian Cummings, QC, said: "From the victim's point of view this was a terrifying incident.
"It was quite apparent viewing that CCTV footage that you were behaving in a very alarming and generally irrational manner.
"Plainly your behaviour was threatening, plainly at times and on the occasion of the punch to the face, it was actually violent."
The judge said the crimes were aggravated by Inglesby's criminal record and the fact he was on licence.
He added: "It's quite apparent from your behaviour that the offences were committed by you when under the influence of something, and you certainly said in interview you had been drinking.
"I accept what Mr Weate has told me about the subsequent testing there was no evidence of any drug taking."
Judge Cummings jailed Inglesby for 20 months and made a five-year restraining order to protect Mr Weaver.
