vibetunnel/CHANGELOG.md

Changelog

[1.0.0-beta.9] - 2025-01-11

🛡️ Stability & Reliability

Critical Crash Fix

• FIXED: Eliminated random terminal crashes by replacing Microsoft's node-pty with a custom fork that provides thread-safe operations and better resource management. This resolves critical stability issues that affected VS Code and other Electron applications.

Server Crash Detection

• NEW: Intelligent crash detection and recovery system that automatically detects server failures and provides immediate feedback with specific error codes, dramatically reducing troubleshooting time.

📱 Mobile Experience

Terminal Stability on Mobile

• FIXED: Resolved the continuous resize loop that made terminals unusable on mobile devices. The terminal now maintains a stable view without jumping or unexpected scrolling.
• IMPROVED: Better mobile terminal width management - user preferences are now properly respected throughout the session.
• ENHANCED: Support for smaller grid sizes on compact mobile devices, providing better visibility on phones.

Mobile Keyboard Support

• NEW: Added Alt+Delete/Left/Right keyboard shortcuts specifically for mobile users, improving text editing capabilities.
• FIXED: Mobile header no longer overflows when using dropdown menus, providing a cleaner interface.

🚀 Features & Improvements

Cloudflare Integration

• ENHANCED: Significantly improved Cloudflare tunnel setup with faster, more reliable stream-based monitoring instead of polling. Setup is now smoother with better error handling.

Git Repository Discovery

• IMPROVED: Enhanced folder selection when creating new sessions - VibeTunnel now intelligently discovers Git repositories in your selected folder, making project navigation easier.
• FIXED: Several bugs in repository discovery that could cause incorrect folder detection or errors.

🎨 UI Polish

Visual Stability

• FIXED: Terminal titles no longer jump around due to activity indicators, providing a stable and professional interface.
• IMPROVED: Consolidated z-index management throughout the interface, preventing UI elements from appearing in incorrect layers.

🔧 Under the Hood

• Enhanced event handling for better cross-platform compatibility
• Improved file browser functionality with better click handling
• Updated documentation with expanded specifications and data flow diagrams
• Various test improvements for better code quality

[1.0.0-beta.8] - 2025-07-08

Homebrew Library Dependencies

• FIXED: Release builds now correctly bundle all Homebrew library dependencies
• FIXED: App launches reliably on systems without developer tools installed
• Updated build scripts to handle dynamic library dependencies properly

File Browser Enhancements

• FIXED: File browser going dark due to event bubbling issues with modal handling

[1.0.0-beta.7] - 2025-07-08

🎯 Major Features

🖥️ **Remote Screen Sharing (Beta) **

• Share your Mac screen remotely through any web browser - perfect for demonstrations, pair programming, or remote support
• Ultra-low latency using WebRTC technology with automatic quality adjustment based on network conditions
• Privacy-focused with deferred permission requests (only asks for screen recording when you actually start sharing)
• Automatic 4K resolution capping for 5K+ displays to prevent web interface clipping
• Clear visual indicators when screen sharing is active

🪄 Magic Wand for AI Sessions

• Instantly inject helpful context into Claude.ai sessions with a single click
• Automatically detects Claude browser windows and adds project information
• Includes git repository details, current branch, and recent commit history
• Configurable prompts to match your workflow
• More forceful prompt injection to prevent AI from directly using the injected title

🚀 Performance & Stability Improvements

Terminal Performance

• FIXED: Critical flow control issue that caused xterm.js buffer overflow and terminal freezing
• FIXED: Infinite scroll loop in terminal output that could freeze the browser
• FIXED: Race conditions in terminal output handling causing corrupted or out-of-order text
• Improved memory management for long-running sessions
• Better handling of high-volume terminal output

UI Performance

• Removed all UI animations that were causing 1-2 second delays when reopening sessions
• Disabled View Transitions API for instant session navigation
• Fixed modal backdrop pointer-events issues preventing interaction
• Smoother menu bar UI without jumping when copy icon appears

📱 Touch Device & Mobile Improvements

iPad/Tablet Support

• Unified keyboard layout for all mobile devices (removed separate iPad layout)
• Universal touch device detection for better keyboard mode handling
• Inline-edit pencil now always visible on touch devices
• Reorganized touch device layout with better button placement
• Fixed touch interaction issues with modals and overlays

Mobile Keyboard

• New compact keyboard layout optimized for tablets
• Better handling of keyboard shortcuts on touch devices
• Improved responsiveness for mobile web browsers

🐚 Shell Support Enhancements

Fish Shell Integration

• Full support for Fish shell command expansion and completions
• Proper handling of Fish-specific syntax and features
• Fixed shell configuration files not being loaded correctly

🔧 Developer Experience

Build System Improvements

• Preserve Swift package resolution in build.sh for faster builds
• Better Node.js detection that handles fnm/homebrew conflicts

Version Management

• Implemented hash-based vt script version detection
• Delete old sessions automatically when VibeTunnel version changes
• Better handling of version mismatches between components

🐛 Bug Fixes

Session Management

• Fixed session state synchronization between web and native clients
• Resolved memory leaks in long-running sessions
• Fixed connection timeout issues on slower networks
• Better cleanup of terminal processes and resources

UI/UX Fixes

• Fixed various UI glitches and visual artifacts
• Resolved sidebar animation issues
• Fixed file browser problems
• Corrected ngrok documentation about free static domains

🔍 Other Improvements

Control Protocol

• Unified control protocol for better terminal and screen sharing integration
• Improved Unix socket handling with better error recovery
• Enhanced WebRTC connection management

Documentation

• Updated ngrok docs to clarify one free static domain per user
• Added comprehensive ScreenCaptureKit documentation
• Removed outdated debug documentation

[1.0.0-beta.6] - 2025-07-03

✨ New Features

Git Repository Monitoring 🆕

• Real-time Git Status - Session rows now display git information including branch name and change counts
• Visual Indicators - Color-coded status: orange for branches, yellow for uncommitted changes
• Quick Navigation - Click folder icons to open repositories in Finder
• GitHub Integration - Context menu option to open repositories directly on GitHub
• Smart Caching - 5-second cache prevents excessive git commands while keeping info fresh
• Repository Detection - Automatically finds git repositories in parent directories

Enhanced Command-Line Tool

• Terminal Title Management - vt title can set the title of your Terminal. Even Claude can use it!
• Version Information - vt help now displays binary path, version, build date, and platform information for easier troubleshooting
• Apple Silicon Support - Automatic detection of Homebrew installations on ARM Macs (/opt/homebrew path)

Menu Bar Enhancements

• Rich Session Interface - Powerful new menu bar with visual activity indicators and real-time status tracking
• Native Session Overview - See all open terminal sessions and even Claude Code status right from the menu bar.
• Sleep Prevention - Mac stays awake when running terminal sessions

Web Interface Improvements

• Modern Visual Design - Complete UI overhaul with improved color scheme, animations, and visual hierarchy
• Collapsible Sidebar - New toggle button to maximize terminal viewing space (preference is remembered)
• Better Session Loading - Fixed race conditions that caused sessions to appear as "missing"
• Responsive Enhancements - Improved adaptation to different screen sizes with better touch targets

🚀 Performance & Stability

Terminal Output Reliability

• Fixed Output Corruption - Resolved race conditions causing out-of-order or corrupted terminal output
• Stable Title Updates - Terminal titles now update smoothly without flickering or getting stuck

Server Improvements

• Logger Fix - Fixed double initialization that was deleting log files
• Better Resource Cleanup - Improved PTY manager cleanup and timer management
• Enhanced Error Handling - More robust error handling throughout the server stack

Simplified Tailscale Setup

• Switched to Tailscale's local API for easier configuration
• Removed manual token management requirements
• Streamlined connection UI for minimal setup

[1.0.0-beta.5] - 2025-01-29

🎨 UI Improvements

• Version Display - Web interface now shows full version including beta suffix (e.g., v1.0.0-beta.5)
• Build Filtering - Cleaner build output by filtering non-actionable Xcode warnings
• Mobile Scrolling - Fixed scrolling issues on mobile web browsers

🔧 Infrastructure

• Single Source of Truth - Web version now automatically reads from package.json at build time
• Version Sync Validation - Build process validates version consistency between macOS and web
• CI Optimization - Tests only run when relevant files change (iOS/Mac/Web)
• E2E Test Suite - Comprehensive Playwright tests for web frontend reliability

🐛 Bug Fixes

• No-Auth Mode - Fixed authentication-related error messages when running with --no-auth
• Log Streaming - Fixed frontend log streaming in no-auth mode
• Test Reliability - Resolved flaky tests and improved test infrastructure

📝 Developer Experience

• Release Documentation - Enhanced release process documentation with version sync requirements
• Test Improvements - Better test fixtures, helpers, and debugging capabilities
• Error Suppression - Cleaner logs when running in development mode

[1.0.0-beta.4] - 2025-06-25

• We replaced HTTP Basic auth with System Login or SSH Keys for better security.
• Sessions now show exited terminals by default - no more hunting for terminated sessions
• Reorganized sidebar with cleaner, more compact header and better button placement
• Added user menu in sidebar for quick access to settings and logout
• Enhanced responsive design with better adaptation to different screen sizes
• Improved touch targets and spacing for mobile users
• Leverages View Transitions API for smoother animations with CSS fallbacks
• More intuitive default settings for better out-of-box experience

[1.0.0-beta.3] - 2025-06-23

There's too much to list! This is the version you've been waiting for.

• Redesigned, responsive, animated frontend.
• Improved terminal width spanning and layout optimization
• File-Picker to see files on-the-go.
• Creating new Terminals is now much more reliable.
• Added terminal font size adjustment in the settings dropdown
• Fresh new icon for Progressive Web App installations
• Refined bounce animations for a more subtle, professional feel
• Added retro CRT-style phosphor decay visual effect for closed terminals
• Fixed buffer aggregator message handling for smoother terminal updates
• Better support for shell aliases and improved debug logging
• Enhanced Unix socket server implementation for faster local communication
• Special handling for Warp terminal with custom enter key behavior
• New dock menu with quick actions when right-clicking the app icon
• More resilient vt command-line tool with better error handling
• Ensured vibetunnel server properly terminates when Mac app is killed

[1.0.0-beta.2] - 2025-06-19

🎨 Improvements

• Redesigned slick new web frontend
• Faster terminal rendering in the web frontend
• New Sessions spawn new Terminal windows. (This needs Applescript and Accessibility permissions)
• Enhanced font handling with system font priority
• Better async operations in PTY service for improved performance
• Improved window activation when showing the welcome and settings windows
• Preparations for Linux support

🐛 Bug Fixes

• Fixed window front order when dock icon is hidden
• Fixed PTY service enhancements with proper async operations
• Fixed race condition in session creation that caused frontend to open previous session

[1.0.0-beta.1] - 2025-06-17

🎉 First Public Beta Release

This is the first public beta release of VibeTunnel, ready for testing by early adopters.

✨ What's Included

• Complete terminal session proxying to web browsers
• Support for multiple concurrent sessions
• Real-time terminal rendering with full TTY support
• Secure password-protected dashboard
• Tailscale and ngrok integration for remote access
• Automatic updates via Sparkle framework
• Native macOS menu bar application

🐛 Bug Fixes Since Internal Testing

• Fixed visible circle spacer in menu (now uses Color.clear)
• Removed development files from app bundle
• Enhanced build process with automatic cleanup
• Fixed Sparkle API compatibility for v2.7.0

📝 Notes

• This is a beta release - please report any issues on GitHub
• Auto-update functionality is fully enabled
• All core features are stable and ready for daily use

✨ What's New Since Internal Testing

• Improved stability and performance
• Enhanced error handling for edge cases
• Refined UI/UX based on internal feedback
• Better session cleanup and resource management
• Optimized for macOS Sonoma and Sequoia

🐛 Known Issues

• Occasional connection drops with certain terminal applications
• Performance optimization needed for very long sessions
• Some terminal escape sequences may not render perfectly

📝 Notes

• This is a beta release - please report any issues on GitHub
• Auto-update functionality is fully enabled
• All core features are stable and ready for daily use

[1.0.0] - 2025-06-16

🎉 Initial Release

VibeTunnel is a native macOS application that proxies terminal sessions to web browsers, allowing you to monitor and control terminals from any device.

✨ Core Features

Terminal Management

• Terminal Session Proxying - Run any command with vt prefix to make it accessible via web browser
• Multiple Concurrent Sessions - Support for multiple terminal sessions running simultaneously
• Session Recording - All sessions automatically recorded in asciinema format for later playback
• Full TTY Support - Proper handling of terminal control sequences, colors, and special characters
• Interactive Commands - Support for interactive applications like vim, htop, and more
• Shell Integration - Direct shell access with vt --shell or vt -i

Web Interface

• Browser-Based Dashboard - Access all terminal sessions at http://localhost:4020
• Real-time Terminal Rendering - Live terminal output using asciinema player
• WebSocket Streaming - Low-latency real-time updates for terminal I/O
• Mobile Responsive - Fully functional on phones, tablets, and desktop browsers
• Session Management UI - Create, view, kill, and manage sessions from the web interface

Security & Access Control

• Password Protection - Optional password authentication for dashboard access
• Keychain Integration - Secure password storage using macOS Keychain
• Access Modes - Choose between localhost-only, network, or secure tunneling
• Basic Authentication - HTTP Basic Auth support for network access

Remote Access Options

• Tailscale Integration - Access VibeTunnel through your Tailscale network
• ngrok Support - Built-in ngrok tunneling for public access with authentication
• Network Mode - Local network access with IP-based connections

macOS Integration

• Menu Bar Application - Lives in the system menu bar with optional dock mode
• Launch at Login - Automatic startup with macOS
• Auto Updates - Sparkle framework integration for seamless updates
• Native Swift/SwiftUI - Built with modern macOS technologies
• Universal Binary - Native support for both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs

CLI Tool (vt)

• Command Wrapper - Prefix any command with vt to tunnel it
• Claude Integration - Special support for AI assistants with vt --claude and vt --claude-yolo
• Direct Execution - Bypass shell with vt -S for direct command execution
• Automatic Installation - CLI tool automatically installed to /usr/local/bin

Server Implementation

• Dual Server Architecture - Choose between Rust (default) or Swift server backends
• High Performance - Rust server for efficient TTY forwarding and process management
• RESTful APIs - Clean API design for session management
• Health Monitoring - Built-in health check endpoints

Developer Features

• Server Console - Debug view showing server logs and diagnostics
• Configurable Ports - Change server port from default 4020
• Session Cleanup - Automatic cleanup of stale sessions on startup
• Comprehensive Logging - Detailed logs for debugging

🛠️ Technical Details

• Minimum macOS Version: 14.0 (Sonoma)
• Architecture: Universal Binary (Intel + Apple Silicon)
• Languages: Swift 6.0, Rust, TypeScript
• UI Framework: SwiftUI
• Web Technologies: TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, WebSockets
• Build System: Xcode, Swift Package Manager, Cargo, npm

📦 Installation

• Download DMG from GitHub releases
• Drag VibeTunnel to Applications folder
• Launch from Applications or Spotlight
• CLI tool (vt) automatically installed on first launch

🚀 Quick Start

# Monitor AI agents
vt claude

# Run development servers  
vt npm run dev

# Watch long-running processes
vt python train_model.py

# Open interactive shell
vt --shell

👥 Contributors

Created by:

• @badlogic - Mario Zechner
• @mitsuhiko - Armin Ronacher
• @steipete - Peter Steinberger

📄 License

VibeTunnel is open source software licensed under the MIT License.

---

Version History

Pre-release Development

The project went through extensive development before the 1.0.0 release, including:

• Initial TTY forwarding implementation using Rust
• macOS app foundation with SwiftUI
• Integration of asciinema format for session recording
• Web frontend development with real-time terminal rendering
• Hummingbird HTTP server implementation
• ngrok integration for secure tunneling
• Sparkle framework integration for auto-updates
• Comprehensive testing and bug fixes
• UI/UX refinements and mobile optimizations