vibetunnel/CHANGELOG.md

Changelog

[1.0.0-beta.13] - 2025-07-19

**Terminal Performance Mode (Experimental) **

• New binary WebSocket mode for terminal sessions dramatically improves performance for high-throughput operations (#412)
• Toggle between standard SSE mode and high-performance binary mode in terminal settings
• Binary mode significantly reduces latency and CPU usage when running commands with heavy output
• Seamless switching between modes without losing your session

Enhanced Terminal Control

• Uninstall option for the vt command line tool now available in settings (#407)
• Simple trash icon button to cleanly remove the CLI tool when needed
• Proper cleanup of both standard and Homebrew installation paths

Screen Sharing Removed

• Removed screen sharing feature to focus on core terminal functionality (#415)
• Eliminated ~17,000 lines of WebRTC and screen capture code
• No longer requests screen recording permissions
• Screen Sharing is out of scope for the 1.0 release

🐛 Bug Fixes

• Fixed server crashes when using special characters (like *) in terminal status messages (#398)
• Resolved "Kill All Sessions" button failing silently in compact/sidebar view (#418)
• Fixed network bind address reverting to localhost after server restarts (#404)
• Ghostty terminal now properly spawns and executes commands if there are no windows (#408)

📚 Documentation

• Added complete HQ mode documentation covering distributed deployments
• Organized all documentation into logical categories with Mintlify

[1.0.0-beta.12] - 2025-07-17

Welcome Screen Performance

• Background folder scanning eliminates UI freeze when opening the welcome screen (#394)
• Improved startup performance with optimized web directory structure
• Much smoother experience when working with large project directories

SSH Agent Reliability

• Fixed SSH key generation errors on non-localhost HTTP connections (#392)
• SSH agent now works correctly when accessing VibeTunnel via ngrok or from another device
• Improved security and reliability for remote access scenarios

npm Package Stability

• Fixed critical installation issues on Linux systems (#393)
• authenticate-pam now properly handled as optional dependency
• Enhanced cross-platform compatibility for Ubuntu and other distributions
• Comprehensive vt command tests ensure reliability across environments

Developer Experience

• Fixed missing public directory in Mac app bundle (#392)
• Resolved TypeScript type annotations throughout codebase
• Improved lint compliance and code quality
• Streamlined CI/CD workflow for more reliable builds

🐛 Bug Fixes

• Fixed vt command syntax errors on Linux systems (#393)
• Fixed welcome screen lag during folder scanning (#394)
• Resolved missing icons and resources in Mac app
• Fixed lint and type errors across the codebase
• Cleaned up duplicate and stray files from web directory

[1.0.0-beta.11] - 2025-07-17

Better Settings Organization

• Reorganized settings into logical tabs for easier navigation (#359)
• Repository base path now syncs automatically between Mac app and web UI (#358)
• Simplified welcome screen repository display (#372)

UI Context Awareness

• Spawn window toggle shows only when relevant (#357)

NPM Package Now Available

• vibetunnel (server) is now available as an npm package for easy installation on macOS and Linux (#360, #377)
• Install with npm install -g vibetunnel - no build tools required!
• Includes prebuilt binaries for Node.js 20, 22, 23, and 24
• Supports macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon) and Linux (x64 and arm64) (#344)

Enhanced Git Diff Tool Support

• Added JuxtaCode to the list of supported Git diff tools with automatic detection

Improved vt Command

• Added verbosity control with -q (quiet), -v (verbose), -vv (extra verbose) flags (#356)
• New vt title command to update session names from within a VibeTunnel session

🐛 Bug Fixes

• Fixed npm package installation issues (#360, #377)
• Fixed control message processing loop (#372)
• Fixed file browser constant refresh issue (#354)
• Replaced bell icon with settings icon for better clarity (#366)
• Resolved Tailwind CSS performance warning

[1.0.0-beta.10] - 2025-07-15

Repository Discovery

• Automatic Git repository detection when creating new sessions (#301)
• Recently modified repositories displayed in new session dialog
• Quick project access with one-click repository selection

Keyboard Shortcut Handling

• Redesigned keyboard capture system with intelligent priority handling (#298)
• Browser shortcuts work naturally: Cmd+Shift+A (tab search), Cmd+1-9 (tab switching), Alt+Arrow keys
• Visual keyboard capture indicator with detailed tooltips
• Double-Escape toggle for switching between browser and terminal keyboard modes

Theme System

• Dracula theme is now the default for new users (#349)
• Professional light mode with improved contrast (#314)
• Easy theme switching between light and dark modes
• Enhanced terminal color schemes (#332)

Development Server Mode

• New "Development Server" mode in Debug Settings enables hot reload (#316)
• Significantly faster iteration when developing the web interface
• Hot reload works with full VibeTunnel functionality

🐛 Bug Fixes

• Fixed Safari clipboard paste on iOS and macOS (#336)
• Fixed duplicate session creation with intelligent detection (#345)
• Added keyboard navigation in session grid (arrow keys, Enter, etc.) (#322)
• Fixed race conditions in network access mode (#347)
• Improved SSH key manager modal layout (#325)
• Updated all dependencies to latest stable versions
• Enhanced TypeScript configuration with better type safety

[1.0.0-beta.9] - 2025-07-11

Terminal Crash Fix

• Replaced Microsoft's node-pty with custom fork to resolve random terminal crashes (#304)
• Improved thread-safe operations and resource management
• Addresses stability issues affecting VS Code and other Electron applications

Server Crash Detection

• Added crash detection and recovery system for server failures (#308)
• Provides immediate feedback with specific error codes
• Improved troubleshooting and error reporting

Mobile Experience

• Fixed continuous resize loop on mobile devices (#305)
• Improved mobile terminal width management
• Added support for smaller grid sizes on compact devices
• Added Alt+Delete/Left/Right keyboard shortcuts for mobile users (#290)
• Fixed mobile header overflow when using dropdown menus (#295)

Cloudflare Integration

• Improved tunnel setup with stream-based monitoring (#306)
• Enhanced error handling and more reliable setup process

Git Repository Discovery

• Enhanced folder selection when creating new sessions (#274)
• Added intelligent Git repository discovery in selected folders
• Fixed multiple bugs in repository discovery (#282)

🐛 Bug Fixes

• Fixed terminal titles jumping due to activity indicators (#309)
• Consolidated z-index management to prevent UI layer conflicts (#291)
• Enhanced event handling for better cross-platform compatibility
• Improved file browser functionality with better click handling

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

🐛 Bug Fixes

• Fixed release builds to correctly bundle all Homebrew library dependencies (#269)
• Fixed app launch on systems without developer tools installed
• Fixed file browser going dark due to event bubbling issues with modal handling
• Updated build scripts to handle dynamic library dependencies properly

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

AI Session Context Injection

• Inject project context into Claude.ai sessions with a single click (#210, #218)
• Automatically detects Claude browser windows
• Includes git repository details, current branch, and recent commits
• Configurable prompts to match workflow

Terminal Performance

• Fixed critical flow control issue causing xterm.js buffer overflow (#223)
• Fixed infinite scroll loop that could freeze the browser
• Fixed race conditions in terminal output handling
• Improved memory management for long-running sessions
• Better handling of high-volume terminal output

UI Performance

• Removed UI animations causing 1-2 second delays
• Disabled View Transitions API for instant session navigation
• Fixed modal backdrop pointer-events issues (#195)
• Smoother menu bar UI without jumping

Touch Device & Mobile

• Unified keyboard layout for all mobile devices
• Universal touch device detection
• Inline-edit pencil always visible on touch devices
• New compact keyboard layout optimized for tablets
• Fixed touch interaction issues with modals

Fish Shell Integration

• Full support for Fish shell command expansion and completions (#228, #242)
• Proper handling of Fish-specific syntax
• Fixed shell configuration files not being loaded

Developer Experience

• Preserve Swift package resolution for faster builds
• Better Node.js detection handling fnm/homebrew conflicts (#246, #253)
• Hash-based vt script version detection
• Delete old sessions when VibeTunnel version changes (#254)

🐛 Bug Fixes

• 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
• Fixed various UI glitches and visual artifacts
• Resolved sidebar animation issues
• Fixed file browser problems
• Unified control protocol for terminal sessions (#239)
• Improved Unix socket handling with better error recovery

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

Git Repository Monitoring

• Real-time Git status in session rows with branch name and change counts (#200)
• Color-coded status: orange for branches, yellow for uncommitted changes
• Click folder icons to open repositories in Finder
• Context menu option to open repositories on GitHub
• 5-second cache prevents excessive git commands
• Automatically finds git repositories in parent directories

Enhanced Command-Line Tool

• vt title can set terminal title - even Claude can use it! (#153)
• vt help displays binary path, version, build date, and platform info
• Automatic detection of Homebrew installations on ARM Macs

Menu Bar Enhancements

• Powerful menu bar with visual activity indicators (#176)
• See all terminal sessions and Claude Code status (#160)
• Mac stays awake when running terminal sessions

Web Interface Improvements

• Complete UI overhaul with improved color scheme and animations (#179)
• Collapsible sidebar to maximize terminal viewing space (#175)
• Fixed race conditions causing sessions to appear as "missing"
• Improved responsive design with better touch targets

🐛 Bug Fixes

• Fixed terminal output corruption from race conditions
• Fixed terminal titles jumping or getting stuck
• Fixed double logger initialization deleting log files
• Improved PTY manager cleanup and timer management
• Enhanced error handling throughout server stack

Simplified Tailscale Setup

• Switched to Tailscale's local API for easier configuration (#184)
• Removed manual token management requirements
• Streamlined connection UI

[1.0.0-beta.5] - 2025-06-29

UI Improvements

• Web interface now shows full version including beta suffix
• Cleaner build output by filtering non-actionable Xcode warnings
• Fixed scrolling issues on mobile web browsers

Infrastructure

• Web version automatically reads from package.json at build time
• Build process validates version consistency between macOS and web
• Tests only run when relevant files change (iOS/Mac/Web)
• Comprehensive Playwright tests for web frontend reliability (#120)

🐛 Bug Fixes

• Fixed authentication-related error messages when running with --no-auth
• Fixed frontend log streaming in no-auth mode
• Resolved flaky tests and improved test infrastructure (#205)
• Enhanced release process documentation with version sync requirements
• Better test fixtures, helpers, and debugging capabilities (#73)
• 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 (#43).
• 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.

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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