What changed in Root

Version 0.1.18 adds Research Draft, a persistent writing space beside the pages you browse, while keeping the complete Root workspace one click away.

• Keeps one local research draft autosaved in Chrome so it survives reloads and stays available as you move between pages.
• Adds Quote, Finding, Question, and Date tools plus Sources for deliberate page, link, and selected-text capture.
• Saves the draft as a new note, keeps it open for later changes, or appends it to Inbox and clears the draft.
• Improves Find navigation and reuses an existing Root workspace tab instead of opening duplicates.
• Uses Chrome's side panel and right-click menu for deliberate research capture; active-page title and URL access is requested only when you choose Attach page.
• Brings the darker workspace styling to Chrome and preserves optional Root Connect through your Google Drive.

Root for iPhone 1.0.2 makes working notes easier to read and edit while keeping the same private-by-default local workspace and optional Root Connect path.

• Renders Markdown headings correctly in Clean View, with clearer visual hierarchy for H1 and H2 text.
• Adds a clearer Edit and Done path and simplifies the note action menu.
• Improves note and collection header accents, editing spacing, dark-mode polish, and checkbox presentation.
• Keeps native Apple Shortcuts actions available for local capture and note workflows.
• Improves fresh-install Root Connect recovery so an established Google Drive workspace does not regain untouched starter notes.

Version 0.1.17 brings the newest Root editor improvements to the public Chrome extension and makes manual Root Connect updates more dependable when Google Drive is temporarily unavailable.

• Prevents overlapping manual Root Connect transfers when an update is already in progress.
• Retries temporary Google Drive failures only for safe reads and updates to existing files.
• Keeps new-file creation fail-closed instead of blindly retrying, reducing the risk of duplicate notes.
• Improves sync-in-progress feedback and disables the update control while a transfer owns the lane.
• Adds the current editor controls and Markdown behavior, including Heading, Bold, Italic, indentation, bounded undo and redo, and cleaner copy choices.
• Keeps the same Root Connect permission shape and optional Google Drive file scope.

Root for iPhone is now available on the App Store. It carries the same core Root workspace in a smaller, capture-first app, with mobile capture tools for thoughts, conversations, photos, links, and tasks.

• Captures Voice Notes, longer Meeting transcripts, Photo Text, shared links and text, Quick Capture, tasks, and normal working notes.
• Keeps capture local by default and makes optional Root Connect available as a one-time purchase.
• Uses optional Root Connect to sync devices with your Google Drive without a Root-hosted notes service.
• Includes Inbox recovery, widgets, purchase restoration, and Root-generated sync diagnostics for support.

The current public Chrome package keeps the complete Root Workspace local-first and makes Inbox actions and Version Conflict notes easier to read without changing the Root Connect data path.

• Increases small Inbox action targets and groups Copy and Delete more clearly.
• Calms completed Inbox rows, hides Pin where it is not useful, and keeps large captures readable through More/Less expansion.
• Makes Version Conflict notes easier to distinguish while preserving the original and conflict-copy safety behavior.
• Uses activeTab for deliberate current-page capture and identity for optional Google authorization.
• Requests the narrow Drive file scope only when Root Connect is used to sync devices with your Google Drive.
• Does not include the deferred Mac Quick Capture bridge or a new native-messaging permission.

The latest public Chrome Web Store package keeps Root Connect in the main Root Workspace extension, with less intrusive connected updates and better support for meeting transcripts created on iPhone.

• Adds the Chrome-side Meetings surface for connected libraries and synced meeting transcripts.
• Keeps Meeting Transcripts editable and searchable in Chrome while preserving the original transcript text.
• Restores visible yellow search highlighting for body-only and transcript matches by showing a matching excerpt.
• Uses a less intrusive Root Connect update cadence so the workspace does not feel like it is constantly updating while idle.
• Keeps the public package scoped to activeTab and identity, with Google Drive access requested only when Root Connect is used.

Version 0.1.8 was a focused public Root Connect hardening update before the Meeting Transcripts release.

• Fixes a connected Inbox case where deleted completed Inbox items could return after sync.
• Adds a transfer-race guard so background backup work waits when another Root Connect transfer is already active.
• Preserves new remote Inbox captures while respecting local deletion of older baseline Inbox blocks.
• Keeps the same public Root Connect permission shape: activeTab, identity, optional Google API host access, and Drive file scope.

Root Connect is now in the public Chrome beta path for people testing the connected workspace. It uses your own Google Drive as the Root library when you choose to connect; there is no Root account and no Root-hosted workspace.

• Adds the public Chrome Root Connect setup path while keeping the normal local workspace usable without connecting.
• Requests Google Drive access only when you choose to set up Root Connect.
• Uses a narrower Google Drive file scope for the Root library instead of a Root server.
• Improves active update timing while keeping guarded sync behavior and the manual Update habit.
• Owner smoke passed with private iPhone TestFlight 1.0 (11): new notes both ways, voice to Inbox, and clearing a checkbox in Inbox.

Version 0.1.5 is now available in the Chrome Web Store. It is a local-only Chrome release focused on Inbox rhythm, Quick Capture confidence, Open Tasks polish, and safer local import/export, with no new permission scope added.

• Published as a Chrome Web Store update while keeping the package scoped to activeTab only.
• Made Inbox read newest-first with cleaner spacing and safer click-to-edit behavior.
• Improved Quick Capture feedback so local captures feel clearer.
• Kept Inbox checklist lines visible in Open Tasks while keeping system rows quieter.
• Polished Clean View, local import/export, and editing reliability.

A local-only Chrome polish release for working text, Open Tasks, Clean View, Quick Capture, and Context Handoff, with no new permission scope added.

• Kept the package scoped to activeTab only.
• Improved Open Tasks with sorting, blank-task filtering, priority flags, and source-line highlighting.
• Added cleaner Context Handoff wording and prompt insertion from saved Snippets.
• Polished Quick Capture destination guidance, pinned markers, starter snippets, and Clean View search highlights.
• Kept the public package local-only, with no account requirement and no added permission requirements.

This update makes Root feel more dependable and safer to use day to day, especially around backup confidence and the first-use loop.

• Added a quieter Last backup control in the top bar.
• Added Workspace health for item counts, open tasks, snippets, trash, and approximate local storage visibility.
• Grouped export and import into one simpler backup and restore menu.
• Simplified the starter workspace so the first-use loop is easier to understand.
• Polished the workspace layout, divider, footer controls, and bottom action bars.

We also tightened the public support story so first-time users can understand what Root does, what stays local, and how to back it up.

• Added a Security & Permissions page.
• Reworked the FAQ and Support pages for faster scanning and clearer backup guidance.
• Added clearer Chrome setup instructions, including new-tab choice and extension install guidance.
• Added install guidance around Chrome’s new-tab choice and Enhanced Safe Browsing caution prompts.

The first public Chrome Web Store beta established the core Root loop: capture, shape, reuse, and hand off only what matters.

• New-tab workspace for working text.
• Quick Capture popup for Inbox and pinned items.
• Open Tasks, Snippets, tags, pinning, Archive, and Trash.
• Context Handoff with preview, metadata control, scoped packets, and prompt insertion from Snippets.
• Import and export support for visible local files.