Changelog

What's new in each release. Synapse updates itself from 0.2.0 onwards.

0.2.9 29 September 2026

Security

• Stronger vault encryption - the key that unlocks your vault is now made with Argon2id (64 MiB of memory, 3 passes), which makes guessing a stolen vault's password far slower on graphics cards. Your vault upgrades automatically the next time you unlock it. Encrypted backup files use Argon2id too; older files still restore.
• Longer master passwords - new and changed master passwords need at least 12 characters, with a strength meter that nudges you towards a passphrase. Shorter existing passwords still work, with a gentle suggestion to change them.
• Secret Key for Cloud backup - like 1Password, opening your backup with your master password now also needs a Secret Key made on your computer, so a copy of our server's data can't be opened by guessing your password. It's in the new Emergency Kit (with your recovery phrase) to save somewhere safe. Existing backups get a Secret Key with their next upload, and Synapse shows you the kit to save.
• Security review fixes - a full review of the app, server and harnesses. The main fixes:
  • A shared, synced or imported host can no longer start a program on your computer; local sessions only start a real shell. Team and imported hosts with a startup command ask before running it the first time.
  • A server offering a different type of host key than the one you trusted now gets the same hard warning as a changed key.
  • Pairing codes have a new format, and pairing is protected even against a dishonest sync server. Update Synapse (and the phone app) on both devices before pairing.
  • Team records are signed by whoever wrote them, and only owners or the person who shared an item can change it. Every team member should update.
  • Relay's auto mode only runs clearly read-only commands on its own; everything else waits for you.
  • Answers from your phone only approve the exact command shown on the phone.
  • Saved passwords are only typed into the exact matching login prompt, and harnesses no longer auto-allow commands that could read secrets.
  • Updates are signed for their version number, so an old version can't be offered as a new one.

Improved

• Services is now a page in Settings, next to your other settings.
• In the Tabs layout, a session's colour label shows on its tab instead of as a line across the terminal.
• Removed the extra sidebar button next to the logo; the sidebar's own buttons and shortcut still work.

0.2.8 29 September 2026

New

• Generate a key when adding a host - choose Private key and click Generate new key. The key is saved in the vault, and when you save the host Synapse offers to install it on the server, asking for the account's password once (it isn't saved).

Improved

• Settings has a menu down the left with separate pages, including one for keyboard shortcuts.
• Spacious is the default density. If you picked a density yourself, it's kept.

0.2.7 29 September 2026

Improved

• Tabs show the session name in full and only shorten the host address when space runs out, and they can be wider.

0.2.6 28 September 2026

New

• Cloud backup - an optional, end-to-end encrypted backup of your whole setup (hosts, groups, snippets, settings, workspaces and the vault), linked to your email. It's encrypted on your computer before it's uploaded, so we can't read it. Restoring on a new computer needs a code sent to your email plus your master password or the 24-word recovery phrase shown at setup. Switch it on in More > Services, or use "Restore from cloud backup" on a new computer.
• Documentation - a full user guide at synapse.maku.au/docs.

Improved

• Setting a master password now warns clearly that nobody can recover it if it's forgotten.

0.2.5 28 September 2026

Fixed

• Saved hosts could disappear after an update - Synapse keeps two copies of your data and could load an older one at startup, then save over the newer one. It now always loads the newest copy, never lets an empty host list replace a full one, and saves everything before an update installs.

New

• Automatic backups - your hosts, groups, workspaces, snippets and settings are backed up on this computer at startup and every hour (passwords and keys stay in the vault). Restore them from Manage hosts > Import and export > Restore hosts from a backup.
• Restore from your synced devices - if hosts go missing on a computer that uses Sync between devices, Synapse offers to bring them back from the encrypted mailbox. Nothing is deleted anywhere.
• Sync safety net - if a device suddenly looks like it deleted all or most of its hosts, sync pauses and asks before deleting them on your other devices.

Improved

• Colour is the default look again; black and white is still an option in Settings.
• Inactive tabs are easier to tell apart.

0.2.4 28 September 2026

New

• Tabs layout - pick Tabs in the layout switcher to show a workspace's sessions as tabs, one at a time at full size. Drag tabs to reorder, middle-click to close, double-click to rename, and drop hosts or projects on the tab strip to open them as a tab. Ctrl+Tab and Ctrl+Shift+Tab switch tabs, Ctrl+1 to 9 jump to one, and Ctrl+Shift+W closes it (all rebindable in Settings).

Improved

• Closing the active pane now selects the pane next to it rather than the first one.
• A cleaner empty workspace.

0.2.3 28 September 2026

New

• Projects in the sidebar - every local folder you open is listed under Projects. Click to open or bring it back, drag it into the grid, or right-click to rename it, reveal it in Explorer or remove it. Projects are in the command palette too.
• Keep sessions running in the background - closing a local project or SSH session can keep it running instead of ending it, with its shell, scrollback, tunnels and agents intact. Background sessions are listed in the sidebar and come back into a pane with a click. Choose the default in Settings > Terminal ("When closing a session"). Deleting a workspace offers the same choice.
• See which agents are installed - Launch agent now checks the host and marks Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, Grok, OpenCode, Cursor and Aider as installed (with their version), including installs in ~/.local/bin and other folders that background shells miss.

Improved

• Opening the same project twice quickly no longer starts two sessions.
• Minimising a window never ends its session.

0.2.2 28 September 2026

New

• Stack harnesses - packages that make AI coding agents build the way an expert in your stack would: rules, the checks an agent must pass before it's done, guardrails that block destructive commands, format hooks and slash commands. Synapse detects your project's stack, previews every file, permission and hook before writing anything, merges with your existing files, and can update or remove a harness cleanly. Switch it on in More > Services.
• Harnesses for your code - Laravel (React, Vue, Livewire or Blade) with MariaDB, WordPress (themes, plugins and blocks), Next.js with TypeScript and Postgres, and plain PHP with MariaDB. Each was validated by building a real feature in a fresh project with every check passing.
• Harnesses for your servers - cPanel & WHM, Linux (Ubuntu/Debian and AlmaLinux/Rocky/RHEL) and Docker hosts. They set up an ops folder so agents can do maintenance safely: read-only diagnosis first, a plan and your approval before any change, config backups, validation before reload, lockout checks, and a change journal with rollback steps. Includes runbooks such as /health-check, /disk-cleanup, /update-plan and /security-audit.

0.2.1 28 September 2026

New

• Voice dictation that works offline - speech is transcribed on your computer with Whisper, so audio never leaves it. Download a model once (base.en is about 150 MB), or choose OpenAI, Gemini or Grok in settings to use your own API key instead.
• Dictate anywhere - press Ctrl+Shift+Space or click the mic in any terminal pane or in Relay. Press Enter to put the text at the prompt without running it, then Enter again to run it. Esc cancels.
• Install scripts for agents - Launch agent now installs Claude Code, Grok, Aider and more with each publisher's own install script (no Node.js needed), and adds OpenAI Codex, OpenCode and Cursor CLI.

Improved

• The window's title bar is now part of Synapse, with window controls in the header and the Synapse app icon.
• Fixed a bug where some actions could run twice after an error.

0.2.0 28 September 2026

A big release. Most new features are packaged as optional services: switch on what you need in More > Services, and the rest stays out of the way.

New

• Automatic updates - Synapse checks for signed updates and installs them when you choose. Install 0.2.0 by hand once; later versions arrive in the app.
• Agent hub - live status of Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI and other agents across all your hosts, "needs you" alerts, a dashboard with quick replies and approvals, a calm focus view instead of raw terminal output, resume, a prompt composer and searchable transcripts.
• Structured agents (ACP) - run Claude, Codex, Gemini or OpenCode as a clean chat with exact status and approve/deny buttons.
• Agent workflows - parallel agents in git worktrees, review changes and open a pull request, a task board, scheduled agent runs, plan review, and Relay across all sessions.
• Advanced SSH - jump hosts, agent forwarding, HTTP and SOCKS proxies, shared identities, per-host environment and login scripts, SSH certificates, and connection security details.
• Tunnels - remote (-R) and SOCKS (-D) forwarding, tunnels that start with a host, and X11 forwarding.
• Serial and Telnet connections, and persistent sessions that reattach to tmux after a dropped connection.
• Files - download, rename, permissions, drag and drop from Explorer, no size limit, a transfer queue with pause and resume, and folder sync.
• Sync between devices and Teams - end-to-end encrypted sync of hosts, snippets, settings and the vault, paired with a one-time code.
• Hosts - import from ~/.ssh/config, Termius, PuTTY, MobaXterm and CSV, encrypted backups, cloud import (AWS, DigitalOcean, Hetzner, Linode, Vultr), container shells and a server health view.
• Terminal - find, clickable links, custom keyboard shortcuts, session logs and recordings, highlights and triggers.
• Relay and AI - model pickers for each provider, secrets hidden before anything is sent, risky commands always confirmed, usage and cost tracking, smart input (plain English to command, explain failed commands) and a session picker.
• Vault - a full manager for SSH keys, passwords and API keys, key generation and "install public key on server", 2FA prompts, and auto-lock.
• Launch agent - official install scripts for Claude Code, Codex, Grok, OpenCode, Cursor and Aider (no Node.js needed), with npm and PowerShell options.

Improved

• The window's title bar is now part of Synapse, with the Synapse icon.
• A built-in SSH engine: one connection per session for the terminal, files, tunnels and tmux.
• Host groups start empty ("Group 1", "Group 2"); new hosts aren't put in a group automatically.
• Floating windows stay inside the workspace.

0.1.0 27 September 2026

First early-access release: tiled SSH terminals, an encrypted vault, SFTP, port forwarding, tmux detection, AI agent launcher and the Relay assistant.