Release Notes

Packets is being developed in public through a controlled beta. This page records the release path from the first documented beta-preparation milestones through the current build so testers and community members can see how the browser has evolved.

Current release — Packets 1.70.0

Drag-and-Drop Bookmarks

• Added drag-and-drop reordering for bookmarks and bookmark folders on the Bookmarks Bar and inside folders.
• Bookmarks and folders can be dropped onto another folder to move them into it, or onto open Bookmarks Bar space to return them to the root.
• Bookmark order and folder placement are persisted immediately.
• Visual drop indicators show before, after, into-folder, and root-bar destinations.
• Invalid folder moves are rejected, including attempts to move a folder into itself or one of its descendants.
• Existing right-click Move, Rename, Delete, Add Folder, and Add Shortcut behavior remains available.

Release history

Newest releases are listed first. Maintenance builds are included because many of them document important compatibility, stability, privacy, and beta-test corrections.

1.70.x — Bookmark drag-and-drop

• 1.70.0 — Drag-and-Drop Bookmarks: Added visual drag-and-drop reordering and folder movement for bookmarks while preserving the existing bookmark storage, backup/restore, HTML import/export, and right-click management behavior.

1.69.x — Spellcheck suggestions

• 1.69.0 — Spellcheck Context Menu Suggestions: Added Chromium spelling replacement suggestions and Add to Dictionary support to the Packets right-click menu while preserving existing context-menu commands.

1.68.x — Startup choices and local HTML

• 1.68.2 — Local HTML Render Fix: Enabled local file: HTML pages inside browser webviews and added View Source support for local HTML while retaining stricter popup/external-navigation rules.
• 1.68.1 — Local HTML Startup Bridge Fix: Corrected the integration between the renderer, preload bridge, native file picker, and main process for Local HTML startup selection.
• 1.68.0 — Startup Options: Added Blank page and Local HTML file startup choices alongside Open the home page and Continue where I left off.

1.67.x — Widevine DRM foundation

• 1.67.4 — Castlabs electronDist Hook Fix: Corrected Electron Builder integration so the cached Castlabs ECS runtime is supplied through the JavaScript electronDist hook.
• 1.67.3 — Deterministic Castlabs ECS Packaging: Added a local Castlabs runtime cache and deterministic packaging helper for the exact ECS Windows x64 build.
• 1.67.2 — Castlabs ECS Packaging Fix: Corrected Windows packaging to use the Castlabs Electron release path instead of the stock Electron repository.
• 1.67.1 — DRM Diagnostics: Added Widevine/EME diagnostics including runtime information, key-system checks, secure-context status, and software/hardware robustness probes.
• 1.67.0 — Widevine DRM Foundation: Moved Packets to Castlabs Electron for Content Security and added Widevine component initialization with fail-safe startup behavior.

1.66.x — Response filtering and ad/tracker controls

• 1.66.7 — Ad/Tracker Master Switch Fix: Corrected the master blocking setting so disabling it immediately stops native blocking and Packets-owned response filtering across open tabs.
• 1.66.6 — Response-Filter Monitor Visibility: Added a dedicated Response Filters view, searchable diagnostics, readable status labels, wider columns, and clearer Network Monitor presentation.
• 1.66.5 — Single-Pass Response Filtering: Reworked response handling so matching fetch responses are inspected once, untouched native responses are returned when no change is required, and modified responses are rebuilt safely.
• 1.66.4 — Direct Response-Filter Installation: Removed the unreliable preload configuration handshake and moved validated rule loading to the trusted Packets application side.
• 1.66.3 — Response-Filter Configuration Handshake Fix: Added explicit configuration request/response diagnostics and timeout reporting during response-filter startup.
• 1.66.2 — Response-Filter Installation and Diagnostics Fix: Moved controlled main-world installation into the webview lifecycle and added engine, match, filter, skip, and error diagnostics.
• 1.66.1 — Response-Filter Diagnostics: Added detailed match and transformation reporting.
• 1.66.0 — Response Filtering and Scriptlets: Introduced constrained JSON response filtering with exact rule matching, fail-open behavior, and size limits.

1.65.x — Network Monitor

• 1.65.2 — Network Monitor Docking Fix: Docked the monitor beside the page, added a draggable resize handle, and remembered the selected width.
• 1.65.1 — Network Monitor Request Owner Fix: Corrected active-tab request ownership detection across Electron request metadata variations.
• 1.65.0 — Network Monitor: Added active-tab network capture with filtering, blocklist actions, JSON/CSV export, and privacy-conscious request metadata collection.

1.64.x — Printing

• 1.64.1 — Website Print Helper Compatibility: Added tightly scoped support for same-origin helper windows used by Gmail and similar sites for printing.
• 1.64.0 — Printing Support: Added native Windows printing, virtual-printer support, direct Save Page as PDF, and keyboard shortcuts.

1.63.x — Downloads and link handling

• 1.63.0 — Download Workflow and Link Activation: Remembered the last save folder, added a suppressible Download Complete dialog, and corrected left-click handling for links implemented with target="_blank" or window.open().

1.62.x — Public beta preparation

• 1.62.1 — Blocklist Initial Load Fix: Corrected the User Blocklists editor so the selected Ads list loads automatically the first time Settings opens.
• 1.62.0 — Public Beta Preparation: Added automated release preflight validation, expanded regression coverage, refreshed website/update metadata, and formalized the public beta release process.

1.61.x — User blocklists

• 1.61.0 — User Blocklist Editor: Added end-user editing for ads.txt, trackers.txt, and allowlist.txt with safe save, restore, reload, validation, and immediate rule activation.

1.60.x — Windows default-browser support

• 1.60.3 — Default Status Detection Fix: Corrected Windows 11 default-browser detection by checking the active HTTP/HTTPS association before stale legacy associations.
• 1.60.2 — IPC and Window Controls Fix: Restored trusted renderer IPC behavior for the top menu, window controls, and related Packets browser-chrome actions.
• 1.60.1 — Windows Default Apps Registration Fix: Corrected Windows registration so Packets appears properly in Default Apps and can be selected for HTTP/HTTPS.
• 1.60.0 — Windows Default Browser Support: Added default-browser candidate registration, status checks, startup prompting, Settings controls, command-line URL handling, and single-instance link routing.

1.59.x — Local AI provider support

• 1.59.0 — LM Studio Provider: Added working LM Studio support through OpenAI-compatible local model and chat endpoints.

1.58.x — Appearance

• 1.58.1 — Light Mode Contrast Fix: Improved contrast for the address bar, bookmark toolbar, Settings labels, and fields.
• 1.58.0 — Browser Appearance Modes: Added System, Light, and Dark appearance modes.

1.57.x — End-user polish and source viewing

• 1.57.6 — Website Clipboard Write Fix: Restored sanitized website copy-to-clipboard actions while keeping clipboard reading blocked.
• 1.57.5 — Bookmark Folder Marker Fix: Removed the old [+] marker from bookmark folders.
• 1.57.4 — Source Viewer Scroll Container Fix: Corrected horizontal scrolling when Line Wrap is off and wrapping behavior when it is on.
• 1.57.3 — Source Viewer Line Wrap Fix: Improved reliable wrapping of long source lines.
• 1.57.2 — Packets Source Viewer: Replaced Chromium view-source: webviews with a Packets-owned source viewer for greater stability.
• 1.57.1 — View Source Allowlist Fix: Corrected safe handling of view-source:http(s) URLs.
• 1.57.0 — End-User Polish and Diagnostics: Added View Source, image open-in-new-tab, status bar mute, ad/tracker debug logging, and bookmark-folder visual cleanup.

1.56.x — Beta package and defaults

• 1.56.2 — Release Defaults Polish: Set beta-oriented defaults including the home page, AI Chat disabled by default, and starter bookmarks for fresh profiles.
• 1.56.1 — Build Version Metadata Fix: Corrected build version metadata and installer artifact naming.
• 1.56.0 — Website Beta Release Package Final: Finalized the website beta release package, page-copy documents, and package manifest.

1.55.x — Regression and release signoff

• 1.55.0 — Beta Regression and Release Signoff: Added regression results, installer testing, website upload guidance, known issues, and release-signoff documentation.

1.54.x — AI page-context refinements

• 1.54.2 — AI Context Settings and Focus Fix: Corrected page-context setting detection, Settings access, and prompt focus recovery.
• 1.54.1 — AI Panel Resize and Preview Scroll Fix: Added drag-to-resize behavior and improved page-context preview scrolling.
• 1.54.0 — AI Page Summary Shortcut: Added a page-summary shortcut with confirmation preview and Settings-gated page-context sharing.

1.53.x–1.48.x — AI provider foundation

• 1.53.0 — AI Page Context Approval Flow: Added Use Selection and Use Page controls, preview confirmation, and a Settings gate for page-context sharing.
• 1.52.0 — AI Chat Panel UI Polish: Added message headers, timestamps, message count, Copy Last, and transcript export.
• 1.51.0 — AI Chat Panel Provider Bridge: Routed chat through the provider bridge and added in-memory history and Clear.
• 1.50.0 — Ollama Provider Adapter: Added local Ollama connection testing, test prompts, and adapter-backed generation.
• 1.49.1 — Settings Panel Scroll Fix: Corrected Settings scrolling when the AI Provider section exceeds the available panel height.
• 1.49.0 — AI Provider Settings Foundation: Added the provider registry, settings store, encrypted key store, Settings UI, and IPC bridge.
• 1.48.0 — AI Provider Integration Review: Added architecture, privacy, implementation, and test-plan documentation for local AI integration.

1.47.x–1.41.x — SCAVS development

• 1.47.0 — SCAVS Parser Self-Test Harness: Added automated parser self-tests.
• 1.46.1 — SCAVS Parser Packaging Fix: Corrected packaged-app startup by including the parser framework folder in Electron Builder files.
• 1.46.0 — SCAVS Parser Framework Refactor: Moved OCR/document parsing into a dedicated framework while preserving behavior.
• 1.45.0 — SCAVS Site Integration Kit: Added integration, parser, testing, and signal-test documentation.
• 1.44.1 — SCAVS Diagnostic Button Fix: Corrected diagnostic test-page and copy-snippet actions.
• 1.44.0 — SCAVS Site Signal Diagnostics: Added active-site signal diagnostics and testing controls.
• 1.43.1 — SCAVS Allowlist and Injection Fix: Corrected allowlist rendering and signal reinjection after DOM ready.
• 1.43.0 — SCAVS Allowlisted Site Signal: Added user-managed allowlisted origins and minimal verified-age signaling.
• 1.42.3 — Florida OCR Tolerance Fix: Improved Florida driver-license parsing tolerance for noisy OCR output.
• 1.42.2 — Florida Driver License Parser: Added initial Florida document detection and labeled DOB parsing.
• 1.42.1 — USA Passport MRZ Parser: Added initial USA passport MRZ detection and DOB parsing.
• 1.42.0 — Local OCR and Age Result File: Added local image selection, DOB parsing, age calculation, and minimal local result storage.
• 1.41.0 — SCAVS Foundation: Added the prototype panel, local age-result reader/writer, deletion controls, startup detection, and supporting documentation.

1.40.x–1.37.x — Beta release preparation

• 1.40.0 — Website Beta Release Candidate Docs: Added beta release-candidate documentation, tester guide, feedback template, decision log, and release-package updates.
• 1.39.0 — Website Release Package Builder: Added the website release-package builder, draft website copy, and update-manifest example.
• 1.38.0 — Privacy and Security Review: Added security, IPC, webview, credential, and privacy review documentation.
• 1.37.0 — Release Readiness Docs: Added website-release, privacy, known-issues, regression, and package-outline documentation.

1.36.x — Browser chrome

• 1.36.1 — Top Menu IPC Fix: Corrected custom menu IPC argument handling for File, Edit, View, History, Bookmarks, Tools, Window, and Help.
• 1.36.0 — Browser Chrome Title Bar Cleanup: Replaced the native Windows title bar with Packets browser chrome and aligned the application menus with the window controls.

1.35.x — Cookies and browsing-data controls

• 1.35.3 — Delete Visible Cookies: Added deletion of all cookies matching the current Cookie Manager filter.
• 1.35.2 — Current Site Cookies: Added current-site cookie filtering and a Page Information shortcut.
• 1.35.1 — Cookie Manager: Added viewing, filtering, selecting, and deleting individual cookies.
• 1.35.0 — Clear Browsing Data Panel: Added unified controls for clearing cache, cookies, history, downloads, permissions, credential preferences, and blocked-request counts.

1.34.x — Page information and profile separation

• 1.34.3 — Development Profile Override Fix: Corrected application identity handling so development and installed profile paths remain separate.
• 1.34.2 — Development Profile Separation: Introduced %APPDATA%\Packets-Dev for development runs while installed Packets continues using %APPDATA%\Packets.
• 1.34.1 — Hamburger Page Information Fix: Added the missing Page Information command to the hamburger menu.
• 1.34.0 — Page Information Panel: Added page URL, origin, protocol, zoom, loading state, security summary, copy URL, and Site Permissions access.

1.33.x — Zoom, sessions, and notices

• 1.33.13 — Open Source Notices Packaged-App Fix: Corrected opening of bundled third-party notices in installed Windows builds.
• 1.33.12 — License and Notices Cleanup: Removed the duplicate installer license page and added Open Source Notices access from About Packets.
• 1.33.11 — Activate Tab Scope Fix: Corrected a JavaScript scope error that could interrupt session restoration.
• 1.33.9 — Home URL Equivalence Fix: Improved restored-session filtering by treating HTTP and HTTPS home-page URLs as equivalent.
• 1.33.8 — Startup Stabilization Rollback: Returned session/startup handling to the safer zoom-fix baseline while retaining conservative session filtering.
• 1.33.1 — Zoom Shortcut Focus Fix: Restored reliable zoom shortcuts after focus returns to webview content.
• 1.33.0 — Zoom Controls: Added per-tab zoom controls to native and hamburger menus with keyboard shortcuts.

1.32.x — Find in Page

• 1.32.0 — Find in Page: Added a compact find bar, match counts, next/previous controls, menu commands, and keyboard shortcuts.

1.31.x — Downloads Manager

• 1.31.1 — Downloads Manager Startup Fix: Corrected state initialization when opening Downloads before a download exists.
• 1.31.0 — Downloads Manager: Added a current-session Downloads panel with status, progress, file location, open, folder, remove, and clear-completed actions.

1.30.x — Site permissions

• 1.30.0 — Site Permission Controls: Added camera, microphone, location, and notification permission prompts plus persistent per-site Ask, Allow, and Block decisions.

Development note: The bundled project changelog and individual release-note files remain the detailed technical record. This page is intended as the readable community-facing history of Packets Browser.