CineBraid Public Alpha - 7.0.0-alpha.1

CineBraid Public Alpha

Open source production software for conventional and AI-assisted filmmaking.

CineBraid keeps your Project Bible, references, shots, media and human decisions together in one local-first production. Import media made anywhere; AI generation and assistance are optional. Nothing is approved until a person approves it.

7.0.0-alpha.1 · source commit 56f0e98d3686c76cc8bea34ecfd5e0f881c3f661 · Apache License 2.0 · alpha prerelease

This is the first CineBraid release with downloadable, checksummed packages. Earlier 6.x alpha prereleases were shared as source only. It is an alpha: ready for filmmakers to run on real work and report back, not a stable release or a support guarantee.

Start here (Windows). Download the checked cinebraid-7.0.0-alpha.1-windows.zip, plus build-info.json and SHA256SUMS.txt, from Assets below. Then follow Install. You need Node.js 18 or newer and npm. No provider key is needed to try the bundled sample.

What works now

Plan the production

• Project Bible and production planning. Keep characters, places, props and production context in one place.
• Exact references. Organise each reference by entity, continuity state and view. Selecting media is not approving it. Approval applies to one exact state/view and leaves a recorded receipt.
• Shot Desk. Scenes and shots with direct stages: Inputs, Look & blocking, Frames, Motion & sound and Deliver.
• Planned shot duration belongs to Shot Intent, independent of any provider's clip length.

Make each shot the way it needs to be made

• Existing media / editorial shots are a first-class production method. Bring in frames, video and audio made anywhere. No generation is required.
• Deterministic, model-specific Build. Compiles your direction and approved inputs into the exact request for the chosen model, provider and mode.
• Exact native request review. See the prompt, ordered inputs and roles, and settings before any paid submission.
• Imported and returned candidates. Everything arrives as an unapproved candidate.
• Native candidate repair. Revise an unapproved candidate with current approved appearance references, technical guides and an imported mask that is kept durably, through the same Build and request review.

Decide, and keep the record

• Screening and deliberate human decisions. Compare and inspect attempts, then approve or reject the exact candidate. Build, selection, AI suggestions and returned files never approve anything.
• Production provenance. Linked jobs keep the submitted prompt, ordered inputs, provider/job/result identities and request fingerprints. Media Inspector shows the prompt that was actually submitted.
• Audio. Review imported audio recordings, approve them and place them with a role and timing. Placement records editorial intent; it is not a mix.
• Reopen and restore. Save and reopen a production, or restore a complete backup into a separate location. Media, decisions and provenance stay intact.
• Manual physical media handoff. Record a deliberate Final/Delivered decision, export the Approved record, and copy the chosen media with identity, hash and provenance.

AI and generation standing

Manual production works with every AI service switched off.

Qualified generation paths are these exact combinations:

Model / provider	Qualified request modes
GPT Image 2 via fal (openai/gpt-image-2)	Text-to-image, blocking
GPT Image 2 via fal (openai/gpt-image-2/edit)	Edit, multi-reference, explicit inpaint/mask
MiniMax H3 FL2VA via fal	Text-to-video, image-to-video, first/last frame
MiniMax H3 Ref2VA via fal	Reference-to-video with explicitly selected, ordered inputs

"Qualified" means CineBraid's compiler, request and approval path for that exact combination is qualified within the provider's constraints. It does not guarantee artistic results, provider uptime, future pricing or real paid execution of every mode.

• Other catalogue entries are not qualified. Seeing a model in the catalogue is not support.
• Local ComfyUI (same-machine registered workflows) and Civitai (one-image text-to-image) are available but experimental.
• Braidy is optional, advisory and experimental. No Braidy model holds a qualified standing. Deterministic Build is the trusted baseline. Before accepting a Braidy proposal, review its coverage and anything it omitted. Accepting changes only the generation package, never Canon or approvals.
• Assisted continuity repair and per-frame AI critique remain unqualified.
• External services receive the prompts, context and media you choose to send, and may charge you. Review the exact request and current price before you submit.

How this package was checked

The Windows ZIP was built twice from the exact source commit; both builds produced identical archive bytes. The built package was then extracted and checked on Windows with Node.js 24:

• dependency installation with npm ci
• startup and stop
• reported build identity
• first-run onboarding without provider setup
• importing existing media as an unapproved candidate
• reopening in a fresh browser session
• restoring a complete project backup into a separate root
• playback of established PNG, WAV and MP4 media

No provider calls were made during package checks. The source-level qualification boundary is recorded in the verification report.

Known Alpha limitations

• Desktop-first. Responsive and phone behaviour is basic.
• Windows is the qualified platform. The runtime .tar.gz contains the same source files for other systems but was not separately qualified on macOS or Linux for this release.
• Source package, not a native installer. It needs Node.js 18 or newer (Node.js 24 qualified) and npm. npm ci needs network access.
• No built-in NLE or export pipeline. Handoff to editing is manual copying of physical media with its records.
• No automatic audio mix. Sound placement is editorial intent.
• External services may cost money and receive the production inputs you select.
• Settings and credentials are stored as plaintext JSON, protected by your OS account permissions, not an encrypted vault.
• Generated images and video can drift, even outside a mask. A successful dispatch is not artistic approval.

Install

You need Windows, Node.js 18 or newer (24 is the qualified runtime) and npm. You don't need a provider key, Python or ffmpeg to try the sample.

1. From Assets below, download cinebraid-7.0.0-alpha.1-windows.zip, build-info.json and SHA256SUMS.txt.
2. Verify the ZIP in PowerShell:

   (Get-FileHash .\cinebraid-7.0.0-alpha.1-windows.zip -Algorithm SHA256).Hash.ToLower()

   The result must be a311ca90ef2b74056228714cf11c0e7beff26e83a53096d217b50addf0226f09.
3. Extract to a new folder, never over an existing installation or production. Copy build-info.json into the extracted cinebraid-7.0.0-alpha.1 folder, beside package.json.
4. In that folder:

   npm ci
   npm start

5. Open the printed address, normally http://127.0.0.1:4477, and choose Add the CineBraid sample. Keep the terminal open; Ctrl+C stops CineBraid.

Ordinary startup uses this Windows account's existing CineBraid settings and projects. If you already use CineBraid, back up your projects and settings first. To try the alpha without touching existing work, use the isolated trial.

Read next: Install, update and rollback · Getting started · Setup and data locations · Optional services

Release files

File	Role	SHA-256
cinebraid-7.0.0-alpha.1-windows.zip	Primary download (Windows source package)	a311ca90ef2b74056228714cf11c0e7beff26e83a53096d217b50addf0226f09
cinebraid-7.0.0-alpha.1-runtime.tar.gz	Same source files as a tar.gz archive	8e73375ff9dfb7b43fe69635a6dc95f72e90f6b594fbe78633a4c01eb4fcbe87
build-info.json	Build identity; copy beside package.json after extracting	184e4a3c3b812c457e41fa9ebe7ef89d0b5d8291a1ad18fc2f9d54a3e28f4a72
cinebraid-7.0.0-alpha.1-manifest.json	Package manifest: version, commit, file count, asset hashes	70037e04f081e909c92df215284dcada22d2dd9a00a1a365bc8f681995040243
CINEBRAID_v7.0.0-alpha.1_RELEASE_NOTES.md	Packaged release notes	5c26c84b9dba5e79e11ba8a96825b33b6637eead3a1e37edd058cf543f5a10ec
SHA256SUMS.txt	Checksums for the five files above	0d7fa63787bd49db2b82fe9cbc5dec1cc64acbb0a589204b8fd2214fb2f5b408

GitHub also adds automatic "Source code (zip / tar.gz)" links to every release. Those are not the checked packages and don't include build-info.json, so use the files above.

Feedback

• Bugs and workflow friction: open a GitHub issue. Please include:
  • the version/build shown in the app (7.0.0-alpha.1 and commit)
  • your operating system and Node.js version
  • the workflow you were following
  • the model, provid...

CineBraid 6.8.0-alpha.1 — Experience V2 milestone

CineBraid 6.8.0-alpha.1 — Experience V2 milestone

This Alpha advances the active product version for the combined Shot Desk and
References milestone. These notes describe the changes since the immutable
v6.7.0-alpha.1 release,
including storage improvements published on main after that release.

This candidate's version is not a claim that a 6.8 tag, GitHub release or installer
has been published. Publication and final qualification are recorded separately.
See the verification basis and
source update guide.

Productions and settings survive application updates

New installations keep production projects outside the application by default:
%USERPROFILE%\CineBraid Projects on Windows, or ~/CineBraid Projects elsewhere.
A saved project-root choice takes precedence. Existing installations with projects
inside their application folder continue opening those projects in place; startup
does not move them automatically.

Settings → Files & storage provides a deliberate copy to a selected project
root, checks the result and retains the old root. Existing media identities and
production decisions remain part of the production. The original projects are
rollback copies, not files this update automatically cleans up.

Settings now normally live in %LOCALAPPDATA%\CineBraid\config.json on Windows,
~/Library/Application Support/CineBraid/config.json on macOS, or
${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:-~/.config}/CineBraid/config.json on Linux. An explicit
CINEBRAID_CONFIG_PATH remains authoritative. On first start without a per-user
settings file, CineBraid copies usable legacy application settings, verifies the
copy and leaves the originals intact. If per-user settings already exist, they
are used; legacy settings are not merged into them. Retained legacy settings may
still contain credentials and must continue to be protected.

A+ Shot Desk

The representative image-review journey now keeps the production, scene, shot
and frame in view while the image occupies the main workspace. Candidate
selection, comparison and the deliberate approval decision sit together.
Comparison actions distinguish candidates, the guide and the current approved
image, and appear only when their target is available. Provenance remains
accessible without dominating the image.

The layout adapts to 1280, 1440 and 1920 desktop widths. At 1280 the inspection
rail starts closed. Approval identifies the image and target, explains what will
change, and opens with keyboard focus on Cancel. Selection and comparison do not
approve anything.

References and existing Production media

An incomplete reference now offers Choose from production media and
Upload new. The media selector prefers images already linked to that
reference. The filmmaker chooses a continuity state and required view, previews
the assignment, then explicitly adds a candidate. Returning from a reference
opened through a shot preserves the shot origin; global entry invents none.

A Media Library link is relevance, not reference enrollment. Enrollment creates
an explicit reference/state/view binding to the existing durable asset ID. The
original production asset stays in place: it is not moved or duplicated to make
it a reference. The same resolution contract supports previews, coverage,
approval preparation, approved display and downstream reference loading.
Existing folder-backed candidates and receipt-backed approvals remain supported.
Unavailable or foreign bindings fail closed rather than substituting a similar
filename.

Enrollment is not approval. Filling a required view does not create canon or
mark a design complete. Approval remains a separate user decision through the
existing authority writer. The visible production status is Approved; AI may
review or recommend but never holds production approval authority. The mixed
imported/generated library is called Production media, with its existing
route retained.

Saved crops are ready for review

Save as candidate now prepares the crop's durable identity and persists its
reference and continuity-state ownership before checking it through the shared
resolver. Successful completion leaves a reviewable candidate on its existing
candidate card, available after reload, without approving it. A failed save
reports failure and keeps the operation recoverable; retry reuses the crop
already uploaded instead of creating another copy.

Reference-details navigation closes its dialog and transfers focus to the
destination. Ordinary dismissal restores the originating control, including
when a responsive render has replaced that control's DOM node.

Scope and remaining work

This is an Alpha and a bounded Experience V2 foundation, not whole-application
completion. Production media selector search/filtering for large productions is
deferred; linked-first ordering is implemented. EV2-3, broader visual propagation,
Generation Routing, Project Bible restructuring, audio/dubbing and ElevenLabs
integration are not included. No external source-media collection is imported.

PSS-4, CS-4 and local workspace cleanup are not completed by this milestone.
Legacy project/config copies remain retained. No automatic credential cleanup,
rotation, project repair or destructive migration is part of this update. The
existing v6.7.0-alpha.1 annotated tag and GitHub release remain unchanged.

Release acceptance

Human product acceptance and required Windows CI acceptance are recorded for commit d5342b98c3d9f7a824c74ca48a483a1702f183c8, tree 5bf674233c114766791c10d6240a93188fedeabd.

Workflow run 35015530695: Windows validation passed. Browser validation remains advisory: 35/40 gated suites passed. The five unresolved advisory failures are check:ui-state, check:production-media-browser, check:candidate-review-browser, check:reference-reframe-browser and check:reference-demand-browser. The five quarantined suites continued failing as recorded. These are not reported as passes; no new repeatable product defect was established. The Node.js 20/actions-cache warning remains non-blocking CI-maintenance debt.

This is a source prerelease. No binaries are attached. The committed notes above retain their original candidate-stage wording; this acceptance section records the subsequently completed human and required CI gates.

CineBraid 6.7.0-alpha.1 — Public Alpha

This is the identity CineBraid is first shared publicly under. It is an alpha: the 6.7.0 line, in development, offered for people to run and report on. It does not claim a stable release, a supported-version matrix, or a production-ready build.

What it is

CineBraid is a local-first film production application. Everything it holds — the Project Bible, references, continuity, shots, review and approval — stays on the machine you run it on. It binds 127.0.0.1 by default and uploads nothing on its own.

A production can be planned and finished by hand, with no assistant configured and no generation enabled. Human approval stays explicit: nothing is approved, locked or superseded on your behalf. A machine can propose; only a person decides.

Install

The Public Alpha is shared as source. No archive has been published under this identity, so there is nothing to download here and no checksum to verify — install from a clone:

git clone https://github.com/cfbach/cinebraid.git
cd cinebraid
npm ci
npm start

Then open the URL printed in the terminal — by default http://127.0.0.1:4477.

Requires Node.js 18 or newer; validated on Node 24. express is the only runtime dependency, there is no build step, and ffmpeg is optional and not bundled.

npm run release:build will produce a Windows ZIP and an architecture-neutral runtime tarball from any commit, with a manifest and checksums, if you would rather install from an archive you built yourself.

Where to start

• README.md — what CineBraid is, what it needs, and what it refuses to do
• SETUP.md — installation, network posture and optional provider setup
• docs/GETTING_STARTED.md — the short path from install to a finished shot
• docs/releases/v6.7.0-alpha.1/ — release notes, install note and verification report

A fresh install opens projects/cinebraid-sample — CineBraid Sample — The Blue Parcel — a three-shot project that needs nothing external: no text provider, no vision provider, generation disabled. All three shots can be taken from opening to approved using only what ships in the box.

Reporting

This alpha exists to be run by people who are not us. npm run check:quick is a portable check that contacts no provider. Issues and observations are welcome.