ChapterOne v0.3.0

ChapterOne 0.3.0

A calmer writing workspace, a way back from chapter changes, and practical checks before you share your manuscript. This release builds on 0.2.1 with a substantial visual refresh, new revision tools, updated provider choices, and a complete ChapterOne handbook.

Downloads

Download	Supported system
Universal Mac DMG	macOS 13 or later, Intel and Apple Silicon; drag ChapterOne to Applications
Universal Mac ZIP	The same universal Mac app in a ZIP archive
Windows x64 installer	Windows 10/11, Intel or AMD 64-bit
Windows ARM64 installer	Windows 11 on ARM64

macOS signing: Developer ID signed and notarized. The universal app and DMG are signed by Nimesh Pandeya (Apple team QPF2VF2885). Apple accepted both notarization submissions. Developer ID signatures, stapled tickets, and Gatekeeper acceptance were verified, including the app mounted from the DMG and extracted from the final ZIP. Both Intel and Apple Silicon code signatures were checked.

Windows signing: UNSIGNED. The installers and included Windows application executables are intentionally unsigned under the approved Windows exception for version 0.3.0. Windows may display an Unknown publisher or SmartScreen warning; publisher identity is not verified. The Mac signing requirement remains in place.

SHA256SUMS.txt covers all four downloads. Compare the matching filename's full hash with shasum -a 256 <file> on macOS or Get-FileHash <file> -Algorithm SHA256 in PowerShell. Checksums confirm file integrity; they do not establish publisher identity or replace code signing.

A workspace that makes the next step clearer

• Warm light/dark surfaces, readable editorial typography, clearer navigation, and layouts checked at compact window sizes.
• A recent-manuscript card, status filters, sorting, and searchable tile/list library views help you return to the right book.
• A guided writing brief keeps the idea first and places optional creative details and provider controls within reach. Settings shortcuts make setup easier to find.
• A quieter reader groups secondary actions under Book tools. Editing and revision history work in both Page and Scroll modes.
• Adult and children's books can pause for outline approval before drafting. Unsaved chapter edits are protected when dismissing the editor, closing the window, or quitting.

Revise with a way back

Revision history preserves up to 20 previous prose versions per chapter. Compare saved and current text, restore an earlier version, and recover the text replaced by that restore. Manual edits and successful AI rewrites save the previous version; failed or cancelled changes do not overwrite the saved manuscript.

History covers chapter prose, not previous titles, outline summaries, or artwork. It is stored locally with the book, is unencrypted, and is excluded from manuscript exports. Removed prose can remain in retained history. Deleting the book deletes its app-managed history; independent backups remain. Revision guide.

Manuscript check runs locally without an AI request. It links you to missing or empty chapters, possible draft markers, repeated titles/headings/passages, and unresolved illustration markers. Findings are evidence to review, not a certification of facts, originality, continuity, rights, child suitability, or publication readiness.

Updated choices across supported providers

The text, image, and narration catalogs were reviewed against provider documentation on September 23:

• Claude Code: added Claude Opus 5.5, with its exact pin and CLI 2.1.280+ compatibility note.
• Codex: added GPT-6 Sol and Luna and refreshed the Pro/Fast presets; existing saved selections remain intact.
• Gemini and Grok: rechecked the available integrations, Gemini pins, and Grok Build compatibility. Grok keeps its supported Build alias rather than assuming a standalone API model name works with CLI sign-in.
• Nano Banana and ElevenLabs: rechecked image/narration choices, preserved existing pins, and made retirement/deprecation guidance visible, including ElevenLabs Turbo's replacement guidance.

Custom and saved model IDs are preserved. New catalog choices do not grant account access or guarantee live availability. See the model reference for exact models, compatibility, billing notes, and official sources.

More deliberate usage and stronger boundaries

• Startup and Check sign-in use non-generating CLI status or API metadata checks. Unsupported status commands remain unknown instead of falling back to a paid completion. Explicit Check model requests retain their usage disclosure.
• No images now skips cover and chapter-art requests. Exporting an uncached chapter MP3 asks before generating paid narration; cancelling the later file-save dialog does not refund generation already performed.
• Parser-based HTML, SVG, and CSS allowlists harden generated artwork, with JavaScript-disabled, network-isolated rendering as an additional boundary.
• Grok sign-in cache reads use one inspected file descriptor and a bounded read. Grok output handling also preserves date-prefixed prose and Markdown scene breaks.
• Revision/restore operations keep atomic saves, validate inputs, and reject conflicting writes. AI rewrite cancellation rejects late output.

A complete handbook

The public GitHub Pages handbook contains 19 guides and references, with local search, responsive navigation, contents lists, themes, and real application screenshots. Follow the first-book walkthrough, connect providers, revise chapters, choose exports, or find clear explanations of costs, privacy, backups, and troubleshooting.

Validation and known limits

Source revision: 7e375cea4214a10bf0631cfd1c522c08fc8478ae.

All five jobs passed in native CI run 35948789839: Linux unit checks, Intel Mac, Apple Silicon/universal Mac, Windows x64, and Windows ARM64. Desktop jobs build installers and exercise both source and packaged application code. Checks include syntax, dependency auditing, deliberate smoke-runner failure detection, 15 UI workflow groups, synthetic generation, all six manuscript export choices, actual 6×9 PDF dimensions, and IPC/sandbox boundaries. Added regressions cover revision restore/cancellation, manuscript findings, provider status checks, artwork sanitization, and file-read races. The full dependency audit reported zero vulnerabilities for this revision.

The handbook build/link checks and deployment also passed. Every published guide, screenshot, stylesheet, script, and search index was checked against the generated output. The Mac release was built and signed locally from the same commit using the maintainer’s Keychain, without exporting signing credentials. Its packaged Electron tests also passed. The Windows release files are the exact native CI installers with the approved unsigned status. All four uploaded installers and the checksum file are verified against local SHA-256 digests before publication.

Automated tests use synthetic providers. Clean-machine installation/upgrade/uninstall, every supported OS/hardware combination, real provider login/model access/quotas, paid image/audio calls, SMTP delivery, and full screen-reader acceptance have not all been manually validated. A passing test suite does not establish writing quality or complete publishing-platform compatibility. See the release acceptance checklist.

Updating and getting started

Back up your library and export important manuscripts before replacing the app. There is no automatic in-app updater; install this version using the appropriate download above. The desktop runtime is bundled; npm-installed provider CLIs require a separate compatible Node.js installation.

Connect at least one writing provider in Settings. Your library is local, while selected AI providers receive prompts and manuscript context. Provider accounts, limits, and charges are separate. The app currently narrates through ElevenLabs, and the reader exports chapter MP3s; it does not expose arbitrary EPUB/DOCX import or automatic library backup/sync.

See the full changelog and installation guide.

ChapterOne v0.2.1

ChapterOne 0.2.1 includes the security, reliability, interface, and provider updates developed in the open-source readiness review. The repository lives at nimeshbuilds/chapterone.

This release replaces the withdrawn 0.2.0 release. The Mac downloads are Developer ID signed and notarized. See the platform signing status below before downloading the Windows installers.

Downloads

Download	Supported system
Universal Mac DMG	macOS 13+, Intel and Apple Silicon; drag ChapterOne to Applications
Universal Mac ZIP	The same macOS app in a ZIP archive
Windows x64 installer	Windows 10/11, Intel or AMD 64-bit
Windows ARM64 installer	Windows 11 on ARM64

macOS signing: Developer ID signed and notarized. The app and DMG signatures, Gatekeeper assessments, and stapled notarization tickets were verified, including the app extracted from the ZIP.

Windows signing: UNSIGNED — the owner approved unsigned Windows x64 and ARM64 installers for this version. Publisher identity is not verified, and Windows may show an Unknown publisher or SmartScreen warning. The native builds and source/packaged application tests passed; SHA256 checksums are provided.

SHA256SUMS.txt covers all four downloads. Check with shasum -a 256 <file> on macOS or Get-FileHash <file> -Algorithm SHA256 in PowerShell. Checksums verify file integrity, not publisher identity.

Changes

• Refreshed all supported provider catalogs: Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, Grok, Nano Banana image generation, and ElevenLabs narration. Added compatibility/retirement notes, kept saved model choices, and made custom-model checks explicit.
• Improved the full-window reader, library search/cards, smaller-window layouts, writing briefs, keyboard controls, accessible dialogs, and preserved drafts/settings during navigation.
• Hardened the Electron sandbox, IPC and file access, sanitized prose and illustrations, encrypted stored credentials, and updated vulnerable dependencies.
• Fixed interrupted-generation recovery, narration cache invalidation, Windows CLI execution, network streaming, export errors, and 6×9 print-PDF dimensions.
• Added native Windows x64/ARM64 installers alongside the universal Mac app, packaged UI checks, and automatic release publication after every required build and upload check passes.

See the full changelog.

Validation and limits

Built from commit 2c2f3a5b64c5025bb907344dc3d36faff8813b2a, with native builds and tests recorded in this build run. Checks include unit tests, syntax checks, dependency audits, deliberate smoke-runner failure checks, and real Electron smoke tests against source and packaged app code. UI checks cover 12 workflow groups, synthetic generation, six export formats, print dimensions, and IPC isolation. Mac signing/notarization and uploaded asset sizes and SHA256 digests are verified before publication. Mac signing may be performed locally using the maintainer's Keychain; signing credentials are not included in downloads.

Automated checks use synthetic providers. Clean-machine install/upgrade/uninstall, every supported OS/hardware combination, real provider login/quotas, paid image/audio calls, SMTP delivery, and full screen-reader acceptance have not all been manually validated. See release acceptance.

Install a supported writing CLI or configure a Gemini API key in Settings. The desktop runtime is bundled; npm-based CLIs need a separate Node.js installation. Your library is local, but selected AI providers receive prompts and manuscript context; provider accounts and charges are separate. There is no automatic in-app updater; download this version to update.

ChapterOne v0.1.0

ChapterOne — Your Personal Book Writer. Drives your own Claude Code / Codex / Gemini CLI (on your own subscription — no text API keys, no servers) to plan, research, write, edit, illustrate, narrate, and export full books.

Download

macOS — signed & notarized ✅

ChapterOne-0.1.0-universal.dmg — universal (Apple Silicon + Intel). Double-click → drag to Applications → open. No Gatekeeper warning.

A Windows build is planned for a future release.

What it does

• Writes complete books through your own CLI subscription, with automatic fallback across engines.
• Fiction, non-fiction, and kids books (age bands drive vocabulary, length, safety, and illustration density).
• Built-in reflowable EPUB reader; EPUB / PDF export; Send to Kindle.
• Optional AI illustrations (Nano Banana / your Gemini image key).
• Audiobook narration (ElevenLabs): per-chapter or whole-book, with your own cloned voice; Listen to the whole book remembers your place.
• Flawless typography, resumable generation, and a Clear all my data control in Settings.

Requires one of Claude Code, Codex, or Gemini CLI, signed in with your own subscription.