Release Notes

Added a trust note near the top of the homepage explicitly stating that BranchPy's core analysis is 100% deterministic and runs locally, with no AI used unless an optional integration is explicitly enabled by the user.

The pricing teaser and Pro tier badge now clearly communicate that AI is an optional integration, never a required dependency. Eliminates ambiguity for Ren'Py community members sensitive to AI terminology.

The 'Is AI required to use BranchPy?' FAQ answer now explains that the analysis engine is fully deterministic and local, and that optional AI integrations use a Bring-Your-Own-AI model with user-controlled API keys.

Launched the Release Candidate testing program with SSO authentication, allowing developers to join the early access program and provide feedback before the public release.

Built a robust backend API with PostgreSQL database support, including automated migration scripts for telemetry, user management, and community features.

Deployed the official BranchPy website with user registration, RC application forms, and administrative dashboards for managing the testing community.

Implemented GDPR-compliant privacy controls, allowing users to manage their data, telemetry preferences, and consent for community participation.

Tested BranchPy against real-world Ren'Py projects with thousands of files, identifying and fixing critical bugs related to parsing, memory usage, and edge cases.

Enhanced the background daemon that powers the VS Code extension, improving startup time, resource management, and graceful shutdown handling.

Laid the foundation for a multi-project server architecture, enabling BranchPy to analyze multiple Ren'Py projects simultaneously without conflicts.

Unified the CLI, VS Code extension, and analysis engine into a cohesive platform, resolving integration issues and ensuring consistent behavior across all components.

Enhanced the pilot program feedback mechanism and improved error reporting to provide clearer, more actionable messages when issues are detected in your Ren'Py code.

Standardized documentation across all modules, ensuring that CLI commands, VS Code commands, and API references are consistent and easy to understand.

Introduced Control Flow Graph (CFG) and Abstract Syntax Tree (AST) analysis to detect unreachable code paths and variable scope issues in your visual novel scripts.

Built the groundwork for visual flow diagrams that show how your story branches, helping you understand complex narrative structures at a glance.

Developed an extensible analysis pipeline that can be enhanced with custom checks and rules, preparing for future advanced linting capabilities.

Created a native VS Code extension that integrates BranchPy directly into your editor, with automatic detection of your operating system and Python environment.

Developed an easy-to-use installer for the VS Code extension, with options to install via VSIX package or directly from the VS Code marketplace.

Implemented license key validation for RC testers and structured error codes that help diagnose installation and runtime issues quickly.

Scans your project for images, sounds, and other assets that are imported but never used, helping you clean up your project and reduce build size.

Added comprehensive support for common Ren'Py asset formats including PNG and WebP images, and OGG and MP3 audio files.

Began the integration between the command-line tool and VS Code extension, allowing you to run analyses from within your editor.

Automatically identifies when your Ren'Py scripts reference images or sounds that don't exist in your project, preventing runtime errors.

Improved robustness by correctly handling file paths containing spaces and returning meaningful exit codes for use in build scripts and CI/CD pipelines.

Redesigned the command-line interface with a modular architecture, making it easier to add new analysis commands and maintain existing ones.

Enhanced the built-in help system with clearer command descriptions, usage examples, and summary outputs that are easier to read and understand.

Standardized command-line arguments across all commands, ensuring a consistent user experience and reducing the learning curve for new users.

Generate detailed reports showing all story labels, navigation jumps, function calls, choice menus, and variables used throughout your Ren'Py project.

Automatically finds broken story navigation where jumps or calls point to non-existent labels, and identifies labels that can never be reached by players.

Export your story structure as DOT format graphs that can be visualized with Graphviz, helping you see the overall flow of your visual novel.

The initial release that could parse Ren'Py script files (.rpy) and identify common navigation issues like missing jump targets and labels that are never used.

Provided simple summary reports showing file counts, label counts, and detected issues, giving developers a quick overview of their project's health.