Avikal v1.0.4 Update Notes

This version focuses on production hardening, backend performance, safer runtime behavior, and a cleaner desktop experience.

Core Runtime

• Replaced the desktop HTTP backend flow with the shared Avikal core process over JSON-RPC/stdin-stdout.
• Kept the Rust native crypto module mandatory for production crypto paths.
• Improved core startup/runtime checks for native crypto, PQC runtime, and packaged execution.
• Added cancellation-aware decrypt handling so cancelled decode jobs stop in the core instead of silently continuing behind the UI.
• Added safer startup cleanup for interrupted temporary archive and preview artifacts.

Archive Performance

• Added direct-to-temporary-archive payload writing to avoid copying a full temporary payload into the final .avk.
• Added adaptive compression decisions for large or already-compressed inputs.
• Added native chunked payload processing for faster large archive encode/decode.
• Improved multi-file decode streaming to reduce intermediate disk usage.
• Improved progress reporting for encode, decode, rekey, and TimeCapsule flows.

Chess-PGN Metadata Codec

• Added high-speed native Rust acceleration for Avikal Chess-PGN metadata encode/decode.
• Kept the existing Chess-PGN carrier and archive compatibility unchanged.
• Reduced metadata decode stalls from long Python board reconstruction paths.
• Kept the Python codec as the readable reference implementation for tests and diagnostics.

PQC and Keyfile Security

• Added optional dual-password protection for external .avkkey files.
• Existing external .avkkey files remain readable.
• Embedded pqc.enc behavior remains unchanged.
• Added keyfile inspection so the decode UI only asks for a keyfile password when needed.

TimeCapsule and drand

• Added bounded and cancellable drand helper execution.
• Improved TimeCapsule progress stages and release-time validation messaging.
• Reduced repeated metadata decode work in TimeCapsule decrypt flows.

Desktop UI/UX

• Redesigned Settings with only real connected controls.
• Removed the in-app About page and moved help/legal/update entry points into Settings.
• Added Help & Legal links for documentation, support, security, release notes, and third-party notices.
• Added manual update checking through Electron main using GitHub Releases metadata.
• Improved decode tabs for multiple preview sessions.
• Improved processing overlays and progress copy for long-running archive operations.
• Improved left-panel file staging, bulk clear/delete, recursive search, and compact file/folder display.

Activity Audit

• Added broader local activity events for archive create/decode, TimeCapsule unlock attempts, rekey, preview cleanup, decrypt cancel, keyfile inspection, and activity export.
• Added tamper-evident hash chaining with prev_hash and entry_hash.
• Added audit chain status reporting: verified, partial, legacy, broken, or empty.
• Kept source file names, source paths, and file contents out of the activity log by default.

Packaging and Release Structure

• Added Windows-first shared-core packaging structure.
• Added CLI and Windows packaging separation under packaging/.
• Added production runtime verification paths for packaged core usage.
• Kept .github, README, CLI usage, code of conduct, and security policy untouched in the GitHub-connected folder during this sync.