Release Notes: v0.8.4.3

Release Date: January 18, 2026 Release Type: Patch Release (Fresh Install Fixes)

Overview

Critical fixes for the fresh install experience discovered during alpha testing. New alpha testers should now have a smooth first-time user experience (FTUX).

Key improvements in this release:

Fresh install flow fixed: Server now properly blocks startup until migrations are applied
Multi-user support: /setup wizard accessible for new user registration
Web GUI routing: Fresh installs route to web setup wizard (not CLI)
Migration validation: Database schema validation prevents cryptic column errors
UI polish: Auto-generated conversation titles, editable titles, cleaner resource cards

Bug Fixes

Fresh Install Flow (#605-#609)

These five issues were discovered sequentially during alpha testing on a fresh laptop clone.

Issue #605: Migration Validation at Startup

Problem: Fresh clones started with missing database columns, causing cryptic errors.

Fix: Added check_pending_migrations() to startup - server now displays pending migrations and exits cleanly.

Commit: 939d66f8

Issue #606: Stale todo_lists Table Reference

Problem: Migration 44f5cd40b495 referenced todo_lists table that was dropped in Aug 2025.

Fix: Removed all todo_lists references from the migration file.

Commit: 20ef2ec3

Issue #607: CLI Wizard Instead of Web GUI

Problem: Fresh installs showed CLI menu instead of routing to web setup.

Fix: Removed CLI wizard intercept in main.py, server now starts normally and displays setup URL.

Commit: f84edaf3

Problem: Once any user existed, /setup redirected to /login, blocking multi-user registration.

Fix: Removed redirect logic in setup.js - setup wizard now always accessible for new user registration.

Commit: 89085061

Issue #609: Fresh Database Bypasses Migration Check

Problem: Fresh databases (no alembic_version table) bypassed migration validation entirely.

Fix: Migration checker now returns all migrations as pending for fresh databases.

Commit: 06c86de1

UI/UX Improvements

Issue #597: Calendar Datetime Formatting

Problem: Calendar data displayed raw ISO timestamps and inconsistent formats.

Fix: Systematic datetime and data presentation fixes across calendar handlers.

Commit: 1535fa8b

Issue #598: Auto-Generated Conversation Titles

Problem: New conversations showed generic “New Conversation” title.

Fix: Titles now auto-generate from first message content.

Commit: 39fe6703

Issue #599: Null Field Placeholders

Problem: Resource cards showed “null” or undefined for missing fields.

Fix: Suppress null field placeholders for cleaner display.

Commit: 0ea21fee

Issue #600: Redundant Owner Badge

Problem: Owner badge displayed in single-user context (unnecessary).

Fix: Hide Owner badge when only one user exists.

Commit: a100096e

Issue #604: Editable Conversation Titles

Problem: Conversation titles couldn’t be edited after creation.

Fix: Added edit capability for conversation titles.

Commit: 818d5092

Testing & Infrastructure

Issue #593: Frontend JavaScript Testing Framework

Added Jest + jsdom testing infrastructure for vanilla JavaScript:

45 tests for Toast and FormValidation modules
loadScript() helper for testing ES5 modules
Documentation in docs/testing/frontend-testing.md

Commit: 6a86b3d9

Issue #590, #591: Integration Test Fixtures

Fixed fixture issues causing integration test failures.

Commit: 5bbf8b41

Issue #603: Test Infrastructure Cleanup

Fixed tests/load import errors and cleaned up test infrastructure.

Commit: a8e67f7d

Test Results

=============== 1763 passed, 26 skipped ================

All unit tests passing
Fresh clone tested successfully on alpha laptop
PM manual verification of setup flow

Upgrade Notes

For Existing Users

git pull origin main
python -m alembic upgrade head  # Required - adds new columns
python main.py

For New Alpha Testers

git clone https://github.com/mediajunkie/piper-morgan-product.git
cd piper-morgan-product
python -m venv .venv && source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
docker-compose up -d
python -m alembic upgrade head
python main.py

Visit http://localhost:8001/setup to create your account.

Note: The server will now block startup if migrations are pending, showing clear instructions.

Issue	Type	Description
#605	Bug	Add migration validation to startup
#606	Bug	Remove todo_lists references from migration
#607	Bug	Route fresh installs to web setup wizard
#608	Bug	Allow /setup access for new user registration
#609	Bug	Block startup for fresh databases without migrations
#597	Bug	Systematic datetime fixes for calendar
#598	Enhancement	Auto-generate conversation titles
#599	Bug	Suppress null field placeholders
#600	Bug	Hide redundant Owner badge
#604	Enhancement	Add editable conversation titles
#593	Enhancement	Frontend JavaScript testing framework
#590	Bug	Fix integration test fixtures
#591	Bug	Fix integration test fixtures
#603	Bug	Fix tests/load import error

What’s Next

Continue alpha testing (Sprint A20)
If no new blockers found, close A20 and proceed to MUX super epics
New alpha testers joining this weekend

Full Changelog: v0.8.4.2…v0.8.4.3