Changelog
What’s new in Ember.
- 0.3.21DesktopOctober 11, 2026
Ember can now offer a few ways to continue a conversation, and the chat shows what Ember will read before you send.
Ember can ask which way
When a conversation has a few threads going, Ember can end its reply with two or three ways to continue, written the way you'd say them. They sit inside the message box: click one to send it, or just type your own. The suggestions for a new conversation work the same way, with your last question from the day first.
Your last question is no longer sent for you when you open the chat. It's the first suggestion instead.
See what Ember will read
Before you send, the entries Ember will read with your next message sit as cards above the message box. An edited entry shows one sentence about what changed. Leave a card out of the conversation, and Undo brings it back. These cards replace the today card and the "words shared" line.
The chat uses the whole window again.
Usage counts can now include when Ember offers a choice and which one you picked. Never what the options said.
- 0.3.20DesktopSeptember 29, 2026
Chat is now one continuous conversation you can scroll back through, split into titled conversations.
Update Ember on your iPhone too. Until you do, it pauses syncing, and nothing is lost.
One continuous chat
Chat no longer starts over each day. It's one stream you can scroll back through, split into conversations that Ember names in a short sentence. The sidebar button opens the list of conversations by day, where you can search titles and jump back to one. Back to now takes you to the latest.
A new conversation starts after an hour's quiet, from a card, or when you press New. When you're about to start one, a card shows today's entries and the day's summary.
If your AI key stops working, the chat now says so, and Ember pauses its background AI work until the key changes.
Usage counts can now include whether a chat was opened from the list or from search. Never the search text or a title.
Also: Retry and Edit never remove messages your other device just added · day labels read Today and Yesterday · a saved insight only says Saved once it really is.
- 0.3.19DesktopSeptember 27, 2026
When AI can't answer, Ember now tells you why, including when this month's AI allowance has run out.
If you've used up this month's included AI, or your own OpenRouter account is out of credits, the chat now says so instead of telling you to check your connection.
- 0.3.18DesktopSeptember 27, 2026
Ember now asks before it uses AI on this Mac, and chat, cards, summaries and letters only use providers that agree not to keep them.
AI is off until you turn it on
The first time Ember needs AI on this Mac, it asks, and says what gets sent, where it goes, and what runs in the background once you say yes. Until then nothing leaves your Mac for an AI model. Turning it off in Settings ▸ AI stops everything at once, including requests already on their way.
Chat, cards, summaries and letters now go only to AI providers that have agreed not to store your words or train on them. Cloud transcription, if you turn it on, is the one exception, and the AI screen says so.
Usage counts and crash reports, if you choose
Ember can share simple counts of which features get used, plus crash reports, but never your entries, voice notes or chats. It asks once, and turning it off on one device turns it off on all of them. Settings ▸ Privacy can delete everything shared and links to a list of every field that is sent.
Meeting summaries now start off. Turn them on in Settings ▸ Recording.
Also: Claude Opus 5.5 replaces Opus 5 in the model picker · leaving a day's page no longer loses what you just typed.
- 0.3.17DesktopSeptember 8, 2026
You can now chat with Ember about any card, and the daily chat keeps separate conversations apart.
Talk about a card
Every card now has a chat button next to the mic and the pencil. Click it and the chat opens with that card in it, so what you say next is about the card. It works on cards you've already answered too.
Separate conversations in one day
When you come back after an hour, switch to another card, or press Start fresh, the chat marks where the new conversation begins, with the time. Earlier messages stay where they are, and Ember remembers what you talked about before.
Start fresh replaces Clear: it starts a new conversation and deletes nothing.
Also: a reply is never cut off when the day turns over · the message box keeps what you typed while sending · openers come back for each new conversation · card buttons are smaller and sit on the left · long drafts stay inside the chat card.
- 0.3.16DesktopAugust 21, 2026
Ember now writes you a short letter at the end of each week you've written in.
A weekly letter
After a week with enough writing, Ember writes a short letter about it and keeps it in your timeline at that week's end. Anything in quotation marks is something you wrote, with the day you wrote it, and it ends with a question to carry into next week. An unread letter glows softly until you open it, and reading it on one device marks it read on the others.
Also: a weekly letter model picker in Settings ▸ Debug · the timeline no longer goes blank on Macs that can't draw its background · smoother scrolling when new content arrives.
- 0.3.15DesktopAugust 12, 2026
Your journal day now ends at 4 AM instead of midnight, and you can change when it turns over.
Late nights count as the same day
Writing at 12:30 AM now stays with the evening it belongs to: the chat keeps going, your cards stay put, and the entry is dated the day before. A new day starts at 4 AM by default; pick anything from midnight to 6 AM in Settings ▸ Appearance. The setting syncs, and entries you've already written keep their dates.
Also: the daily chat moves to the new day without a restart · the assistant knows today's date in your time zone · the calendar opens to the right month late at night.
- 0.3.14DesktopAugust 8, 2026
Sync catches up as soon as you come back to your Mac, and checks in less while you're away.
When you return to your Mac after a while, Ember fetches new entries from your phone right away instead of waiting for the next check. In the background it checks far less often, which is easier on your battery and network.
Also: one slow step no longer holds up the rest of a sync · with sync storage full, changes from other devices still come in.
- 0.3.13DesktopAugust 7, 2026
You can now dismiss a card, and the daily cards pick what to show from your whole journal.
Cards that know your journal
The cards now draw on everything you've written: a line from months ago that fits today, a pattern, an open thread you never came back to, a win worth noting. On a hard day, a card may just sit with it.
Each open card has a small ✕ to set it aside. It stays in the deck marked "Dismissed" and stops asking, and the day then shows "All done" instead of "All answered".
Also: Settings ▸ Debug can regenerate today's cards and pick which model writes them.
- 0.3.12DesktopAugust 6, 2026
A small deck of cards now shows up at the top of your journal each day.
Update Ember on your iPhone too. Until you do, your iPhone pauses syncing.
Daily cards
Once a day Ember puts a few cards at the top of your journal: a question, a line you wrote months ago, a pattern it noticed, sometimes a mantra. Answer by typing or speaking, and each answer becomes its own entry. Arrow keys or a swipe move between cards, and ⌘E turns an answer into a full entry. It replaces the inbox and is the same on every device.
Some things work differently now:
- If today's last entry ends with a question, opening the chat asks Ember that question for you.
- The calendar on Home is hidden until you turn it on in Settings ▸ Appearance.
- Record and New entry are now one button. Its menu adds Speak, which starts a voice note right away.
Also: each day on Home shows its summary, cards answered and words written · summaries refresh after you write · chat openers refresh as your day changes · easier-to-read chat replies.
- 0.3.11DesktopAugust 4, 2026
Opening an empty chat now shows your day at a glance and a few ways to start.
A better start to a chat
Before you've said anything, the chat shows a short title for your day, your daily summary, and how much you've written. Below it are three openers based on what you wrote today; click one to start. They go away once you start typing.
Also: when AI can't reply, the chat says so right away instead of going quiet.
- 0.3.10DesktopAugust 3, 2026
Connected AI apps can now search your journal by meaning, not just exact words.
With Settings ▸ MCP on, compatible AI apps can find related passages even when the words don't match, and narrow results by date, category or keyword. The connection stays private to your Mac, and it still can't change anything you've written.
- 0.3.9DesktopAugust 3, 2026
AI apps on your Mac can now search and read your journal, if you turn it on in Settings ▸ MCP.
Connect AI apps on your Mac
Settings ▸ MCP opens a private connection that compatible AI apps on this Mac can use to search and read your journal, add new entries, and organize your library. It starts off, shows when it's on, and switches off instantly. Connected apps can't edit or delete anything you've already written.
The small recording window now appears only when Ember is in the background. Voice notes keep their transcript in the entry, without an audio player.
Also: recording controls, borders and badges follow your theme · empty entries invite you to type or speak.
- 0.3.8DesktopJuly 29, 2026
You can now set up Ember with an invite code: one code turns on sync and includes AI, with no key to paste.
Set up with an invite code
When you first open Ember, enter your invite code and you're done: sync is on and AI works, with nothing to sign up for or paste in. Settings ▸ AI shows how much of this month's included AI you've used, and it resets each month.
If your sync storage fills up, Settings ▸ Sync now says so. Your journal stays complete on this Mac, and new changes sync again once there's room.
Also: a plain note when this month's included AI runs out, instead of an error.
- 0.3.7DesktopJuly 28, 2026
Settings ▸ Sync now lists every device on your journal, with when each one last synced.
Update Ember on your iPhone too. Until you do, your iPhone pauses syncing.
Each Mac and iPhone on your journal is listed by name, like "MacBook Pro", with when it last synced. New devices appear as soon as they're paired.
Letters you've read on your phone are now marked read here too.
Also: a soft shimmer while your daily summary is being written · the Settings sidebar stays in place.
- 0.3.6DesktopJuly 27, 2026
Release notes read properly now, and the update pill moved to the bottom-left corner.
The "Restart to update" pill now sits in the bottom-left corner, and takes the what's-new note's place when an update is ready.
Also: release notes no longer break mid-sentence.
- 0.3.5DesktopJuly 27, 2026
Entering your phone's pairing code is quicker.
The code box appears as soon as your phone connects, and pairing finishes as soon as you type the last digit.
- 0.3.4DesktopJuly 27, 2026
Pairing your phone now shows a code to confirm, and turning on sync is one button.
When you pair your phone, it shows a short code that you type on your Mac, so only your own devices can connect. Turning on sync no longer needs a code pasted in; it's a single button in Settings ▸ Sync.
Also: sync and pairing connect more reliably on networks that gave them trouble.
- 0.3.3DesktopJuly 27, 2026
Settings has a new layout, with an About page where you can check for updates.
Settings now has a sidebar on the left and roomier sections on the right, in both light and dark. The new About page shows your version, has a "Check for updates" button, lets you read what's new, and is where you send feedback.
Also: a device that isn't syncing yet tells you what to do · advanced sync options stay tucked away until you want them.
- 0.3.2DesktopJuly 27, 2026
When sync needs something from you, it now says what in plain words.
A dropped connection, a pairing code that was already used, or another device that needs updating now each get their own clear message instead of a generic error.
- 0.3.1DesktopJuly 27, 2026
Ember now always opens straight into your journal.
On some setups Ember could open to an empty window instead of your journal. It now finds your journal every time.
- 0.3.0DesktopJuly 27, 2026
Ember now updates itself in the background and shows you what changed.
Automatic updates
Ember checks for a new version when it opens and every few hours, downloads it in the background, and shows a small "Restart to update" pill when it's ready. No more downloading a new DMG by hand.
After an update, a small pill shows what's new in that version. Click it to read the notes; it won't come back for that version.
Before an update changes how your journal is stored, Ember now saves a backup copy of it first.
Also: old AI activity logs clear out after 14 days, keeping the journal file small.