Patch Notes
Alpha Stage: looking for feedback!
Dynamic Contours & Subscriptions
The homepage now features living, generative contour animations that respond to the current theme. This release also introduces subscription billing with tiered limits and a self-healing webhook listener.
- Dynamic Contours: Generative contour animation on the home page with full dark mode support.
- Subscription Billing: Tiered usage limits with automatic enforcement.
- Self-Heal Webhooks: Automatic recovery system for payment webhook failures.
- Noise Seeds: Updated contour noise seeds for richer visual variety.
Oxford Seminar
Built a fully interactive web-based presentation for the Oxford seminar, featuring animated contour backgrounds, tree growth animations, and mobile-responsive slide layouts with embedded QR codes.
- Oxford Seminar Page: Interactive web presentation with contour-shifting background animation.
- Tree Slide Animation: Animated growth visualization for the Stemma tree concept.
- New Slides: Added FundingCache, TopologicalCache, and Cybersecurity themed slides.
- Redesigned title and closing slides with a reusable QR code widget.
- Mobile Responsive: Slides adapted for mobile viewing with image fixes.
- Contour Alpha Control: URL-parameter-driven contour line brightness for presentations.
- Security Headers: Added server-level security headers and optimized font loading.
- Waitlist Admin: Dashboard for waitlist statistics and poster-to-slides linkage.
Platform Launch & Star Lineage
A landmark release: the domain migrated to globalresearchspace.com, SEO infrastructure was deployed, authentication was centralized, and the map now visualizes star lineage — showing how research evolves through parent-child connections.
- Auth Provider: Centralized authentication with skeleton loading and retry backoff.
- New Pages: Added dedicated pricing, waitlist, patch notes, and space pages.
- SEO: Implemented sitemap, indexing rules, and meta descriptions across all pages.
- Analytics: Centralized event tracking for auth, projects, chat, and page views.
- Domain Migration: Moved from tgrs.io to globalresearchspace.com.
- Star Lineage: Visualize parent-child connections and same-project links on the map.
- Star Tracing: Dynamic star scaling with lineage trace paths.
- Citation Enrichment: Automated citation import with bibliography parsing and star deduplication.
- Bibliography Editor: Added bibliography file support and email sharing to non-registered users.
- Resource Isolation: Deduplicated ML models, lazy-loaded projections, and async endpoint unblocking.
Database Migration
The entire data layer was migrated to a unified relational database with native vector search, enabling scalable operations. Containerized orchestration was introduced for reproducible local development.
- Tile-Local Filtering: Percentile-based relevance filtering with debounced precision slider.
- Database Migration: Full migration to a unified relational database with native vector search.
- Caching Layer: Usage data and map tile caching with refined star search pruning.
- Touch Interactions: Prevented unwanted scrolling, overscroll, and text selection on mobile.
- Dev Environment: Containerized database orchestration with volume mounts for persistent data.
- Unified Storage: Migrated all remaining local databases to the centralized database.
- Database Tuning: Resource limits, connection pooling, and worker optimization.
Star HUD & Project Cloning
Introduced a heads-up display for active stars with a dedicated info panel, and enabled project cloning directly from stars on the map. The admin panel gained a token usage dashboard, and storage tracking was added to project cards.
- Responsive Editor: Adaptive editor controls and loading states for project cards.
- Star HUD: Global active star state with a marker overlay and dedicated info panel.
- Project Cloning: Clone projects directly from stars, including multi-star support.
- Light Mode Jitter: Resolved zoom jitter artifact in light mode.
- Token Dashboard: Admin panel with detailed token usage metrics and error handling.
- Publish Protection: Prevent deletion of projects with published papers.
- Storage Tracking: Per-project storage usage displayed on project cards.
- Upload Limits: Increased upload size limits with enhanced file validation.
Space Controller & Light Mode
The space controller was completely redesigned as a collapsible side panel, and a full light-mode map was introduced with cartographic-style color theming. Star types now carry distinct color coding.
- Space Controller: Redesigned as a collapsible side panel with cleaner layout.
- Light Mode Map: Full light-mode with map-like color adjustments and theming.
- Star Color Theming: Star types now visually coded by color.
- Search Tuning: Adjusted search limits and default relevance precision.
- Map Sync Animation: Smoother synchronization and publish animations.
- Tab Overlap: Top bar no longer covered by floating tabs.
- Mobile Controller: Space controller now usable on mobile viewports.
- Code Cleanup: Laika chat functions refactored into dedicated modules.
Chat System & File Management
Laika evolved from a task-only assistant into a full chat system. File and repo size limits were enforced, theme immunity was implemented across key pages, and the search space gained a precision slider for relevance tuning.
- Chat System: Introduced conversational chat interface replacing task-only Laika.
- File & Repo Limits: Enforced maximum file and repository size constraints.
- AI Publish Suggestions: Laika can now suggest publishing actions.
- Laika Scoping: Smarter task classification — not everything is a task now.
- Laika File Removal: Fixed bug preventing Laika from removing files.
- Theme Immunity: Consistent theming on `/`, `/login`, `/space`, and `/waitlist`.
- Drag & Drop: Drop zone expanded to cover full explorer section.
- Relevance Slider: Precision control for search relevance tuning.
- Waitlist Storage: Migrated to a more reliable database backend.
- Sharing Fixes: Resolved email matching issues preventing shares on certain accounts.
Infra Hardening & Task Overhaul
Backend infrastructure was hardened with firewall configuration, port migration, and database read-only mode. The task loading system was rebuilt with a message queue, and a waitlist feature was introduced.
- Firewall: Server firewall configuration with safety documentation.
- Port Migration: Moved to port 5002 with configurable SpaceStore base URL.
- Star Performance: Optimized star rendering for smoother map interactions.
- Workspace Homepage: Section refactored into its own component files.
- Worker Tuning: Database set to read-only, worker counts optimized (4→2→1).
- Waitlist: User waitlist feature with styled submission form.
- Task Queue: Task loader migrated from polling to pub/sub messaging.
- Space Controller: Style updates and bug patches.
Semantic Nebula & Vector Tile Architecture
A breakthrough in high-density data visualization. We've introduced 'Semantic Nebulas'—a deterministic pipeline for projecting high-dimensional embeddings into a navigable 2D space, supported by custom vector tile serving and cryptographic node verification.
- Semantic Heat Maps: Prototyped high-density visual representations of data clusters.
- FFT Contour Generation: Researched Fast Fourier Transform methods for organic boundary mapping.
- Database Partitioning: Evaluated multiple DB engines for optimized cluster-based storage.
- Dynamic Palettes: Built functional expression-based color systems for data-driven styling.
- Academic Extraction: Implemented experimental paper metadata extraction and attribution logic.
- Dimensionality Reduction: Tested high-scale reduction techniques (UMAP/TSNE variants) for large datasets.
- Vector Tile Serving: Implemented offloaded serving methods for smooth map-style navigation.
- Embedding Pipeline: Developed title/abstract semantic embedding workflows with custom encoding models.
- Deterministic Projection: Created a pipeline for stable, reproducible coordinate assignment in 2D space.
- Semantic Nebula: Developed bulk shaping methods for star-field visualization of datasets.
- Git Integration: Prototyped publish-to-repo linkage with UI 'Star' indicators for node popularity.
- Cryptographic Minting: Added node verification layers using blockchain-inspired signing.
- Deep Search: Architected flexible SQL models and implemented QVec LRU & DB Disk caching.
- Mercator Precompute: Implemented positional norm optimization and Mercator projection for global scaling.
- Interactive Stars: Added Star hover popups and URL-to-Bounding-Box sync for easy region sharing.
- Visual Landmarks: Experimented with multi-layered visual depth to create intuitive anchors for spatial navigation.
- Nebula Sync: Deep-linked URL parameters to filter nebula views by author, time, and tags.
- System Stress Test: Imported and linked 100,000 Arxiv papers into the global research space.
Dark Mode & UI Verticality
Added Dark Mode! The graph interface has been reorganised into a vertical stack, alongside real-time online user tracking and implemented graph filtering.
- Dark Mode: Implemented dark theme support across the entire application.
- Vertical Navigation: Refactored UI into a vertical stack for future mobile compatibility.
- Graph Filtering: Added keyword and author-based filters to the Stemma Graph.
Editor Refinement & Collaboration UX
This update focuses on stabilizing the new Hybrid Markdown environment, aligning component logic between the viewer and editor, and enhancing the collaborative visibility within the Git Graph.
- Hybrid Editor Stability: Integrated robust Undo/Redo stacks and fixed delete race conditions.
- Unified Component Architecture: The Markdown viewer and editor now share a single source of truth for component rendering.
- Git Graph Social: Added 'Add User' functionality to the map and enabled live user activity indicators.
- Deleting Nodes now prompts a confirmation dialog to prevent accidental data loss.
- Graph Styling: Re-aligned user avatars vertically and updated avatar handling logic for better clarity.
- Sharing: Projects are now 'Make Shareable' directly from the portal interface.
- Media Handling: Implemented image linkage parity between view/edit modes and resolved an infinite loop bug caused by missing images.
- Safety Cues: Added a global 'Delete Warning' popup to prevent accidental data loss.
- Hybrid Metadata: Introduced MD Config injection and Table Identifier support for block-level state management.
Hybrid Editor & Merge Protocols
A significant evolution in authoring and merging. We've introduced a 'Hybrid' Markdown environment that treats documents as discrete blocks (Math, Code, Prose) for maximum rendering stability. On the backend, the merge protocol has been hardened with a hidden '__incoming__' directory strategy.
- Hybrid Markdown Editor: Jupyter-style block editing with isolated state for Math (KaTeX) and Code.
- Added Editor Toggle: Seamlessly swap between 'Hybrid' (Block) and 'Raw' (Monaco) modes.
- Merge Protocol Upgrade: Standardized the hidden '__incoming__/' directory for safer merge staging.
- File Explorer: Added 'C' indicator on tree nodes to quickly diff Base vs. Incoming changes.
- Resolved 'disappearing text' bugs by moving to non-destructive Markdown parsing.
- Compare Resolver: Front-end diff calculation logic now triggers on 'C' node selection.
- Email Graph: Evaluated automatic thread mapping; discarded due to privacy/security constraints.
Merge Visualization & PDF Tools
A major update to the Graph capabilities, extending 'Ghost Nodes' to visualize complex merge operations. Also includes significant upgrades to the PDF viewer and production infrastructure fixes.
- Resolved WebSocket routing issues (Nginx/HTTPS); broadcast now functions correctly on production domains.
- Extended Ghost Node system to visualize merge targets from two distinct sources (Shift+Click).
- Refined Merge algorithm: Improved node positioning and rendered strict edge directionality.
- Upgraded PDF Viewer: Added panning, rotation, and a streamlined control bar.
- Added 'Show Password' visibility toggle for secure inputs.
- Added Loading Placeholders for smoother component transitions.
- Added 404 Error handling to the Editor Title Bar.
New CSV Editor and Viewer Added
Full read/write capabilities for CSV datasets. The new spreadsheet interface includes column/row manipulation, a dedicated toolbar, and robust undo/redo history management.
- Implemented Spreadsheet Editor with 'react-spreadsheet'.
- Added CSV Toolbar with Add/Delete Row & Column controls.
- Integrated Undo/Redo history stack with keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl+Z/Y).
- Added live version tag to global navigation bar.
- Polished selection state and delete logic for strict row/col handling.
Phase 1: Mapping [Alpha Access]
Core architecture operational. Now featuring a fully usable File Explorer, multi-modal Editor, and live Stemma Graph collaboration. System is capable of verifiable history mapping in a live environment.
- Official System Tag: v0.1.0 Alpha applied.
- Deployment verified on production droplet.
- Resolved Equation/LaTeX rendering pipeline.
- Polished Empty State UX with instructional cues.
Live Deployment & Security
Establishing secure communication channels and public access points.
- Prototype live via HTTPS (Certbot/SSL).
- Implemented System Changelog (Patch Notes).
Renderer & Visualization Engine
Enhanced the visual fidelity of the Stemma Tree and file rendering capabilities.
- Smooth Pan/Zoom for User Avatars in Graph.
- Docx Support: Added Mammoth & TipTap renderers.
- Image Insertion support for Word documents.
- Multi-user location rendering in Git Graph.
- Optimized staging: Converting .docx to HTML for diff computation.
Real-Time Collaboration Layer
Activated live tracking and Laika agent autonomy.
- New Project Dashboard (Public/Private Toggles).
- Live User Tracking: Visible changes when collaborators edit.
- Laika Agent: Improved async commit handling.
- Generalized Broadcast Mechanism via WebSockets.
- DAG Inversion: Recursive prune propagation for node deletion.
- Cookie Token Listeners for seamless auth updates.
Core R&D & Architecture
Deep research into distributed graph theory and file system architecture. Multiple prototypes were built and discarded to arrive at the current Stemma Protocol.
- VCS Engine: Custom PyGit2 implementation.
- Laika v1: Llama Index RAG + Commit-level context.
- Dockerized Microservices (Redis + Workers).
- Evaluated 'BarycenterHeuristics' for graph layout.
- Prototype: 'CirclesOfTime' (Radial visualization attempt).
- Prototype: 'GravityTree' (Physics-based node layout).
- Evaluated 'Sugiyama' framework for DAG rendering.
- Backend Tests: 'GCFUSE' vs 'GitVM' vs 'Gitea' integrations.