Build 304
BoltAI 3.1 keeps long chats going with Auto-compact and reads scanned PDFs.
New
Auto-compact. When a chat gets long, BoltAI summarizes the earlier messages so you can keep going. New chats use it unless you choose another Context Policy. [ref]
Type /compact to summarize a chat right away. [ref]
A ring next to the mic shows how much context your next message sends. Click it for details. [ref]
Scanned PDFs. When you attach one, BoltAI offers to read it with OCR.
Improved
PDFs with no readable text show a “No text” warning in attachment lists. Click it to read the PDF with OCR.
Token counts are closer for code, indented text, and Chinese, Japanese and Korean text.
Build 97This update improves how chat history and attachments are sent to the model.
Improved
Improved how chat history is sent to the model in long chats.
Chat Context now defaults to the last 20 message pairs instead of 8. Chats, projects and agents with their own setting keep it.
In the Inspector, settings that come from a project, an agent or your defaults are now shown read-only. Click Edit… to customize the chat or change the settings where they come from.
Long chats that send all messages now show a notice above the composer, with an option to send only the last 20 pairs.
Large images are scaled down to fit provider limits when sent, in their original format. The attached file isn't changed.
Fixed
Fixed Chat Context applying only to the first request when the model uses tools. Later steps sent the full chat.
Fixed attachments the model can't read being dropped silently or sent as files the provider rejects. The model is now told which file it couldn't read.
Fixed an image that couldn't be loaded being left out of your message. The send now stops and tells you.
Fixed spreadsheet attachments reaching the model without the values Excel shows, such as dates and percentages.
Fixed RTF attachments being sent as RTF markup instead of text.
Fixed Quick Compose and the Instant Chat Bar dropping your default system prompt and parameters when you picked a model.
Fixed agents set to "Use Default" Chat Context ignoring your account's Chat Context.
Fixed a reply you stopped being sent back to the model with its unfinished reasoning. Replies cut off by the output limit keep their reasoning.
Fixed Save & Regenerate on an earlier message regenerating the wrong reply while the chat showed an error.
Build 96This update fixes images and sign-in for MCP connectors, Anthropic chats that use web search, and chat titles on on-device models.
Improved
If you forget your master password, Settings › Security now has a "Forgot Master Password?" option to reset it, and the steps in the password prompt are correct.
Fixed
Fixed images returned by MCP tools reaching the model empty. Images now show on the reply, and Anthropic and Google models can see them. Other providers get a note that an image came back.
Fixed a large MCP tool result leaving the chat stuck on "Running tool...", and large images slowing the chat down while the reply streams.
Fixed MCP connectors that also work without signing in, such as Seats.aero, never showing their sign-in page. Connect and Reset Authentication now open it. [ref]
Fixed some Anthropic chats failing on every message with a "tool_use ids were found without tool_result blocks" error after Claude used web search. [ref]
Fixed chats on Apple Foundation Models, Ollama and LM Studio sometimes getting the first words of the message as their title. [ref]
Build 95This update fixes renaming chats on macOS 27, chat search, image generation and chat titles.
Improved
When an AI Workflow can't paste its result because you switched to another app, the result is now on the clipboard instead of being lost.
After this update, BoltAI rebuilds its search index once, so search finds text in all your messages. This usually takes a moment.
Fixed
Fixed renaming a chat or editing a message failing on macOS 27.
Fixed search missing text in some messages, and finding nothing when the search contained punctuation. [ref]
Fixed OpenAI image generation failing for every request, including with Setapp. [ref]
Fixed image generation with Google and xAI.
Fixed chat titles not being generated for Apple Foundation Models, xAI, Perplexity and other providers, and custom title prompts having no effect. [ref]
Fixed the Instant Chat Bar input not always getting focus when opened with its shortcut. [ref]
Fixed Cloud Sync failing on every run when a file attached on this Mac had gone missing before it was uploaded.
Fixed Settings pausing when opening General, and blank sidebar icons in Settings on older macOS versions.
Build 92
This update turns on chat tabs for everyone, adds custom project icons, makes BoltAI open faster, and fixes several issues with agents and their tools.
New
Chat tabs are now on by default: open different chats in tabs within one window. To go back to one chat per window, turn off "Enable native chat tabs" in Settings > Developer and restart BoltAI.
Custom project icons: give a project an emoji or one of over a thousand symbols, in one of nine colors. Choose it in Project Settings > General, from the project page, or when you create a project. The icon shows in the sidebar and the project header. [ref]
Max reasoning is now available on custom and OpenAI-compatible providers. BoltAI tells you once that your provider may not support it.
Improved
BoltAI shows its main window sooner at launch.
Long model names no longer overflow the model button in the composer. It shows the short name; hover to see the full one.
In a new chat, Tools now follow the agent you pick, and clearing the agent puts your default tools back.
Fixed
Fixed several problems when picking an agent: the agent could fall back to Default Agent until picked a second time, be dropped from a new tab on the first message, or switch on tools it does not have.
Fixed a new chat tab that could not be closed, with the message "This tab is still working or has an unsaved response".
Fixed a project's prompt mode sometimes not syncing to your other devices.
Fixed importing a BoltAI backup dropping a project's default agent, prompt mode and loop settings.
Build 91
This update adds auto-continue for long responses, makes cloud sync more reliable on an idle Mac, and fixes several chat, MCP and tool issues.
New
Auto-continue long responses: when a model stops because it reached its output limit, BoltAI now asks it to continue and joins the result into the same message, up to three times. It is on by default; turn it off in Settings > General.
On macOS 27, the composer has a floating glass appearance.
The About window has a Copy Support Info button that copies your app and system details, to paste when you contact support.
Improved
Thinking now stays collapsed while a model reasons, so the answer stays in view. To expand it automatically again, turn on "Automatically expand thinking" in Settings > Appearance. [ref]
An idle Mac now picks up changes made on your other devices without needing a relaunch or Sync Now.
Chats with very long plain-text paragraphs, such as pasted logs, open much faster.
Restoring a chat from Trash now checks with the cloud first, and tells you if the chat was already permanently deleted there.
Chat titles are more accurate when your first message refers to a file or image.
Crash reporting no longer starts before you make your privacy choice during onboarding. Settings now says when a change takes effect.
Printing or exporting a chat to PDF no longer includes buttons and other chat controls.
Fixed
Fixed automatic cloud sync not running after launch on Macs that still had Local Account data, and the sync interval setting being ignored.
Fixed new chats starting with an agent's tools turned off, and Instant Chat or switching agents overriding your Tools Off choice. [ref]
Fixed chats staying in Trash past the date shown.
Fixed MCP servers being sent repeated sign-in requests after an authorization failure.
Fixed Claude models on OpenRouter failing to continue after running several tools at once.
Fixed WebP images failing with LM Studio.
Fixed AI services imported from a backup file with an unrecognized provider not working; they are now imported as OpenAI-compatible services.
Fixed menus and popovers appearing in the wrong place under the toolbar on macOS 27.
Build 90
BoltAI now feels more at home on your Mac. The rebuilt chat window brings a native toolbar and sidebar, scrolling that blends into the window, and faster chat switching. This update covers 2.17.0 through 2.17.2, including a fix for a launch crash on macOS 13 and 14.
On macOS 13 or 14 and BoltAI quits right after opening? Download 2.17.2 and install it manually. Here's how.
New
A more native chat window: the toolbar, sidebar search, and window layout fit macOS more closely. On macOS 26, chat content scrolls beneath the toolbar and the inspector blends with its header.
Customize the toolbar with the actions you use most, including Share and one-click PDF export.
Experimental chat tabs: press Command-T for a new tab, or right-click a chat and choose Open in New Tab. Each tab keeps its own place, and you can reopen closed tabs. To try them, go to Settings > Developer > Feature Flags, turn on "Enable native chat tabs (experimental)", then restart BoltAI.
Review and remove duplicate starter prompts, agents, and workflows from your library. BoltAI shows what will be removed before you confirm.
Improved
The reasoning menu next to the model picker now offers Extra High and Max for supported Claude models.
Kimi K3 can now use Low and High reasoning, not only Max, to keep costs down.
Supported Claude models have a larger default response allowance, giving them more room to think and finish an answer. Your custom limits still apply.
Long sessions use less memory, especially with document attachments.
AI Workflows explain capture and permission problems more clearly, help you turn on Accessibility, and let you review an incomplete result.
Unavailable MCP tools stay visible in chat, agent, and project settings, so you can remove them. Deleting an MCP server also removes its tool selections, including on your other devices.
Model pickers keep cached models visible while an updated list loads.
BoltAI no longer offers to install starter prompts, agents, or workflows you already have.
Fixed
Fixed BoltAI crashing at launch on macOS 13 and 14.
Fixed the About window opening by itself at launch on macOS 13 and 14.
Fixed "Hide Dock icon when last window closes" not working reliably on macOS 13 and 14.
Project folders in the sidebar show their orange color again on macOS 14 and 15.
Fixed a crash when stopping a response while it streams, a rare crash in background sync, and a crash when stopping speech playback.
Fixed AI Workflows that insert or copy their result directly failing with "The model returned an empty response" when using Codex CLI. [ref]
Fixed chats failing to send when an MCP server could not load. AI Workflows also continue when a selected MCP tool is unavailable.
Fixed results or errors from an earlier AI Workflow appearing in a later run, and No Preview workflows not completing when run back to back.
Fixed certain AI Workflow requests failing with custom API base URLs.
Saved custom OpenRouter endpoints are now used when loading models and sending requests.
Custom agents keep their selected plugins, and interrupted settings saves no longer show a cancellation error. [ref]
Claude now reports when its response allowance runs out before it answers. [ref]
Answers that fail to save stay visible when you switch chats, and regenerating one no longer brings back later messages.
Documents keep their extracted text if the original file is missing, and chats continue when an attached document can't be read.
Dragged images use the correct format, and attachment-loading failures show an error.
Prompt editor headings and buttons stay visible in their sheets.
Note: AI Workflows need Accessibility permission. If your workflows don't run, turn on BoltAI in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Accessibility, then try again.
Build 85
This release brings more capable projects, faster AI workflows, and smoother everyday performance, along with a wide range of bug fixes.
New
Projects now support linked files and folders on your Mac. Your AI can search, read, and edit them as you work. This feature is in beta. [ref][ref]
Choose a default agent for each project, so new chats start with that agent's instructions, model, and plugins. [ref]
BoltAI can automatically read AGENTS.md, AGENT.md, and CLAUDE.md from your linked project folders, saving you from copying instructions into each project.
"Reveal in Sidebar" takes you from a search result to the chat's location, so you can continue browsing your chats without the search filter. [ref]
You can now connect your OpenRouter account via OAuth instead of manually entering an API key.
GPT-6 Astra is now available through Codex CLI. Grok gains Extra High reasoning, and supported Claude models have more reasoning levels to choose from. [ref]
Amazon Bedrock now caches prompts automatically to reduce the cost of reusing the same instructions and context, with a choice of cache duration.
Approve edits to linked files directly in chat, either once or for the project. If you're in another app, BoltAI can notify you when it needs your approval.
Improved
Redesigned project settings to make them easier to navigate. You can now drag files and folders into the new-project window to link them.
Improved startup speed, chat switching, and the display of code in responses.
You can now disable providers you don't use, including Setapp, to keep the model picker easier to browse. [ref]
Improved AI workflow performance.
Fixed
Fixed crashes related to clipboard handling in AI workflows.
Fixed slow sidebar searches in large chat libraries.
Fixed code highlighting losing its colors while a response was being generated.
Claude now shows an error when it returns an empty response, rather than leaving you without a reply or explanation. [ref]
Interrupted Claude responses are now marked as incomplete instead of looking like a finished answer. [ref]
PDF attachments that can't be read now show an error instead of being silently left out of your request.
Fixed errors when continuing a Claude chat after it read a web page. [ref]
Fixed plugin-related errors when your chat settings limit how much conversation history is included. [ref]
Switching providers no longer sends plugins that the new provider doesn't support.
Fixed Mistral responses failing as they finished generating.
Fixed duplicate responses and empty response controls caused by overlapping requests. [ref]
Fixed follow-up messages being lost when sent just after pressing Stop. [ref]
BoltAI now explains when an agent stops because it has reached its step limit, including after a plugin fails.
Fixed the main window staying hidden when you clicked BoltAI in the Dock or switched to it with Command-Tab. [ref]
Opening Instant Chat or Workflow Palette no longer unexpectedly brings up the main window. [ref]
Fixed HEIC photos dragged from Apple Photos being rejected by AI providers.
Refreshing the model list no longer keeps showing an outdated locally cached list.
Failed image generation now shows an error instead of leaving an empty response or a stuck progress indicator.
Fixed requests timing out after 60 seconds despite a longer timeout in Settings.
Fixed chats remaining selected in Trash after they were deleted or restored. [ref]
