Changelog

Changelog#

1.3.3 — 07-11-2026#

  • Fix automatic updates being rejected because the release ZIP included an empty folder outside the signed inventory. Existing local plugin folders and packages are preserved.
  • Require the exact final ZIP to pass older-updater download, signature, extraction and native-worker checks before release upload.

1.3.2 — 07-11-2026#

  • Disable copying the manager onto its own active SD installation and reject self-copy attempts before changing installation records. Use SETUP's Check for updates to update the running SD copy.

1.3.1 — 07-11-2026#

  • Support Unicode package filenames during extraction, preserving path and checksum checks and reporting archive-reader errors accurately.
  • Show the manager identity, version and build-year copyright on the idle welcome screen instead of catalog status, and keep the installed version visible in SETUP.
  • Save thumbnails beside the active manager in a dedicated bounded folder, reuse them across openings and offline, and check ETag or Last-Modified before downloading replacements.
  • Fix startup rejection caused by Mac metadata files copied beside signed helper or runtime files, while retaining signature and payload checks.
  • Include compatible startup-loader replacements in signed updates, with approved previous-version checks, atomic publication and recovery through the existing update protocol.
  • Keep recognised Mac metadata from obstructing update cleanup or uninstall.
  • Offer the newest stable OpenMPC Plugin Manager VST release directly from GitHub, independently of catalog publication delays, with architecture, checksum, package and installed-version checks.
  • Use the upstream manager's current display name while preserving its release and installation identifiers.
  • Use the Open MPC organisation's current catalog and repository addresses.
  • Keep firmware extraction compatible with the documented Python 3.10 minimum.

1.3.0 — 29-10-2026#

  • Add publisher-authorized complete manager and helper updates, with staged activation, startup confirmation and a retained working version for recovery.
  • Keep USB and SD versions independent, with separate startup health for Gen1 and Gen2 on a universal stick.
  • Replace the running supervisor and shortcut hook only after the manager closes, preserving existing addin order and independent application recovery.
  • Migrate existing SD installations to complete version storage while preserving preferences, history, local ZIPs and modified files.
  • Add RAM-only plugin thumbnails, compact installed-version badges and a small indicator for newer available versions.
  • Align shared page frames, remove repeated page subtitles, place manager updates above welcome preferences in SETUP, and align Hide message to the right.
  • Offer OpenMPC Plugin Manager G2 from the welcome screen in place of the earlier poloq offer.
  • Fix first-open cache creation and retain the verified worker executable throughout its task.

Updating from 1.2.x or earlier: copy the complete migration bundle onto USB, preserving saved data.
On OS 3.10, reimport its helper and shut down normally before switching the MPC back on.
Then update any SD copy from the new USB session.
The older built-in updater does not install this migration bundle.

The redesigned updater and interface have offline validation; no new hardware-test result is claimed for 1.3.0.

1.2.2 — 28-10-2026#

  • Fix a Gen2 startup crash caused by large saved settings, without recursive regular-expression matching.
  • Keep settings scanning linear on malformed tags to prevent startup hangs with damaged settings.
  • Validate the running MPC executable on overlay setups, retaining the exact supported-firmware hash and stock-file fallback.
  • Record OS 3.10 helper launch refusals in a bounded bootstrap-result.txt on the confirmed USB stick, preserving the original failure status.
  • Add an optional 180-degree display and touch override for inverted panels, with bounded display diagnostics and SD preference preservation.
  • Require a complete-bundle update and matching helper reimport on OS 3.10; older updaters refuse the changed helper package.

1.2.1 — 28-10-2026#

  • Follow the Gen2 MPC content-download drive preference for automatic plugin installation, using the mounted drive’s Synths folder instead of a guessed /nvme/Synths fallback.
  • Add a separate Plugin installation location selector in SETUP, with automatic selection and browsing for existing custom folders.
  • Create missing standard content folders and register chosen locations only after confirmed installation and package validation, preserving an original settings backup.
  • Stop clearly for missing, replaced, read-only or non-executable drives, and retain Gen1’s existing internal plugin destination.
  • Distinguish plugin storage from the Plugin Manager installation on removable SD.

1.2.0 — 27-10-2026#

  • Add automatic Gen1/Gen2 selection in one USB bundle, including ARM64 catalog packages, installed inventory and the Gen2 OS 3.10 helper.
  • Correct Gen2 native UI bindings and prevent recursive shortcut/addin lookup chains.
  • Preserve current service addin settings and their order across repeated manager openings.
  • Retain generation-specific SD installation, update/removal checks and display/touch orientation handling.

Beta 2 hardware approval covers Akai Force on OS 3.9.1 and MPC Live III (Gen2) on OS 3.10 over OS 3.9.1.
Stock Gen2 OS 3.10 remains offline-tested without a hardware-test claim.
Updating from 1.1.0 or a 1.2.0 beta requires copying the complete bundle and reimporting the helper on OS 3.10.

1.2.0-beta.2 — 27-10-2026#

  • Correct two Gen 2 OS 3.10 native UI bindings that prevented the helper from opening the manager.
  • Resolve shortcut forwarding through libc's versioned lookup so an addin's custom dlsym cannot create a recursive wrapper chain; retain the Gen 1 symbol-version fallback.
  • Read current service environment settings and ordered environment files before restarting MPC, preserving addins configured after the current process started.

Gen 2 OS 3.9.1 hardware operation was reported on MPC Live III.
The corrected hook still requires a hardware retest; the reported OS 3.10 helper test used an application overlay rather than a stock OS 3.10 installation.

1.2.0-beta.1 — 26-10-2026#

  • One USB bundle selects the ARMv7 Gen 1 or ARM64 Gen 2 manager, shortcut and helper automatically.
  • Gen 2 catalog downloads, local-package checks and installed inventory use ARM64 releases and the 64-bit plugin registry.
  • The OS 3.10 helper supports the verified stock Gen 2 build, including native loading dialogs and internal Documents locations.
  • SD installation and manager updates retain the selected generation's runtime and preserve user files during removal or rollback.
  • Display rendering and touch coordinates follow the detected panel orientation.
  • Added bounded extraction and section-checksum verification for Gen 2 update images.

Gen 2 has passed offline checks using official OS 3.9.1 and 3.10 images; device testing remains pending.
Install this testing bundle by extracting it onto a prepared USB stick and importing its updated helper on OS 3.10.
The stable 1.1.0 updater cannot install this changed helper automatically.

1.1.0 — 26-10-2026#

Added#

  • Universal USB bundle with the OS 3.9.1 launch route and a one-time controller-helper import for supported Gen 1 OS 3.10.
  • SD-card installation, update/reinstallation and removal of the manager itself, preserving plugins, history, preferences and local packages.
  • Shared SETUP page for SD management, welcome-screen visibility and GitHub manager-update checks with explicit installation confirmation.
  • USB-stick website favicon, with SVG and ICO versions.
  • Public helper source, ARM build target and universal packaging from externally supplied official firmware and a blank setup project.

Changed#

  • Keep cold boot and SD reinsertion quiet; use Shift + Menu to open the manager when the drive was already present at startup.
  • Offer a USB session on fresh insertion even when an SD copy is configured; Cancel keeps the SD selection.
  • Refine the welcome screen, SD setup row, compact header controls and consistent sun/moon theme buttons.
  • Explain both firmware setup routes, welcome actions, SD removal and return times in the guide and Developer FAQ, with refreshed hardware screenshots.
  • Use the sidebar website/manual layout with compact screen cards, category filters and the existing dark/light colors.

Fixed#

  • Restore the native loading display during the 3.10 USB handoff, while allowing launch to continue if optional loading feedback is unavailable.
  • Restore the MPC application when uninstalling the active SD copy ends its supervisor.
  • Remove only the verified, unchanged setup project after successful helper setup.

1.0.3 — 15-10-2026#

Fixed#

  • Preserve existing addin preload libraries in their original order and append the manager's shortcut hook last.
  • Read the running MPC service's effective LD_PRELOAD, including values loaded through environment files.
  • Remove stale manager-hook entries before adding the current hook.
  • Use a root-only temporary RAM environment file, read after existing service environment files, without editing addin configuration.
  • Remove the temporary environment file and service drop-in when the USB session ends.

1.0.2 — 15-10-2026#

Added#

  • Optional installation of poloq Plugin Manager directly from the welcome screen.
  • Latest-release verification against GitHub and the session catalog before downloading poloq's package.
  • Install, Update and Installed button states based on the actual device installation.
  • Changelog document, README badge and website header navigation.

Changed#

  • Locate the autorun salt automatically instead of requiring one exact firmware hash and a fixed binary offset.
  • Validate the MPC executable structure and refuse missing, conflicting or unexpected salt values.
  • Recognize a uniquely matching MIDI input port whose name ends in Private, including device-specific prefixes.
  • Make offline tests accept developer-supplied plugin ZIPs instead of requiring particular plugins.
  • Remove obsolete legacy USB test helpers from the public source.
  • Development deployments now back up verified older plugin ZIPs locally, then remove their USB copies and checksum entries after successful installation.
  • Update the README and website heading to Plugin Manager USB for OPEN MPC.

Fixed#

  • Prevent the welcome action from reinstalling an equal version, downgrading a newer version or creating another copy alongside an installation outside the managed SD folder.
  • Block the welcome action when the installed release version cannot be established safely.
  • Recheck installation state before release verification, download and installer execution.
  • Handle printable bytes before the autorun salt, including longer prefixes and scan-buffer boundaries.
  • Reject firmware inputs that change during validation or extraction, and enforce input size limits.
  • Protect current, equal/newer, unrelated and unrecognized packages during development cleanup, with cleanup failures reported separately from installation success.

1.0.1 — 14-10-2026#

Fixed#

  • Fix sluggish touch response and repeated taps during package checks and preference saves.
  • Move blocking checks and preference writes away from the interface thread.
  • Consolidate package validation to avoid repeated payload checks.

Changed#

  • Reduce idle CPU use.
  • Refine the documentation website, navigation, light theme and README badges.

1.0.0 — 13-10-2026#

Added#

  • USB launch into a touchscreen community plugin catalog on the MPC.
  • Browse, install, update and remove compatible catalog plugins, with local ZIP installation from the stick.
  • Install plugins onto the SD card and compare actual installations with saved USB history.
  • Package compatibility and checksum checks before installer execution.
  • Persistent light/dark theme and welcome-message preferences.
  • Themed download and installation progress.
  • Reopen the manager by holding Shift + Menu for two seconds while the stick remains inserted.
  • Return to MPC on request or after five idle minutes, with immediate recovery following an unexpected manager exit.
  • Manager-only USB packaging, ARM build tools and firmware-based offline tests.
  • Developer FAQ, setup guide and documentation website.
  • Standalone MIT-licensed manager source, with the required upstream and third-party notices.

Project Origins#

Upstream Foundation and USB Prototype#

  • Built on sd88me's community catalog, plugin package format and installation tooling, preserving the upstream license notices.
  • Adapted the installation workflow from a computer using root SSH to confirmed USB launch directly on the MPC.
  • Investigated the stock USB script reader and implemented autorun metadata and checksum generation without bundling Akai files.
  • Created a single-package USB installation proof of concept before building the reusable plugin manager.
  • Checked stock-reader acceptance, installation through the stock shell and refusal of a target mounted without executable support in a disposable offline environment.
  • Selected the SD card's executable Expansions folder as the plugin destination.

05-10-2026 — Touchscreen Manager and Reopening#

  • Added the on-device manager for catalog browsing, local ZIP installation and removal using community package scripts.
  • Kept catalog data and downloads in RAM, fetched the catalog once per opening and removed temporary data when the opening ended.
  • Corrected the rotated display and mapped touchscreen coordinates to the full-screen interface.
  • Moved OS and firmware-library compatibility checks ahead of catalog downloads, with separate download, checking and installation messages.
  • Captured the hardware panel events and implemented the two-second Shift + Menu hold while preserving the normal short-press Browser shortcut.
  • Added temporary session supervision and shortcut hooks, with cleanup when the stick is removed and no persistent startup installation.
  • Tested manager exit and crash recovery, restoring the MPC application after the manager closes.

06-10-2026 — Catalog Design and Installation Records#

  • Replaced the initial interface with a six-card catalog layout, the community palette, Titillium Web and matching tab/action glyphs.
  • Added light/dark themes and saved the selected theme on the USB stick.
  • Added persistent installation history and comparison with the current device, including installations already present before the manager was used.
  • Expanded device detection to inspect plugin folders, retained manager records and MPC registrations, with duplicate paths resolved.
  • Separated On MPC from History and distinguished installed versions from versions offered by the catalog or local ZIPs.
  • Added installed-card indicators, removal actions and updates for known newer releases, retaining the original-installer requirement for content outside the managed target.
  • Remembered each tab's page while the manager remains open and retained browsing after installation.
  • Added the themed welcome screen, persistent Hide message preference and the project-save reminder in the stock launch prompt.
  • Extended idle return to five minutes, suspended it during active operations and retained immediate recovery after a manager crash.
  • Added download and installation progress, then increased the bar to eight pixels with a graceful completion fade.
  • Cleared obsolete catalog status text from operation confirmations and removed temporary input/debug logging.

10-10-2026 — Independent Build#

  • Separated the manager into a standalone build and verified ARM compilation, shortcut fixtures, script syntax and interface rendering independently of the plugin projects.

The initial prototype predates these dated refinements; its saved records do not establish an exact implementation date.
These development milestones were consolidated into the first public release, 1.0.0.