Autoreport v0.4.2 Development Log

Version: v0.4.2
Release date: 2026-04-11

This v0.4.2 release is a stabilization pass for the hosted manual flow, not a broader product expansion. The manual starter already made the product faster to use, but one weak point remained: a draft that was almost correct could still fail because of a small YAML indentation collapse. This release focused on reducing that failure edge.

Live service

As of 2026-04-11, the public site and hosted demo are available at:

• Home: https://auto-report.org/
• Guide: https://auto-report.org/guide/
• Updates: https://auto-report.org/%EC%97%85%EB%8D%B0%EC%9D%B4%ED%8A%B8/
• Hosted demo: http://3.36.96.47/

Why this work mattered in v0.4.2

The core public flow was already clear. A user opens the built-in manual starter, sends the brief to another AI, pastes the returned YAML back into the editor, uploads matching screenshots, and downloads a PowerPoint deck. The problem was that this path could still break too easily when a returned YAML draft drifted slightly out of shape.

That is not a missing-feature complaint. It is a reliability problem inside an already useful workflow. For that reason, v0.4.2 chose to strengthen the published manual authoring flow instead of widening the UI with more surface area.

How the public flow changed

• The built-in manual starter now gives tighter AI guidance about the expected response shape.
• Check Draft can repair common indentation drift before it rejects an otherwise usable draft.
• When a repair is applied, the corrected YAML is returned to the editor together with a warning.
• Refresh Preview now keeps the preview rail and upload panels aligned with the current YAML.
• The public flow supports lightweight manual slide changes through Slide Style Gallery, Add Slide, and Delete.
• Screenshot upload stays paired with the matching preview row, and the download filename remains autoreport_demo.pptx.
• In practical terms, fewer almost-correct drafts are lost to a small formatting mistake.

This is not a change that asks readers to learn a new product model. It keeps the same starter, the same editor, the same screenshot step, and the same PPTX download path while reducing the chance of failure. For a public workflow, that kind of improvement often matters more than a larger but less stable feature set.

Why the public documentation changed with it

The release work did not stop at the feature behavior itself. The release notes, guide, and development log were aligned to the same v0.4.2 public flow so readers can move between overview, usage, and change history without switching mental models.

That separation matters. The public site should explain what a hosted demo user can actually do, while deeper implementation and contributor detail belongs in GitHub. The result is a site that is easier to trust because the public pages stay focused on the public workflow.

What this release means for readers

• The hosted workflow stays centered on the built-in manual starter.
• The main reliability improvement is in draft recovery and preview alignment.
• The release keeps the public product story narrow and easier to follow.
• The next work should continue tightening this same flow before expanding the authoring surface.