chore: prepare signed release v1.8.19-alpha

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -2,6 +2,18 @@
 
 ## Unreleased
 
+## v1.8.19-alpha (2026-09-28)
+
+- Fixed the embedded AIUI chat page painting a second background and dark scrim over Archy’s dashboard background.
+- Embedded AIUI now stays transparent so the dashboard background appears once.
+- AIUI background fixes are now included reliably in OTA updates and fresh installations.
+
+## v1.8.18-alpha (2026-09-18)
+
+- Framework startup prioritizes Bitcoin and LND before unrelated containers, and unavailable LND balances remain unavailable instead of appearing as false zeroes.
+- Cashu Receive guides unseeded wallets through recovery-phrase setup, with shorter backup guidance and a single-column layout.
+- Added live Framework verification for automatic LND unlock, native balance preservation, Cashu address registration, and proof preservation.
+
 ## v1.8.17-alpha (2026-09-15)
 
 - Minibits claims that every mint reports as already spent leave the retry queue, clearing repeated failure notices. Network errors and mixed mint failures remain queued for another attempt.

aiui/packages/app/server/dev-auth.ts

@@ -46,13 +46,14 @@ interface RateBucket {
 
 const rateBuckets = new Map<string, RateBucket>()
 
-// Clean up stale buckets every 5 minutes
+// Vite imports this module during builds too; cleanup must not keep the
+// process alive once compilation has finished.
 setInterval(() => {
   const now = Date.now()
   for (const [key, bucket] of rateBuckets) {
     if (now > bucket.resetAt) rateBuckets.delete(key)
   }
-}, 5 * 60_000)
+}, 5 * 60_000).unref()
 
 function getClientIp(req: IncomingMessage): string {
   return req.socket.remoteAddress ?? 'unknown'

aiui/packages/app/src/main.ts

@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ const PWA_CACHE_VERSION = '2'
 // Only embedded when explicitly requested via ?embedded param
 const _embeddedFlag = new URLSearchParams(window.location.search).has('embedded')
 ;(window as unknown as Record<string, unknown>).__AIUI_EMBEDDED__ = _embeddedFlag
+document.documentElement.classList.toggle('aiui-embedded', _embeddedFlag)
 
 const router = createRouter({
   history: createWebHistory(import.meta.env.BASE_URL),

aiui/packages/app/src/pages/ChatPage.vue

@@ -2,13 +2,13 @@
   <div
     class="h-full flex flex-col relative overflow-hidden transition-colors duration-300"
     :class="[]"
-    :style="isDark
-      ? { background: '#000 url(' + bgImageUrl + ') center center / cover no-repeat fixed' }
-      : isEmbedded
-        ? { background: 'transparent' }
+    :style="isEmbedded
+      ? { background: 'transparent' }
+      : isDark
+        ? { background: '#000 url(' + bgImageUrl + ') center center / cover no-repeat fixed' }
         : { backgroundColor: '#f5f4f1' }"
   >
-    <div v-if="isDark" class="absolute inset-0 pointer-events-none bg-black/20" />
+    <div v-if="isDark && !isEmbedded" class="absolute inset-0 pointer-events-none bg-black/20" />
 
     <!-- Desktop layout -->
     <div

aiui/packages/app/src/styles/main.css

@@ -57,12 +57,8 @@ body {
   width: 100%;
   height: 100%;
   overflow: hidden;
-  /* Every page paints its own explicit background (bg-[#0a0a0a] / bg-[#faf9f6])
-     EXCEPT the embedded Chat page, which intentionally goes transparent so
-     Archy's own dark chrome can show behind it (Chat.vue's iframe host). With
-     no background-color here, "transparent" fell through to the browser's
-     default white canvas instead. Match the theme's own dark/light default so
-     nothing above this ever needs to guess. */
+  /* Standalone canvas fallback. Embedded mode overrides this below so
+     Archy's wallpaper remains visible through the iframe. */
   background-color: #0a0a0a;
 }
 
@@ -70,6 +66,19 @@ html.light body {
   background-color: #faf9f6;
 }
 
+/* The host owns the wallpaper when AIUI is embedded. The document canvas
+   must be transparent too, otherwise it hides the host behind ChatPage. */
+html.aiui-embedded {
+  /* Match Archy's dark canvas scheme. Browsers otherwise give an iframe
+     with a different scheme an opaque canvas despite transparent CSS. */
+  color-scheme: dark;
+}
+
+html.aiui-embedded,
+html.aiui-embedded body {
+  background: transparent;
+}
+
 /* ===== DARK MODE GLASSMORPHISM — from Archy ===== */
 
 @layer components {

core/Cargo.lock

@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "archipelago"
-version = "1.8.17-alpha"
+version = "1.8.19-alpha"
 dependencies = [
  "anyhow",
  "archipelago-container",

core/archipelago/Cargo.toml

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "archipelago"
-version = "1.8.17-alpha"
+version = "1.8.19-alpha"
 edition = "2021"
 license.workspace = true
 description = "Archipelago Bitcoin Node OS - Native backend"

docs/incident-framework-lnd-startup.md

@@ -286,3 +286,93 @@ record final human confirmation of the rendered dashboard balance (native balanc
 match exactly, and UI failure/recovery regressions pass). Keep this follow-up
 visible across sessions; do not rebuild/reboot/reinitialize a working wallet just
 to repeat already completed checks.
+
+### Backup copy and layout — 2026-09-15
+
+At the user's request, shortened the ecash backup explanations and stacked each
+card section's text and full-width action vertically. Kept the distinction
+between node-derived and separate phrases, and the warning that a newly created
+phrase covers future coins rather than existing legacy coins.
+
+All 10 Receive/backup tests and the production UI build pass. Deployed the UI to
+Framework without a restart; served index and backup-component bundle match the
+build byte-for-byte. The prior UI is saved as `web-ui-before-backup-copy` in the
+protected incident directory. Source integration and final rendered dashboard
+balance confirmation remain pending as above.
+
+### LNURL comment-length report — 2026-09-15
+
+User reports a maximum-comment-length error in some sending wallets. Live
+Framework address metadata advertises integer `commentAllowed: 100`. The QR
+contains the address only; Archy's Receive UI does not add a comment. The
+Minibits-hosted callback returned invoices for omitted/empty comments, 100 ASCII
+characters, 101 ASCII characters, and 100 accented characters. These were unpaid
+invoice requests at the advertised minimum amount; no funds were sent.
+
+The callback did not reproduce the error, including beyond its advertised limit.
+Sending-wallet validation against the advertised 100-character limit is therefore
+a hypothesis, not a confirmed root cause. Asked which wallets fail and whether
+an empty comment also fails. Need that result before selecting a code fix.
+The service controls the advertised limit; changing local Receive text or QR
+cannot raise it for other wallets.
+
+### Primal Spark: automatic recipient note exceeds the address limit
+
+User clarified that no comment was entered and the sender is Primal Spark.
+Checked Framework's management journal over the preceding 20 minutes: no
+comment-length errors, service active, and zero pending Minibits claims. Recent
+claim polling connected to and disconnected from the relay normally. Historical
+seed-authentication failures preceded the successful setup already documented.
+
+The live address's Minibits `text/plain` description is **101 ASCII characters**,
+while `commentAllowed` is **100**. Description template (address redacted):
+`Pay to [ADDRESS] with Lightning. Receiver will receive ecash into Minibits Wallet.`
+
+Primal Android source at `36939db97213e7f8eeefaa4adaf125d839fc662e`:
+- `WalletTextParserImpl.handleLnUrlText` assigns the parsed description to
+  `DraftTx.noteRecipient`, including for Lightning-address input.
+- `TransactionEditor` initializes its editable recipient note from that value.
+- `SparkWalletServiceImpl` passes it untrimmed to `PrepareLnurlPayRequest.comment`.
+- Breez Spark source at `8bb38ec292a590907360c4e7f2a4134b8f09de9e`,
+  `common/src/lnurl/pay.rs::validate_user_input`, rejects a comment exceeding the
+  limit with the exact reported error before requesting the callback.
+
+This identifies a concrete compatibility failure: the address description can
+become an automatic over-limit comment without the sender typing anything.
+The user confirmed that explicitly clearing the prefilled recipient note made
+the payment work, and supplied the same description observed in live metadata.
+This confirms the automatic-comment compatibility failure. The installed Primal
+platform/version was not captured. Node logs alone cannot show sender-side
+validation or requests to the external Minibits callback.
+
+Durable upstream correction: Primal should keep receiver metadata separate from
+the sender's comment and enforce the limit on actual user comments. Minibits can
+also shorten its description or raise its advertised comment limit. Archy does
+not serve this external LNURL metadata; do not rename an existing wallet address,
+rotate its seed, or claim that a local dashboard edit fixes this sender behavior.
+
+### Primal workaround confirmed by user
+
+The user confirmed successful payment after removing the automatic description.
+The permanent sender-side correction is to leave the recipient comment empty by
+default and retain receiver metadata only as display text. In Primal Android,
+remove the assignment of the LNURL description to the draft recipient note in
+`WalletTextParserImpl.handleLnUrlText`; also validate explicitly entered comments
+against the endpoint's limit. No upstream change has been submitted or deployed.
+Existing Framework addresses and wallet identities remain unchanged.
+
+### Can Archy shorten the current address description?
+
+Inspected Minibits' public wallet client (`src/services/minibitsService.ts`,
+`updateWalletProfile`) and `WalletProfileRecord`. The supported profile update
+fields are name, lud16, and avatar; there is no exposed LNURL description or
+comment-limit setting. Its public web repository also contains no implementation
+of the LNURL metadata endpoint or description template.
+
+For the existing `@minibits.cash` address, no supported client-side mechanism
+to shorten this text was found. Do not send guessed profile-update fields or
+rename the address to disguise the problem. A Minibits server change could use
+`Pay to [ADDRESS]`, well below the current limit. Controlling this metadata in
+Archy would instead require an Archy-hosted LNURL service/address and correct
+invoice metadata binding; rewriting the QR label or only proxying edited metadata
+is insufficient. No wallet/profile mutations were made during this investigation.

neode-ui/package-lock.json

@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 {
   "name": "neode-ui",
-  "version": "1.8.17-alpha",
+  "version": "1.8.19-alpha",
   "lockfileVersion": 3,
   "requires": true,
   "packages": {
     "": {
       "name": "neode-ui",
-      "version": "1.8.17-alpha",
+      "version": "1.8.19-alpha",
       "dependencies": {
         "@scure/bip39": "^2.2.0",
         "@types/dompurify": "^3.0.5",

neode-ui/package.json

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
   "name": "neode-ui",
   "private": true,
-  "version": "1.8.17-alpha",
+  "version": "1.8.19-alpha",
   "type": "module",
   "scripts": {
     "start": "./start-dev.sh",

neode-ui/src/components/EcashSeedBackup.vue

@@ -226,61 +226,54 @@ async function restoreFromPhrase() {
       Your ecash has no backup yet
     </div>
 
-    <div class="flex items-start justify-between gap-4">
+    <div class="flex flex-col gap-3">
       <div class="min-w-0">
         <h2 class="text-xl font-semibold text-white/96 mb-1">{{ setupOnly ? 'Set up your Cashu Lightning address' : 'Ecash backup phrase' }}</h2>
 
-        <p v-if="status?.active && status?.source === 'node-seed'" class="text-sm text-white/60">
-          Your ecash wallet has its own 24-word phrase, derived from this node's recovery
-          phrase — so the words you already wrote down cover your ecash too. Reveal it here
-          if you want to restore your ecash into another wallet (Minibits, Nutstash,
-          <span class="font-mono">cdk-cli</span>) without handing over the node's own seed.
+        <p v-if="status?.active && status?.source === 'node-seed'" class="text-sm leading-relaxed text-white/60">
+          Your node's recovery phrase also recovers this ecash phrase. Reveal its 24 words
+          to restore in a compatible Cashu wallet without sharing your node's phrase.
         </p>
-        <p v-else-if="status?.active" class="text-sm text-white/60">
-          Your ecash wallet has its own 24-word phrase. Reveal it to write it down, or to
-          restore your ecash into another wallet (Minibits, Nutstash,
-          <span class="font-mono">cdk-cli</span>).
+        <p v-else-if="status?.active" class="text-sm leading-relaxed text-white/60">
+          Save your 24-word ecash phrase to restore this wallet here or in another
+          compatible Cashu wallet.
         </p>
-        <p v-else class="text-sm text-white/60">
-          Ecash is a bearer instrument: the coins live in a file on this node, and right now
-          nothing can bring them back if that file is lost. Setting up a backup phrase fixes
-          that for every coin minted from then on.
+        <p v-else class="text-sm leading-relaxed text-white/60">
+          If this node's coin file is lost, your ecash is lost. Set up a phrase to recover
+          future coins; existing coins aren't covered.
           <template v-if="status?.derivable_from_node_seed">
-            It's derived from this node's recovery phrase, so there's nothing new to write down.
+            Your node's recovery phrase will also recover this phrase.
           </template>
           <template v-else>
-            This node has no encrypted seed backup to derive from, so the phrase will be its
-            own — you'll need to write these words down and keep them.
+            This node has no saved seed, so write down and keep the new phrase separately.
           </template>
         </p>
 
         <p v-if="status?.source === 'independent' || status?.source === 'imported'" class="mt-2 text-xs text-orange-300/90">
-          This wallet's phrase was <strong>not</strong> derived from the node's recovery
-          phrase{{ status?.source === 'imported' ? ' — it was imported' : '' }}, so restoring
-          the node will not bring the ecash back. Only these words will.
+          {{ status?.source === 'imported' ? 'This imported phrase' : 'This phrase' }} is separate
+          from your node's backup. <strong>Only these words recover this ecash wallet.</strong>
         </p>
 
       </div>
 
       <button
         type="button"
-        class="shrink-0 glass-button rounded-lg px-4 py-2 text-sm font-medium"
+        class="w-full glass-button rounded-lg px-4 py-2 text-sm font-medium"
         :class="!status?.active ? 'bg-orange-500/20 border-orange-400/30' : ''"
         @click="openReveal"
       >{{ status?.active ? 'Reveal' : (setupOnly ? 'Set up address' : 'Set up backup') }}</button>
     </div>
 
     <div v-if="status?.active && !setupOnly" class="mt-4 pt-4 border-t border-white/10">
-      <div class="flex items-start justify-between gap-4">
-        <p class="text-sm text-white/60 min-w-0">
+      <div class="flex flex-col gap-3">
+        <p class="text-sm leading-relaxed text-white/60 min-w-0">
           <span class="text-white/80 font-medium">Restore from this phrase.</span>
-          Asks your mint which coins it has signed for these words and puts back any that
-          are still unspent. Safe to run at any time — it never duplicates coins you already
-          hold.
+          Recover unspent coins from your mint. Safe to repeat; coins you already hold
+          won't be duplicated.
         </p>
         <button
           type="button"
-          class="shrink-0 glass-button rounded-lg px-4 py-2 text-sm font-medium disabled:opacity-50"
+          class="w-full glass-button rounded-lg px-4 py-2 text-sm font-medium disabled:opacity-50"
           :disabled="restoring"
           @click="restoreFromPhrase"
         >{{ restoring ? 'Scanning…' : 'Restore' }}</button>
@@ -290,15 +283,15 @@ async function restoreFromPhrase() {
     </div>
 
     <div v-if="!setupOnly" class="mt-4 pt-4 border-t border-white/10">
-      <div class="flex items-start justify-between gap-4">
-        <p class="text-sm text-white/60 min-w-0">
+      <div class="flex flex-col gap-3">
+        <p class="text-sm leading-relaxed text-white/60 min-w-0">
           <span class="text-white/80 font-medium">Use a phrase from another wallet.</span>
-          Point this wallet at a phrase you already have — from Minibits, Nutstash or
-          <span class="font-mono">cdk-cli</span> — so its coins can be restored here.
+          Import a phrase from Minibits, Nutstash or <span class="font-mono">cdk-cli</span>
+          to restore its coins here.
         </p>
         <button
           type="button"
-          class="shrink-0 glass-button rounded-lg px-4 py-2 text-sm font-medium"
+          class="w-full glass-button rounded-lg px-4 py-2 text-sm font-medium"
           @click="openImport"
         >Import</button>
       </div>
@@ -324,7 +317,7 @@ async function restoreFromPhrase() {
         </template>
 
         <template v-else>
-          <p class="text-sm text-white/60 mb-4">
+          <p class="text-sm leading-relaxed text-white/60 mb-4">
             Paste the 24-word phrase from the other wallet. The coins already in this wallet
             stay spendable either way.
           </p>
@@ -381,9 +374,8 @@ async function restoreFromPhrase() {
         </h3>
 
         <template v-if="revealedWords.length === 0">
-          <p class="text-sm text-white/60 mb-4">
-            Confirm your credentials to
-            {{ status?.active ? 'display the 24-word ecash phrase' : 'derive and display your ecash backup phrase' }}.
+          <p class="text-sm leading-relaxed text-white/60 mb-4">
+            Confirm your credentials to {{ status?.active ? 'reveal' : 'set up' }} your ecash phrase.
           </p>
           <form @submit.prevent="submitReveal" class="space-y-3">
             <div>
@@ -412,12 +404,12 @@ async function restoreFromPhrase() {
           <SeedRevealPanel :words="revealedWords" />
           <p class="text-xs text-white/40 mt-3">
             <template v-if="revealedSource === 'node-seed'">
-              Derived from this node's recovery phrase — restoring the node restores this
-              ecash wallet too. These words also restore it into any NUT-13 wallet.
+              Your node's recovery phrase recovers this ecash wallet too. Use these words
+              separately in a compatible Cashu (NUT-13) wallet.
             </template>
             <template v-else>
-              This phrase is independent of the node's recovery phrase. It is the
-              <strong>only</strong> way to restore this ecash wallet — write it down.
+              Write these words down. They are the <strong>only</strong> way to recover
+              this ecash wallet; your node's phrase won't recover it.
             </template>
           </p>
           <div class="flex gap-2 pt-4">

neode-ui/src/views/settings/AccountInfoSection.vue

@@ -362,6 +362,30 @@ init()
               </button>
             </div>
             <div class="overflow-y-auto flex-1 min-h-0 space-y-6 pr-1">
+              <!-- v1.8.19-alpha -->
+              <div>
+                <div class="flex items-center gap-2 mb-3">
+                  <span class="text-xs font-mono px-2 py-0.5 rounded bg-orange-500/20 text-orange-300">v1.8.19-alpha</span>
+                  <span class="text-xs text-white/40">September 28, 2026</span>
+                </div>
+                <div class="space-y-3 text-sm text-white/80 pl-3 border-l border-white/10">
+                  <p>Fixed the embedded AIUI chat page painting a second background and dark scrim over Archy’s dashboard background.</p>
+                  <p>Embedded AIUI now stays transparent so the dashboard background appears once.</p>
+                  <p>AIUI background fixes are now included reliably in OTA updates and fresh installations.</p>
+                </div>
+              </div>
+              <!-- v1.8.18-alpha -->
+              <div>
+                <div class="flex items-center gap-2 mb-3">
+                  <span class="text-xs font-mono px-2 py-0.5 rounded bg-orange-500/20 text-orange-300">v1.8.18-alpha</span>
+                  <span class="text-xs text-white/40">September 18, 2026</span>
+                </div>
+                <div class="space-y-3 text-sm text-white/80 pl-3 border-l border-white/10">
+                  <p>Framework startup prioritizes Bitcoin and LND before unrelated containers, and unavailable LND balances remain unavailable instead of appearing as false zeroes.</p>
+                  <p>Cashu Receive guides unseeded wallets through recovery-phrase setup, with shorter backup guidance and a single-column layout.</p>
+                  <p>Added live Framework verification for automatic LND unlock, native balance preservation, Cashu address registration, and proof preservation.</p>
+                </div>
+              </div>
               <!-- v1.8.17-alpha -->
               <div>
                 <div class="flex items-center gap-2 mb-3">

release-manifest.json

@@ -1,30 +1,29 @@
 {
   "changelog": [
-    "Minibits claims that every mint reports as already spent leave the retry queue, clearing repeated failure notices. Network errors and mixed mint failures remain queued for another attempt.",
-    "Minibits polls its primary relay first and connects to public fallback relays only when the primary is unreachable, reducing unnecessary connections.",
-    "Large payment backlogs are fetched from newest to oldest with a saved cursor, so polling can resume after interruptions or page limits. Payments sharing the same timestamp remain reachable.",
-    "Added regression coverage for spent-claim classification, wrapped and mixed mint errors, same-second payments, and interrupted or multi-poll backlogs."
+    "Framework startup prioritizes Bitcoin and LND before unrelated containers, and unavailable LND balances remain unavailable instead of appearing as false zeroes.",
+    "Cashu Receive guides unseeded wallets through recovery-phrase setup, with shorter backup guidance and a single-column layout.",
+    "Added live Framework verification for automatic LND unlock, native balance preservation, Cashu address registration, and proof preservation."
   ],
   "components": [
     {
-      "current_version": "1.8.17-alpha",
-      "download_url": "https://source.archipelago-foundation.org/lfg2025/archy/releases/download/v1.8.17-alpha/archipelago",
+      "current_version": "1.8.18-alpha",
+      "download_url": "https://source.archipelago-foundation.org/lfg2025/archy/releases/download/v1.8.18-alpha/archipelago",
       "name": "archipelago",
-      "new_version": "1.8.17-alpha",
-      "sha256": "32a7b009eb58f8c9f256e6597711a77ded11e15d5865a3fe16901603264e1f70",
-      "size_bytes": 64953344
+      "new_version": "1.8.18-alpha",
+      "sha256": "c76415c295dd42159e45e74d93f7c2f6fa39b0351946a8303f8cfba1dd3a6087",
+      "size_bytes": 64497240
     },
     {
-      "current_version": "1.8.17-alpha",
-      "download_url": "https://source.archipelago-foundation.org/lfg2025/archy/releases/download/v1.8.17-alpha/archipelago-frontend-1.8.17-alpha.tar.gz",
-      "name": "archipelago-frontend-1.8.17-alpha.tar.gz",
-      "new_version": "1.8.17-alpha",
-      "sha256": "faf692e9a0e16268357bcac2bf86b62950ae49663e3c95982e54a132bb761980",
-      "size_bytes": 98801608
+      "current_version": "1.8.18-alpha",
+      "download_url": "https://source.archipelago-foundation.org/lfg2025/archy/releases/download/v1.8.18-alpha/archipelago-frontend-1.8.18-alpha.tar.gz",
+      "name": "archipelago-frontend-1.8.18-alpha.tar.gz",
+      "new_version": "1.8.18-alpha",
+      "sha256": "57da88b1a8f3d2841867994a95e9e4e728c19616abcde8e3d3f151c6d94ed501",
+      "size_bytes": 98801020
     }
   ],
-  "release_date": "2026-09-15",
-  "signature": "c8196fe278a5747b3c3ba3bf70998874f1e3e6eedbdab33b9e33c3339a3769ab4431f41d99924ec4cdd15a5ffed299a5af786c7ab5e9d084cdc11beabbee9103",
+  "release_date": "2026-09-20",
+  "signature": "84e0e1a20750f0d4ff27ba539c2e9424a5b02c19a5689f73cdf82813212acae19e0af244a62e66ac37a35d97d80deb2833819d809b91a7822f2bfd785d3fe30d",
   "signed_by": "did:key:z6Mkfu5LT8d4DjETtrkATvHh9Dvcbnr7zBCUwfau8Sw7DLWT",
-  "version": "1.8.17-alpha"
+  "version": "1.8.18-alpha"
 }

releases/manifest.json

@@ -1,30 +1,29 @@
 {
   "changelog": [
-    "Minibits claims that every mint reports as already spent leave the retry queue, clearing repeated failure notices. Network errors and mixed mint failures remain queued for another attempt.",
-    "Minibits polls its primary relay first and connects to public fallback relays only when the primary is unreachable, reducing unnecessary connections.",
-    "Large payment backlogs are fetched from newest to oldest with a saved cursor, so polling can resume after interruptions or page limits. Payments sharing the same timestamp remain reachable.",
-    "Added regression coverage for spent-claim classification, wrapped and mixed mint errors, same-second payments, and interrupted or multi-poll backlogs."
+    "Framework startup prioritizes Bitcoin and LND before unrelated containers, and unavailable LND balances remain unavailable instead of appearing as false zeroes.",
+    "Cashu Receive guides unseeded wallets through recovery-phrase setup, with shorter backup guidance and a single-column layout.",
+    "Added live Framework verification for automatic LND unlock, native balance preservation, Cashu address registration, and proof preservation."
   ],
   "components": [
     {
-      "current_version": "1.8.17-alpha",
-      "download_url": "https://source.archipelago-foundation.org/lfg2025/archy/releases/download/v1.8.17-alpha/archipelago",
+      "current_version": "1.8.18-alpha",
+      "download_url": "https://source.archipelago-foundation.org/lfg2025/archy/releases/download/v1.8.18-alpha/archipelago",
       "name": "archipelago",
-      "new_version": "1.8.17-alpha",
-      "sha256": "32a7b009eb58f8c9f256e6597711a77ded11e15d5865a3fe16901603264e1f70",
-      "size_bytes": 64953344
+      "new_version": "1.8.18-alpha",
+      "sha256": "c76415c295dd42159e45e74d93f7c2f6fa39b0351946a8303f8cfba1dd3a6087",
+      "size_bytes": 64497240
     },
     {
-      "current_version": "1.8.17-alpha",
-      "download_url": "https://source.archipelago-foundation.org/lfg2025/archy/releases/download/v1.8.17-alpha/archipelago-frontend-1.8.17-alpha.tar.gz",
-      "name": "archipelago-frontend-1.8.17-alpha.tar.gz",
-      "new_version": "1.8.17-alpha",
-      "sha256": "faf692e9a0e16268357bcac2bf86b62950ae49663e3c95982e54a132bb761980",
-      "size_bytes": 98801608
+      "current_version": "1.8.18-alpha",
+      "download_url": "https://source.archipelago-foundation.org/lfg2025/archy/releases/download/v1.8.18-alpha/archipelago-frontend-1.8.18-alpha.tar.gz",
+      "name": "archipelago-frontend-1.8.18-alpha.tar.gz",
+      "new_version": "1.8.18-alpha",
+      "sha256": "57da88b1a8f3d2841867994a95e9e4e728c19616abcde8e3d3f151c6d94ed501",
+      "size_bytes": 98801020
     }
   ],
-  "release_date": "2026-09-15",
-  "signature": "c8196fe278a5747b3c3ba3bf70998874f1e3e6eedbdab33b9e33c3339a3769ab4431f41d99924ec4cdd15a5ffed299a5af786c7ab5e9d084cdc11beabbee9103",
+  "release_date": "2026-09-20",
+  "signature": "84e0e1a20750f0d4ff27ba539c2e9424a5b02c19a5689f73cdf82813212acae19e0af244a62e66ac37a35d97d80deb2833819d809b91a7822f2bfd785d3fe30d",
   "signed_by": "did:key:z6Mkfu5LT8d4DjETtrkATvHh9Dvcbnr7zBCUwfau8Sw7DLWT",
-  "version": "1.8.17-alpha"
+  "version": "1.8.18-alpha"
 }

releases/pending/v1.8.19-alpha/manifest.json

@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+{
+  "changelog": [
+    "Fixed the embedded AIUI chat page painting a second background and dark scrim over Archy’s dashboard background.",
+    "Embedded AIUI now stays transparent so the dashboard background appears once.",
+    "AIUI background fixes are now included reliably in OTA updates and fresh installations."
+  ],
+  "components": [
+    {
+      "current_version": "1.8.19-alpha",
+      "download_url": "https://source.archipelago-foundation.org/lfg2025/archy/releases/download/v1.8.19-alpha/archipelago",
+      "name": "archipelago",
+      "new_version": "1.8.19-alpha",
+      "sha256": "bb500d02567ad16179179d43138cc6fdafee680835262026eeaa7d1bc8cdd307",
+      "size_bytes": 64495784
+    },
+    {
+      "current_version": "1.8.19-alpha",
+      "download_url": "https://source.archipelago-foundation.org/lfg2025/archy/releases/download/v1.8.19-alpha/archipelago-frontend-1.8.19-alpha.tar.gz",
+      "name": "archipelago-frontend-1.8.19-alpha.tar.gz",
+      "new_version": "1.8.19-alpha",
+      "sha256": "fbbaa237e2ea4e9e576dda9b15fdcf3c59c40bc55bfee4ebbea303b0172fc49b",
+      "size_bytes": 97142031
+    }
+  ],
+  "release_date": "2026-09-28",
+  "signature": "4da9bf766d94c2de6641619a36663106791c7a1d342b729c666662cdde1feabdf11c51994c1cbbe2a0e2b270c316d77763435e976ce22730855b3822bc9d390a",
+  "signed_by": "did:key:z6Mkfu5LT8d4DjETtrkATvHh9Dvcbnr7zBCUwfau8Sw7DLWT",
+  "version": "1.8.19-alpha"
+}

scripts/create-release-manifest.sh

@@ -78,15 +78,17 @@ if [ -z "$FRONTEND_ARCHIVE" ]; then
         STAGING_DIR=$(mktemp -d -t archipelago-frontend.XXXXXX)
         echo "Staging frontend archive in $STAGING_DIR..."
         cp -r "$FRONTEND_DIST/." "$STAGING_DIR/"
-        # Bake AIUI in so fresh installs pick it up. OTA already
-        # carries-forward the existing aiui/ if the tarball lacks one
-        # (update.rs:922), but including it here makes the tarball
-        # the single source of truth instead of relying on a side-
-        # effect of the in-place swap.
-        if [ -d "$PROJECT_ROOT/demo/aiui" ] && [ -f "$PROJECT_ROOT/demo/aiui/index.html" ]; then
-            echo "  Including AIUI from demo/aiui/"
-            cp -r "$PROJECT_ROOT/demo/aiui" "$STAGING_DIR/aiui"
+        # create-release.sh folds the freshly built AIUI into FRONTEND_DIST.
+        # Never overlay it with the older demo bundle (or nest aiui/aiui/).
+        if [ ! -f "$STAGING_DIR/aiui/index.html" ] || \
+           [ ! -f "$STAGING_DIR/aiui/BUILD-INFO" ]; then
+            echo "Error: fresh AIUI payload missing from frontend dist" >&2
+            exit 1
         fi
+        grep -Fxq "commit=$(git -C "$PROJECT_ROOT" rev-parse HEAD)" "$STAGING_DIR/aiui/BUILD-INFO" || {
+            echo "Error: AIUI payload was not built from the current commit" >&2
+            exit 1
+        }
         # OTA bridge for nodes running older updaters: they only know how to
         # apply the backend binary and frontend archive. Carry host runtime
         # assets inside the frontend tarball; the new backend promotes them

scripts/create-release.sh

@@ -169,15 +169,11 @@ else
 fi
 cd "$PROJECT_ROOT"
 
-# npm run build wipes web/dist — fold AIUI straight back in. The OTA tarball
-# bakes it from demo/aiui independently, but build-iso-release.sh's
-# verify-artifacts guard checks web/dist/neode-ui/aiui and failed on two
-# consecutive releases (.127, .129) because this fold-in was manual.
-if [ -d "$PROJECT_ROOT/demo/aiui" ] && [ -f "$PROJECT_ROOT/demo/aiui/index.html" ]; then
-    rm -rf "$PROJECT_ROOT/web/dist/neode-ui/aiui"
-    cp -r "$PROJECT_ROOT/demo/aiui" "$PROJECT_ROOT/web/dist/neode-ui/aiui"
-    echo "  AIUI folded into web/dist from demo/aiui"
-fi
+# Build AIUI from the same source as the release. The checked-in demo bundle
+# can predate source fixes and must never overwrite the production payload.
+bash "$SCRIPT_DIR/build-aiui.sh"
+rm -rf "$PROJECT_ROOT/web/dist/neode-ui/aiui"
+cp -r "$PROJECT_ROOT/aiui/packages/app/dist" "$PROJECT_ROOT/web/dist/neode-ui/aiui"
 
 # npm run build can silently no-op (vue-tsc EACCES burned us before) — a stale
 # dist would ship with a perfectly valid sha256. Require the freshly built