TLDW 1.2.1 — auto-file notes & skills where they belong

A quality-of-life release: TLDW can now file your output automatically, and the CLI's progress is fixed up.

Auto-export (Settings → General → Auto-export)

Turn it on and every new run files itself — no manual clicks:

• Notes are copied into a folder you choose (e.g. a folder inside your Obsidian vault).
• Skills are copied into a folder you choose, and can auto-install to Claude/Codex (~/.claude/skills, ~/.agents/skills) so they're ready to use immediately.
• A customizable title format for note filenames — {date}, {title}, {channel}, {duration} (default {date} — {title}).

It's non-destructive: your output folder and Library are untouched. The result screen now shows a clear "Auto-filed for you" confirmation so you know exactly where everything went.

Fixes & polish

• CLI: fixed a hang during audio extraction on some videos (update with npm i -g tldw-cli@latest).
• Tightened spacing on the Library & Skills headers.

Existing users get this automatically via auto-update. Requires macOS 14+ on Apple Silicon.

TLDW 1.2.2 — leaner audio engine & tidy licensing

A small housekeeping release. No new features — just a cleaner, lighter build.

What changed

• Slimmer audio engine. TLDW now bundles a minimal, audio-only build of FFmpeg (LGPL) built specifically for what TLDW actually does — extracting audio for local transcription. Same speed, smaller download, no unused video codecs.
• Clear third-party credits. Settings → About now lists everything TLDW builds on (Sparkle, whisper.cpp, FFmpeg, and more), with a Third-Party Licenses… link to the full texts that ship inside the app.

Existing users get this automatically via auto-update. Requires macOS 14+ on Apple Silicon.

TLDW 1.2.3 — visible update prompts that actually relaunch

A fix to how updates are delivered.

What changed

• You now get a heads-up when an update is ready. Earlier versions updated silently in the background, so you never saw a notice. TLDW now shows a clear "A new version is available" prompt — with release notes — whenever it finds an update.
• "Install & Relaunch" now relaunches. The silent-update mode was installing on quit instead of restarting, which is why the app seemed to hang until you force-quit it. Updates now install and relaunch immediately, the way the button says.

TLDW still checks for updates automatically in the background — it just asks you first now, instead of doing it silently. After you're on 1.2.3, every future update will prompt and relaunch correctly. Requires macOS 14+ on Apple Silicon.

TLDW 1.2.4 — groundwork

A small behind-the-scenes release that lays the groundwork for sending videos to TLDW straight from your browser. Nothing to change in your workflow today — more on this soon.

Existing users get this automatically via auto-update. Requires macOS 14+ on Apple Silicon.

TLDW 1.1.1 — Notes and agent skills, from any video

TLDW turns any video into knowledge you can actually use. Paste a link or drop in a file, and it transcribes locally on your Mac, then hands you a clean Markdown note — or, new in this release, a ready-to-install skill for your AI agent.

This is the 1.1.1 release. Here's everything TLDW does today.

New in 1.1.0

Video → Skill

The headline feature: turn a video straight into a skill for your coding agent, not just a note. Pick your format and TLDW writes a valid, ready-to-use file:

• Claude Skill — install to ~/.claude/skills in one click
• Codex Skill — install to ~/.agents/skills
• AGENTS.md, Cursor rule, or a plain system prompt

Install straight to Claude or Codex, add it to the current project, or copy it anywhere. Skills are free.

A knowledge-hub workspace

The whole app is now built around a sidebar — New · Library · Skills · Settings — so everything you've made stays one click away.

• Outcome-first composer. Choose what you want up front — Notes or a Skill — with format chips for Claude, Codex, AGENTS.md, Cursor, and prompts.
• Library browses every note you've made; Skills browses every skill you've generated. Reopen, re-export, or re-install anytime.

Polish

• Crisp, vector brand mark (no more pixelation) and proper Codex/Cursor brand icons.
• A guided onboarding wizard: welcome → how it works → pick your AI → download models → done.
• Smoother auto-updates — new versions now download and install quietly in the background, so the app is simply up to date the next time you open it.

Everything TLDW does

• 100% local transcription. Audio never leaves your machine — whisper.cpp runs on-device with Metal acceleration.
• ~1,800 sites, or any file. Paste a YouTube, X, Vimeo, or TikTok link, or drop in your own video or audio.
• Bring any AI. Use your own OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, or OpenRouter key — tested right in the app — or stay fully offline with Ollama (no key, with a built-in model downloader so you never touch the terminal).
• Goes where you work. One-click into Obsidian & Notion, clean GitHub-flavored Markdown with YAML frontmatter, or install straight to your AI agent.
• Summaries your way. Detailed notes, executive summary, or key bullets — or write and save your own prompts.
• Batch processing. Queue a whole list of links or files and let them run unattended.
• A searchable library. Every note and skill is saved and browsable — it just reads your output folder, no database, no lock-in.
• Fast & native. A real SwiftUI app for Apple Silicon. No Electron, no bloat, with built-in auto-updates.

Pricing & requirements

TLDW is free for everyday use. Pro is a one-time $4.99 and unlocks batch processing and custom, editable summary styles — everything else is free, forever.

Requires macOS 14 or later on Apple Silicon. Notarized by Apple; download directly from trytldw.app/download.