SurfSense/surfsense_web/changelog/content/2026-04-08.mdx

---
date: "2026-04-08"
version: "0.0.15"
---

## What's New in v0.0.15

This release continues to push SurfSense as a fully self-hostable, open source **ChatGPT alternative** and **NotebookLM alternative** for teams who care about where their data lives. v0.0.15 is all about **bringing your local files into the knowledge base effortlessly** and making the SurfSense desktop app a first-class always-on assistant.

### Watch Local Folder

Your files already live in folders. Now SurfSense can watch them.

- **Real-Time Folder Sync**: Pick any folder on your computer, and SurfSense automatically keeps it indexed as files are added, edited, or removed.
- **Nothing Gets Lost**: Even across restarts or network blips, pending file changes are safely queued until they're fully processed.
- **Smart Batching**: Many files at once? SurfSense now processes them in smart batches with progress feedback, so large folders stay responsive.
- **Clean Folder Cleanup**: Deleted or emptied folders are cleaned up automatically in the background.
- **Fast First Sync**: Existing folders seed their file timestamps in a single pass, so the first sync is both fast and correct.
- **Upload-Based Sync Too**: Don't want the desktop watcher? Upload a folder from the web app and your folder structure is preserved automatically.
- **Local Files as First-Class Documents**: Locally-watched files show up clearly in the documents list as their own category.

### Document Version History

- **Full Version History**: Every document now keeps a versioned history. View, compare, and restore older versions directly from the documents UI.
- **Restore + Reindex**: Restoring an old version automatically triggers reindexing so search and chat results stay accurate.
- **Built-In**: Versioning is automatic. You don't have to configure anything.

### New Document Processing Pipeline

We've rebuilt how SurfSense turns raw files into searchable knowledge.

- **Pluggable Parsers**: Choose the best extractor for each document with built-in support for **Docling**, **LlamaCloud**, **Unstructured**, and plain text. Configure it globally or per connector.
- **Azure Document Intelligence**: Added as a premium parsing option for high-accuracy PDF and scanned document parsing, available per upload.
- **Audio Transcription**: Upload audio files and SurfSense will transcribe them for you.
- **Fast Path for Common Files**: CSV, TSV, HTML, and XHTML files now skip heavier parsing and convert directly, cutting indexing time.
- **Smart Routing**: Each file is automatically routed to the parser best suited for it.
- **Vision Model Is Opt-In**: Vision models are now opt-in per upload/connector, with safer size limits and better fallbacks when an image can't be processed.

### Vision-Powered Quick Assist (Desktop App)

The SurfSense desktop app becomes a serious always-on **AI like ChatGPT** that actually sees your screen, without leaving your current window.

- **Screenshot-Based Autocomplete**: Press a shortcut and SurfSense captures a screenshot, sends it to a vision model, and returns context-aware suggestions right where you're typing.
- **Multi-Suggestion UI**: The suggestion popup now offers up to **3 options** to pick from, with clean cards and quick-assist detection.
- **Knowledge Base Grounding**: Suggestions are grounded in your connected knowledge base, not just generic model output.
- **macOS Permission Onboarding**: A clearer onboarding page walks macOS users through the permissions the app needs, only when they're actually needed.
- **Switch Search Spaces from the Overlay**: Change the active search space without opening the main app.
- **General Assist**: A new general-purpose assist mode with cleaner shortcut icons and descriptions.
- **Stay Signed In Everywhere**: Sign-in is now synchronized between the desktop app and the web app.
- **Vision Model Settings**: A dedicated Vision Models tab in Settings lets you pick and manage vision models, including a dynamic model list from OpenRouter.
- **Smart Download Button**: The marketing site auto-detects your OS and offers the right desktop installer.

### Connectors

- **Dropbox Delta Sync**: A smarter incremental sync for Dropbox that preserves your place across re-authentication. Big Dropbox workspaces sync dramatically faster.
- **Stronger Google OAuth**: Native Google sign-in now uses modern, best-practice security (PKCE).

### Page Limits & Quotas

- **Per-User Page Limits**: SurfSense now estimates and enforces per-user page limits before indexing begins, so usage stays predictable on cloud and self-hosted deployments.
- **Consistent Across the App**: Local folder indexing respects the same page-limit checks as cloud connectors.

### Document Upload

- **Unified Picker**: Upload files and folders from one clean dropdown, with clearer size limits and properly localized messages.
- **Better Processing Feedback**: Improved upload progress and processing indicators, plus a cleaner drag-and-drop area.

### Performance

- **Faster Startup**: Analytics and some dev tooling only load when needed, keeping the app lighter for end users.
- **Leaner Pages**: Shared libraries now load smaller, more focused bundles.
- **Smoother Self-Hosted Setup**: New installs of the real-time sync service now set themselves up automatically.

### No longer broken

- Fixed several memory leaks when leaving pages during active work
- Upload progress bar now clears correctly when leaving the upload screen
- Smoother, less jittery thread list and chat refreshes
- Smoother client-side navigation in several places
- Improved responsiveness of the documents sidebar
- Debounced search on the logs page to stop UI jank
- Correct browser autocomplete hints on sign-in and register forms
- Vision model is no longer triggered unnecessarily by the desktop folder watcher
- Silenced noisy auto-updater errors in the desktop app

### Improvements

- Faster local folder indexing thanks to smarter content hashing
- Smoother sidebar open/close animations
- Long lists now scroll more smoothly on the documents and logs pages
- Search and filter inputs feel snappier while typing
- Unified version numbering across the web app, backend, and desktop app
- Event tracking now includes the platform (web/desktop) for better analytics

If you've been looking for a tool that works across your cloud connectors **and** your local machine, v0.0.15 is exactly that. It's also one of the most compelling **NotebookLM alternatives** and **free ChatGPT alternatives** for private team use, with full control over your data, your parsers, and your models.

SurfSense connects all your knowledge sources in one place.