Changelog

What's new in Zerocast — features, fixes, and improvements.

Apr 29, 2026v1.8.0

Guest Overhaul, UI Declutter, Chat Overlay & Reconnection

  • featGuest backstage panel — see all participants with role badges, mic/camera status, and speaking indicators (no moderation controls)
  • featGuest chat input — guests can now type messages in chat, shown with teal 'Guest' badge
  • featGuest screen sharing — dedicated screen share toggle button in guest control bar
  • featCopy room link button for guests in header bar
  • featTopToolbar — GoLive, Layout, Text, Invite, Settings, End moved above the stage; bottom bar is now just media controls
  • featTwitch-style chat overlay on canvas — last 4 messages with auto-fade, configurable position (4 corners)
  • featText overlay timer — set duration in seconds, auto-hides when expired, shows countdown badge
  • featNetwork quality indicator — signal strength icon (green/yellow/red) for host and guest
  • fixCanvas now centered with max-width 1280px and 16:9 aspect ratio — no more blank space when streaming
  • fixConnection timeouts — adaptive streaming, dynacast, custom reconnect policy (5 attempts, exponential backoff)
  • fixConnectionMonitor shows attempt count, elapsed time, and refresh button after 5 failed attempts
  • improvementControl bar decluttered — only essential media controls on mobile; everything else in TopToolbar
Apr 29, 2026v1.7.0

End Studio Dialog, Recording & Text Overlays

  • featConfigurable end-studio dialog — checkboxes for stop streams, kick participants, with live platform warning
  • featSession recording — Record button captures audio + video via LiveKit Egress to MP4 with elapsed timer
  • featText overlays — add text to the stage with 6 positions, 3 font sizes, custom colors and backgrounds
  • featStage background color — change the canvas background from a palette of dark-theme presets
  • featOverlays and background sync to guests in real time via LiveKit data messages
  • improvementEnd studio stops active streams and kicks participants conditionally based on host selection
  • improvementRecord button shows pulsing red dot with MM:SS elapsed timer while recording
Apr 29, 2026v1.6.0

Layout Sync, Kick Notifications & YouTube Metadata

  • featGuest layout sync — guests now see the same layout preset the host selects (Grid, Spotlight, Screen+Grid, etc.) via LiveKit data messages
  • featKick notification — removed guests see a clear 'You were removed' screen with a 'Request to Rejoin' button
  • featYouTube broadcast metadata — title, description, and thumbnail sent via YouTube Data API v3 when OAuth token is available
  • featThumbnail URL field in Create Studio modal for YouTube broadcasts
  • fixHost toast now says 'was removed' when kicking vs 'left the studio' when guest leaves voluntarily
  • improvementGoLivePanel shows per-platform OAuth status — auto metadata vs manual YouTube Studio link
  • improvementKicked guest rejoin flow re-enters device preview with same name and email
Apr 29, 2026v1.5.0

Chat Polish, Host Echo & Responsive UI

  • featChat filter shows only connected platforms with real SVG logos and green ring indicator
  • featHost-sent messages appear in chat window instantly with violet 'You' badge, broadcast to guests via SSE
  • featYouTube backup ingest URL support — prevents 'duplicate ingestion' warnings on poor network
  • featCollapsible chat panel on all screen sizes — floating badge with unread message count
  • featBackup Server URL field in YouTube platform settings
  • fixControl bar (GoLive, End) always visible — no longer hidden behind chat on small screens
  • fixLayoutSelector hidden on mobile to free space for essential controls
  • improvementGuest studio gets chat toggle, collapsible panel, and unread badge matching host experience
Apr 28, 2026v1.4.0

Audio Reliability & VU Meters

  • featAudio level indicator (VU meter) — real-time mic level bars for host and guest, powered by Web Audio AnalyserNode
  • featMic level preview on guest join screen — speak to verify your microphone before entering the studio
  • featGuest device selector — guests can now pick camera, microphone, and speaker (previously host-only)
  • fixPreview-to-room mic handoff — 600ms release guard prevents browser mic conflict when transitioning from device preview to LiveKit room
  • fixLiveKit room now defers connect until preview tracks are fully released (connect={previewReleased})
  • improvementAudio architecture matches StreamYard/Google Meet SFU model — RoomAudioRenderer creates hidden audio elements per remote participant
Apr 27, 2026v1.3.0

Broadcast Details, Custom RTMP & Stream Fixes

  • featBroadcast description — set a description when creating a studio, sent to all streaming platforms
  • featCustom RTMP destinations — stream to Facebook Live, LinkedIn, Restream, or any RTMP endpoint
  • featCustom RTMP management in Settings with add/remove UI (max 10 per user)
  • featCustom RTMP destinations shown in GoLive panel alongside platform checkboxes
  • featGoLive panel shows broadcast title + description preview before going live
  • fixGoLive panel was calling wrong API endpoints — fixed all URLs to use /stream-live
  • fixStream stop now uses DELETE method (was incorrectly POST)
  • improvementReal platform SVG logos throughout the entire app (YouTube, Twitch, Kick, TikTok)
  • improvementDevice selector — pick camera, microphone, and speaker from the studio ControlBar
Apr 25, 2026v1.2.0

Platform Connector Upgrades & Chat Reply

  • featSend messages to YouTube and Twitch live chat directly from the studio
  • featChat input for hosts — type a message and it goes to all connected platforms
  • featTwitch reply threading — replies show parent message context in the chat panel
  • featYouTube Super Chats and Super Stickers displayed as donation events with amounts
  • featTwitch Bits/Cheers displayed as donations, subs/resubs/gift subs as subscription events
  • featTwitch raids shown with viewer count badge
  • featTikTok gifts shown as donations with diamond-to-USD conversion
  • featFollow events captured from Twitch, Kick, and TikTok
  • featKick subscription and gifted sub events captured via Pusher
  • improvementYouTube polling now uses dynamic interval from API response instead of fixed 20s
  • improvementChat UI: color-coded event types — donations (yellow), subs (violet), follows (green), raids (blue)
  • improvementTikTok like events shown as compact one-line display, join events filtered to reduce noise
  • improvementAuthor badges parsed from all platforms (moderator, subscriber, VIP, owner)
Apr 24, 2026v1.1.0

Access Control & Guest Leads

  • featAuto-admit mode — guests join instantly without host approval when enabled
  • featManual approval mode — host reviews and admits each guest individually (default)
  • featGuest email capture — optional email field on join form for lead collection, no account needed
  • featGuest lead database — emails and names stored per room for marketing teams
  • improvementAccess control toggle in studio creation modal with clear descriptions
Apr 24, 2026v1.0.0

Host Moderation & Edge Case Hardening

  • featMute/unmute guest mic and camera — host can toggle any guest's audio or video
  • featKick participant — remove a guest from the studio with one click
  • featParticipant count shown in studio view
  • featFeedback page — users can submit bug reports, feature requests, and general feedback
  • fixDeny route now supports demo mode (LiveKit JWT auth)
  • fixGuest leave now sends identity — participant leftAt properly recorded in DB
  • fixPending names freed on admit/deny — guests can re-request with the same name
  • fixAdmit errors now shown to host as toast notifications instead of silent failures
  • fixGUEST_LEFT events clean stale participant IDs from on-screen list
  • improvementBackstage panel shows empty state when no guests have joined
  • improvementParticipantRow shows host badge, mic/cam/kick controls for guests
  • improvementChangelog updated to cover all releases from v0.1.0 to v1.1.0
Apr 24, 2026v0.9.0

Feedback System

  • featFeedback page at /feedback — submit bug reports, feature requests, or general feedback
  • featFeedback stored in Redis with 90-day TTL (last 1000 entries)
  • improvementFeedback links added to landing page nav, footer, and changelog
Apr 20, 2026v0.8.0

Audio Autoplay & DB Resilience

  • fixBrowser audio autoplay — StartAudio button appears when browser blocks audio without user gesture
  • fixNeon DB resilience — 3-layer retry with exponential backoff for free-tier connection drops
  • improvementRedis caching (60s TTL) eliminates ~80% of DB reads across 15+ routes
  • improvementCache invalidation on room status mutations for data freshness
Apr 19, 2026v0.7.0

Platform Connections & Streaming

  • featPlatform connection management — connect YouTube, Twitch, Kick, TikTok stream keys
  • featLive streaming to connected platforms from the studio
  • improvementStudio UI improvements — refined controls and layout
  • securityRate limiting on guest requests and API routes
Apr 19, 2026v0.6.0

Schema Migration & Sign-in Fix

  • fixSchema enum migration — resolved Prisma enum conflicts on deploy
  • fixAuto sign-in after OAuth — no more redirect loops
  • fixNeon retry logic improved with pgbouncer params
  • improvementRoom status UX — clearer lobby/live/ended states
Apr 18, 2026v0.5.0

Edge Case Hardening

  • securitySession summary is now host-only — auth-gated
  • fixTab reload no longer ends the studio session
  • fixDuplicate join requests now deduplicated
  • fixRoom full check at request time, not admit time
  • fixDouble-end race condition resolved with idempotent guard
  • fixSSE streams for ended rooms now return 404 immediately
  • fixDemo route validates token expiry and room claim
  • improvementGuest waiting state now times out after 3 minutes
  • improvementHost redirected with error context when entering wrong/ended room
  • improvementLiveKit disconnect overlay shown in studio
Apr 18, 2026v0.4.0

Layout Presets & Backstage

  • feat5 layout presets: Grid, Spotlight, Screen+Grid, Screen Only, Single
  • featBackstage mode — guests join off-canvas, host brings them on stage
  • featParticipant strip with mic/cam indicators and Stage/Backstage buttons
  • improvementLayoutSelector added to ControlBar (hidden on mobile)
Apr 18, 2026v0.3.0

Session Summary

  • featPost-session summary page at /session-summary/[code]
  • featStats: duration, participant count, peak participants, message count
  • featPlatform activity bar chart (CSS only)
  • featShare to X and LinkedIn with pre-filled text
  • featCopy stats to clipboard
  • featDB fallback when Redis TTL expires
Apr 17, 2026v0.2.0

Studio Redesign

  • featFull dark theme redesign (#0d0d0d, #080808)
  • featChat panel: platform left-border accents, hover timestamps, filter pills
  • fixMic/cam/screen controls now work (ControlBar moved inside LiveKitRoom)
  • fixGuest admission bug fixed — dual auth (session + LiveKit JWT)
  • improvementSpeaking ring on video tiles (violet glow)
  • improvementMobile chat toggle with slide-in panel
Apr 16, 2026v0.1.0

Initial Launch

  • featGoogle OAuth sign-in
  • featCreate studio rooms with LiveKit
  • featGuest join flow with approval system
  • featLive chat aggregation (YouTube, Twitch, Kick, TikTok)
  • featSSE-based real-time events
  • featUpstash Redis for event streaming