chore: bump version to 0.2.5 [skip ci]

- Exclude ctranslate2.converters from PyInstaller bundle — these modules
  import torch at module level causing circular import crashes, and are
  only needed for model conversion (never used at runtime)
- Defer all heavy ML imports to first handler call instead of startup,
  so the sidecar can send its ready message without loading torch/whisper

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

.gitea/workflows/build-linux.yml

@@ -1,155 +0,0 @@
-name: Build Linux
-
-on:
-  push:
-    branches: [main]
-    tags: ["v*"]
-  pull_request:
-    branches: [main]
-
-env:
-  PYTHON_VERSION: "3.11"
-  NODE_VERSION: "20"
-  TARGET: x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu
-
-jobs:
-  build-sidecar:
-    name: Build sidecar (Linux)
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
-
-      - name: Install uv
-        run: |
-          if command -v uv &> /dev/null; then
-            echo "uv already installed: $(uv --version)"
-          else
-            curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh
-            echo "$HOME/.local/bin" >> $GITHUB_PATH
-          fi
-
-      - name: Install ffmpeg
-        run: sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y ffmpeg
-
-      - name: Set up Python
-        run: uv python install ${{ env.PYTHON_VERSION }}
-
-      - name: Build sidecar
-        working-directory: python
-        run: uv run --python ${{ env.PYTHON_VERSION }} python build_sidecar.py --cpu-only
-
-      - name: Upload sidecar artifact
-        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
-        with:
-          name: sidecar-linux
-          path: python/dist/voice-to-notes-sidecar/
-          retention-days: 7
-
-  build-app:
-    name: Build app (Linux)
-    needs: build-sidecar
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
-
-      - name: Set up Node.js
-        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
-        with:
-          node-version: ${{ env.NODE_VERSION }}
-
-      - name: Install Rust stable
-        run: |
-          curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh -s -- -y --default-toolchain stable
-          echo "$HOME/.cargo/bin" >> $GITHUB_PATH
-
-      - name: Install system dependencies
-        run: |
-          sudo apt-get update
-          sudo apt-get install -y libgtk-3-dev libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev libappindicator3-dev librsvg2-dev patchelf xdg-utils
-
-      - name: Download sidecar artifact
-        uses: actions/download-artifact@v3
-        with:
-          name: sidecar-linux
-          path: src-tauri/binaries/
-
-      - name: Make sidecar executable
-        run: chmod +x src-tauri/binaries/voice-to-notes-sidecar-${{ env.TARGET }}
-
-      - name: Install npm dependencies
-        run: npm ci
-
-      - name: Build Tauri app
-        run: npm run tauri build
-        env:
-          TAURI_CONFIG: '{"bundle":{"externalBin":["binaries/voice-to-notes-sidecar"]}}'
-
-      - name: Upload artifacts
-        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
-        with:
-          name: app-linux
-          path: |
-            src-tauri/target/release/bundle/deb/*.deb
-            src-tauri/target/release/bundle/appimage/*.AppImage
-          retention-days: 30
-
-  release:
-    name: Release (Linux)
-    needs: build-app
-    if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    steps:
-      - name: Install tools
-        run: sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y jq curl
-
-      - name: Download artifacts
-        uses: actions/download-artifact@v3
-        with:
-          name: app-linux
-          path: artifacts/
-
-      - name: Create or update release
-        env:
-          BUILD_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.BUILD_TOKEN }}
-        run: |
-          TAG="latest"
-          REPO_API="${GITHUB_SERVER_URL}/api/v1/repos/${GITHUB_REPOSITORY}"
-
-          # Check if release exists
-          RELEASE_ID=$(curl -s -H "Authorization: token ${BUILD_TOKEN}" \
-            "${REPO_API}/releases/tags/${TAG}" | jq -r '.id // empty')
-
-          if [ -z "${RELEASE_ID}" ]; then
-            # Create new release
-            RELEASE_ID=$(curl -s -X POST \
-              -H "Authorization: token ${BUILD_TOKEN}" \
-              -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-              -d "{\"tag_name\": \"${TAG}\", \"name\": \"Voice to Notes (Latest Build)\", \"body\": \"Latest automated build from main branch.\", \"draft\": false, \"prerelease\": true}" \
-              "${REPO_API}/releases" | jq -r '.id')
-          fi
-
-          echo "Release ID: ${RELEASE_ID}"
-          if [ "${RELEASE_ID}" = "null" ] || [ -z "${RELEASE_ID}" ]; then
-            echo "ERROR: Failed to create/find release."
-            exit 1
-          fi
-
-          # Upload artifacts (delete existing ones with same name first)
-          find artifacts/ -type f \( -name "*.deb" -o -name "*.AppImage" \) | while read file; do
-            filename=$(basename "$file")
-            echo "Uploading ${filename}..."
-
-            # Delete existing asset with same name
-            ASSET_ID=$(curl -s -H "Authorization: token ${BUILD_TOKEN}" \
-              "${REPO_API}/releases/${RELEASE_ID}/assets" | jq -r ".[] | select(.name == \"${filename}\") | .id // empty")
-            if [ -n "${ASSET_ID}" ]; then
-              curl -s -X DELETE -H "Authorization: token ${BUILD_TOKEN}" \
-                "${REPO_API}/releases/${RELEASE_ID}/assets/${ASSET_ID}"
-            fi
-
-            curl -s -X POST \
-              -H "Authorization: token ${BUILD_TOKEN}" \
-              -H "Content-Type: application/octet-stream" \
-              --data-binary "@${file}" \
-              "${REPO_API}/releases/${RELEASE_ID}/assets?name=${filename}"
-          done

.gitea/workflows/build-macos.yml

@@ -1,147 +0,0 @@
-name: Build macOS
-
-on:
-  push:
-    branches: [main]
-    tags: ["v*"]
-  pull_request:
-    branches: [main]
-
-env:
-  PYTHON_VERSION: "3.11"
-  NODE_VERSION: "20"
-  TARGET: aarch64-apple-darwin
-
-jobs:
-  build-sidecar:
-    name: Build sidecar (macOS)
-    runs-on: macos-latest
-    steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
-
-      - name: Install uv
-        run: |
-          if command -v uv &> /dev/null; then
-            echo "uv already installed: $(uv --version)"
-          else
-            curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh
-            echo "$HOME/.local/bin" >> $GITHUB_PATH
-          fi
-
-      - name: Install ffmpeg
-        run: brew install ffmpeg
-
-      - name: Set up Python
-        run: uv python install ${{ env.PYTHON_VERSION }}
-
-      - name: Build sidecar
-        working-directory: python
-        run: uv run --python ${{ env.PYTHON_VERSION }} python build_sidecar.py --cpu-only
-
-      - name: Upload sidecar artifact
-        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
-        with:
-          name: sidecar-macos
-          path: python/dist/voice-to-notes-sidecar/
-          retention-days: 7
-
-  build-app:
-    name: Build app (macOS)
-    needs: build-sidecar
-    runs-on: macos-latest
-    steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
-
-      - name: Set up Node.js
-        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
-        with:
-          node-version: ${{ env.NODE_VERSION }}
-
-      - name: Install Rust stable
-        run: |
-          curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh -s -- -y --default-toolchain stable
-          echo "$HOME/.cargo/bin" >> $GITHUB_PATH
-
-      - name: Install system dependencies
-        run: brew install --quiet create-dmg || true
-
-      - name: Download sidecar artifact
-        uses: actions/download-artifact@v3
-        with:
-          name: sidecar-macos
-          path: src-tauri/binaries/
-
-      - name: Make sidecar executable
-        run: chmod +x src-tauri/binaries/voice-to-notes-sidecar-${{ env.TARGET }}
-
-      - name: Install npm dependencies
-        run: npm ci
-
-      - name: Build Tauri app
-        run: npm run tauri build
-        env:
-          TAURI_CONFIG: '{"bundle":{"externalBin":["binaries/voice-to-notes-sidecar"]}}'
-
-      - name: Upload artifacts
-        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
-        with:
-          name: app-macos
-          path: |
-            src-tauri/target/release/bundle/dmg/*.dmg
-            src-tauri/target/release/bundle/macos/*.app
-          retention-days: 30
-
-  release:
-    name: Release (macOS)
-    needs: build-app
-    if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
-    runs-on: macos-latest
-    steps:
-      - name: Download artifacts
-        uses: actions/download-artifact@v3
-        with:
-          name: app-macos
-          path: artifacts/
-
-      - name: Create or update release
-        env:
-          BUILD_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.BUILD_TOKEN }}
-        run: |
-          TAG="latest"
-          REPO_API="${GITHUB_SERVER_URL}/api/v1/repos/${GITHUB_REPOSITORY}"
-
-          # Check if release exists
-          RELEASE_ID=$(curl -s -H "Authorization: token ${BUILD_TOKEN}" \
-            "${REPO_API}/releases/tags/${TAG}" | jq -r '.id // empty')
-
-          if [ -z "${RELEASE_ID}" ]; then
-            RELEASE_ID=$(curl -s -X POST \
-              -H "Authorization: token ${BUILD_TOKEN}" \
-              -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-              -d "{\"tag_name\": \"${TAG}\", \"name\": \"Voice to Notes (Latest Build)\", \"body\": \"Latest automated build from main branch.\", \"draft\": false, \"prerelease\": true}" \
-              "${REPO_API}/releases" | jq -r '.id')
-          fi
-
-          echo "Release ID: ${RELEASE_ID}"
-          if [ "${RELEASE_ID}" = "null" ] || [ -z "${RELEASE_ID}" ]; then
-            echo "ERROR: Failed to create/find release."
-            exit 1
-          fi
-
-          find artifacts/ -type f -name "*.dmg" | while read file; do
-            filename=$(basename "$file")
-            echo "Uploading ${filename}..."
-
-            ASSET_ID=$(curl -s -H "Authorization: token ${BUILD_TOKEN}" \
-              "${REPO_API}/releases/${RELEASE_ID}/assets" | jq -r ".[] | select(.name == \"${filename}\") | .id // empty")
-            if [ -n "${ASSET_ID}" ]; then
-              curl -s -X DELETE -H "Authorization: token ${BUILD_TOKEN}" \
-                "${REPO_API}/releases/${RELEASE_ID}/assets/${ASSET_ID}"
-            fi
-
-            curl -s -X POST \
-              -H "Authorization: token ${BUILD_TOKEN}" \
-              -H "Content-Type: application/octet-stream" \
-              --data-binary "@${file}" \
-              "${REPO_API}/releases/${RELEASE_ID}/assets?name=${filename}"
-          done

.gitea/workflows/build-windows.yml

@@ -1,158 +0,0 @@
-name: Build Windows
-
-on:
-  push:
-    branches: [main]
-    tags: ["v*"]
-  pull_request:
-    branches: [main]
-
-env:
-  PYTHON_VERSION: "3.11"
-  NODE_VERSION: "20"
-  TARGET: x86_64-pc-windows-msvc
-
-jobs:
-  build-sidecar:
-    name: Build sidecar (Windows)
-    runs-on: windows-latest
-    steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
-
-      - name: Install uv
-        shell: powershell
-        run: |
-          if (Get-Command uv -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) {
-            Write-Host "uv already installed: $(uv --version)"
-          } else {
-            irm https://astral.sh/uv/install.ps1 | iex
-            echo "$env:USERPROFILE\.local\bin" | Out-File -FilePath $env:GITHUB_PATH -Encoding utf8 -Append
-          }
-
-      - name: Install ffmpeg
-        shell: powershell
-        run: choco install ffmpeg -y
-
-      - name: Set up Python
-        shell: powershell
-        run: uv python install ${{ env.PYTHON_VERSION }}
-
-      - name: Build sidecar
-        shell: powershell
-        working-directory: python
-        run: uv run --python ${{ env.PYTHON_VERSION }} python build_sidecar.py --cpu-only
-
-      - name: Upload sidecar artifact
-        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
-        with:
-          name: sidecar-windows
-          path: python/dist/voice-to-notes-sidecar/
-          retention-days: 7
-
-  build-app:
-    name: Build app (Windows)
-    needs: build-sidecar
-    runs-on: windows-latest
-    steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
-
-      - name: Set up Node.js
-        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
-        with:
-          node-version: ${{ env.NODE_VERSION }}
-
-      - name: Install Rust stable
-        shell: powershell
-        run: |
-          if (Get-Command rustup -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) {
-            rustup default stable
-          } else {
-            Invoke-WebRequest -Uri https://win.rustup.rs/x86_64 -OutFile rustup-init.exe
-            .\rustup-init.exe -y --default-toolchain stable
-            echo "$env:USERPROFILE\.cargo\bin" | Out-File -FilePath $env:GITHUB_PATH -Encoding utf8 -Append
-          }
-
-      - name: Download sidecar artifact
-        uses: actions/download-artifact@v3
-        with:
-          name: sidecar-windows
-          path: src-tauri/binaries/
-
-      - name: Install npm dependencies
-        shell: powershell
-        run: npm ci
-
-      - name: Build Tauri app
-        shell: powershell
-        run: npm run tauri build
-        env:
-          TAURI_CONFIG: '{"bundle":{"externalBin":["binaries/voice-to-notes-sidecar"]}}'
-
-      - name: Upload artifacts
-        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
-        with:
-          name: app-windows
-          path: |
-            src-tauri/target/release/bundle/msi/*.msi
-            src-tauri/target/release/bundle/nsis/*.exe
-          retention-days: 30
-
-  release:
-    name: Release (Windows)
-    needs: build-app
-    if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
-    runs-on: windows-latest
-    steps:
-      - name: Download artifacts
-        uses: actions/download-artifact@v3
-        with:
-          name: app-windows
-          path: artifacts/
-
-      - name: Create or update release
-        shell: powershell
-        env:
-          BUILD_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.BUILD_TOKEN }}
-        run: |
-          $TAG = "latest"
-          $REPO_API = "${{ github.server_url }}/api/v1/repos/${{ github.repository }}"
-          $Headers = @{ "Authorization" = "token $env:BUILD_TOKEN" }
-
-          # Check if release exists
-          try {
-            $release = Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "${REPO_API}/releases/tags/${TAG}" -Headers $Headers -ErrorAction Stop
-            $RELEASE_ID = $release.id
-          } catch {
-            # Create new release
-            $body = @{
-              tag_name = $TAG
-              name = "Voice to Notes (Latest Build)"
-              body = "Latest automated build from main branch."
-              draft = $false
-              prerelease = $true
-            } | ConvertTo-Json
-            $release = Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "${REPO_API}/releases" -Method Post -Headers $Headers -ContentType "application/json" -Body $body
-            $RELEASE_ID = $release.id
-          }
-
-          Write-Host "Release ID: ${RELEASE_ID}"
-
-          # Upload artifacts
-          Get-ChildItem -Path artifacts -Recurse -Include *.msi,*.exe | ForEach-Object {
-            $filename = $_.Name
-            Write-Host "Uploading ${filename}..."
-
-            # Delete existing asset with same name
-            try {
-              $assets = Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "${REPO_API}/releases/${RELEASE_ID}/assets" -Headers $Headers
-              $existing = $assets | Where-Object { $_.name -eq $filename }
-              if ($existing) {
-                Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "${REPO_API}/releases/${RELEASE_ID}/assets/$($existing.id)" -Method Delete -Headers $Headers
-              }
-            } catch {}
-
-            # Upload
-            Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "${REPO_API}/releases/${RELEASE_ID}/assets?name=${filename}" `
-              -Method Post -Headers $Headers -ContentType "application/octet-stream" `
-              -InFile $_.FullName
-          }

.gitea/workflows/release.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,395 @@
+name: Release
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches: [main]
+
+jobs:
+  bump-version:
+    name: Bump version and tag
+    # Skip if this is a version-bump commit (avoid infinite loop)
+    if: "!contains(github.event.head_commit.message, '[skip ci]')"
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    outputs:
+      new_version: ${{ steps.bump.outputs.new_version }}
+      tag: ${{ steps.bump.outputs.tag }}
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          fetch-depth: 0
+
+      - name: Configure git
+        run: |
+          git config user.name "Gitea Actions"
+          git config user.email "actions@gitea.local"
+
+      - name: Bump patch version
+        id: bump
+        run: |
+          # Read current version from package.json
+          CURRENT=$(grep '"version"' package.json | head -1 | sed 's/.*"version": *"\([^"]*\)".*/\1/')
+          echo "Current version: ${CURRENT}"
+
+          # Increment patch number
+          MAJOR=$(echo "${CURRENT}" | cut -d. -f1)
+          MINOR=$(echo "${CURRENT}" | cut -d. -f2)
+          PATCH=$(echo "${CURRENT}" | cut -d. -f3)
+          NEW_PATCH=$((PATCH + 1))
+          NEW_VERSION="${MAJOR}.${MINOR}.${NEW_PATCH}"
+          echo "New version: ${NEW_VERSION}"
+
+          # Update package.json
+          sed -i "s/\"version\": \"${CURRENT}\"/\"version\": \"${NEW_VERSION}\"/" package.json
+
+          # Update src-tauri/tauri.conf.json
+          sed -i "s/\"version\": \"${CURRENT}\"/\"version\": \"${NEW_VERSION}\"/" src-tauri/tauri.conf.json
+
+          # Update src-tauri/Cargo.toml (match version = "x.y.z" in [package] section)
+          sed -i "s/^version = \"${CURRENT}\"/version = \"${NEW_VERSION}\"/" src-tauri/Cargo.toml
+
+          # Update python/pyproject.toml
+          sed -i "s/^version = \".*\"/version = \"${NEW_VERSION}\"/" python/pyproject.toml
+
+          echo "new_version=${NEW_VERSION}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          echo "tag=v${NEW_VERSION}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+
+      - name: Commit and tag
+        env:
+          BUILD_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.BUILD_TOKEN }}
+        run: |
+          NEW_VERSION="${{ steps.bump.outputs.new_version }}"
+          git add package.json src-tauri/tauri.conf.json src-tauri/Cargo.toml python/pyproject.toml
+          git commit -m "chore: bump version to ${NEW_VERSION} [skip ci]"
+          git tag "v${NEW_VERSION}"
+
+          # Push using token for authentication
+          REMOTE_URL=$(git remote get-url origin | sed "s|://|://gitea-actions:${BUILD_TOKEN}@|")
+          git push "${REMOTE_URL}" HEAD:main
+          git push "${REMOTE_URL}" "v${NEW_VERSION}"
+
+      - name: Create Gitea release
+        env:
+          BUILD_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.BUILD_TOKEN }}
+        run: |
+          REPO_API="${GITHUB_SERVER_URL}/api/v1/repos/${GITHUB_REPOSITORY}"
+          TAG="${{ steps.bump.outputs.tag }}"
+          RELEASE_NAME="Voice to Notes ${TAG}"
+
+          curl -s -X POST \
+            -H "Authorization: token ${BUILD_TOKEN}" \
+            -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
+            -d "{\"tag_name\": \"${TAG}\", \"name\": \"${RELEASE_NAME}\", \"body\": \"Automated build.\", \"draft\": false, \"prerelease\": false}" \
+            "${REPO_API}/releases"
+          echo "Created release: ${RELEASE_NAME}"
+
+  # ── Platform builds (run after version bump) ──
+
+  build-linux:
+    name: Build (Linux)
+    needs: bump-version
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    env:
+      PYTHON_VERSION: "3.11"
+      NODE_VERSION: "20"
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          ref: ${{ needs.bump-version.outputs.tag }}
+
+      # ── Python sidecar ──
+      - name: Install uv
+        run: |
+          if command -v uv &> /dev/null; then
+            echo "uv already installed: $(uv --version)"
+          else
+            curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh
+            echo "$HOME/.local/bin" >> $GITHUB_PATH
+          fi
+
+      - name: Install ffmpeg
+        run: sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y ffmpeg
+
+      - name: Set up Python
+        run: uv python install ${{ env.PYTHON_VERSION }}
+
+      - name: Build sidecar
+        working-directory: python
+        run: uv run --python ${{ env.PYTHON_VERSION }} python build_sidecar.py --cpu-only
+
+      - name: Package sidecar for Tauri
+        run: |
+          cd python/dist/voice-to-notes-sidecar && zip -r ../../../src-tauri/sidecar.zip .
+
+      # ── Tauri app ──
+      - name: Set up Node.js
+        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+        with:
+          node-version: ${{ env.NODE_VERSION }}
+
+      - name: Install Rust stable
+        run: |
+          curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh -s -- -y --default-toolchain stable
+          echo "$HOME/.cargo/bin" >> $GITHUB_PATH
+
+      - name: Install system dependencies
+        run: |
+          sudo apt-get install -y libgtk-3-dev libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev libappindicator3-dev librsvg2-dev patchelf xdg-utils
+
+      - name: Install npm dependencies
+        run: npm ci
+
+      - name: Build Tauri app
+        run: npm run tauri build
+
+      # ── Release ──
+      - name: Upload to release
+        env:
+          BUILD_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.BUILD_TOKEN }}
+        run: |
+          sudo apt-get install -y jq
+          REPO_API="${GITHUB_SERVER_URL}/api/v1/repos/${GITHUB_REPOSITORY}"
+
+          TAG="${{ needs.bump-version.outputs.tag }}"
+          RELEASE_NAME="Voice to Notes ${TAG}"
+          echo "Release tag: ${TAG}"
+
+          RELEASE_ID=$(curl -s -H "Authorization: token ${BUILD_TOKEN}" \
+            "${REPO_API}/releases/tags/${TAG}" | jq -r '.id // empty')
+
+          if [ -z "${RELEASE_ID}" ] || [ "${RELEASE_ID}" = "null" ]; then
+            echo "ERROR: Failed to find release for tag ${TAG}."
+            exit 1
+          fi
+
+          echo "Release ID: ${RELEASE_ID}"
+
+          find src-tauri/target/release/bundle -type f -name "*.deb" | while IFS= read -r file; do
+            filename=$(basename "$file")
+            encoded_name=$(echo "$filename" | sed 's/ /%20/g')
+            echo "Uploading ${filename} ($(du -h "$file" | cut -f1))..."
+
+            ASSET_ID=$(curl -s -H "Authorization: token ${BUILD_TOKEN}" \
+              "${REPO_API}/releases/${RELEASE_ID}/assets" | jq -r ".[] | select(.name == \"${filename}\") | .id // empty")
+            if [ -n "${ASSET_ID}" ]; then
+              curl -s -X DELETE -H "Authorization: token ${BUILD_TOKEN}" \
+                "${REPO_API}/releases/${RELEASE_ID}/assets/${ASSET_ID}"
+            fi
+
+            HTTP_CODE=$(curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" -X POST \
+              -H "Authorization: token ${BUILD_TOKEN}" \
+              -H "Content-Type: application/octet-stream" \
+              -T "$file" \
+              "${REPO_API}/releases/${RELEASE_ID}/assets?name=${encoded_name}")
+            echo "Upload response: HTTP ${HTTP_CODE}"
+          done
+
+  build-windows:
+    name: Build (Windows)
+    needs: bump-version
+    runs-on: windows-latest
+    env:
+      PYTHON_VERSION: "3.11"
+      NODE_VERSION: "20"
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          ref: ${{ needs.bump-version.outputs.tag }}
+
+      # ── Python sidecar ──
+      - name: Install uv
+        shell: powershell
+        run: |
+          if (Get-Command uv -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) {
+            Write-Host "uv already installed: $(uv --version)"
+          } else {
+            irm https://astral.sh/uv/install.ps1 | iex
+            echo "$env:USERPROFILE\.local\bin" | Out-File -FilePath $env:GITHUB_PATH -Encoding utf8 -Append
+          }
+
+      - name: Install ffmpeg
+        shell: powershell
+        run: choco install ffmpeg -y
+
+      - name: Set up Python
+        shell: powershell
+        run: uv python install ${{ env.PYTHON_VERSION }}
+
+      - name: Build sidecar
+        shell: powershell
+        working-directory: python
+        run: uv run --python ${{ env.PYTHON_VERSION }} python build_sidecar.py --cpu-only
+
+      - name: Package sidecar for Tauri
+        shell: powershell
+        run: |
+          Compress-Archive -Path python\dist\voice-to-notes-sidecar\* -DestinationPath src-tauri\sidecar.zip
+
+      # ── Tauri app ──
+      - name: Set up Node.js
+        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+        with:
+          node-version: ${{ env.NODE_VERSION }}
+
+      - name: Install Rust stable
+        shell: powershell
+        run: |
+          if (Get-Command rustup -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) {
+            rustup default stable
+          } else {
+            Invoke-WebRequest -Uri https://win.rustup.rs/x86_64 -OutFile rustup-init.exe
+            .\rustup-init.exe -y --default-toolchain stable
+            echo "$env:USERPROFILE\.cargo\bin" | Out-File -FilePath $env:GITHUB_PATH -Encoding utf8 -Append
+          }
+
+      - name: Install npm dependencies
+        shell: powershell
+        run: npm ci
+
+      - name: Build Tauri app
+        shell: powershell
+        run: npm run tauri build
+
+      # ── Release ──
+      - name: Upload to release
+        shell: powershell
+        env:
+          BUILD_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.BUILD_TOKEN }}
+        run: |
+          $REPO_API = "${{ github.server_url }}/api/v1/repos/${{ github.repository }}"
+          $Headers = @{ "Authorization" = "token $env:BUILD_TOKEN" }
+
+          $TAG = "${{ needs.bump-version.outputs.tag }}"
+          $RELEASE_NAME = "Voice to Notes ${TAG}"
+          Write-Host "Release tag: ${TAG}"
+
+          $release = Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "${REPO_API}/releases/tags/${TAG}" -Headers $Headers -ErrorAction Stop
+          $RELEASE_ID = $release.id
+          Write-Host "Release ID: ${RELEASE_ID}"
+
+          Get-ChildItem -Path src-tauri\target\release\bundle -Recurse -Include *.msi,*-setup.exe | ForEach-Object {
+            $filename = $_.Name
+            $encodedName = [System.Uri]::EscapeDataString($filename)
+            $size = [math]::Round($_.Length / 1MB, 1)
+            Write-Host "Uploading ${filename} (${size} MB)..."
+
+            try {
+              $assets = Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "${REPO_API}/releases/${RELEASE_ID}/assets" -Headers $Headers
+              $existing = $assets | Where-Object { $_.name -eq $filename }
+              if ($existing) {
+                Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "${REPO_API}/releases/${RELEASE_ID}/assets/$($existing.id)" -Method Delete -Headers $Headers
+              }
+            } catch {}
+
+            # Use curl for streaming upload (Invoke-RestMethod fails on large files)
+            $uploadUrl = "${REPO_API}/releases/${RELEASE_ID}/assets?name=${encodedName}"
+            $result = curl.exe --fail --silent --show-error `
+              -X POST `
+              -H "Authorization: token $env:BUILD_TOKEN" `
+              -H "Content-Type: application/octet-stream" `
+              --data-binary "@$($_.FullName)" `
+              "$uploadUrl" 2>&1
+            if ($LASTEXITCODE -eq 0) {
+              Write-Host "Upload successful: ${filename}"
+            } else {
+              Write-Host "WARNING: Upload failed for ${filename}: ${result}"
+            }
+          }
+
+  build-macos:
+    name: Build (macOS)
+    needs: bump-version
+    runs-on: macos-latest
+    env:
+      PYTHON_VERSION: "3.11"
+      NODE_VERSION: "20"
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          ref: ${{ needs.bump-version.outputs.tag }}
+
+      # ── Python sidecar ──
+      - name: Install uv
+        run: |
+          if command -v uv &> /dev/null; then
+            echo "uv already installed: $(uv --version)"
+          else
+            curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh
+            echo "$HOME/.local/bin" >> $GITHUB_PATH
+          fi
+
+      - name: Install ffmpeg
+        run: brew install ffmpeg
+
+      - name: Set up Python
+        run: uv python install ${{ env.PYTHON_VERSION }}
+
+      - name: Build sidecar
+        working-directory: python
+        run: uv run --python ${{ env.PYTHON_VERSION }} python build_sidecar.py --cpu-only
+
+      - name: Package sidecar for Tauri
+        run: |
+          cd python/dist/voice-to-notes-sidecar && zip -r ../../../src-tauri/sidecar.zip .
+
+      # ── Tauri app ──
+      - name: Set up Node.js
+        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+        with:
+          node-version: ${{ env.NODE_VERSION }}
+
+      - name: Install Rust stable
+        run: |
+          curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh -s -- -y --default-toolchain stable
+          echo "$HOME/.cargo/bin" >> $GITHUB_PATH
+
+      - name: Install system dependencies
+        run: brew install --quiet create-dmg || true
+
+      - name: Install npm dependencies
+        run: npm ci
+
+      - name: Build Tauri app
+        run: npm run tauri build
+
+      # ── Release ──
+      - name: Upload to release
+        env:
+          BUILD_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.BUILD_TOKEN }}
+        run: |
+          which jq || brew install jq
+
+          REPO_API="${GITHUB_SERVER_URL}/api/v1/repos/${GITHUB_REPOSITORY}"
+
+          TAG="${{ needs.bump-version.outputs.tag }}"
+          RELEASE_NAME="Voice to Notes ${TAG}"
+          echo "Release tag: ${TAG}"
+
+          RELEASE_ID=$(curl -s -H "Authorization: token ${BUILD_TOKEN}" \
+            "${REPO_API}/releases/tags/${TAG}" | jq -r '.id // empty')
+
+          if [ -z "${RELEASE_ID}" ] || [ "${RELEASE_ID}" = "null" ]; then
+            echo "ERROR: Failed to find release for tag ${TAG}."
+            exit 1
+          fi
+
+          echo "Release ID: ${RELEASE_ID}"
+
+          find src-tauri/target/release/bundle -type f -name "*.dmg" | while IFS= read -r file; do
+            filename=$(basename "$file")
+            encoded_name=$(echo "$filename" | sed 's/ /%20/g')
+            echo "Uploading ${filename} ($(du -h "$file" | cut -f1))..."
+
+            ASSET_ID=$(curl -s -H "Authorization: token ${BUILD_TOKEN}" \
+              "${REPO_API}/releases/${RELEASE_ID}/assets" | jq -r ".[] | select(.name == \"${filename}\") | .id // empty")
+            if [ -n "${ASSET_ID}" ]; then
+              curl -s -X DELETE -H "Authorization: token ${BUILD_TOKEN}" \
+                "${REPO_API}/releases/${RELEASE_ID}/assets/${ASSET_ID}"
+            fi
+
+            HTTP_CODE=$(curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" -X POST \
+              -H "Authorization: token ${BUILD_TOKEN}" \
+              -H "Content-Type: application/octet-stream" \
+              -T "$file" \
+              "${REPO_API}/releases/${RELEASE_ID}/assets?name=${encoded_name}")
+            echo "Upload response: HTTP ${HTTP_CODE}"
+          done

.gitignore

@@ -50,5 +50,6 @@ Thumbs.db
 # Sidecar build artifacts
 src-tauri/binaries/*
 !src-tauri/binaries/.gitkeep
+src-tauri/sidecar.zip
 python/dist/
 python/build/

package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "voice-to-notes",
-  "version": "0.1.0",
+  "version": "0.2.5",
   "description": "Desktop app for transcribing audio/video with speaker identification",
   "type": "module",
   "scripts": {

python/build_sidecar.py

@@ -236,10 +236,9 @@ def main() -> None:
     python = create_venv_and_install(cpu_only)
     output_dir = run_pyinstaller(python)
     download_ffmpeg(output_dir)
-    rename_binary(output_dir, target_triple)
 
     print(f"\n[build] Done! Sidecar built at: {output_dir}")
-    print(f"[build] Copy contents to src-tauri/binaries/ for Tauri bundling")
+    print(f"[build] Copy directory to src-tauri/sidecar/ for Tauri resource bundling")
 
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":

python/pyproject.toml

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ build-backend = "setuptools.build_meta"
 
 [project]
 name = "voice-to-notes"
-version = "0.1.0"
+version = "0.2.5"
 description = "Python sidecar for Voice to Notes — transcription, diarization, and AI services"
 requires-python = ">=3.11"
 license = "MIT"

python/voice_to_notes.spec

@@ -33,7 +33,13 @@ a = Analysis(
     hookspath=[],
     hooksconfig={},
     runtime_hooks=[],
-    excludes=["tkinter", "test", "unittest", "pip", "setuptools"],
+    excludes=[
+        "tkinter", "test", "unittest", "pip", "setuptools",
+        # ctranslate2.converters imports torch at module level and causes
+        # circular import crashes under PyInstaller. These modules are only
+        # needed for model format conversion, never for inference.
+        "ctranslate2.converters",
+    ],
     win_no_prefer_redirects=False,
     win_private_assemblies=False,
     cipher=block_cipher,

python/voice_to_notes/ipc/handlers.py

@@ -41,11 +41,15 @@ def ping_handler(msg: IPCMessage) -> IPCMessage:
 
 def make_transcribe_handler() -> HandlerFunc:
     """Create a transcription handler with a persistent TranscribeService."""
-    from voice_to_notes.services.transcribe import TranscribeService, result_to_payload
+    service = None
-
-    service = TranscribeService()
 
     def handler(msg: IPCMessage) -> IPCMessage:
+        nonlocal service
+        if service is None:
+            from voice_to_notes.services.transcribe import TranscribeService
+            service = TranscribeService()
+        from voice_to_notes.services.transcribe import result_to_payload
+
         payload = msg.payload
         result = service.transcribe(
             request_id=msg.id,
@@ -66,11 +70,15 @@ def make_transcribe_handler() -> HandlerFunc:
 
 def make_diarize_handler() -> HandlerFunc:
     """Create a diarization handler with a persistent DiarizeService."""
-    from voice_to_notes.services.diarize import DiarizeService, diarization_to_payload
+    service = None
-
-    service = DiarizeService()
 
     def handler(msg: IPCMessage) -> IPCMessage:
+        nonlocal service
+        if service is None:
+            from voice_to_notes.services.diarize import DiarizeService
+            service = DiarizeService()
+        from voice_to_notes.services.diarize import diarization_to_payload
+
         payload = msg.payload
         result = service.diarize(
             request_id=msg.id,
@@ -163,11 +171,15 @@ def make_diarize_download_handler() -> HandlerFunc:
 
 def make_pipeline_handler() -> HandlerFunc:
     """Create a full pipeline handler (transcribe + diarize + merge)."""
-    from voice_to_notes.services.pipeline import PipelineService, pipeline_result_to_payload
+    service = None
-
-    service = PipelineService()
 
     def handler(msg: IPCMessage) -> IPCMessage:
+        nonlocal service
+        if service is None:
+            from voice_to_notes.services.pipeline import PipelineService
+            service = PipelineService()
+        from voice_to_notes.services.pipeline import pipeline_result_to_payload
+
         payload = msg.payload
         result = service.run(
             request_id=msg.id,
@@ -193,11 +205,15 @@ def make_pipeline_handler() -> HandlerFunc:
 
 def make_export_handler() -> HandlerFunc:
     """Create an export handler."""
-    from voice_to_notes.services.export import ExportService, make_export_request
+    service = None
-
-    service = ExportService()
 
     def handler(msg: IPCMessage) -> IPCMessage:
+        nonlocal service
+        if service is None:
+            from voice_to_notes.services.export import ExportService
+            service = ExportService()
+        from voice_to_notes.services.export import make_export_request
+
         request = make_export_request(msg.payload)
         output_path = service.export(request)
         return IPCMessage(
@@ -211,11 +227,14 @@ def make_export_handler() -> HandlerFunc:
 
 def make_ai_chat_handler() -> HandlerFunc:
     """Create an AI chat handler with persistent AIProviderService."""
-    from voice_to_notes.services.ai_provider import create_default_service
+    service = None
-
-    service = create_default_service()
 
     def handler(msg: IPCMessage) -> IPCMessage:
+        nonlocal service
+        if service is None:
+            from voice_to_notes.services.ai_provider import create_default_service
+            service = create_default_service()
+
         payload = msg.payload
         action = payload.get("action", "chat")
 

src-tauri/Cargo.toml

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "voice-to-notes"
-version = "0.1.0"
+version = "0.2.5"
 description = "Voice to Notes — desktop transcription with speaker identification"
 authors = ["Voice to Notes Contributors"]
 license = "MIT"
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ serde = { version = "1", features = ["derive"] }
 serde_json = "1"
 rusqlite = { version = "0.31", features = ["bundled"] }
 uuid = { version = "1", features = ["v4", "serde"] }
+zip = { version = "2", default-features = false, features = ["deflate"] }
 thiserror = "1"
 chrono = { version = "0.4", features = ["serde"] }
 tauri-plugin-dialog = "2.6.0"

src-tauri/build.rs

@@ -1,3 +1,21 @@
 fn main() {
+    // Ensure sidecar.zip exists so tauri-build doesn't fail.
+    // CI replaces this placeholder with the real PyInstaller sidecar archive.
+    let zip_path = std::path::Path::new("sidecar.zip");
+    if !zip_path.exists() {
+        // Minimal valid zip (empty archive): end-of-central-directory record
+        let empty_zip: [u8; 22] = [
+            0x50, 0x4b, 0x05, 0x06, // EOCD signature
+            0x00, 0x00, // disk number
+            0x00, 0x00, // disk with central dir
+            0x00, 0x00, // entries on this disk
+            0x00, 0x00, // total entries
+            0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, // central dir size
+            0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, // central dir offset
+            0x00, 0x00, // comment length
+        ];
+        std::fs::write(zip_path, empty_zip).expect("Failed to create placeholder sidecar.zip");
+    }
+
     tauri_build::build()
 }

src-tauri/src/lib.rs

@@ -27,6 +27,14 @@ pub fn run() {
         .plugin(tauri_plugin_dialog::init())
         .manage(app_state)
         .setup(|app| {
+            // Tell the sidecar manager where Tauri placed bundled resources
+            // and where to extract the sidecar archive
+            if let (Ok(resource_dir), Ok(data_dir)) =
+                (app.path().resource_dir(), app.path().app_local_data_dir())
+            {
+                sidecar::init_dirs(resource_dir, data_dir);
+            }
+
             // Set the webview background to match the app's dark theme
             if let Some(window) = app.get_webview_window("main") {
                 let _ = window.set_background_color(Some(Color(10, 10, 35, 255)));

src-tauri/src/sidecar/mod.rs

@@ -2,11 +2,27 @@ pub mod ipc;
 pub mod messages;
 
 use std::io::{BufRead, BufReader, Write};
+use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
 use std::process::{Child, ChildStdin, Command, Stdio};
 use std::sync::{Mutex, OnceLock};
 
+#[cfg(target_os = "windows")]
+use std::os::windows::process::CommandExt;
+
 use crate::sidecar::messages::IPCMessage;
 
+/// Resource directory set by the Tauri app during setup.
+static RESOURCE_DIR: OnceLock<PathBuf> = OnceLock::new();
+/// App data directory for extracting the sidecar archive.
+static DATA_DIR: OnceLock<PathBuf> = OnceLock::new();
+
+/// Initialize directories for sidecar resolution.
+/// Must be called from the Tauri setup before any sidecar operations.
+pub fn init_dirs(resource_dir: PathBuf, data_dir: PathBuf) {
+    RESOURCE_DIR.set(resource_dir).ok();
+    DATA_DIR.set(data_dir).ok();
+}
+
 /// Get the global sidecar manager singleton.
 pub fn sidecar() -> &'static SidecarManager {
     static INSTANCE: OnceLock<SidecarManager> = OnceLock::new();
@@ -41,37 +57,131 @@ impl SidecarManager {
     }
 
     /// Resolve the frozen sidecar binary path (production mode).
-    fn resolve_sidecar_path() -> Result<std::path::PathBuf, String> {
+    ///
-        let exe = std::env::current_exe().map_err(|e| format!("Cannot get current exe: {e}"))?;
+    /// First checks if the sidecar is already extracted to the app data directory.
-        let exe_dir = exe
+    /// If not, looks for `sidecar.zip` in the Tauri resource directory and extracts it.
-            .parent()
+    fn resolve_sidecar_path() -> Result<PathBuf, String> {
-            .ok_or_else(|| "Cannot get exe parent directory".to_string())?;
-
         let binary_name = if cfg!(target_os = "windows") {
             "voice-to-notes-sidecar.exe"
         } else {
             "voice-to-notes-sidecar"
         };
 
-        // Tauri places externalBin next to the app binary
+        // Versioned extraction directory prevents stale sidecar after app updates
-        let path = exe_dir.join(binary_name);
+        let extract_dir = DATA_DIR
-        if path.exists() {
+            .get()
-            return Ok(path);
+            .ok_or("App data directory not initialized")?
+            .join(format!("sidecar-{}", env!("CARGO_PKG_VERSION")));
+
+        let binary_path = extract_dir.join(binary_name);
+
+        // Already extracted — use it directly
+        if binary_path.exists() {
+            return Ok(binary_path);
         }
 
-        // Also check inside a subdirectory (onedir PyInstaller output)
+        // Find sidecar.zip in resource dir or next to exe
-        let subdir_path = exe_dir.join("voice-to-notes-sidecar").join(binary_name);
+        let zip_path = Self::find_sidecar_zip()?;
-        if subdir_path.exists() {
+        Self::extract_zip(&zip_path, &extract_dir)?;
-            return Ok(subdir_path);
+
+        if !binary_path.exists() {
+            return Err(format!(
+                "Sidecar binary not found after extraction at {}",
+                binary_path.display()
+            ));
+        }
+
+        // Make executable on Unix
+        #[cfg(unix)]
+        {
+            use std::os::unix::fs::PermissionsExt;
+            if let Ok(meta) = std::fs::metadata(&binary_path) {
+                let mut perms = meta.permissions();
+                perms.set_mode(0o755);
+                let _ = std::fs::set_permissions(&binary_path, perms);
+            }
+        }
+
+        Ok(binary_path)
+    }
+
+    /// Locate the bundled sidecar.zip archive.
+    fn find_sidecar_zip() -> Result<PathBuf, String> {
+        let mut candidates: Vec<PathBuf> = Vec::new();
+
+        if let Some(resource_dir) = RESOURCE_DIR.get() {
+            candidates.push(resource_dir.join("sidecar.zip"));
+        }
+        if let Ok(exe) = std::env::current_exe() {
+            if let Some(exe_dir) = exe.parent() {
+                candidates.push(exe_dir.join("sidecar.zip"));
+            }
+        }
+
+        for path in &candidates {
+            if path.exists() {
+                return Ok(path.clone());
+            }
         }
 
         Err(format!(
-            "Sidecar binary not found. Looked for:\n  {}\n  {}",
+            "Sidecar archive not found. Checked:\n{}",
-            path.display(),
+            candidates
-            subdir_path.display(),
+                .iter()
+                .map(|p| format!("  {}", p.display()))
+                .collect::<Vec<_>>()
+                .join("\n"),
         ))
     }
 
+    /// Extract a zip archive to the given directory.
+    fn extract_zip(zip_path: &Path, dest: &Path) -> Result<(), String> {
+        eprintln!(
+            "[sidecar-rs] Extracting sidecar from {} to {}",
+            zip_path.display(),
+            dest.display()
+        );
+
+        // Clean destination so we don't mix old and new files
+        if dest.exists() {
+            std::fs::remove_dir_all(dest)
+                .map_err(|e| format!("Failed to clean extraction dir: {e}"))?;
+        }
+        std::fs::create_dir_all(dest)
+            .map_err(|e| format!("Failed to create extraction dir: {e}"))?;
+
+        let file =
+            std::fs::File::open(zip_path).map_err(|e| format!("Cannot open sidecar zip: {e}"))?;
+        let mut archive =
+            zip::ZipArchive::new(file).map_err(|e| format!("Invalid sidecar zip: {e}"))?;
+
+        for i in 0..archive.len() {
+            let mut entry = archive
+                .by_index(i)
+                .map_err(|e| format!("Zip entry error: {e}"))?;
+
+            let name = entry.name().to_string();
+            let outpath = dest.join(&name);
+
+            if entry.is_dir() {
+                std::fs::create_dir_all(&outpath)
+                    .map_err(|e| format!("Cannot create dir {}: {e}", outpath.display()))?;
+            } else {
+                if let Some(parent) = outpath.parent() {
+                    std::fs::create_dir_all(parent)
+                        .map_err(|e| format!("Cannot create dir {}: {e}", parent.display()))?;
+                }
+                let mut outfile = std::fs::File::create(&outpath)
+                    .map_err(|e| format!("Cannot create {}: {e}", outpath.display()))?;
+                std::io::copy(&mut entry, &mut outfile)
+                    .map_err(|e| format!("Write error for {}: {e}", name))?;
+            }
+        }
+
+        eprintln!("[sidecar-rs] Sidecar extracted successfully");
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
     /// Find a working Python command for the current platform.
     fn find_python_command() -> &'static str {
         if cfg!(target_os = "windows") {
@@ -114,15 +224,8 @@ impl SidecarManager {
         if Self::is_dev_mode() {
             self.start_python_dev()
         } else {
-            match Self::resolve_sidecar_path() {
+            let path = Self::resolve_sidecar_path()?;
-                Ok(path) => self.start_binary(&path),
+            self.start_binary(&path)
-                Err(e) => {
-                    eprintln!(
-                        "[sidecar-rs] Frozen binary not found ({e}), falling back to dev mode"
-                    );
-                    self.start_python_dev()
-                }
-            }
         }
     }
 
@@ -131,10 +234,33 @@ impl SidecarManager {
         self.stop().ok();
         eprintln!("[sidecar-rs] Starting frozen sidecar: {}", path.display());
 
-        let child = Command::new(path)
+        // Log sidecar stderr to a file for diagnostics
-            .stdin(Stdio::piped())
+        let stderr_cfg = if let Some(data_dir) = DATA_DIR.get() {
+            let _ = std::fs::create_dir_all(data_dir);
+            let log_path = data_dir.join("sidecar.log");
+            eprintln!("[sidecar-rs] Sidecar stderr → {}", log_path.display());
+            match std::fs::File::create(&log_path) {
+                Ok(f) => Stdio::from(f),
+                Err(e) => {
+                    eprintln!("[sidecar-rs] Failed to create sidecar.log: {e}");
+                    Stdio::inherit()
+                }
+            }
+        } else {
+            eprintln!("[sidecar-rs] DATA_DIR not set, sidecar stderr will not be logged");
+            Stdio::inherit()
+        };
+
+        let mut cmd = Command::new(path);
+        cmd.stdin(Stdio::piped())
             .stdout(Stdio::piped())
-            .stderr(Stdio::inherit())
+            .stderr(stderr_cfg);
+
+        // Hide the console window on Windows (CREATE_NO_WINDOW = 0x08000000)
+        #[cfg(target_os = "windows")]
+        cmd.creation_flags(0x08000000);
+
+        let child = cmd
             .spawn()
             .map_err(|e| format!("Failed to start sidecar binary: {e}"))?;
 
@@ -200,7 +326,22 @@ impl SidecarManager {
                     .read_line(&mut line)
                     .map_err(|e| format!("Read error: {e}"))?;
                 if bytes == 0 {
-                    return Err("Sidecar closed stdout before sending ready".to_string());
+                    // Try to get the exit code for diagnostics
+                    let exit_info = {
+                        let mut proc = self.process.lock().map_err(|e| e.to_string())?;
+                        if let Some(ref mut child) = *proc {
+                            match child.try_wait() {
+                                Ok(Some(status)) => format!(" (exit status: {status})"),
+                                _ => String::new(),
+                            }
+                        } else {
+                            String::new()
+                        }
+                    };
+                    return Err(format!(
+                        "Sidecar closed stdout before sending ready{exit_info}. \
+                         The Python sidecar may have crashed on startup — check app logs for details."
+                    ));
                 }
                 let trimmed = line.trim();
                 if trimmed.is_empty() {
@@ -230,11 +371,46 @@ impl SidecarManager {
 
     /// Send a message and receive the response, calling a callback for intermediate messages.
     /// Intermediate messages include progress, pipeline.segment, and pipeline.speaker_update.
+    ///
+    /// If the sidecar has crashed (broken pipe), automatically restarts it and retries once.
     pub fn send_and_receive_with_progress<F>(
         &self,
         msg: &IPCMessage,
         on_intermediate: F,
     ) -> Result<IPCMessage, String>
+    where
+        F: Fn(&IPCMessage),
+    {
+        match self.send_and_receive_inner(msg, &on_intermediate) {
+            Ok(response) => Ok(response),
+            Err(e)
+                if e.contains("Write error")
+                    || e.contains("closed stdout")
+                    || e.contains("not available") =>
+            {
+                eprintln!("[sidecar-rs] Sidecar communication failed ({e}), restarting...");
+                self.cleanup_handles();
+                // Stop any zombie process
+                {
+                    let mut proc = self.process.lock().map_err(|e| e.to_string())?;
+                    if let Some(ref mut child) = proc.take() {
+                        let _ = child.kill();
+                        let _ = child.wait();
+                    }
+                }
+                self.ensure_running()?;
+                self.send_and_receive_inner(msg, &on_intermediate)
+            }
+            Err(e) => Err(e),
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Inner implementation of send_and_receive.
+    fn send_and_receive_inner<F>(
+        &self,
+        msg: &IPCMessage,
+        on_intermediate: &F,
+    ) -> Result<IPCMessage, String>
     where
         F: Fn(&IPCMessage),
     {
@@ -320,8 +496,39 @@ impl SidecarManager {
     }
 
     pub fn is_running(&self) -> bool {
-        let proc = self.process.lock().ok();
+        let mut proc = match self.process.lock() {
-        proc.map_or(false, |p| p.is_some())
+            Ok(p) => p,
+            Err(_) => return false,
+        };
+        if let Some(ref mut child) = *proc {
+            // Check if the process has exited
+            match child.try_wait() {
+                Ok(Some(_status)) => {
+                    // Process has exited — clean up handles
+                    eprintln!("[sidecar-rs] Sidecar process has exited");
+                    drop(proc);
+                    let _ = self.cleanup_handles();
+                    false
+                }
+                Ok(None) => true, // Still running
+                Err(_) => false,
+            }
+        } else {
+            false
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Clean up stdin/stdout/process handles after the sidecar has exited.
+    fn cleanup_handles(&self) {
+        if let Ok(mut s) = self.stdin.lock() {
+            *s = None;
+        }
+        if let Ok(mut r) = self.reader.lock() {
+            *r = None;
+        }
+        if let Ok(mut p) = self.process.lock() {
+            *p = None;
+        }
     }
 }
 

src-tauri/tauri.conf.json

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
   "$schema": "https://schema.tauri.app/config/2",
   "productName": "Voice to Notes",
-  "version": "0.1.0",
+  "version": "0.2.5",
   "identifier": "com.voicetonotes.app",
   "build": {
     "beforeDevCommand": "npm run dev",
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@
   },
   "bundle": {
     "active": true,
-    "targets": "all",
+    "targets": ["deb", "nsis", "msi", "dmg"],
     "icon": [
       "icons/32x32.png",
       "icons/128x128.png",
@@ -42,14 +42,12 @@
     "category": "Utility",
     "shortDescription": "Transcribe audio/video with speaker identification",
     "longDescription": "Voice to Notes is a desktop application that transcribes audio and video recordings with speaker identification, synchronized playback, and AI-powered analysis. Export to SRT, WebVTT, ASS captions, or plain text.",
+    "resources": ["sidecar.zip"],
     "copyright": "Voice to Notes Contributors",
     "license": "MIT",
     "linux": {
       "deb": {
         "depends": []
-      },
-      "appimage": {
-        "bundleMediaFramework": true
       }
     },
     "windows": {