The starter is the project the Quickstart generates, whether you take the one click deploy or run npx chaibuilder-app create locally. It is a repository you own a copy of, not a package you install, so it is tagged rather than versioned with semver.

How the tags work

Each release is tagged twice, once per database flavor:

v3-sqlite    v3-pg
v2-sqlite    v2-pg
v1-sqlite    v1-pg

v3-sqlite and v3-pg are the same release. They differ only in which database the project is wired to. Read the entry once and pull the tag matching your database. Earlier tags in the v0.0.x series predate the split and are SQLite only.

Because you own your copy, upgrading means pulling the diff between your current tag and the new one into your repository, then running migrations. See Releases and Upgrading.

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v3 - 2026-08-02

Tags: v3-sqlite, v3-pg

Changed

• Media storage paths are shorter and no longer contain a UUID. The prefix is derived from the app key alone, so uploaded object paths are readable.
• The AI model list is refreshed to current models.
• The initial migration is recreated as a single clean migration.

Fixed

• The media prefix migration is idempotent, so re-running it is safe.
• media.prefix stays in the schema whether or not storage environment variables are set, which fixes assets resolving without a prefix.
• Pinned a working OpenRouter SDK version, resolving AI request failures.

v2 - 2026-07-31

Tags: v2-sqlite, v2-pg

Changed

• Upgraded to chaipro v0.2.6, which brings the AI generation reliability work. See the chaipro changelog.
• Further /setup wizard refinements.

Fixed

• The "edit failed" error caused by fetching a remote URL during editing.

v1 - 2026-07-29

Tags: v1-sqlite, v1-pg

The first release with a Postgres variant alongside SQLite.

Added

• A Postgres flavor of the starter, tagged v1-pg. See Database Setup for choosing between them.
• picsum.photos in the allowed remote image patterns, so placeholder imagery renders in a fresh project.

Changed

• /setup is simplified to three steps that fit in one viewport, with storage and AI offered on the last step alongside the option to point at your own host.
• /setup speaks the local user's language.
• Each run of the wizard creates a new site rather than adopting an existing one.
• Every link in setup opens in a new tab, and the last step leads with the action it is asking for.
• The README leads with the two ways to start.

Fixed

• The build no longer fails when the sitemap cannot reach the database, which used to break first deploys before the database was provisioned.

v0.0.4 - 2026-07-28

Added

• One click Deploy to Vercel and Netlify, which became the lead onboarding path on /start.
• A /setup wizard that runs after a one click deploy, reusing the database, storage and AI credentials already set on the deployment and offering the CLI path as an alternative.
• Download your generated .env file from the wizard.
• A brand header on the setup screens.

Changed

• Migrations no longer run automatically on production boot.
• proxy.ts owns the redirect for an unconfigured project.

Fixed

• Leaving the database token empty no longer fails with an auth error.

v0.0.3 - 2026-07-24

Fixed

• A hydration error caused by the animation provider.

v0.0.2 - 2026-07-24

Added

• First name and last name fields on the Users collection.

Changed

• Upgraded to the then current chaipro, and removed unused collections and test files.

v0.0.1 - 2026-07-17

First tagged starter.

Added

• A Next.js project wired to chaipro, with Payload CMS integration, an email service, component blocks and an automated test suite.
• Form submissions support.
• App role management from the Users collection, with roles and permissions read from app_users.
• The initial database migration.
• An iframe communication bridge for parent and child window interaction between the builder and the embedded CMS.

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Related

• Quickstart - both ways to create a project.
• CLI - chaibuilder-app create and the project commands.
• chaipro Changelog - the package the starter depends on.