backchannel
Windows x64
For Windows 10 or later on 64-bit Intel or AMD processors.
- Download
Backchannel-windows-x64-v0.6.4.zip. - Unzip it and run
Backchannel.exe. - If SmartScreen appears, choose More info, then Run anyway.
Release v0.6.4
Exports worth sending.
The call briefing was a plain sheet of same-weight cards. It is now a document that opens with what came out of the meeting and keeps the line of transcript behind every claim one click away. The insights workbook opens on a summary instead of an eighteen-column grid, with Action Items and Opportunities as lists you can work down. Both are still generated on demand and leave nothing on disk.
Download Backchannel v0.6.4
These unsigned open-source builds are delivered through the Backchannel download portal. Downloads are open to everyone; no account or GitHub sign-in is required.
The Windows and Linux bundles include ffmpeg. On macOS, voice calibration and compressed audio imports still need ffmpeg on PATH.
macOS Apple Silicon
For Apple Silicon Macs. Intel macOS builds are not included in this release.
- Download
Backchannel-macos-arm64-v0.6.4.zip. - Unzip it and move
Backchannel.appwherever you keep apps. - Right-click
Backchannel.appand choose Open the first time.
Linux x64
A portable bundle for 64-bit Intel or AMD Linux systems.
- Download
Backchannel-linux-x64-v0.6.4.tar.gz. - Extract it with
tar -xzf Backchannel-linux-x64-v0.6.4.tar.gz. - Run
Backchannel/Backchannel.
What changed
v0.6.4 is about what leaves the app: the two export formats, one Privacy tab row that was reporting a problem that did not exist, and a large reduction in what a meeting costs to analyse.
The briefing export is a different document
It opens with what came out of the call - commitments, opportunities, risks, what is still open - and the headline finding, before anything needs scrolling. Sections have real hierarchy instead of one flat stack, each insight keeps the line from the transcript that produced it in a disclosure beside it, and the full transcript sits at the end the same way. Still a single file that fetches no fonts, scripts or images from anywhere, so it reads the same offline and in an email client.
The insights workbook opens on a summary
Three sheets in front of the full grid: what was captured and in what proportion, who was in the room and how much came from each of them, and what still needs attention. Then Action Items and Opportunities, each shaped to be worked down rather than filtered. The eighteen-column Insights sheet is unchanged - nothing was taken out of it, it is just no longer the first thing you see.
Sidebar groups stay where you put them
Collapsing a group used to come undone on its own, because the sidebar re-opened every group whenever the group list refreshed. Your choices now survive that and a reload. The chevron reads as a control without hovering over it, and the Groups header gained a single collapse-all.
The Privacy tab was wrong about transcript refinement
Switching the Transcript Refiner off turned that row red, which read as a hole in the shield. It was never one: the refiner only ever sees tokenized text, on any model, local or cloud, and a rewrite is kept only if it carries exactly the original tokens. The row now answers the privacy question, and says separately whether the stage is running.
Meetings cost fewer tokens to analyse
Nothing about this is visible in use. The transcript handed to the analysis agents carried a 36-character identifier on every line; it now carries a short tag with one legend per prompt, roughly 40 percent off text the agents re-read many times per meeting. Separately, every agent prompt now sends its instructions as instructions and its data as data, in an order a provider's prompt cache can reuse.
One agent had been reading every meeting as a sales call
The agent that matches opportunities to your offerings built its prompt by a different route than the others, and that route skipped the meeting context entirely - so an internal check-in got the same treatment as a client pitch. It now goes through the same path as every other agent.
First-run notes
| Need | What to do |
|---|---|
| Release access | Nothing - downloads are open to everyone; no account or sign-in is required. |
| Provider key | Follow the guided setup on first launch, or add a key later in Admin -> Connections. Calls will not start until the transcription model has a usable credential; local ONNX transcription needs none. |
| Voice calibration | Works out of the box on Windows and Linux. On macOS, install ffmpeg and make sure it is on PATH before enrolling your voice. |
| Upgrading | An install on v0.5.3 or later updates itself in place, with no account anywhere on the path: it verifies the new build's signature first and waits for recording and post-processing to finish before restarting. After updating, re-transcribe any session that came back empty; the audio is still there. An install on v0.5.2 or earlier will not see this release from inside the app: download the bundle above, quit the old version from the tray, and run the new one. Session data is stored per-user and shared by every version, and the PII Shield stays off until you turn it on in Admin -> Privacy. The Admin About tab shows a what's-new notice after upgrading. |
| Desktop launch | Backchannel opens a dedicated local app window in your default browser when it supports app windows, otherwise it uses a standard browser tab. It remains available from the system tray or menu bar. |
| Docker | Check out the v0.6.4 source tag and rebuild Compose to run the same release through containers. If you reach the stack by a DNS hostname rather than an IP address or localhost, set BACKCHANNEL_ALLOWED_HOSTS to that name in .env first. |
Start with the desktop app or self-host the stack
Both paths run Backchannel on your machine. Choose the desktop bundle for the fastest start, or Compose for maximum control.