TLDW 1.2.5 — free template editing, skill templates & tidier settings

This release opens up customization and cleans up Settings.

Editing templates is now free for everyone

You can now edit the built-in note styles for free — tailor the exact sections, headings, and tone the AI follows. Creating brand-new custom templates remains a Pro feature.

Edit how your skills are written

New skill templates: edit the AI instructions behind each skill format (Claude Skill, AGENTS.md, Cursor rule, System prompt) — the same way you edit note styles. Pro users can also add their own custom skill types. Find both under Settings → Templates (Notes / Skill templates).

Tidier Settings

• Obsidian and Skills now have their own settings pages, instead of being buried in General.
• Auto-filing notes and skills are independent toggles, so you can turn on exactly what you want.

Browser extension — now on the Chrome Web Store

A new Extension tab lets you send videos to TLDW straight from your browser. Add the TLDW — Send to app extension to Chrome (or any Chromium browser) and get a one-click “Send to TLDW” button on YouTube, X, and Vimeo — or queue a batch and send them all at once.

Existing users get this automatically via auto-update. Requires macOS 14+ on Apple Silicon.

TLDW 1.2.6 — quit/update fix, and the browser extension is live

Fix: the app could get stuck with Settings open

If you had Settings open, the app couldn’t be quit — Cmd-Q and even Dock → Quit did nothing until you closed Settings first. Because updates install when the app quits, this could also block auto-update. Settings is now its own window (open it with Cmd-,), so the app always quits cleanly and updates apply reliably.

The browser extension is live

The TLDW — Send to app extension is now on the Chrome Web Store. Add it for a one-click “Send to TLDW” button on YouTube, X, and Vimeo — or queue a batch and send them all at once. Works in Chrome and any other Chromium browser (Brave, Arc, Edge). The in-app Extension tab links straight to it.

Existing users get this automatically via auto-update. Requires macOS 14+ on Apple Silicon.

TLDW 1.2.7 — a much clearer setup

This release is all about making TLDW easy to set up — especially the first time.

One simple “AI & Models” page

The old Transcription and AI Provider settings were two confusing pages with two different kinds of “models.” They’re now a single, plain-language AI & Models page with a clear two-step flow:

1. Transcription model — download one model (we recommend “Balanced”); it turns the video’s speech into text, privately on your Mac.
2. Summarizing AI — choose Cloud AI (easiest — bring your own API key) or On your Mac (free & private, via Ollama), with help for either.

Each step shows a ✓ when it’s done, so you always know what’s left.

A redesigned welcome

First-run onboarding got a full refresh that mirrors the new setup: a quick tour, the same clear two-step setup, and an optional last step to grab the browser extension. You can re-run it anytime from Settings → About → Replay welcome tour.

Existing users get this automatically via auto-update. Requires macOS 14+ on Apple Silicon.

TLDW 1.2.8 — get notified when it's done

Finish notifications

Batches and longer videos can take a while — so TLDW can now tell you when it's done. Start a batch, go do something else, and you'll get a macOS notification like "Batch complete — 8 of 10 videos processed" when it finishes. Click it to jump back to TLDW.

• Fires for batches and long single videos — quick clips stay silent.
• Only notifies when you've switched away from TLDW (never while you're watching the progress).
• Toggle it in Settings → General → Notifications (on by default).

Existing users get this automatically via auto-update. Requires macOS 14+ on Apple Silicon.

TLDW 1.2.0 — one run, two outputs · auto-tags · and a CLI

The biggest update yet. TLDW now does more in a single pass, keeps your library organized for you, and runs right in your terminal.

Notes and a skill, in one run (Pro)

Turn one video into a clean Markdown note and a ready-to-install agent skill at the same time — TLDW transcribes once, then produces both. The result screen has a quick Notes / Skill switcher so you can flip between them, install, and export each on its own. (Single outputs stay free; producing both in one run is Pro.)

Auto-tagged library (free)

Every note and skill is now tagged by AI as it's created — notes from a general vocabulary (Tutorial, Productivity, Finance…), skills from a coding one (Frontend, Backend, DevOps, Testing…). Filter your library by tag, edit tags inline, or batch-tag everything you've already made. Note tags also flow into Obsidian & Notion via frontmatter. Manage your tag palettes in Settings → Tags.

Use it in your terminal

TLDW is now a CLI, too — the same 100% local engine, no app required:

npm i -g tldw-cli
tldw "https://youtu.be/…" --notes --skill claude

Progress streams to stderr and file paths to stdout, so it pipes and scripts cleanly. Mac app or terminal — your choice.

Also

• Smoother "create" composer: pick Notes, Skill, or both with clear checkboxes
• Partial-success handling: if one output hiccups, the other is still saved
• The usual polish and fixes

Requires macOS 14+ on Apple Silicon. Existing users get this automatically via auto-update.