Show release notes in-app instead of opening the web releases page

New "Read Release Notes" entries in the Help menu (current installed
version) and the "Check for Updates" alert (the new, not-yet-installed
version) render a release's markdown notes in a Confab modal.

- UpdateCheckService.fetchReleaseNotes(forTag:) fetches a release's
  title + body from Gitea's public releases-by-tag API, caching the
  result by version tag in the settings table (a published release's
  notes don't change, so no need to refetch on every view).
- ReleaseNotesView reuses the existing MarkdownContentView renderer;
  shows a friendly "not available yet" state for versions with no
  published Gitea release (e.g. a dev build ahead of the last release).
- ReleaseNotesRequest carries which version to show atomically via
  .sheet(item:), per this project's established sheet-timing pattern.
- Removed the redundant "Release Page" button from the update alert
  now that notes show in-app; added an explicit .keyboardShortcut
  (.cancelAction) to its cancel button so Escape actually closes it —
  role: .cancel alone didn't do it, since NSAlert only auto-binds
  Escape to a button literally titled "Cancel".

oAI/Models/ReleaseNotesRequest.swift

@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+//
+//  ReleaseNotesRequest.swift
+//  Confab
+//
+//  Sheet-presentation payload for ReleaseNotesView
+//
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: PolyForm-Noncommercial-1.0.0
+// Copyright (C) 2026 Rune Olsen
+//
+// This file is part of Confab.
+//
+// Confab is licensed under the PolyForm Noncommercial License 1.0.0.
+// You may use, study, modify, and share it for any noncommercial
+// purpose. Commercial use — including selling Confab or any part of
+// it, standalone or bundled into another product or service —
+// requires a separate commercial license from the copyright holder.
+//
+// See the LICENSE file or
+// <https://polyformproject.org/licenses/noncommercial/1.0.0> for
+// the full license text. For commercial licensing, contact Rune
+// Olsen via <https://confab.no>.
+
+import Foundation
+
+/// Carries which version's release notes to show atomically to `.sheet(item:)` — avoids the
+/// two-sequential-@State-mutations race documented for sheets that show existing data.
+struct ReleaseNotesRequest: Identifiable {
+    let id = UUID()
+    /// Git tag form, e.g. "v2.5.0".
+    let versionTag: String
+    /// true: opened from the Help menu for the currently-installed version.
+    /// false: opened from the "update available" alert for a not-yet-installed version.
+    let isCurrentlyInstalled: Bool
+}

oAI/Services/DatabaseService.swift

@@ -404,6 +404,12 @@ final class DatabaseService: Sendable {
         }
     }
 
+    nonisolated func getSetting(key: String) -> String? {
+        try? dbQueue.read { db in
+            try SettingRecord.fetchOne(db, key: key)?.value
+        }
+    }
+
     nonisolated func setSetting(key: String, value: String) {
         try? dbQueue.write { db in
             let record = SettingRecord(key: key, value: value)

oAI/Services/UpdateCheckService.swift

@@ -27,6 +27,21 @@ import AppKit
 #endif
 import Observation
 
+/// A single Gitea release's display name + markdown body, for in-app viewing (Help menu, and the
+/// "update available" alert) instead of opening the web releases page.
+struct ReleaseNotes: Sendable, Equatable {
+    let versionTag: String
+    let title: String
+    let body: String
+}
+
+enum ReleaseNotesError: Error, Sendable {
+    /// No published release exists for this tag — e.g. a development build ahead of the last
+    /// published version.
+    case notFound
+    case networkError
+}
+
 @Observable
 final class UpdateCheckService {
     static let shared = UpdateCheckService()
@@ -41,6 +56,7 @@ final class UpdateCheckService {
 
     private let apiURL = "https://gitlab.pm/api/v1/repos/rune/oai-swift/releases/latest"
     private let releasesURL = URL(string: "https://gitlab.pm/rune/oai-swift/releases")!
+    private let releasesByTagBaseURL = "https://gitlab.pm/api/v1/repos/rune/oai-swift/releases/tags/"
 
     private init() {}
 
@@ -125,4 +141,56 @@ final class UpdateCheckService {
         NSWorkspace.shared.open(releasesURL)
         #endif
     }
+
+    // MARK: - Release Notes
+
+    private static let releaseNotesCacheKeyPrefix = "releaseNotesCache_"
+
+    /// Fetches a specific release's title + markdown body by git tag (e.g. "v2.5.0"), for showing
+    /// in-app. Checked against a small on-disk cache first — a published release's notes don't
+    /// change after the fact, so there's no need to hit the network every time the same version's
+    /// notes are viewed again.
+    func fetchReleaseNotes(forTag tag: String) async -> Result<ReleaseNotes, ReleaseNotesError> {
+        if let cached = Self.cachedReleaseNotes(forTag: tag) {
+            return .success(cached)
+        }
+
+        guard let url = URL(string: releasesByTagBaseURL + tag) else {
+            return .failure(.networkError)
+        }
+        var request = URLRequest(url: url)
+        request.timeoutInterval = 10
+
+        guard let (data, response) = try? await URLSession.shared.data(for: request) else {
+            return .failure(.networkError)
+        }
+        if let http = response as? HTTPURLResponse, http.statusCode == 404 {
+            return .failure(.notFound)
+        }
+        guard let release = try? JSONSerialization.jsonObject(with: data) as? [String: Any],
+              let tagName = release["tag_name"] as? String,
+              let body = release["body"] as? String else {
+            return .failure(.notFound)
+        }
+
+        let notes = ReleaseNotes(versionTag: tagName, title: release["name"] as? String ?? tagName, body: body)
+        Self.cacheReleaseNotes(notes)
+        return .success(notes)
+    }
+
+    private static func cachedReleaseNotes(forTag tag: String) -> ReleaseNotes? {
+        guard let json = DatabaseService.shared.getSetting(key: releaseNotesCacheKeyPrefix + tag),
+              let data = json.data(using: .utf8),
+              let obj = try? JSONSerialization.jsonObject(with: data) as? [String: String],
+              let versionTag = obj["versionTag"], let title = obj["title"], let body = obj["body"]
+        else { return nil }
+        return ReleaseNotes(versionTag: versionTag, title: title, body: body)
+    }
+
+    private static func cacheReleaseNotes(_ notes: ReleaseNotes) {
+        guard let data = try? JSONSerialization.data(withJSONObject: [
+            "versionTag": notes.versionTag, "title": notes.title, "body": notes.body,
+        ]), let json = String(data: data, encoding: .utf8) else { return }
+        DatabaseService.shared.setSetting(key: releaseNotesCacheKeyPrefix + notes.versionTag, value: json)
+    }
 }

oAI/ViewModels/ChatViewModel.swift

@@ -136,6 +136,7 @@ class ChatViewModel {
     var showHelp: Bool = false
     var showCredits: Bool = false
     var showHistory: Bool = false
+    var releaseNotesRequest: ReleaseNotesRequest? = nil
     var showShortcuts: Bool = false
     var showSkills: Bool = false
     var showJarvis: Bool = false

oAI/Views/Main/ContentView.swift

@@ -129,6 +129,9 @@ struct ContentView: View {
                 chatViewModel.inputText = input
             })
         }
+        .sheet(item: $vm.releaseNotesRequest) { request in
+            ReleaseNotesView(request: request)
+        }
         .alert("Intel Mac Support Ending", isPresented: $showIntelWarning) {
             Button("Got It") {
                 UserDefaults.standard.set(true, forKey: "hasShownIntelWarning")
@@ -146,10 +149,16 @@ struct ContentView: View {
                         NSWorkspace.shared.open(url)
                     }
                 }
-                Button("Release Page") { updateService.openReleasesPage() }
+                if let latest = updateService.latestVersion {
+                    Button("Read Release Notes") {
+                        vm.releaseNotesRequest = ReleaseNotesRequest(versionTag: "v\(latest)", isCurrentlyInstalled: false)
+                    }
+                }
                 Button("Later", role: .cancel) { }
+                    .keyboardShortcut(.cancelAction)
             } else {
                 Button("OK", role: .cancel) { }
+                    .keyboardShortcut(.cancelAction)
             }
         } message: {
             Text(updateService.manualCheckMessage ?? "")

oAI/Views/Screens/ReleaseNotesView.swift

@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+//
+//  ReleaseNotesView.swift
+//  Confab
+//
+//  Shows a Gitea release's markdown notes in-app, instead of opening the web releases page
+//
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: PolyForm-Noncommercial-1.0.0
+// Copyright (C) 2026 Rune Olsen
+//
+// This file is part of Confab.
+//
+// Confab is licensed under the PolyForm Noncommercial License 1.0.0.
+// You may use, study, modify, and share it for any noncommercial
+// purpose. Commercial use — including selling Confab or any part of
+// it, standalone or bundled into another product or service —
+// requires a separate commercial license from the copyright holder.
+//
+// See the LICENSE file or
+// <https://polyformproject.org/licenses/noncommercial/1.0.0> for
+// the full license text. For commercial licensing, contact Rune
+// Olsen via <https://confab.no>.
+
+
+import SwiftUI
+
+struct ReleaseNotesView: View {
+    let request: ReleaseNotesRequest
+    @Environment(\.dismiss) var dismiss
+    @State private var notes: ReleaseNotes?
+    @State private var isLoading = true
+    @State private var error: ReleaseNotesError?
+
+    var body: some View {
+        NavigationStack {
+            Group {
+                if isLoading {
+                    ProgressView("Loading release notes...")
+                        .frame(maxWidth: .infinity, maxHeight: .infinity)
+                } else if let error {
+                    errorView(error)
+                } else if let notes {
+                    ScrollView {
+                        MarkdownContentView(content: notes.body, fontSize: 13)
+                            .padding()
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+            .navigationTitle(request.isCurrentlyInstalled ? "Release Notes" : "What's New")
+            .toolbar {
+                ToolbarItem(placement: .confirmationAction) {
+                    Button("Done") { dismiss() }
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        .frame(minWidth: 520, idealWidth: 600, minHeight: 480, idealHeight: 620)
+        .task {
+            await fetchNotes()
+        }
+    }
+
+    @ViewBuilder
+    private func errorView(_ error: ReleaseNotesError) -> some View {
+        VStack(spacing: 12) {
+            Image(systemName: "doc.text.magnifyingglass")
+                .font(.system(size: 40))
+                .foregroundStyle(.secondary)
+            switch error {
+            case .notFound:
+                Text("No release notes are available yet for \(request.versionTag).")
+                    .multilineTextAlignment(.center)
+                    .foregroundStyle(.secondary)
+            case .networkError:
+                Text("Couldn't load release notes. Check your internet connection and try again.")
+                    .multilineTextAlignment(.center)
+                    .foregroundStyle(.secondary)
+                Button("Retry") {
+                    Task { await fetchNotes() }
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        .padding()
+        .frame(maxWidth: .infinity, maxHeight: .infinity)
+    }
+
+    private func fetchNotes() async {
+        isLoading = true
+        error = nil
+        switch await UpdateCheckService.shared.fetchReleaseNotes(forTag: request.versionTag) {
+        case .success(let fetched):
+            notes = fetched
+        case .failure(let fetchError):
+            error = fetchError
+        }
+        isLoading = false
+    }
+}

oAI/oAIApp.swift

@@ -209,6 +209,10 @@ struct oAIApp: App {
                 Button("Confab Help") { openHelp() }
                     .keyboardShortcut("?", modifiers: .command)
                 Divider()
+                Button("Read Release Notes") {
+                    let current = Bundle.main.infoDictionary?["CFBundleShortVersionString"] as? String ?? ""
+                    chatViewModel.releaseNotesRequest = ReleaseNotesRequest(versionTag: "v\(current)", isCurrentlyInstalled: true)
+                }
                 Button(UpdateCheckService.shared.isCheckingManually ? "Checking…" : "Check for Updates…") {
                     UpdateCheckService.shared.checkForUpdatesManually()
                 }