VRKA v4.5.3

VRKA v4.5.3

Build 021

VRKA v4.5.3 (Build 021) is a maintenance release that resolves application updater attribute errors, ensures reliable GUI dispatch and state clearing for Check All and Update All operations, improves Settings responsiveness across various window dimensions, and enhances component update detection.

What's New

• Application updater reliability improvements.
• Component updater reliability improvements.
• Reliable Check All and Update All operation.
• Improved Settings responsiveness and update-state handling.
• Improved startup component update checks.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed application update checks failing because of an incorrect update-state attribute (AppUpdateInfo.is_newer).
• Fixed Check All remaining in a checking state after background work completed by migrating GUI completion to Qt queued signal/slot delivery.
• Fixed GUI update state synchronization after background updater operations, ensuring busy states always clear on success, error, or exception.
• Fixed Settings component card layout to adapt responsively to smaller window sizes without horizontal clipping.
• Ensured complete vertical scrolling in Settings across all window heights.
• Improved uBlock Origin Lite post-install readback and state synchronization to eliminate redundant update prompts.

Security

Release integrity and authenticity are verified using VRKA's existing SHA-256 and OpenPGP verification system.

Downloads

• Windows Installer: VRKA-4.5.3-Build-021-Setup.exe
• Portable EXE: VRKA-4.5.3-Build-021-Portable.exe
• Portable ZIP: VRKA-4.5.3-Build-021-Portable.zip
• Source ZIP: VRKA-4.5.3-Build-021-Source.zip

VRKA 4.5.2 Build 020

VRKA v4.5.2

Build 020

VRKA v4.5.2 is a maintenance release that improves Settings layout responsiveness on smaller displays, resolves component updater state issues, and introduces rate-limited startup update checks.

What's New

• Responsive Settings layout: Redesigned component cards and button layouts to dynamically adapt across varying window widths.
• Improved small-window behavior: Eliminated horizontal clipping and layout overflow when resizing the application window below standard widths.
• Improved vertical scrolling: Restored complete vertical scrolling support across all Settings sections and component cards.
• Improved component update handling: Hardened update installation, validation, and post-update state tracking for integrated components.
• Reliable Update All behavior: Enhanced batch update operations with accurate tracking and reporting of individual component statuses.
• Startup component update checks: Added automatic checks on application launch to notify you when updates are available for installed components.
• 24-hour automatic update prompt rate limiting: Rate-limited automatic update notifications to at most once every 24 hours, with dismissal suppression when postponed.
• Improved component version validation: Component versions are verified directly after installation before reporting as up to date.
• Improved fresh Portable update detection: Portable editions detect component updates immediately upon initial launch.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue where uBlock Origin Lite repeatedly reported an update after successful installation.
• Fixed an issue where Update All reported success when an individual component update failed.
• Fixed component controls and action buttons being clipped at smaller window sizes.
• Fixed stale updater state remaining displayed after component installation.

Security

Release integrity and authenticity are verified using VRKA's built-in SHA-256 and OpenPGP verification system.

Downloads

Official packages available for this release:

• Windows Installer: VRKA-4.5.2-Build-020-Setup.exe
• Portable EXE: VRKA-4.5.2-Build-020-Portable.exe
• Portable ZIP: VRKA-4.5.2-Build-020-Portable.zip
• Source ZIP: VRKA-4.5.2-Build-020-Source.zip

Checksum (SHA256SUMS.txt) and detached OpenPGP signature files are included with the release assets.

VRKA 4.5.1 Build 019

VRKA 4.5.1 Build 019

Highlights

• Secure Application Self-Updater: Automated in-app update checking, cryptographic OpenPGP release signature verification against the pinned authoritative release key, SHA-256 integrity validation, distribution type detection (Installer vs Portable), and safe staging.
• Independent Component Updaters: Dedicated, decoupled updaters for yt-dlp (with official upstream signature verification and rollback), uBlock Origin Lite (MV3), and Puemos Media Observer (MV3).
• 24-Hour Rate-Limited Startup Check: Background check at most once per 24 hours with durable persistence in ~/.vrka/update_state.json.
• Unified Component Update Prompt: Non-blocking modal overlay showing all available updates with one-click batch installation and non-nagging "Later" dismissal.
• Concurrency & Debounce Protection: Background worker locks preventing simultaneous update checks or race conditions.
• Byte-Exact Authenticity Packaging: Strict LF-only manifest line endings ensuring zero CRLF drift between signed and verified bytes.
• Full Test Suite Coverage: 169 automated tests with 100% pass rate.

Official Release Packages

Package	Filename	Description
Windows Installer	VRKA-4.5.1-Build-019-Setup.exe	Standard Windows setup wizard with Start Menu and Desktop shortcuts.
Portable ZIP	VRKA-4.5.1-Build-019-Portable.zip	Standalone portable directory — extract and run VRKA.exe.
Portable EXE	VRKA-4.5.1-Build-019-Portable.exe	Single-file portable executable.
Source Archive	VRKA-4.5.1-Build-019-Source.zip	Complete buildable source distribution snapshot.

Integrity & Authenticity Verification

Every official release includes a SHA256SUMS.txt manifest and detached OpenPGP signatures (SHA256SUMS.txt.asc, RELEASE-MANIFEST.json.asc) signed with the project's authoritative 4096-bit RSA release key:

• Fingerprint: 71165A658B3A8612AC2568C6D519380BEBA1B9F7
• Key ID: D519380BEBA1B9F7

SHA-256 Checksums

25de0c9db09bb13efb7fb663e155c9a624d018ac2865ecaa71ef8a32291b5d34 *VRKA-4.5.1-Build-019-Portable.exe
9a722a4776a477bf9b117d1154f6242da3de698681c167c6923a09fd3e1f7df7 *VRKA-4.5.1-Build-019-Portable.zip
ee86cda87415226ac70fb9b1bf48c43459018740957fc83cc093563660061a84 *VRKA-4.5.1-Build-019-Setup.exe
e1432998c0971bcb7faa97d1bbff2551faa7b8174910c0c26f296807f4ae23d2 *VRKA-4.5.1-Build-019-Source.zip

VRKA 4.5 Build 018

VRKA 4.5 Build 018

Highlights

• Modern Qt 6 QML desktop interface with custom title bar, native window controls, and floating sidebar.
• Configurable download destination modes: remember folder or prompt every time.
• Font preference switcher between Monospace and System Default.
• In-app application updates with SHA-256 validation and automatic rollback.
• Supported component updates for yt-dlp, uBlock Origin Lite, and Puemos.
• One-click browser session and cache clearing for privacy.
• End-to-end cryptographic release verification using pinned OpenPGP signing keys.

Downloading

• Multi-factor quality ranking prioritizing higher-bitrate and higher-fidelity streams without arbitrary codec bias.
• Audio extraction supporting MP3 (320, 256, 192, 128 kbps), Opus, and uncompressed WAV.
• Single-worker FIFO task queue with persistent task state and crash recovery.
• Advanced download options including playlist index ranges, subtitle language selection, precision media trimming, and custom HTTP headers.
• Optional custom yt-dlp command-line arguments protected by a safety confirmation prompt.

Browser Fallback

• Automated passive fallback for sites requiring browser-assisted stream observation.
• Isolated WebView2 session equipped with uBlock Origin Lite ad and tracker protection.
• Passive detection of HLS master playlists, DASH manifests, and direct MP4 streams with automatic handoff to the download engine.
• Complete session data clearing available directly in Settings.

Updates

• Application Updates: Check, stage, and install official VRKA updates directly within the application.
• Component Updates: Independent update checks and management for yt-dlp, uBlock Origin Lite rulesets, and the Puemos media observer.
• Cryptographic verification: Updates are verified using SHA-256 digests over secure HTTPS connections.

Security

• RFC 7230 header validation: Custom HTTP headers are strictly validated against token grammar, rejecting CRLF and null-byte injection attacks.
• Sensitive data scrubbing: Authentication tokens, cookies, signed query parameters, and private file paths are automatically redacted from activity logs and diagnostic exports.
• Cryptographic release verification: Official releases are signed with the project's authoritative 4096-bit OpenPGP release signing key (fingerprint 71165A658B3A8612AC2568C6D519380BEBA1B9F7).

Release Artifacts & Verification

Every package provides SHA-256 digests in SHA256SUMS.txt and detached OpenPGP signatures in SHA256SUMS.txt.asc.

Package	Filename	Size (bytes)	SHA-256 Digest
Windows Installer	VRKA-4.5.0-Build-018-Setup.exe	109,351,451	3dcb0038d4609aba5392bb77fd44976e5900e384371ff41f4f62480c1e6a386a
Portable Archive	VRKA-4.5.0-Build-018-Portable.zip	103,290,612	b6ef32c9e3d43aa8ad8b9eca37bab25b3421ef2f91ad0edbef816a91897d91da
Standalone Portable	VRKA-4.5.0-Build-018-Portable.exe	103,843,506	925ab5bb0bccefbd4f78c760beb9a45f272b1b80ce40f32894fd3c87efe8f7f0
Source Archive	VRKA-4.5.0-Build-018-Source.zip	2,774,253	407fd74572f17bc1d8de258f1c601b6bcaf82ef78f2908026dc1adb185cf21c0

Authoritative Signer Key

• Signer Key ID: D519380BEBA1B9F7
• Signer Fingerprint: 71165A658B3A8612AC2568C6D519380BEBA1B9F7

Known Limitations

• DRM-protected streams (Widevine, FairPlay, PlayReady) are not supported.
• Complex interactive web players may require brief manual user playback before streams become detectable.
• Downloads run in a sequential single-worker queue.
• Supported desktop platform is Windows 10 and 11 (x64).
• OpenPGP release signatures and current Windows SmartScreen/code-signing limitations: official packages are signed with OpenPGP rather than commercial Authenticode certificates. Verify SHA-256 digests against SHA256SUMS.txt.

VRKA 4.0.1 — Build 017

VRKA 4.0.1 (Build 017)

A modern, lightweight desktop media downloader for Windows with a high-performance Qt 6 QML interface, strict-FIFO task scheduling, and uBlock Origin Lite-assisted passive browser fallback.

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Highlights in 4.0.1

• UPLINK Status State Machine & Visuals: Resolved an issue where the compact sidebar UPLINK status light and badge remained stuck on UPLINK QUEUED (yellow) after task completion. The presentation bridge now connects dataChanged and layoutChanged model signals to reactive telemetry properties, ensuring the status returns deterministically to UPLINK READY (green #2BCB77) when all queued work is finished, and displays UPLINK ACTIVE (signature purple #9255E5) during active transfers.
• Dynamic Version Header: Bound application title, sidebar, and Settings version metadata dynamically to APP_DISPLAY_VERSION (4.0.1 Build 017).
• UPLINK State Machine Regression Coverage: Added test suite (tests/test_uplink_state.py) verifying state transitions across task insertion, active downloading, completion, error, cancellation, and multi-task queue scenarios.
• Consolidated Test Discovery: Standardized test layout under tests/ supporting python -m unittest discover -s tests.
• Interface Screenshot & Documentation Refresh: Updated all documentation captures with genuine screenshots reflecting 4.0.1 with exact authoritative VRKA 3.0 visual semantics.

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Official Release Packages

Package	Filename	Recommended For	Description
Windows Installer	VRKA-4.0.1-build017-setup-Windows-x64.exe	Most Users	Standard setup wizard with Start Menu and Desktop shortcuts.
Portable ZIP	VRKA-4.0.1-build017-portable-Windows-x64.zip	USB / Portable	Standalone directory — extract anywhere and run VRKA.exe.
Single-File Portable EXE	VRKA-4.0.1-build017-portable-Windows-x64.exe	Lightweight Run	Single-file executable (~92 MB). Provisions managed runtime on first use.
Complete Source Archive	VRKA-4.0.1-build017-complete-source.zip	Developers	Complete buildable source distribution snapshot.

No Manual FFmpeg Installation Required:
VRKA is strictly PATH-independent. The single-file portable executable automatically provisions and cryptographically verifies a pinned external FFmpeg runtime in %LOCALAPPDATA%\VRKA\runtime\ upon first video merge or audio extraction, and reuses it offline on subsequent runs. You do not need to install FFmpeg or set environment variables.

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SHA-256 Checksums

b188e564879c85fe92ba42e172fef4e0ab98a261f6b915285c4f7f378ea9b01d *VRKA-4.0.1-build017-portable-Windows-x64.zip
4f9b2df89bf987ef3f06e1ffd8c20dabe913217071fd69e5e9e8e727771d109b *VRKA-4.0.1-build017-portable-Windows-x64.exe
f3398c08fa3410faa5d10a2d369a87bc039b29cfccaabcae5ce0ad91b07f8479 *VRKA-4.0.1-build017-setup-Windows-x64.exe
a9da52f2410b71245f3935c57b3da24c8d31e571ff255f57c356e0fd7be35a6f *VRKA-4.0.1-build017-complete-source.zip

VRKA 4.0.0 — Build 016

VRKA 4.0.0 — Build 016

Lightweight, resilient desktop media downloader for Windows 10/11 x64.

VRKA 4.0.0 (Build 016) is the first major release of the next-generation desktop media engine, featuring a complete native Qt 6 QML interface, strict-FIFO persistent task scheduling, and an automated passive Browser Fallback subsystem.

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Highlights & Key Features

• Native Qt 6 QML Desktop Interface: Hardware-accelerated Qt Quick UI delivering fluid animations, responsive layouts, high-DPI scaling, and native Windows styling.
• UPLINK Telemetry Console: Real-time sidebar telemetry tracking queue state (Queued, Active, Archived, Done).
• Compact Theme Toggle: Integrated Day / Night mode toggle with an animated sliding indicator and instant semantic palette switching.
• Selectable Multi-Line Activity Log: Real-time download diagnostics supporting full text selection (Ctrl+A) and clipboard copying (Ctrl+C).
• Passive Browser Fallback Subsystem: Seamless fallback using isolated WebView2 with uBlock Origin Lite content protection to capture HLS master playlists, DASH manifests, and direct MP4 streams.
• Durable Task Scheduler: Persistent FIFO single-worker execution engine backed by atomic state recovery in tasks.json.
• Managed Media Processing Runtime: Automatically provisions and cryptographically verifies required media processing components (yt-dlp and pinned FFmpeg 9.0.1) in %LOCALAPPDATA%\VRKA\runtime—no manual tool installation or PATH configuration required.
• Precise Audio Transcoding: High-fidelity audio extraction for MP3 (320, 256, 192, 128 kbps), WAV (uncompressed PCM), and FLAC formats.

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Installation & Download Packages

Package	Filename	Description
Windows Installer	VRKA-4.0.0-build016-setup-Windows-x64.exe	Standard Windows setup wizard with Start Menu and Desktop shortcuts.
Portable ZIP	VRKA-4.0.0-build016-portable-Windows-x64.zip	Standalone portable directory — extract and run VRKA.exe.
Single-File Portable	VRKA-4.0.0-build016-portable-Windows-x64.exe	Self-contained single executable (~92 MB; provisions managed runtime on first run).
Complete Source	VRKA-4.0.0-build016-complete-source.zip	Full source distribution snapshot.

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Cryptographic Checksums (SHA-256)

d49aa3bb87fbc3f71a3d0a3664d528dd7cdcb9eb453cff505dd20066d4ec1eda *VRKA-4.0.0-build016-setup-Windows-x64.exe
ebd46d2028616b3d6e26612910e810eae8b06036db13471e785727f15b3dabc0 *VRKA-4.0.0-build016-portable-Windows-x64.zip
bf727b21061903e18d08b9cb04c667d9f944078336ab15c52e9cb534be088f79 *VRKA-4.0.0-build016-portable-Windows-x64.exe
02fda33d12c8d3ddf4daa23d0d54d3a6641c12ed4db9ebc0ad2d8c72a71c42d6 *VRKA-4.0.0-build016-complete-source.zip

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Security & Privacy Policy

• Zero Telemetry: No tracking, analytics, or background telemetry.
• Redacted Logging: Sensitive session tokens, cookies, and URLs are automatically stripped from diagnostics.
• DRM Respect: VRKA does not circumvent or bypass Widevine, FairPlay, PlayReady, or other DRM mechanisms.