bmad-code-org · bmadcode · Jul 22, 2026 · Jul 21, 2026 · Jul 22, 2026
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -2,6 +2,26 @@
 
 All notable changes to BMad Manticore are documented here. Dates are ISO (YYYY-MM-DD).
 
+## Unreleased
+
+### Cross-platform: Windows, Linux, and Intel Mac lanes (code-complete, pending real-hardware validation)
+
+- Transcription is cross-platform: transcribe.py gains an onnx-asr provider running the same parakeet-tdt-0.6b-v3 weights as an ONNX conversion, so verbatim fillers and 80 ms word timestamps carry over on Windows, Linux, and Intel Macs. New default provider `auto` picks parakeet-mlx on macOS Apple Silicon (byte-identical to the 1.0 reference lane) and onnx-asr everywhere else; dependencies select per platform via PEP 508 markers, CUDA machines escalate with `uv run --with "onnx-asr[gpu,hub]" python <script-path>` (the `python` command skips the script's cpu-extra dependency so onnxruntime-gpu never co-installs with onnxruntime, and the script warns when an NVIDIA GPU is visible but CUDA is unavailable), long audio is chunked in 20 s windows with 2 s overlap and merged deterministically with a seam-repair pass so boundary words are never duplicated or dropped, and words.json stays byte-compatible across lanes. Honesty rule: when the ONNX runtime exposes no per-token scores, every confidence reads 1.0 (no signal), never a fabricated number. The `[transcription]` default moved from "parakeet-mlx" to "auto"; whisper.cpp and faster-whisper are no longer the documented fallbacks.
+- Install-time platform detection: check_deps.py now detects OS, CPU architecture, and GPU vendor (nvidia-smi, /sys/class/drm PCI ids, wmic/PowerShell fallbacks) and emits a platform verdict, in `--json` as a kebab-case `platform` object (os, arch, apple-silicon, gpu, gpu-detail, recommended{stack-file, transcription, torch-index, encoder-ladder, svg-rasterizer, fonts}) and as a table-mode stack block. Three new stack reference files at skills/mc-setup/references/stack-{macos,windows,linux}.md carry the per-OS defaults, Windows notes (short engines-path, LongPathsEnabled, gyan.dev build, OBS over Game Bar), Linux notes (PipeWire/Wayland capture, noto-color-emoji, the free-Resolve H.264/HEVC/AAC codec caveat), vMix and Wirecast alpha notes, and the per-OS DaVinci Resolve Fusion Scripts paths for the free-edition scripted-import lane. mc-setup reads the recommended stack file during the interview.
+- Hardware encoder ladders: the final render and the VFR remux pick per-OS hardware encoders validated by a real one-frame test encode (Windows: h264_nvenc, then h264_qsv, then h264_amf; Linux: h264_nvenc, then h264_vaapi wired end to end with hwupload; libx264 fallback everywhere). The preview render, plain and graphics-composited alike, stays libx264 crf 28 veryfast by design on every OS. macOS videotoolbox behavior is byte-for-byte unchanged.
+- mc-audio portability: the audio-lab venv interpreter resolves per OS (.venv/bin/python vs .venv\Scripts\python.exe), Windows machines with an NVIDIA GPU install torch from the PyTorch cu126 index (roughly 2.5 to 3 GB extra, surfaced in the consent message and the `--dry-run` torch field), and MusicGen/AudioLDM2 pick cuda, then mps, then cpu. macOS behavior is unchanged.
+- Small portability fixes: edl_to_fcpxml.py emits valid Windows file URIs (file:///C:/... and UNC shares) via Path.as_uri() with byte-identical POSIX output; farm_asset.py resolves registered tools with a PATH lookup (Windows npm .cmd/.exe shims launch by bare name), documents POSIX quoting for headless templates on every OS, and refuses to pass arguments containing cmd.exe metacharacters (embedded double quotes, % ^ & | < >) to a .cmd/.bat shim, failing loudly with a re-register hint instead of letting cmd.exe corrupt or expand them; verify_ograf.py prints per-OS manual verification steps and, from a human terminal, serves the package and opens preview.html in the default browser itself. transcribe.py, edl_to_fcpxml.py, and render_final.py read and write their JSON, FCPXML, and concat-list artifacts with explicit UTF-8 so non-ASCII transcripts and paths survive on Windows locale codecs (cp1252).
+
+### Added
+
+- Final renders are loudness-normalized by default to -14 LUFS (two-pass ffmpeg loudnorm, TP -1.5, LRA 11; audio-only second pass with the video stream copied), configurable via `[render]` loudness-target and disable-able via `[render]` loudnorm = false or `--no-loudnorm`. Preview renders are never normalized. Silent audio skips the pass with a warning instead of failing.
+- mc-package emits uploadable captions and a publishable transcript from the edited timeline: the new stdlib-only captions.py maps each EDL segment's word spans onto output-timeline times (reordered and multi-source edits included) and writes packaging/captions/final.srt, final.vtt, and transcript.md. Caption defaults: 42 chars per line, 2 lines, 1 to 7 s cues, splits at sentence ends, pauses, and cuts. A light filler/stutter cleanup applies to the caption rendition only (`--no-clean` keeps verbatim); transcript/words.json is never modified.
+- mc-stream-pack produces and verifies the OBS WebM VP9 alpha deliverable from a ProRes 4444 master in one command (render_verify.py `--transcode-webm`, with `--webm-crf`), with clear errors when ffmpeg lacks libvpx-vp9 or the master has no alpha, plus a pixfmt-failure hint carrying the exact re-encode flags. The stream-pack copy of render_verify.py is now a superset of mc-graphics' copy.
+
+### Documentation
+
+- README platform matrix and the user guide rewritten for the cross-platform reality; the Resolve handoff reference gains the free-edition Fusion Scripts install paths, the Linux free-edition codec caveat, and an opt-in pointer to the community samuelgursky/davinci-resolve-mcp server for Studio users (Manticore itself still requires no MCP server).
+
 ## 1.0.1 - 2026-07-07
 
 ### Fixed

diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 # BMad Manticore
 
-[![Version](https://img.shields.io/badge/version-1.0.0-blue)](.claude-plugin/marketplace.json)
+[![Version](https://img.shields.io/badge/version-1.0.1-blue)](.claude-plugin/marketplace.json)
 [![License: MIT](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-MIT-yellow.svg)](LICENSE)
 [![Python Version](https://img.shields.io/badge/python-%3E%3D3.11-blue?logo=python&logoColor=white)](https://www.python.org)
 [![uv](https://img.shields.io/badge/uv-package%20manager-blueviolet?logo=uv)](https://docs.astral.sh/uv/)
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ Manticore is an AI video production pipeline for content creators, packaged as a
 - A render at every step: a fast low-res preview after every cut approval, the same preview re-rendered with graphics composited once the graphics stage has rendered the overlays, and a final-quality render offered at the last gate. The editor timeline export, edl.json, cutplan, and overlays are always written too, so jumping into your editor never loses work.
 - Motion graphics planned under creativity mandates and your visual density tier, styled by your Production Bible, delivered as brand-themed alpha overlays (ProRes 4444, works in every NLE), anchored to the exact words you speak.
 - CTAs planned like beats: your configured CTA inventory placed at research-backed seams, approved by you in the same gate as every other graphic.
-- Titles, thumbnails (A/B pairs for series), description, and chapters, built around a packaging promise you approved before the script was written.
+- Titles, thumbnails (A/B pairs for series), description, chapters, and uploadable SRT/VTT captions with a publishable transcript of the edited timeline, built around a packaging promise you approved before the script was written.
 - A pipeline that gets smarter every video: your post-publish notes edit the pipeline's own files.
 
 ## How a video happens
@@ -71,10 +71,13 @@ Full walkthrough: [Configure your own Manticore studio](docs/user-guide.md).
 
 | Platform | Status |
 |---|---|
-| macOS on Apple Silicon | The reference platform. Everything runs, including the default transcription lane (parakeet-mlx, free and local). |
-| macOS on Intel, Linux, Windows | The pipeline scripts run (uv, ffmpeg, node), but the default transcription lane does not: parakeet-mlx is Apple-Silicon-only. mc-setup's dependency check flags this and points at local whisper.cpp or faster-whisper as fallbacks (they normalize fillers away, so cut quality drops). A supported cross-platform transcription lane is planned; see [TODO.md](TODO.md). |
+| macOS on Apple Silicon | The reference platform. Everything runs and is validated here, including the reference transcription lane (parakeet-mlx, free and local) and videotoolbox hardware encode. |
+| macOS on Intel | Code-complete: onnx-asr on CPU runs the same parakeet-tdt-0.6b-v3 weights as an ONNX conversion, so verbatim fillers and word timestamps carry over, and videotoolbox encode still applies. Like the Windows and Linux paths, this lane is reviewed and unit-tested but pending validation on real Intel Mac hardware; treat the first run as a shakedown. |
+| Windows, Linux | Code-complete. Transcription uses onnx-asr with the same parakeet weights (CPU by default, CUDA via a one-flag escalation); final-render hardware encode probes h264_nvenc, h264_qsv, h264_amf on Windows and h264_nvenc, h264_vaapi on Linux with a real one-frame test encode, libx264 fallback everywhere; the audio farm resolves its venv per OS and installs CUDA torch wheels from the PyTorch index on Windows NVIDIA boxes (with consent). Honest caveat: these paths are reviewed and unit-tested but still pending validation on real Windows and Linux hardware; treat the first run as a shakedown and report what you hit. |
 
-One tool-specific note: Ecamm Live (a planned stream-pack delivery target) is macOS-only. OBS lanes work everywhere OBS does.
+mc-setup's dependency check now detects OS, CPU architecture, and GPU vendor and selects a per-platform stack reference (macOS, Windows, Linux) that drives the setup defaults: transcription lane, torch wheel source, encoder ladder, SVG rasterizer, and fonts approach.
+
+One tool-specific note: Ecamm Live (a planned stream-pack delivery target) is macOS-only, and vMix and Wirecast skip Linux; OBS lanes work everywhere OBS does.
 
 ## Works with the tools you already have
 
@@ -83,7 +86,7 @@ Manticore orchestrates tools; it does not replace them. The defaults are local a
 | Tool | What it provides | Cost model |
 |---|---|---|
 | Your editor (DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro, Descript, anything) | Where you can finish any time you want to. Resolve/FCP get an FCPXML timeline; Premiere users work from the cut plan, edl.json, and the rendered preview/final until the xmeml lane lands; `timeline-format = "none"` gives you the cut plan, edl.json, and renders to apply in any tool | You already have it |
-| parakeet-mlx | Word-level cutting transcripts with verbatim fillers (the "um"s are exactly what gets cut) | Free, runs locally on Apple Silicon, no API key |
+| parakeet-mlx / onnx-asr | Word-level cutting transcripts with verbatim fillers (the "um"s are exactly what gets cut); parakeet-mlx on Apple Silicon, onnx-asr running the same parakeet-tdt-0.6b-v3 weights on Windows, Linux, and Intel Mac | Free, runs locally, no API key |
 | Kokoro-82M (kokoro-onnx) | TTS narration and two-host dialogue for the mc-audio lane (stock voices, no cloning) | Free, local, faster than realtime on CPU |
 | MusicGen-small + AudioLDM2 | Instrumental music beds and SFX, farmed locally by mc-audio | Free, local, ungated models |
 | HyperFrames and Remotion | Motion graphics engines for overlay beats, stingers, and karaoke captions | Free (Remotion is free for companies up to 3 people) |
@@ -130,7 +133,7 @@ Seven ship by default: talking-head, screen-tutorial (real UI only, generated b-
 | mc-ograf | Editable broadcast graphics (DaVinci Resolve 21+ and OBS/SPX-GC) |
 | mc-assets | Farm b-roll stills/clips via your registered CLI tools (metered APIs opt-in), under generative-editing safety rules |
 | mc-audio | Farm sound, local-first: TTS narration and two-host dialogue (Kokoro-82M), instrumental beds (MusicGen-small), SFX (AudioLDM2); paid lanes opt-in |
-| mc-package | Titles, thumbnails (verified at 120px), description, chapters, series A/B pairs, live-event mode |
+| mc-package | Titles, thumbnails (verified at 120px), description, chapters, SRT/VTT captions and transcript, series A/B pairs, live-event mode |
 | mc-stream-pack | A complete branded OBS livestream asset pack |
 | mc-retro | Your post-publish notes edit the pipeline's own files, plus the post-publish wrap lane |
 
@@ -145,7 +148,7 @@ Taste lives in files (your voice bible, Production Bible, format profiles, brand
 - Proven in production: the full cut lane (parakeet-mlx word-level transcription validated on real footage, cut candidate detection, edl.json, FCPXML export, preview render with boundary-frame verification), Manny as the front door, setup and dependency checking, config resolution, project scaffolding, the OBS stream pack, and the retro loop.
 - New in 1.0, implemented and unit-tested, with the least real-project mileage: the render lane (composited preview and the offered final render), the expanded setup interview (render consent, video style, creator-emulation takeaways, headshots, guided voice bible), the Production Bible, creativity mandates and the CTA system, footage-first ingest and the livestream-vod format, series support, graphics render verification, the graphics toolkit (HTML render, snug framing, design-prompting lane), CLI-registry asset farming, and the mc-audio local sound lanes (validated end to end on Apple Silicon 2026-07-07).
 - The writing lane (braindump, outline, script) is the core promise and is wired end to end with live blacklist linting; it has had the least real-video exercise of the core stages, so treat your first run through it as a shakedown and feed mc-retro afterward.
-- Planned: Premiere (xmeml) and CMX3600 EDL export lanes, per-episode stream packs with the Ecamm target (the named 1.0.x fast-follow), multitrack recording support, local-first TTS/SFX/music lanes, and a research/show-prep skill. See [TODO.md](TODO.md) for the full roadmap.
+- Planned: Premiere (xmeml) and CMX3600 EDL export lanes, per-episode stream packs with the Ecamm target (the named 1.0.x fast-follow), multitrack recording support, the remaining audio lanes (full songs with vocals, plus the paid opt-in rungs of the audio ladder), and a research/show-prep skill. See [TODO.md](TODO.md) for the full roadmap.
 
 ## Part of the BMad ecosystem
 

diff --git a/TODO.md b/TODO.md
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ State as of 2026-07-07, the 1.0.0 release. Read AGENTS.md first (module conventi
 
 - Per-episode stream packs and the Ecamm lane (the named 1.0.x fast-follow): mc-stream-pack gains a pre-show per-episode pack lane (topic popups, CTAs, lower thirds mined from the episode plan before the show, delivered as switchable scenes) with the two-tier asset rule (evergreen chrome once into series `common/`, topic graphics per episode). The `[live]` tool key (obs, ecamm, other) already ships and is interviewed at setup; the OBS lane keeps HTML browser sources and WebM stingers; the Ecamm/other lane delivers baked PNG / ProRes 4444 alpha scene stills and loops, a ProRes stinger, a countdown safe-zone spec with a --guides render, and a tool-specific HANDOFF.md. Ecamm Live is macOS-only. Scheduled-livestream packaging (mc-package live-event mode, two-asset thumbnail rule) rides along.
 - farm_asset.py metered API lane (xAI Imagine REST image ~$0.02 and video ~$0.05/s submit/poll/download; Veo 3.1 via the Gemini API as the escalation lane). Registered CLI tools are the only implemented farming lane in 1.0; the API lane ships opt-in only, never as a default.
-- resolve_import.py: push the exported timeline into a running DaVinci Resolve. Requires Resolve Studio (the scripting API is not in the free edition); the mc-cut offer stays gated on the script's implemented status. Native scripting remains the documented path; no MCP dependency.
+- resolve_import.py: push the exported timeline into a running DaVinci Resolve. External scripting requires Resolve Studio; free-edition users will run it from inside Resolve via the Fusion Scripts menu (the per-OS install paths are already documented in the mc-setup stack references and mc-ograf's resolve-workflow reference). The mc-cut offer stays gated on the script's implemented status. Native scripting remains the documented path; no MCP dependency.
 - HyperFrames engine workspace initialization at a pinned version on the first real graphics run (upstream is pre-1.0 and moves fast; v0.7.26 as of 2026-07-03).
 
 ## 1.x roadmap
@@ -42,10 +42,12 @@ What mc-audio does not cover yet (the shipped ladder, validation record, and lim
 
 - xmeml (Premiere Pro) and edl (CMX3600) export lanes alongside the implemented fcpxml exporter; OpenTimelineIO adapters are the likely implementation path. Until then Premiere users work from cutplan.md, edl.json, and the always-rendered preview/final.
 
-### Cross-platform transcription
+### Transcription: metered opt-in providers
 
-- A supported non-Apple-Silicon local lane. Today the documented fallbacks are whisper.cpp and faster-whisper (they normalize fillers away, so cut quality drops); parakeet-mlx stays the reference on Apple Silicon.
-- Metered API providers behind the same `[transcription]` switch if demand shows up, opt-in only: deepgram-nova3 (keyterm biasing), elevenlabs-scribe (same output shape as the parakeet lane).
+The cross-platform local lane landed (onnx-asr running the same parakeet-tdt-0.6b-v3 weights on Windows, Linux, and Intel Mac; see CHANGELOG Unreleased). What remains:
+
+- Metered API providers behind the same `[transcription]` switch if demand shows up, opt-in only: deepgram-nova3 (keyterm biasing), elevenlabs-scribe (same output shape as the parakeet lane). Also the documented cloud tier for non-European-language creators (Parakeet v3 covers 25 European languages).
+- Real-hardware validation of the onnx-asr lane on Windows and Linux (A/B against parakeet-mlx on identical audio comparing word text, starts, AND gap_before/gap_after values, since the onnx lane derives word ends from start-only timestamps and silence-based cutting rides on the gaps; CUDA escalation; chunk-boundary quality).
 
 ### Shorts karaoke captions
 

diff --git a/docs/index.html b/docs/index.html
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@
       <img src="assets/manny/banner-03-headon-lensflare.jpg" alt="Manny the Manticore, wings spread, diving head-on over a waterfall at red sunset">
     </div>
     <h1>BMad Manticore <span class="accent">· the guides</span></h1>
-    <p class="sub">An AI video production pipeline as skills: brain dump to a rough cut sitting in your editor, in your own words, with approval gates at every taste decision. Manny the Manticore runs the studio; these guides show you around it.</p>
+    <p class="sub">An AI video production pipeline as skills: from brain dump to a rendered, graphics-rich video, in your own words, with the editor timeline always written alongside and approval gates at every taste decision. Manny the Manticore runs the studio; these guides show you around it.</p>
     <div class="cards">
       <a class="card" href="manny-scenarios.html">
         <h2><span>▸</span>Working with Manny</h2>