Version 0.8.0 is about removing friction between EmperorClaw and ordinary work. Files gain a real physical hierarchy. Drive can mirror them. Word documents and spreadsheets can be edited in place. The Messages page becomes a focused workspace instead of a stack of competing panels.
The folder tree is now real
Folders previously existed only as database relationships while file objects lived in a flat storage directory. That kept the application consistent, but made external tools and backups harder to understand.
EmperorClaw now mirrors logical folders into the storage backend. PostgreSQL still owns access, scope, lifecycle, and business metadata; the filesystem owns an intelligible physical path. Existing artifact IDs and APIs do not change.
Designed for existing installations
Migration 0035_storage-mirrors is additive. A reconciliation command moves legacy flat objects into their logical locations, records progress, and can be safely rerun. There is no destructive schema rewrite.
Google Drive without Google inside the app
Self-hosters can enable an optional rclone Compose profile that synchronizes a dedicated Drive folder with the same storage volume EmperorClaw already uses. OAuth lives in the standard rclone configuration rather than a custom integration layer.
Edit an existing tracked file in Drive and the changed bytes return to EmperorClaw. Upload a brand-new file in Drive and it appears as an untracked candidate—not silently trusted metadata. A human can review and import it explicitly.
Nothing changes for installations that do not enable the Drive profile. There is no extra service, OAuth flow, or runtime cost in the default deployment.
DOCX and XLSX editing, built in
Users can create and edit Word documents and spreadsheets from Storage. The Extend editors are MIT licensed, pinned to exact versions, lazy-loaded, and attributed in the distributed third-party notice. CSV, Markdown, JSON, and text stay on lightweight editors.
Saving uses the existing artifact replacement path, so filenames, folder placement, project scope, and other metadata remain intact while content and checksums update.
A chat workspace that respects the screen
On phones, Messages now shows either the inbox or the active conversation, with a predictable back action. On desktop, focus mode collapses the inbox and gives the conversation the full workspace.
The active conversation becomes a dropdown switcher in focus mode. EmperorClaw remembers the last team or agent thread and the focus preference in the browser, then restores both on the next visit. Touch targets, composer spacing, message width, and the mobile application rail were tightened across the experience.
Upgrade notes
Back up PostgreSQL and artifact storage together, update the versioned Compose configuration, start version 0.8.0, then run storage reconciliation before enabling Drive:
docker compose pull
docker compose up -d
docker compose exec app npm run storage:reconcile
docker compose exec app npm run storage:reconcile -- --applyRead the safe upgrade guide and Storage & Drive guide before changing a production installation.