adeelahmad · Oct 10, 2026 · Oct 10, 2026 · Oct 10, 2026 · Oct 10, 2026 · Oct 10, 2026
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
@@ -56,10 +56,10 @@ what their person may read.
 Everything below is built and merged. Work that is still in a pull request is listed under [In progress](#in-progress).
 
 - **Connect your agents.** Lens is an MCP server (`/mcp`): agents search, read transcripts and notes, cite exact
-  moments, find similar content, explore the graph with Cypher or SPARQL, suggest topics and graph changes, write
-  notes and make podcasts. They sign in with OAuth and see only what their person may read. The web app runs on the
-  same REST API, so an agent can do what a person can. ([MCP](docs/mcp.md), [API](docs/api.md),
-  [authentication](docs/authentication.md))
+  moments, find similar content, explore the graph with Cypher or SPARQL or browse it as folders and files, suggest
+  topics and graph changes, write notes and make podcasts. They sign in with OAuth and see only what their person may
+  read. The web app runs on the same REST API, so an agent can do what a person can. ([MCP](docs/mcp.md),
+  [API](docs/api.md), [the graph as files](docs/file-tree.md), [authentication](docs/authentication.md))
 - **Ask, and get cited answers.** A chat assistant on every page, and by voice, searches your archive by words (and by
   meaning, once turned on), reads it, cites it and acts on it with tools: changes wait for your approval. It reads
   answers aloud with a speech provider, macOS `say` or StyleTTS2 on this machine (opt-in), and `/clear` and
@@ -76,9 +76,9 @@ Everything below is built and merged. Work that is still in a pull request is li
   at a time, from a link list or a bookmarks file, by API or by asking the assistant; and import videos and podcasts
   by their address (off by default). ([Sensors](docs/sensors.md), [processing](docs/processing.md),
   [import webhooks](docs/api.md#import-webhooks))
-- **Clip from the browser.** The Lens web clipper for Chrome and Edge turns a page, a selection or a part you pick
-  into Markdown, lets you look it over, and sends it to a namespace. New releases reach installed copies through the
-  browser's store or a self-hosted update file. ([Web clipper](docs/web-clipper.md))
+- **Clip from the browser.** The Lens web clipper for Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari turns a page, a selection or a
+  part you pick into Markdown, lets you look it over, and sends it to a namespace. New releases reach installed copies
+  through the browser's store or a self-hosted update file. ([Web clipper](docs/web-clipper.md))
 - **Understand it.** Transcription and speaker recognition, text on screen and in scans, faces (off by default),
   entities and topics in a knowledge graph you can explore, query with Cypher or SPARQL, and see as it was at any
   version. Find what is most like a passage, a resource, a topic or an entity, and, with anytopdf, photos by what
@@ -92,17 +92,24 @@ Everything below is built and merged. Work that is still in a pull request is li
   notifications to webhooks, Slack, Discord and Matterbridge. ([Processing](docs/processing.md#workflows-and-the-canvas),
   [notifications](docs/notifications.md))
 - **See what it costs.** An activity ledger of every model call, with reports, charts and budgets that cap spending.
-  Routine choices go to small decision models, and the LLM only when it adds value.
-  ([Activity and costs](docs/activity.md), [budgets](docs/budgets.md))
-- **Keep it up to date.** Lens checks for a new release once a day and tells admins by email or a notification. It
-  backs the database up and upgrades itself through a small agent on the machine, from the API; nothing installs
-  unless an admin says so. ([Updates and backups](docs/updates.md))
+  A meter in the top bar shows spend against the budget, and the Costs page breaks it down by day, model and what
+  cost most. Routine choices go to small decision models, and the LLM only when it adds value.
+  ([Activity and costs](docs/activity.md), [budgets](docs/budgets.md#the-meter-and-the-costs-page))
+- **Keep it up to date and backed up.** Lens checks for a new release once a day and tells admins by email or a
+  notification, and upgrades itself through a small agent on the machine, from the API; nothing installs unless an
+  admin says so. Settings › Backups takes, lists, downloads and restores backups, takes them on any schedule, and can
+  copy each one, encrypted, to a storage connection. ([Updates and backups](docs/updates.md),
+  [backups](docs/database.md#backups))
 - **Watch it run.** OpenTelemetry traces and metrics, and a Prometheus `/metrics` endpoint with a sample Grafana
   dashboard. Both are off until you turn them on, and send nothing anywhere else. ([Telemetry](docs/telemetry.md),
   [Prometheus](docs/prometheus.md))
-- **Stay private.** Passkeys instead of passwords, encryption at rest with a key per namespace, roles per namespace,
-  and an audit log. Reach it from anywhere through a Cloudflare tunnel with nothing opened on your router.
-  ([Encryption](docs/encryption.md), [access](docs/access.md), [remote access](docs/remote-access.md))
+- **Stay private and safe.** Passkeys instead of passwords, encryption at rest with a key per namespace, roles per
+  namespace, and an audit log. What the assistant reads (recordings, documents, web pages, tool results) reaches the
+  model marked as data, not instructions. Serve Lens over HTTPS with certificates from Let's Encrypt or ZeroSSL that
+  renew on their own, or reach it from anywhere through a Cloudflare tunnel with nothing opened on your router.
+  ([Encryption](docs/encryption.md), [access](docs/access.md),
+  [prompt injection](docs/assistant.md#third-party-content-and-prompt-injection), [HTTPS](docs/https.md),
+  [remote access](docs/remote-access.md))
 - **Use open standards.** RDF and Dublin Core for every record, OAuth for apps and OpenID Connect sign-in, MCP, MQTT,
   IIIF for publishing, OpenTelemetry and Prometheus for monitoring, and an optional Fedora mirror.
   ([Linked data](docs/rdf.md), [IIIF](docs/iiif.md), [Fedora](docs/fedora.md))
@@ -120,26 +127,33 @@ These are open pull requests, not yet part of Lens:
 
 - **Chat channels:** a built-in Telegram bot on a shared channel layer
   ([#293](https://github.com/adeelahmad/lense/pull/293)) and a Slack app over Socket Mode
-  ([#287](https://github.com/adeelahmad/lense/pull/287)), without Matterbridge.
-- **Costs:** a budget meter in the top bar and a Costs page ([#275](https://github.com/adeelahmad/lense/pull/275)),
-  and an overall AI budget with soft and hard limits asked for in setup
-  ([#281](https://github.com/adeelahmad/lense/pull/281)).
-- **Upgrades and backups in the web app:** an upgrade page with live steps that rolls back when the new version doesn't
-  start ([#262](https://github.com/adeelahmad/lense/pull/262)), and restore, download links and scheduled backups
-  ([#263](https://github.com/adeelahmad/lense/pull/263)).
-- **Running it:** HTTPS with certificates from Let's Encrypt or ZeroSSL
-  ([#289](https://github.com/adeelahmad/lense/pull/289)), structured logs with a log viewer and syslog output
+  ([#287](https://github.com/adeelahmad/lense/pull/287)), without Matterbridge; and the assistant's own email address,
+  over IMAP and SMTP ([#314](https://github.com/adeelahmad/lense/pull/314)).
+- **The assistant in your browser:** the side panel in the Lens extension where you ask the assistant and it uses your
+  browser ([#322](https://github.com/adeelahmad/lense/pull/322)); the server side is built
+  ([guide](docs/browser-assistant.md)).
+- **Assistant safety:** asking before sending data out once an answer has read third-party text
+  ([#309](https://github.com/adeelahmad/lense/pull/309)), and running MCP servers that are programs (stdio) in a sandbox
+  ([#304](https://github.com/adeelahmad/lense/pull/304)).
+- **Search:** a Similar tab, and similar content for text selected anywhere
+  ([#307](https://github.com/adeelahmad/lense/pull/307)); NSFW pictures classified by a local model, per namespace
+  ([#306](https://github.com/adeelahmad/lense/pull/306)).
+- **Costs and setup:** an overall AI budget with soft and hard limits, asked for in setup
+  ([#281](https://github.com/adeelahmad/lense/pull/281)); fewer clicks in setup, Chat, Search and Notes
+  ([#315](https://github.com/adeelahmad/lense/pull/315)).
+- **Running it:** an upgrade page with live steps that rolls back when the new version doesn't start
+  ([#262](https://github.com/adeelahmad/lense/pull/262)), HTTPS set up in Settings
+  ([#326](https://github.com/adeelahmad/lense/pull/326)), structured logs with a log viewer and syslog output
   ([#284](https://github.com/adeelahmad/lense/pull/284)), built-in usage analytics
   ([#274](https://github.com/adeelahmad/lense/pull/274)), and Prometheus and Grafana as an opt-in service
   ([#297](https://github.com/adeelahmad/lense/pull/297)).
 - **People:** email invitations, and removing someone for good ([#286](https://github.com/adeelahmad/lense/pull/286)).
-- **Lens.app for macOS:** a menu-bar app that carries microsandbox ([#280](https://github.com/adeelahmad/lense/pull/280)).
-- **The web clipper** for Firefox ([#282](https://github.com/adeelahmad/lense/pull/282)) and Safari
-  ([#283](https://github.com/adeelahmad/lense/pull/283)).
-- **Files:** assets shown as folders and files by namespace and collection
-  ([#290](https://github.com/adeelahmad/lense/pull/290)) and shared read-only over NFS
-  ([#295](https://github.com/adeelahmad/lense/pull/295)); items called assets unless they are audio or video
-  ([#273](https://github.com/adeelahmad/lense/pull/273)).
+- **Lens.app for macOS:** a menu-bar app that carries microsandbox
+  ([#280](https://github.com/adeelahmad/lense/pull/280)).
+- **The graph as files, shared:** read-only over S3 and WebDAV ([#324](https://github.com/adeelahmad/lense/pull/324)),
+  SMB ([#305](https://github.com/adeelahmad/lense/pull/305)) and NFS
+  ([#295](https://github.com/adeelahmad/lense/pull/295)); assets and people rather than recordings and speakers, unless
+  it is audio ([#273](https://github.com/adeelahmad/lense/pull/273)).
 - **Reading documents** with an Apache Tika server ([#292](https://github.com/adeelahmad/lense/pull/292)).
 
 ## Stack
@@ -158,14 +172,16 @@ The guides are on the [docs site](https://adeelahmad.github.io/lense/) and in th
 
 - **Start:** [Get started](docs/get-started.md), [deployment](docs/deployment.md),
   [microsandbox](docs/microsandbox.md), [configuration](docs/configuration.md), [components](docs/components.md),
-  [updates and backups](docs/updates.md), [remote access](docs/remote-access.md)
+  [updates and backups](docs/updates.md), [remote access](docs/remote-access.md), [HTTPS](docs/https.md)
 - **Agents and apps:** [MCP server](docs/mcp.md), [API](docs/api.md), [authentication](docs/authentication.md),
   [access](docs/access.md)
 - **Use:** [chat and batch runs](docs/assistant.md), [chat rooms](docs/chat-rooms.md), [podcasts](docs/podcasts.md),
-  [notes](docs/notes.md), [web clipper](docs/web-clipper.md), [sensors](docs/sensors.md),
+  [notes](docs/notes.md), [web clipper](docs/web-clipper.md),
+  [the assistant in your browser](docs/browser-assistant.md), [sensors](docs/sensors.md),
   [processing](docs/processing.md), [video](docs/video.md), [notifications](docs/notifications.md)
 - **Knowledge:** [graph and Cypher](docs/graph.md), [graph history](docs/graph-history.md), [topics](docs/topics.md),
-  [linked data (RDF)](docs/rdf.md), [IIIF](docs/iiif.md), [Fedora](docs/fedora.md)
+  [the graph as files](docs/file-tree.md), [linked data (RDF)](docs/rdf.md), [IIIF](docs/iiif.md),
+  [Fedora](docs/fedora.md)
 - **Models and cost:** [local models](docs/local-models.md), [speech providers](docs/speech-providers.md),
   [activity and costs](docs/activity.md), [budgets](docs/budgets.md)
 - **Operate:** [encryption](docs/encryption.md), [storage](docs/storage.md), [database](docs/database.md),

diff --git a/docs/updates.md b/docs/updates.md
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 # Updates and backups
 
 Lens tells admins when a new release is out, backs the database up, and installs the release from the web app, so
-upgrading never needs a terminal. Status: **built** (the check, backups and upgrades from the API and the agent);
-the web app's banner and Settings page come in their own change.
+upgrading never needs a terminal. Status: **built** (the check, upgrades from the API and the agent, and backups in
+Settings › Backups); the web app's upgrade page is **in progress**.
 
 ## The check
 

diff --git a/docs/web-clipper.md b/docs/web-clipper.md
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # Web clipper
 
-**Status: built (Chrome, Edge and Firefox); Safari in progress.** Every browser's build comes from the same code;
+**Status: built (Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari).** Every browser's build comes from the same code;
 each gets a target in `extensions/browser/targets/`.
 
 The Lens web clipper is a browser extension that turns what you're reading into Markdown and sends it to your Lens,

diff --git a/fastapi_backend/app/domain/store.py b/fastapi_backend/app/domain/store.py
@@ -633,9 +633,10 @@ def _plain(v):
 
 
 def _retryable(err):
-    """SurrealDB's optimistic transactions fail with a write conflict when two touch the same record at once."""
+    """SurrealDB's optimistic transactions fail with a write conflict when two touch the same record at once, and ask
+    for a retry when a transaction's snapshot is older than the commit oracle's GC window (a busy server)."""
     m = str(err)
-    return "can be retried" in m or "Transaction conflict" in m or "Write conflict" in m
+    return "can be retried" in m or "Transaction conflict" in m or "Write conflict" in m or "retry required" in m
 
 
 def _lost(err):

diff --git a/fastapi_backend/tests/domain/test_store_retry.py b/fastapi_backend/tests/domain/test_store_retry.py
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+"""SurrealDB asks for some transactions to be run again (a write conflict, a snapshot older than the commit oracle's
+GC window on a busy server); the store runs them again instead of failing.""&quo
8BD0
t;
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import pytest
+
+from app.domain import store
+
+GC = "There was a problem with a transaction: Transaction retry required: snapshot is older than the commit oracle's GC window"
+
+
+class _Conn:
+    """A stand-in server connection: its first `failures` answers are SurrealDB's retry error, then OK."""
+
+    socket = None
+
+    def __init__(self, failures):
+        self.failures, self.calls = failures, 0
+
+    def query_raw(self, sql, v):
+        self.calls += 1
+        if self.calls <= self.failures:
+            return {"result": [{"status": "ERR", "result": GC}]}
+        return {"result": [{"status": "OK", "result": []}]}
+
+    def query(self, sql, v):
+        self.calls += 1
+        if self.calls <= self.failures:
+            raise RuntimeError(GC)
+        return [1]
+
+
+def _db(conn):
+    d = store.DB.__new__(store.DB)
+    d.url, d.embedded = "ws://test", False
+    d._pool = store.queue.LifoQueue()
+    d._all = [conn]
+    d._pool.put(conn)
+    return d
+
+
+@pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
+def _no_wait(monkeypatch):
+    monkeypatch.setattr(store, "_backoff", lambda attempt: None)
+
+
+def test_a_snapshot_older_than_the_gc_window_is_retried():
+    assert store._retryable(GC)
+    c = _Conn(failures=2)
+    _db(c).run(["DEFINE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS field_space ON field FIELDS space"], transaction=False)
+    assert c.calls == 3
+    c = _Conn(failures=1)
+    assert _db(c).values("SELECT 1") == [1]
+    assert c.calls == 2
+
+
+def test_other_errors_still_fail_at_once():
+    class _Bad(_Conn):
+        def query_raw(self, sql, v):
+            self.calls += 1
+            return {"result": [{"status": "ERR", "result": "Parse error: unexpected token"}]}
+
+    c = _Bad(failures=0)
+    with pytest.raises(RuntimeError, match="Parse error"):
+        _db(c).run(["SELEC 1"], transaction=False)
+    assert c.calls == 1