v2.1.0 — Frontend–Backend Split, Rust Core

This is the biggest architectural change in AionUi's history. The backend has been extracted from Electron and rewritten in Rust as a standalone service. Your desktop install still works exactly the same — but now the same backend can also run on a server, a NAS, or a Raspberry Pi, with browser WebUI clients connecting to it.

✨ Highlights

1) A Deployable Architecture

AionUi is no longer a closed Electron monolith. The backend (AionCore) now runs as an independent process, versioned and released separately.
Desktop mode embeds the backend transparently — no change in user experience.
Server mode exposes the same backend over HTTP + WebSocket, so any frontend can connect to it.
Result: the same AionUi you install on your laptop can now also power a shared deployment for your team.

2) Rust Backend, Single-File Service

The backend has been rewritten in Rust (Axum + Tokio + sqlx + rustls) and ships as a single native binary per platform.
6 native builds: macOS / Linux / Windows, each with both x64 and arm64 variants.
Binary sizes range from 27 MB to 55 MB — small enough to run on cloud VMs, ARM servers, NAS devices, and even a Raspberry Pi.
Zero OpenSSL dependency (rustls end-to-end), clean cross-compilation, fewer surprises on exotic targets.

3) One Backend, Multiple Frontends

The Electron desktop app and the browser-based WebUI now share the same backend service.
WebUI no longer depends on Electron — it runs as a standalone web host (@aionui/web-host), producing a smaller footprint, better compatibility, and a noticeably snappier experience.
Session history, configuration, and tasks live in the backend — switch devices, keep your context.

4) Open by Design

Standard HTTP /api/* resources and a /ws WebSocket event bus.
Swap the frontend, fork it, or build your own — the full protocol is open.
Ideal for custom integrations, internal tools, or alternative client implementations.

🐛 Bug Fixes

Fixed slash command menu not loading correctly in Aion CLI conversations — the agent now warms up before fetching commands, and API responses parse reliably.
Removed stale Gemini CLI reference from the model settings page.

🚀 Improvements

Slash command menu is now available in Aion CLI conversations.
Backend launcher now passes the working directory via --work-dir for more predictable session scoping.
Sentry alerts now include OS name, app architecture, and app version for faster triage.

📦 Assets

Desktop installers (unchanged formats): .dmg / .zip for macOS, .exe for Windows, .deb for Linux, on both x64 and arm64.

AionCore Changes

This release is paired with aionui-core v0.1.9.
See iOfficeAI/AionCore for full details.

What's Changed

fix(guid): use navigate() to clear resetAssistant state so HashRouter URL stays intact by @kaizhou-lab in #2583
feat(acp): align agent types with new backend API and add bridge logging by @TCP404 in #2632
fix(acp): align stream handling with backend and fix message display bugs by @TCP404 in #2645
feat(backend): separate backend logs with level-aware routing by @TCP404 in #2656
fix(bridge): add backend→frontend response mapping for conversation model by @piorpua in #2659
refactor: migrate Aionrs to backend WebSocket communication by @piorpua in #2662
refactor: merge backend logs into shared log file by @TCP404 in #2664
refactor: collapse Gemini agent runtime into ACP backend by @kaizhou-lab in #2667
test(e2e): workspace, preview, and team E2E + adapter mapper extraction by @zhuqingyv in #2616
refactor(acp): move first-message skill injection to backend by @kaizhou-lab in #2668
test(e2e): add team rename, pin, member ops, view modes E2E coverage by @zhuqingyv in #2670
refactor: migrate frontend wire format from camelCase to snake_case by @kaizhou-lab in #2672
feat(acp): fix confirmation API params and deep-merge tool call updates by @TCP404 in #2669
fix(e2e): remove preview business logic from E2E helpers by @zhuqingyv in #2671
fix(preview): fix preview-history 400 and office proxy URL resolution by @zhuqingyv in #2673
refactor(skills): read conversation skills from extra.skills snapshot by @kaizhou-lab in #2677
test(e2e): add settings display and system E2E tests by @zhuqingyv in #2675
refactor(skills): switch to symlink contract and align workspace layout by @kaizhou-lab in #2682
refactor(acp): simplify AcpModelInfo and align API paths to backend by @TCP404 in #2685
fix(settings): migrate GET to configService + persistence E2E verification by @zhuqingyv in #2680
feat(cron): complete frontend backend-migration flow by @kaizhou-lab in #2690
feat(cron): complete frontend backend-migration flow by @kaizhou-lab in #2693
fix(backend-migration): remove stale skill packaging refs by @kaizhou-lab in #2695
fix(backend-migration): centralize legacy config cleanup by @kaizhou-lab in #2696
refactor(agent): unified AgentMetadata + fix Electron startup deadlock by @TCP404 in #2707
fix(backend-migration): harden preview workspace handling by @kaizhou-lab in #2709
refactor(conversation): drop msg_id from sendMessage IPC payload by @TCP404 in #2715
refactor(backend-migration): route desktop persistence through backend by @kaizhou-lab in #2700
fix(guid): show ACP models + custom agents before first session by @TCP404 in #2718
fix(sendbox): cancel pending warmup when user submits by @TCP404 in #2719
feat(team): consume backend logo assets by @kaizhou-lab in #2763
fix(model): disable provider focus revalidation by @kaizhou-lab in #2770
fix(conversation): restore workspace grouping and aionrs tab creation by @kaizhou-lab in #2772
refactor(webui): decouple WebUI from Electron (M1-M9) by @kaizhou-lab in #2792
ci(release): wire aionui-web tarballs + install-web.sh into main release pipeline by @kaizhou-lab in #2795
fix(aionrs): handle backend acp_permission wire type so confirmation UI renders by @TCP404 in #2798
refactor(agent)!: migrate ACP/agent implementation to backend by @TCP404 in #2804
chore: cleanup dead code + rewrite unit tests + restore CI (N1-N5) by @kaizhou-lab in #2801
feat(assistant): switch main agent on built-in and preset assistants by @kaizhou-lab in #2808
chore: format docs and improve AcpModelSelector model info fallback by @TCP404 in #2810
feat(webui): consolidate auth onto backend SQLite (M6-cleanup) by @kaizhou-lab in #2816
refactor(agent): migrate custom ACP agent implementation to backend by @TCP404 in #2819
chore(ci): backport 7 CI/backend-pin fixes from dev by @kaizhou-lab in #2830
style(format): apply oxfmt to chatLib.ts by @kaizhou-lab in #2832
chore(ci): bump aionui-backend to v0.1.0-preview-test5 for login fix by @kaizhou-lab in #2835
feat(web-cli): bootstrap admin password on first launch by @kaizhou-lab in #2837
chore: merge origin/main into feat/backend-migration by @kaizhou-lab in #2833
refactor(file): unify upload path to HTTP multipart and improve pasted image naming by @TCP404 in #2843
fix(webui): Switch truthful state + end SW poisoning that caused white screen by @kaizhou-lab in #2844
feat(sider): visual system refresh + Codex-style grouped history by @ringringlin in #2859
feat(ipcBridge,guid): align ACP conversation create payload with backend's type-aware model rule by @TCP404 in #2858
refactor(process): remove ~3579 lines of dead frontend code after backend migration by @kaizhou-lab in #2862
fix(theme): bump --text-secondary contrast for better legibility by @ringringlin in #2863
feat(markdown): tune spacing and add hr/strong/code/blockquote styles by @ringringlin in #2866
chore(process): remove dead closeToTray listener chain by @kaizhou-lab in #2864
feat(chat): narrow message column to 760px, add breathing room by @ringringlin in #2867
refactor(agent): drop acp.cachedModels, read model list from backend /api/agents by @kaizhou-lab in #2869
feat(tray): consume /api/conversations/active-count for live task badge by @kaizhou-lab in #2870
refactor(agent): drop dead AcpConfigSelector, useless string aliases, and unused acpTypes exports by @kaizhou-lab in #2873
refactor(types): split common/types/ by domain by @kaizhou-lab in #2874
chore(types): remove dead codex exports and unused codex/types, codex/utils by @kaizhou-lab in #2875
style(messages): unify thinking and tool-group summary card UI by @ringringlin in #2878
fix(cron): source aionrs model from backend and fix agent display by @kaizhou-lab in #2880
fix(sendbox): restore stop button breathing animation with aou color scale by @ringringlin in #2877
feat(sendbox): skill quick-invoke via attach menu and sendbox hint text by @ringringlin in #2879
fix(conversation): dedupe optimistic user message with server msg_id by @kaizhou-lab in #2885
fix(guid): correct session_mode default + hide unreleased agent entries by @TCP404 in #2882
refactor(renderer): unify /api/agents fetches through shared SWR cache by @kaizhou-lab in #2891
fix(team): include agent_type in teamCapableKeys so aionrs assistants appear by @zhuqingyv in #2893
fix(cron): show real vendor name and logo for ACP scheduled tasks by @kaizhou-lab in #2894
fix(assistants): use backend slug as preset_agent_type and refresh logo immediately by @kaizhou-lab in #2895
fix(migration): tolerate retired ids, preserve user preset_agent_type, default gemini→aionrs by @kaizhou-lab in #2897
refactor(ipcBridge): align ACP endpoints with backend migration by @TCP404 in #2898
chore(docs): remove completed migration and archived specs by @TCP404 in #2899
fix(acp): display agent-specific slash commands for ACP conversations by @piorpua in #2914
fix(team): include workspace in create team API request by @piorpua in #2915
feat(assistants): combined skills menu + assistant migration polish by @kaizhou-lab in #2916
fix(workspace): filter responseStream by conversation_id to prevent infinite refresh by @zhuqingyv in #2908
fix(adapter): map snake_case relative_path in snapshot compare response by @kaizhou-lab in #2919
perf(team): defer agent warmup until user starts typing by @zhuqingyv in #2922
docs(remote-agent): note OpenClaw protocol v3..v4 negotiation range by @TCP404 in #2925
refactor: rename backend binary references from aionui-backend to aioncli by @piorpua in #2926
feat(settings/agent): replace per-agent Settings with "Go to Chat" CTA by @IceyLiu in #2930
refactor: rename aioncli references to aioncore by @piorpua in #2934
fix(chat): redirect to home when conversation is missing by @TCP404 in #2936
fix(chat): swallow stop request errors to avoid unhandled rejection (ELECTRON-1CV) by @TCP404 in #2937
fix(adapter): silence expected pre-warmup 404s on ACP mode/model GETs (ELECTRON-1BT) by @TCP404 in #2942
refactor(conversation): remove workspace tab UI in favor of unified header by @IceyLiu in #2943
feat: add is_full_url toggle for provider configuration by @piorpua in #2944
fix(desktop): self-heal repeated GPU process crashes (ELECTRON-9A, ELECTRON-9D) by @TCP404 in #2945
feat(team): align workspace collapse behavior with single chat by @IceyLiu in #2965
refactor(workspace): fixed-px sizing + branch picker simplification + click/expand polish by @IceyLiu in #2978
refactor(workspace): polish folder select dropdown styling by @ringringlin in #2975
refactor(team): redesign create-team modal with radio list and search by @ringringlin in #2968
style(markdown): redesign code block and customize scrollbar by @ringringlin in #2967
feat(guid): redesign sandbox — workspace footnote + flat toolbar (replaces compact picker) by @ringringlin in #2966
style(guid): unify sendbox typography to 14px and align placeholder by @IceyLiu in #2981
feat(sentry): startup log report + device_id + environment tags by @TCP404 in #2982
style(guid): redesign assistant area as scrollable card grid by @IceyLiu in #2983
style(guid): polish workspace bar (border-less, sider bg, icon size) by @IceyLiu in #2984
refactor(sendbox): right-align config and drop context usage pill by @IceyLiu in #2985

Full Changelog: v1.9.19...v2.1.0

iOfficeAI/AionUi v2.1.0 on GitHub