This release focuses on the things you feel every day: how the agent looks while it works, how reliably its tools run, and how fast and inexpensive your conversations are. On top of that, Settings has been completely rebuilt and sign-in is more dependable than ever. Here is everything new.

A cleaner, calmer agent view

We rebuilt how the agent's work is shown while it runs, replacing a stack of fragile behaviors with one clear model.

  • No more stuck spinners. When a turn finishes (or you stop it, or you restart the browser), the action list always collapses to a tidy "Completed N steps" summary.
  • One "Thinking" indicator, correctly placed, that disappears on its own for simple replies.
  • Steps stay compact. While the agent works, its steps live in a small scrolling area that follows along and softly fades at the edges, then collapses when it is done. You can expand or collapse it any time.
  • Important cards stick around. Memory, scheduled task, notification, and "waiting for you" cards now appear as their own standalone messages instead of vanishing when steps collapse, and they share one clean visual style.
  • Smarter navigation lines. When the agent opens a page, the step shows the destination as a clickable link instead of a separate tab card.

Refreshed "agent in use" indicators

When the agent (or a connected app via MCP) is driving a tab, the on-screen cues have a new look:

  • The border around the page is now a soft, animated dot field that adapts to the page's light or dark background, replacing the old blue glow.
  • Tabs the agent is actively using now glow in the tab strip, so you can tell which tabs are in use even when they are not focused.

Agent reliability and tool fixes

A round of fixes makes the agent more dependable, especially for scheduled tasks that run on their own:

  • Reliable CSV exports. Exporting data to CSV now produces a single file every time and works even when the sidebar is closed or the task runs unattended. The file shows up in your downloads and in your Files library.
  • Real drag and drop. The agent can now perform genuine drag-and-drop interactions, including on sites that use modern drag-and-drop libraries.
  • Saved files are no longer empty in certain cases, and Python scripts saved into subfolders keep their folder.
  • Better navigation. The agent handles special links (like data: and mailto:) correctly and reports an honest error when a page blocks navigation instead of silently claiming success.
  • Scheduled tasks now correctly start paused when asked and keep any initial data rows you provide.
  • Steadier multi-step work with vision and image analysis on more model providers.

Faster, cheaper, longer conversations

We reworked how Aera reuses cached context with model providers. In practice that means lower cost and faster responses as a conversation grows, instead of paying full price on every turn. We also raised how much of a chat the agent keeps in working memory before it summarizes, so it holds on to far more of a long conversation before condensing it.

More reliable sign-in

We did a deep pass on authentication and fixed the issues most likely to interrupt you:

  • You stay signed in. If your card was declined or your subscription lapsed, you now stay logged in with a billing notice instead of being kicked back to guest right after signing in.
  • The right Google account, every time. Signing in with Google from the desktop app now always shows the account chooser, so it can no longer silently pick the wrong account.
  • Sessions last longer. Device sign-ins now stay active for 30 days.
  • No more surprise logouts. A single momentary network hiccup mid-task will no longer sign you out.

A redesigned Settings experience

Settings has a brand new look. We moved from a single centered column to a two-pane layout: a floating sidebar on the left and a focused content pane on the right, with a sticky header that tells you exactly which section you are in.

  • Search your settings. A new search box in the sidebar lets you jump straight to any setting (profile picture, referrals, Tab Cats, MCP options, and more) without hunting through sections.
  • Cleaner cards and rows. Every section now uses one consistent card and row style, with unified toggles, buttons, and dropdowns across the whole app.
  • Your account at a glance. Your name, email, and avatar are pinned to the bottom of the settings sidebar, one click from the Account section.
  • Usage in one place. Your plan, billing status, monthly usage, and credit balance now live together at the top of the Usage section.

We also restyled the underlying Chromium settings page so it matches Aera's design, sidebar and all, for a single consistent experience.

Note: your existing preferences, language, and account details all carry over unchanged. Only the look and layout changed.

Helpful tips above the composer

Empty, idle chats now show a rotating tip above the message box: quick ideas for what Aera can do and features you might have missed. A few of them (like Tab Cats and background mode) can be turned on with a single click, right from the tip.

Tasks, Files, and Settings behave like real pages

Aera's internal pages (Tasks, Files, the Marketplace, MCP, and Settings) now act like proper pages: back, forward, reload, and the address bar all work the way you would expect, and the browser tab title updates to match the page you are on. This also fixes the old Marketplace quirk where the address bar showed the wrong link and needed a refresh.

Edge-to-edge fullscreen and interface polish

  • True fullscreen. Going fullscreen (F11) or playing a fullscreen video now fills the screen edge to edge, with no inset, border, or rounded corners. Exiting restores the normal framing.
  • The filter chips on the right of the address bar were removed for a cleaner top bar.
  • Small rounding and framing refinements around the browser window.
  • The post-update message now correctly reads "Aera was updated."
  • The address bar and Ctrl+K search placeholder now follow your chosen language.

Credits unlock more

Aera credits now count the same as a subscription for unlocking features. If you are using credits (with no active subscription), you now get vision mode, subagents, and the subscription-optimized MCP tool set, matching the rule that being entitled means a paid plan or credits.

For developers: MCP tool changes

If you connect Aera to other tools over MCP, several tools were renamed for clarity, and connected clients now refresh their tool list automatically when your entitlement or MCP setting changes (no reconnect needed):

  • perform is now analyze_tab (and it can now analyze PDFs, not just screenshots)
  • act is now interact
  • get_current_tab_summary is now list_tabs
  • close_tab was removed; use close_tabs

Note: update any external MCP integrations to the new tool names. Aera's own agent needs no changes on your part.

To get everything above, please make sure you are updated to version 0.9.0. You can check any time through Chromium Settings (top right) > About Aera, and download the latest from https://getaera.app/download/.

Happy automating!