Changelog

RELEASE HISTORY — MAGPIE

LATESTv1.2.0

RELEASED2026-08-25

SCHEMEsemver

Every public release, in reverse order. Updates arrive in-app via Sparkle — Magpie and its download engine both keep themselves current.

01 v1.2.0 — 25 August 2026 · Clip: keep just the part you want

Download only part of a video. A new Clip button beside Download lets you set a start and end time, and Magpie fetches only that stretch.
It downloads less, not just saves less. The chosen window is pulled directly rather than downloading the whole video and trimming afterwards — a 30-second clip from a 2½-hour video moved about 1.5 MB instead of roughly 170 MB.
Timestamped links fill it in for you. A link pinning both a start and an end arrives with the clip already set. A link with only a start time pre-fills the box but keeps the whole video — that kind of link means "the good bit starts here", not "throw the rest away".
Exact cuts, if you want them. By default clips end up slightly longer than asked (never shorter), because cuts land on the nearest keyframe. Switch on exact cuts to trim to the second.

Refreshed download engine. The bundled yt-dlp is current again — the previous build had aged out and was being refused by YouTube.
Clipped downloads are labeled. Queue rows carry a scissors tag with the range, so a shortened download is never a silent surprise.
The Clip box shows what a time should look like while you type, instead of only after you get one wrong.

Chapter split is off while a clip is set — a time window cuts across chapters, so splitting it would produce part-chapters.
Subtitles on a clipped download still cover the whole video, so their timings won't line up with the clip.

Finish & fail notifications. Magpie now posts a desktop notification when a download completes or fails, so you can start one and walk away.
Clearer errors and one-click Retry. Failures show a decisive, plain-language headline instead of raw engine output, and failed or canceled downloads can be retried from the queue.
Clipboard watcher. An opt-in toolbar pill offers to queue a video link the moment you copy one.
Return to your browser. After a one-click "Send to Magpie" bookmarklet download, Magpie can step back automatically so focus snaps to your browser (off by default; clicking into Magpie cancels the step-back).
Heads-up when notifications are blocked. Settings now flags it — with a shortcut straight to the right System Settings pane — if macOS is silencing Magpie's notifications.

Refreshed extras toolbar. Subtitles, Thumbnail, SponsorBlock and Chapter split are labeled on/off pills that go teal when active, with a clean flat look when off.
The About window's Website and Privacy links now open the live site.
Several reliability fixes across the download queue.

Paste a link, keep the video. Magpie wraps the maintained yt-dlp engine in a native Mac app and runs entirely on your own Mac — no website, no account, free.
Pick the quality you want. Real resolution buttons (Best, 4K, 1080p…) with honest file-size estimates, plus an audio-only MP3 option.
Subtitles, thumbnails, SponsorBlock and chapter split — toggle each from the toolbar or Settings.

A queue and history that survive quitting, with duplicate detection and reveal-in-Finder on every download.
Send from your browser — a one-click "Send to Magpie" bookmarklet, or an opt-in clipboard watcher, hands links straight to the queue.
Stays current. Magpie keeps its download engine up to date and updates itself automatically.

Updates are cumulative. Earlier versions are not distributed.

Manufacturer. Luces Umbrarum — a one-person studio building small native Mac apps. Back to Magpie.