v1.6.0 — A desktop companion that monitors connection health, explains slowdowns in plain language, and offers local-first, reversible assists.
KnotTrace watches network health in the background, applies safe DNS/proxy assists when you opt in (or enable Protect auto-apply), and pinpoints whether issues are local (link, DNS, OS caps, MTU), tunnel overhead, or upstream proxy-pool quality — without fake “speed boosts.”
| Feature | Default behavior |
|---|---|
| Health monitor | On — checks every 15s when the network changes (full profile) |
| Manual health check | Fast profile — quicker probes for on-demand checks |
| Smart protect | On — alerts and optional auto-fixes |
| Do Not Disturb | Off — when on, no system notifications (monitoring still runs); also in tray menu |
| Notification digest | Off — coalesce eligible OS alerts into one summary per cooldown |
| Quiet hours | Off — optional local time window that behaves like DND for notifications |
| Auto DNS improve | On for untrusted/poor networks (apply on Windows, macOS, Linux) |
| Auto proxy switch | Off by default — opt in on the Protect page |
| Diagnosis & alerts | Symptom-aware shapes, confidence, and plain-language hints |
| Proxy path / upstream pool | Detect-only — grades active path vs pool; never auto-rotates nodes |
| Link / local caps / MTU | Observe on every check; repairs are manual confirm + backup only |
| DNS integrity watch | Automatic detection; no silent DNS overrides |
| Throughput test | Manual only (Network page) |
| Benchmark snapshots | Manual only (Overview) |
You can turn off any automatic behavior on the Protect page.
- DNS Assist — recommend/apply/restore on Windows, macOS, and Linux
- Link facts — negotiated speed/duplex; capped Ethernet / half-duplex / prefer-Ethernet hints
- Windows local caps — TCP auto-tuning and NIC power-saving; opt-in reversible repair
- Tunnel compare — Direct vs system proxy vs Tor with honest expectations (Tor is not for speed)
- Upstream pool proof — claim grades from differential reachability + history recurrence; no node thrashing advice when the pool looks poor
- MTU assist — opt-in interface MTU clamp when fragmentation risk and tunnel/proxy align
- Silence & control — Do Not Disturb (app + tray), quiet hours, notification digest, auto-protect audit history
- Global search —
Ctrl+K/⌘Kto jump pages or run a check - Light/dark themes — Light, Dark, or System mode with persisted preference
Download the installer from your release artifacts, or build locally — see docs/release.md.
cd apps/desktop
npm install
npm run tauri devFull setup, verification commands, and repo layout: docs/START-HERE.md
| Doc | Contents |
|---|---|
| docs/START-HERE.md | Onboarding, first five minutes, data paths |
| docs/development.md | Dev setup and test commands |
| docs/release.md | Installer build and pre-push checklist |
| docs/architecture.md | Modules and data flow |
| docs/platform-support.md | OS feature matrix |
| docs/slowdown-factors.md | Cross-platform causes of slow internet |
| docs/slow-speed-triage.md | Symptom-to-signal triage matrix |
| local-first improvement | Local OS fixes first; honest Tor/VPN; proxy proof second |
| link facts | Negotiated speed / Wi‑Fi vs Ethernet (L2) |
| Windows local caps | TCP auto-tuning / NIC power opt-in repair (L3) |
| tunnel path compare | Direct vs proxy vs Tor expectations (L4) |
| upstream pool quality proof | Prove proxy upstream/pool faults vs local (L5 A–C) |
| MTU assist | Opt-in interface MTU clamp (L6) |
| docs/github-ci.md | GitHub Actions CI and release publishing |
| docs/updater-signing.md | Signed updates — start here for release secrets |
| docs/mobile-signing.md | Android/iOS self-signed install policy and CI secrets |
| CHANGELOG.md | Version history |
| specs/backend/ | Design specs and roadmap |
| v1.5 silence & control | DND, tray silence, audit log (shipped in 1.5.0) |
cargo test -p network-core
cargo check --workspace
cd apps/desktop && npm run build && npm run tauri buildOn low-memory hosts, prefer CARGO_BUILD_JOBS=1 for Rust commands.
%LOCALAPPDATA%/KnotTrace/ on Windows (migrates from NetworkCompanion if present). See docs/START-HERE.md for backup file names (dns_backup.json, local_caps_backup.json, mtu_assist_backup.json, …).
MIT