Ernest Release Notes

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Biweekly Platform Digest ​

Period: October 12, 2026 – October 26, 2026

Highlights ​

  • QuickBooks Desktop can now be connected and managed from within Ernest, with a dedicated connection screen showing status and an initial sync that brings in existing accounting data.
  • Owner change orders can now be organized by cost code, with added field change and location details, and they stay in sync in the mobile app when bundled subcontractor change orders or line items change.
  • Submittal distribution is faster, letting teams reuse existing distribution groups and pick individual contacts. RFI numbering can also now be configured, as it already can for other record types.
  • A new Schedule Health panel on the project Gantt chart lets teams quickly assess how the schedule is doing, and it remembers whether it was open or closed.

Ernest API (3 releases) ​

Areas Affected: Submittals, RFIs, Change Orders, Daily Logs, Observations, Dashboard, Inbox, Media Library, File Tree, Bid Activity, Comments and Activity, As-Builts, Action Items, Notifications, ERP Integrations, Integrations, User Management, Files, Quotes & Bidding, Subcontracts, Projects, Finance, ERP Integrations (Sage, QuickBooks Desktop), Platform, Authentication, Schedule, Plansheets, Mobile, Security, Infrastructure

Release on October 14, 2026 ​

  • Submittal distribution now supports reusing existing distribution groups and selecting individual contacts, making it faster to send submittals to the right people. (Ticket)
  • Behind-the-scenes sign-in improvement: a user's username is now available to connected tools and services. No visible change for most users. (Ticket)
  • Company contacts can now be looked up directly in the platform, and searching users by name now works correctly when more than one name is entered. (Ticket)
  • Notifications are now turned off for users who are inactive or don't have access to the project, so they no longer receive alerts they can't act on. (Ticket)
  • Improved how dates and times are handled in the Media Library so they display consistently and accurately. (Ticket)
  • Material Orders have been moved onto the platform's updated underlying architecture. This is an internal improvement and users should see no change in how it works. (Ticket)
  • Improved how dates and times are handled in RFIs so they display consistently and accurately. (Ticket)
  • Improved how dates and times are handled in Submittals so they display consistently and accurately. (Ticket)
  • Improved how dates and times are handled in Change Orders so they display consistently and accurately. (Ticket)
  • Improved how dates and times are handled in Daily Logs so they display consistently and accurately. (Ticket)
  • Improved how dates and times are handled in Observations so they display consistently and accurately. (Ticket)
  • Added groundwork for supporting QuickBooks Desktop within the platform's accounting integration framework. This is a behind-the-scenes step and is not yet a visible feature. (Ticket)
  • Improved how dates and times are handled in the Inbox so they display consistently and accurately. (Ticket)
  • Improved how dates and times are handled for Agents so they display consistently and accurately. (Ticket)
  • Accounting integration syncing can now be controlled separately for each connected provider, with limits on how often data is read. This helps keep syncs reliable and avoids overloading connected accounting systems. (Ticket)
  • Improved how dates and times are handled in Integrations so they display consistently and accurately. (Ticket)
  • The Dashboard now shows updated outstanding statuses for RFIs and Submittals, with design refinements based on review feedback. (Ticket)
  • Cleaned up accounting export behavior so it is no longer tied to a single accounting provider's terminology. This is an internal change that prepares for supporting additional accounting systems. (Ticket)
  • Improved how dates and times are handled in the File Tree so they display consistently and accurately. (Ticket)
  • In Daily Logs, an objective's status now stays in sync with its completion percentage, so the two always agree. (Ticket)
  • Improved how dates and times are handled in Bid Activity so they display consistently and accurately. (Ticket)
  • Improved how dates and times are handled in Comments and Activity so they display consistently and accurately. (Ticket)
  • Action Items has been refactored and redesigned with a fresh look. The Materials Orders and Staff Management areas have been removed from the platform. (Ticket)
  • Improved how dates and times are handled in File Tree Activity so they display consistently and accurately. (Ticket)
  • Improved how dates and times are handled in As-Built Comments so they display consistently and accurately. (Ticket)

Release on October 20, 2026 ​

  • File version history now shows only real file versions. Internal preview images no longer appear in the list. (Ticket)
  • Uploading a new version of a file no longer fails when the storage system doesn't return a version identifier. (Ticket)
  • Dates and times on Project Quote Requests are now handled more consistently and accurately. (Ticket)
  • Dates and times on Action Items are now handled more consistently and accurately. (Ticket)
  • Dates and times on Bid Quotes are now handled more consistently and accurately. (Ticket)
  • Dates and times on Bid Quote Details are now handled more consistently and accurately. (Ticket)
  • Dates and times on Bid Quote Requests are now handled more consistently and accurately. (Ticket)
  • Dates and times on Subcontract Change Orders are now handled more consistently and accurately. (Ticket)
  • Dates and times on Project Locations are now handled more consistently and accurately. (Ticket)
  • Dates and times on Observation Types are now handled more consistently and accurately. (Ticket)
  • Timekeeping behind the scenes for the Inbox has been made more consistent. No change to how it looks or works. (Ticket)
  • Timekeeping behind the scenes for automated agents has been made more consistent. No change to how it looks or works. (Ticket)
  • Dates and times on Change Order line items are now handled more consistently and accurately. (Ticket)
  • Dates and times in Change Order exports to Sage are now handled more consistently and accurately. (Ticket)
  • Dates and times in Budget Modification exports to Sage are now handled more consistently and accurately. (Ticket)
  • Dates and times in Subcontract Change Order syncs with Sage are now handled more consistently and accurately. (Ticket)
  • Dates and times in Commitment syncs with Sage are now handled more consistently and accurately. (Ticket)
  • Dates and times in Job syncs with Sage are now handled more consistently and accurately. (Ticket)
  • Dates and times on Job transactions are now handled more consistently and accurately. (Ticket)
  • Dates and times in Invoice syncs with Sage are now handled more consistently and accurately. (Ticket)
  • Dates and times in Payment syncs with Sage are now handled more consistently and accurately. (Ticket)
  • RFI numbering can now be configured, so organizations can control how RFIs are numbered, as is already possible for other record types. (Ticket)
  • Users can now connect and manage their QuickBooks Desktop connection from within Ernest. (Ticket)
  • ERP settings screens now show only the options each connected accounting system supports, so users see relevant controls for their integration. (Ticket)
  • Internal housekeeping to simplify how Ernest's services securely communicate with each other. No visible change for customers. (Ticket)
  • Added a QuickBooks Desktop connection screen where users can set up and view the status of their connection. (Ticket)
  • After connecting QuickBooks Desktop, Ernest now performs an initial sync to bring in existing accounting data. (Ticket)
  • Dates and times in Vendor syncs with Sage are now handled more consistently and accurately. (Ticket)
  • Dates and times in Customer syncs with Sage are now handled more consistently and accurately. (Ticket)

Release on October 23, 2026 ​

  • Project creation has been moved onto the platform's updated internal foundation. The experience should look and work the same as before. (Ticket)
  • Sign-in and account access have been moved onto the platform's updated internal foundation. This also fixes an issue where password reset links were being rejected, so users can reset their passwords again. (Ticket)
  • Objective albums that contain no photos or files are now hidden in the Media Library, which keeps it cleaner and easier to browse. (Ticket)
  • Behind-the-scenes data updates now run separately before a new version of the platform is released, making releases safer and more reliable. No change to how customers use the product. (Ticket)
  • Strengthened security of the access check used by the image thumbnail service. No visible change for users. (Ticket)
  • Tightened security on file storage so data can only be accessed over secure connections and can never be made publicly accessible. No visible change for users. (Ticket)
  • Improved web connection security with stronger encryption defaults and additional browser protections. No visible change for users. (Ticket)
  • When an item linked to a pin on a plansheet is deleted, the pin is now removed automatically so no orphaned pins are left behind. (Ticket)
  • Owner change orders can now be organized by cost code. This update also adds field change and location information to change orders, includes these details in mobile app syncing, and incorporates design review refinements. (Ticket)
  • Added a Schedule Health panel to the project Gantt chart so teams can quickly assess how the schedule is doing. The button was renamed to Health, and the panel remembers whether it was open or closed the next time you visit. (Ticket)
  • Further improvements to change order handling. Owner change orders now update correctly in the mobile app when their bundled subcontractor change orders or line items are changed. (Ticket)
  • Refinements to change order screens based on design feedback, improving layout and consistency. (Ticket)

Ernest iOS App (1 release) ​

Areas Affected: Plans, Action Items, Media Library, Comments & Activity

Release on October 15, 2026 ​

  • When a plansheet is updated to a new version during sync, users are now taken to the new version instead of being left on the outdated one. (Ticket)
  • Action Items have been reorganized to be simpler and more consistent. The separate Material Requests feature has been removed, so customers who previously used it will no longer see it in the product. (Ticket)
  • Updated how time and dates are displayed in the Media Library so they appear accurately and consistently. (Ticket)
  • Updated how time and dates are displayed in Comments and Activity so they appear accurately and consistently. (Ticket)
  • Improvements to links to plans, making it easier to navigate directly to the right plan from elsewhere in the platform. (Ticket)

Ernest MCP Server (3 releases) ​

Areas Affected: MCP Integration, Action Items, Media Library, RFIs, Submittals, Daily Logs, Observations, Bids, Quote Packages, Project Quotes, Email Notifications, Subcontract Change Orders, Scope Sheets, Attention Items, Users, Integrations, Change Orders, Owner Change Orders, Cost Codes, AI Assistant (MCP), Platform Security

Release on October 14, 2026 ​

  • User names are now available in the AI assistant integration, so people can be identified by name rather than only by account details. (Ticket)
  • Email recipients can now be chosen by name, so users no longer need to look up exact email addresses. (Ticket)
  • When creating items through the AI assistant integration, the project's default distribution group is now filled in automatically. (Ticket)
  • Improved how dates and times are handled and shown in the Media Library so they are consistent. (Ticket)
  • Improved how dates and times are handled and shown in RFIs so they are consistent. (Ticket)
  • Improved how dates and times are handled and shown in Submittals so they are consistent. (Ticket)
  • Improved how dates and times are handled and shown in Daily Logs so they are consistent. (Ticket)
  • Improved how dates and times are handled and shown in Observations so they are consistent. (Ticket)
  • The status of a Daily Log objective is now determined automatically from its completion percentage, keeping the two always in agreement. (Ticket)
  • The AI assistant integration has been updated to match the Action Items refactor, including the renaming of the responsible person as the assignee. Action item emails now group items by assignee. (Ticket)
  • Improved how dates and times are handled and shown in Bids so they are consistent. (Ticket)
  • Improved how dates and times are handled and shown in Quote Packages so they are consistent. (Ticket)
  • Improved how dates and times are handled and shown in Project Quotes so they are consistent. (Ticket)

Release on October 20, 2026 ​

  • Action Items now include time information, so users can see when items were created or updated. (Ticket)
  • Subcontract Change Orders now include time information, so users can see when they were created or updated. (Ticket)
  • Added a new API key sign-in option for connecting external tools and AI assistants to Ernest. (Ticket)
  • The rules for linking Action Items to other records now match the main Ernest application, so linking behaves consistently everywhere. (Ticket)
  • RFIs now receive sequential numbers automatically, making it easier to identify and refer to specific RFIs. (Ticket)
  • User records now include time information, such as when a user was created or last updated. (Ticket)
  • Scope Sheets now include time information, so users can see when they were created or updated. (Ticket)
  • Attention Items now include time information, so users can see when they were created or updated. (Ticket)

Release on October 23, 2026 ​

  • The AI assistant's data now stays up to date with owner change orders, organized by cost code. It also picks up edits to change order fields, the change order location, and the ERP code, so the information it shows matches what users see in Ernest. (Ticket)
  • Behind-the-scenes security improvement to how Ernest's automated deployment process connects to cloud services. It now uses temporary credentials in place of long-lived ones. There is no change to how customers use the product. (Ticket)
  • The AI assistant now includes sub change order lines and unbudgeted rows in its change order data, so it can give more complete and accurate answers about change orders. (Ticket)

Ernest NLS API (3 releases) ​

Areas Affected: Email, Notifications, Integrations, Authentication, Shackleton Glossary, Submittals, Prime Contracts, Platform infrastructure

Release on October 14, 2026 ​

  • When an email is addressed to the user themselves (for example, 'me' or 'myself'), the system now correctly identifies the user and sends the email to them. (Ticket)
  • Email recipients can now be identified by name. Entering a person's name now finds the matching recipient, so users no longer need to enter the full email address. (Ticket)

Release on October 20, 2026 ​

  • Added support for API key authentication when connecting external tools through MCP, giving customers a secure way to link their tools to Ernest. (Ticket)
  • Fixed an issue where some connections using an older sign-in method were not being authenticated correctly. These connections should now work as expected. (Ticket)
  • Added numbering settings to the Shackleton glossary, so the glossary now reflects how records are numbered in a project. (Ticket)
  • Added Submittal and Prime Contract numbering to the Shackleton glossary, so these record types now have their numbering formats documented alongside other items. (Ticket)

Release on October 23, 2026 ​

  • Improved the security of our automated deployment process by replacing long-lived access credentials with short-lived, automatically issued ones. This is an internal change with nothing visible to users, and no action is needed from customers. (Ticket)

Ernest Platform Release Notes