Local watch-folder automation for headless workflows. Adds --watch-folder polling, stable-file detection, saved GUI preset or JSON preset support, persistent processed-file state, retry delays, one-shot execution, JSON status events, and /watch plus /output Docker volumes for CPU and CUDA images. Verification: python -m py_compile AlphaCut.py; pytest -q (95 passed); source --version/--runtime-info; source --watch-folder empty --watch-once --json; dynamic watch-loop smoke with run_cli stub and state persistence; packaged AlphaCut-windows.exe --version, --runtime-info, and --watch-folder empty --watch-once --json exit 0. Artifacts are locally built and checksummed; no code-signing certificate is configured on this machine. SHA256: AlphaCut-windows.exe 9ecc25bc111dc39231e3789513554bc4911d0495d2156fe8d2d02bca187c7004; AlphaCut-Setup-1.6.13.exe 7ef00b290e3d28541c7d3463a660759313355b595f4061659d318b0b7915a15c.

Mask quality preview metrics for foreground coverage, transparent coverage, transition area, edge density, jitter risk, and actionable warnings before export. Verification: python -m py_compile AlphaCut.py; pytest -q (90 passed); dynamic preview-worker smoke; native 900x650 Qt screenshot smoke; packaged AlphaCut-windows.exe --version and --runtime-info exit 0. Artifacts are locally built and checksummed; no code-signing certificate is configured on this machine. SHA256: AlphaCut-windows.exe 897bd36fdac91994e24ab6541c99b73b992689c52c7503124cd1f02a0c648461; AlphaCut-Setup-1.6.12.exe f457bdb9f05e649614e2be75e44e0d276182f5741b21910503c6467377261bef.

Changes

• Main window now supports a smaller 900x650 minimum with a scroll-contained responsive left control panel.
• Added visible READY/RUNNING/DONE/WARN/ERROR/CANCELLED status cues so state is not communicated by color alone.
• Added pinned keyboard focus order and expanded accessible names for the main workflow controls.
• Fixed Windows UTF-8 loading for models.json so model labels render em dashes correctly instead of mojibake.
• Removed the completed accessibility/responsive-layout item from ROADMAP.md.

Verification

• python -m py_compile AlphaCut.py
• pytest -q: 86 passed
• Native PyQt screenshot smoke at 900x650 verified scroll containment, visible ERROR/RAM HIGH cues, and UTF-8 model labels.
• Packaged AlphaCut-windows.exe --version and --runtime-info exit-code smokes passed.
• Built Windows portable exe and Inno Setup installer locally.
• Signing was not configured on this machine; artifacts are unsigned and checksummed.

SHA-256

• AlphaCut-windows.exe: 84a31be564e89853473ca697beca587f5096fb86aa1da2147e7484f48b182c13
• AlphaCut-Setup-1.6.11.exe: 1f876c68c58849723b6178a1afb49aa1567e8aa6e63bf3bf4447cdea76c7d531

Changes

• Animated WebP/GIF exports now estimate frame-list RAM before loading all frames.
• Over-limit animated exports fail closed with WebM VP9+Alpha / PNG sequence guidance.
• CLI users can deliberately override the guard with --allow-large-animation.

Verification

• python -m py_compile AlphaCut.py
• pytest -q: 82 passed
• Dynamic worker smoke confirmed animated WebP memory refusal emits the specific safety-limit error.
• Built Windows portable exe and Inno Setup installer locally.
• Portable exe --version and --runtime-info exit-code smokes passed; source CLI text output verified.
• Signing was not configured on this machine; artifacts are unsigned and checksummed.

SHA-256

• AlphaCut-windows.exe: f07bb754d7f99bdf5a86ee44fa258b3b721a9413a67bea2caa481f0bb13a7495
• AlphaCut-Setup-1.6.10.exe: 038398deee46a4ed96215f6e058713348e7d9a067a2f064683b8c505c4588deb

Accelerator install profiles and runtime diagnostics are now available for CPU, CUDA, DirectML, and macOS CoreML setups.

Changes:

• Added GUI and headless CLI requirement profiles for CPU, CUDA, DirectML, and CoreML.
• Added startup, About dialog, and --runtime-info ONNX Runtime provider diagnostics with install guidance for unavailable accelerators.
• Kept JSON CLI stdout machine-readable by sending startup diagnostics to stderr in JSON/pipe modes.
• Updated GPU Docker builds to install from requirements-cli-cuda.txt.

Verification:

• python -m py_compile AlphaCut.py
• pytest -q: 78 passed
• python AlphaCut.py --runtime-info
• About dialog offscreen smoke: 560x520
• packaging/windows/build-release.ps1: produced unsigned artifacts and checksum files because signing was not configured
• packaged EXE smoke: --version, --runtime-info, and missing-input JSON failure path
• SHA256 AlphaCut-windows.exe: 0e49f98019f755f98eac2b9fca9577a6666b1f8e71d2f112608514cc062634f0
• SHA256 AlphaCut-Setup-1.6.9.exe: 69a568f23dc7bd74c42d828ea001f74ea8a8e121883b8effc6e916eecb8f0ade

Signing: unsigned local build; no signing configuration was present.

Windows release packaging now has a single local build path for the portable executable, Inno Setup installer, optional signing, and checksum manifest generation.

Changes:

• Added packaging/windows/build-release.ps1 for clean local release builds.
• Added optional SignTool wiring for the portable EXE, setup EXE, and signed uninstaller when signing is configured.
• Added SHA-256 sidecar files and dist/SHA256SUMS.txt generation.
• Documented the unsigned fallback behavior when no certificate/signtool configuration exists.

Verification:

• python -m py_compile AlphaCut.py
• pytest -q: 74 passed
• packaging/windows/build-release.ps1: produced unsigned artifacts and checksum files because signing was not configured
• packaged EXE smoke: --version and missing-input JSON failure path
• SHA256 AlphaCut-windows.exe: 7ce5aee2c09d1bd1aa996507e24f3389224cdf7941f49aed0d5591c497bd5825
• SHA256 AlphaCut-Setup-1.6.8.exe: 8fcb3c71131b3ff576bc3f9d40a3bd29b527abd569668fac6207550848b2bdb9

Signing: unsigned local build; no signing configuration was present.

Batch rows now display the worker last error summary instead of hiding it behind generic failures. Full worker details remain in the row tooltip and app log.

Verification:

• python -m py_compile AlphaCut.py
• pytest -q: 71 passed
• packaged EXE smoke: --version and missing-input JSON failure path
• SHA256 AlphaCut-windows.exe: 3a025b2987fbdf0920e748b62b39a04336aeb7883dcc65d4c62fc66653729164
• SHA256 AlphaCut-Setup-1.6.7.exe: 002eb316b616faab459afb05455f0cc10aa6b270b088572acfaca896d1bfaccd

Signing: unsigned local build; no code-signing certificate/signtool available.

Changes

• Adds generated-media CLI integration tests using tiny image and video fixtures.
• Uses a lightweight fake segmentation engine in tests to avoid model downloads while exercising real CLI image and video output paths.
• Verifies JSON event order for image success, video encode success, and video encode failure.
• Updates README, roadmap, and Windows installer metadata to v1.6.6.

Verification

• python -m py_compile AlphaCut.py
• pytest tests/test_generated_media_cli.py -q: 3 passed
• pytest -q: 67 passed
• Packaged EXE smoke: --version exits 0; missing-input JSON exits 1

SHA-256

• AlphaCut-windows.exe: db8e6d344e0e79349a3f3ec3ee6fe9d45a2b190eb402884bb9222ee2a3faf971
• AlphaCut-Setup-1.6.6.exe: 33e1c8cb427977a7fe09ac9acf43e5f1949def3f790b042eb96bac3e2645fbb2

Note: Artifacts are unsigned because no local code-signing certificate or signtool was available.

Changes

• Moves CLI argument setup into �uild_parser() so app dispatch and tests use the same parser definition.
• Updates parser tests to extract the real parser and assert README CLI-reference flags exist in it.
• Updates README, roadmap, and Windows installer metadata to v1.6.5.

Verification

• python -m py_compile AlphaCut.py
• pytest tests/test_cli.py -q: 19 passed
• pytest -q: 64 passed
• Packaged EXE smoke: --version exits 0; missing-input JSON exits 1

SHA-256

• AlphaCut-windows.exe: 87f82025a91c3a65ddddae931ae699e787b166081d6a148e8ca811803d4d7d35
• AlphaCut-Setup-1.6.5.exe: fed04042cf43cc3bc3742fb1849ba95d941ed9ec9a9ee1a34290b32b1a87ad4e

Note: Artifacts are unsigned because no local code-signing certificate or signtool was available.

Changes

• Prevents pipe-mode deadlocks by launching FFmpeg decode with stderr discarded instead of leaving an unread stderr pipe.
• Adds a regression test that starts a noisy child process and verifies stdout still drains.
• Updates README, roadmap, and Windows installer metadata to v1.6.4.

Verification

• python -m py_compile AlphaCut.py
• pytest tests/test_real_functions.py -q: 34 passed
• pytest -q: 62 passed
• Packaged EXE smoke: --version exits 0; missing-input JSON exits 1

SHA-256

• AlphaCut-windows.exe: e962bcf41ad6ec7b46b65d03d19c77a65309153c98eb6cbf065126565aa4f12a
• AlphaCut-Setup-1.6.4.exe: abd7f552d2dd0673311d69eedd95bc91c9fa796684c8ad8e0d3330f09a918d62

Note: Artifacts are unsigned because no local code-signing certificate or signtool was available.