Summer 2026 Update: UX Overhaul, Session Highlights, Archivist Mobile App, and Data Studio
Shareable Session Highlights, a rebuilt Data Studio, the Archivist Mobile App, and campaign data in the tools you already use
Published October 1, 2026 • 5 min read
July through September delivered a full UX overhaul, Session Highlights and Artifacts, a rebuilt Data Studio, the Archivist Mobile App in open beta, and a major upgrade to our end-to-end processing pipeline. Our releases reinforce the same three principles:
- High quality notes plus actionable insight — Better notes should lead to better recall, cleaner outputs, and more useful campaign records.We reshaped most backend session processes and upgraded core models across the pipeline. User edits in Session Review are down 8% versus our prior baseline, 60% of sessions need no edits at all, and 75% need only a few edits or less. Campaign Benchmarks, Relationship Map presets, entity extraction controls, and our 25,000+ session research round out the insight layer.
- Continuous improvement at no added cost — Archivist should keep getting better over time without asking users to pay more for the basics.A full UX redesign, Hero Awards, Artifacts, Session Handout 2.0, and four free TTRPG tools on the site.
- Access anywhere — Campaign data should stay portable, not locked to Archivist's own interface.We expanded Archivist MCP with official ChatGPT and Claude app support, write tools, the Archivist Cookbook, and Discord MCP, added Foundry VTT v14 support, and launched the Archivist Mobile App.
Post-Session Highlights and a New UX
Our July release brought new navigation, a faster Session Review, and a post-session feature suite built around shareable artifacts for the full party. Read the full walkthrough in Hero Awards, Shareables, and a New UX.
- •Session Highlights combine Hero Awards and Key Moments.
- •Session Handout 2.0 and the Artifacts tab handle handouts, collections, and outbound sharing.
- •Four free TTRPG tools at myarchivist.ai/tools: a dice and damage calculator, VTT token generator, battle map grid overlay, and an offline Audio Converter with Podcast and Transcription presets. No Archivist account required.
Higher Quality Notes and Session Review
Most of the quarter's engineering went into the first pass, so there is less to fix after each session.
- •Reworked processing pipeline. We reshaped most backend session processes and upgraded core models end to end.
- •Fewer edits. User edits in Session Review are down 8% versus our prior baseline. 60% of sessions need no edits at all, and 75% need only a few edits or less.
- •Entity extraction controls set detail level separately for Characters, Items, Locations, and Factions: Essential, Balanced (now the default), or Exhaustive.
Data Studio and Campaign Insight
After crossing 25,000 logged sessions, we published what that dataset says about real tables in The Data Behind D&D, then rebuilt Data Studio so your own campaign can compare against peers. See Data Studio Revamp for screenshots, presets, and video walkthroughs.
- •Campaign Benchmarks compares your campaign to similar Archivist campaigns on session count, timeline density, talk patterns, and quest progress.
- •Relationship Map got a refreshed physics engine and new Quests and Property Table connection presets. In September, Relationship Map tabs landed on every Game Session and Entity page so you can see curated graphs in context.
- •Property Tables now support AI-assisted updates across every entity type, plus custom field values instead of fixed lists only.
Your Campaign Data, On and Off Platform
Archivist is not only where sessions get summarized. This quarter we expanded how you reach campaign memory in the tools you already use, including official app support in ChatGPT and Claude.
- •The official Archivist apps for ChatGPT and Claude connect without manual MCP setup.
- •Archivist MCP and API write tools let Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and other clients create and update characters, quests, journals, and other campaign records. Writes use the OAuth
agent_writescope you grant when you want edits. - •The Archivist Cookbook ships copy-paste recipes for session prep, podcast recaps, and session infographics.
- •Discord MCP pairs with your own recording bot so MCP clients can search, post, and share back into Discord. Setup is in our Discord MCP documentation.
Claude
ChatGPT
Cursor
WindsurfRecord and Play Anywhere
Recording and reading your campaign should work at the table, in Discord, in Foundry, and on your phone.
- •Bring Your Own Bot (beta) lets you attach custom Discord recording bots so one server can capture multiple live sessions in parallel. The official Archivist bot still runs /start, /pause, /resume, and /end.
- •The Archivist Foundry module now fully supports Foundry VTT v14.
- •Archivist Mobile App entered open beta on iOS and Android in September. Record at the table, browse your compendium, use Ask Archivist, and get push notifications when a new Hero Award is created. Join at myarchivist.ai/mobile-beta; usage is free through the end of October while we gather feedback.
Better first-pass notes, shareable post-session keepsakes, clearer campaign structure, and Archivist at the table on your phone.
If you have not logged in since midsummer, try Session Highlights, explore Campaign Benchmarks, or install the Archivist Mobile App. We would love to see what you share in our Discord artifacts channel.
Thanks to everyone whose feedback helped shape these releases, especially the mobile and Bring Your Own Bot beta testers.
More soon,
-The Gregs