Two things went to App Review today: CyberDeck 2.3.0, and DeckHand 1.0, the operator app. Neither is downloadable yet, and neither will be until both clear review.
Why they go together
2.3 introduces Operator Roles, and a role is the thing DeckHand exists to run. The two apps pair over a wire protocol whose version moved from 1 to 2 this cycle, and v2 is deliberately fail-closed: a v2 app and a v1 app refuse to pair rather than degrade into something that half works.
No public build of either app contains pairing today, so making the very first one already speak v2 costs nothing and removes the compatibility problem permanently. That window shuts the moment anything pairing-capable goes public.
It does mean 2.3 waits on DeckHand. I'd rather hold a finished build than ship a pairing protocol I have to support two versions of forever.
What's in CyberDeck 2.3
- Operator Roles (CyberDeck Pro). Build a role, a chosen set of buttons and variables, and publish it to someone running DeckHand on their iPad. They get exactly that surface and nothing else.
- Pairing over your local network. Hand off a role by QR code, or by a 6-character code when the camera can't reach. No accounts, no cloud.
- Manage paired operators from the role. See who's connected, push updates when the role changes, revoke access when the show is over.
- A first-launch guide. A short walkthrough on first open points out the status rail, saved connections, and where the Pro features live.
- Companion 5 confirmed. CyberDeck works with Bitfocus Companion 5.0 with no changes. The supported floor stays Companion 4.3.
- The pairing QR no longer clips when the device is held sideways.
- The dashboard editor's advice when Companion's Button Subscriptions API is off now points at the setting to turn on, rather than telling you to update Companion.
Pairing needs both apps on these versions. If you use DeckHand, update it at the same time.
What DeckHand is
DeckHand is the app you hand to the person actually running the show. There's no admin UI in it: no connection editor, no page navigation, nothing to misconfigure mid-show. It shows the role a tech lead published, and the variables that role allows them to edit. That's the whole app.
It's $4.99, one time, with no in-app purchases. iPad only for 1.0, with an iPhone build planned for 1.1. It needs a tech lead running CyberDeck Pro, and a Companion 4.3 or newer with the Button Subscriptions API and the HTTP API both turned on. On its own it does nothing at all, which is worth knowing before you buy it.
There's a DeckHand page now covering how pairing works and what an operator sees.
What happens next
Both are set to manual release, so an approval doesn't publish anything. Once both are through I'll release them together and write the real notes then.