Public Changelog

What's new in Helm Shift

A running log of what we ship — every release, every meaningful fix. We update this when we deploy, not when we feel like marketing. See something you want? Tell us.

v9 2026-06-06 Transparency

Everything out in the open.

Added
  • The complete guide — every screen of Helm Shift explained in plain language at helmai.ca/how-it-works. Understand the whole tool before it asks for your time or your card.
  • A page for home — a dedicated page for Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canadian restaurants, where Helm Shift is built.
v8 2026-06-01 Smarter assistant · CAD

A smarter assistant and honest pricing.

Added
  • Pricing in Canadian dollars, everywhere — every plan is now shown and billed in CAD. What you see is what your statement says, and HST stays simple.
Improved
  • The in-app assistant got a sharper brain — the assistant that already knows your staff, stock, and schedule now runs on a faster, more capable AI. Same rule as always: it suggests, you decide.
v7 2026-05 Ready for real restaurants

Hardened, guided, and on your phone.

Added
  • Guided first run — a short built-in tour on each screen the first time you open it, dismiss it once and it stays gone.
  • In-app notification centre — time-off requests and team activity land in one bell, on every screen.
  • Add to Home Screen — staff put Helm Shift on their phone like an app, no app store needed.
  • Email-confirmed accounts and stronger sign-in — every new account is verified, and passwords meet a real standard.
Improved
  • A full speed-and-reliability pass across the app, the schedule builder, and billing — the kind of work you don't see, you just stop noticing.
v6 2026-05-21 Easier scheduling

Build the week in a few taps.

Added
  • A schedule anyone can run — every team member gets a row across the week. Tap a shift to change it, double-tap for exact hours, drag it onto anyone, any day. Nothing goes live until you save.
  • Auto-fill from availability — one tap drafts the whole week around who can work and their target hours. You always review before publishing.
  • A clean published view — your team sees a simple read-only schedule; you make changes in the builder.
Improved
  • Plain-language screens — bigger buttons, clearer labels, and one-tap pop-ups for adding staff and inventory.
v5 2026-05-12 The Helm Shift release

A new name and the full platform.

Added
  • Helm Shift — the product formerly known as Helm AI, relaunched with the two-tone wordmark you see today.
  • The AI scheduler — drafts a full week of shifts in seconds around availability, time-off, and target hours. If the AI is ever unavailable, a simpler scheduler steps in so you're never blocked.
  • Real billing — monthly, self-serve plan changes, and a 30-day free trial with no card on file. If a card ever declines, you get a friendly email with a one-tap fix, not a locked account.
  • The staff app — Today, Schedule, Pool, Team, and Me on every phone. One-tap call-in-sick, availability your staff manage themselves, a shift pool where two people can't claim the same shift, and voice or photo inventory reports.
  • Sick-call coverage — when someone calls in, Helm Shift suggests who can cover, ranked, with the reason for each suggestion. You approve with one tap.
v4 2026-05 AI vision & voice

Count by photo. Log by voice.

Added
  • Photo counts — snap your walk-in and the AI reads what's on the shelf.
  • Voice notes — say "we're out of limes" and it's logged.
  • A full activity log for every AI action, so nothing happens behind your back.
v3 2026-05 Communications

The app learns to speak up.

Added
  • Notifications — alerts that reach the right person reliably, by app and email.
  • In-restaurant messages — managers and staff send short notes inside the app, not in a group chat at midnight.
v2 2026-05 Smarter scheduling

Swaps, conflicts, and coverage.

Added
  • Shift swaps — staff request and accept swaps with no chance of a double-claim.
  • Conflict detection — every added or moved shift is checked against double-booking.
  • Daily coverage forecast — how many people each day actually needs, based on your history.
v1 2026-04 Mark one

The foundation.

Added
  • From idea to working product in one season — Helm Shift was first sketched in January 2026 and became a working platform by spring. Everything below shipped since.
  • The core platform — scheduling, inventory with par levels and suppliers, time-off, and team management in one login.
  • Strict per-restaurant privacy — one restaurant's data can never be read by another. Built in from day one, not bolted on.
  • Web and mobile foundations — built to live on the devices a restaurant actually uses.