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.