Release history

September 30, 2026

This release covers four main areas: your own questions and answers on every recipe, with one of them promotable in the assistant; Performance analytics rebuilt; your site’s numbers made readable outside the portal, by your own tools or by an AI assistant you connect; and a deep round of speed work across the widget. It also brings full control over when the launcher may speak up, a long list of refinements across the widget’s suggestions, the chat, content syncing, search, the portal, and the WordPress plugin, and a full rewrite of the documentation.

New & Improved

Your Own Questions and Answers on Every Recipe

You now control the questions your assistant offers on a recipe, and you can write the answers yourself. Every one of them is a stored answer: tapping it returns your words with no AI cost and no waiting.

Updates include:

• Added full editing of a recipe’s reader questions in the portal
• Questions you write or edit are marked as yours and survive content resyncs
• Updating a post now keeps its existing questions
• Added a row of follow-up questions under an answer: the two always-available suggestions first, then the recipe’s own best performers, never repeating one already offered in the conversation
• Added an instant answer summarizing what you say about a recipe, drawn only from your own notes
• Improved that author summary so it never passes a reader comment off as your advice
• Added an instant answer for “What are readers saying about this recipe?”, labeled as coming from readers rather than from you (for domains with deeper article processing)
• Raised the per-recipe question limit so a full set fits
• Improved question syncing so an edit reaches your site on the next sync rather than a full re-crawl
• Fixed questions you wrote being trimmed before they reached your site
• When questions are trimmed, the best performers are now kept rather than whichever came first

Recipe Promotions

You can now put a specific message in front of readers on a specific recipe. A promotion is a headline, a supporting answer, and a call to action that the assistant offers a few seconds after a reader lands on the page, in your own words rather than a generic prompt.

Updates include:

• Added a promotion editor on each recipe: a headline, an optional second line so the headline can tease without giving the answer away, a supporting answer of up to 750 characters, a call to action, and a photo
• Added the reader-facing promotion card, which opens the chat with your answer
• The promotion opens as a single message, with your own line as the greeting
• Added dismissing a promotion card by its close button or a flick toward the edge
• Added a burst mark on the launcher while a promotion is showing
• Promotions reach your site through the content sync and need plugin 1.5.01.6 or later
• Removing a promotion clears it from the page
• Fixed promotion supporting text being shortened on the way to your site

Performance Analytics

Performance moved from reporting numbers to naming what to do about them, and the Posts and Chat tabs were both rebuilt around that idea. This reporting is still rolling out in phases and is not available to every publisher yet.

Updates include:

• Added cooks on the table, and a cooks-at-stake sort
• Rebuilt the Posts tab around movement, so every headline number carries its change against the previous window
• Added an expandable row on the Posts table
• Added estimated value per post: enter your own ad rates once and Performance shows what each post’s traffic is worth, clearly labeled as an estimate
• Added a window strip stating the dates being counted
• Added chat pressure, which surfaces posts whose readers ask far more questions than their traffic mix and history predicts
• Added cooks caused and assists
• Added refresh candidates: posts whose traffic has fallen away from your trend
• Expanded post detail with scroll-depth curves, typical time on the page and in the comments, the busiest journeys through the post, and a phone, tablet, and desktop split with cook and reach rates for each
• Added an Allspice lift card comparing the cook rate of readers who used the assistant against those who did not
• Added rankings placing each post against your others
• Rankings are withheld on sites with too few posts to rank fairly
• Added a per-recipe question panel: which suggestions were shown, which were tapped, and what readers typed anyway
• Opened the Graph view to every Performance account: your site as posts and the reader paths between them, with color lenses for cook rate, bounce, trend, and reach, and a click-through inspector. The Graph is still under development.
• Rebuilt the Chat tab around what readers actually did: what was answered from your site and what was not, a panel for every recipe readers chatted about, and where suggested questions get tapped
• Simplified the Chat tab so suggestions and typed questions read as one story
• Added a panel of the answer gaps worth filling
• Added a CSV export of the Posts window, including reader flow, estimated value, percentile rank, and assists
• Added an “Ask us for help” button on the Performance overview, which raises a support request with your numbers attached
• Improved post detail so it loads in a single request
• Improved every measured report to say when measurement began on your site, so an early date range reads as not yet measured rather than as a quiet week
• Improved benchmarks so a recipe with too little traffic is left without a comparison rather than shown as zero
• Improved the site averages so they count recipes only
• Fixed WordPress comment pages being counted as separate pages; their traffic now belongs to the post it came from
• Fixed your own suggested questions being filed under the wrong subject
• Connected iOS and Android apps built through Allspice for an individual publisher now have their own analytics tab.

Analytics API and AI Assistants

Your Allspice numbers are no longer only in the portal. You can read them from your own tools, or connect an AI assistant and ask it questions about your site in plain language.

Updates include:

• Added a partner analytics API with per-site keys: mint a labeled key in the portal, see it once, and revoke it whenever you like
• Added an AI Assistants card so Claude can read your site’s analytics and answer questions about it
• Added a one-click connection for Claude’s web app, with no key to paste
• Access is read-only and scoped to one site, and the API returns the same totals the portal shows
• Added a built-in metric glossary the assistant reads first, so it cannot invent what a measure means
• Added revenue estimates priced from the ad rates you enter yourself
• Added campaign results: cook and save rates for the readers each tagged link brought in
• Added suggested-question performance: shown, tapped, and typed out anyway
• Added promotion awareness, so a tool can see when a recipe was last promoted and stop suggesting it again
• Added a data sharing card for granting a partner platform read-only access to one site, revocable at any time
• Added a permanent address for the analytics connection, so saved setups keep working

AI Chat

Updates include:

• Improved scaling answers so a question about doubling, halving, or a different number of servings brings in your site’s own scaling rules and works the amounts out through the scaler
• Improved ingredient cards in replies so rows come from the recipe itself
• Improved reader-comment citations under answers
• Added reopening straight back into a conversation within fifteen minutes, rather than onto the starting card
• Fixed a follow-up or tapped card mid-conversation wiping the reader’s open thread
• Improved how long answers scroll while they type, so an attached recipe card no longer pushes the text below the fold
• Fixed recipe cards in chat, which now open the same preview as search
• Fixed Safari sporadically showing only the picture on featured recipe tiles, with the title, rating, and save heart invisible
• Fixed recipe images in Safari staying half-drawn on a slow connection

Launcher Popup Timing Controls

Everything the launcher proactively shows a reader, from suggested questions and recipe promotions to save prompts and rating asks, now runs on one timing policy you control, tuned separately for phones and desktops.

Updates include:

• Added a Rail Popups editor in Domain Settings: first delay, visible time, gaps between appearances, and repeat cooldowns for each kind of popup, with separate values for phones and desktops
• Added a global quiet period between popups, so two never crowd a reader back to back
• Added a scroll-depth floor, so nothing speaks up before a reader has actually started reading
• The save-recipe exit prompt now asks at most once per page view
• Leaving a value at its default keeps it following product updates, so you only pin what you deliberately change

Widget

Updates include:

• Redesigned the suggestions readers see on a recipe as swipeable cards in your site’s own color, offering every question the recipe has with the best performers first, in place of three fixed rows
• The launcher’s collapsed chip now carries a clean outline in your site’s accent color, in place of a border that clipped along the curve
• Added an optional recipe library page where users can create folders and manage stored recipes
• Improved which suggestion a reader is shown, drawing it in proportion to how often readers tap it
• Improved where suggestions appear and timing, adding the stretch of article between the intro and the recipe card
• Improved the card row to fit whole cards, with page dots on phones
• Added visible feedback while the widget loads after a tap, with a pressed state and spinner on the card
• Fixed readers landing in the wrong place when jumping to the recipe or opening the widget on ad-heavy pages, where the scroll now re-aims itself as ads settle and stops the moment the reader scrolls
• Improved Jump to Recipe to move instantly by default, with a per-device Motion setting to restore the old glide
• Improved the rail to sit still by default rather than animating
• Changed sites configured for the inline style on desktop to open in place rather than in the floating card
• Added a link from the assistant’s name to your “meet the chatbot” page
• Improved the block to use your site’s own font before the widget loads, fixing a visible swap at launch
• Fixed other vendors’ floating save buttons staying tappable behind the open widget
• Fixed the floating card lifting itself for a video player on the opposite side of the screen
• Fixed the inline block showing a generic search box on recipe pages that have not been synced
• Removed the ingredient photo strip that slid out of the launcher

Search

Updates include:

• Added a search-only mode for the full-page widget, set per site, with results opening the post on your site
• Improved the recipe preview so search and chat open one identical card
• Added a shared recipe search box with a live dropdown across the portal
• Added a spinner and dimmed list while a portal recipe search runs

Reader Accounts and Saved Recipes

Readers arriving from another save tool no longer start from an empty list. You can hand over your existing favorites export and have those saves brought across.

Updates include:

• Added a favorites migration card in the portal: upload your members-favorites export and every member’s saved pages are imported and matched to your site’s pages, with progress shown as it runs. Slickstream exports are supported today, with other providers to follow
• Imported saves are waiting as soon as a reader creates an Allspice account with the same email
• Improved saved-recipe emails so a saved article gets copy worded for an article

Content Syncing and Article Indexing

Updates include:

• Added recipe links inside articles: round-ups are scanned for the recipes they link to and matched to them
• Each indexed article is now labeled with what kind of page it is (for domains with full article processing)
• Added an Articles list in the portal for non-recipe pages
• Fixed the recipe library claiming to be empty when a load had actually failed

Publisher Portal

Updates include:

• Gave Recipes its own place in the main navigation, and renamed Content to Meal Plans
• Added a second, optional phase to the setup checklist, covering your logo, email provider, product email delivery, save-recipe emails, ad rates, a first author note, and a first suggested question
• Automated the setup checklist
• Reorganized the tutorial launcher into two collapsible setup phases
• Added page visibility settings, so you choose where the widget and launcher appear
• Added additional documentation for specific settings
• Fixed a spurious “Could not load products” error appearing over the Recipes library

Email Integrations

Updates include:

• Added promotion badges showing which recipes already went out in a newsletter
• Badges come from platforms that expose their sent campaigns; a platform that does not simply shows none
• Stopped recommending a post promoted in the last thirty days

WordPress Plugin

Plugin releases 1.5.01.6 through 1.6.01.1, which install themselves on sites running plugin self-updating.

Updates include:

• Added delivery of recipe promotions from the portal to the page, cleaned to plain text in both directions (1.5.01.6 and 1.6.01.1)
• Added a Full-Page Widget setting that strips the overlay down to search (1.5.01.6)
• Improved the comments export to carry each comment’s real permalink (1.5.01.6)
• Added per-device Motion settings for Jump to Recipe and the rail, both defaulting to the faster behavior (1.5.01.10)

Reliability, Performance, and Measurement

Updates include:

• Fixed recipe view counts that had quietly stopped updating, now built from measured post traffic
• Added exit scroll depth to page reporting
• Added the named in-app browser to session reporting
• Improved save counting, added detection of saves made through your site’s own save tools
• Pins have left both the share count and the Allspice save outcome, so both numbers shift
• Added presented-and-tapped reporting for follow-up questions and dismissed suggestion cards
• Improved recipe reporting so posts carry their recipe
• Improved the Posts tab to drop its suggestions when a supporting lookup is unavailable, rather than failing the page

Documentation

Every documentation page was rewritten this cycle around how each feature actually works today, and four new guides were added.

Updates include:

• Added a Team Members and Roles guide, with a full permission table for Owner, Admin, and Member
• Added an Analytics API and AI Assistants guide: connecting Claude to your site statistics, creating and revoking per-site keys, the available endpoints, and the read-only, single-site security model
• Added a Chat Customization guide covering the assistant’s name, tagline, logo, and persona, your site background, scaling and substitution rules, warnings shown word for word, author notes, and suggested questions
• Added an Ecosystems guide: requesting one, branding it, joining domains, and reader sign-in
• Renamed the Customization guide to Widget Configuration and rewrote it around the current per-device setup
• Rewrote the chat guide around how answers are grounded in your notes
• Rewrote the search guides around search pills, ranking signals, and plain-language follow-up searches
• Rewrote the membership, meal plan product, gating, ad-free, caching, and payout guides around the current screens, including the one-membership-per-domain rule and a warning that pricing locks the moment you publish
• Rewrote the WordPress plugin, WP Recipe Maker, shortcode, compatibility, and troubleshooting guides
• Rewrote the reader-facing feature guides
• Added documentation for sales tax and VAT at checkout, including whether your prices include tax, your business location and product classification, and why the choice is permanent
• Added documentation for newsletter opt-in points, membership event mapping, and meal plan promotion drafts
• Improved the revenue sharing explanation so the platform fee, the order it is applied in relative to processing fees, and a worked example all sit in one place
• Improved the custom entry point instructions, which now use a single data attribute on your own element
• Improved the documentation menu with the new pages and updated names

September 14, 2026

This release spans the full Allspice platform: a new Performance Analytics section in the portal, a ground-up guided cooking redesign, reader comments and ratings from chat, a redesigned inline block, and major upgrades to the assistant’s intelligence, sourcing, and reliability. It also carries a long list of refinements across groceries, pantry, meal planning, search, the WordPress plugin, and the publisher portal.

New & Improved

Performance Analytics

A new Performance section in the publisher portal, built on the rebuilt analytics foundation. It reports how readers actually use Allspice on your site, and what that engagement does for your content. This reporting is rolling out in phases and is not available to every publisher yet.

Updates include:

• Added a Performance Overview with your site’s engagement funnel, daily engagement-rate trend, and an engagement ladder that places your site against a top-performers benchmark
• Added a “When readers open Allspice” view showing what visits were about (cooking, planning, searching) and how far engaged readers get
• Added daily outcome and traffic-source charts with source filtering, plus a desktop and mobile device split
• Added a cooking rhythm heatmap showing when your readers cook through the week
• Added a delivered-value ratings card and an unmet-searches view surfacing what readers looked for and didn’t find
• Added a Posts tab with per-post engagement, real titles and images, and an insight strip of movers, hidden gems, and top sources
• Added a Chat tab reporting conversations, answered and unanswered questions, question topics, and the recipes they tie to
• Added a Vitals tab with Core Web Vitals and a script-delay advisory
• Added a Memberships tab so membership performance sits alongside the rest of your reporting
• Added a recommendations checklist with the setup steps that most improve engagement
• Added a clear in-portal notice when an A/B test is running on a site, since analytics are not representative during a test

Guided Cooking, Redesigned

Guided cooking in the floating and inline widget has been rebuilt from the ground up into an app-quality, step-by-step cooking experience that feels like a natural part of the chat.

Updates include:

• Redesigned the step screen with larger, easier-to-read instructions and timers embedded directly in the step text
• Added per-step ingredient chips with photos that readers tap to check off as they cook
• Added recipe section labels (“For the sauce”, “For the chicken”) on steps, with a section-aware progress bar in the header
• Added step photos with a full-screen viewer
• Simplified the cooking header to the essentials, with a one-tap overview of all steps
• Kept hands-free voice control for moving between steps
• Improved returning to chat mid-cook: the normal chat composer returns, with a pinned current-step card so readers can jump back into the recipe
• Added a finish screen where readers can rate the recipe and leave a comment that is submitted to the site’s WordPress comments, without leaving the widget

Reader Comments & Ratings from Chat

Chat conversations now turn into real engagement on the post itself: readers can leave a comment, and optionally a star rating, without leaving the conversation, and it lands in your WordPress comments like any other.

Updates include:

• Added an inline comment offer after helpful answers, plus a comment button on the latest reply
• Added optional star ratings, with qualifying ratings flowing into the recipe’s public rating data and low ratings routed to private feedback
• Added publisher-customizable comment prompt copy for advanced processing domains, editable in domain settings
• Added rating prompt bubbles on the floating widget rail
• Comments are submitted with the reader’s name and email to the publisher’s WordPress site, where they arrive as pending review and enter its normal moderation workflow

A Redesigned Inline Block

The inline block’s resting state is now a real assistant surface instead of a teaser: readers see who the assistant is, what it knows about the recipe, and a working chat box, before ever opening it.

Updates include:

• Redesigned the block with a clean white header (assistant name, tagline, and sign-in), overlapping ingredient photos, the recipe’s real suggested questions, and a full chat composer
• On desktop, the block now acts as a compact launcher: interactions open the floating assistant, so the page is not reshaped by an in-place expansion
• On phones, the block keeps its full in-place experience, now gated on the actual device rather than window size
• Improved loading so the block holds its size with a loading indicator, eliminating the collapse, page jump, and scroll-hop that could occur while the widget boots
• The Log In button now detects when a reader is already signed in, including sign-ins made through the floating widget on the same page, and hides itself
• Suggested questions carry topic-matched icons (substitutions, storage, reheating, make-ahead, and more)
• The minimized assistant rotates between the recipe’s suggested questions and quick actions instead of sitting still
• On phones, the site’s sticky header steps aside while the inline assistant is expanded, giving readers more vertical space, and returns when it closes
• Hardened the block’s typography against publisher theme styles, so it renders more consistently across publisher themes
• Fixed Safari offering saved passwords in the block’s ask bar

Custom Chatbot Branding

Publishers can now give their assistant its own face and voice across the widget headers.

Updates include:

• Added a per-domain chatbot mark: upload a custom image or animated mark (with a required still image for readers who prefer reduced motion), used exactly as provided
• Added a per-domain chatbot subtitle, replacing “Your personal recipe assistant” with the publisher’s own tagline
• Wide marks now render at full header height instead of shrinking to fit a square
• Both settings live in the portal’s domain settings, alongside the chatbot name

AI Chat

The assistant’s knowledge, sourcing, and conversation experience all took major steps this cycle.

Updates include:

• The chat can now draw on the post’s comment section when answering: it can quote a specific comment and name who said it, including answers drawn from the author’s own replies (for domains with deeper article processing)
• Added site-wide substitution and scaling guidance: publishers set how freely the chat adapts recipes, plus standing notes and warnings, and chat answers follow that ruleset when readers ask about swaps or scaling
• Added an additional site context setting, so publishers can give the chat background about their site, author, and content that informs its conversations
• Ingredient amounts in chat show the site’s own metric conversions when the site provides them, labeled apart from computed conversions
• Redesigned the chat’s preferences interview: one clear card of questions with human labels, free-text answers accepted on any question, and only restrictions the reader actually holds are confirmed; saved preferences then shape recipe searches
• Added answer-source labels on chat replies, so readers can see whether an answer comes straight from the author’s page, combines it with general knowledge, or is inferred
• Added a tap-through explanation on answer-source labels, so readers can learn in plain language where an answer came from
• Improved answer sourcing trustworthiness: source labels are derived from the evidence an answer actually cites, citations must resolve to real content, and answers that cannot back a claim receive a more conservative label
• Added grounding so answers are clearly tied to the recipe or content they came from
• Added ingredient list cards in chat, so readers can add ingredients from an answer straight to their grocery list
• Added fast paths from chat into guided cooking and other recipe actions
• Added live activity updates while the assistant works on an answer (finding the recipe, checking your groceries) in place of a generic loading state
• Improved streaming so the view follows along as an answer is written, with smoother typing-indicator behavior throughout
• Anonymous readers now get a set of free chats before the sign-in prompt, so the first questions are frictionless
• Upgrade prompts inside the widget now point to the publisher’s own membership as the path to unlimited chat; Allspice Premium is no longer advertised in the widget
• Improved the notice shown when a reader reaches chat limits: it now sits above the composer instead of interrupting the conversation
• Doubled the maximum chat message length to 2,000 characters
• Improved the chat composer with auto-sizing input
• Redesigned the conversations pane: a proper row menu, a cleaner delete menu, and the pane closes itself when a reader picks a conversation or starts a new chat
• Redesigned the actions under each reply (copy, rate, comment) with a cleaner unified icon set
• Comment prompts and drafts now match the chat’s typography
• Comments and ratings from chat and guided cooking now post successfully on sites running older plugin versions
• Answers are automatically cleaned of stray technical output before display
• Smoother activity indicator: related progress updates change in place instead of fading in and out
• Refined message and recipe card sizing in the chat, with cards revealing smoothly as answers stream in
• Chat images now recover automatically when a photo fails to load on the first try
• Unified reader message styling between the floating and inline widget
• Fixed icon and star colors being overridden by publisher theme styles
• The assistant now answers questions about itself instead of treating them as off-topic
• Recipe searches that find nothing automatically retry once with a broader interpretation
• Improved answer reliability with automatic fallback across model providers during transient outages
• Added suggested question bubbles on the floating widget rail, rotating through questions readers actually ask
• Improved sign-in reliability for chat on Ecosystem sites, including reloading past conversations
• Improved chat reliability across sessions and reconnects

Search

Updates include:

• Improved search open speed by launching search before sign-in finishes
• Improved the standalone Advanced Search page, including loading and layout stability
• Added a saved-recipes banner when a search has no results
• Added portal controls for excluding article tags, sections, and categories from search
• Added a per-domain toggle for whether articles appear in search results
• Added controls over whether noindexed recipes and articles appear in search

Groceries & Pantry

Updates include:

• Added 3,000 new ingredients to the Allspice ingredient catalog, improving ingredient matching and photos across grocery lists, the pantry, and recipes
• Redesigned the list and pantry pickers and their settings menus as clean centered sheets, matching the app
• Redesigned the pantry item detail: package size, a directly editable remaining quantity with a smoother slider, a track-quantity toggle, and date added and shelf life at a glance
• Added pantry sorting by alphabetical order or by aisle
• Improved the pantry page to match the groceries page, with consistent rows, a consistent header, and a search bar styled like the chat composer, complete with a search icon
• Fixed pantry scrolling with long item lists
• Improved the create-list and create-pantry flow with a proper icon, clearer placeholder text, and name validation
• Fixed grocery and pantry item details rendering in the full-page widget
• Fixed ingredient photos being squeezed on narrow rows
• Fixed a stray loading overlay when switching lists or pantries
• Aligned the delivery partner and in-store page headers with the rest of the widget

Meal Planning

Updates include:

• Improved meal plan browsing in the widget with plan detail and preview views
• Redesigned the plan detail header to match the groceries pages, with a settings gear for plan options
• Plan options now open as a centered sheet in the widget’s style
• Simplified plan navigation to a single back button: back from an open plan returns to the plan list
• Improved access handling for free meal plan products
• Added a meal plans landing page generator in the WordPress plugin, created as an editable draft
• Added a meal plan feature block for showcasing a single meal plan product inside posts and pages
• Improved the meal plan products block
• Added a shopping list to meal plan purchase emails, using the publisher’s curated list when one exists and computing one from the plan’s recipes otherwise, so purchase emails include a usable list

Promote Meal Plans by Email

Publishers can now promote a meal plan to their email list through their own email platform. Allspice generates the campaign draft; the publisher reviews and sends it through their connected email platform rather than sending the campaign through Allspice.

Updates include:

• Added a Promote by Email option for published meal plans in the Content library
• Added a generated promo email with the plan story, recipe previews, and a link to the publisher’s product page
• Added suggested subject lines with an editable subject
• Added one-click draft creation in Kit, Mailchimp, and MailerLite, so the draft lands in the publisher’s platform ready to review and send
• Added Copy HTML and download options that work with any email platform
• Added UTM tagging so email campaigns are attributable

Widget

Updates include:

• Improved the minimized inline block so it matches before and after the widget is opened
• Improved reopening the widget after minimizing so conversations and state are preserved
• Improved resilience against publisher theme styles affecting widget text and alignment
• Improved widget placement behavior when a browser window is resized across the mobile and desktop breakpoint
• Improved guided cooking image quality in the floating and inline widget
• Improved the expanded recipe image to scroll naturally with content
• Improved reading mode to clear additional floating page elements
• Added an email save option so readers can save a recipe, or an article, and get it back by email, without creating an account
• Added save prompts on the floating widget rail for planning readers, with publisher policy controls
• Improved the floating widget’s recovery when publisher page scripts interfere with its mount
• Improved recipe context preservation, so closing a standalone view keeps the recipe the reader was on

WordPress Plugin

Updates include:

• Added plugin self-updating so new versions install without a manual download
• Made floating on desktop with inline on mobile the recommended default placement for new installs
• Added inline block styling controls for border, corner radius, and spacing
• Added a plugin connection re-check in the Integrate section
• Added post-type curation to WordPress content export, so publishers control which content types sync
• Added member video ad handling with WP Rocket compatibility
• Improved detection of custom Allspice hooks in publisher themes and templates, so template buttons and menu links open the widget reliably
• Fixed reader comments from chat so they post reliably (1.5.01.4)

Publisher Portal

Updates include:

• Team members can now see a domain’s tax setup status, not just owners, so the whole team understands why a product step is blocked
• Error messages during product creation now stay on screen until dismissed, with clearer guidance
• Meal plan publish scheduling is now clearly marked as coming soon rather than appearing to schedule
• Fixed domain settings briefly showing stale values after saving content source options
• Improved inline notices in domain settings with a clearer style
• Added referral code support at publisher signup
• Fixed the booking widget on the contact page and matched the page to the portal design system
• Improved the migrate-domains card, account section headers, and meal plan menus
• Improved settings layouts, copy, and toasts across the portal
• Hardened the sign-in path end to end

Payments and Commerce

Updates include:

• Added a revenue-at-risk card highlighting failed renewal charges so publishers can act on recoverable revenue
• Improved the revenue summary so failed payments are surfaced alongside sales, fees, and payouts
• Added country selection when connecting a Stripe account, with better handling of country mismatches
• Added tax readiness guidance so publishers complete tax setup before creating paid products
• Improved the product creation flow with clearer validation and server feedback
• Improved tax report exports with clearer messaging when a report is unavailable and export ranges matched to available data

Email Integrations

Updates include:

• Improved membership lifecycle event delivery: events arrive as accumulating tags, while a separate membership status field reflects whether someone is currently a member
• Added newsletter consent handling so membership email syncing respects the reader’s choice
• Added a curated recipe picker for save-recipe emails, so publishers choose which recipes those emails suggest
• Added personalized placeholders to save-recipe email templates

Ecosystems

Updates include:

• Added an access request flow so publishers can request an Ecosystem directly from the portal
• Improved brand and logo handling on Ecosystem domains, including brand marks on account prompts
• Improved sign-in and account messaging on Ecosystem sites to stay in the publisher’s own brand voice

Content Syncing and Article Indexing

Updates include:

• Added direct WordPress content syncing so recipes and articles sync from the publisher’s site without crawling, now the default for new domains
• Rebuilt article indexing on a new system, now used across domains
• Added deeper article processing for supported publishers, including fuller comment coverage and richer per-post information
• Improved article title handling so special characters display correctly

Reliability, Performance, and Analytics Infrastructure

Rebuilt the measurement systems behind Allspice engagement reporting from the ground up, alongside a set of platform-wide reliability fixes.

Updates include:

• Added automatic cache versioning for widget and page assets, reducing delays caused by stale cached assets after an update
• The floating widget now stacks above oversized transparent ad containers, preventing them from intercepting taps on the launcher
• Fixed featured result images on iOS in AI search
• Improved opening the inline widget: the page centers on the block once and stays put
• Rebuilt widget activity measurement on a new event pipeline with batched delivery and automatic retry handling
• Added a new analytics warehouse that processes daily activity into engagement metrics
• Added bot and bounce exclusion so engagement numbers reflect real readers
• Improved session and dwell measurement accuracy across devices and page navigations
• Added chat conversation measurement, powering the new Chat performance reporting
• Added traffic-source attribution so engagement can be broken down by where readers arrived from
• Added session-time measures comparing time on page with and without Allspice engagement
• Added engagement measurement for guided cooking completions and the redesigned inline block, feeding the Performance reporting
• Added automated site-health monitoring that alerts the Allspice team when a site’s measured activity drops unexpectedly

August 10, 2026

New & Improved

Publisher Portal Redesign

Rebuilt the Publisher Portal from the ground up with a new design system, new navigation, and a consistent layout across every section.

The portal now uses a single visual language throughout: product-level pages with their own headers and section tabs, consistent cards and settings rows, and clearer typography and spacing. Nearly every screen has been updated.

Updates include:

• Rebuilt the portal navigation and page structure
• Added product-level page headers with horizontal section tabs
• Rebuilt Domain Settings into General, Connections, and WordPress tabs
• Redesigned the login modal and sign-up flow to match the new theme
• Redesigned the Content section with publisher-managed recipe and product libraries
• Redesigned the Integrate section and widget button configuration
• Redesigned the Support page
• Rebuilt the payments and Stripe connection card
• Improved empty states across the portal so screens explain themselves before data exists
• Improved form controls, switches, dropdowns, and buttons for consistency
• Improved responsive behavior across portal pages

Site Memberships

Added site memberships, letting publishers charge readers directly for an ad-free experience, members-only recipes, recipe cards, articles, pages, meal plans, and other premium benefits.

Readers can join and manage their membership directly on the publisher’s site, while publishers control the membership offering, branding, benefits, content access, and customer relationship.

Updates include:

• Added membership programs with monthly pricing, annual pricing, and optional free trials
• Added support for multiple membership programs under a single publisher account, with programs attached to verified domains
• Added member benefits including ad-free browsing, members-only recipes, members-only recipe cards, members-only articles and pages, and member meal plan access
• Added content gating controls for recipes, recipe cards, articles, and pages
• Added recipe card gating so posts can remain public and searchable while the recipe card is reserved for members
• Added whole-content gating with immediate and preview-based access controls
• Added structured data for gated content so publishers can accurately identify paywalled content to search engines
• Added gating enforcement across applicable content surfaces, feeds, excerpts, and APIs
• Added ad suppression for ad-free members using supported publisher ad-provider controls
• Added a generated membership sales page in the WordPress plugin, created as an editable draft
• Added membership links for signup, login, and account management that can open in place from publisher pages
• Added membership checkout, entitlements, and reader account management
• Added member billing management so readers can update payment methods and cancel their own memberships
• Added membership analytics including revenue, net member growth, plan mix, and signup funnel reporting
• Added a members list with the ability to view membership status and grant access manually
• Added complimentary access so publishers can grant membership benefits without requiring a purchase
• Added membership lifecycle events for joins, trials, failed payments, cancellations, and other membership changes
• Added cache-aware membership handling so authenticated member access remains isolated from shared page caches

Ecosystems

Added Ecosystems, giving publishers their own branded, tenant-specific reader account system across the domains they choose.

Readers can create one publisher-specific account that works across the domains connected to that Ecosystem, signing in under the publisher’s own name and branding rather than through a standard Allspice account.

Updates include:

• Added Ecosystem creation and configuration in the portal
• Added tenant-specific reader accounts that remain separate from standard Allspice accounts and accounts belonging to other Ecosystems
• Added Ecosystem branding with custom name, logo, and wordmark
• Added domain management for connecting and removing domains from an Ecosystem
• Added an Ecosystem users view for managing and reviewing readers who have created accounts
• Added a branded login and account experience for Ecosystem domains
• Added white-label support so Allspice branding can be suppressed where appropriate
• Added shared authentication across domains belonging to the same Ecosystem
• Added Ecosystem awareness throughout the widget, WordPress plugin, and page-level integration

Recipes in the Portal

Publishers can now see and manage their recipes directly in the Publisher Portal.

Updates include:

• Added a recipe library showing every recipe Allspice has indexed for the publisher
• Added the ability to view a recipe’s parsed information as Allspice understands it
• Added the ability to edit recipe information directly in the portal
• Added recipe detail pages with ingredients, instructions, timing, servings, and other parsed information
• Improved recipe cards in the library for faster scanning
• Added greater visibility into recipe parsing so publishers can identify and correct content issues

AI Chat and Recipe Context

The AI assistant now understands the recipe a reader is currently viewing, and recipes can include suggested questions to help readers get started.

Updates include:

• Added recipe context to AI chat so questions can be answered using the recipe on the current page
• Added pregenerated suggested questions for individual recipes
• Added suggested question prompts to the widget and publisher entry points
• Improved responses for substitutions, prep-ahead questions, scaling, cooking techniques, and recipe-specific questions
• Improved chat session handling and message reliability
• Expanded publisher controls over AI-powered experiences

Search

Added a standalone Advanced Search experience and continued expanding publisher control over search behavior.

Updates include:

• Added an Advanced Search page hosted directly on the publisher’s site with the publisher’s own header and footer
• Added per-device control over whether search opens inline or as an overlay
• Added support for linking readers directly to a pre-filled search
• Added a configurable name for AI Search so publishers can match their own site terminology
• Added a configurable heading for non-recipe results
• Improved search result relevance
• Improved article and non-recipe search results
• Improved AI Search request and loading-state handling
• Continued improving search behavior across publisher themes and site-search integrations

Meal Planning

Continued expanding the meal planning system for both publishers and readers.

Updates include:

• Improved the meal plan builder layout and interactions
• Improved publisher meal plan creation and management
• Improved meal plan product creation and management
• Added a meal plan products block for placing publisher products directly inside posts and pages
• Added deep links to individual meal plan products for email campaigns and other promotion
• Improved grocery list generation from meal plans
• Improved the add-recipe flow when building a plan
• Improved meal plan delivery emails
• Improved layouts across meal plan creation, purchase, and reader-access experiences
• Continued expanding support for free and paid publisher-created meal plan products

Email Integrations

Expanded publisher email integrations beyond basic newsletter signups.

Updates include:

• Added membership event mapping so joins, trials, failed payments, cancellations, and other lifecycle events can be sent to their own tags or segments
• Added a membership status field so publishers can distinguish current members from former members
• Added publisher-controlled lifecycle integrations so membership events can be sent to connected email and CRM providers
• Added configurable email collection prompts during signup, after guided cooking, and in AI Search
• Added editable copy and button labels for individual email collection prompts
• Improved tag and segment configuration
• Improved the provider connection flow with clearer setup steps and validation
• Improved error messaging when provider credentials are rejected

Payments and Tax

Expanded the commerce infrastructure used for publisher-created products and memberships.

Updates include:

• Added Stripe Connect infrastructure for publisher-created products and memberships
• Added support for processing publisher commerce through connected publisher payment accounts
• Added automatic sales tax and VAT calculation at checkout where supported and configured
• Added tax calculation and collection support for memberships and paid meal plan products
• Improved the Stripe connection and payout-status experience in the Publisher Portal
• Improved checkout return handling for memberships and publisher products
• Improved transaction and entitlement handling across purchases, refunds, cancellations, and membership lifecycle changes
• Improved refund and cancellation administration
• Expanded the underlying commerce system for future publisher-created digital products

Widget Performance & Placement

Expanded the ways publishers can deploy Allspice while continuing to make the widget lighter and more flexible across different site configurations.

Updates include:

• Added a lightweight floating widget configuration
• Added deferred loading so heavier Allspice functionality can wait until a reader interacts with the widget
• Improved widget initialization and visible-state handling
• Expanded publisher placement options across floating, inline, and other configured entry points
• Improved compatibility with sticky, floating, and video advertising environments
• Improved widget behavior across desktop, mobile, and tablet layouts
• Improved support for publisher-specific placement and ad configurations
• Continued simplifying the initial integration footprint on publisher pages

WordPress Plugin

Expanded the WordPress plugin to support memberships, Ecosystems, Advanced Search, and publisher content-access controls.

Updates include:

• Added first-party membership session handling
• Added server-side membership and content-access handling
• Added synchronization of gated recipe, article, and page access rules from Allspice
• Added support for recipe-card-only gating
• Added support for whole-content immediate and preview gates
• Added a membership call-to-action block with live pricing and configured benefits
• Added membership sales page generation
• Added membership signup, login, and account-management entry points
• Added the Advanced Search page module
• Added ad-state handling for members with an ad-free benefit
• Added Ecosystem account and tenant awareness throughout the plugin
• Added support for publisher-specific membership configuration and styling
• Improved recipe filtering so Allspice appears on applicable, parseable recipe posts
• Improved compatibility with caching and optimization plugins
• Expanded synchronization between WordPress and Publisher Portal settings

Domain Settings

Added more per-domain configuration and visibility in the Publisher Portal.

Updates include:

• Added a keep-screen-awake setting that can apply to guided cooking or all Allspice interactions
• Added a staging-site field for testing integrations before moving changes to a live domain
• Added controls for enabling AI Chat and AI Search independently by domain
• Expanded domain-level configuration for publisher integrations and Allspice behavior
• Improved validation and feedback when saving domain settings

What’s Coming Next

• On-site membership campaigns with their own conversion reporting
• More membership analytics around retention, churn, and lifetime value
• Expanded publisher analytics across products, memberships, and recipe discovery
• More email automation around member lifecycle and recipe promotion
• Additional recipe-specific and tag-specific context for the AI chat
• Continued expansion of meal planning and publisher product tools

July 13, 2026

New & Improved

Meal Planning

Added a major new meal planning system for publishers and readers.

Publishers can now create meal plans, package them into products, and make them available directly through Allspice on their sites. Meal plans can be offered for free, sold as a one-time purchase, or sold as a recurring subscription.

Updates include:

• Added publisher-created meal plans in the portal
• Added ability to create and manage meal plan products
• Added support for free, one-time purchase, and subscription-based products
• Added checkout support for paid meal plan products
• Built product infrastructure that can support additional digital offerings in the future
• Added entitlement logic so readers receive access to the products they purchase
• Added product fulfillment flows after checkout
• Added meal plan delivery by email
• Created meal plan email template
• Added support for users accessing meal plans directly through Allspice on publisher sites
• Added support for attaching meal plans to products
• Added publisher payout infrastructure for paid products
• Added webhook handling for product purchases and entitlement creation
• Added meal plan generation assistance to help publishers build plans faster
• Added user-created meal plans, allowing readers to build their own plans from recipes on the site and recipes they have saved from other sources
• Added meal plan data to the user knowledge graph
• Added ability for users to generate grocery lists from meal plans

Publisher Email Service

Added the ability for publishers to connect their own domain to Allspice’s email service, allowing Allspice-powered emails to be sent from the publisher’s domain.

This will support future recipe promotion, meal plan delivery, product promotion, and other reader-facing email flows.

Updates include:

• Added sender-domain setup for publisher email
• Added DNS-based domain verification support
• Added infrastructure for sending transactional product and meal plan emails
• Added support for branded emails coming from publisher domains
• Added backend support for verifying and storing email-domain configuration
• Added foundation for future promotional email flows around recipes, meal plans, and publisher products

Publisher Portal

Expanded the publisher portal with new recipe, meal plan, product, support, and configuration tools.

Updates include:

• Added a new Recipes page in the portal
• Added a recipe list view for publishers
• Added meal plan management tools
• Added product management tools
• Added product access and entitlement controls
• Updated documentation
• Added additional publisher configuration options
• Added additional hidden publisher settings for more granular site-level behavior

Search & Discovery

Continued improving recipe search, AI Search, article search, and recommendation behavior.

Updates include:

• Updated AI Search algorithms
• Updated article search algorithms
• Improved regular recipe search behavior
• Added additional recipe categories
• Added additional groups to standard search results
• Improved advanced search ranking and matching logic
• Added support for disabling AI Search for publishers that want a simpler experience
• Improved search result organization and recipe discovery flows
• Added additional ingredient data to improve matching and recommendations

Guided Cooking

Continued improving guided cooking across mobile and desktop, especially voice controls, mobile layout, scroll behavior, and ad compatibility.

Updates include:

• Improved mobile guided cooking voice command behavior
• Added additional guided cooking voice commands
• Updated guided cooking layout for better advertising compatibility
• Fixed issues with scroll lock on Mediavine sites

No-AI Widget Mode

Added support for publishers who want Allspice functionality without AI chat or AI-powered search.

Updates include:

• Added ability to remove AI Chat
• Added ability to remove Advanced Search / AI Search
• Updated widget layouts for no-AI configurations

Performance & Reliability

Improved widget load speed and backend reliability.

Updates include:

• Added additional servers for faster widget loading
• Added ping-based server selection logic
• Improved widget startup performance
• Updated stats server infrastructure
• Improved widget lifecycle handling when opening, closing, and navigating between pages

Grocery Lists & Ingredients

Continued improving grocery list and ingredient behavior across the widget and meal planning.

Updates include:

• Added grocery list generation from user meal plans
• Added ability to sort grocery lists by aisle, alphabetically, or by recipe
• Added recipe origins to each ingredient
• Updated ingredient combination logic
• Added ingredient notes display in list and shop-in-store experience
• Improved shop-in-store experience UI
• Updated print grocery list - fixed column layout, updated UI, and fixed clipping
• Added additional ingredient data

Staging Sites & Publisher Testing

Improved support for staging sites and publisher test environments.

Updates include:

• Improved support for staging-site recipe handling
• Improved support for publisher testing before launch
• Improved staging and production environment handling

What's Coming Next

• Continued expansion of meal planning and publisher product tools
• Additional portal controls for products, meal plans, email, and reader access
• More branded email capabilities for recipe promotion, meal plan delivery, and product marketing
• Further improvements to user-created meal plans and grocery list generation
• More publisher analytics around product sales, meal plan usage, recipe discovery, and reader engagement
• Ability to provide additional recipe-specific or tag-specific context for the AI chat

June 28, 2026

New & Improved

Step-by-Step Cooking

Continued improving the guided cooking experience across desktop and mobile, with a major focus on layout, timers, hands-free controls, and monetization readiness.

Updates include:

• Updated timer UI with the ability to name, rename, and reset timers
• Added automatic timer name extraction from recipe step text
• Added support for starting timers directly from guided cooking steps
• Added support for voice-created timers, including commands like “start a 1 minute timer” or “start a 30 second timer”
• Added timers to the mobile footer below instructions
• Improved Voice Mode reliability so hands-free controls continue working during longer cooking sessions
• Added expanded Voice Mode commands for moving between steps, jumping to specific steps, changing display modes, minimizing or expanding the recipe image, and controlling timers
• Added a visual Voice Mode listening indicator so readers can see when voice controls are active
• Added device stay-awake support for guided cooking and full widget sessions, depending on publisher settings
• Removed the mobile header section and adjusted layout to free additional height
• Added display of instruction step sections
• Added a new section progress display for recipes with grouped instruction steps
• Improved guided cooking recipe image minimize and expand behavior
• Moved desktop chat to an expandable button
• Created advertisement placeholder column and banner advertisement slot
• Improved recipe image quality in guided cooking

Search & Save

• Added #allspice-search links to support search entry points from saving, email collection, and account creation flows
• Updated saved recipes CTA
• Added recipe saving prompt after step-by-step cooking
• Continued refining save prompts for temporary saved recipes and account creation

Email Collection

• Updated email collection flows after account creation and login
• Added email collection block on the search tab
• Added email collection prompts after step-by-step cooking and in advanced search
• Improved publisher customization options for email collection language and placement

Publisher Customization

• Added ability to remove advanced search
• Added ability to show or hide search filters
• Added ability to customize email collection prompts
• Added ability to change cooking verb and advanced search name
• Added stay-awake policy controls for widget-wide or guided-cooking-only behavior
• Added additional guided cooking and advertising configuration preparation

Platform & Infrastructure

• Updated interest-based advertising opt-in and opt-out flows
• Added support for recipe and ingredient prices
• Updated email collection servers
• Switched to a new image caching system and optimized recipe and ingredient image sizes
• Added preparation for serving additional advertisements
• Added new tutorial prompts and decreased intrusiveness of tutorial tooltips
• Added official support for staging sites
• Continued improving widget close/open lifecycle handling and embedded site behavior

What's Coming Next

• Continued guided cooking, Voice Mode, timer, and in-widget advertising improvements
• More publisher controls for search, email collection, reader prompts, and widget behavior
• Continued search, save, and onboarding flow refinements
• Further widget performance, image delivery, and staging workflow improvements
• Continued improvements to hands-free cooking controls and mobile guided cooking usability

June 22, 2026

New & Improved

AI Search

Continued improving AI Search quality, result presentation, and interaction design across mobile and tablet.

Updates include:

• Made suggested search pills searchable
• Improved quick matches algorithm, animations, and mobile UI
• Updated ratings UI on large result cells and added time and servings on small result cells
• Added display of filters applied to the query and criteria matches for specific results
• Updated AI search algorithm to better handle simple searches
• Increased large result cells and outgoing searches per user query
• Increased frequency of pill regeneration
• Added recipe-saving tooltip and additional search animations
• Improved AI chat and AI search agent typing bubbles

Regular Search

Expanded regular search capabilities and improved discovery UI across the widget.

Updates include:

• Increased frequency of statistics syncing
• Added category and tag search
• Updated search algorithm and suggested AI search pill UI with animations
• Added basic time and nutrition filters
• Updated save button appearance, animations, and views UI
• Added left and right arrows for search row pagination with animations
• Added right-click menu support on recipe cards
• Added ability to customize “Try AI Search” text
• Improved auto-pagination for recipe results
• Added additional large result cells

Recipe Detail

• Added ability to type serving values directly, in addition to plus and minus controls
• Updated “Add Personal Note” appearance
• Increased frequency of recipe ratings syncing

Guided Cooking

• Reduced timer size to make room for inline ads
• Updated per-step ingredients configuration, appearance, and bottom back/next footer styling
• Added ability to minimize chat during guided cooking
• Close button in guided cooking now closes the widget instead of returning to search

Groceries

• Disabled print and clear list options for empty grocery lists
• Checkable grocery list now appears full-screen on mobile devices

Chat

• Added plus button and loading indicator to the chat input bar
• Improved chat typing bubble

Layout & Resizing

• Updated header and tabs UI for mobile devices and small tablets in portrait orientation
• Improved guided cooking layout for tablets

Authentication & Onboarding

• Switched to a new authentication system with better OAuth provider and browser privacy compatibility
• Added account creation, save recipe, and basic tutorial tooltips for anonymous and new users

Fixes

• Fixed AI Search input bar layout on different tablet sizes
• Fixed grid-type result cell sizing on mobile devices
• Fixed search and input bar UI inconsistencies throughout the widget
• Fixed scrolling issues for result rows on different devices
• Fixed theme interactions with recipe tags, groceries dropdown, and chat input bar
• Fixed grocery delivery redirects blocked by certain browsers
• Fixed Mediavine sites where scrolling in the widget could periodically scroll the host post

What's Coming Next

• Continued AI Search and regular search improvements
• More nutrition, category, and tag-based filtering and result grouping
• Continued meal planning and premium product development
• Further widget, mobile, tablet, and authentication refinements

June 15, 2026

New & Improved

Authentication & Accounts

Released major improvements to authentication across publisher sites, including better support for anonymous readers and cross-site Allspice accounts.

Updates include:

• New anonymous user authentication handling
• More reliable anonymous reader sessions
• Improved login and account creation flows
• Improved hosted Google login and return handling
• Fixed OAuth popup edge cases
• Improved reliability when readers save recipes, grocery lists, pantry items, or preferences before creating an account

Search & Discovery

Improved regular recipe search to better handle common edge cases and return more accurate results across different publisher sites.

Updates include:

• Better general search accuracy
• Improved handling for inconsistent recipe metadata
• Improved site search replacement behavior
• Improved nutrition, category, tag, and recipe metadata indexing
• Better groundwork for nutrition filters and category/tag-based result groups

AI Search & Chat

Continued improving AI-powered search and chat context.

Updates include:

• Faster AI Search responses
• Improved AI Search ranking and reliability
• Added support for recipe ratings in AI Search
• Improved page and site context for AI chat
• Added automatic site summary gathering for better publisher-specific context

Widget & Publisher Tools

Made continued improvements across the widget and publisher systems.

Updates include:

• Improved widget reliability across publisher sites
• Continued mobile and layout refinements
• Improved search entry point behavior
• Increased page statistics syncing frequency for more accurate recipe recommendations
• Continued meal planning development for users and publishers

Fixes

• Fixed OAuth popup handling edge cases
• Improved authentication return handling
• Improved anonymous session reliability
• Improved regular search edge-case handling
• Improved site search replacement support
• Improved nutrition, category, and tag indexing reliability
• Improved AI chat page context handling
• Continued general widget, search, portal, crawler, authentication, and indexing stability improvements

What's Coming Next

• User-facing and publisher-created meal plans
• Premium meal plan products
• Publisher payout and revenue-sharing infrastructure
• Nutrition-based filtering
• Category and tag result groups
• Continued improvements to search, AI chat context, mobile usability, authentication, and portal workflows

June 10, 2026

New & Improved

Hubbub Integration

Completed support for Hubbub integration, improving compatibility for publishers using Hubbub-related site functionality.

AI Search

Improved AI Search speed, quality, and configurability.

Updates include:

• Faster AI Search response times
• Added support for recipe ratings in AI Search
• Added configurable search settings for publishers
• Improved ranking signals using recipe metadata and ratings

Site Search Replacement

Expanded support for replacing existing site search bars with Allspice search.

Updates include:

• Improved search entry point behavior
• Better support for publisher-configured search settings
• Continued compatibility improvements across different themes and site setups

Widget Improvements

Made general improvements across the Allspice widget experience.

Updates include:

• Improved widget reliability across publisher sites
• Continued mobile and layout refinements
• Improved behavior around custom buttons and search entry points
• Continued compatibility improvements for different site themes and configurations

Page Statistics

Increased the frequency of page statistics syncing to improve recipe recommendations across publisher sites. Allspice now captures signals like time on page and views on specific recipe pages so recipes can be marked as trending and surfaced more accurately to readers.

Meal Planning Progress

Continued work on meal planning tools for users and publishers, including early development toward publisher-created meal plans, premium meal plan products, and AI-assisted meal plan generation.

Fixes

• Improved AI Search speed and reliability
• Improved search configuration behavior
• Improved site search replacement support
• Improved widget behavior around search entry points
• Improved page statistics syncing for recipe recommendations and trending signals
• Continued general widget, search, portal, and crawler stability improvements

What's Coming Next

• Authentication and account reliability improvements
• Anonymous reader session improvements
• More accurate regular search
• Improved nutrition, category, tag, and recipe metadata indexing
• Better filtering and content grouping
• Continued meal planning development
• Premium products and revenue-sharing infrastructure

May 24, 2026

New & Improved

AI Search Improvements

Continued improvements to Allspice AI Search, focused on speed, reliability, ranking quality, and better integration with publisher sites.

Updates include:

• Improved AI Search speed and reduced load times
• Fixed timeout issues that could affect some search requests
• Improved ranking algorithms for more relevant recipe results
• Added support for video indexing, allowing video-based recipe content to be included in search experiences
• Added the ability for publishers to toggle article content on or off in search
• Added new search result cell types for richer and more flexible result displays

Search Entry Points & Site Search Replacement

Added new ways for publishers to connect Allspice Search to existing site experiences.

This includes support for replacing or connecting existing site search bars using several different methods, giving publishers more flexibility in how users open AI Search from navigation menus, header search fields, search icons, and other on-site entry points.

Recipe Parsing & Ingredient Display

Improved recipe parsing and ingredient handling across the widget.

A major focus of this update was preserving ingredient display quality for users while still maintaining Allspice's underlying ingredient intelligence. Ingredients are now shown as close to the site's original display string as possible in the widget, while still being matched behind the scenes to Allspice ingredients.

This helps preserve each publisher's recipe formatting and voice while continuing to support grocery lists, pantry features, substitutions, meal planning, units, and recipe-aware chat.

Chat & Site Context

Added support for extracting and summarizing site About page content for use as chatbot context.

When available, Allspice can now use publisher-approved or automatically generated site information to better answer questions about the creator, site, or brand. This helps the assistant respond more naturally when users ask who created the site, what the site focuses on, or what kind of recipes they can expect.

Publisher Portal Updates

Added new publisher portal settings and continued building the foundation for upcoming monetization tools.

Updates include:

• Added payments-related infrastructure in the publisher portal
• Added additional settings for configuring site search and Allspice behavior
• Continued preparation for publisher-created premium products and meal plans

Meal Planning Foundations

Added the basic meal planning structure to the frontend codebase in preparation for upcoming meal planning features.

This work lays the groundwork for user-facing meal planning tools, publisher-created meal plans, and future premium meal plan products.

Crawler, Syncing & Indexing Reliability

Made several crawler and syncing improvements to improve reliability across recipe, article, and video indexing.

Updates include:

• Improved crawler reliability for full-site syncs and content updates
• Improved article indexing workflows
• Added and improved video indexing support
• Improved handling of crawler edge cases across different publisher site structures
• Continued improvements to recipe and content sync stability

Fixes

• Fixed AI Search timeout issues
• Improved search result ranking and relevance
• Fixed additional crawler and indexing edge cases
• Improved reliability for article and video indexing
• Improved ingredient display behavior in the widget
• Continued general widget, search, and publisher portal stability improvements

What's Coming Next

Authentication Improvements

Working on a new authentication system designed to reduce widget load time and prevent occasional hanging loads.

This update is also intended to improve reliability around login, account creation, anonymous users, and OAuth flows.

OAuth Popup Handling

Improving OAuth provider flows for cases where users have blocked popups or where browser settings interfere with normal login behavior.

Meal Planning

Continuing work on meal planning tools for users and publishers.

Upcoming work includes publisher-created meal plans, premium meal plan products, and systems to help generate meal plans from existing site content.

AI Search & Discovery

Continuing to improve AI Search speed, ranking quality, result presentation, and support for different content types.

General Improvements

Ongoing work across widget performance, mobile usability, publisher settings, crawler reliability, and portal workflows.

May 15, 2026

New & Improved

AI Search Beta

Launched the first beta version of Allspice AI Search.

AI Search is a recipe-aware search experience designed to help users find recipes through natural language queries, including ingredients, dietary needs, meal types, and cooking preferences.

This release includes:

• Natural language recipe search
• Improved recipe ranking and relevance
• Support for routing searches toward content areas where each site performs well
• Improved handling of both recipe and article content in search results

Search & Recommendation Systems

Added new systems to better understand publisher content and improve discovery.

Updates include:

• Recipe bucketing by topic, category, and intent
• Smarter handling of broad or ambiguous searches
• Improved pre-generated search prompts
• Better support for article categorization and non-recipe content

Mobile UX/UI Updates

Updated the mobile widget experience to improve usability across search, chat, and cooking flows.

Improvements include cleaner layouts, better spacing, and more consistent presentation across publisher sites.

Chat Updates

Overhauled the Allspice chat UI and updated the agentic Pico chat system.

These changes improve the structure of chat responses, recipe-aware answers, and the overall experience when users ask questions or move between search, chat, and cooking tools.

Recipe & Article Syncing

Improved recipe and article syncing systems to support AI Search and ongoing content updates.

Updates include improved sync reliability, better article categorization, and more consistent handling of site updates.

Publisher Statistics

Added weekly syncing of publisher statistics to the frontend for more consistent display of engagement and performance data.

Platform & Performance

Continued performance improvements across the widget.

Updates include reduced package sizes, smaller network calls in key areas, and continued work to make the widget codebase more modular.

Fixes

• Improved stability across AI Search, chat, and recipe discovery flows
• Fixed additional edge cases in article categorization
• Continued mobile layout and widget rendering improvements

What's Coming Next

AI Search Performance

Ongoing work to reduce AI Search load time and latency, and improve response quality.

A/B Testing

Building an internal A/B testing system to measure widget impact.

Grocery List Origins

Adding per-item recipe origins so users can see which recipe each grocery list item came from.

Meal Planning

Building meal planning tools for users and publishers, including publisher-created meal plans, optional paywalled plans, and systems to help generate meal plans from existing site content.

May 5, 2026

New & Improved

AI Search Foundations

Continued development toward Allspice AI Search with new systems designed to improve discovery, relevance, and on-site engagement.

• Introduced internal search mode architecture to support upcoming AI-powered search experiences
• Built systems to identify site strengths and content patterns, enabling smarter recipe recommendations
• Added support for pre-generated search prompts to guide users toward high-value queries
• Expanded groundwork for supporting non-recipe content in future AI search experiences

These updates lay the foundation for a faster, more intuitive way for users to find and decide what to cook.

Recipe Data & Enrichment

Expanded recipe data to improve both current experiences and future discovery features.

• Added additional dietary and ingredient-level metadata (e.g., dietary preferences, restrictions)
• Improved structure for richer results across chat and upcoming search features
• Introduced systems to track and maintain recipe engagement signals for ranking and display

Publisher Tools

• Added live previews in the Publisher Portal for faster iteration and easier setup
• Improved visibility into how Allspice elements will appear on-site before publishing

Platform & Infrastructure

• Updated recipe syncing systems to better support scale and ongoing data consistency
• Improved reliability of recipe ingestion and update workflows
• Fixed edge cases that could result in duplicate recipe creation

Fixes

• Fixed issues with the Allspice Rail (WIDCON-d29x) related to positioning and interaction
• General stability improvements across widget rendering and integrations

What's Coming Next

AI Search (Beta)

Launching the first version of Allspice AI Search.

A recipe-aware search experience designed to replace traditional site search, focused on:

• Natural language queries (ingredients, dietary needs, meal types)
• Faster, more relevant results
• Keeping users engaged directly on-site

Widget UI Updates

• Updated mobile widget experience for better usability and layout handling
• Improvements to chat interface for clearer interactions and structured responses

Performance Improvements

• Ongoing work to restructure widget code into modular packages
• Designed to improve load times and support faster AI-powered experiences

April 23, 2026

New & Improved

Affiliate Links

• Added support for affiliate link integrations within Allspice experiences.
• Enables publishers to connect outbound product and shopping links to monetization workflows.

Allspice Rail (New Entry Point)

• Introduced the Allspice Rail, a dynamic floating button designed to improve feature visibility.
• Adapts based on user context and scroll position (e.g., “Jump to Recipe”, “Build Grocery List”, “Cook Step-by-Step”).
• Provides a single, persistent entry point without adding clutter to the recipe card.

Authentication & Email Flow

• Improved chat subscription and login flow for a smoother onboarding experience.
• Reduced friction when users create accounts or return across different sites.

UI & Layout

• Minor styling and layout adjustments across multiple components.
• Improved consistency and alignment with publisher site designs.
• Added in-widget recipe overview.
• Added indexing for non-recipe post types in preparation for AI search.

What's Coming Next

AI Search

• Introducing Allspice AI Search, a recipe-aware search experience designed to replace traditional site search.
• Focused on faster, more relevant results using natural language queries (e.g., ingredients, dietary needs, meal types).
• Built to keep users engaged on-site while improving recipe discovery.

Email Collection Blocks

• New in-page email capture blocks designed to integrate directly into recipe content.
• Provides more natural, high-conversion opportunities for newsletter growth.

April 17, 2026

New & Improved

Ad Compatibility

• Improved handling for common ad providers, including better support for sticky, floating, and video ads.
• Enhanced management of z-index conflicts to reduce UI overlap and blocking issues.
• Improved balance between ad visibility and Allspice usability.

Chat Improvements

• Continued updates to chat behavior and reliability across a range of interactions.
• Improved handling of edge cases and structured responses.

Performance

• Improved overall widget load times across supported environments.
• Reduced initialization delays on content-heavy pages.

Platform Compatibility

• Improved compatibility with caching layers and optimization plugins.
• Enhanced reliability across a wider range of WordPress configurations.

Mobile Optimization

• Improved mobile experience across Guided Cooking, recipe pages, and ad interactions.
• Better handling of constrained layouts and overlay behavior.

Documentation

• Updated integration and setup documentation for publishers.

Fixes

• Resolved multiple bugs across widget rendering, chat interactions, and page integrations.
• Fixed edge cases related to ad conflicts and layout inconsistencies.

What's Coming Next

• New button types and improved entry point strategies
• Support for affiliate links

April 9, 2026

New & Improved

Guided Cooking

• Major improvements to Guided Cooking accuracy and structure.
• Increased ingredient-to-step mapping precision for more reliable step-by-step cooking.
• Improved ingredient highlighting within instructions.
• Moved timers directly into relevant steps and instruction sections for better usability.
• Enhanced overall flow to better match how users naturally cook recipes.

Cook Mode + Chat Integration

• Introduced Cook Mode within chat, tightly integrated with Guided Cooking.
• Users can now:
  • Start timers directly from chat
  • Ask questions about the current step
  • Navigate between steps (e.g. “go to step 3”)
  • Get contextual help based on where they are in the recipe
• Significantly improved contextual awareness between chat and active recipes.

Chat Improvements

• Added new chat UI cells for rendering recipes and structured content.
• Improved recipe search within chat for faster and more relevant results.
• Reduced edge-case failures and improved response consistency.

Buttons & UI

• Added new premade button types for expanded placement options.
• Improved overall UI clarity and consistency across widget surfaces.
• Fixed issues where Allspice buttons were not reliably loading on certain pages.

Publisher Controls

• Added new customization settings in the Publisher Portal.
• Expanded flexibility for controlling widget behavior and appearance.

Performance & Compatibility

• Improved stability across large publisher sites with complex layouts and heavy ad loads.
• Reduced widget load times across a variety of WordPress environments.
• Continued improvements to minimize layout shifts and script conflicts.

Fixes

• Fixed multiple edge cases in chat interactions and tool execution.
• Resolved button rendering inconsistencies across themes and page structures.
• General stability and reliability improvements across the widget runtime.

What's Coming Next

• Recipe adjustments directly within chat (servings, scaling, substitutions)
• Expanded support for in-widget advertisements and monetization controls
• Continued mobile optimizations and interaction improvements
• Improvements to Publisher Portal experience.
• Add additional button options.
• Hubbub integration

March 26, 2026

New & Improved

Chat Architecture

• Migrated chat system to a multi-node architecture to support higher concurrency and more complex interactions.
• Improved handling of multiple simultaneous user queries within a single session.
• Laid the foundation for more advanced agentic workflows and tool execution.

Guided Cooking

• Introduced voice command support to move between steps, manage timers, and more.
• Added interactive features to “full” mode like crossing out ingredients and steps.
• Added support for per-step images.
• Improvements to recipe parsing to more accurately parse ingredients that appear in multiple steps.

Personalization

• Improved storage and recall of user preferences (e.g., dietary restrictions, habits).
• Chat can now use historical context more effectively across sessions.

Agent Capabilities

• Expanded agentic capabilities for performing multi-step actions and responding more intelligently to user intent.
• Improved reliability of tool execution within chat workflows.

Platform & Infrastructure

• Improved backend orchestration for chat processing and scaling.
• Enhanced reliability of real-time interactions between chat, recipes, and user data.
• Continued work toward fully distributed, production-ready architecture.

What's Coming Next

• Deeper integration between chat and Guided Cooking
• Improved UI for chat-based interactions
• Expanded support for structured outputs (recipes, lists, actions)

March 14, 2026

New & Improved

Button Customization

• Added advanced customization options across all button types.
• Publishers can now:
  • Enable/disable specific features within each placement
  • More easily adjust layout and positioning
  • Better match site-specific styling requirements
• Improved flexibility for integrating Allspice into a wide range of themes.

Button System Expansion

• Added new button types for additional use cases and placements.
• Improved consistency across premade and custom button behaviors.

Automatic Placement

• Improved automatic placement logic for more reliable positioning within recipe pages.
• Reduced conflicts with existing page elements and layouts.

Chat Improvements

• Improved chat search functionality for faster and more accurate results.
• Reduced response times across common queries.
• Updated chat UI to support tool calls and structured outputs.

Performance & Compatibility

• Improved compatibility with diverse WordPress themes and layouts.
• Reduced styling conflicts between Allspice components and site CSS.
• Continued improvements to minimize impact on Core Web Vitals.

What's Coming Next

• Expanded button styling and layout controls
• Deeper integration between chat and on-page actions
• Continued improvements to ad compatibility and placement handling

March 2, 2026

New & Improved

Production Infrastructure

• Migrated core systems to production infrastructure.
• Improved reliability, scalability, and overall system stability.

Ad Compatibility

• Introduced foundational support for Mediavine ad placements.
• Improved ad avoidance logic to better handle sticky, floating, and video ads.
• Reduced conflicts between Allspice UI and common ad formats.

Guided Cooking (Foundation)

• Introduced the initial foundation for Guided Cooking.
• Established step-based flows and early interaction patterns for future expansion.

Recipe Detection & Parsing

• Improved recipe detection accuracy across a wider range of sites.
• Reduced false positives and improved filtering of non-recipe pages.

Mobile Optimization

• Improved mobile layout handling and interaction behavior.
• Better support for constrained screen sizes and touch interactions.

Performance & Compatibility

• Reduced widget file sizes for faster load times.
• Improved script loading behavior and overall performance.
• Fixed theme interaction issues across multiple WordPress configurations.

Fixes

• Resolved layout conflicts with certain themes and plugin combinations.
• Improved stability across different page structures and content types.

What's Coming Next

• Expanded button customization and placement controls
• Continued improvements to chat and guided cooking systems
• Additional ad compatibility enhancements

February 16, 2026

New & Improved

Email Integrations

• Publishers can now connect Mailchimp, MailerLite, and Kit to automatically add consenting users to their newsletter.
• Multiple providers can be enabled simultaneously for a single domain.
• Secure credential storage and server-to-server subscription handling.
• Destination selection (audience, group, or tag) configurable per provider.

Pico Chat v2

• Major improvements to responsiveness and conversational flow.
• Better context awareness across recipes and pantry data.
• More reliable answers and reduced hallucinations.

Shopping & Lists

• Added checkable grocery lists during shopping sessions.
• Improved syncing between grocery list and pantry updates.
• Better handling of multi-recipe ingredient aggregation.

Recipe & Parsing Improvements

• Improved recipe detection accuracy across supported sites.
• Better quantity parsing and normalization.
• More consistent ingredient handling across formats.

Overview & UI

• Added Allspice Overview Block on supported recipe pages.
• Improved action bar placement logic.
• Updated floating button positioning to reduce layout conflicts.
• Numerous UI fixes and small interaction improvements.

Performance & Compatibility

• Improved widget performance and load timing.
• Enhanced WordPress caching compatibility.
• Improved interactions with themes and optimization plugins.
• Further reductions in Core Web Vitals impact.
• Improved ad avoidance behavior around sticky and video ads.
• Reduced layout shifts and unexpected element overlap.

Platform & Infrastructure

• Backend improvements for email collection and subscription tracking.
• More reliable analytics aggregation.
• Stability improvements across the Allspice widget runtime.
• Expanded compatibility across different publisher configurations.
• Ongoing migration toward full production infrastructure.

Fixes

• Various widget UI bugs resolved.
• Improved floating button collision handling.
• More reliable action triggers from page elements.
• Multiple parsing edge-case fixes.

What's Coming Next

• Guided Cooking Mode
• New chat interface with smart suggestions
• Recipe folders and organization
• Additional monetization controls
• Expanded ad placement compatibility
• More personalization features

January 26, 2026

New & Improved

• Publishers can now more easily choose which Allspice buttons appear on recipe pages.
• Improved support for custom button triggers using provided CSS classes, allowing any site element to launch Allspice actions.
• Added widget color theme selection.
• Further optimizations to reduce potential interactions with Core Web Vitals.
• Foundation work for publisher-level toggles around Cook Mode behavior and monetization.

Partner Analytics

• More consistent aggregation of recipe-level usage data in the Partner Dashboard.
• Backend improvements to support upcoming revenue analytics and deeper audience insights.

Platform & Infrastructure

• Improved compatibility with common WordPress setups, including caching, themes, and optimization plugins.
• Improved internal validation around recipe detection to reduce false positives.

What's Coming Next

• Improve support for common ad placements
• Add ability for users to remove recipes from grocery lists
• Add shopping sessions with checkable lists
• Pico chat version 2.0
• Conversion to production environments

January 20, 2026

New & Improved

• Initial rollout of the Partner Dashboard for managing integrations and viewing high-level analytics.
• Early visibility into recipe usage and ingredient-level data.
• Better handling of JSON-LD recipe data, added backup systems.
• Improved filtering to ensure Allspice appears only on valid recipe posts (e.g., parseable recipes with at least one ingredient and sufficient recipe structure).
• Smoother transitions when launching the Allspice widget from recipe pages.
• More reliable anonymous usage flow before prompting users to create an account.

Smart Features

• Backend improvements to ingredient normalization and list consolidation for smarter grocery lists.
• Continued tuning of proprietary ingredient data to reduce duplicates across recipes.
• Improved response handling and action reliability when users ask questions or perform recipe-related tasks.

Platform & Infrastructure

• Ensured Allspice scripts load only on recipe pages and after primary page content.
• Reduced risk of conflicts with ad providers and third-party scripts.
• Internal monitoring improvements in support of uptime targets.

Looking Ahead

• White-label widget controls for premium partners
• Plugin optimizations
• Theme hardening