MetaScope v1.3.0

MetaScope 1.3.0 (Build 35)

MetaScope → Release Notes → v1.3.0
✨ v1.3.0 minor

MetaScope 1.3.0 (Build 35)

Batch Keyword Editor for multi-file keywording, synonym-aware search and normalization, smarter keyword rules with vocabulary matching, and unified chip-based keyword editing across all surfaces.

MetaScope 1.3.0 (Build 35)

March 2026 - Build 35

MetaScope v1.3.0 transforms keywording from a file-by-file chore into a streamlined batch workflow. Whether you’re tagging a single photo or processing an entire shoot, every keywording surface in MetaScope now works together with vocabulary support, synonym awareness, and consistent chip-based editing.

Batch Keyword Editor

The headline feature of v1.3.0. A dedicated editor window for managing keywords across any number of files in a single operation.

Multi-File Keyword Editing

Edit keywords across multiple files simultaneously. Full vocabulary autocomplete with synonym enrichment and normalization badges show the status of every keyword at a glance. See which keywords are present in all, some, or none of your selected files.

Flexible File Selection

Add more files or entire folders to your session without losing staged changes. Works for single files too, so there is one editor for every selection size. Access it from the toolbar tag button, Cmd+Shift+K, the right-click context menu, or the Tools menu.

Synonym-Aware Search and Normalization

Vocabulary-powered intelligence across the entire keywording workflow.

Search Expansion

Metadata search now expands keyword queries through vocabulary synonyms. Searching “automobile” finds files tagged “Car” if they are synonyms in your vocabulary. Works across browser search, smart collections, and all export query paths.

Keyword Normalization

Normalization badges appear on keyword chips when a file uses a non-canonical synonym. Normalize individually with one click or batch-normalize using the confirmation sheet. Per-vocabulary normalization toggle in Settings > Keywords.

Smarter Keyword Rules

Vocabulary-aware automation that understands synonyms.

Synonym Matching

Rules can now match through vocabulary synonyms. A rule on “Car” also catches “automobile” and “auto.” The synonym preview in the rule editor shows exactly which variants will match. Per-rule toggle: off by default for existing rules, on for new ones.

Unified Keyword Editing

Consistent chip-based editing across every surface in the app.

Chip Tags Everywhere

Keywords display as interactive chip tags across every editing surface: Favorites tab, Editor tab, and full EXIF editor. Autocomplete, vocabulary browsing, and synonym enrichment are available everywhere. Finder Tags Push/Pull buttons appear on all keyword surfaces.

Improved Favorites Tab

Favorites tab now uses explicit Save/Cancel instead of per-keystroke writes. Lock button keeps edit mode permanently enabled, with preference persisted across sessions.

60+ Bug Fixes

Keyword Editor

  • IPTC Keywords and XMP:Subject now extracted correctly. Files that stored keywords under IPTC or alternate field aliases previously showed “No keywords found” in the editor.
  • Info panel refreshes after batch keyword apply. The deferred-deep fast stage previously missed keyword data after an apply.
  • Editor updates when re-invoked on a new selection. Previously the editor window stayed on the prior selection instead of reloading.
  • Keyword distribution aggregate re-reads from disk after apply. The all/some/none counts now reflect the actual state of your files.
  • Uncommitted text saved on editor dismiss. Text left in keyword fields is now automatically committed when the editor closes, preventing silent data loss.
  • 64-character keyword limit removed. The legacy IPTC-IIM per-keyword length limit no longer applies.

Keyword Rules

  • List operations now compose. When multiple rules target the same list field (Keywords, etc.), append/remove/replace operations are chained in order. Previously only the last matching rule took effect.
  • Field ID “country” corrected to “countryName.” Example rules and vocabulary suggestions referenced a field that does not exist in the registry. Affected rules now correctly write CountryName metadata.
  • Manual applies now recorded in the activity log. Previously only auto-apply operations were tracked.
  • Duplicate keywords on replace eliminated. A replace operation can no longer produce duplicate entries in the target list field.
  • Rule priority clamped on import. Values are clamped to 1-1000 when decoding from file, preventing out-of-range values from corrupting rule ordering.
  • Malformed hierarchy keywords parsed safely. Hierarchical keywords with leading, trailing, or consecutive pipe characters now parse correctly.
  • Synonym matching respects match kind. Synonym traversal is correctly scoped to the matching mode the rule is configured for.
  • Auto-apply double notification removed. Reduces unnecessary info panel refreshes.
  • Additional correctness fixes. Duplicate rule priority collision resolved, isOverwrite false positive for list modes fixed, multi-match picks the most specific keyword deterministically.

Transformation Rules Engine

Three rounds of audit covering engine, UI, and data layers resulted in 39 fixes and 26 new regression tests:

  • Critical: Picker defaults for multi-value fields, intra-rule action chaining, list filter index corruption, ForEach identity crashes.
  • High: Finder sync routing through FinderMetadataService, multi-value field picker inclusion, regex case-insensitive matching, batch selection state corruption, setFromExpression chaining.
  • Medium: Inter-rule append/prepend composition, keyword array multi-word corruption, orphaned profile detection, writability guards, copyField no-op guards.
  • Finder-only changes skip ExifTool write. When a transformation rule only modifies Finder tags or Finder comment, the applicator no longer performs an unnecessary ExifTool write roundtrip.

Other Fixes

  • Info panel refresh after rule apply. The rule applicator now uses batch write mode and posts the appropriate metadata-update notification.
  • Stale metadata cache after write. Reloading file metadata now properly invalidates the ExifTool formatted entry cache.
  • Synonym index rebuilt after vocabulary edit. Newly added synonyms are immediately available for rule matching.
  • Vocabulary synonym field stabilization. Synonym and category picker fields no longer produce view-update conflicts when editing.
  • Delete key conflict resolved. Pressing Delete while editing a Favorites field no longer trashes the selected file.
  • Batch cache clear removed. Applying rules no longer triggers a hard refresh of all thumbnails in the folder. Per-URL cache invalidation is sufficient.

Help Documentation

  • New articles: Keywords 101 overview and Batch Keyword Editing guide covering the full keywording workflow and the batch editor.
  • Updated articles: Six existing keyword and vocabulary help articles updated with corrected Settings paths (now Tools > Keyword Rules), Cmd+Shift+K shortcut documentation, synonym matching, write modes, normalization, and expanded CSV export.

Requirements

  • macOS 15.6 Sequoia or later
  • Apple Silicon or Intel Mac

Get MetaScope

MetaScope is available on the Mac App Store. Free tier includes 5 edits per day. MetaScope Pro unlocks unlimited edits and all professional features.

Download on the Mac App Store

✨ New Features

  • Batch Keyword Editor: Edit keywords across multiple files simultaneously in one dedicated editor window. Full vocabulary autocomplete with synonym enrichment and normalization badges. See at a glance which keywords are present in all, some, or none of your selected files. Add more files or folders to your session without losing staged changes. Works for single files too.
  • Synonym-Aware Search: Metadata search now expands keyword queries through vocabulary synonyms. Searching 'automobile' finds files tagged 'Car' if they are synonyms in your vocabulary. Works across browser search, smart collections, and all export query paths.
  • Ingest-Time Keyword Normalization: Detects when file keywords match vocabulary synonyms and suggests normalizing to canonical terms. Normalization badges on keyword chips with per-chip inline normalize button and batch normalization sheet.
  • Keyword Rule Synonym Expansion: Rules can now match through vocabulary synonyms. A rule on 'Car' also catches 'automobile' and 'auto'. Synonym preview in the rule editor shows which variants will match. Per-rule toggle with safe defaults.
  • Unified Keyword Chip Editing: Keywords display as interactive chip tags across every editing surface (Favorites tab, Editor tab, and full EXIF editor) with autocomplete, vocabulary browsing, and synonym enrichment available everywhere.

🔧 Improvements

  • Finder Tags Push/Pull buttons now appear on all keyword editing surfaces including the editor modal and info panel Favorites tab.
  • Editor tab is now always editable. The edit toggle has been removed and edit mode is permanently enabled.
  • Vocabulary Browser includes a Browse-Only mode when opened standalone, copying selected terms to clipboard with a status hint.
  • Keyword autocomplete suggestions appear immediately on focus without requiring typing.
  • Favorites tab now uses explicit Save/Cancel instead of per-keystroke writes, preventing status overlay flashing during editing.
  • New and updated help documentation: Keywords 101 overview article and Batch Keyword Editing guide, plus six updated keyword and vocabulary help articles with corrected Settings paths, Cmd+Shift+K shortcut, synonym matching, write modes, and normalization.

🐛 Bug Fixes

  • Keyword editor extraction: Fixed extractKeywords() missing IPTC:Keywords and XMP:Subject field aliases. Files using alternate keyword storage now show their keywords correctly.
  • Info panel refresh: The info panel now correctly refreshes after batch keyword apply and rule apply operations. The metadata cache is properly invalidated after writes.
  • Keyword rules conflict resolution: Multiple rules targeting the same list field now chain append/remove/replace operations in order instead of only applying the last match.
  • Keyword rules correctness: Fixed 'country' field ID (corrected to 'countryName'), manual applies now recorded in activity log, duplicate keywords on replace eliminated, priority clamped on import, malformed hierarchy keywords parsed safely.
  • Transformation rules engine audit: 39 fixes across multi-value field pickers, action chaining, Finder sync routing, regex matching, and list filter operations, with 26 new regression tests.
  • Vocabulary synonym field stabilization: Synonym and category picker fields no longer produce view-update conflicts when editing.
  • 64-character keyword limit removed: The legacy IPTC-IIM per-keyword length limit has been removed.
  • Keyword text committed on editor dismiss: Uncommitted text in keyword fields is now automatically saved when the editor closes, preventing silent data loss.

📦 Download Information

Download on the Mac App Store Download on the Mac App Store

File Size: ~55 MB

System Requirements:

  • macOS 15.6 Sequoia or later
  • Apple Silicon or Intel Mac
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