CURATOR v2.0.0-beta.1 — major SQLite overhaul for LaunchBox-ready collections

[maortiz1969]

Hi everyone,

CURATOR v2.0.0-beta.1 is now publicly available.

This is the first public release on the v2 track and a major architectural overhaul—not an incremental update to the old v1 pipeline. CURATOR now uses persistent, indexed SQLite authority and relational contracts across Stages 1–10 and Reporting. The redesign changes how CURATOR preserves state, exchanges evidence between stages, resumes interrupted work, audits results, and processes large collections.

What changed in v2.0.0-beta.1:

• Persistent SQLite authority database and relational contracts for Stages 1–10 and Reporting.
• Indexed, set-based SQLite processing replaces the principal heavy in-memory paths in Stages 6–9.
• Stage 10 now executes a frozen relational publication plan with durable receipt checkpoints, resumable publication, verified Append reuse, and optimized cleanup.
• Capability-based startup activates only the Core services required by the selected action.
• Complete output receipts, company manifests, placement evidence, recovery state, and collection-audit workflows.
• Clearer progress and completion announcements across Gateway, numbered stages, Reporting, database loading, cleanup, and publication.
• Updated operator documentation, legal notices, attribution, dependency records, and component identities.

This release also fixes Gateway pause behavior, unresolved archive-review lineage and nested paths, Stage 5 missing-source handling, Stage 7 relational validation scaling, optical CUE membership reconstruction, and redundant cleanup enumeration.

The v1 release line is now closed and locked. All eight v1 prereleases, tags, packages, checksums, and downloads remain available as immutable history, but all continuing development proceeds under v2.

Important beta guidance:

• Work only with copies of your collection.
• Keep verified backups of the originals.
• Review generated output, receipts, manifests, and reports carefully.
• Verify curated output in its intended emulators before replacing existing material.
• CURATOR does not include or distribute ROMs, game content, BIOS files, preservation DAT files, or rights to obtain them. Users must supply their own legally obtained content and authority data.

Current limitations:

• MAME support remains limited and preliminary and does not replace a dedicated MAME ROM manager.
• Some otherwise valid Alcohol MDF/MDS images may be incompatible with the bundled decoder; CURATOR preserves those sources and routes them for review.

Verified release:

Version: v2.0.0-beta.1
Package: CURATOR_v2.0.0-beta.1.zip
Size: 29,168,713 bytes
SHA-256: 7A06D6F70EA4CB21CB8DD215EF198C84F4D030E3F85C18AE62D0BB4AB552580E

GitHub Release:
https://github.com/Jiraiya1969/myOrganizer-CURATOR/releases/tag/v2.0.0-beta.1

Project website and release archive:
https://myorganizerhq.com/
https://myorganizerhq.com/releases

Source, documentation, changelog, and issue tracking:
https://github.com/Jiraiya1969/myOrganizer-CURATOR
https://myorganizerhq.com/changelog

CURATOR remains a standalone, open-source community tool. It is not an official LaunchBox product or plugin and is not affiliated with or endorsed by LaunchBox or Unbroken Software.

Feedback from LaunchBox users is especially welcome around collection organization workflows, platform mapping, documentation clarity, recovery behavior, and the usefulness of the generated reports.

[maortiz1969]

CURATOR v2.0.0-beta.5 is now available (September 11, 2026).

Hi everyone — I'm Miguel, CURATOR's developer. This fifth v2 beta continues work on the free, open-source Windows tool for validating and organizing user-supplied retro-game collections into LaunchBox-ready outputs.

Highlights in beta.5:
• Separate ZIPs for supported disk and tape images, preserving each file's DAT filename. Incomplete sets remain flagged for attention.
• Faster ZIP creation, collection copying, completeness checks, and final publication.
• Fixes for filename capitalization, output paths, ZIP collisions, repeated additions, and distinct DAT sets that share files or names.
• Recovery fixes for removed review output and interrupted additions; resume now stops when previously written files have changed.
• Experimental MAME software-list fixes for set titles, SPLIT dependencies, and file-size checks.
• Updated administrator, user, quick-start, and API guides.

Every beta requires a clean run: earlier databases, saved run state, and output plans are incompatible. Work with copies, keep backups, and verify your output. MAME support remains VERY EARLY and experimental; continue using clrmame as the definitive MAME ROM manager. Media conversion and broader recovery scenarios remain subject to open acceptance work.

Release and downloads:
https://github.com/Jiraiya1969/myOrganizer-CURATOR/releases/tag/v2.0.0-beta.5

Full changelog:
https://myorganizerhq.com/changelog#v2-0-0-beta-5

Website:
https://myorganizerhq.com/

Application: CURATOR_v2.0.0-beta.5.zip
Size: 33,609,003 bytes
SHA-256: 99FD2BBB1A57E64B0CC67C59AD3A835C413D869891E97F735B36DC283166D714

CURATOR is an independent community project, not affiliated with or endorsed by LaunchBox or Unbroken Software. Feedback on organization, documentation, and reporting is welcome.

Jiraiya1969 (Miguel A. Ortiz)

[maortiz1969]

CURATOR v2.0.0-beta.6 is now available (September 28, 2026).

I'm Miguel, CURATOR's developer. This free, open-source Windows PowerShell tool helps validate and organize user-supplied retro-game collections.

This beta improves incomplete-set Append, catalogue folders, processing performance, recovery, and supported optical-media handling.

Start a clean run with every beta; earlier databases and unfinished runs cannot be reused. Use copied input and preserve originals. MAME support remains very early and experimental; continue using clrmame for MAME collections. Saving progress can still fail after a stage finishes, and completed accumulated ZIPs remain in Incomplete Sets. See the full changelog for all limitations.

Release and downloads: https://github.com/Jiraiya1969/myOrganizer-CURATOR/releases/tag/v2.0.0-beta.6
Full changelog: https://myorganizerhq.com/changelog#v2-0-0-beta-6
Developer statement: https://myorganizerhq.com/#developer-announcement

Developer statement — Miguel A. Ortiz

With myOrganizer: CURATOR v2.0.0-beta6, we have reached the end of this branch.

While this is still a work in progress, I have validated many Atari and SEGA sets and the application does a fairly accurate job.  There is still a lot of validation to do, but as this is a personal project, it should be more than obvious that I am working with what I personally want for my collection.  Of course, I welcome anyone who wants to personalize the application for their own desires to do so, by simply starting their own branch and providing source acknowledgement to me.

This for me is a good enough release to hold anyone over for now.  The next branch, v2.5.xx is going to be a major restructuring of the application in many ways.  The ulimate end goal is a single application script rather than the multi-stage method I am using right now.  Remember, I'm not a professional programmer.  I have dabled and this is my very first foray into even using AI as a development tool.  I broke the application into stages to help me manage the development in my own way.  I am absolutely certain that there are very many amazing coders that can do a better job than me.  I just want to learn, at my age (57) how AI will be a part of my reality in the workspace I am a part of (Cloud Management/IT). I have not taken any courses at all.  I simply dived in.  If you view my site, you can find links to other things I have done while working on this application.  In the beginning I spent a great many hours learning to even get the AI to stay within constraints; heck, I had to learn about constraints the hard way!  But, overall, this has been both a frustrating and a very enlightening experience.  I highly recommend trying it!

That being said, this next phase is going to see very few and limited beta releases.  I will more than likely break the application with my next approach and that will definitely teach me a lot of new lessons.  And I love learning, so it is not a bad thing.

So, for now.  Stay tuned.  Hopefully not too much time will pass for the very first v2.5.x release.

Happy gaming!

Jiraiya1969 (Miguel A. Ortiz)
https://myorganizerhq.com/

[maortiz1969]

myOrganizer: CURATOR v2.5.0-beta.1 is now available. CURATOR is a free, open-source Windows PowerShell application for analyzing, validating, reconstructing, and organizing emulation collections using DAT-based preservation data.

This release includes:

• GameCube RVZ matching against decoded disc identity while preserving the original RVZ container for output.
• Faster archive preparation through concurrent extraction.
• Reuse of unchanged DAT information and previously prepared collection evidence.
• CHD logical-track identification without creating unnecessary BIN files.
• Dedicated A8P and GameBase output folders, plus updated N64/V64 routing.
• Improved progress displays, output recovery, workspace cleanup, and operator guides.

Existing schema-26 databases retain their creation identity. Eligibility to resume an unfinished run is checked separately by the Gateway.

Please remember: this remains beta software. Work from copies, preserve your originals, and review and test the output. MAME support remains early and experimental; continue using clrmame for MAME collections. Preliminary Wii definitions do not establish supported Wii matching or conversion, and CDI DAT matching remains unverified.

Developer Announcement

CURATOR v2.5.0-beta.1 is the most stable version to date.

I realized that the new direction is going to require a major breakdown of the code and a rebuild of a lot of the logic dealing with the database.

There will not be any forthcoming release any time soon. I apologize in advance for the wait.

Download and release assets:
https://github.com/Jiraiya1969/myOrganizer-CURATOR/releases/tag/v2.5.0-beta.1

Complete changelog:
https://myorganizerhq.com/changelog#v2-5-0-beta-1

Website:
https://myorganizerhq.com/

— Jiraiya1969

[Retrogamer4423]

Hello there. Thank you for the work you've done. 
Despite taking all warnings into account, I haven't managed to get the program running on my computer; 
there is no executable (.exe) path, so the program won't start.
 I am trying to create a final, clean ROM set by stripping out
 betas, hacks, demos, prototypes, and "unlock" versions, ensuring a "1G1R" 
(One Game, One ROM) structure, and identifying different-named versions of the same game. 
Can the program help me with this?

[maortiz1969]

CURATOR development update — Code Unification, Incomplete Sets, and what’s coming next

Since releasing v2.5.0-beta.1, I’ve been sharing development notes through the website’s vanity cards. Here’s a fuller update on where things stand.

I described beta.1 as the most stable version to date, but the direction ahead called for a major rebuild of code and database logic. I expected that to take some time—and another release is still a little further down the road.

The encouraging part is that progress has been smoother than I expected. We’re much closer to Code Unification than I had anticipated, and the next beta is shaping up to contain a lot of changes and new functionality. All for the better, I believe.

Incomplete Sets is a particular focus right now. The implementation is progressing, and I’m really happy with it. My goal is for CURATOR to complete sets as users discover more input files and add them to their collections.

The upcoming work includes identifying incomplete games when DATs catalogue their disks or parts as separate entries, while preserving each DAT-defined set’s required files and packaging. Unclear or conflicting declarations will remain flagged for review.

There are now 27 planned changes, including:

- Expanded Atari and Sega MAME software-list support, including sets containing both ROMs and disk images, plus platform associations for 32 additional software lists.
- No-Intro schema v4 header support, retaining source metadata while keeping strict checks for unexpected structures.
- Recovery of eligible legacy v4 Dreamcast CHD layouts, with recovered tracks and descriptors checked against DAT sizes and hashes. Compatibility results remain limited to the files and emulator setups tested.
- A separate Incomplete Sets output category, clearer conflict handling, and more useful review information.
- Better duplicate reporting and shared payload storage within the same output category and destination folder, with retained output verified before Append reuse.
- Improved intake archiving, setup guidance, progress displays, and documentation, including five PDF guides covering everyday use, administration, warnings, and the Core API.

Some planned changes will require rebuilding prepared plans. Incompatible older database layouts will require a clean restart; compatible current layouts will receive the supported additive extensions.

These are upcoming changes, not a new release announcement. Development is still underway, and the final list may change. v2.5.0-beta.1 remains the current public release.

Read the full upcoming changes: https://myorganizerhq.com/upcoming and follow the Notes from the Workbench: https://myorganizerhq.com/#development

Still working hard on this. Thanks for following along!

— Jiraiya1969

Edited 10 hours ago by maortiz1969

[maortiz1969]

On 10/13/2026 at 7:26 AM, Retrogamer4423 said:

Hello there. Thank you for the work you've done. 
Despite taking all warnings into account, I haven't managed to get the program running on my computer; 
there is no executable (.exe) path, so the program won't start.
 I am trying to create a final, clean ROM set by stripping out
 betas, hacks, demos, prototypes, and "unlock" versions, ensuring a "1G1R" 
(One Game, One ROM) structure, and identifying different-named versions of the same game. 
Can the program help me with this?

Oh wow, I had no idea you had posted this!  I apologize!  This is a PowerShell application, so there is no .exe.  The zip contains the instructions on how to run the application in the \documentation folder.  But, while it doesn't "strip" out those categories, it creates folders and places those files there so you can easily move them out of your final collection.  The app at this point will never omit files, though I do plan on adding that feature in the future.  Please remember, I'm not a professional coder, so it's going to be some time until I can get that granular because I am focusing on things I want for my personal collection output.    

That being said, open PowerShell and navigate to the program folder with the name you chose to use if not the default folder name when you extracted the files.  You have to be IN the folder so you can start the application by entering .\Curator.ps1

I appreciate you checking the application out.  I will start monitoring this forum more often, but if you have any more questions, you can email me directly at [email protected].  I definitely check that inbox every day.

p.s.  I would also LOVE any input, ideas or suggestions.

Edited 9 hours ago by maortiz1969