Older notes describe CATO as it was then. For how it works now, see the FAQ and the Documentation. Some features depend on your plan.
2026.11
Feature updateCurrent
November 2026
Standard and Pro now have one monthly usage limit, which resets with your billing period.
New and changed
Replaced the 5-hour and 7-day usage windows with one monthly limit. Pro includes five times the Standard allowance.
The usage meter and Settings → Billing show how much of the month is used and the date it resets.
2026.10
Feature update
October 2026
Memory became notes you can read and edit, and Saved reports got a tab of their own.
New and changed
Memory is now a set of notes. Your own are in Settings → Memory and a project's are in its Memory tab, and you can read, edit, or delete any of them. This replaced the earlier list of entries, along with its pins and switches.
Saved reports moved to a tab at the top of the Library and Deep Search pages.
Request review became Double-check this answer.
Stepping through a figure's versions no longer changes its default. Use this version makes the version on screen the default.
2026.09
Major update
September 2026
Labs and Enterprise, two-factor authentication, a single Deep Search, and a rebuilt Citations page, now called Cited Work.
New and changed
Added Labs: shared workspaces with per-seat pricing, invitations, and a Lab settings tab showing members, seats, and the Lab ID.
Added two-factor authentication with an authenticator app and backup codes.
Rebuilt Deep Search as one search that takes a research question and returns up to 100 papers, with a year range and a preprint shown as one result with its journal article.
Rebuilt the Citations page: live previews, saved copies of deleted files, standard author formatting, and BibTeX, EndNote XML, and CSV exports.
Saved reports open as finished documents and can be deleted. Each claim in a generated systematic review cites its papers.
Added a four-level reasoning-effort slider (Low, Medium, High, Max).
Evidence extraction became faster.
Retired Fast mode. Chats that used it run on Standard.
Reliability and security
A password-protected Office file is now refused with a plain explanation.
Rewrote the legal pages (Terms, Privacy, Usage Policy, Data Processing).
2026.08
Major update
Late July – August 2026
Every project got its own computer and file browser, and Chat began showing its work.
New and changed
Gave every project its own computer, named in the Workspace, with Files, Shell, and Memory views. Files stay between conversations, and you can rename or erase the computer.
Rebuilt Files as a file browser with folders, drag to move, folder upload, and previews.
Added viewers for 3D molecular structures, sequence alignments, and whole-slide microscopy images.
Chat began showing its activity in a status line, a run rail for work with several steps, marks tying claims to their evidence, a context meter, typeset math, and clarifying questions during a task.
Improved the figure editor: version history, comparing versions, text editing with keyboard shortcuts, and more faithful downloads.
Removed the size limit on single-file uploads. Uploads now land in the folder you are browsing.
Reliability and security
A response that loses its connection now reconnects instead of failing.
Deleting an account erases its project computers and support tickets, and error reports no longer include what you wrote.
2026.07.23
Major update
July 23, 2026
A redesigned memory, with separate project and personal memory.
New and changed
Separated project memory from personal memory.
Added ways to review, edit, and delete what CATO remembers.
2026.07.21–22
Major update
July 21–22, 2026
Figure workbenches and wider literature search.
New and changed
Added figure workbenches with interactive views, versions, editing, and downloads.
Widened literature search across more open scholarly sources.
Reliability and security
Fixed the return from plan checkout.
2026.07.18–20
Major update
July 18–20, 2026
Long work that survives a reload, Fast mode, and a Workspace that restores itself.
New and changed
Long-running work began to survive leaving the page and reloading it.
Added Fast mode for quicker questions and edits.
Open tabs and the selected version came back after a reload.
Added a warning before unsaved edits are lost.
Search results came back after you left the page and returned.
Reliability and security
Stopping a conversation began to stop the commands it had started.
Files were recovered after temporary interruptions.
Stopped a message from being sent twice while a response reconnected.
2026.07.15–17
Major update
July 15–17, 2026
Chat that reconnects, and generated files that stay.
New and changed
Chat responses began to reconnect after you left the page or lost your connection.
Drafts began to stay with their conversation when you switched.
Generated datasets began to be saved, and appeared in the Workspace in the same response.
Fetched papers and interactive figures began to open in the Workspace.
Reliability and security
Updated the privacy, data-processing, and subprocessor disclosures.
2026.07.09–14
Major update
July 9–14, 2026
Scientific workbenches, and follow-up work that respects the version you chose.
New and changed
Added scientific workbenches for figures and data, and Python and R sessions that keep their state.
Figures in chat and in the Workspace began to stay in step.
Follow-up work began to use the figure version you selected.
Added molecular-structure viewing.
2026.07.01–03
Major update
July 1–3, 2026
Versioned files and manuscript drafting.
New and changed
Added versioned files with provenance, and a viewer panel that stays open.
Added manuscript drafting with Markdown and LaTeX preview, and Word and PDF export.
Added comments on PDFs, HTML pages, and transcripts.
Simplified chat choices to Standard and Research.
2026.06.30
Feature update
June 30, 2026
A new look and faster project navigation.
New and changed
Redesigned the interface.
Added the command palette to project pages, and narrowed the sidebars to leave more room for your work.
2026.04.15–21
Major update
April 15–21, 2026
Open full text, more scientific formats, and usage limits.
New and changed
Added open-access full-text retrieval, with the abstract when the full text is not available.
Added more scientific formats, including SPSS, BIOM, 10x Matrix Market, and Loom.
Added upcoming charges for Pay-as-you-go.
Added a control to leave out preprints.
Reliability and security
Your draft began to be kept, with a clear message, when an account reached a limit.
Improved how an account's data is deleted.
2026.03
Feature update
March 7–24, 2026
The no-code figure editor and more research formats.
New and changed
Added the no-code figure editor.
Expanded uploads to more than 40 research formats.
Added citation export.
2026.02
Major update
February 1–26, 2026
Accounts, code execution, billing, and literature search.
New and changed
Added code execution in isolated sandboxes, R support, archive uploads, and saved conversations.
Added subscriptions, Pay-as-you-go, account settings, password reset, and notifications.
Launched literature search and evidence extraction.
Added tours, documentation, help, and account deletion.
2026.01
Feature update
January 26–30, 2026
The first version of CATO.
New and changed
Added data analysis, projects, sign-in, and conversations you can return to.
Added early Python and R analysis.
Need help after an update?
Check Troubleshooting for common problems. If the problem continues, send support a link to the project or conversation, the time, and the error.