chore(release): v0.4.2 - Dependency maintenance & GitHub cleanup

GitHub Actions updates:
- actions/upload-artifact v6 -> v7 (ci.yml, master-pipeline.yml x3,
  release.yml, security-audit.yml)
- actions/download-artifact v7 -> v8 (ci.yml, master-pipeline.yml,
  release.yml)

Dependabot PR cleanup (11 PRs closed):
- Cargo PRs #68-#75, #78-#79: all dependency updates already
  incorporated via Cargo.lock refresh in v0.4.1 (webpki-roots 1.0.6,
  anyhow 1.0.102, bytes 1.11.1, mlua 0.11.6, thiserror 2.0.18,
  rustls-pki-types 1.14.0, chrono 0.4.44, tokio-test 0.4.5,
  rustls 0.23.37)
- Actions PRs #81-#82: applied directly in this release

Security issue resolution (3 issues closed):
- Issue #76 (RUSTSEC-2026-0007 bytes): fixed in v0.4.1
- Issue #77 (RUSTSEC-2026-0009 time): upstream-pinned, in audit ignore
- Issue #66 (RUSTSEC-2025-0141 bincode): informational, transitive via iced

Security alert dismissal:
- Alert #4 (time crate): dismissed as tolerable risk -- pinned at
  =0.3.45 by mac-notification-sys via notify-rust

Repository state: 0 open PRs, 0 open issues, 0 open security alerts

Version bump: 0.4.1 -> 0.4.2 across all 7 Cargo.toml files
Verification: 266 tests passing, zero clippy warnings, zero fmt issues

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

Author: doublegate

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -5,6 +5,40 @@ All notable changes to RustIRC will be documented in this file.
 The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/),
 and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).
 
+## [0.4.2] - 2026-03-07 (Dependency Maintenance & GitHub Cleanup)
+
+### Summary
+Patch release updating GitHub Actions artifact actions, closing all 11 open Dependabot PRs (changes already incorporated via Cargo.lock refresh in v0.4.1), resolving all 3 open security issues, and dismissing the remaining Dependabot security alert. Repository now has zero open PRs, zero open issues, and zero open security alerts.
+
+### Changed
+
+#### GitHub Actions
+- **actions/upload-artifact**: v6 -> v7 across all workflow files (`ci.yml`, `master-pipeline.yml`, `release.yml`, `security-audit.yml`)
+- **actions/download-artifact**: v7 -> v8 across all workflow files (`ci.yml`, `master-pipeline.yml`, `release.yml`)
+
+### Resolved
+
+#### Dependabot PRs Closed (11)
+- PR #82: actions/download-artifact 7 -> 8 (applied directly)
+- PR #81: actions/upload-artifact 6 -> 7 (applied directly)
+- PR #79: webpki-roots 1.0.4 -> 1.0.6 (already in Cargo.lock)
+- PR #78: anyhow 1.0.100 -> 1.0.101 (already at 1.0.102)
+- PR #75: bytes 1.10.1 -> 1.11.1 (already in Cargo.lock since v0.4.1)
+- PR #73: mlua 0.11.5 -> 0.11.6 (already in Cargo.lock)
+- PR #72: thiserror 2.0.17 -> 2.0.18 (already in Cargo.lock)
+- PR #71: rustls-pki-types 1.13.2 -> 1.14.0 (already in Cargo.lock)
+- PR #70: chrono 0.4.42 -> 0.4.43 (already at 0.4.44)
+- PR #69: tokio-test 0.4.4 -> 0.4.5 (already in Cargo.lock)
+- PR #68: rustls 0.23.35 -> 0.23.36 (already at 0.23.37)
+
+#### Security Issues Closed (3)
+- Issue #76 (RUSTSEC-2026-0007): bytes integer overflow -- fixed in v0.4.1
+- Issue #77 (RUSTSEC-2026-0009): time DoS -- upstream-pinned, added to audit ignore list
+- Issue #66 (RUSTSEC-2025-0141): bincode unmaintained -- informational only, transitive via iced
+
+#### Dependabot Alert Dismissed (1)
+- Alert #4 (time crate): Dismissed as tolerable risk -- pinned at =0.3.45 by mac-notification-sys
+
 ## [0.4.1] - 2026-03-07 (CI Fixes & Security Updates)
 
 ### Summary

CLAUDE.md

@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ The project prioritizes full compatibility with IRC standards including IRCv3 ex
 
 ## Development Status
 
-**v0.4.1 CI Fixes & Security Updates** (2026-03-07)
+**v0.4.2 Dependency Maintenance & GitHub Cleanup** (2026-03-07)
 
 - **Phase 1**: Research & Setup ✅ (Complete 2025-08-14)
 - **Phase 2**: Core IRC Engine ✅ (Complete 2025-08-17)
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ The project prioritizes full compatibility with IRC standards including IRCv3 ex
 - **v0.3.9 iced 0.14.0 Migration**: Complete GUI framework upgrade with 82+ breaking API changes resolved ✅
 - **v0.4.0 Major Feature Release**: Lua scripting engine, plugin system, DCC protocol, IRCv3 extensions, flood protection, proxy support, 266 tests ✅
 - **v0.4.1 Patch Release**: CI workflow fixes, security advisory updates, Windows DCC test fix, dependency updates ✅
+- **v0.4.2 Patch Release**: Actions artifact v7/v8, closed 11 Dependabot PRs, 3 issues, 1 alert; zero open items ✅
 - **GUI Framework**: Material Design 3 with iced 0.14.0 - reactive rendering, time-travel debugging
 - **Working Features**: typography, input, chip, plus major fixes in 7+ other components (0 errors)
 - **Implementation Complete**: SerializableColor wrapper, iced 0.14.0 API migration, lifetime management, ALL components fully functional

Cargo.lock

@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ clap = { version = "4.5.53", features = ["derive"] }
 
 [package]
 name = "rustirc"
-version = "0.4.1"
+version = "0.4.2"
 edition = "2021"
 rust-version = "1.75.0"
 authors = ["RustIRC Contributors"]

Cargo.toml

@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 
 ![RustIRC Logo](images/RustIRC_Logo.png)
 
-[![Version](https://img.shields.io/badge/version-0.4.1-blue.svg)](CHANGELOG.md)
+[![Version](https://img.shields.io/badge/version-0.4.2-blue.svg)](CHANGELOG.md)
 [![Rust Version](https://img.shields.io/badge/rust-1.75%2B-orange.svg)](https://www.rust-lang.org)
 [![License](https://img.shields.io/badge/license-MIT%2FApache--2.0-blue.svg)](LICENSE-MIT)
 [![Tests](https://img.shields.io/badge/tests-266%20passing-success.svg)](.github/workflows/ci.yml)
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
 
 A powerful, modern IRC client built in Rust with an enhanced Material Design 3 interface and comprehensive Lua scripting
 
-**Last Updated**: 2026-03-07 | **Branch**: main - v0.4.1 CI Fixes & Security Updates
+**Last Updated**: 2026-03-07 | **Branch**: main - v0.4.2 Dependency Maintenance & GitHub Cleanup
 
 [Features](#-features) • [Documentation](#-documentation) • [Development Plan](#-development-plan) • [Architecture](#️-architecture) • [Contributing](#-contributing)
 
@@ -64,10 +64,10 @@ Built with Rust for memory safety, performance, and cross-platform reliability.
 
 ## 📦 Latest Release
 
-[![Version](https://img.shields.io/badge/version-0.4.1-blue.svg)](https://github.com/doublegate/RustIRC/releases/tag/v0.4.1)
-[![Release Date](https://img.shields.io/badge/released-March%207%2C%202026-green.svg)](https://github.com/doublegate/RustIRC/releases/tag/v0.4.1)
+[![Version](https://img.shields.io/badge/version-0.4.2-blue.svg)](https://github.com/doublegate/RustIRC/releases/tag/v0.4.2)
+[![Release Date](https://img.shields.io/badge/released-March%207%2C%202026-green.svg)](https://github.com/doublegate/RustIRC/releases/tag/v0.4.2)
 
-**Version 0.4.1** - CI Fixes & Security Updates (patch for v0.4.0 Scripting, Plugins, DCC & IRCv3)
+**Version 0.4.2** - Dependency Maintenance & GitHub Cleanup
 
 ### 📜 Lua Scripting System Highlights
 
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ Built with Rust for memory safety, performance, and cross-platform reliability.
 
 ## 🏗️ Current Development Status
 
-**Last Updated**: March 7, 2026 - v0.4.1 CI Fixes & Security Updates
+**Last Updated**: March 7, 2026 - v0.4.2 Dependency Maintenance & GitHub Cleanup
 
 ### ✅ **Phase 1: Research & Setup** - **COMPLETE** (100%)
 
@@ -369,7 +369,7 @@ RustIRC is being developed in 7 carefully planned phases over 24-26 weeks:
 
 ## 🚦 Current Status
 
-**Version**: 0.4.1 - CI Fixes & Security Updates
+**Version**: 0.4.2 - Dependency Maintenance & GitHub Cleanup
 **Phase**: Phases 1-6 Complete ✅ | Major Feature Release
 **Build Status**: All 6 crates compile successfully, 266 tests passing
 **Total Tasks**: 249+ across 7 phases | Phases 1-6 100% complete
@@ -399,6 +399,12 @@ RustIRC is being developed in 7 carefully planned phases over 24-26 weeks:
 - **URL Preview**: Regex-based URL detection in messages
 - **Settings Persistence**: GUI AppSettings save/load with XDG paths
 
+### 🔧 v0.4.2 Dependency Maintenance & GitHub Cleanup (March 7, 2026)
+
+- **Actions**: Bumped upload-artifact v6->v7, download-artifact v7->v8 across all workflows
+- **Cleanup**: Closed all 11 Dependabot PRs, 3 security issues, dismissed 1 security alert
+- **Status**: Zero open PRs, zero open issues, zero open security alerts
+
 ### 🔧 v0.4.1 CI Fixes & Security Updates (March 7, 2026)
 
 - **Security**: Updated `bytes` 1.10.1 -> 1.11.1 (CVE-2026-25541 integer overflow fix)

README.md

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "rustirc-core"
-version = "0.4.1"
+version = "0.4.2"
 edition = "2021"
 authors = ["RustIRC Contributors"]
 description = "Core functionality for RustIRC client"

crates/rustirc-core/Cargo.toml

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "rustirc-gui"
-version = "0.4.1"
+version = "0.4.2"
 edition = "2021"
 authors = ["RustIRC Contributors"]
 description = "GUI implementation for RustIRC"

crates/rustirc-gui/Cargo.toml

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "rustirc-plugins"
-version = "0.4.1"
+version = "0.4.2"
 edition = "2021"
 authors = ["RustIRC Contributors"]
 description = "Plugin system for RustIRC"

crates/rustirc-plugins/Cargo.toml

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "rustirc-protocol"
-version = "0.4.1"
+version = "0.4.2"
 edition = "2021"
 authors = ["RustIRC Contributors"]
 description = "IRC protocol implementation for RustIRC"

crates/rustirc-protocol/Cargo.toml

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "rustirc-scripting"
-version = "0.4.1"
+version = "0.4.2"
 edition = "2021"
 authors = ["RustIRC Contributors"]
 description = "Scripting engine for RustIRC"