@@ -8,6 +8,19 @@ The format follows [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.1.0/).
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+## [1.14.1] — 2026-05-23
+
+### Fixed
+
+- **CLI ``--help`` crashed on a non-UTF-8 Windows console.** The
+  ``windio`` subcommand help carried a rightwards-arrow glyph, so
+  ``pybmodes --help`` raised ``UnicodeEncodeError`` when argparse wrote
+  the formatted help to a legacy Windows console (cp1252 / cp437) where
+  that character has no mapping. The CLI help and description strings are
+  now plain ASCII, and a test asserts every parser's formatted help is
+  ASCII-encodable so it prints on any code page. Caught by the
+  conda-forge Windows build.
+
 ## [1.14.0] — 2026-05-23
 
 An engineering-hardening pass that makes the library fail closed on
 
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ Check the installed version, and pin one if you need reproducibility:
 
 ```bash
 python -c "import pybmodes; print(pybmodes.__version__)"
-pip install "pybmodes==1.14.0"        # install / pin a specific release
+pip install "pybmodes==1.14.1"        # install / pin a specific release
 ```
 
 For a source checkout, pull and reinstall:
 
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ Check the installed version, and pin one if you need reproducibility.
 .. code-block:: bash
 
    python -c "import pybmodes; print(pybmodes.__version__)"
-   pip install "pybmodes==1.14.0"        # install or pin a specific release
+   pip install "pybmodes==1.14.1"        # install or pin a specific release
 
 For a source checkout, pull and reinstall so new dependencies are
 picked up too.
 
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ build-backend = "setuptools.build_meta"
 
 [project]
 name = "pybmodes"
-version = "1.14.0"
+version = "1.14.1"
 description = "Python finite-element library for wind turbine blade and tower modal analysis (OpenFAST/ElastoDyn)"
 readme = "README.md"
 license = { file = "LICENSE" }
 
@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@
 except PackageNotFoundError:
     # Fallback for an uninstalled source tree (no package metadata).
     # Keep in step with ``pyproject.toml`` ``[project] version``.
-    __version__ = "1.14.0"
+    __version__ = "1.14.1"
 
 __all__ = [
     "CheckOptions",
 
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ def _cmd_patch(args: argparse.Namespace) -> int:
         print(
             "error: --output and --output-dir were given different "
             f"paths ({args.output!r} vs {args.output_dir!r}); they are "
-            "aliases — pass only one (or the same value)",
+            "aliases. Pass only one (or the same value)",
             file=sys.stderr,
         )
         return 2
@@ -327,7 +327,7 @@ def _build_parser() -> argparse.ArgumentParser:
     parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(
         prog="pybmodes",
         description=(
-            "pyBmodes — pure-Python finite-element library for "
+            "pyBmodes, a pure-Python finite-element library for "
             "wind-turbine blade and tower modal analysis."
         ),
     )
@@ -441,14 +441,14 @@ def _build_parser() -> argparse.ArgumentParser:
         "--n-blade-modes",
         type=int,
         default=4,
-        help="number of blade modes to track across the sweep (default: 4 — "
+        help="number of blade modes to track across the sweep (default: 4, "
              "1st/2nd flap and 1st/2nd edge)",
     )
     p_camp.add_argument(
         "--n-tower-modes",
         type=int,
         default=4,
-        help="number of tower modes to overlay as horizontal lines (default: 4 — "
+        help="number of tower modes to overlay as horizontal lines (default: 4, "
              "1st/2nd FA and 1st/2nd SS); set to 0 to suppress",
     )
     p_camp.add_argument(
@@ -511,7 +511,7 @@ def _build_parser() -> argparse.ArgumentParser:
              "combined with --validate, also writes a "
              "<deck>_validate_after.txt report alongside the "
              "before-patch one. Default-safe in 1.8.0: each side-deck "
-             "is .bak-copied before the rewrite — pass --no-backup to "
+             "is .bak-copied before the rewrite; pass --no-backup to "
              "opt out; pass --dry-run for a no-write preview; pass "
              "--output-dir DIR to write patched copies elsewhere.",
     )
@@ -643,13 +643,13 @@ def _default_report_out(args: argparse.Namespace) -> argparse.Namespace:
     )
 
     # -----------------------------------------------------------------
-    # windio — one-click WindIO ontology → tower + blade + (floating)
+    # windio - one-click WindIO ontology to tower + blade + (floating)
     # coupled platform + Campbell + bundled report
     # -----------------------------------------------------------------
     p_windio = sub.add_parser(
         "windio",
         help="one-click: a WindIO ontology .yaml (or an RWT directory) "
-             "→ tower + blade + (floating) coupled-platform modes + "
+             "to tower + blade + (floating) coupled-platform modes + "
              "optional Campbell + a bundled report. Companion "
              "HydroDyn/MoorDyn/ElastoDyn decks are auto-discovered so "
              "a floating platform is industry-grade by default; "
@@ -675,7 +675,7 @@ def _default_report_out(args: argparse.Namespace) -> argparse.Namespace:
     )
     p_windio.add_argument(
         "--water-depth", type=float, default=None,
-        help="site water depth (m) — only needed for the yaml-only "
+        help="site water depth (m), only needed for the yaml-only "
              "floating screening preview when no MoorDyn deck is found",
     )
     p_windio.add_argument(
@@ -691,7 +691,7 @@ def _default_report_out(args: argparse.Namespace) -> argparse.Namespace:
         "--min-rpm", type=float, default=0.0,
         help="lower end of the operating rotor-speed range used for "
              "the 1P/3P design bands on the environmental-spectra "
-             "figure (default: 0.0 — the figure is then labelled a "
+             "figure (default: 0.0; the figure is then labelled a "
              "SCREENING envelope since no real cut-in is given)",
     )
     p_windio.add_argument(
 
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+"""The CLI help text must be plain ASCII.
+
+A non-ASCII glyph in an argparse help / description string crashes
+``pybmodes <cmd> --help`` on a legacy Windows console (cp1252 / cp437)
+with a ``UnicodeEncodeError`` when argparse writes the formatted help.
+A rightwards arrow in the ``windio`` subcommand help did exactly that
+and was caught by conda-forge's Windows build. These tests assert every
+parser's formatted help is ASCII-encodable so it prints on any code
+page, and guard against the regression returning.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import argparse
+
+import pytest
+
+from pybmodes.cli import _build_parser
+
+
+def _iter_parsers():
+    """Yield (label, parser) for the main parser and every subparser."""
+    parser = _build_parser()
+    yield "pybmodes", parser
+    for action in parser._actions:
+        if isinstance(action, argparse._SubParsersAction):
+            for name, sub in action.choices.items():
+                yield f"pybmodes {name}", sub
+
+
+def test_all_cli_help_is_ascii() -> None:
+    """Every parser's formatted help encodes as ASCII, so it never trips
+    the console-encoding crash on a non-UTF-8 Windows terminal."""
+    offenders: list[str] = []
+    for label, parser in _iter_parsers():
+        try:
+            parser.format_help().encode("ascii")
+        except UnicodeEncodeError as exc:
+            offenders.append(f"{label}: {exc}")
+    assert not offenders, "non-ASCII CLI help:\n  " + "\n  ".join(offenders)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("encoding", ["cp1252", "cp437"])
+def test_cli_help_encodes_on_legacy_windows_codepages(encoding: str) -> None:
+    """Belt and braces: the help also encodes on the two common legacy
+    Windows console code pages, the environments where the original
+    crash happened."""
+    for _label, parser in _iter_parsers():
+        parser.format_help().encode(encoding)  # must not raise