Hi Sir Peter,
Sorry to hear about your frustration. The SEO Framework is actively developed and far from “dead”. Check out our GitHub for the latest changes: https://github.com/sybrew/the-seo-framework. I push changes to the public only occasionally, because I want to make absolutely sure TSF’s users get a bug-free experience.
I’ve never been driven by money, but love for Open Source software. That’s why you don’t see ads or upsells; my focus is on quality. If you’re open to it, I’d love to troubleshoot the meta issues you faced. You reach out to me via https://tsf.fyi/support. Why haven’t you done so already? The issue might’ve just been a toggle in your theme settings.