tldrBot

Revolutionize productivity and conquer information overload. Get instant, concise summaries of Slack conversations, reclaim valuable time, and unlock the power of efficient knowledge absorption.

Comment

tldrBot

Inspiration:

TLDR(too long; didn't read), has this ever happened to you? Thousands of unread messages flood our Slack inboxes, obscuring crucial insights and drowning us in a sea of digital noise. As hackers, we yearn to absorb every ounce of shared knowledge, but the sheer volume of unread messages proves overwhelming. Even our dedicated organizers, whom we deeply appreciate, find themselves tirelessly answering repetitive questions, buried under an avalanche of new threads.

Now, let's zoom out and reflect on a broader perspective. This extends beyond hackathons; it plagues professionals returning from vacations or anyone dealing with a deluge of thousands messages on Slack. Have you ever found yourself scrolling through endless threads, desperately attempting to extract vital information but ultimately missing key messages? This information overload leaves us feeling drained, hindering our ability to extract value from these invaluable data troves.

But fear not! We present to you tldrBot, your indispensable assistant on a mission to declutter the digital chaos and extract only the most critical information. With tldrBot by your side, you will no longer drown in a sea of unread messages or waste precious time sifting through unnecessary clutter.

What it does:

Our groundbreaking solution transcends the boundaries of traditional automation, delivering a transformative experience for productivity and knowledge acquisition. Introducing tldrBot, the ultimate catalyst for enhanced productivity and efficient knowledge absorption. With tldrBot, you'll effortlessly access the most pertinent information, empowering you to accomplish more in less time. Prepare to be amazed!

tldrBot is an ingenious Slackbot that revolutionizes the way you catch up on past messages within a channel. Say goodbye to information overload and hello to streamlined productivity. By harnessing the power of tldrBot, you'll effortlessly review vital, high-level information, unlocking precious time for other critical tasks.

Here's the magic: in the desired Slack channel, a simple command is all it takes. Just type /summary [date in the format MM/dd/YYYY HH:mm:ss], and witness the instant transformation. tldrBot springs into action, swiftly generating a concise summary of all channel messages after the specified date. It's like having your very own personal assistant, distilling the essence of conversations into bite-sized nuggets of knowledge. A demo video can be found in the below section.

How we built it

  • Backend setup: We utilized Node.js and Express.js to establish a robust backend infrastructure.
  • Slack API integration: Leveraging the power of Slack API, we retrieved the conversation history of the target channel.
  • Intelligent summarization: We developed a sophisticated prompt that effectively summarized large amounts of messages while preserving crucial information.
  • OpenAI integration: By leveraging the OpenAI API and Language Model Models (LLMs), we achieved accurate and concise summaries.
  • Microsoft Azure Web App Service: Our server ran on Microsoft Azure, ensuring scalability and reliability.
  • Slackbot configuration: We configured a user-friendly Slackbot for seamless interaction with our service.

Challenges we ran into

  • Summary Structure Design: Creating a user-centric summary structure that captured the essence of the content was a primary challenge. We iterated and refined our approach to deliver the most valuable insights.
  • GPT Prompt Engineering: Crafting an effective prompt for the GPT model to generate accurate and relevant summaries from large datasets required meticulous fine-tuning and expertise in natural language processing.
  • Overcoming Slack API Timeout Limit: The unmodifiable 3-second timeout limit of the Slack API posed a hurdle. We developed a clever technical workaround to ensure uninterrupted functionality of our Slackbot.
  • Permissions and Workspace Issues: Our Slackbot faced unexpected removal from the workspace. We promptly investigated and resolved permissions-related anomalies to restore access and minimize disruption.
  • Debugging Azure Web App Configuration Errors: Deployment on Azure Web App Service presented configuration errors. We methodically debugged and resolved these issues, ensuring a seamless user experience.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  • Validated Time-Saving MVP: Our minimum viable product (MVP) has unequivocally proven its ability to save users significant time by streamlining the navigation through irrelevant threads. User testing and feedback have confirmed the effectiveness of our solution in providing concise summaries, allowing individuals to focus on what truly matters.
  • Seamless User Experience: Users only need to learn one command to utilize our product, which can be invoked in any channel within the workspace. This streamlined approach ensures a cohesive and user-friendly experience.
  • Scalability: Our project has been developed with scalability in mind, allowing for future expansion across multiple platforms and the inclusion of additional filtering options. This scalability ensures adaptability to varying user requirements and positions us as a versatile solution.

What we learned

  • User-First Design: We prioritized user experience, ensuring our product resonates with our target audience.
  • API Constraints: Integrating various APIs taught us to navigate timeout limits and context constraints effectively.
  • Cloud Server Setup: Deploying our server on the cloud for the first time required us to learn a lot about infrastructure and configuration.
  • Effective Prompts: Crafting precise prompts optimized our model's responses and improved overall performance.

What's next for tldrBot

Exciting things lie ahead for tldrBot as we chart our course for the future. Our mission to provide concise summaries and streamline information consumption continues to evolve. Here's a glimpse of what's in store:

  • Relevant Thread Links: Enhance your reading experience with tldrBot's curated links to relevant threads.
  • Periodic Summary Notifications: Stay effortlessly up-to-date with periodic summary notifications.
  • Multi-Platform Expansion: Extend the reach of tldrBot beyond Slack.
  • Enhanced User Options: Customize summary experience with different options. Enjoy advanced filtering options, tailored summaries, and personalized highlights.
Share this project:

Updates