Focus 🚤

Voice-first productivity tool for nautical carpentry and yacht interior manufacturing

Focus allows craftspeople to capture verbal notes hands-free in the workshop and uses AI to extract structured To-Do lists, specifically identifying CNC tasks, assembly, and finishing work.

✅ Status

Fully functional! The backend is complete with:

• ✅ Voice transcription working (OpenAI Whisper)
• ✅ AI task extraction working (GPT-4o)
• ✅ Database schema deployed to Railway
• ✅ All API endpoints tested and operational
• ✅ GitHub Pages landing page live at chrisforti.github.io/focus
• 🚧 React Native mobile app (coming soon)

---

🏗️ Technical Stack

• Backend: Node.js, Express, TypeScript
• Database: PostgreSQL (Railway) with Drizzle ORM
• AI Pipeline: OpenAI Whisper (STT) + GPT-4o (Task Extraction)
• AI Providers: OpenAI or OpenRouter (supports multiple models)
• Infrastructure: Railway (Deployment), GitHub (Version Control)

---

📋 Features

• 🎤 Voice-to-text transcription using OpenAI Whisper
• 🤖 AI-powered task extraction optimized for boat building
• � Flexible AI provider support (OpenAI or OpenRouter)
• 🎯 Multiple model options (GPT-4o, Claude, Llama, etc.)
• �📊 Structured To-Do lists with priority and categories
• 🏷️ Automatic categorization (CNC, Assembly, Finishing, Carpentry)
• ✅ Task management with completion tracking

---

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+ installed
• PostgreSQL database (Railway recommended)
• OpenAI API key OR OpenRouter account (see OPENROUTER.md)

Installation

1. Clone the repository

   git clone git@github.com:ChrisForti/focus.git
   cd focus

2. Install dependencies

   npm install

3. Configure environment variables

   cp .env.example .env

   Edit .env and add:

   • DATABASE_URL: Your PostgreSQL connection string
   • OPENAI_API_KEY: Your OpenAI API key
   • PORT: Server port (default: 3000)
   • CHAT_MODEL: Model to use (default: gpt-4o)

   Important: If you have OPENAI_API_KEY set in your shell environment (.zshrc or .bashrc), it will override the .env file. Either unset it or remove it from your shell config.

   # Check if you have it set
   echo $OPENAI_API_KEY
   
   # If yes, unset before running the server
   unset OPENAI_API_KEY WHISPER_API_KEY

4. Generate and push database schema

   npm run db:generate
   npm run db:push

5. Start development server

   npm run dev

The server will start on http://localhost:3000

---

🗄️ Database Schema

Tables

projects

• id: Serial primary key
• name: Project name
• created_at: Timestamp

voice_logs

• id: Serial primary key
• project_id: Foreign key to projects
• transcript: Full text transcription
• created_at: Timestamp

todos

• id: Serial primary key
• log_id: Foreign key to voice_logs
• task: Task description
• is_completed: Boolean (default: false)
• priority: Enum ('low', 'medium', 'high')
• category: Text (CNC, Assembly, Finishing, etc.)

---

🔌 API Endpoints

Health Check

GET /health

Process Voice Recording

POST /api/process-voice
Content-Type: multipart/form-data

Body:
- audio: Audio file (mp3, wav, m4a, etc.)
- projectId: (optional) Project ID

Response:
{
  "success": true,
  "transcript": "Full transcription...",
  "logId": 123,
  "tasks": [
    {
      "id": 1,
      "task": "Cut transom with CNC router",
      "priority": "high",
      "category": "CNC",
      "isCompleted": false
    }
  ]
}

Get All Projects

GET /api/projects

Get All Todos

GET /api/todos

Update Todo

PATCH /api/todos/:id
Content-Type: application/json

Body:
{
  "isCompleted": true,
  "priority": "high",
  "category": "CNC"
}

---

🚂 Railway Deployment

Setup

1. Create a new Railway project

   • Go to railway.app
   • Create a new project
   • Add PostgreSQL database

2. Connect GitHub repository

   • Link your GitHub repository
   • Railway will auto-detect the Node.js project

3. Configure environment variables

   • Add DATABASE_URL (auto-populated by Railway)
   • Add OPENAI_API_KEY
   • Add NODE_ENV=production

4. Deploy

   • Push to main branch
   • Railway will automatically build and deploy

Verify Deployment

Check the health endpoint:

curl https://your-app.railway.app/health

---

🛠️ Development

Build for production

npm run build

Run production build

npm start

Database commands

# Generate migration files
npm run db:generate

# Push schema to database
npm run db:push

# Open Drizzle Studio (GUI)
npm run db:studio

---

📦 Project Structure

focus/
├── src/
│   ├── controllers/      # Request handlers
│   ├── db/              # Database configuration & schema
│   ├── routes/          # API route definitions
│   ├── services/        # Business logic (AI, etc.)
│   └── index.ts         # Express app entry point
├── drizzle/             # Generated migration files
├── uploads/             # Temporary audio file storage
├── .env                 # Environment variables (not in git)
├── .env.example         # Environment template
├── drizzle.config.ts    # Drizzle ORM configuration
├── package.json         # Dependencies
├── tsconfig.json        # TypeScript configuration
└── railway.json         # Railway deployment config

---

🧪 Testing the API

Using cURL

# Health check
curl http://localhost:3000/health

# Upload voice recording
curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/process-voice \
  -F "audio=@./sample.mp3" \
  -F "projectId=1"

# Get todos
curl http://localhost:3000/api/todos

---

🎯 AI Task Extraction

The AI is optimized to recognize:

• CNC Operations: cutting, routing, offsets, toolpaths
• Cold-molding: lamination techniques
• Structural Work: transoms, bulkheads, frames
• Assembly: joinery, fitting, installation
• Finishing: varnishing, painting, sanding
• Materials: wood types, epoxy, hardware specifications

Example Input

"Need to cut the transom with a 6mm offset on the CNC, then sand it down to 220 grit before applying the first coat of varnish"

Example Output

[
  {
    "task": "Cut transom with 6mm offset on CNC",
    "priority": "high",
    "category": "CNC"
  },
  {
    "task": "Sand transom to 220 grit",
    "priority": "medium",
    "category": "Finishing"
  },
  {
    "task": "Apply first coat of varnish to transom",
    "priority": "medium",
    "category": "Finishing"
  }
]

---

📝 License

ISC

---

🤝 Contributing

This is a specialized tool for boat building workflows. Contributions welcome!

---

Built for craftspeople who work with their hands 🔨⚓