lantholin
SRS.md

Software Requirements Specification (SRS)

YapTrap Multi-Platform Chatbot System

Version: 1.0
Date: December 2024
Status: Draft

1. Introduction

1.1 Purpose

This document specifies the requirements for YapTrap, an automated chatbot system designed to participate in multi-party conversations across various messaging platforms with personality-aware contextual engagement.

1.2 Scope

YapTrap will:

  • Monitor and participate in group conversations across multiple platforms
  • Learn and adapt to individual user personalities and group dynamics
  • Provide contextual, witty, and engaging responses
  • Offer administrative controls and monitoring capabilities
  • Self-monitor and improve through automated analysis

1.3 Definitions and Acronyms

  • YapTrap: The core chatbot system
  • Persona: Simulated user personalities for testing and system improvement
  • Platform Handler: Service component managing specific messaging platform integration
  • LLM: Large Language Model for AI-powered responses

2. Overall Description

2.1 Product Perspective

YapTrap operates as a distributed system with:

  • Core backend services running on Val Town
  • Platform-specific webhook handlers
  • Database for state and conversation management
  • Web-based administrative interface
  • Automated monitoring and improvement subsystems

2.2 Product Functions

  1. Message Processing: Receive, analyze, and respond to messages
  2. Personality Learning: Build profiles of conversation participants
  3. Context Generation: Create relevant, engaging responses
  4. Platform Integration: Support multiple messaging platforms
  5. Administration: Provide monitoring and configuration capabilities
  6. Self-Improvement: Automated system analysis and enhancement

2.3 User Classes

  • End Users: Participants in group conversations
  • Administrators: System operators managing YapTrap instances
  • Developers: Personnel maintaining and enhancing the system

3. Functional Requirements

3.1 Core Chatbot Functionality

3.1.1 Message Reception and Processing

  • REQ-001: System SHALL receive messages from supported platforms via webhooks
  • REQ-002: System SHALL parse and normalize messages across different platform formats
  • REQ-003: System SHALL maintain conversation context and history
  • REQ-004: System SHALL identify and track individual users across conversations

3.1.2 Personality Learning and Adaptation

  • REQ-005: System SHALL analyze user communication patterns and preferences
  • REQ-006: System SHALL build and maintain personality profiles for each user
  • REQ-007: System SHALL adapt response style based on group dynamics
  • REQ-008: System SHALL learn from user reactions to its messages

3.1.3 Response Generation

  • REQ-009: System SHALL generate contextually relevant responses using LLM integration
  • REQ-010: System SHALL provide witty, engaging, and appropriate content
  • REQ-011: System SHALL adjust response frequency based on configuration
  • REQ-012: System SHALL initiate conversations when threads go silent (configurable)

3.2 Platform Integration

3.2.1 Supported Platforms

  • REQ-013: System SHALL support Slack via official Slack App API
  • REQ-014: System SHALL support SMS/MMS via Telnyx API
  • REQ-015: System SHALL support Email via SendGrid API
  • REQ-016: System SHALL support WhatsApp Business API (webhook-based)
  • REQ-017: System SHALL provide extensible architecture for additional platforms

3.2.2 Platform-Specific Requirements

  • REQ-018: Each platform handler SHALL normalize incoming messages to common format
  • REQ-019: Each platform handler SHALL format outgoing messages appropriately
  • REQ-020: System SHALL handle platform-specific authentication and authorization
  • REQ-021: System SHALL respect platform rate limits and usage policies

3.3 Data Management

3.3.1 Database Requirements

  • REQ-022: System SHALL store conversation history with configurable retention
  • REQ-023: System SHALL maintain user personality profiles and preferences
  • REQ-024: System SHALL track group-specific settings and configurations
  • REQ-025: System SHALL log all system operations for monitoring and debugging

3.3.2 Data Privacy and Security

  • REQ-026: System SHALL encrypt sensitive data at rest and in transit
  • REQ-027: System SHALL provide data retention and deletion capabilities
  • REQ-028: System SHALL comply with applicable privacy regulations
  • REQ-029: System SHALL provide audit trails for all data access

3.4 Administrative Interface

3.4.1 Web Dashboard

  • REQ-030: System SHALL provide web-based administrative interface
  • REQ-031: Dashboard SHALL display system health and operational metrics
  • REQ-032: Dashboard SHALL allow configuration of chatbot parameters
  • REQ-033: Dashboard SHALL provide conversation monitoring and analysis tools

3.4.2 Configuration Management

  • REQ-034: System SHALL support runtime configuration changes
  • REQ-035: System SHALL maintain configuration version history
  • REQ-036: System SHALL validate configuration changes before application
  • REQ-037: System SHALL provide rollback capabilities for configuration changes

3.5 Monitoring and Self-Improvement

3.5.1 System Monitoring

  • REQ-038: System SHALL collect and analyze operational metrics
  • REQ-039: System SHALL detect and alert on system anomalies
  • REQ-040: System SHALL provide real-time log streaming capabilities
  • REQ-041: System SHALL generate automated system health reports

3.5.2 Automated Improvement

  • REQ-042: System SHALL analyze conversation effectiveness and user satisfaction
  • REQ-043: System SHALL identify opportunities for system enhancement
  • REQ-044: System SHALL generate improvement recommendations
  • REQ-045: System SHALL support automated testing of system changes

4. Non-Functional Requirements

4.1 Performance

  • REQ-046: System SHALL respond to messages within 5 seconds under normal load
  • REQ-047: System SHALL support concurrent conversations across multiple platforms
  • REQ-048: System SHALL handle message bursts without data loss
  • REQ-049: System SHALL scale automatically based on demand

4.2 Reliability

  • REQ-050: System SHALL maintain 99.5% uptime availability
  • REQ-051: System SHALL implement graceful degradation during partial failures
  • REQ-052: System SHALL provide automatic recovery from transient failures
  • REQ-053: System SHALL maintain data consistency across all operations

4.3 Security

  • REQ-054: System SHALL authenticate all API requests
  • REQ-055: System SHALL implement rate limiting to prevent abuse
  • REQ-056: System SHALL validate and sanitize all input data
  • REQ-057: System SHALL protect against common security vulnerabilities

4.4 Maintainability

  • REQ-058: System SHALL provide comprehensive logging for debugging
  • REQ-059: System SHALL implement defensive programming practices
  • REQ-060: System SHALL include automated testing for all components
  • REQ-061: System SHALL support continuous integration and deployment

5. External Interface Requirements

5.1 User Interfaces

  • Web-based administrative dashboard
  • Platform-native messaging interfaces (via platform APIs)

5.2 Hardware Interfaces

  • None (cloud-based deployment)

5.3 Software Interfaces

  • Slack API v1.7+
  • Telnyx API v2
  • SendGrid API v3
  • WhatsApp Business API
  • OpenAI/xAI/Claude APIs for LLM integration

5.4 Communication Interfaces

  • HTTPS for all API communications
  • WebSocket for real-time features
  • Webhook endpoints for platform integrations

6. Constraints

6.1 Technical Constraints

  • Must operate within Val Town serverless environment
  • Limited to stateless operations with external state storage
  • Must comply with platform API terms of service
  • Must handle intermittent connectivity and API limitations

6.2 Business Constraints

  • Must respect user privacy and data protection requirements
  • Must operate within API rate limits and usage quotas
  • Must provide cost-effective operation at scale

7. Assumptions and Dependencies

7.1 Assumptions

  • Platform APIs will remain stable and accessible
  • LLM services will provide consistent response quality
  • Users will grant necessary permissions for bot operation

7.2 Dependencies

  • Val Town platform availability and capabilities
  • Third-party API service availability
  • Database service reliability
  • LLM service availability and performance

8. Acceptance Criteria

8.1 Functional Acceptance

  • All functional requirements (REQ-001 through REQ-045) must be implemented and tested
  • System must successfully participate in conversations on all supported platforms
  • Administrative interface must provide complete system management capabilities

8.2 Performance Acceptance

  • System must meet all performance requirements under specified load conditions
  • Response times must remain within acceptable limits during peak usage
  • System must demonstrate scalability and reliability metrics

8.3 Security Acceptance

  • All security requirements must be implemented and verified
  • System must pass security audit and penetration testing
  • Data protection and privacy compliance must be demonstrated

Document Control:

  • Author: System Architect
  • Reviewers: Technical Lead, Product Owner
  • Approval: Project Manager
  • Next Review: Monthly or upon significant changes