Version: 1.0
Date: December 2024
Status: Draft

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.

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

• 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

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

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

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

• 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

• 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

• 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)

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

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

• None (cloud-based deployment)

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

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

• 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

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

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

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

• 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

• 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

• 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