core/ROADMAP.md

# 🗺️ Chat Switchboard Roadmap

## Vision

**Become the "VSCode of AI Interfaces"** - A minimal, extensible core with infinite capabilities through plugins.

## Competitive Position

| Feature | Chat Switchboard | Open WebUI | ChatGPT | Claude Desktop | LibreChat |
|---------|-----------------|------------|---------|----------------|-----------|
| **Multi-Model** | ✅ Auto-routing | ✅ Manual | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| **Plugin System** | ✅⭐ Dogfooded | 🟡 Limited | ❌ | ❌ | 🟡 |
| **Offline Mode** | ✅ Full featured | ❌ | ❌ | 🟡 | ❌ |
| **Workflows** | ✅⭐ Visual DAG | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| **Channels** | ✅ With AI | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | 🟡 |
| **RAG/Knowledge** | ✅ pgvector | ✅ | 🟡 | 🟡 | ✅ |
| **Self-Hosted** | ✅ Easy | ✅ Complex | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| **Open Source** | ✅ MIT | ✅ MIT | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ MIT |
| **No Backend Required** | ✅⭐ Optional | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| **Desktop App** | 🟡 Planned | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| **Mobile App** | 🟡 PWA | 🟡 | ✅ | ✅ | 🟡 |

**Unique Advantages:**
1. **Workflows** - No competitor has visual AI orchestration
2. **Plugin-First** - Core features ARE plugins (proves extensibility)
3. **Dual-Mode** - Works offline or managed (privacy + collaboration)
4. **Smart Routing** - Automatic model selection for cost/quality

## Development Phases

### ✅ Phase 0: Foundation (Current)
**Status:** Complete  
**Timeline:** Week 1-2

- [x] Frontend core (vanilla JS)
- [x] LocalStorage state management
- [x] OpenAI-compatible API client
- [x] Streaming responses
- [x] Chat history
- [x] Export (Markdown, JSON, Text)
- [x] Model switching
- [x] Standalone build

### 🚧 Phase 1: Backend Core
**Status:** In Progress  
**Timeline:** Week 3-6 (4 weeks)

**Goals:**
- Full Go backend with PostgreSQL
- User authentication (JWT)
- WebSocket server for real-time
- Extension manager (load/manage plugins)
- Mode switching (unmanaged ↔ managed)

**Tasks:**
- [ ] Implement auth handlers (register, login, JWT)
- [ ] PostgreSQL models and migrations
- [ ] WebSocket hub for real-time messaging
- [ ] Extension discovery and lifecycle management
- [ ] API endpoints for chats, settings, users
- [ ] Frontend mode detection and switching

**Deliverables:**
- Users can create accounts
- Backend stores chat history
- WebSocket connections work
- At least 1 extension loads and runs

---

### 🎯 Phase 2: Core Features as Plugins
**Status:** Not Started  
**Timeline:** Week 7-10 (4 weeks)

**Goal:** Prove plugin architecture by implementing core features as extensions

**2.1 Chat Engine Plugin (Python)**
```
extensions/backend/chat-engine/
├── extension.json
├── main.py
├── requirements.txt
└── models/
    ├── openai.py
    ├── anthropic.py
    └── ollama.py
```

**Tasks:**
- [ ] Multi-provider adapter pattern
- [ ] Streaming response handling
- [ ] Token counting and cost tracking
- [ ] Message history management
- [ ] System prompt injection

**2.2 Channels Plugin (Go)**
```
extensions/backend/channels/
├── extension.json
├── main.go
├── handlers/
│   ├── channels.go
│   └── messages.go
└── websocket/
    └── broadcaster.go
```

**Tasks:**
- [ ] Channel CRUD operations
- [ ] Membership management
- [ ] Real-time message broadcasting
- [ ] @mention parsing (users + AI models)
- [ ] Threading support

**2.3 Notes Plugin (Go)**
```
extensions/backend/notes/
├── extension.json
├── main.go
└── handlers/
    └── notes.go
```

**Tasks:**
- [ ] Note CRUD
- [ ] Folder organization
- [ ] Tagging system
- [ ] Markdown rendering
- [ ] Full-text search

**Deliverables:**
- Chat works via chat-engine extension
- Channels support user + AI conversations
- Notes can be created and organized
- All features disabled if extension not loaded

---

### 🚀 Phase 3: RAG & Knowledge Bases
**Status:** Not Started  
**Timeline:** Week 11-13 (3 weeks)

**Goal:** Advanced knowledge management with vector search

**3.1 RAG Engine Plugin (Python)**
```
extensions/backend/rag-engine/
├── extension.json
├── main.py
├── embeddings.py
├── chunker.py
└── requirements.txt
    # Dependencies: langchain, pgvector, tiktoken
```

**Features:**
- [ ] Document upload (PDF, DOCX, TXT, MD)
- [ ] Smart chunking (recursive, semantic)
- [ ] Embedding generation (OpenAI, local models)
- [ ] Vector storage (pgvector)
- [ ] Semantic search
- [ ] Context injection in chat

**3.2 Knowledge Base UI**
- [ ] KB management interface
- [ ] Drag-and-drop upload
- [ ] Document viewer
- [ ] Search results preview
- [ ] Chat integration (auto-search when enabled)

**Deliverables:**
- Upload documents to KB
- Semantic search works
- Chat can reference KB automatically
- Cost tracking for embeddings

---

### ⭐ Phase 4: Workflows (KILLER FEATURE)
**Status:** Not Started  
**Timeline:** Week 14-18 (5 weeks)

**Goal:** Visual workflow builder for multi-step AI operations

**4.1 Workflow Engine (Go + Python)**
```
extensions/backend/workflows/
├── extension.json
├── executor.go          # Go: DAG execution
├── registry.py          # Python: Tool registry
└── nodes/
    ├── llm_node.go
    ├── tool_node.go
    ├── conditional_node.go
    └── loop_node.go
```

**Features:**
- [ ] DAG execution engine
- [ ] Node type system (LLM, tool, logic, I/O)
- [ ] Variable resolution and templating
- [ ] Conditional branching
- [ ] Loops and iteration
- [ ] Error handling and retries
- [ ] Cost tracking per workflow
- [ ] Execution history and logs

**4.2 Visual Workflow Builder (Frontend)**
- [ ] Drag-and-drop canvas
- [ ] Node palette (search and add)
- [ ] Connection drawing
- [ ] Node configuration panels
- [ ] Live execution preview
- [ ] Debug mode (step-through)

**4.3 Workflow Templates**
- [ ] Research Assistant
- [ ] Code Review Pipeline
- [ ] Multi-Model Consensus
- [ ] Content Creation Factory
- [ ] Data Processing Pipeline

**Deliverables:**
- Users can create workflows visually
- Workflows execute correctly
- Template marketplace basics
- At least 5 working templates

---

### 🔧 Phase 5: Developer Experience
**Status:** Not Started  
**Timeline:** Week 19-21 (3 weeks)

**Goal:** Make extension development effortless

**5.1 Extension Templates**
- [ ] `_template-python` with FastAPI boilerplate
- [ ] `_template-go` with Gin boilerplate
- [ ] `_template-node` with Express boilerplate
- [ ] CLI tool: `chatswitch create-extension`

**5.2 Extension Marketplace**
```
marketplace/
├── backend/
│   ├── api.go           # Publish, search, install
│   └── storage/         # Extension packages
└── frontend/
    └── marketplace.html # Browse and install UI
```

**Features:**
- [ ] Publish extensions (tarball upload)
- [ ] Search and browse
- [ ] One-click install
- [ ] Ratings and reviews
- [ ] Version management
- [ ] Dependency resolution

**5.3 Documentation & Examples**
- [ ] Complete API documentation
- [ ] 10+ example extensions
- [ ] Video tutorials
- [ ] Plugin development guide
- [ ] Contributing guidelines

**Deliverables:**
- Easy extension scaffolding
- Working marketplace
- Comprehensive docs

---

### 💎 Phase 6: Polish & Launch Prep
**Status:** Not Started  
**Timeline:** Week 22-24 (3 weeks)

**6.1 Desktop App (Tauri)**
```
desktop/
├── src-tauri/           # Rust backend
│   ├── main.rs
│   └── Cargo.toml
└── src/                 # Frontend (reuse web)
    └── index.html
```

**Features:**
- [ ] Native app wrapper
- [ ] System tray integration
- [ ] Keyboard shortcuts
- [ ] Native notifications
- [ ] Auto-updates

**6.2 Mobile (PWA)**
- [ ] Responsive design
- [ ] Touch gestures
- [ ] Offline support
- [ ] Install prompt

**6.3 Performance**
- [ ] Frontend bundle optimization
- [ ] Backend query optimization
- [ ] WebSocket connection pooling
- [ ] Redis caching
- [ ] CDN for static assets

**6.4 Security Audit**
- [ ] SQL injection prevention
- [ ] XSS protection
- [ ] CSRF tokens
- [ ] Rate limiting
- [ ] API key encryption audit
- [ ] Extension sandboxing review

**Deliverables:**
- Desktop app for Windows, Mac, Linux
- Mobile-friendly PWA
- Performance benchmarks
- Security audit report

---

### 🎉 Phase 7: Launch
**Timeline:** Week 25

**7.1 Marketing**
- [ ] Landing page
- [ ] Demo video
- [ ] Blog post
- [ ] HackerNews/Reddit launch
- [ ] ProductHunt submission

**7.2 Community**
- [ ] Discord server
- [ ] GitHub Discussions
- [ ] Documentation site
- [ ] Example workflows gallery

**7.3 Infrastructure**
- [ ] Hosted demo instance
- [ ] CI/CD pipeline
- [ ] Monitoring (Prometheus, Grafana)
- [ ] Error tracking (Sentry)

**Launch Checklist:**
- [ ] All core features working
- [ ] 10+ bundled extensions
- [ ] Desktop app released
- [ ] Documentation complete
- [ ] Demo video published
- [ ] Community channels live

---

## Post-Launch Roadmap

### v1.1 - Enterprise Features
**Timeline:** Month 2-3

- [ ] SSO/SAML authentication
- [ ] Team management
- [ ] Role-based access control (RBAC)
- [ ] Audit logs
- [ ] Usage analytics dashboard
- [ ] Billing integration (Stripe)

### v1.2 - Advanced Workflows
**Timeline:** Month 4-5

- [ ] Workflow version control (Git-like)
- [ ] Collaborative editing
- [ ] A/B testing workflows
- [ ] Scheduled executions (cron)
- [ ] Webhook triggers
- [ ] API-first workflow execution

### v1.3 - AI Enhancements
**Timeline:** Month 6-7

- [ ] Fine-tuned model hosting
- [ ] Custom embedding models
- [ ] Multi-modal support (images, audio)
- [ ] Voice chat
- [ ] Real-time translation

### v2.0 - Platform Evolution
**Timeline:** Month 8-12

- [ ] Plugin marketplace monetization
- [ ] White-label solution
- [ ] Multi-tenant SaaS mode
- [ ] Advanced analytics (cost optimization, usage insights)
- [ ] Mobile native apps (React Native)

---

## Success Metrics

### User Metrics
- **Week 1:** 100 GitHub stars
- **Month 1:** 1,000 active users
- **Month 3:** 5,000 active users, 50 community extensions
- **Month 6:** 20,000 active users, 200 community extensions

### Technical Metrics
- **Plugin Load Time:** < 2s
- **API Response Time:** < 100ms (p95)
- **WebSocket Latency:** < 50ms
- **Uptime:** 99.9%

### Business Metrics (If Applicable)
- **Free Tier:** Unlimited local use
- **Hosted Basic:** $10/user/month
- **Hosted Pro:** $25/user/month (workflows, advanced features)
- **Enterprise:** Custom pricing

---

## Risk Mitigation

### Technical Risks
| Risk | Mitigation |
|------|-----------|
| Extension security vulnerabilities | Sandboxing, code review, security audit |
| WebSocket scaling issues | Redis pub/sub, horizontal scaling |
| Database performance | Query optimization, indexing, caching |
| Third-party API rate limits | Retry logic, fallback chains, caching |

### Product Risks
| Risk | Mitigation |
|------|-----------|
| Competitors copy workflows feature | Speed to market, open-source advantage |
| Low plugin adoption | High-quality templates, good DX |
| Users prefer monolithic apps | Prove extensibility with core features |

### Market Risks
| Risk | Mitigation |
|------|-----------|
| AI providers release similar tools | Self-hosted option, multi-provider support |
| Regulation changes | Privacy-first design, compliance features |

---

## How to Contribute

### For Developers
1. Pick an issue from GitHub
2. Fork the repo
3. Create a feature branch
4. Submit a PR

**High Priority:**
- Implement Phase 1 backend tasks
- Create example extensions
- Write documentation

### For Designers
- UI/UX improvements
- Workflow builder mockups
- Landing page design

### For Writers
- Blog posts
- Tutorials
- Documentation improvements

### For Users
- Bug reports
- Feature requests
- Extension ideas

---

## Questions?

- **GitHub Issues:** Bug reports, feature requests
- **GitHub Discussions:** General questions, ideas
- **Discord:** Real-time chat (coming soon)

**Let's build the future of AI interfaces together! 🚀**