Arc.AI – Your Notion-Powered Productivity Companion
Overview
Arc.AI is a modern, AI-powered assistant built to work seamlessly with Notion. It’s designed for people who want full control over their workflows, whether that’s creating, updating, or searching content directly in Notion—all through an intuitive chat interface. Unlike traditional tools, Arc.AI gives you the flexibility to bring your own AI keys (BYOK), ensuring your data stays private while still enjoying powerful AI capabilities.
How It Was Built
The journey of building Arc.AI revolved around solving real-world limitations:
- Identifying the Problem – Notion AI didn’t offer enough control, extensibility, or privacy. Arc.AI was our solution to empower users without compromise.
- Designing the Experience – We created a clean, minimal layout with a bold blue-purple gradient theme and the Inter font, focusing on readability and visual clarity.
- Custom Tools Layer – Each tool was built with strict type-safe validation (thanks to Zod) and internal encryption, giving both developers and users confidence in its reliability.
- Chat System – The heart of Arc.AI is a fully streaming chat experience. Users can interact with tools in real time, switch models on the fly, and get immediate, contextual feedback.
- BYOK Security – Security was non-negotiable. All keys are encrypted in Supabase and decrypted securely at runtime, giving users complete control over their AI access.
- Multimodal Support – Voice input, file uploads, and rich Markdown rendering allow for a natural, interactive experience.
- Optimization & Testing – We iterated continuously, focusing on performance, accessibility, and mobile-first polish to ensure the experience feels smooth and professional.
Key Features
Arc.AI packs a lot of functionality without overwhelming the user:
- 🔐 Bring Your Own Key (BYOK) – Use your preferred AI provider while keeping your data private.
- ⚙️ Custom Notion Tools – Create, update, append, search, and transcribe content directly in Notion.
- 💬 Streaming Chat – Keep the conversation flowing with real-time responses, context tracking, and helpful error messages.
- 🎙️ Voice & Markdown Support – Interact naturally using voice commands and see nicely formatted content.
- 🌘 Dark Mode & Mobile Friendly – Enjoy a consistent, polished experience on any device.
User Flow & Pages
The app is designed to feel intuitive from the moment a user lands:
- Home Page – A clean hero section and feature highlights to quickly show what Arc.AI can do.
- Chat Interface – Rich, interactive experience that supports tools, files, and voice.
- Signup/Login – Easy setup with BYOK integration and AI provider selection.
- Dashboard (Planned) – A central hub for tool configuration, usage insights, and logs.
Lessons Learned
Building Arc.AI taught us valuable lessons about designing AI products:
- Security First – Users need to trust that their data and AI keys are safe.
- Error Handling Matters – Clear, contextual error feedback enhances the user experience.
- Streaming Consistency – Handling real-time AI streams reliably is tricky but crucial.
- Simplify to Amplify – Removing unnecessary complexity makes workflows faster and more enjoyable.
Final Thoughts
Arc.AI is more than a chat assistant—it’s a foundation for building intelligent, secure, and highly customizable workflows inside Notion. With speed, flexibility, and privacy at its core, it empowers users to create confidently, without compromise.