InboxPilot

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  InboxPilot generating a context-aware reply instantly within Gmail.

Inspiration

InboxPilot came from a simple frustration: replying to emails takes way more time than it should. A lot of responses are repetitive, and rewriting similar messages every day felt inefficient. I wanted something that could just understand the email and help me reply instantly without overthinking it.

What it does

InboxPilot is a browser extension that generates smart, context-aware email replies using AI. With one click, it reads the email content and suggests a reply that the user can copy, edit, or send.

How we built it

We built InboxPilot as a Chrome extension using JavaScript. The extension captures the email content and sends it to a backend built with Node.js and Express. From there, we use the OpenRouter API to generate AI-based responses and return them back to the extension in real time.

Challenges we ran into

One of the biggest challenges was reliably extracting email content from different interfaces and making sure the extension worked smoothly. We also had to deal with latency from the AI API and optimize the flow so replies felt instant. Debugging the connection between the extension and backend took some effort as well.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We’re proud that we built something that actually works in a real workflow. It’s not just a concept, you can click a button and get a useful reply instantly. Keeping it simple and usable while integrating AI was a big win for us.

What we learned

We learned how to integrate AI into a real product instead of just experimenting with it. We also got hands-on experience with browser extensions, APIs, and building a smooth user experience around asynchronous responses.

What's next for InboxPilot

We’d like to add features like tone selection (formal, casual), customizable reply length, and better personalization based on user style. We plan to add tone customization and personalized replies based on the user writing style. Eventually, we want InboxPilot to become a full email assistant that adapts to each user's communication style.

Built With

• express.js
• javascript
• node.js
• openrouter