Scout

Every idea has a history. Most of it is buried.

Scout researches the history of your hackathon idea and presents it as a three-act narrative experience. Type an idea, wait, and walk through the graveyard of everyone who tried it before you.

How It Works

1. You type a hackathon idea
2. Five AI agents research its history silently
3. A timed narrative reveals the graveyard — names, causes of death, patterns, and your place at the end

Tech Stack

• Backend: Node.js + Express
• Frontend: React 18 + Vite + Tailwind CSS
• AI: Google Gemini 2.0 Flash with Google Search grounding
• Memory: Backboard.io graph API

Setup

1. Environment Variables

Copy the example env file and fill in your keys:

cp .env.example .env

Edit .env with your values:

GEMINI_API_KEY=your_gemini_api_key
BACKBOARD_URL=https://api.backboard.io
BACKBOARD_TOKEN=your_backboard_token

Backboard promo code: HUSKYHACKS26

2. Install Dependencies

# Backend
cd backend
npm install

# Frontend
cd ../frontend
npm install

3. Start the App

Backend (from backend/ directory):

node server.js

Runs on http://localhost:3001.

Frontend (from frontend/ directory):

npm run dev

Runs on http://localhost:5173.

4. Demo Mode

The backend has a GET /api/demo endpoint that returns cached results for "mental health journaling app". To populate it:

1. Run a search for "mental health journaling app" via the app
2. Save the result to backend/cache/demo.json

API Endpoints

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	/api/search	Run full agent pipeline for an idea
GET	/api/graph/stats	Get Backboard graph statistics
GET	/api/demo	Get cached demo result

Architecture

User Input → POST /api/search
  → Digger (4 parallel searches)
  → Historian + Landscape (parallel)
  → Pattern (Backboard memory)
  → Synthesis
  → Single JSON response
  → Timed narrative reveal on frontend

Project Structure

headstone/
  backend/
    server.js          # Express server
    agents/            # Five research agents
    lib/               # Gemini, Backboard, prompts
    cache/             # Demo data cache
  frontend/
    src/
      App.jsx          # Root component
      components/      # Narrative UI components
      hooks/           # useHeadstone, useNarrativeReveal
      styles/          # CSS variables and globals