🌸 Solace - Post-Loss Administrative Companion

Built during a 24-hour Swiss AI Hackathon with a focus on the business case rather than coding perfection. Developed primarily with AI assistance to explore rapid prototyping and AI-driven development methodologies.

Solace is an intelligent assistant that helps relatives navigate German and Swiss bureaucracy after a loss, providing step-by-step guidance through insurance claims, inheritance procedures, financial matters, and administrative tasks. By combining AI-powered document analysis with empathetic guidance, it transforms overwhelming administrative tasks into manageable steps.

🎬 How It Works

Demo: Intelligent Insurance Query & Email Generation

The system understands complex natural language requests like "What life insurance policies might the deceased have had and how do I notify them?" It automatically researches relevant insurers and generates pre-filled notification emails in one click:

PDF Upload & OCR-Powered Form Filling

Upload a will, insurance policy, or any relevant document. The system extracts text using PDF analysis, processes it with AI, and automatically identifies and fills relevant form fields (beneficiaries, executors, property details, etc.):

Insurance Management Interface

Easily add, manage, and track multiple insurance policies with automatic deadline tracking and notification reminders. The system helps identify what policies to notify and when:

✨ Key Features

🎯 Core Capabilities

• Intelligent Initial Questionnaire: Gathers death circumstances and location before unlocking the AI assistant
• 7-Phase Guided Process: Logical flow through Basic Information → Death Certificate → Insurances → Burial → Finances → Subscriptions → Heritage
• PDF Upload & OCR: Extract text from wills, insurance policies, and documents with AI-powered field extraction
• Structured Data Extraction: Automatically parses wills and burial wishes into organized, editable data
• AI-Powered Email Generation: Creates pre-filled notification emails with one click for contacting insurers
• Context-Aware Assistance: Remembers user information and provides personalized guidance throughout the journey

🤖 AI Intelligence

• Smart Web Search: Automatically researches contact information, procedures, and deadlines for specific institutions
• German/Swiss Law Expertise: Tailored responses for German and Swiss legal frameworks (Erbrecht, Versicherungsrecht, inheritance tax)
• Agentic Decision-Making: Intelligently determines when to perform web searches vs. use stored knowledge
• LangChain Integration: Advanced reasoning for complex bureaucratic scenarios
• Empathetic Tone: Compassionate guidance optimized for an emotionally difficult time
• Multi-turn Conversations: Maintains context across interactions and user sessions

🎨 User Experience

• Responsive Design: Works seamlessly on desktop, tablet, and mobile devices
• One-Click Actions: Interactive buttons for emails (with pre-filled content), phone calls, and website links
• Auto-expanding Input: Textarea grows naturally as users type longer messages
• Visual Progress Tracking: See completion status across all 7 phases
• Clean, Modern Interface: Built with shadcn/ui components and Tailwind CSS
• Accessible Design: WCAG-compliant components for all users

🏗️ Architecture

Backend (FastAPI + OpenAI GPT)

Technology Stack: FastAPI, OpenAI API, LangChain, PyPDF2

Core Endpoints:

• POST /start_conversation - Initial greeting with questionnaire validation
• POST /msg - Main chat endpoint with section context and web search capability
• POST /extract_pdf_text - PDF text extraction using PyPDF2
• POST /extract_structured - AI-powered data extraction for wills and burial wishes

Intelligent Features:

• LangChain-powered branching for web search activation decisions
• GPT-powered extraction of structured data (beneficiaries, executors, properties, etc.)
• Multi-turn context management with chat history
• Section-specific system prompts for accurate legal guidance
• Automatic button generation for emails, websites, and phone numbers
• User-specific context storage (insurance details, estate information, questionnaire responses)

Frontend (Next.js + TypeScript)

Technology Stack: Next.js, TypeScript, React, Tailwind CSS, shadcn/ui

Pages:

• / - Setup wizard and initial questionnaire
• /fill_information - Document upload and field extraction interface
• /post_death - Main chat interface with section navigation

Component Architecture:

• DeathQuestionnaire - Multi-step form for gathering death circumstances
• ChatInterface - Main conversation interface with message streaming
• ChatMessages - Smart rendering of messages and interactive buttons
• NavigationOverlay - Phase progress indicator and section navigation
• SetupPage - Onboarding and initial setup flow

Form Components (pre-built form templates):

• Will information form (beneficiaries, executors, property)
• Insurance policy form (carriers, coverage types, policy numbers)
• Banking accounts form (banks, account types, account holders)
• Burial wishes form (preferences, arrangements, location)
• Digital accounts form (email, social media, online services)
• Contracts form (subscriptions, ongoing obligations)
• Other documents form (flexible custom entries)

📋 Usage Flow

1. Initial Setup: User completes questionnaire about death circumstances (location, relationship, basic details)
2. Assistant Unlock: After questionnaire completion, AI assistant is unlocked with empathetic welcome
3. 7-Phase Guidance: Bot guides users through logical phases:
   • Basic Information: Gather essential details
   • Death Certificate: Process official documentation (Sterbeurkunde/Todesbescheinigung)
   • Insurances: Identify and notify insurance companies
   • Burial: Plan funeral and memorial arrangements
   • Finances: Manage bank accounts and inheritance tax
   • Subscriptions: Cancel ongoing services and digital accounts
   • Heritage: Navigate inheritance law and estate distribution
4. Flexible Navigation: Users can jump between sections but receive suggestions for logical order
5. AI Research: Bot automatically performs web searches for current contact information and procedures
6. Email Generation: One-click email generation for insurance notifications and inquiries

📖 German & Swiss Law Context

The system is specifically designed for the German and Swiss legal environments:

German Law (DE)

• Erbrecht (Inheritance Law): Guidance through legal succession and estate distribution
• Versicherungsrecht (Insurance Law): Rules for beneficiary claims and policy cancellations
• Administrative Deadlines:
  • 3 days for death reporting (Anzeige des Todesfalls)
  • 8-10 days for burial (Beerdigung)
  • 30 days typical for insurance notifications
• Key Terms: Sterbeurkunde, Erbschaftssteuer, Nachlass, Testamentsvollstrecker

Swiss Law (CH)

• Cantonal Variations: Recognizes canton-specific inheritance taxes and procedures
• Administrative Deadlines:
  • 2 days for death reporting
  • 4-6 days for burial
• Key Differences: Swiss inheritance system, personal property distribution, double taxation treaties

🛠️ Technical Stack Summary

Backend:

• FastAPI 0.104.1 - Modern async Python web framework
• OpenAI GPT API - AI conversations and structured data extraction
• LangChain 0.1+ - Advanced reasoning and tool integration
• PyPDF2 3.0+ - PDF text extraction
• Uvicorn 0.24.0 - ASGI server

Frontend:

• Next.js 15+ - React framework with API routes
• TypeScript - Type-safe development
• Tailwind CSS - Utility-first styling
• shadcn/ui - High-quality component library
• pnpm - Fast package management

🎓 Hackathon Context

This project was built during a 24-hour Swiss AI Hackathon with the following constraints and focus:

• Time Constraint: 24 hours from concept to MVP
• AI-First Development: Leveraged AI code generation and assistance throughout
• Business Focus: Prioritized user experience and feature completeness over code optimization
• Real-World Problem: Solving an actual pain point in post-loss administration
• Rapid Prototyping: Quick iteration and MVP validation over perfect architecture

The team focused on delivering a working prototype that demonstrates the business value of AI-assisted bureaucracy navigation rather than production-ready code.

📊 Project Status

This is a functional MVP with the following components complete:

• ✅ Full frontend-backend integration
• ✅ Questionnaire flow with validation
• ✅ Multi-turn conversational AI
• ✅ Section-based guidance system
• ✅ Web search integration with agentic decision-making
• ✅ PDF upload and text extraction
• ✅ Structured data extraction from documents
• ✅ AI-generated email buttons with pre-filled content
• ✅ Progress tracking across 7 phases
• ✅ Responsive, user-friendly interface
• ✅ German and Swiss law focus
• ✅ In-memory user context management

🚧 Future Enhancements

• Database Integration: Persistent user data storage (PostgreSQL, MongoDB)
• Authentication: User accounts, session management, data privacy
• Cloud Deployment: Deploy backend to cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure)
• Document Storage: Secure cloud storage for uploaded documents
• Email Integration: Direct email sending without mailto links
• Calendar Integration: Automatic deadline reminders and calendar invites
• Multi-language Support: German, French, Italian, English
• Export Functionality: Generate PDF reports and checklists
• Notification System: Email and SMS reminders for important deadlines
• Advanced Analytics: Track common questions and pain points
• Lawyer Network: Integration with local lawyers and notaries
• Mobile App: Native iOS/Android applications

🚀 Getting Started

Backend Setup

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Set OpenAI API key
export OPENAI_API_KEY="your-openai-api-key"

# Run the FastAPI server
uvicorn main:app --reload

The backend will be available at http://localhost:8000

Frontend Setup

cd frontend

# Install dependencies (requires Node.js >= 20.9.0 and pnpm)
pnpm install

# Run development server
pnpm dev

The frontend will be available at http://localhost:3000

📄 License

Built with ❤️ for the Swiss AI Hackathon 2025