Show HN: Aya – Open-source AI assistant that gives live hints during sales calls

3 months ago 1

A professional screen recording application built with Electron and LiveKit, featuring transparent windows, custom dragging, and seamless system integration.

🎥 Screen Recording: High-quality screen capture with LiveKit integration
🔍 Transparent Windows: Fully transparent background with custom UI elements
🖱️ Custom Dragging: Frameless window with draggable header region
🎛️ Opacity Control: Adjustable window transparency (20-100%)
🔐 System Permissions: Automated microphone and screen recording permission requests
🌐 Deep Linking: Protocol handler for authentication callbacks (livekit-recorder://)
🍎 macOS Integration: Native dock icon and app name support
⚡ Hot Reload: Development mode with live reload capabilities

Electron - Cross-platform desktop application framework
Vite - Fast build tool and development server
TypeScript - Type-safe JavaScript development
LiveKit Client - Real-time video/audio streaming
CSS3 - Modern styling with backdrop filters and transparency effects

Node.js 16+
npm or yarn
macOS/Windows/Linux (tested primarily on macOS)

Clone the repository

git clone <repository-url> cd livekit-recorder-electron
Install dependencies
Set up the icon
- Ensure aya-logo.png is in the root directory
- The build process will copy it to the appropriate locations

This runs two processes concurrently:

Vite dev server on http://localhost:1420
Electron app with hot reload enabled

npm run dev # Run in development mode npm run dev:staging # Run in staging mode npm run dev:production # Run in production mode

Protocol Registration (Development)

npm run register-protocol # Register deep link protocol npm run test-protocol # Test protocol handling npm run test-protocol-system # Test protocol with system call npm run fix-protocol # Fix protocol registration issues

npm run build # Build web assets + create Electron installer npm run build:dev # Build for development environment npm run build:staging # Build for staging environment npm run pack # Package without creating installer npm run dist # Create distribution packages

src/ ├── main.js # Electron main process ├── main.ts # TypeScript renderer process ├── preload.js # Preload script for IPC ├── style.css # Application styles └── assets/ └── aya-logo.png # App icon for development public/ # Vite static assets ├── aya-logo.png # Web favicon index.html # Main HTML template package.json # Project configuration vite.config.ts # Vite configuration

The app uses Electron's IPC for secure communication between processes:

// Available in renderer process via window.electronAPI - openAuthUrl() # Open authentication URL - setWindowOpacity(opacity) # Adjust window transparency - requestSystemPermissions() # Request mic/screen permissions - checkPermissions() # Check current permission status - closeWindow() # Close the application - onLoginComplete(callback) # Handle authentication callbacks

Transparent Window: Uses transparent: true and frame: false
Custom Drag Region: Top 40px header with -webkit-app-region: drag
Interactive Elements: Buttons use -webkit-app-region: no-drag
Backdrop Effects: CSS backdrop-filter: blur() for modern glass effects

Default Size: 800x800px
Transparency: Fully transparent background
Frame: Frameless with custom controls
Opacity Range: 20-100% adjustable

The app builds to different formats per platform:

macOS: DMG installer with dock integration
Windows: NSIS installer
Linux: AppImage package

Scheme: livekit-recorder://
Auth Callback: livekit-recorder://auth/callback?token=<token>
Single Instance: Prevents multiple app instances

Development mode automatically opens DevTools
Console logs show app initialization and permission status
Use npm run test-protocol to test deep link handling

If the app shows "Electron" instead of "Aya Assistant":

Restart the development server
Check that productName is set in package.json
Verify icon files exist in all required locations

Permission Issues (macOS)

Grant permissions in System Settings > Privacy & Security
Use npm run register-protocol if deep links aren't working
Check Console.app for system-level permission errors

Port in use: If port 1420 is occupied, Vite will try 1421
Permission denied: Run permission request and check System Settings
Protocol not registered: Run npm run register-protocol
App shows as "Electron": Restart development server
Transparency not working: Check CSS for background: transparent !important

Reset Development Environment

# Kill all processes pkill -f "livekit-recorder" pkill -f "electron" pkill -f "vite" # Clean and restart npm run dev

Backend

Set default language for the agent
Add prewarm to the agent for things that can be loaded in advance
Add tools to the agent the agent can use from it's own server
Add tools to the agent that it can pass to the user (might be a bit tricky to do async with default LiveKit agent tools)