KumoKodo.ai Case Study
Building Kodokyo
How we built an AI-native project operating system that replaces Slack, Jira, and Asana in a single platform—with agentic AI, real-time messaging, video huddles, and 57+ shipped features across 48 database tables.
The Challenge
Agencies and remote teams are drowning in tool fragmentation. Decisions happen in Slack, status updates live in Jira, plans sit in Asana, and documentation rots in Google Docs. The result: context switching, information silos, and documentation that's always stale. We set out to solve all of it in one platform.
Pain Points
- Context fragmentation — decisions in chat, status in PM tools, plans in docs, none connected
- Documentation debt — tickets go stale because updating them is unrewarded busywork
- Information overload — every tool shows everything to everyone, causing notification blindness
- Per-user pricing — adding team members becomes a cost liability instead of a productivity multiplier
- No AI integration — existing tools bolt on AI as an afterthought, not as a core capability
Our Goals
- Replace Slack + Jira + Asana with a single, unified platform
- Make AI a core participant — not a sidebar chatbot, but an agent that takes real actions
- Keep documentation alive automatically through AI-maintained Living Documents
- Price per team, not per user — so adding people makes the platform smarter, not more expensive
- Build for async-first, timezone-aware remote work from day one
Our Solution
Kodokyo is an AI-native project operating system built for agencies and remote teams. Every feature was designed from scratch to eliminate tool switching and put AI at the center of how work gets done.
Agentic AI with Tool Use
Powered by Anthropic Claude with 8 server-side tools. The AI assistant "Kodo" doesn't just answer questions — it creates tasks, manages teams, sends invites, and updates statuses through natural conversation. A stream-first architecture with up to 5 tool-use rounds ensures low-latency responses.
- AI task generation from descriptions
- Zero-input daily standups
- AI project health checks
- Context-aware suggestions per page
Slack-Grade Messaging
Full real-time messaging powered by Ably WebSockets. Channels scoped to organizations, clients, projects, tasks, and DMs. Every conversation is anchored to the work it concerns — no more searching through disconnected chat threads.
- Threaded replies with emoji reactions
- Typing indicators and presence
- Pinned messages and bookmarks
- @mentions with autocomplete
9 Task Views
Full project management with Kanban, List, Board, Timeline/Gantt, Calendar, Dashboard, Messages, Sprints, and Live Document views. Drag-and-drop reordering, subtasks, dependencies, recurring tasks, custom fields, and sprint planning built in.
- Drag-and-drop with dnd-kit
- Section-based task grouping
- Bulk operations
- Task activity audit trail
Video Huddles & Client Portal
LiveKit-powered WebRTC huddles with audio, video, screen sharing, and in-huddle chat. Plus a token-based client portal where clients can view progress, approve deliverables, and submit new projects — all without needing an account.
- AI meeting summary on end
- Client satisfaction ratings
- Project intake with AI scaffolding
- Approval workflows
Technical Deep Dive
Frontend Stack
Next.js 16 with App Router, React 19, and TypeScript. Three isolated route groups (marketing, app, portal) with independent layouts. 10 Zustand stores for state management with zero prop drilling.
- shadcn/ui with Radix primitives (new-york style)
- Tailwind CSS 4 with OKLCH accent color system
- Tiptap 3 rich text editor for Live Documents
- Recharts for analytics and reporting dashboards
- @dnd-kit for drag-and-drop task reordering
- cmdk command palette with global keyboard shortcuts
Backend & Infrastructure
100+ API endpoints deployed on Vercel serverless functions. Neon PostgreSQL with Drizzle ORM for type-safe database access. Cloudflare R2 for S3-compatible object storage with presigned URLs.
- Auth.js v5 with JWT sessions and Google OAuth
- Ably for all real-time: chat, presence, typing
- LiveKit Cloud for WebRTC video huddles
- Resend for transactional email notifications
- Centralized permission system with role-based maps
- JSONB configs for flexible automation rules
AI Architecture
Stream-first architecture using Anthropic Claude with native tool_use. The AI streams initial responses for low-latency Q&A, detects tool_use stop reasons, executes tools server-side (max 5 rounds), then streams the final response.
- 1.lookup_entities — resolve names to UUIDs
- 2.create_task / update_task / list_tasks — full task CRUD
- 3.add_team_member / remove_team_member — team management
- 4.create_team — organizational scaffolding
- 5.invite_member — send email invitations
Database Design (48 Tables)
Neon PostgreSQL with Drizzle ORM. Multi-tenant architecture with organization-scoped data isolation. Key domain areas:
- Auth & Users — accounts, sessions, OAuth links
- Organizations — members, invites, teams, 4-tier roles
- Clients & Projects — CRM, budgets, billing rates
- Tasks — status lifecycle, dependencies, recurrence, sprints
- Chat — channels, messages, reactions, threads, pins
- Automations — trigger/action rules with execution logs
- Client Portal — tokens, comments, approvals, intake
- Huddles — sessions, participants, in-huddle chat
Key Features
AI Chat Panel
Floating, draggable, resizable AI panel with streaming responses. Context-aware — knows which page, project, client, or team the user is viewing.
Living Documents
Per-project AI-maintained documents with change proposals, version history, and auto-generation from task data. Documentation that never goes stale.
Automations Engine
5 triggers and 6 actions with JSONB configs. Anti-loop protection, execution logging, and webhook support for external integrations.
Time Tracking
Live timer widget, manual entries, billable/non-billable flags. Per-client billing rates with project budget tracking and hour caps.
Multi-Tenant Orgs
4-tier role system (Owner, Admin, Member, Guest) with project-level roles. Email invitations with 7-day expiry and guest scoping to specific resources.
Centralized Permissions
Role-to-permission maps replace scattered inline checks. AI tool executors mirror API route permission checks for consistent authorization.
Integrations
GitHub, GitLab, Figma, and Google Calendar integrations. Custom inbound/outbound webhooks with signing secrets for secure automation.
Smart Notifications
Priority-grouped notifications (Urgent, Important, Earlier) with smart scoring. Unread-first sorting, per-org preferences, and Focus Mode with DND.
Workload Heatmap
GitHub-style activity heatmap showing task completions and hours tracked per team member. Load indicators and interactive day-by-day tooltips.
Results & Metrics
For Teams
- Unified workspace — chat, tasks, docs, and video in one tab
- AI handles task creation, prioritization, and status updates via conversation
- Auto-generated standup reports with zero manual input
- Smart notification grouping reduces alert fatigue
- Focus Mode with DND prevents context-switching
For Agencies
- Client portal with token-based access — no client accounts needed
- AI generates 8-15 tasks from client project intake forms automatically
- Profitability reporting with revenue vs. cost per client/project
- Client satisfaction tracking with 1-5 star ratings
- Team-based pricing scales without per-seat cost anxiety
Lessons Learned
AI tool-use needs permission mirroring
Every AI tool executor must replicate the same permission checks as the corresponding REST API route. We built a centralized permission system early, which made this straightforward instead of a security nightmare.
Real-time is table stakes, not a feature
Designing for Ably WebSocket channels from day one meant presence, typing indicators, and live updates came naturally. Retrofitting real-time onto existing architecture would have been a multi-month project.
Route groups save your sanity
Next.js route groups let us isolate marketing, app, and portal layouts completely. Each has its own auth model, sidebar, and design language — without fighting a single monolithic layout.
Drizzle ORM + Neon = serverless bliss
Type-safe database access with schema push (no migration files in dev) and serverless connection pooling eliminated entire categories of deployment headaches. 48 tables, zero migration drift.
About KumoKodo.ai
We specialize in building AI-powered SaaS applications using modern cloud-native technologies. Our team combines expertise in machine learning, full-stack development, and user experience design to create products that solve real business problems.
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