Inspiration
Chatting with international friends on Discord and Slack, I constantly faced language barriers. Google Translate lacks context, and using ChatGPT meant endless copy-pasting between tabs. I needed accurate, instant, seamless translation.
What it does
Xiaoniao automatically translates and pastes in real-time:
- Copy text (Ctrl+C)
- Extension auto-translates in 1 second
- Auto-pastes the translation - no manual paste needed
Works on any website with any input field - Discord, Slack, WhatsApp Web, Gmail, Twitter, everywhere.
How we built it
Core Technologies:
- Chrome Built-in AI Prompt API (
window.ai.languageModel) with Gemini Nano for on-device translation - Service Worker for background processing
- Content Scripts for auto-paste on messaging platforms
- Hybrid AI architecture: Built-in AI, Gemini API, or custom API keys
Key Features:
- Clipboard monitoring with debouncing
- Custom translation styles (casual, formal, user-defined prompts)
- Privacy-focused local processing
Challenges we ran into
Clipboard API limitations: Chrome's clipboard security restrictions. Solved with content script injection.
Translation accuracy: Initial translations too literal. Fixed with precise system prompts emphasizing context.
Auto-paste complexity: Different websites handle paste differently. Created platform-specific handlers.
Performance: Needed instant translation. Implemented debouncing and optimized AI calls.
Accomplishments
- Reduced translation workflow from 7 steps to 1 keystroke
- Achieved sub-second translation with Built-in AI
- Privacy-first: No data sent to servers with Gemini Nano
- Works across all major chat platforms
What we learned
- Chrome Built-in AI APIs require careful prompt engineering
- Simplicity beats feature quantity
- Visual feedback crucial for async operations
Built With
- chrome
- chrome-built-in-ai
- content-scripts
- gemini-nano
- go
- javascript
- manifest
- prompt-api
- service-worker
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