Chat with Beacon
A parent-voiced AI co-parent that knows your child's profile, behaviors, sensory map, and IEP context.
When to use this
Use Chat when you want a real answer to a real question without filing-cabinet research. Beacon is not generic ChatGPT: it remembers what you've logged in Beacon, knows your child's sensory profile, sees the most recent behavior pattern, and pulls the right tool (Voice, Workshop, IEP Translator, Sensory) into the conversation when you describe a need.
How it works
Type or speak the question
Open Chat from the bottom nav. Type what's on your mind, or tap the mic to dictate. Beacon answers in parent-voice, not therapy-speak.
Beacon pulls context automatically
If you ask about a meltdown, Beacon knows the last 25 days of taps. If you ask about an IEP question, it knows what you uploaded. You don't re-explain your child every conversation.
Beacon points you to the right tool
When you describe a need that fits a specific tool (voice instead of typing, generating an IEP letter, breaking down a document), Beacon names the tool inline and offers the shortcut.
Crisis mode is always free
The floating SOS button opens 8 crisis scenarios (meltdown, shutdown, self-harm, public, elopement, transition, aggressive, parent meltdown). No quota, no paywall, never. Always-on safety net.
What Beacon stores when you use it
chat_messages: Each message you send and each response Beacon writes is one row. Beacon's working memory keeps the last 60 turns; older messages stay in the table but aren't re-attached to every prompt to keep latency + cost reasonable.
| Column | Type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| id | UUID | f2a3... Primary key. |
| user_id | UUID | your-user-id RLS-locked to you. |
| role | TEXT | 'user' | 'assistant' Who wrote this turn. |
| content | TEXT | the actual message body Markdown allowed in assistant turns. |
| created_at | TIMESTAMPTZ | 2026-05-15 09:42:11 EDT Timestamp drives the message-limit counter (Free 3/day, Standard 20/day, Plus 30/day). |
A real example
A Free-tier parent uses up their 10 initial messages over the first few days, then bumps into the daily limit. Here's what the counter shows them:
| date | sent | remaining |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 (signup) | 4 messages | 6 of initial 10 |
| Day 2 | 3 messages | 3 of initial 10 |
| Day 3 | 3 messages | 0 of initial 10 → daily-cap mode starts tomorrow |
| Day 4 | 3 messages | 0 of today's 3 → next message blocked until tomorrow |
| Day 4 (Crisis) | (any) | Crisis is always free, no quota applies |
What Beacon auto-knows
- Your child's profile (name, age band, any tags you set during onboarding).
- Your sensory profile (the 7-channel Seeker/Avoider/Mixer/Neutral map).
- The last 60 turns of this conversation.
- Today's behavior tap counts (the same counts the chip badges show).
- Your subscription tier and remaining message quota.
How it fits with Chat
- Chat is the discussion. There's no separate Discuss-with-Beacon for the chat itself; the chat IS the discussion surface.
- If you're on a different feature page and you tap Discuss with Beacon, it opens a chat with that feature's context already attached.
Try these with Beacon
“We had a really hard morning. Can you help me figure out what set it off?”
Beacon checks today's behavior taps for clusters around the morning hours, asks one or two clarifying questions (sleep, food, transitions), and offers a likely-trigger shortlist instead of a generic empathy reply. If the answer needs sensory profile context (e.g., loud-vs-quiet morning), it uses your saved profile.
“I want to record this voice note instead of typing.”
Beacon names the Voice surface and offers a one-tap shortcut. The recording transcribes server-side and lands as a regular chat message you can continue from. Voice is on Standard and above; Free tier sees the upsell instead.
“Help me write the email to my child's teacher.”
Beacon offers two paths: (1) draft right here in chat using current context, or (2) hand off to the Workshop's IEP Advocacy Letter tool for a longer formal letter with structured sections. Lets you pick the right one for the moment.
“My partner doesn't understand why we can't just 'use timeout'. What do I say?”
Beacon scripts a parent-voiced, partner-aimed explanation grounded in your child's specific profile (e.g., 'her sensory-avoider response means isolation makes it worse, not better'). No lecturing. Practical.
“I'm at the end of my rope right now.”
Beacon switches register: validation first, no recommendations until you ask. Surfaces the Crisis button as an always-free option if the moment escalates. If you stay in regular chat, Beacon stays with you instead of trying to fix.