Automating Knowledge Capture: Integrating AI APIs with Supernotes via Apple Shortcuts

In the ever-evolving landscape of productivity tools, integrating artificial intelligence with note-taking applications has become a game-changer for many users. This article explores an innovative workflow that combines Apple Shortcuts, Perplexity API, and OpenAI API to enhance the functionality of Supernotes, a popular note-taking platform. By leveraging these technologies, users can automate the process of generating interconnected cards from web content, creating a rich, hierarchical knowledge base with minimal manual input.

The primary goals of this workflow are to: 1. Extract and summarize content from a given webpage URL 2. Expand on the main subject of the summarized content 3. Generate up to five relevant follow-up questions 4. Provide answers to these follow-up questions 5. Create a series of linked cards in Supernotes that capture this information in a structured manner

This workflow utilizes a combination of powerful tools and APIs: 1. Apple Shortcuts: The backbone of the automation process, allowing for complex workflows on iOS and macOS devices. 2. Actions: An add-on for Apple Shortcuts that enhances its capabilities and simplifies certain tasks. 3. Perplexity API: An AI-powered web search tool that provides comprehensive answers and generates follow-up questions. 4. OpenAI API: Leveraging GPT models for content summarization and text processing. 5. Supernotes API: Enables the creation and linking of cards programmatically.

The workflow is broken down into several key steps: 1. Input handling: Accepting a webpage URL as input 2. API key retrieval: Securely accessing necessary API keys 3. Web content extraction: Obtaining the webpage's title and body content 4. Content summarization: Using OpenAI to generate a concise summary 5. Card creation: Forming the first Supernotes card with the summary 6. Topic expansion: Utilizing Perplexity to provide additional context 7. Follow-up question generation: Extracting relevant questions from the expanded content 8. Answer generation: Creating cards for each follow-up question and its answer 9. Card linking: Establishing parent-child relationships between cards

The process of creating cards in Supernotes is a crucial part of this workflow. It involves: 1. Formatting the card content, including the title and body 2. Making API calls to Supernotes to create new cards 3. Extracting the newly created card IDs for future reference 4. Establishing hierarchical relationships between cards by setting parent-child links

The workflow seamlessly integrates Perplexity and OpenAI APIs to enhance the content generation process: 1. Perplexity API is used for expanding on the main topic and generating follow-up questions 2. OpenAI API is utilized for summarizing web content and extracting structured information from Perplexity's responses 3. Both APIs require careful prompt engineering to ensure high-quality, relevant outputs

A unique aspect of this workflow is its ability to generate and answer follow-up questions: 1. Perplexity generates a list of up to five follow-up questions based on the expanded content 2. OpenAI is then used to extract and format these questions from the Perplexity response 3. Each question is sent back to Perplexity to obtain a detailed answer 4. Individual Supernotes cards are created for each question-answer pair, linked to the parent cards

The end result of this workflow is a structured set of Supernotes cards: 1. A root card containing the webpage summary 2. A child card with expanded information on the main topic 3. Multiple grandchild cards, each containing a follow-up question and its answer 4. All cards are interlinked, creating a navigable knowledge hierarchy This structure allows for easy exploration of the topic, from a high-level summary to specific details.

While powerful, this workflow does have some limitations: 1. The Perplexity API currently doesn't return valid sources, which may be a concern for users requiring citation. 2. Apple Shortcuts may require multiple permission requests, which can be cumbersome for some users. 3. The workflow's reliance on multiple APIs means that changes to any of these services could impact functionality. 4. The generated content's quality is dependent on the AI models' capabilities and the effectiveness of the prompts used.

This innovative workflow demonstrates the potential of combining various AI tools and APIs with note-taking applications like Supernotes. By automating the process of content summarization, expansion, and organization, users can quickly build comprehensive, interlinked knowledge bases from web content. While there are some limitations to consider, this approach opens up new possibilities for efficient information management and learning. As AI technologies continue to evolve, we can expect even more powerful integrations that will further enhance our ability to capture, process, and utilize information effectively.