I've been using LLM-powered search engines like Perplexity a lot recently for question answering but had two major qualms:

1. Too much text: I'm already tired of wading through LLM-generated meaningless filler when debugging my code. The last thing I need is more of it when I'm just trying to find a simple answer.

2. The Reddit factor: I've realized that half my search queries have "Reddit" appended to them, especially for experiential questions or recommendations.

This led to Just the Answer. Just the Answer uses GPT-4o to generate a unique search query for each message that is sent, combining your past messages, the current date & time (if relevant), and your most recent message. It then uses serper.dev to run a search for the query, and then if GPT determines that the query is asking about a subjective experience, it runs a parallel one with "reddit" appended and prioritizes those results. Both searches are then condensed into as few words as necessary to get what I need. The search query can be accessed via the link icon on the right of each answer, and the chosen sources can be seen by expanding the answer. This is all served via a NextJS frontend.

In theory, as few words as possible sounded great. In practice however, this meant that I was sometimes left wanting slightly more information, so I added the ability to select follow-up questions and dig deeper into important keywords in the answer just by clicking on them.

Since building this, I've found myself using it more than Perplexity, especially for outing and content recommendations due to the Reddit factor. The Wikipedia-style hyperlink feature has also been enjoyable, as it allows me to build my own personal detailed answer based on my choices rather than just be given an essay from one question—I read, select, read, select, and so on.

One thing I'd like to add is a built-in traditional browser interface that can be opened if needed since it's a pain having to leave the page if you want to access more search results. This would streamline the experience and keep everything in one place.

I'd love to hear your thoughts!