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2Timer Help

Practical guides for humans, with structure that is easy for AI systems to parse.

AI Assistant

Purpose

Explain what the 2Timer AI assistant can do, how to turn it on, and how to use it well during meet setup and race operations.

Prerequisites

  • 2Timer open at /app.
  • An OpenAI, Anthropic, or Gemini API key if you want to enable assistant features.
  • A clear understanding that the assistant helps with answers and proposed changes, but you still review important decisions.

What the Assistant Can Help With

The assistant is built to help with two common jobs:

  • Answer questions about 2Timer and your meet setup.
  • Suggest changes to meet data that you can review before applying.

Common uses:

  • explain how a feature works
  • find why a setup is not behaving as expected
  • summarize meet configuration
  • suggest the next steps for race-day troubleshooting
  • help prepare changes to events, athletes, entries, teams, sessions, or rounds

What the Assistant Does Not Do

The assistant is not meant to replace meet staff judgment.

  • It should not be treated as the final authority on official results.
  • It can only help based on the data and setup already in your meet.
  • You should still review anything important before accepting it.

Use it as a fast helper, not as the official scorer.

How Setup Works

Open Settings → Assistant.

That page currently includes:

  • Integration Setup — provider connection and model selection
  • Saved Prompts — reusable prompt templates
  • Audit Log — history of applied AI proposals

The current setup supports connecting your own OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, or Gemini key.

Connecting Your API Key

  1. Go to Settings → Assistant.
  2. In Integration Setup, choose OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, or Google Gemini.
  3. Create an API key with your chosen provider:
  4. Paste the key into 2Timer.
  5. Optionally add a label for the key.
  6. Choose the default model.
  7. Save the connection.
  8. Run the built-in connection test.

Provider Notes

  • OpenAI works with standard OpenAI API keys from your OpenAI platform account.
  • Anthropic Claude works with Anthropic API keys from the Anthropic Console.
  • Gemini works with Gemini API keys created in Google AI Studio.
  • 2Timer stores the key only on this device and uses it for direct provider requests from your browser.
  • Use a trusted device and account, because anyone with access to this browser profile may be able to use the saved key.

How Key Storage Works

Your provider key is stored on that device for use in the app.

That means:

  • another browser or another machine will need its own setup
  • clearing local app or browser storage may remove the saved key
  • you should treat the device as one you trust

Asking Questions

You can use the assistant for product-help or meet-help questions such as:

  • “How do I configure FinishLynx SCH export?”
  • “Why are my reads showing No Marker?”
  • “What does this seeding status mean?”
  • “How should I publish results to FTP?”

For the best answers:

  • mention the page or workflow you are on
  • include the event type or meet type when relevant
  • include the error message or unexpected behavior, not just “it doesn’t work”

Suggested Changes

If your request sounds like a change, the assistant may respond with suggested actions instead of only an explanation.

Examples:

  • update an athlete record
  • assign an event round to a session
  • change event or round details
  • move or edit entries

This helps keep the workflow reviewable. You can look over the suggestion before moving ahead.

Saved Prompts

Use Saved Prompts in Settings → Assistant to keep reusable prompt templates for recurring tasks.

Good prompt-template examples:

  • pre-race setup review
  • post-import cleanup checklist
  • meet-day troubleshooting
  • report-selection help
  • seeding review for a finals session

Saved prompts are especially useful when multiple operators ask the assistant the same kinds of questions.

Audit Log

Use the Audit Log in Settings → Assistant to review the history of assistant-driven proposal applications.

This helps when you need to answer:

  • what was changed
  • when it was changed
  • whether a change came from the assistant workflow

Recommended Safety Practices

  • Review meet setup yourself before relying on assistant advice.
  • Treat the assistant as a fast helper, not the official scorer.
  • Double-check any proposed changes that affect entries, advancement, places, or published results.
  • Confirm team codes, rounds, and event numbers before accepting broad edits.
  • Keep a .2t backup before applying large batches of changes.

Troubleshooting

Problem Likely Cause Fix
Assistant features are unavailable API key is not configured Open Settings → Assistant and save a valid provider key
Test connection fails Invalid key, revoked key, or network issue Re-enter the key and rerun the connection test
Assistant gives a vague answer Prompt is too broad or missing meet context Mention the page, event, connector, or exact error
Suggested change is not what you wanted Request was ambiguous Ask again with a narrower target and desired outcome
Applied AI change needs review You need to confirm what happened Check Audit Log and the affected meet page

When to Ask the Assistant vs. Use Help Docs

Use the assistant when:

  • you want a quick answer in plain language
  • your issue combines multiple features
  • you want help preparing a change

Use the help docs when:

  • you want a stable step-by-step reference
  • you need to train staff on a standard workflow
  • you want a page you can reuse or share

The best workflow is often both: use the assistant for guidance, then confirm the final process in the help docs.

Related Pages

Metadata

  • Last Updated: 2026-03-30
  • Version: 0.2
  • Status: Active