ResearchPilot x AskMyNotes

This project now has two connected experiences inside the same codebase:

• ResearchPilot: a research assistant that gathers live source metadata, builds structured reports, expands topics, and keeps report history.
• AskMyNotes Study Copilot: a second page for the original notes workflow with up to 3 subjects, file uploads, grounded Q and A, and quiz generation.

Stack

• frontend/: Next.js 16 + TypeScript
• backend/: Express + TypeScript
• AI layer: Gemini API integration with local fallback behavior when no key is configured

Core Features

ResearchPilot

• Open-ended research query input
• Live source discovery using academic and reference endpoints
• Structured output:
  • Title
  • Abstract
  • Key Findings
  • Sources
  • Conclusion
  • Follow-up Questions
• Topic expansion
• Session history
• Markdown export

AskMyNotes Study Copilot

• Up to 3 subjects per user
• Upload PDF, TXT, or MD files
• Text extraction and note summaries
• Ask grounded questions from uploaded notes
• Optional semantic retrieval with Gemini embeddings + Pinecone per subject
• Generate revision quizzes

Environment

Backend

Create backend/.env from backend/.env.example

PORT=3001
FRONTEND_URL=http://localhost:3000
GOOGLE_API_KEY=
GEMINI_API_KEY=
GEMINI_MODEL=gemini-2.5-flash
PINECONE_API_KEY=
PINECONE_INDEX_HOST=

GOOGLE_API_KEY or GEMINI_API_KEY is optional but recommended. Without it, the app still runs using local fallback synthesis.

PINECONE_API_KEY and PINECONE_INDEX_HOST are optional. If set, Study Copilot indexes uploaded chunks per subject and uses semantic retrieval before answering questions.

Frontend

Create frontend/.env.local from frontend/.env.example

NEXT_PUBLIC_BACKEND_URL=http://localhost:3001

🚀 How to Start and Run the Project

Since this is a full-stack mono-repo, you will need two terminal windows open—one for the backend and one for the frontend.

Step 1: Install Dependencies

First, ensure you have Node.js installed. Then, install dependencies for both sides of the application:

Terminal 1 (Backend):

cd backend
npm install

Terminal 2 (Frontend):

cd frontend
npm install

Step 2: Configure Environment Variables

Before running the app, you need to set up your API keys.

1. Backend: Copy backend/.env.example to a new file named backend/.env. Add your Gemini and Pinecone API keys (if you don't add them, the app will use local fallback data but won't use AI generation).
2. Frontend: Copy frontend/.env.example to frontend/.env.local.

Step 3: Run the Development Servers

Now start both servers simultaneously:

Terminal 1 (Backend):

# Make sure you are inside the 'backend' folder
npm run dev

(The backend will start on http://localhost:3001)

Terminal 2 (Frontend):

# Make sure you are inside the 'frontend' folder
npm run dev

(The frontend will start on http://localhost:3000)

Step 4: Open the App

Open your browser and navigate to: http://localhost:3000

Note: If port 3000 or 3001 is already in use by another app, stop the old process first.

Notes

• User data is stored locally in backend/data/db.json during development.
• PDF parsing is supported in study mode.
• Gemini is used for richer report generation, topic expansion, note summarization, grounded answers, and quizzes when an API key is configured.
• Pinecone is used only when its environment variables are configured; otherwise the app falls back to local note-context retrieval.