Idea Notepad

A smart research and project planning assistant built with Tauri, React, and Google Gemini.

This project was created with AI-assistance. If you would like to learn more about my journey with using AI tools for development, you can read here:

https://medium.com/@alex.j.witkowski/i-just-changed-my-entire-development-workflow-based-on-a-philosophy-that-initially-broke-me-3072954a80c6

Overview

Idea Notepad is a dual-mode AI assistant designed to help you go from "I have an idea" to "Here is the spec" as fast as possible. It focuses on two specific workflows: Quick Research and Project Building.

Core Features

Research Mode

Quick and dirty deep dives into any topic.

• TLDR Headlines: Get the bottom line instantly.
• Summarized Flows: Extracts key processes and steps rather than just generic facts.
• Ranked Findings: Clickable list of key concepts to dive deeper.
• Visuals: Automatically generates diagrams and charts (Mermaid.js) when helpful.
• Sources: Citations with links to verify information.

Building Mode

Turn rough notes into actionable specs.

• AI Product Manager: Analyzes your rough ideas and context.
• Lean Specs: Generates a structured "Project Handoff" document.
• AI Studio Integration: Click to open the prompt directly in Google AI Studio for implementation planning.
• Implementation Guidelines: Provides high-level architectural advice ("North Star") for your build.

Tech Stack

• Frontend: React 19, TypeScript, Vite
• Desktop Wrapper: Tauri v2
• Styling: TailwindCSS 4
• Editor: TipTap (Rich text)
• AI: Google Gemini 2.0 Flash (via @google/genai)
• Visuals: Mermaid.js, Nano Banana (Diagram generation)

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Bun (v1.0+)
• Rust (for Tauri)
• Google Gemini API Key

Installation

1. Clone the repo

   git clone <repo-url>
   cd ideas

2. Install dependencies

   bun install

3. Set up Environment Create a .env file in the root directory:

   VITE_GEMINI_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

4. Run Development Server

   bun run tauri dev

Usage Guide

Researching

1. Type a query in the research panel OR select text in the editor and press Shift+Enter.
2. The AI will classify your intent (Research vs Building).
3. Research Mode: You'll see a TLDR, summary, and clickable flows.
4. Building Mode: You'll see a generated project spec prompt.

Project Handoff

1. Write down your rough ideas, features, and constraints in a note.
2. Select the text and trigger a build intent (or type "Build [project idea]").
3. Review the generated "Lean Spec".
4. Click the Open in AI Studio button to copy the prompt and start chatting with a coding agent to build it.

Contributing

1. Fork the Project
2. Create your Feature Branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your Changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the Branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request