Socratic - Your AI Coding Conscience

Built With

Frontend (Desktop Application)

Electron.js - Cross-platform desktop framework for building the native application
Node.js - JavaScript runtime for the main process
HTML5/CSS3 - Modern web technologies for the chat interface
JavaScript (ES6+) - Client-side logic and IPC communication
IPC (Inter-Process Communication) - Electron's messaging system between main and renderer processes

Backend (AI Service)

Python 3.13 - Core backend language
FastAPI - High-performance async web framework for RESTful API
Uvicorn - Lightning-fast ASGI server
Pydantic - Data validation and schema modeling

AI & Machine Learning

Anthropic Claude API - Claude 3 Haiku model for intelligent tutoring
Claude 3 Haiku - Fast, cost-effective LLM optimized for conversational AI
Custom Socratic System Prompt - Professional teaching methodology implementation
JSON Structured Outputs - Typed responses with classification metadata

Key Libraries & Dependencies

anthropic (Python) - Official Anthropic SDK for Claude API integration
python-dotenv - Environment variable management
Chokidar - File system watching (disabled in current version)
httpx - Async HTTP client for API calls

Architecture & Design Patterns

RESTful API - Standard HTTP endpoints for code analysis
Event-Driven Architecture - EventEmitter pattern for service communication
Session State Management - In-memory tracking of tutoring sessions
Observer Pattern - For monitoring user interactions
Singleton Pattern - Service instances in backend

Development Tools

npm - Package management for Node.js
pip - Python package management
Git - Version control
Markdown - Documentation and LaTeX support

Deployment & Infrastructure

localhost:8000 - Backend API server
CORS middleware - Cross-origin resource sharing for security
JSON API - Standardized data exchange format

Special Features

Safe Console Wrapper - Custom EPIPE error prevention system
Cursor-Style Sidebar - Modern chat interface design
Real-time Classification - SYNTAX/LOGIC/CONCEPTUAL issue detection
Adaptive Memory System - Tracks repeated mistakes and learning patterns
Multi-Level Hint System - Progressive disclosure of guidance (3 levels)

Technology Highlights

Why Claude 3 Haiku?

⚡ Fast response times (~1-2 seconds)
💰 Cost-effective for educational applications
🧠 Excellent reasoning for Socratic questioning
📊 Structured outputs with JSON mode

Why Electron?

🖥️ Cross-platform (macOS, Windows, Linux)
🎨 Modern UI with web technologies
🔧 Native integrations (system tray, notifications)
💬 Cursor-style sidebar overlay capabilities

Why FastAPI?

🚀 Async/await for concurrent requests
📝 Auto-generated docs (Swagger/OpenAPI)
✅ Type safety with Pydantic
⚡ High performance (comparable to Node.js)

API Endpoints

POST /api/code_update          # Main tutoring endpoint
POST /api/reset_session        # Reset session memory
POST /api/set_tone             # Change teaching personality
GET  /health                   # Service health check

Tech Stack Summary

Layer	Technology
Desktop UI	Electron.js, HTML/CSS/JS
Backend API	Python, FastAPI, Uvicorn
AI Model	Claude 3 Haiku (Anthropic)
Data Format	JSON, Pydantic schemas
Architecture	RESTful API + Event-driven
Runtime	Node.js + Python 3.13