Retro dev

Retro dev is a tool to get or run git cmd with the help of ai rahter than learning some complex git cmd with github notification manager which give notification in chunk to help the dev to be focused

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Inspiration

We wanted to bring back the charm and focus of vintage computing interfaces while integrating modern development workflows. By combining nostalgia with powerful AI-driven tools, RetroDev aims to make coding both productive and enjoyable, reducing distractions and alert fatigue common in today’s fast-paced development environment.

What it does

RetroDev is a VS Code extension with a retro 80s/90s style interface that enhances developer productivity through two main components:

GitWhiz: An AI-powered Git assistant that understands natural language commands, suggests commits, manages branches, and keeps session-scoped terminal history per user.

RetroPulse: A GitHub notification dashboard that organizes notifications into time-based chunks to reduce context-switching and alert fatigue. It offers AI-generated summaries, actionable notification controls, and repo-level insights.

Together, these features streamline Git operations and notification management inside a vintage CRT-style UI, creating a distraction-free coding experience.

How we built it

We used React and Tailwind CSS to build the UI components with a retro aesthetic. The backend is powered by Node.js and Express, integrating AI services (Gemini/OpenAI) for natural language processing and summaries. Firebase authentication manages user sessions securely. Git operations are handled through Node.js libraries, and GitHub API is used for fetching and managing notifications. The VS Code extension was created using Yo Code, which helped scaffold the extension framework. This extension code connects all components together, orchestrating the AI-powered Git assistant and notification dashboard within the editor environment.

Challenges we ran into

Designing a cohesive retro UI that is both visually appealing and functional.

Parsing and translating natural language input into accurate Git commands.

Efficiently chunking and summarizing GitHub notifications without overwhelming users.

Managing state and authentication securely across multiple users in VS Code extension context.

What's next for Retro dev

Adding support for more AI-powered features like code reviews and conflict resolution. Improving retro pulse feature Expanding support for other version control systems and collaboration platforms

Built With

  • express.js-ai-integration:-gemini-api
  • firebase
  • frontend:-react
  • gemini
  • restapi
  • simple-git
  • tailwind-css-backend:-node.js
  • yocode:vscodeextension
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