💻 Technical Project Outline

The table below summarizes the main goals and the proposed technical approach for your web application.

Requirement / Goal Proposed Technical Implementation
Website Foundation Use a React or Vue.js frontend. Use a Node.js/Express or Python/FastAPI backend.
OpenAI API Key Integration A secure form to input and temporarily store the OpenAI API Key on the backend. The key is used to authenticate requests to the OpenAI API.
GitHub Account Linking Integrate GitHub OAuth App. Users are redirected to GitHub to authorize. The application receives a short-lived access token to act on the user's behalf.
Repository Selection After authentication, use the GitHub API with the user's access token to fetch a list of their repositories and display them in a dropdown menu for selection.
AI Chat & Auto-Commit A chat interface sends user messages to the OpenAI API. The AI's code response is processed, and the application uses the GitHub API to create a new branch and commit the changes automatically.
Merge Changes A button that triggers a final API call to the GitHub API to create a Pull Request and then merge it into the original branch.

🔄 How the Application Would Work

Building the application involves creating a series of connected operations:

1. User Authentication with GitHub: Instead of asking for a username and password, your app will use GitHub's OAuth 2.0 flow. When a user clicks "Connect GitHub," they are redirected to GitHub to authorize your application. Upon success, GitHub provides an access token, which your backend securely stores (e.g., in a session) to make API calls on the user's behalf.
2. Fetching and Selecting a Repository: Once authenticated, your backend will use the GitHub access token to call the GitHub API (e.g., GET /user/repos) and fetch the user's repositories. This list is displayed in the frontend for the user to choose from.
3. AI-Powered Code Operations:
· The user's text command in the chat interface is sent to your backend.
· Your backend sends this prompt to the OpenAI API, using the API Key the user provided earlier.
· Your application receives the AI-generated code (e.g., a code snippet, a fix, or a new file).
· The backend then uses the GitHub API to:
· Create a new branch in the selected repository.
· Create a new commit on this branch with the changes produced by the AI.
4. Merging the Changes: The "Merge" button triggers your backend to use the GitHub API to:
· Create a Pull Request from the new branch to the main branch (or the original branch).
· Merge the Pull Request, integrating the changes.

🛠️ Important Technical Considerations

For a secure, professional, and user-friendly application, pay close attention to these areas:

· Security:
· API Key Storage: Never store OpenAI API keys in plain text. Use secure, temporary storage like a session or an in-memory database and clearly encrypt them. Inform users that providing their key is optional for the application's core function.
· GitHub Permissions: When creating the GitHub OAuth App, request only the minimum permissions (repo scope is needed for private and public repositories).
· Error Handling & User Feedback: The implementation must include robust error handling for scenarios like invalid API keys, GitHub API rate limits, network failures, or the AI failing to generate valid code. Provide clear feedback to the user in the UI.
· State Management: You will need to manage the application's state carefully, keeping track of the user's active GitHub access token, the selected repository, the current branch, and the OpenAI API key throughout their session.