aid-buildandlearn/cihaz-chat

Cihaz Chat is a desktop assistant app, written in Python, that is part of a larger open source learning platform called Cihaz aimed at kids and anyone who wants to learn by building things. The wider platform includes real hardware, a browser based coding tool, and a 3D printed case, and Chat is the piece where a person describes an idea in plain language, such as wanting a game where falling boxes are caught, and the assistant turns that description into working code. No programming background is required to use it. The app connects to an AI model, showing a live thinking timer while it waits for a response, and it automatically lists whichever models the user's API key gives access to. It supports attaching photos such as screenshots or error messages, an optional voice input feature that transcribes speech locally using Whisper, and an optional web search for questions needing current information. Conversations are organized into separate projects, each keeping its own notebook of context, and any code block in a reply can be copied to the clipboard with one click. Setup involves installing a handful of Python packages, copying an example configuration file, and running the app, which asks for an API key the first time and saves it for future runs. The assistant can connect either to a paid cloud AI service, with Anthropic as the default, or to a free AI model running locally through tools like Ollama or LM Studio, keeping everything offline and free, switching to the local option currently requires a small manual code change rather than a ready-made toggle. The assistant's behavior comes from two layered instructions: a fixed local prompt built into the code that always applies, and an optional prompt fetched from an online link such as a GitHub Gist that a parent can update remotely without touching the code. Parents can disable the web search button entirely by adding a specific marker to that online prompt, and can set up a separate, optional notification system that silently alerts a parent by Telegram or ntfy if a child's message matches a list of concerning words, without anything changing on the child's own screen. To keep long conversations fast, the app only sends the assistant the most recent 30 messages of context, though the full history stays visible on screen. The README does not mention a software license.