🔬 Science Study Chatbot

An AI chatbot agent that helps students answer scientific questions and study more effectively. It uses large language models through the OpenRouter API and provides a simple web interface for chatting.

Table of Contents

• Features
• Demo
• Tech Stack
• Project Structure
• Getting Started
• Configuration
• Usage
• Security
• Roadmap
• Contributing
• License

Features

• Answers questions across scientific subjects (physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, etc.)
• Explains concepts step by step, adapted to a student's level
• Keeps conversation history so you can continue a study session
• Lightweight web interface, no framework needed on the front end
• Model access through OpenRouter, so you can switch models easily

Demo

Tech Stack

Layer	Technology
Backend	Python
AI provider	OpenRouter API
Frontend	HTML (static/index.html)
Config	python-dotenv
Storage	Local chat history files

Project Structure

chat/
├── .gitignore
├── README.md
└── chatbot/
    ├── main.py            # Backend and chatbot logic
    ├── example.env        # Template for environment variables
    ├── .gitignore
    └── static/
        └── index.html     # Web interface

The chat_history/ folder is created automatically at runtime and is not tracked by Git.

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Python 3.9 or newer
• An OpenRouter account and API key (get one here)
• Git

Installation

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/rayngift/chatbot.git
   cd chatbot/chatbot

2. Create a virtual environment (recommended)

   python -m venv venv
   venv\Scripts\activate        # Windows
   source venv/bin/activate     # macOS / Linux

3. Install dependencies

   pip install -r requirements.txt

Configuration

1. Copy the template:

   copy example.env .env        # Windows
   cp example.env .env          # macOS / Linux

2. Open .env and add your own key:

   OPENROUTER_API_KEY=your_key_here
   

⚠️ Never commit .env or share your API key. It is already listed in .gitignore.

Usage

Start the application:

python main.py

Then open the address shown in the terminal (for example http://localhost:8000) in your browser and start asking questions.

Example prompts

• "Explain photosynthesis in simple terms."
• "Walk me through solving a quadratic equation step by step."
• "Quiz me on Newton's three laws."
• "What is the difference between mitosis and meiosis?"

Security

• API keys are loaded from environment variables and never stored in the code.
• .env, chat history, and archive files are excluded through .gitignore.
• If a key is ever exposed, revoke it immediately from the OpenRouter dashboard.

Roadmap

• Quiz and flashcard generation mode
• Support for LaTeX / math formula rendering
• Subject selection (physics, chemistry, biology, ...)
• Upload a PDF course and ask questions about it
• Multi-language interface (French / English)

Contributing

Contributions are welcome.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a branch: git checkout -b feature/my-feature
3. Commit your changes: git commit -m "Add my feature"
4. Push the branch: git push origin feature/my-feature
5. Open a Pull Request

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

Author

Made by rayngift