Chatbot Desktop (Windows)

Electron-based desktop chatbot for Windows that stays hidden on startup and toggles its UI with a global hotkey. It connects to Google Gemini via @google/genai using your GEMINI_API_KEY.

Requirements

• Node.js 18+
• Windows 10/11
• Environment variable GEMINI_API_KEY set to a valid Google Gemini API key

Quick Start (Development)

1. Install dependencies:
   • npm install
2. Start the app:
   • npm start
3. Use the global hotkey to toggle the window:
   • Win+Shift+D (default)

Build and Install (Windows)

• Create an installer:
  • npm run build
• Run the generated installer (NSIS). After install, the app will start on login and remain hidden until you use the hotkey.

Environment

• Set GEMINI_API_KEY in your system environment variables before running or building.

Global Hotkey

• Default: Win+Shift+D
• Fallback: Ctrl+Shift+D (automatically used if the default is unavailable due to system or app conflicts)

App Behavior

• The app starts hidden (no window).
• Press Win+Shift+D to show/hide the window.
• Closing the window hides the app; it does not quit.
• Press Alt+Shift+Q to quit the app.

Troubleshooting

• Window does not appear:
  • Try Win+Shift+D; if it does not respond, try Ctrl+Shift+D (another app may have claimed the hotkey).
  • Check that the app is running in the background (Task Manager) and not fully closed.
• Gemini calls fail:
  • Ensure GEMINI_API_KEY is set and valid.
  • Verify network/proxy settings.
• Auto start not working:
  • Auto start is configured for the installed build. Use the installer created by npm run build.

Security

• Your API key is read from environment variables in the main process and is not exposed to the renderer. Requests are proxied via IPC.