Local Development Setup

Local Development Setup

This guide provides step-by-step instructions to set up the Synthesis application on your local machine for development and testing.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed:

• Git: For cloning the repository.
  • Download Git
• Node.js (v18.x or later): The JavaScript runtime environment. We recommend using a version manager like nvm.
  • Download Node.js
• npm, Yarn, or pnpm: A package manager for Node.js. (npm is included with Node.js)
  • npm (Node Package Manager)
  • yarn (Run npm install -g yarn)
  • pnpm (Run npm install -g pnpm)
• Docker & Docker Compose: For running a local PostgreSQL database.
  • Download Docker Desktop
• Google AI Studio Account & Gemini API Key: Synthesis relies on the Google Gemini API for its AI capabilities.
  • Get started with Google AI Studio to generate an API key.

Getting Started

Follow these steps to get the project up and running:

1. Clone the Repository

   Open your terminal and clone the Synthesis repository:

   git clone https://github.com/omkarspace/synthesis.git
   cd synthesis
   

2. Install Dependencies

   Install the project dependencies using your preferred package manager:

   # Using npm
   npm install
   
   # Using Yarn
   yarn install
   
   # Using pnpm
   pnpm install
   

Environment Configuration

Synthesis requires specific environment variables to connect to the database and the Gemini API.

1. Create an Environment File

   Create a .env file in the root of the project by copying the example:

   cp .env.example .env
   

2. Configure Environment Variables

   Open the newly created .env file and fill in the following variables:

   • DATABASE_URL: This is the connection string for your PostgreSQL database.
   • GEMINI_API_KEY: Your API key obtained from Google AI Studio.

   Your .env file should look something like this:

   # Database connection string (PostgreSQL)
   DATABASE_URL="postgresql://user:password@localhost:5432/synthesis?schema=public"
   
   # Google Gemini API Key
   GEMINI_API_KEY="YOUR_GEMINI_API_KEY_HERE"
   
   # Next.js Public URL (optional, defaults to localhost:3000 in dev)
   NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL="http://localhost:3000"
   

   Important: Replace "YOUR_GEMINI_API_KEY_HERE" with your actual Gemini API key.

Database Setup (PostgreSQL with Docker)

We'll use Docker Compose to easily spin up a local PostgreSQL instance.

1. Start the Database Container

   From the project root, start the PostgreSQL container:

   docker compose up -d postgres
   

   This command starts a PostgreSQL container in the background. The DATABASE_URL in your .env file should match the credentials configured in docker-compose.yml (default: user:password@localhost:5432/synthesis).

2. Run Prisma Migrations

   Once the database container is running, apply the Prisma schema and migrations:

   npx prisma migrate dev --name init
   

   This command will:

   • Create the database schema.
   • Apply any pending migrations.
   • Generate the Prisma client.

3. Generate Prisma Client

   Ensure the Prisma client is generated for your application to interact with the database:

   npx prisma generate
   

Running the Application

With all prerequisites and configurations in place, you can now run the Synthesis application.

1. Start the Development Server

   # Using npm
   npm run dev
   
   # Using Yarn
   yarn dev
   
   # Using pnpm
   pnpm dev
   

   The application will start on http://localhost:3000 (or another port if 3000 is occupied).

2. Access the Application

   Open your web browser and navigate to http://localhost:3000.

   You should see the Synthesis dashboard, ready for you to create new projects and upload documents.

Optional: Test Gemini API Key

You can quickly verify your GEMINI_API_KEY using a simple script provided:

node test-api.js

This script will attempt to make a call to the Gemini API and report success or failure.

Troubleshooting

• Error: PrismaClientKnownRequestError / Database Connection:
  • Ensure your Docker container for PostgreSQL is running (docker ps).
  • Verify DATABASE_URL in .env matches the Docker Compose configuration (username, password, port, database name).
  • Confirm npx prisma migrate dev ran successfully.
• Error: GEMINI_API_KEY is not set! or AI features not working:
  • Double-check that GEMINI_API_KEY is correctly set in your .env file and that there are no leading/trailing spaces or incorrect characters.
  • Verify your API key is active and has sufficient quotas on Google AI Studio.
  • Run node test-api.js to isolate the API key issue.
• File Upload Errors:
  • The application creates an uploads directory in the project root to store uploaded files. Ensure your user has write permissions to the project directory.
• Module Not Found Errors:
  • Run npm install (or yarn install/pnpm install) again to ensure all dependencies are installed.
  • Run npx prisma generate to ensure the Prisma client is up-to-date.