Open Interview Coder: Your Free AI-Powered Interview Prep Partner

TL;DR: You can try it for FREE by downloading the app under Releases and using your Google Gemini API key.

If you don't trust the app (which you should), you're welcome to clone the repository and run it yourself!

Why Open Interview Coder?

I forked this to bring a fair game for everyone. Companies need to change how they do technical interviews.

How to Use

1. Initial Setup: Launch the discreet window
2. Configuration: Use Ctrl + Shift + I/Cmd + Shift + I to open the settings menu. Enter your API key and select your preferred AI model for problem extraction and solution generation.
3. Problem Capture: Use Ctrl + H/Cmd + H to take screenshots of coding problems.
4. AI-Powered Processing: Press Ctrl + Enter/Cmd + Enter to send the screenshots for analysis. The AI extracts the problem details, then generates an optimal solution, all using your personal API key.
5. Solution: Review the generated solutions with detailed explanations.
6. Window Management: Move the window using Ctrl + Arrow keys/Cmd + Arrow keys, toggle its visibility with Ctrl + B/Cmd + B, and adjust the opacity with Ctrl + [/Cmd + [ and Ctrl + ]/Cmd + ]. The window remains hidden from the specified screen sharing applications. Start a new problem session with Ctrl + R/Cmd + R.

Core Functionalities

• 🎯 Stealth Mode: An almost invisible window that bypasses most screen capture methods.
• 📸 Smart Capture: Separate capture of problem text and code for better AI analysis.
• 🤖 AI Brainpower: Automatic problem extraction and analysis using GPT-4o.
• 💡 Solution Insights: Detailed solutions with time and space complexity analysis.
• 🔧 Intelligent Debugging: AI assistance with structured feedback for your code.
• 🎨 Flexible Window: Move, resize, adjust opacity, and zoom as needed.
• 🔄 AI Model Options: Choose between OpenAI's models or Google Gemini's models for different task.
• 🔒 Privacy First: Your API key and data stay local, except for direct calls to OpenAI or Google Gemini.

Global Shortcuts

These unobtrusive keyboard commands won't clash with other applications:

• Start New Problem: Ctrl + R or Cmd + R
• Open Settings: Ctrl + Shift + I or Cmd + Shift + I
• Take Screenshot: Ctrl + H or Cmd + H
• Process Screenshots: Ctrl + Enter or Cmd + Enter
• Toggle Visibility: Ctrl + B or Cmd + B
• Move Window: Ctrl + Arrow keys or Cmd + Arrow keys
• Decrease Opacity: Ctrl + [ or Cmd + [
• Increase Opacity: Ctrl + ] or Cmd + ]
• Quit: Ctrl + Q or Cmd + Q

Invisibility Details

Hidden From:

• Zoom versions older than 6.1.6.
• All browser-based screen recording software.
• All versions of Discord.
• macOS screenshot (Command + Shift + 3/4).

Visible To:

• Zoom versions 6.1.6 and above (downgrade if necessary: https://zoom.en.uptodown.com/mac/versions).
• macOS screen recording (Command + Shift + 5).

Getting Started: Installation and Development Setup

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

• Node.js (v16 or higher) installed on your system.
• npm package manager.
• An active OpenAI API Key or Google Gemini API Key.
• Screen Recording Permission enabled for your Terminal/IDE:
  • macOS: Go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Screen Recording, find Open Interview Coder, and ensure it's checked. Restart the app after enabling.
  • Windows: No additional permissions are required.
  • Linux: Depending on your distribution, you might need to grant xhost access.

Installation Steps

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/xhoantran/open-interview-coder.git
   cd open-interview-coder

2. Install the necessary dependencies:

   npm install

Running in Development Mode

To start the application in a development environment:

npm run start

Building for Production

To create distributable packages for your local platform:

npm run package

This command will package the application for your current operating system.

Building Distributable Packages for Specific Platforms

To create installable packages for macOS (DMG) or Windows (Installer):

For macOS (DMG):

npm run package-mac
# Or using yarn
yarn package-mac

For Windows (Installer):

npm run package-win
# Or using yarn
yarn package-win

The resulting packaged applications will be located in the release directory.

Important Considerations and Troubleshooting

• Window Manager Conflicts: Some window management utilities (like Rectangle Pro on macOS) might interfere with the app's window positioning. Consider temporarily disabling them if you encounter issues.
• OpenAI API Usage: Be mindful of your OpenAI API key's rate limits and the costs associated with different API calls, especially Vision API calls which are more expensive.
• Custom LLM Integration: You can explore integrating other Large Language Models (LLMs) such as Claude, Deepseek, or Grok by modifying the API calls within /src/main/processor.
• Common Issues and Solutions:
  • If the application window doesn't appear, try toggling its visibility multiple times using Ctrl+B/Cmd+B.
  • Adjust the window's opacity using Ctrl+[/Cmd+[ and Ctrl+]/Cmd+] if it seems invisible.

Comparison with Paid Alternatives

Feature	Premium Tools (Paid)	Open Interview Coder (This Project)
Price	$60+/month	Free (pay only for your API usage)
Solution Generation	✅	✅
Debugging Assistance	✅	✅
Invisibility	✅	✅
Multi-language Support	✅	✅ (extensible)
Time/Space Complexity Analysis	✅	✅
Window Management	✅	✅
Auth System	Required	None (simplified)
Payment Processing	Required	None (use your own API key)
Privacy	Server-processed	100% Local Processing
Customization	Limited	Full Source Code Access
Model Selection	Limited	Choice Between Models

Tech Stack Highlights

• Electron
• React
• TypeScript
• Tailwind CSS
• Radix UI Components
• OpenAI API
• Google Gemini API

Extending AI Model Support

Open Interview Coder is built with extensibility in mind. You can easily add support for more LLMs beyond the default OpenAI and Google Gemini integration:

• Integrate models like Claude, Deepseek, Grok, or any other AI with an accessible API.
• The application's architecture is designed to accommodate multiple LLM backends simultaneously.
• Users gain the flexibility to choose their preferred AI provider for different tasks.

License

This project is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 (AGPL-3.0).

What This Means for You

• You have the freedom to use, modify, and distribute this software.
• If you make any modifications to the code, you are required to make your changes available under the same license.
• If you run a modified version of this software on a network server, you must make the source code available to its users.
• We strongly encourage you to contribute any improvements you make back to the main project for the benefit of the community.

For a summary of the license terms, see the LICENSE-SHORT file, or visit GNU AGPL-3.0 for the complete license text.

Contributing

We warmly welcome contributions from the community! Please refer to our Contributing Guidelines for detailed information on how you can get involved.

Disclaimer and Ethical Use

Use at your own risk. I do not use this in actual interviews and do not recommend doing so.

Support and Questions

If you have any questions, require support, or encounter issues, please do not hesitate to open a new issue on the GitHub repository.