Welcome to your Expo app 👋

This is an Expo project created with create-expo-app.

Getting Started

1. Clone the repo

git clone https://github.com/Kylejemery/arete-app.git
cd arete-app

2. Set up the backend server

cd server
npm install
cp .env.example .env

Open server/.env and add your Anthropic API key:

CLAUDE_API_KEY=sk-ant-api03-your-key-here

Start the backend:

npm run dev

The server will run on http://localhost:3000.

3. Set up the app

In a new terminal, from the repo root:

cp .env.example .env

The default EXPO_PUBLIC_API_BASE_URL=http://localhost:3000 points to your local backend — no changes needed for local development.

Install app dependencies and start:

npm install
npx expo start

In the output, you'll find options to open the app in a

• development build
• Android emulator
• iOS simulator
• Expo Go, a limited sandbox for trying out app development with Expo

4. Production deployment

Deploy the server/ directory to Railway:

1. Create a new Railway project and connect your GitHub repo (or deploy just the server/ folder).
2. In Railway's Variables tab, set CLAUDE_API_KEY to your Anthropic API key. Railway sets PORT automatically.
3. Copy the Railway-provided URL (e.g. https://your-app.railway.app).
4. In your app's .env, update EXPO_PUBLIC_API_BASE_URL to your Railway URL.
5. Rebuild and publish the Expo app.

Get a fresh project

When you're ready, run:

npm run reset-project

This command will move the starter code to the app-example directory and create a blank app directory where you can start developing.

Learn more

To learn more about developing your project with Expo, look at the following resources:

• Expo documentation: Learn fundamentals, or go into advanced topics with our guides.
• Learn Expo tutorial: Follow a step-by-step tutorial where you'll create a project that runs on Android, iOS, and the web.

Join the community

Join our community of developers creating universal apps.

• Expo on GitHub: View our open source platform and contribute.
• Discord community: Chat with Expo users and ask questions.