Skolo AI — Web App (+ installable PWA)

A chat page students open in a browser or add to their home screen. Your OpenAI key stays safe on the server. No WhatsApp, no Meta, no waiting — deploy and share a link.

What's inside

• public/index.html — the chat page students see (the whole frontend).
• public/manifest.json + public/sw.js — make it installable ("Add to Home Screen").
• public/icon-192.png / icon-512.png — the app icon.
• api/chat.js — the backend. Holds your OpenAI key, talks to OpenAI, returns answers.
• api/system_prompt.txt — Skolo's brain. Edit this to change how it answers.

Deploy it free on Vercel (about 10 minutes)

You need a free account at vercel.com (sign up with GitHub or email) and the Vercel CLI. Easiest path:

Option A — drag-and-drop (no git needed)

1. Go to vercel.com, sign up, click Add New → Project → Deploy.
2. When it asks, you can import from a folder — or use Option B which is more reliable.

Option B — Vercel CLI (recommended)

1. Install the CLI (one time):

   npm install -g vercel
   

2. In this folder, run:

   vercel
   

   • Log in when prompted.
   • Accept the defaults (project name, etc.).
   • It deploys and gives you a URL like https://sgela-web.vercel.app.
3. Add your OpenAI key as an environment variable (THIS is what keeps it secret):

   vercel env add OPENAI_API_KEY
   

   Paste your key, choose Production (and Preview/Development if asked).
4. Redeploy so the key takes effect:

   vercel --prod
   

5. Open the .vercel.app URL. Ask Skolo a question. Done.

Share with students

Send them the https://...vercel.app link on WhatsApp. On their phone:

• Android (Chrome): menu → "Add to Home screen"
• iPhone (Safari): share icon → "Add to Home Screen" Now Skolo sits on their phone with an icon and opens full-screen like an app.

Costs

• Vercel free tier is plenty for a pilot.
• You only pay OpenAI per question (gpt-4o-mini is very cheap). Watch usage at platform.openai.com.

Later

• Add a free-trial / payment gate before scaling.
• Add a custom domain (e.g. sgela.co.za) in Vercel's dashboard.