CopyDogg

CopyDogg is an open-source writing tool that learns how you write. You show it your voice once (the platforms you post on, a few old posts, and one boring post rewritten your way), then type an idea in a few words and get 2–3 posts, replies or emails that already sound like you.

The project is designed to be easy to try first, then connect to a real AI provider later.

What You Can Do

• Run a working local demo without an API key or any account.
• Teach CopyDogg your voice in about five minutes.
• Write posts for X, LinkedIn, Instagram, Threads, Reddit and newsletters.
• Reply to messages and emails, rewrite rough drafts, and turn meeting notes into a recap, all in your own voice.
• Check how a message will come across before you send it.
• Keep more than one voice ("Work me", "Friends me"), each with its own tone and platforms.
• Save posts to a searchable library, export your data, or restore a daily backup.
• Connect Claude or Gemini for real posts, using your own API key.

Who This README Is For

This guide is written for non-technical users too. If you can install an app and copy-paste commands, you can run the demo.

If you get stuck, check SETUP.md. It has slower step-by-step instructions and troubleshooting.

Setup Option 1: Quick Demo

Use this if you only want to see CopyDogg working on your laptop.

Step 1: Install Node.js

Install Node.js from:

https://nodejs.org

Choose the LTS version if you are unsure. CopyDogg needs version 20.9 or newer.

Step 2: Get The Project

git clone https://github.com/dhrma-tech/CopyDogg.git
cd CopyDogg

Or download the ZIP from GitHub (Code → Download ZIP) and unzip it.

Step 3: Open The Project Folder

Open a terminal in the project folder.

On Windows, you can open the folder, click the address bar, type powershell, and press Enter.

Step 4: Install The App

npm install

Step 5: Start The App

npm run dev

Step 6: Open The Website

Open this address in your browser:

http://localhost:3000

Demo Mode

With no API key set, CopyDogg runs in demo mode. Every screen works and saves normally; only the AI is replaced with placeholder text.

Screen	Address	Works in Demo Mode
Voice setup	/onboarding	✅ Fills in a placeholder voice profile
Writing screen	/app	✅ Returns placeholder posts
Library	/app/library	✅ Fully
Profile	/app/profile	✅ Fully
Settings	/app/settings	✅ Fully

Demo data is saved to data/copydogg.json on your computer. It's safe for testing; add a key when you want real posts.

Setup Option 2: Connect An AI Provider

Use this when you want CopyDogg to actually write in your voice.

Short version:

1. Get an API key: Claude (paid API credit) or Gemini (has a free tier).
2. Copy .env.example to .env.local.
3. Paste your key into ANTHROPIC_API_KEY or GEMINI_API_KEY in .env.local.
4. Save the file.
5. Restart the app (npm run dev).

Settings shows which provider is writing your posts. Detailed instructions are in SETUP.md.

Features

• Voice profile from your own posts, with tone dials, hard rules and per-platform notes
• Five modes: Write, Reply, Rewrite, Notes and Check (tone check)
• Formats for X, LinkedIn, Instagram, Threads, Reddit, newsletters, email, text messages and work chat
• Threads and Instagram carousels
• Quick tweaks: shorter, warmer, more direct, funnier, regenerate, remix for another platform
• Multiple voices, contacts ("write to my boss"), templates, snippets and a words list
• Saved-post library with search
• Optional voice input (off by default)
• Light and dark mode
• Daily backups, data export and reset
• Installable as its own app window, plus an optional browser side-panel extension
• Demo mode for easy local testing

Product Preview

Landing Page

Voice Setup

Writing Screen

Library

Voice Profile

Settings

How It Works

1. You pick the platforms you post on and paste a few of your posts.
2. You rewrite one deliberately bland post your way.
3. The AI reads those samples and drafts your voice profile: tone dials, hard rules and per-platform notes.
4. You tweak the profile until it feels right.
5. On the writing screen, you pick a platform and type an idea in a few words.
6. CopyDogg builds a prompt from your voice profile plus your idea, and streams 2–3 versions back.
7. Posts you like, edit or save teach it more about your voice over time.

Tech Stack

• Next.js 16 (App Router)
• React
• TypeScript
• Tailwind CSS v4
• Claude API via the official @anthropic-ai/sdk, or Gemini via its REST API
• No database: one JSON file, read and written through lib/store.ts

Common Commands

npm install
npm run dev
npm run lint
npx tsc --noEmit
npm run build
npm start

Environment Variables

Create .env.local only when connecting an AI provider.

copy .env.example .env.local

On macOS/Linux:

cp .env.example .env.local

Variable	Required	What It Does
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY	One key for real posts	Your Claude API key. Usage is billed to your Anthropic account.
GEMINI_API_KEY	One key for real posts	Your Gemini API key from Google AI Studio. Leave both keys empty for demo mode.
AI_PROVIDER	No	claude or gemini. Only needed when both keys are set; Claude wins otherwise.
GEMINI_MODEL	No	Gemini model name. Defaults to gemini-flash-latest.
COPYDOGG_PASSWORD	No	Asks for this password once per device. Set it if anyone else can reach your copy.
COPYDOGG_TRUST_PROXY	No	Set to 1 only behind a reverse proxy you control, so rate limits use the real client IP.
COPYDOGG_DATA_DIR	No	Where the data file lives. Defaults to ./data.
COPYDOGG_SITE_ONLY	No	Public intro website only: serves the landing page alone. Never set it on a copy you use.

Restart the app after changing any of these. See .env.example for the full list.

Project Status

Current Status: Personal Tool, Stable For Single-User Use

CopyDogg is in active development and currently suitable for:

• Running your own copy on your laptop
• Running it on a home server or VPS you control (with a password)
• Personal, single-user writing
• Contributing to open-source development

Not suitable for:

• Multiple users or teams: there is one data file per install, with no accounts
• Serverless hosts (Vercel, Netlify Functions): their filesystem resets, so your data would disappear
• Hosting for other people on your API key

See ROADMAP.md for what's planned next.

Known Limitations

• Testing: No automated test suite yet; changes are checked by hand, type-checking and linting
• Rate Limiting: In-memory and per process; resets on restart
• Prompt Injection: Pasted text is fenced as content, but that isn't a hard guarantee
• Single User: One data file, no accounts or user separation
• Voice Input: Depends on the browser's speech recognition; Firefox doesn't support it
• Offline Support: No offline functionality; it needs the local server running
• Hosting: Needs a persistent disk, so serverless hosts can only run the landing page

Security Model Summary

CopyDogg uses a small, layered security approach suited to a single-user tool:

• Localhost Only by Default: The app refuses requests from other host names unless a password is set
• Cross-Site Write Protection: Writes from other websites are rejected
• Optional Password Gate: Signed, expiring cookie with a scrypt-stretched key
• Rate Limiting: On unlocking and on every route that calls the AI
• Server-Side API Keys: Keys are read only on the server, never sent to the browser

Critical Security Requirements:

• Never commit .env.local or the data/ folder
• Never prefix an API key with NEXT_PUBLIC_
• Set COPYDOGG_PASSWORD and use HTTPS before exposing your copy beyond localhost
• Use an API key with a spending limit

See SECURITY.md for complete security documentation.

Privacy and Your Data

🔒 Your Writing Stays on Your Machine

CopyDogg stores everything in one file on your computer, including:

• Your voice profile, tone dials and rules
• Every post you've generated, edited or saved
• Your contacts, templates, snippets and ideas

What leaves your machine:

• The prompt sent to your AI provider (Claude or Gemini): your voice profile, your idea or pasted text, and a few posts you liked
• Your voice, only if you turn on voice input: your browser's speech service hears what you dictate
• Nothing else: no analytics, telemetry or crash reporting

See docs/PRIVACY.md for detailed privacy information.

Testing

Current Testing Status: Manual

The project currently has:

• Type-checking and linting on every pull request (GitHub Actions)
• A production build check in CI
• Manual testing procedures (see CONTRIBUTING.md)
• No automated test suite (planned)

Planned Testing Improvements:

• Unit tests for prompt building and data normalization
• API route tests for generation and voice setup
• Security tests for the localhost check and password gate
• End-to-end tests for setup and writing

See CONTRIBUTING.md for testing guidelines.

Folder Structure

CopyDogg/
├── app/                     # Next.js pages and API routes
│   ├── api/                 # Server routes (generate, voice setup, tone check, export)
│   ├── app/                 # The main app: writing screen, library, profile, settings
│   ├── onboarding/          # First-run voice setup
│   ├── unlock/              # Password gate screen
│   └── page.tsx             # Landing page
├── components/              # Reusable UI components and the landing page
│   └── ui/                  # Design-system primitives (Button, Card, Field...)
├── lib/                     # Server logic
│   ├── claude.ts            # Builds every prompt
│   ├── llm.ts               # Sends prompts to Claude or Gemini
│   └── store.ts             # The JSON data file
├── docs/                    # Setup guide, roadmap, privacy, checklists, design system, screenshots
├── extension/               # Optional browser side-panel extension
├── public/                  # Static files (signature, intro video)
├── .github/                 # Contributing, security, code of conduct, CI, templates
├── proxy.ts                 # Request checks: localhost, password gate, website mode
├── README.md / LICENSE
└── CLAUDE.md                # Project rules for AI coding assistants

Important Notice Before Exposing It

Before making your copy reachable from anywhere other than localhost, review:

• COPYDOGG_PASSWORD is set to a strong password
• It's served over HTTPS
• Your API key has a spending limit
• COPYDOGG_DATA_DIR points to a disk you back up
• It's not on a serverless host

Read SECURITY.md and PRODUCTION_CHECKLIST.md first.

Project Files To Know

File/Folder	Purpose
app	Website pages and API routes
components	Reusable UI components
lib/claude.ts	The one place prompts are built
lib/llm.ts	Sends prompts to Claude or Gemini
lib/store.ts	The JSON data file: the single source of truth for your data
docs/design-system.md	Colors, type and components: the source of truth for every style
docs/product-plan.md	The full feature spec
.env.example	Environment variable template
docs/SETUP.md	Detailed setup guide
.github/SECURITY.md	Security notes
.github/CONTRIBUTING.md	How to contribute

Contributing

Contributions are welcome. Please read CONTRIBUTING.md.

⚠️ SELF-HOSTED, SINGLE-USER TOOL

CopyDogg is built for one person running their own copy. It has no accounts and no user separation, so don't host it for other people, and don't expose your copy beyond localhost without a password and HTTPS.

Anyone who can reach an unprotected copy can generate posts on your API key and read your saved posts.

Required reading before exposing your copy:

• SECURITY.md - Security model and requirements
• SETUP.md - Complete setup guide
• PRODUCTION_CHECKLIST.md - Checklist for running it beyond your laptop

License

MIT License. See LICENSE.

Author

Made by Dharmaraj Aparadh (@dhrma-tech).