I'm 14 and I'm Building a Desktop API Client with a Built-in AI Panel — Here's Where I'm At
I've been coding for 8 months. Self-taught, no bootcamp, no CS degree. Just me, my laptop, and way too many late nights.
I had a simple idea: what if your API client had an AI assistant built directly into it? Not a browser extension, not a separate tab — just right there while you're testing endpoints. You send a request, something breaks, you ask the AI panel without ever leaving the app.
That's PingPaddle. And I'm currently 45% of the way through building it.
The Stack
Electron + React + Vite for the desktop app
Node.js + Express for a CORS proxy backend
Python + FastAPI for the AI backend
Groq API for the AI model
CodeMirror + Prism for syntax highlighting
What's Built So Far
The core client
Color-coded HTTP method dropdown — GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, PATCH each have their own color so you can glance and know
Full request builder with headers, body, params
Status / time / size indicators on every response
Response analytics
Live response speed chart — tracks ms across requests with a smooth curve
Response size tracker alongside it
Both visible at a glance, no digging through menus
(screenshot above — that chart is fully working)
Response viewer
Syntax-highlighted JSON and HTML responses
Large HTML responses load in a sandboxed iframe instead of nuking the viewer
Tabbed response headers viewer alongside the body
Request history
Every request logged with method, URL, and status code
Color coded — green GET, the works
Searchable and re-loadable
(screenshot above — history panel in action)
CORS proxy
Runs on localhost:3000/proxy so browser-side restrictions don't block you
Built with Express, handles the boring stuff so you don't have to
The AI panel
Groq-powered chat sidebar baked directly into the app
You're mid-request, something's off, you just ask — no context switching, no tab hopping
What's Still in Progress
Collections and saved requests
Environment variables
A scroll-driven panel transition using Framer Motion that I have fully mapped out in my head — it's going to look clean
General polish and stability







Top comments (0)