The latest articles on DEV Community by Shivansh Garg (@shivansh_garg_02). https://dev.to/shivansh_garg_02 https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F4118640%2F7f8f9c32-13de-442a-a6ad-4e0f0e41c2a8.jpg https://dev.to/shivansh_garg_02 en Shivansh Garg Mon, 05 Oct 2026 03:44:52 +0000 https://dev.to/shivansh_garg_02/i-built-pocket-tutor-a-local-gemma-study-buddy-for-a-friend-n3k https://dev.to/shivansh_garg_02/i-built-pocket-tutor-a-local-gemma-study-buddy-for-a-friend-n3k <p><em>This is a submission for the <a href="https://dev.to/challenges/hacktoberfest-weekend-2026-10-01">Hacktoberfest Weekend Challenge: Build for a Friend</a>.</em></p> <h2> What I Built </h2> <p>I built <strong>Pocket Tutor</strong>, a study buddy for a friend who wanted studying to feel more visual and interactive.</p> <p>You can start with a topic—even if you don’t have notes ready—or paste in your notes. Pocket Tutor uses them to create a short theory lesson, flashcards, and a four-question quiz. It also offers links to find videos and other study resources.</p> <p>The feedback guiding the next version is clear: add videos, make practice more interactive, and offer more questions. The current version is a first step; the resource links open searches rather than curated videos, and the quiz is still short.</p> <h2> Demo </h2> <div class="crayons-card c-embed text-styles text-styles--secondary"> <div class="c-embed__content"> <div class="c-embed__body"> <h2 class="fs-xl lh-tight"> <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1M72FgN7tsMNB9rFkO-hzOYcSuWprIo0Y/view?usp=sharing" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="c-link"> Screen Recording 2026-10-04 223401.mp4 - Google Drive </a> </h2> <div class="color-secondary fs-s flex items-center"> <img alt="favicon" class="c-embed__favicon m-0 mr-2 radius-0" src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fssl.gstatic.com%2Fdocs%2Fdoclist%2Fimages%2Fdrive_favicon_2026_32dp.png" width="32" height="32"> drive.google.com </div> </div> </div> </div> <h2> Code </h2> <p><a href="https://github.com/Shivansh1251/pocket-tutor" rel="noopener noreferrer">GitHub repository: Pocket Tutor</a></p> <h2> Code </h2> <div class="ltag-github-readme-tag"> <div class="readme-overview"> <h2> <img src="https://assets.dev.to/assets/github-logo-5a155e1f9a670af7944dd5e12375bc76ed542ea80224905ecaf878b9157cdefc.svg" alt="GitHub logo"> <a href="https://github.com/Shivansh1251" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Shivansh1251 </a> / <a href="https://github.com/Shivansh1251/pocket-tutor" rel="noopener noreferrer"> pocket-tutor </a> </h2> <h3> A local-AI study buddy that turns notes or a topic into a short lesson, flashcards, and a quiz with optional study links. </h3> </div> <div class="ltag-github-body"> <div id="readme" class="md"><div class="markdown-heading"> <h1 class="heading-element">Pocket Tutor</h1> </div> <p>Pocket Tutor is a small, local-AI study buddy. Enter a topic for a beginner-friendly lesson, or paste class notes to make a guide grounded in that material. It adds key ideas, four flashcards, and a one-question-at-a-time quiz.</p> <div class="markdown-heading"> <h2 class="heading-element">Why this is useful</h2> </div> <p>The student can start even when they have no notes ready. A topic-only guide gives them a first explanation and practice questions; pasted notes keep the generated study set focused on the material they need to revise. The app can also open searches for videos and free reading when the student wants a visual explanation or another source.</p> <div class="markdown-heading"> <h2 class="heading-element">Stack</h2> </div> <ul> <li>Next.js App Router + TypeScript</li> <li>Ollama for local inference</li> <li>Gemma 3 1B (<code>gemma3:1b</code>) by default, chosen to run on computers with limited memory</li> <li>No account, cloud inference API, or cloud database</li> </ul> <div class="markdown-heading"> <h2 class="heading-element">Run locally</h2> </div> <ol> <li> <p>Install <a href="https://nodejs.org/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Node.js 20.9 or newer</a> and <a href="https://ollama.com/download" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Ollama</a>.</p> </li> <li> <p>Start Ollama and download Gemma:</p> <div class="highlight highlight-source-powershell notranslate position-relative overflow-auto js-code-highlight">… </div> </li> </ol></div> </div> <div class="gh-btn-container"><a class="gh-btn" href="https://github.com/Shivansh1251/pocket-tutor" rel="noopener noreferrer">View on GitHub</a></div> </div> <h2> How I Built It </h2> <p>Pocket Tutor uses Next.js for the app and its API route. The route sends the topic or notes to Ollama running locally, where Gemma generates structured content for the lesson, flashcards, and quiz. The app displays those as separate study steps.</p> <p>The AI generation runs on the user’s computer through Ollama. The optional video and reading links open external searches, so those need an internet connection.</p> <h2> Why Does Open Innovation Matter? </h2> <p>Using local Gemma means study notes can stay on the learner’s computer instead of being sent to a hosted AI provider. After downloading the model, lesson generation doesn’t need a paid inference API. Running through Ollama also gives me room to change models and adapt the prompts as I improve the tutor.</p> <p>Local inference uses the computer’s own memory and processing power, and generated explanations should still be checked against trusted course material.</p> <h2> Prize Categories </h2> <p>Best Use of Gemma</p> devchallenge weekendchallenge hf26challenge