Navigator

Navigator is a Windows app that helps entrepreneurs pick the right AI tools for their goal, understand why they fit, and get a workflow to run first.

• Local-first desktop-oriented software
• Python backend for matching, saved sessions, and preference storage
• Lightweight frontend shell for onboarding, recommendations, and workflows
• Electron desktop wrapper scaffold for installable packaging

• frontend/ - app shell and browser-based prototype UI
• backend/ - FastAPI service, local tool catalog, recommendation logic, SQLite persistence
• desktop/ - packaging-ready desktop shell scaffold
• docs/ - product, MVP, and architecture docs
• AGENTS.md - working rules for Cursor and Codex in this repo

This repo now includes:

• branching questionnaire fields
• local tool catalog
• recommendation preview API with OpenAI-backed ranking and heuristic fallback
• workflow preview generation
• saved session history in SQLite
• separate stored user defaults / preferences
• Windows Credential Manager storage for local OpenAI API keys
• desktop shell scaffold that can start the local Python backend automatically
• desktop runtime status bar showing backend state, active engine, profile, and database path
• custom Windows app and installer icon
• Windows installer packaging output under desktop/electron/dist/

People are wasting time and money bouncing between AI tools, random YouTube advice, and subscriptions they do not need.

Navigator exists to help a buyer:

• choose the right AI stack faster
• avoid paying for the wrong tools
• get a first workflow they can actually run

• Copy backend/.env.example if you want explicit local settings.
• Set OPENAI_API_KEY to use GPT-assisted ranking.
• Without that key, Navigator falls back to the local heuristic engine.

Backend target command: uvicorn app.main:app --reload --app-dir backend

Desktop shell target: npm start from desktop/electron/

Windows installer build: npm run dist:win from desktop/electron/

1. Tighten trust and recommendation transparency for first-time buyers.
2. Add richer profile management instead of only the default local profile.
3. Replace the current flat tool catalog with scraper-fed or curated updates.
4. Add publisher metadata and code-signing for release builds.