Second Mate is an open-source Emacs package that provides a mini imitation of GitHub Copilot, offering code completion suggestions. It targets Emacs users seeking an integrated, local alternative to cloud-based AI coding assistants.

How It Works

The project leverages pre-trained language models, specifically Replit Code 3B or EleutherAI GPT-Neo-2.7B, hosted on Hugging Face. It runs a Python-based Flask server that serves model inferences via a REST API, which the Emacs Lisp client then queries for code suggestions. The "priming" mechanism, currently implemented in Python, aims to improve suggestion quality.

Quick Start & Requirements

• Backend: Run serve/server.py after setting the device to "cpu" or "cuda".
• Emacs: Customize secondmate-url in emacs/secondmate.el to the Flask server's address.
• Dependencies: Python, Flask, Hugging Face libraries, and a compatible Emacs installation. GPU with CUDA is recommended for better performance.

Highlighted Details

• Uses Replit Code 3B or EleutherAI GPT-Neo-2.7B models.
• Provides code completion suggestions within Emacs.
• Implemented as a Flask server backend and Emacs Lisp frontend.

Maintenance & Community

Information regarding maintainers, community channels, or roadmap is not available in the provided README.

Licensing & Compatibility

The license is not specified in the README. Compatibility for commercial or closed-source use is undetermined.

Limitations & Caveats

The project is described as a "mini imitation" and may not offer the same breadth or quality of suggestions as larger, cloud-based services. The "priming" functionality is subjective and may require modification. The README lacks details on model performance, setup complexity, or potential limitations.