Smol-Dev-JS offers a command-line interface for AI-assisted software development, acting as a pair-programming assistant for JavaScript projects. It enables users to delegate small, incremental coding tasks or generate entire projects from specifications, shifting the user's role to that of a senior developer guiding an AI junior.

How It Works

The tool leverages large language models (LLMs) like Anthropic's Claude or OpenAI's GPT-4 to interpret natural language instructions and project context. It operates in a tight loop, allowing users to review, refine, and approve AI-generated code changes incrementally. This approach aims to maintain user control and facilitate debugging through iterative prompting, contrasting with more autonomous agent models.

Quick Start & Requirements

• Install via NPM: npm install -g smol-dev-js
• Requires Node.js 18+.
• Recommended: Anthropic Claude API key for faster and more reliable results; GPT-4 (8k) with GPT-3.5 fallback for OpenAI.
• Setup: Run smol-dev-js setup in your project directory to configure API keys and the .smol-dev-js folder.
• Usage: smol-dev-js prompt to start the interactive development loop, or smol-dev-js spec2code to generate from specifications.
• Documentation: README

Highlighted Details

• Uses Markdown/human language for specifications, eliminating the need for new DSLs.
• Prioritizes Anthropic Claude for its speed and reliability, noting its significant advantage over GPT-3.5/4 in current testing.
• Emphasizes the importance of context size for AI reasoning and performance.
• Allows debugging and code modification through iterative prompting within the project context.

Maintenance & Community

• The project is actively developed by PicoCreator.
• Future directions include better examples, model code study, AI code lookup, and unit test integration.
• Completed features include file-specific specs and NPM install confirmation.

Licensing & Compatibility

• The README does not explicitly state a license. Compatibility for commercial use or closed-source linking is not specified.

Limitations & Caveats

GPT-4 can be slow, leading to multi-minute feedback loops. For larger projects, the 8k context limit may cause scripts to be cut off. The tool is primarily optimized for JavaScript.