OpenAI Coding Agent in Python

Overview

OpenAI Coding Agent in Python is a Python application with a graphical interface (Tkinter) for working with files and directories in your project, with tools tailored for integration with the OpenAI API. It enables you to read, list, and edit files securely from a user-friendly GUI, and handles OpenAI API key management for you.

This program is inspired by Thorsten Ball's "How to Build an Agent" https://ampcode.com/how-to-build-an-agent

Features

• OpenAI API key management (from .env or user prompt)
• Read file contents in the project directory
• List files and folders (with directory traversal prevention)
• Edit or create files with controlled string replacement
• Robust error handling and user feedback (GUI popups)
• Integration-ready: Tool definitions are accessible for LLM agents

Requirements

• Python 3.8+
• openai Python package
• tkinter (usually included with Python)
• python-dotenv

Install needed dependencies with:

pip install openai python-dotenv

You can adjust the AI Model by changing "gpt-4.1-2025-04-14" - it is currently set to the latest GPT-4.1 release.

Usage

1. Ensure you have your OpenAI API key set as an environment variable (OPENAI_API_KEY) or in a .env file in the project directory.
2. Run the application:

   python main_gui.py
   

3. The program will prompt you for an API key if needed.
4. Use the GUI to:
   • Read files
   • List directory contents
   • Edit files by replacing all instances of a string
   • Create new files

Safe & Secure

• For safety, the utility only allows file operations within your project directory.
• Attempts to access or edit files outside this directory are blocked.

Developer Notes

• The tool functions (read_file, list_files, edit_file) are defined both for GUI use and for potential integration with LLM agents or API.
• Functions use JSON and direct file reads/writes for easy extensibility.
• Error reporting is user-friendly via dialogs.

License

MIT License