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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/UAnirudh/IntelliPlan/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

Getting a local instance of IntelliPlan running is intentionally straightforward — the only hard requirement beyond Python is a free Google Gemini API key. The app falls back to SQLite automatically when no PostgreSQL DATABASE_URL is provided, so you can skip database setup entirely on a first run. This page walks you from a clean machine to a working local server.

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Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have the following:
  • Python 3.11 or newer — IntelliPlan’s Dockerfile targets python:3.13-slim; any 3.11+ release works locally.
  • A Google Gemini API key — free at aistudio.google.com/apikey. Gemini 2.5 Flash is the primary model for scheduling, the AI tutor, flashcard generation, and vision features.
  • Git — to clone the repository.
  • (Optional) A Groq API key — strongly recommended as a fallback. The Gemini free tier allows only 20 requests per day; without a Groq key, every AI feature stops when that quota is exhausted. Free key at console.groq.com/keys.
  • (Optional) Credentials for at least one school platform — Canvas API token, Google Classroom OAuth, StudentVue login, Schoology API key, Blackboard OAuth, or a Moodle web-services token. You can register and explore the app without one, but the dashboard will be empty until a platform is connected.

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Installation

1

Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/UAnirudh/IntelliPlan.git
cd IntelliPlan
2

Install Python dependencies

All dependencies are pinned in requirements.txt. A virtual environment is recommended to avoid conflicts with other projects on your machine.
# Create and activate a virtual environment (recommended)
python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate   # macOS / Linux
.venv\Scripts\activate      # Windows PowerShell

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt
Key packages installed include Flask, Flask-SQLAlchemy, Flask-Login, Flask-Bcrypt, Flask-Limiter, Flask-Session, google-genai, groq, pywebpush, pypdf, python-docx, and gunicorn.
3

Create your .env file

Copy the provided template and fill in the minimum required values:
cp .env.example .env
Then open .env in your editor. For a first run, you only need these three variables:
.env (minimal)
SECRET_KEY=change-me-to-a-long-random-string
GEMINI_API_KEY=your-gemini-api-key-here
DATABASE_URL=sqlite:///intelliplan.db
Generate a strong SECRET_KEY with Python in one line:
python -c "import secrets; print(secrets.token_hex(32))"
The DATABASE_URL=sqlite:///intelliplan.db line tells Flask-SQLAlchemy to create a local SQLite file named intelliplan.db in the instance/ folder — no PostgreSQL installation needed for local development.
4

Run the app

python App.py
Flask starts a development server on port 3000 by default. Open your browser to:
http://localhost:3000
You should see the IntelliPlan landing page. Register a new account to reach the dashboard.
App.py patches sys.modules so that subsequent from App import ... calls inside blueprints resolve to the same module object. This prevents duplicate db/User/Flask-app instances when running in dev mode. Do not rename the file.

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Minimal .env for First Run

The three variables below are the absolute minimum to boot the app and use every AI feature:
.env
# Required — Flask session signing key
SECRET_KEY=change-me-to-a-long-random-string

# Required — primary AI model (scheduling, tutor, flashcards, vision)
GEMINI_API_KEY=

# Required — database connection
# SQLite is fine for local dev; switch to a postgres:// URL for production
DATABASE_URL=sqlite:///intelliplan.db

# Highly recommended — fallback AI when Gemini free-tier quota (20 req/day) is exhausted
GROQ_API_KEY=

# Set this so OAuth redirects work correctly
APP_BASE_URL=http://localhost:3000
The .env.example file in the repo documents every available variable, including optional ones for Google Calendar OAuth, Notion, Blackboard, push notifications (VAPID), Sentry, Resend email, reCAPTCHA, analytics (PostHog), and encryption at rest (DATA_ENCRYPTION_KEY). You do not need any of those to run locally.

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Connecting Your First School Platform

Once the app is running and you’ve created an account, connect a school platform from the Settings page (/settings):
  1. Navigate to Settings → Integrations → Canvas.
  2. Enter your Canvas instance URL (e.g. https://canvas.instructure.com).
  3. Generate a personal access token in Canvas under Account → Settings → Approved Integrations → New Access Token and paste it into the token field.
  4. Click Connect. IntelliPlan immediately imports your courses and assignments.
Canvas OAuth (the “Continue with Canvas” button) requires a Developer Key registered with your Canvas instance. For local development, a personal access token is the fastest path.

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Verifying Everything Works

After connecting a platform, visit these pages to confirm the integration is healthy:
PageURLWhat to check
Dashboard/Assignments appear in Overdue / Today / Upcoming columns
Priority View/priorityAssignments are scored High / Medium / Low
Classes/classesYour courses are listed with assignment counts
Scheduler/scheduler”Generate Schedule” button is active
Grades/gradesGPA and per-course grade data loads
If the dashboard is empty after connecting, click Sync on the Settings page to force a fresh import. On first connect, a background sync runs automatically — give it a few seconds and refresh.

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Next Steps

Self-Hosting

Deploy IntelliPlan to Railway or any server with Docker, Gunicorn, and a production PostgreSQL database.

Environment Variables

See the full list of optional variables for push notifications, Sentry, email, reCAPTCHA, and encryption at rest.

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