AndrewBot Backend

A secure proxy between your homepage and DeepSeek OpenAI-compatible API.

This backend now runs in skill-first mode (no RAG retrieval from knowledge/).

3-Step Setup

1. Create local env file

cd chatbot_backend
cp .env.template.local .env

1. Edit .env and fill your settings

DEEPSEEK_API_KEY=
DEEPSEEK_BASE_URL=https://api.deepseek.com
DEEPSEEK_MODEL=deepseek-v4-flash
BOT_SKILL_FILE=/absolute/path/to/your/skill.md
PORT=8787

If BOT_SKILL_FILE is not set, backend uses chatbot_backend/skill.md by default.

1. Run server

set -a; source .env; set +a
node server.mjs

Then set site config in _config.yml:

chat_api_base_url: "http://127.0.0.1:8787"

Endpoints

• GET /health
• POST /chat

Example request body:

{ "question": "How should I design my research homepage intro?" }

Example response body:

{
  "answer": "...",
  "citation": "skill.md",
  "citations": ["skill.md"]
}

Security

• Keep DEEPSEEK_API_KEY only in local .env or deployment env vars.
• Never place API keys in frontend code.

How to Distill Your Own Style

Edit your skill file and define:

• identity
• tone
• output structure
• boundaries
• personal preference signals

The backend injects this skill as a system message for every request.