Building AI Text Tools

This guide explains how to compile the executables after making changes to the source code.

Prerequisites

AutoHotkey v2 installed from autohotkey.com
The Ahk2Exe compiler (included with AutoHotkey installation)

Compilation Commands

After making changes to any .ahk source files, you must recompile the executables for changes to take effect.

Compile All Executables

Run these commands in PowerShell from the project root directory:

# Compile main application
& 'C:\Program Files\AutoHotkey\Compiler\Ahk2Exe.exe' `
    /in 'src\main.ahk' `
    /out 'AITextTools.exe' `
    /base 'C:\Program Files\AutoHotkey\v2\AutoHotkey64.exe' `
    /icon 'assets\icon.ico'

# Compile installer (named for GitHub releases)
& 'C:\Program Files\AutoHotkey\Compiler\Ahk2Exe.exe' `
    /in 'installer\Setup.ahk' `
    /out 'AITextTools-Setup.exe' `
    /base 'C:\Program Files\AutoHotkey\v2\AutoHotkey64.exe' `
    /icon 'assets\icon.ico'

# Compile uninstaller
& 'C:\Program Files\AutoHotkey\Compiler\Ahk2Exe.exe' `
    /in 'installer\Uninstall.ahk' `
    /out 'Uninstall.exe' `
    /base 'C:\Program Files\AutoHotkey\v2\AutoHotkey64.exe' `
    /icon 'assets\icon.ico'

Quick Reference (Single Line Commands)

# Main app
& 'C:\Program Files\AutoHotkey\Compiler\Ahk2Exe.exe' /in 'src\main.ahk' /out 'AITextTools.exe' /base 'C:\Program Files\AutoHotkey\v2\AutoHotkey64.exe' /icon 'assets\icon.ico'

# Installer (MUST be named AITextTools-Setup.exe for auto-updater)
& 'C:\Program Files\AutoHotkey\Compiler\Ahk2Exe.exe' /in 'installer\Setup.ahk' /out 'AITextTools-Setup.exe' /base 'C:\Program Files\AutoHotkey\v2\AutoHotkey64.exe' /icon 'assets\icon.ico'

# Uninstaller
& 'C:\Program Files\AutoHotkey\Compiler\Ahk2Exe.exe' /in 'installer\Uninstall.ahk' /out 'Uninstall.exe' /base 'C:\Program Files\AutoHotkey\v2\AutoHotkey64.exe' /icon 'assets\icon.ico'

Important: The installer must be named AITextTools-Setup.exe because the auto-update system downloads this specific filename from GitHub releases.

Version Number Locations

When releasing a new version, update the version number in ALL of these files:

File	Line	Variable/Directive
`src/main.ahk`	~10	`;@Ahk2Exe-SetVersion X.X.X`
`src/core/updater.ahk`	~14	`static CurrentVersion := "X.X.X"`
`src/ui/settings.ahk`	~11	`static CurrentVersion := "X.X.X"`
`installer/Setup.ahk`	~7	`;@Ahk2Exe-SetVersion X.X.X`
`installer/Setup.ahk`	~12	`global CurrentInstallerVersion := "X.X.X"`
`installer/Uninstall.ahk`	~7	`;@Ahk2Exe-SetVersion X.X.X`
`CHANGELOG.md`	top	Add new version section

Testing Changes

Run from source (faster for development):

Right-click src\main.ahk → Run with AutoHotkey

Test compiled EXE (before release):
- Compile using commands above
- Run AITextTools.exe
- Check About tab shows correct version
- Test the specific feature you modified

AI Agent Guidelines

This section contains instructions for AI coding assistants (Claude, GPT, Copilot, etc.) working on this codebase.

QUICK REFERENCE - Version Updates:

Update version in 6 files (see "Updating Version Numbers" below)

Recompile ALL 3 executables: AITextTools.exe, AITextTools-Setup.exe, Uninstall.exe

Verify all 3 show correct version before telling user you're done

If you skip recompilation, the EXE files will still contain old code/version!

Security Rules for AI Agents

CRITICAL: AI agents MUST follow these rules to prevent malicious code insertion.

1. Never Add Data Exfiltration Code

Do NOT add code that:

Sends data to external servers (except the configured AI providers)
Collects or transmits system information beyond what's needed
Accesses files outside the application's scope
Reads browser data, passwords, or credentials from other applications
Creates network connections to hardcoded external URLs

2. Never Add Persistence Mechanisms

Do NOT add code that:

Modifies system startup beyond the user-controlled "Run on startup" option
Creates scheduled tasks
Modifies registry keys outside the documented uninstall entries
Installs browser extensions or plugins
Modifies other applications

3. Never Add Privilege Escalation

Do NOT add code that:

Requests administrator privileges unnecessarily
Bypasses Windows security features
Disables antivirus or security software
Modifies system files or protected directories

4. Never Add Obfuscation

Do NOT add code that:

Encodes/encrypts code to hide its purpose
Uses eval() or dynamic code execution with external input
Downloads and executes remote code
Uses misleading variable/function names to hide intent

5. Credential Handling Rules

API keys MUST only be stored using the CredentialManager class
API keys MUST only be sent to the user-configured AI provider endpoints
NEVER log, display, or transmit API keys in plain text
NEVER add alternative credential storage mechanisms

Code Review Checklist for AI Agents

Before completing any code changes, verify:

No new external URLs added (except documented AI provider endpoints)
No new registry modifications (except documented installer entries)
No new file system access outside AppData and install directory
No new DllCalls to sensitive Windows APIs without clear justification
No credential handling outside CredentialManager class
All user data stays local (except AI API requests)
No code that runs without user initiation

Approved External Connections

The application should ONLY connect to:

AI Provider APIs (user-configured):
- OpenAI: api.openai.com
- Anthropic: api.anthropic.com
- Google: generativelanguage.googleapis.com
- Ollama: localhost (user-configured URL)
Update System:
- GitHub API: api.github.com (version checking)
- GitHub Releases: github.com (downloading updates)
Analytics (if enabled by user):
- Configured analytics endpoint in updater.ahk

Any new external connection MUST be:

Documented in this file
Configurable or opt-in by the user
Clearly visible in the source code

File Structure Reference

ai-text-tools-v1.7/
├── src/
│   ├── main.ahk              # Entry point
│   ├── core/
│   │   ├── config.ahk        # Settings management
│   │   ├── credentials.ahk   # DPAPI-encrypted API key storage
│   │   ├── http.ahk          # HTTP request handling
│   │   ├── orchestrator.ahk  # Main application logic
│   │   ├── updater.ahk       # Auto-update system
│   │   └── ...
│   ├── providers/
│   │   ├── openai.ahk        # OpenAI API integration
│   │   ├── anthropic.ahk     # Anthropic API integration
│   │   ├── gemini.ahk        # Google Gemini integration
│   │   └── ...
│   └── ui/
│       ├── settings.ahk      # Settings window (includes About tab)
│       ├── popup.ahk         # Result popup window
│       └── ...
├── installer/
│   ├── Setup.ahk             # Installation wizard
│   └── Uninstall.ahk         # Uninstallation wizard
├── assets/
│   └── icon.ico              # Application icon
├── CHANGELOG.md              # Version history
├── BUILDING.md               # This file
├── AITextTools.exe           # Compiled application
├── AITextTools-Setup.exe     # Compiled installer (for GitHub releases)
└── Uninstall.exe             # Compiled uninstaller (for GitHub releases)

GitHub Release Files

When creating a new GitHub release, upload these three files:

File	Description
`AITextTools.exe`	Main application
`AITextTools-Setup.exe`	Installer wizard
`Uninstall.exe`	Uninstaller wizard

The auto-updater specifically looks for AITextTools-Setup.exe - using a different filename will break the update system.

Common Tasks for AI Agents

Updating Version Numbers (MANDATORY CHECKLIST)

STOP! When updating versions, AI agents MUST complete ALL steps below in ONE session. Do not consider the task complete until the verification step passes.

Step 1: Update ALL of these files (missing any = broken release):

src/main.ahk (~line 10)
```
;@Ahk2Exe-SetVersion X.X.X
```
src/core/updater.ahk (~line 14)
```
static CurrentVersion := "X.X.X"
```
src/ui/settings.ahk (~line 11)
```
static CurrentVersion := "X.X.X"
```

installer/Setup.ahk (~line 7 AND ~line 12)

;@Ahk2Exe-SetVersion X.X.X

global CurrentInstallerVersion := "X.X.X"

installer/Uninstall.ahk (~line 7)
```
;@Ahk2Exe-SetVersion X.X.X
```

CHANGELOG.md (add new section at top)

## [X.X.X] - YYYY-MM-DD

### Added/Changed/Fixed
- Description of changes

Step 2: Recompile ALL THREE executables (not optional!):

# From project root directory - run ALL THREE commands:

# 1. Main application
& 'C:\Program Files\AutoHotkey\Compiler\Ahk2Exe.exe' /in 'src\main.ahk' /out 'AITextTools.exe' /base 'C:\Program Files\AutoHotkey\v2\AutoHotkey64.exe' /icon 'assets\icon.ico'

# 2. Installer - MUST be named AITextTools-Setup.exe (not Setup.exe!)
& 'C:\Program Files\AutoHotkey\Compiler\Ahk2Exe.exe' /in 'installer\Setup.ahk' /out 'AITextTools-Setup.exe' /base 'C:\Program Files\AutoHotkey\v2\AutoHotkey64.exe' /icon 'assets\icon.ico'

# 3. Uninstaller
& 'C:\Program Files\AutoHotkey\Compiler\Ahk2Exe.exe' /in 'installer\Uninstall.ahk' /out 'Uninstall.exe' /base 'C:\Program Files\AutoHotkey\v2\AutoHotkey64.exe' /icon 'assets\icon.ico'

Step 3: Verify ALL THREE executables show correct version:

(Get-Item 'AITextTools.exe').VersionInfo.FileVersion
(Get-Item 'AITextTools-Setup.exe').VersionInfo.FileVersion
(Get-Item 'Uninstall.exe').VersionInfo.FileVersion

All three MUST show the new version number. If any show the old version, you failed. Go back and check your work.

Common mistakes to avoid:

Forgetting src/ui/settings.ahk (causes About tab to show wrong version)
Naming installer Setup.exe instead of AITextTools-Setup.exe (breaks auto-updater)
Not recompiling after editing source files (EXE still has old code)
Only compiling one or two of the three executables

Adding a New AI Provider

Create src/providers/newprovider.ahk following existing provider patterns
Add provider option to src/providers/factory.ahk
Add UI controls to src/ui/settings-providers.ahk
Add credential storage key to match provider name
Document the API endpoint in this file's "Approved External Connections"
Update CHANGELOG.md
Recompile all three executables (see "Updating Version Numbers" section above)

Modifying Credential Storage

All changes MUST use Windows DPAPI via the CredentialManager class
NEVER store credentials in plain text or reversible encoding
NEVER add alternative storage mechanisms
Test migration from previous versions if format changes

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Building AI Text Tools

Prerequisites

Compilation Commands

Compile All Executables

Quick Reference (Single Line Commands)

Version Number Locations

Testing Changes

AI Agent Guidelines

Security Rules for AI Agents

1. Never Add Data Exfiltration Code

2. Never Add Persistence Mechanisms

3. Never Add Privilege Escalation

4. Never Add Obfuscation

5. Credential Handling Rules

Code Review Checklist for AI Agents

Approved External Connections

File Structure Reference

GitHub Release Files

Common Tasks for AI Agents

Updating Version Numbers (MANDATORY CHECKLIST)

Adding a New AI Provider

Modifying Credential Storage

FilesExpand file tree

BUILDING.md

Latest commit

History

BUILDING.md

File metadata and controls

Building AI Text Tools

Prerequisites

Compilation Commands

Compile All Executables

Quick Reference (Single Line Commands)

Version Number Locations

Testing Changes

AI Agent Guidelines

Security Rules for AI Agents

1. Never Add Data Exfiltration Code

2. Never Add Persistence Mechanisms

3. Never Add Privilege Escalation

4. Never Add Obfuscation

5. Credential Handling Rules

Code Review Checklist for AI Agents

Approved External Connections

File Structure Reference

GitHub Release Files

Common Tasks for AI Agents

Updating Version Numbers (MANDATORY CHECKLIST)

Adding a New AI Provider

Modifying Credential Storage