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AI Matching Setup Guide

This guide will help you set up the AI-powered matching feature using Google's Gemini API.

Prerequisites

  1. A Google account
  2. Access to Google AI Studio (free)

Step 1: Get Your Gemini API Key

  1. Go to Google AI Studio
  2. Sign in with your Google account
  3. Click "Create API Key"
  4. Copy the generated API key

Step 2: Set Environment Variable

Add the API key to your environment:

export GEMINI_API_KEY="your-actual-api-key-here"

For development, add it to your .env file in the backend directory:

GEMINI_API_KEY=your-actual-api-key-here

Step 3: Test the Setup

Start your Flask application and test the matching endpoint:

cd backend
flask run

Then make a request to test AI matching:

curl http://localhost:5000/matches/1

You should see a response like:

{
  "matches": [
    {
      "id": 2,
      "name": "Jane",
      "email": "jane@gmail.com",
      "offer_matches": ["music matches music theory", "cooking matches cooking"],
      "learn_matches": ["python matches programming"]
    }
  ],
  "count": 1,
  "ai_enabled": true
}

Step 4: Verify AI is Working

Check that AI matching is enabled by looking for "ai_enabled": true in the response. If you see "ai_enabled": false, the API key is not properly configured.

How AI Matching Works

With AI matching enabled, your app will now:

  1. Checks skill compatibility: Uses AI to determine if skills are related (e.g., "piano" and "music theory")
  2. Finds bidirectional matches: Ensures both users can benefit from the exchange
  3. Returns match details: Shows exactly which skills matched for transparency
  4. Falls back to exact matching if AI calls fail

Troubleshooting

"ai_enabled": false in response

  • Make sure you've set the GEMINI_API_KEY environment variable correctly
  • Restart your Flask application after setting the environment variable
  • Check that the API key is valid and has proper permissions

API Rate Limits

  • The system includes rate limiting (0.1 second delay between calls)

Fallback Behavior

  • If the API is unavailable, the app falls back to exact matching
  • No functionality is lost, just enhanced features are disabled
  • Users will still find matches, but only with identical skill names