Guide: Start Your Journey with OpenAI’s New Assistants API

OPENAI_API_KEY="YOUR OPENAI API KEY"

// Import the required dependencies
require("dotenv").config();
const OpenAI = require("openai");

// Create an OpenAI connection with the API key from the environment variables 
const openai = new OpenAI({ apiKey: process.env.OPENAI_API_KEY });

// Define an asynchronous function to prompt the user for input
async function askQuestion(question) { 
    process.stdout.write(question);
    return new Promise((resolve) => {
        process.stdin.once('data', data => resolve(data.toString().trim()));
    });
}

// Define the main asynchronous function
async function main() { 
    try { 
        // Print the first greeting for User
        process.stdout.write("\nAssistant: Hello there, I'm your personal math tutor assistant.\n");

        // Create a new AI assistant instance using the OpenAI API
        const assistant = await openai.beta.assistants.create({
            name: "Math Tutor",
            instructions: "You are a personal math tutor. Answer math questions.",
            model: "gpt-3.5-turbo-1106",
        });

        // Create a new conversation thread for interacting with the assistant
        const thread = await openai.beta.threads.create(); 

        // Enter a loop to continue asking questions as long as the flag is true
        let keepAsking = true;
        while (keepAsking) {
            // Prompt the user to input a question
            const userQuestion = await askQuestion("\nAssistant: What is your question?\n\nYou: ");

            // Print the assistant's thinking message
            process.stdout.write(`\nAssistant: Thinking...\n`);

            // Add the user's question to the conversation thread
            await openai.beta.threads.messages.create(thread.id, { 
                role: "user",
                content: userQuestion,
            });

            // Initiate a run to get the assistant's response
            const run = await openai.beta.threads.runs.create(thread.id, { 
                assistant_id: assistant.id,
            });

            // Use a polling mechanism to check if the run is completed
            let runStatus;
            do  { 
                await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 2000));
                runStatus = await openai.beta.threads.runs.retrieve(thread.id, run.id);
            } while (runStatus.status !== "completed")

            // Retrieve the list of messages in the conversation thread
            const messages = await openai.beta.threads.messages.list(thread.id); 

            // Filter and reverse the messages to get the assistant's response from the current run
            const assistantMessages = messages.data 
                .filter(
                    (message) => message.run_id === run.id && message.role === "assistant"
                ).reverse();

            // Remove assistant's thinking message
            process.stdout.moveCursor(0, -2);
            process.stdout.clearLine(1);

            // Loop through the assistant messages and print them
            assistantMessages.forEach(assistantMessage => {
                process.stdout.write(`\nAssistant: ${assistantMessage.content[0].text.value}\n`);
            });

            // Then ask if the user wants to ask another question
            const continueAsking = await askQuestion("\nAssistant: Do you want to ask another question? (yes/no)\n\nYou: ");
            keepAsking = continueAsking.toLowerCase() === "yes";

            // Display an ending message if the user does not want to ask another question
            if (!keepAsking) {
                process.stdout.write("\nAssistant: Thanks, I hope you learned something!\n\n\n");
            }
        }

        process.exit();
    } catch (error) { 
        // Catch any potential errors thrown within the try block
        console.error(error);
    }
}

// Call the main function
main(); 

node mathAssistant.js