docs/QUICK_START.md

Quick Start Guide

Prerequisites

• Python 3.13+
• Modal account and CLI installed
• Virtual environment (recommended)

Setup

1. Activate virtual environment:

   source venv/bin/activate
   

2. Install dependencies:

   pip install flask flask-cors
   # Or install all requirements if you have requirements.txt
   pip install -r requirements.txt
   

3. Index product design documents (first time only):

   modal run src/rag/modal-rag-product-design.py::index_product_design
   

Running the Web Application

Option 1: Using the helper script (Recommended)

./scripts/setup/start_web.sh

Option 2: Direct Python command

# Make sure venv is activated
source venv/bin/activate
python src/web/web_app.py

Option 3: From project root

python3 src/web/web_app.py

Access the Web Interface

Once the server starts, open your browser and go to:

• http://127.0.0.1:5000 (or the port shown in the terminal)

⚠️ Important: Use 127.0.0.1 instead of localhost to avoid potential 403 errors on macOS.

Querying the RAG System

Via Web Interface

1. Start the web app (see above)
2. Open the URL in your browser
3. Enter your question and click "Ask Question"

Via CLI

python src/web/query_product_design.py --question "your question here"

Via Modal Directly

modal run src/rag/modal-rag-product-design.py::query_product_design --question "your question here"

Troubleshooting

Flask Not Installed

# Activate venv
source venv/bin/activate

# Install Flask
pip install flask flask-cors

Port Already in Use

The web app will automatically find an available port (5000-5009).

Modal Command Not Found

# Install Modal CLI
pip install modal

# Or use python -m modal
python -m modal --version

For more help, see docs/guides/TROUBLESHOOTING.md.