README.md

Recursive-Learn

🌳 Visualize your learning journey with AI as a structured knowledge tree.

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Recursive-Learn is a Chrome extension that transforms your linear AI conversations (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini) into structured knowledge trees. It keeps you focused, visualizes your progress, and stores everything locally.

📦 Installation (For Users)

You can use this extension immediately without installing Node.js or running any build commands.

1. Download the Code

   • Click the green Code button above and select Download ZIP.
   • Extract the ZIP file to a folder on your computer.

2. Load into Chrome

   • Open Chrome and go to chrome://extensions/ (or click the puzzle piece icon -> Manage Extensions).
   • Toggle Developer mode in the top-right corner.
   • Click Load unpacked (top-left).
   • Select the folder where you extracted the code.

3. Start Learning

   • Tip: Click the puzzle piece icon in Chrome toolbar and Pin Recursive-Learn. Click the extension icon to toggle the sidebar.
   • Visit ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini.
   • The Recursive-Learn sidebar will appear on the right.
   • Enter a topic (e.g., "React Hooks") and click "Start Learning".

🔄 Updating

When a new version is available (you might see a banner in the extension), navigate to the folder where you extracted the code and run the update script:

• Windows: Double-click update.bat
• Mac/Linux: Run ./update.sh in your terminal

Then go to chrome://extensions/ and click the Refresh icon on the extension card.

🛠️ Development (For Developers)

If you want to modify the code or styles:

1. Install Dependencies

   npm install

2. Build CSS The project uses Tailwind CSS. The CSS file (src/content/content.css) is included in the repo, but if you modify src/content/tailwind.css, you must rebuild it:

   • One-off build:

     npm run build:css

   • Watch mode (auto-rebuild on change):

     npm run watch:css

3. Reload Extension After making changes to JS or CSS files, go back to chrome://extensions/ and click the Refresh (circular arrow) icon on the Recursive-Learn card.

🔒 Data & Privacy

• Local Storage: All your learning trees and data are stored locally in your browser (chrome.storage.local).
• No Cloud Sync: No data is sent to any external server (other than the AI platform you are conversing with).
• Safety: Deleting the extension will remove your local data.

📄 Documentation

• See Step 3 for quick usage instructions.