Open Hood

Know the car. Then the window.

Live demo · CI · Next.js 16 · TypeScript · Vercel · MIT

An owner’s advocate for the service counter — not a shop, not Carfax, not a booking cut.

1. Identify the car (VIN or year / make / model).
2. Mark the repair order, a noise, or a scanner code.
3. Copy three sentences and say them at the window.

Demo lock: VIN 1HGCM82633A004352 is a 2003 Honda Accord. Oil 5W-20. Engine 3.0L. A junk VIN returns 400. Empty licensed keys stay empty.

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90-second walk (phone)

1. Open open-hood.vercel.app.
2. Tap Try the demo · 2003 Honda Accord.
3. Confirm 5W-20 and 3.0L on the spec card.
4. In Ask, type They quoted $89 for a cabin filter (or tap the cabin-filter chip).
5. Tap Copy the three lines.
6. Optional: Ticket (/quote) to paste a real RO → Script (/mechanic-mode) to print.

If a yellow “Add to home screen” bar covers Ask, tap Not now. That bar is not the product.

Production Ask is typed tools (NHTSA, fluids book, typical-hour flags). OPENAI_API_KEY is optional and off on the public demo so nobody can run an OpenAI bill. Local/Vercel can turn the key on; a 429 still falls back to tools.

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Waiting-room path

Four stamps on the rail. Everything else stays folded.

Stamp	URL	Job
Ask	/#ask	Quote line, noise, or code → copyable sentences
Car	/	VIN or year / make / model
Ticket	/quote	Paste or photo the estimate
Script	/mechanic-mode	Print / copy what you will say

Owner tools (spec, OBD, noise, parts, maps, recalls) sit under Owner tools. Lab desks stay closed. They are not the demo.

Home + Ask

Identify the car, then talk to the desk. No account.

Ticket

Paste the RO. Typical-hour flags, not Motor hours. We do not invent a price we cannot see.

Script

Three lines you can say. Copy or print.

Spec / garage

Oil, PSI, filters from the fluids book. Door jamb still wins.

Code

Type P0420 from any $20 scanner. Layperson first.

Noise

Sound + when it happens → questions for the shop.

Parts / shops / recalls

Search URLs, not stock. Maps without a booking cut. NHTSA nameplate recalls; the dealer closes VIN open/closed on SaferCar.

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What this is not

Them	Us
RepairPal books a shop	We send a script
Carfax sells a file	We link SaferCar. No fake history
AutoZone sells a SKU	We open a search URL. No inventory
Motor / Mitchell hours	Typical-hour book, labeled as such
Escrow / “pay the shop”	Refused until money movement is real

No user accounts. State lives in sessionStorage on this device.

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How it is built

• Next.js 16 App Router, React 19, Tailwind 4
• NHTSA vPIC VIN decode + SaferCar recalls
• EPA FuelEconomy.gov MPG
• OpenStreetMap rooftops (no Places key required)
• Local typical-hour quote book + fluids catalog
• POST /api/agent — tools first; gpt-4o only if OPENAI_API_KEY returns 200
• GitHub Actions: npm test · tsc · eslint on main
• PWA pin is optional. Not an app-store listing

npm install
npm test
npm run dev

Copy .env.example → .env.local. Leave keys blank unless you have a real vendor. An empty key is configured: false. We do not paint a live control for paper licenses.

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Status (honest)

Piece	Live demo
VIN → spec → script	Yes
Honda demo lock	Yes
Ask (typed tools)	Yes
Ask (OpenAI / vision)	Off on production
Carfax / Motor / Chrome / escrow	Not connected — on purpose

Operator notes: docs/PUBLIC-LAUNCH.md · product paper: docs/WHITEPAPER.md · brand: docs/BRAND.md

Original DigitalCurrensy project. Not a fork.

License: MIT