RefMonster

AI-powered comprehensive reference search using GPT-5 with web search capabilities to find real images dynamically.

Features

• Search for comprehensive references using natural language queries
• GPT-5 agent mode breaks down queries into relevant search terms
• Web search integration to find actual image URLs (jpg, png, webp)
• Beautiful animated loading checklist showing search progress
• Image-only collage display with masonry layout
• No dependency on Unsplash - all images come from web search

Setup

1. Install dependencies:

npm install

2. Set up your API key:

cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env and add OPENAI_API_KEY=your_openai_api_key_here

3. Run the development server:

npm run dev

4. Open http://localhost:3000 in your browser

Environment Variables

• OPENAI_API_KEY: Your OpenAI API key (required)

Usage

Type a search query like "mistborn era 2 guns" and the AI will:

1. Analyze the query with GPT-5 in agent mode
2. Generate comprehensive reference search terms
3. Search the web for actual image URLs for each term
4. Display all images in a beautiful collage format

The loading checklist shows:

• ✅ Analyzing query with GPT-5
• ✅ Generating reference search terms
• ✅ Searching web for images
• ✅ Collecting image URLs
• ✅ Building reference collage

Technology Stack

• Next.js 14 (App Router)
• React 18
• TypeScript
• Tailwind CSS
• OpenAI GPT-5 API (with function calling)
• Web search for dynamic image discovery