GPTel: A simple ChatGPT client for Emacs

GPTel is a simple, no-frills ChatGPT client for Emacs.

• Requires an OpenAI API key.
• No external dependencies, only Emacs. Also, it’s async.
• Interact with ChatGPT from any buffer in Emacs.
• ChatGPT’s responses are in Markdown or Org markup (configurable).
• Supports conversations (not just one-off queries) and multiple independent sessions.
• You can go back and edit your previous prompts, or even ChatGPT’s previous responses when continuing a conversation. These will be fed back to ChatGPT.

Installation

Package.el

Clone this repository and run M-x package-install-file.

Installing the markdown-mode package is optional.

Straight

(straight-use-package '(gptel :host github :repo "karthink/gptel"))

Installing the markdown-mode package is optional.

Manual

Clone this repository and load this file:

(add-to-list 'load-path "/path/to/gptel/")
(require 'gptel)

Installing the markdown-mode package is optional.

Usage

Procure an OpenAI API key.

Optional: Set gptel-api-key to the key or to a function that returns the key (more secure).

In a dedicated chat buffer:

1. Run M-x gptel to start or switch to the ChatGPT buffer. It will ask you for the key if you skipped the previous step. Run it with a prefix-arg (C-u M-x gptel) to start a new session.
2. In the gptel buffer, send your prompt with M-x gptel-send, bound to C-c RET.
3. Set chat parameters by calling gptel-send with a prefix argument (C-u C-c RET):

That’s it. You can go back and edit previous prompts and responses if you want.

The default mode is markdown-mode if available, else text-mode. You can set gptel-default-mode to org-mode if desired.

In any buffer:

Select a region of text, call M-x gptel-send.

The response will be inserted below your region. You can select both the original prompt and the resposne and call M-x gptel-send again to continue the conversation.

You can select a region and start a dedicated session, or set chat parameters by calling M-x gptel-send with a prefix-arg:

Why another ChatGPT client?

Existing Emacs clients don’t reliably let me use it the simple way I can in the browser. They will get better, but I wanted something for now.

Also, AI-assisted work is a new way to use Emacs. It’s not yet clear what the best Emacs interface to tools like it is.

• Should it be part of CAPF (completions-at-point-functions)?
• A dispatch menu from anywhere that can act on selected regions?
• A comint/shell-style REPL?
• One-off queries in the minibuffer (like shell-command)?
• A refactoring tool in code buffers?
• An org-babel interface?

Maybe all of these, I don’t know yet. As a start, I wanted to replicate the web browser usage pattern so I can build from there – and don’t need to switch to the browser every time. The code is fairly simple right now.

Will you add feature X?

Maybe, I’d like to experiment a bit first.