CURRENCY_START_HERE.md•7.05 kB
# 💱 Currency Converter App - START HERE
## 🎉 Your Currency Converter is Ready!
A fully functional **TypeScript ChatGPT App** using the **Model Context Protocol SDK** for real-time currency conversion.
---
## 🚀 Quick Start (2 Steps)
### Step 1: Start Server
```bash
./start-currency.sh
```
### Step 2: Open Browser
```
http://localhost:3001
```
**Done!** 🎉 No API key needed!
---
## ✨ What You Get
### 💱 Currency Converter
- **Real-time conversion** between 160+ currencies
- **Auto-convert** as you type
- **Popular pairs** quick-access buttons
- **Swap** currencies with one click
- **No API key required** (free tier: 1500 req/month)
### 📊 Live Exchange Rates
- **Real-time rates** for major currencies
- **Auto-refresh** every 60 seconds
- **Base currency** selector
### 🎨 Beautiful UI
- **Dark mode** with gradient theme
- **Responsive design** works on all devices
- **Smooth animations** with Anime.js
- **Color-coded results** in success green
---
## 🛠️ MCP Tools Available
### 1. `convertCurrency`
```javascript
await window.openai.callTool('convertCurrency', {
from: 'USD',
to: 'EUR',
amount: 100
});
// Returns: { from: 'USD', to: 'EUR', amount: 100, result: 92.50, rate: 0.925, ... }
```
### 2. `getSupportedCurrencies`
```javascript
await window.openai.callTool('getSupportedCurrencies', {});
// Returns: { currencies: {...}, count: 161 }
```
### 3. `getExchangeRates`
```javascript
await window.openai.callTool('getExchangeRates', { base: 'USD' });
// Returns: { base: 'USD', rates: {...}, timestamp: '...' }
```
---
## 💡 How It Works
1. **Page loads** → Frontend auto-calls `window.openai.callTool('convertCurrency', ...)`
2. **MCP Server** receives request via Express
3. **Exchange Rate API** provides real-time rates
4. **Results displayed** in beautiful responsive tables
---
## 🌐 Expose with ngrok
**Terminal 1:**
```bash
./start-currency.sh
```
**Terminal 2:**
```bash
ngrok http 3001
```
Share the public URL!
---
## 📚 Documentation
- **CURRENCY_QUICKSTART.md** - Quick start guide
- **CURRENCY_README.md** - Full documentation
- **APPS_OVERVIEW.md** - Compare with stock market app
---
## 🎯 Popular Features
### Quick Conversions
One-click buttons for:
- USD → EUR
- EUR → USD
- GBP → USD
- USD → JPY
- USD → CNY
- And more!
### Supported Currencies
160+ currencies including:
- 🇺🇸 USD - US Dollar
- 🇪🇺 EUR - Euro
- 🇬🇧 GBP - British Pound
- 🇯🇵 JPY - Japanese Yen
- 🇦🇺 AUD - Australian Dollar
- 🇨🇦 CAD - Canadian Dollar
- 🇨🇭 CHF - Swiss Franc
- 🇨🇳 CNY - Chinese Yuan
- 🇮🇳 INR - Indian Rupee
---
## 🔧 Optional: Unlimited Access
**Free tier:** 1500 requests/month (no key required)
**Upgrade to unlimited:**
1. Get free API key: https://www.exchangerate-api.com/
2. Set environment variable:
```bash
export EXCHANGE_RATE_API_KEY=your_key_here
```
3. Restart server
---
## 📁 Files
```
MCPAddIn/
├── src/currency-server.ts # MCP server with 3 tools
├── public-currency/index.html # ChatGPT app frontend
├── start-currency.sh # Easy startup
├── CURRENCY_README.md # Full docs
└── CURRENCY_QUICKSTART.md # Quick guide
```
---
## 🎨 UI Screenshot Preview
```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 💱 Currency Converter │
│ Real-time exchange rates for 160+... │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Convert Currency │
│ │
│ From: [USD ▼] To: [EUR ▼] │
│ Amount: [100] Result: 92.50 EUR │
│ │
│ [🔄 Swap] [Convert] │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Exchange Rate: 0.925000 │
│ 100.00 USD = 92.50 EUR │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Popular Conversions │
│ [USD→EUR] [EUR→USD] [GBP→USD] [USD→JPY]│
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Live Exchange Rates (Base: USD) │
│ EUR: 0.925 | 1 USD = 0.9250 EUR │
│ GBP: 0.790 | 1 USD = 0.7900 GBP │
│ JPY: 149.50 | 1 USD = 149.50 JPY │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘
```
---
## 🔥 Features Summary
✅ **3 MCP Tools** - convertCurrency, getSupportedCurrencies, getExchangeRates
✅ **Auto-load** - Calls `window.openai.callTool()` on page load
✅ **Real-time rates** - Up-to-date exchange rates
✅ **160+ currencies** - Comprehensive coverage
✅ **No API key** - Free tier works out of the box
✅ **Beautiful UI** - Dark mode with DaisyUI + Tailwind
✅ **Responsive** - Mobile-friendly design
✅ **Animations** - Smooth Anime.js transitions
✅ **Popular pairs** - Quick-access buttons
✅ **Live rates table** - Auto-refresh every 60s
✅ **Swap function** - Reverse conversion easily
✅ **TypeScript** - Type-safe code
✅ **Express** - Clean REST API
✅ **MCP SDK** - Standard protocol
---
## 🆚 Compare with Stock Market App
| Feature | Currency | Stock Market |
|---------|----------|--------------|
| **Port** | 3001 | 3000 |
| **API Key** | Optional | Required |
| **Tools** | 3 | 1 |
| **Free Tier** | 1500/mo | 5/min |
| **Startup** | ./start-currency.sh | ./start.sh |
---
## 💪 What's Next?
1. ✅ App is running
2. 🎨 Customize the UI (edit `public-currency/index.html`)
3. 🛠️ Add more MCP tools (edit `src/currency-server.ts`)
4. 🚀 Deploy to production
5. 📊 Add charts for historical rates
6. ⭐ Add favorite currency pairs
---
## 🐛 Troubleshooting
**Port in use?**
```bash
PORT=3002 ./start-currency.sh
```
**Dependencies missing?**
```bash
npm install
npm run build
```
**Rate limit?**
- Get free unlimited API key
- Or wait for monthly reset
---
**Happy Converting! 💱**
Questions? Check **CURRENCY_README.md** for full documentation!