# MENTORbot
**AI-powered After Effects guru**
By The2457 Design - apps.the2457design.com

---

## What is MENTORbot?
MENTORbot is an Adobe After Effects panel that answers your AE questions using Google Gemini AI, completely free. Ask how to do anything in After Effects and get a clear, practical answer directly inside your panel.

---

## Installation

### Step 1 : Run the install script to enable the panel

Adobe After Effects does not load custom panels by default. You need to unlock this once.

**Windows:** Right-click Install.bat -> Run as administrator -> click Yes when prompted.
This automatically updates your Windows Registry to allow custom panels in After Effects.

**Mac:** Double-click `Install.command`
This automatically runs the required Terminal commands to allow custom panels in After Effects.

> If Mac says the file can't be opened: right-click the file -> Open -> click Open anyway

You only need to do this once. It does not affect any other software.

---

### Step 2 : Copy the MENTORbot folder

**Windows:** Copy the `MENTORbot` folder to:
```
C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Adobe\CEP\extensions\
```
If the `extensions` folder does not exist, create it manually.

**Mac:** Copy the `MENTORbot` folder to:
```
/Library/Application Support/Adobe/CEP/extensions/
```
To get there on Mac: open Finder -> click Go in the top menu -> Go to Folder -> paste the path above -> press Enter.

---

### Step 3 : Open in After Effects

1. Restart After Effects completely
2. Go to **Window** in the top menu -> **Extensions** -> **MENTORbot**
3. The panel opens, follow the on-screen setup steps to activate

---

## First Time Setup : Get Your Free API Key

MENTORbot uses Google Gemini AI. You need a free API key from Google to activate it. No credit card required.

1. Click **Open Google AI Studio** inside the panel and your browser will open
2. Sign in with your Google account
3. Agree to Google's developer terms (free, one-time only)
4. Click **Create API key** and your key appears on screen
5. Copy the key and paste it into the panel input field
6. Click **Choose log folder location** and pick where your answers get saved
7. Click **Connect** and you're ready to use MENTORbot

The Connect button stays off until both the key and the log folder are set, so setup can never finish half done.

Your key is stored only on your machine, never shared with anyone.

---

## How to Use

### Select a filter first
MENTORbot is specifically designed to answer After Effects questions only. All answers are already filtered to stay strictly within After Effects, if your question is off-topic, MENTORbot will let you know and ask you to rephrase.

Choose the filter that best matches your question:

- **AE How To** Use this for general After Effects questions: how to use tools, navigate panels, set up compositions, work with layers, keyframes, masks, effects, and anything inside the After Effects interface.

- **AE Native Plugins** Use this for questions about effects and plugins that come built into After Effects, such as Warp Stabilizer, Content Aware Fill, Puppet Tool, Roto Brush, and all other effects found in the Effects & Presets panel that do not require a separate installation.

- **AE 3rd Party Plugins** Use this for questions about plugins you install separately, such as RSMB (ReelSmart Motion Blur), Element 3D, Optical Flares, Red Giant suite, Video Copilot tools, and similar third-party products.

- **Scripting** Use this for writing After Effects expressions (the JavaScript-based formulas applied to properties), ExtendScript automation scripts, and any code-related AE questions. Answers will include ready-to-use code.

- **Tips & Tricks / How To** Use this for workflow tips, keyboard shortcuts, best practices, technique suggestions, and efficiency improvements inside After Effects.

### Ask your question
Type your question in the input field and press **Enter** to submit.

### Read the answer
The answer appears directly below your question inside the panel. Scroll down if the answer is long.

---

## Answers Come With Sources

MENTORbot checks every answer against trusted sources and shows you exactly where each part comes from.

**Where answers come from:** answers are prioritized from a trusted list - official Adobe documentation, the plugin makers' own websites (for example the Duik or Video Copilot sites), and formal tutorial schools.

**How it looks:** the answer is split into blocks, one per source. Each block starts with the website name, followed by what that source says, and a **source link** you can click to open the page in your browser.

**Honesty first:** every block is labeled by what kind of source it is. Community sources like forums always appear below the official ones, clearly separated, because community advice can be opinion and is worth double-checking. If part of an answer is not backed by any source, MENTORbot marks it clearly so you know it comes from the AI itself, not from a website.

**You control the list.** In Settings, click **View / edit list** to see every source MENTORbot checks. You can remove any of them, add your own with a category of your choice (or let MENTORbot sort it automatically), or restore the original list at any time. Only add sources you trust - trustworthy sources keep the answers accurate.

---

## Log Files

Every answer is automatically saved to a log file on your computer, no action needed.

**Where are the log files saved?**

In the folder you picked during setup. To see or change it any time: click the gear icon -> Settings -> Log Folder.

One file is saved per question. Filename format: `FilterName-Keyword-Date-Time.txt`
Example: `AEHowTo-Loop-260416-143022.txt`

Each log also stores the direct web addresses of the sources used in the answer, so you can revisit them any time - even long after the answer is gone from the panel.

---

## Settings

Click the **gear icon** in the top right corner to access Settings:

- **API Key** replace or update your Gemini API key
- **Log Folder** change where log files are saved on your computer
- **Answer sources** see and edit the list of sources answers are prioritized from
- **Support** open your diagnostic log and email it to appsupport@the2457design.com if something is not working
- **Reset** clear all settings and start fresh from the beginning

---

## Updating from a Previous Version

Your settings, API key, and log folder are stored on your machine and will not be affected by an update.

### Windows
1. Go to `C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Adobe\CEP\extensions\`
2. Delete the existing `MENTORbot` folder
3. Copy the new `MENTORbot` folder from the zip into the same location
4. Restart After Effects

### Mac
1. Go to `/Library/Application Support/Adobe/CEP/extensions/`
2. Delete the existing `MENTORbot` folder
3. Copy the new `MENTORbot` folder from the zip into the same location
4. Run `Install.command` again to apply any new panel settings
5. Restart After Effects

---

## Troubleshooting

**Panel not showing under Window -> Extensions:**
- Make sure you ran the install script first (Step 1)
- Make sure the folder is named exactly `MENTORbot` with no extra characters
- Restart After Effects completely after copying the folder

**"Please paste your full key" message:**
- Your Gemini API key may start with `AQ.` (new format) or `AIzaSy` (old format), both are valid
- Make sure you copied the full key with no extra spaces before or after

**"Google did not accept your key" message:**
- Your key may have been deleted or expired in Google AI Studio
- Go to aistudio.google.com/apikey, create a new key, and paste it in Settings -> reset/update

**"You are asking questions too fast" message:**
- The free tier allows 10 questions per minute. Wait about a minute and try again

**"Your key works, but the Gemini API is not switched on for it" message:**
- Open Google AI Studio and enable the Gemini API for your project, then try again

**"Google's servers are busy right now" message:**
- This is on Google's side, not yours. Wait a moment and ask again

**"Google declined to answer this question" message:**
- Google's own content filters blocked the question. Try asking it a different way

**"Your answer is fine, but it could not be saved to your log folder" message:**
- Your answer is safe on screen - only the log file failed. Check the log folder in Settings, it may have been moved, renamed or set to read-only

**"Today's free allowance is used up" message:**
- The free tier has a daily question limit. It resets tomorrow - MENTORbot stays free

**"Free search allowance used up for today" message:**
- Source checking has its own daily limit on the free tier. Your answers keep working - source checking resumes tomorrow

**Panel appears blank or white:**
- Restart After Effects completely
- Make sure the install script ran successfully (Step 1)

**Still stuck? Send us the diagnostic log:**
- MENTORbot keeps a diagnostic log with the technical details of what went wrong. It is one single file named `MENTORbot-Diagnostic-Log.txt`, saved inside your log folder
- This is not the same as your answer logs. Answer logs are one file per question, and they are yours to keep. The diagnostic file is the only one we need
- Quickest way to find it: click the gear icon -> Settings -> **Open diagnostic log**
- Email it to **appsupport@the2457design.com** with a short note about what happened
- The diagnostic log only keeps the last 7 days of history, so send it soon after the problem happens
- What's inside: your recent questions and Google's technical replies - never your API key, never anything else from your computer

---

## Free Tier Limits (Google Gemini)
- gemini-2.5-flash: 250 questions/day - 10 questions/minute
- Source checking: 500 checks/day. If used up, checking pauses until the next day and answers keep working
- No credit card required
- More than sufficient for normal daily use
- Want higher limits? You can upgrade your Gemini plan directly with Google. The payment goes to Google, not to MENTORbot - MENTORbot itself stays free

---

## About
MENTORbot v1.3.5
AI-powered After Effects guru
The2457 Design - apps.the2457design.com
