"You already know the man you should be."
A premium self-mastery iOS app for modern gentlemen.
Curated literature · AI guidance · Stoic philosophy · Editorial content · Personal journaling Notebook.
Ravenscroft is a private club for intellectual growth — combining hand-picked classic books (Project Gutenberg · Open Library · Google Books), a Claude-powered literary assistant, stoic philosophy, and editorial content into one cohesive, premium iOS experience.
Target user: Men 25–45 interested in self-improvement, classic literature, Stoicism, Marcus Aurelius, Ryan Holiday, Robert Greene.
What makes it different: The aesthetic. Every screen feels like holding a leather-bound book. No clutter, no gamification, no streaks — quiet, purposeful design.
| Layer | Technology |
|---|---|
| Framework | Expo SDK 55 · React Native 0.83.2 · React 19.2 |
| Language | TypeScript (strict) |
| Routing | Expo Router v55 (file-based, typed routes) |
| Styling | NativeWind v4 + Tailwind CSS v3 |
| Animations | Reanimated v4.2 + react-native-worklets v0.7 |
| State | Zustand v5 + AsyncStorage v2 |
| Auth | Clerk (email/password, Google OAuth, Apple Sign In) |
| AI | Claude API — claude-sonnet-4-6 (Anthropic) |
| Backend | Hono.js on Node — news aggregation + caching |
| Database | Supabase (PostgreSQL) |
| Typography | Playfair Display via @expo-google-fonts |
| Icons | lucide-react-native + react-native-svg |
| Glass effects | expo-blur (BlurView iOS) |
| Book data | Google Books API · Open Library API · Project Gutenberg |
- 5-screen onboarding — typewriter animation, B&W editorial hero, soundtrack picker (iTunes API), interest chips, DOB
- Books library — search across Google Books + Open Library, add to personal library, track reading progress
- In-app reader — full text from Project Gutenberg, chapter navigation, S/M/L font sizes, light/sepia/dark themes, per-page annotations
- AI Assistant — Claude-powered literary + lifestyle mentor with scenario cards and full conversation history
- Journal — mood tracking, categories (Reflection, Gratitude, Lessons, Goals, Stoicism), calendar view, rich prompts
- Editorial feed — curated articles with full-text reader, category filters, hero images
- Live news — Hono backend aggregates NewsAPI + GNews, deduplicates via Jaccard similarity, scores by recency and source quality
- Kindle import — parse Clippings.txt, fuzzy-match to library books, deduplicate highlights
- Appearance profile — face shape, hair type, beard style, skin tone
- Wardrobe — outfit management
- Glassmorphic UI — BlurView tab bar, glass cards, spring animations throughout
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ iOS App (Expo) │
│ Expo Router · NativeWind · Reanimated │
│ Zustand stores (10) · AsyncStorage │
└────────────┬──────────────┬─────────────────┘
│ │
┌─────────▼──────┐ ┌───▼──────────────────┐
│ Clerk Auth │ │ Supabase (PostgreSQL) │
│ Email/Google │ │ Cloud sync (planned) │
│ Apple Sign In │ └──────────────────────-─┘
└────────────────┘
│
┌─────────▼────────────────────────────────┐
│ Hono.js News Backend │
│ NewsAPI · GNews · Apify (optional) │
│ Jaccard dedup · Quality scorer │
│ In-memory cache (30 min TTL) │
└──────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
┌─────────▼────────────────────────────────┐
│ Claude API (Anthropic) │
│ claude-sonnet-4-6 · Literary assistant │
└──────────────────────────────────────────┘
- Node.js 18+
- Expo CLI (
npm install -g expo-cli) - iOS Simulator (Xcode) or physical iPhone with Expo Go
git clone https://github.com/Vusoni/Gentlemen-AI-Application.git
cd Gentlemen-AI-Application
npm installcp .env.example .envFill in your keys in .env — see the Environment Variables section below.
npx expo start --clearPress i to open in iOS Simulator, or scan the QR code with Expo Go on your phone.
cd backend
npm install
cp .env.example .env # fill in NEWSAPI_KEY and GNEWS_KEY
npm run dev # starts on http://localhost:4242| Variable | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
EXPO_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY |
Yes | Clerk publishable key — clerk.com |
EXPO_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_URL |
Yes | Supabase project URL |
EXPO_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY |
Yes | Supabase anon/public key |
EXPO_PUBLIC_GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID |
For Google auth | Google OAuth client ID |
EXPO_PUBLIC_GOOGLE_BOOKS_API_KEY |
Recommended | Enables book search without rate limits |
EXPO_PUBLIC_ANTHROPIC_API_KEY |
For AI assistant | Anthropic API key — console.anthropic.com |
EXPO_PUBLIC_NEWS_API_BASE_URL |
For live news | URL of your deployed news backend |
EXPO_PUBLIC_APP_ENV |
No | development | staging | production |
CLERK_SECRET_KEY |
Server-side only | Never expose this in client code |
SUPABASE_SECRET_KEY |
Server-side only | Never expose this in client code |
GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET |
Server-side only | Never expose this in client code |
| Variable | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
NEWSAPI_KEY |
Yes | newsapi.org — 100 req/day free |
GNEWS_KEY |
Yes | gnews.io — 100 req/day free |
PORT |
No | Default: 4242 |
CACHE_TTL_MINUTES |
No | Default: 30 |
APIFY_ENABLED |
No | false by default |
├── app/
│ ├── _layout.tsx # Root layout — fonts, Clerk, providers
│ ├── index.tsx # Auth + onboarding gate
│ ├── (auth)/ # Sign in · Sign up · Email verification
│ ├── (onboarding)/ # 5-screen onboarding flow
│ └── (home)/
│ ├── (tabs)/ # Feed · Books · Journal · Assistant · Profile
│ ├── book-detail.tsx
│ ├── book-reader.tsx # Full in-app reader with chapter nav
│ ├── book-notes.tsx
│ ├── journal-entry.tsx
│ ├── appearance-setup.tsx
│ └── ...
│
├── components/
│ ├── GlassTabBar.tsx # Frosted glass tab bar (BlurView)
│ ├── GlassCard.tsx # Reusable glass surface
│ └── ...
│
├── store/ # 10 Zustand stores, all persisted
│ ├── authStore.ts
│ ├── booksStore.ts
│ ├── assistantStore.ts
│ ├── journalStore.ts
│ ├── newsStore.ts
│ └── ...
│
├── backend/ # Hono.js news aggregation server
│ └── src/
│ ├── services/news/ # NewsAPI + GNews + Apify
│ ├── filters/ # Dedup · Keyword filter · Quality scorer
│ ├── routes/ # GET /api/articles · GET /health
│ └── storage/cache.ts # In-memory TTL cache
│
├── constants/
│ ├── articles.ts # Editorial content
│ ├── bookSummaries.ts # Curated book metadata
│ └── colors.ts # Design tokens
│
└── lib/
├── supabase.ts
├── kindleParser.ts # Kindle Clippings.txt parser
└── kindleMatcher.ts # Fuzzy match highlights → library
| Token | Hex | Usage |
|---|---|---|
ivory |
#EDEDED |
App background |
ink |
#0A0A0A |
Primary text, CTAs |
charcoal |
#1C1C1C |
Secondary text |
muted |
#6B6B6B |
Captions, metadata |
border |
#D4D4D4 |
Dividers, hairlines |
surface |
#F5F5F5 |
Elevated surfaces |
# Mobile
npx expo start --clear # Dev server (clear cache)
npx expo start --ios # iOS Simulator
npx tsc --noEmit # Type check
npx expo lint # Lint
npx expo export --platform ios # Production export
# Backend
npm run dev # Dev server with hot reload (tsx watch)
npm run build # Compile TypeScript
npm start # Run compiled output
npm run typecheck # Type check only- Supabase cloud sync for cross-device data
- Claude API proxy via Supabase Edge Function (move key server-side)
- EAS Build + TestFlight distribution
- Subscription paywall (RevenueCat)
- Push notifications — morning reading reminders
- App Store submission
Built with React Native · Expo · TypeScript