Status: Elixpo is applying to be a mentoring organisation for Google Summer of Code 2027. Google announces accepted organisations after the application period.

ElixpoGSoC 2027

Warm-up

Set up a project without keys

Every warm-up task can be done from a public checkout, without decrypting any Elixpo configuration. This page gives, for each of the five projects, what runs without keys, the commands taken from the repository's own files, how to tell it worked, and the limitations you may meet today.

Our warm-up policy

These are our commitments to every applicant, for every participating project. Where a project does not meet one yet, its section below says so.

  • Documented setup. Each project can be set up from a clean checkout with commands written down in the repository, and those commands match what its continuous integration (CI) runs.
  • No keys. Setup and the warm-up tasks never require decrypting Elixpo configuration. If they do, that is a defect in our instructions, and we fix it.
  • Tests without secrets. The tests for the area of each idea run on your computer without secrets and on every pull request.
  • Fakes, not services. Where an idea touches an outside service, the project provides fakes or fixtures so you can work without it.
  • Versions stated. Each project states the runtime versions it needs and the operating systems it supports.
  • Contribution basics. Each repository has contribution guidelines, a Code of Conduct and a pull request template.
  • Named reviewers. Your warm-up pull request is reviewed by the idea's mentors, who aim to reply within 48 hours on weekdays.
  • Clear boundaries. We explain what configuration is encrypted and how access is granted after acceptance. See configuration and access.

LixBlogs

Repository: elixpo/blogs.elixpo. Ideas: read-access policy and CLI automation contract.

What runs without keys

The full unit test suite of the web app (tests/, run with Node's built-in test runner) and the test suite of the command-line tool (packages/lixblogs-cli). These are the warm-up path.

Prerequisites

Git, Node.js 22 and npm. Node 22 is the version the pull request tests use.

Commands

git clone https://github.com/elixpo/blogs.elixpo
cd blogs.elixpo
npm ci
npm test

Source: .github/workflows/pr-tests.yml (runs npm ci and npm test on Node 22 for every pull request, without secrets).

cd packages/lixblogs-cli
npm ci
npm test

Source: packages/lixblogs-cli/package.json (the test script, node --test tests/*.test.mjs).

How you know it worked

Node's test runner ends with a summary. # fail 0 means every test passed.

Warm-up tasks

See the warm-up tasks on the read-access policy and CLI automation contract idea pages.

Known limitations

  • The development server (npm run dev) will not start until a .env.local file exists (next.config.mjs), and signing in needs an Elixpo Accounts application that applicants do not have. Signed-in pages are therefore not part of the warm-up; the tests cover the code instead.
  • The repository contains an encrypted .env file. Leave it alone: do not try to decrypt it. Do not create .dev.vars; the README explains that it overrides local settings.

LixSketch

Repository: elixpo/sketch.elixpo. Idea: accessible canvas.

What runs without keys

The drawing engine's tests (Vitest unit tests and Node tests for its MCP server), and the canvas itself in your browser, together with a local collaboration server. When run locally, the canvas connects to the local collaboration server instead of the hosted one.

Prerequisites

Git, Node.js 20 or newer and npm (engines in package.json).

Commands

git clone https://github.com/elixpo/sketch.elixpo
cd sketch.elixpo
npm ci
npm test
npm run dev

Sources: .elixpo/project.yml (test_cmd: npm test, run by .github/workflows/quality-gate.yml on every pull request) and the README (npm run dev). npm run dev first applies the database migrations to a local database, then starts the web app and the collaboration server on port 8787.

How you know it worked

npm test prints a Vitest summary with every test file passed, then a Node test summary ending in # fail 0. After npm run dev, open http://localhost:3000: the canvas loads and you can draw shapes.

Warm-up tasks

See the accessible canvas idea page.

Known limitations

  • Signing in is not available locally; drawing and the accessibility work do not need it.
  • The repository contains an encrypted .env file, and the development tools read it, so some settings arrive as unreadable values. The canvas does not depend on them. Do not try to decrypt the file.

Crumb

Repository: elixpo/crumb.elixpo. Idea: connector contract.

What runs without keys

Building the whole Rust workspace and running its full test suite. The tests use a mock AI model provider, so no API key is needed. Only the end-to-end agent evaluations in evals/ call a real provider; they are not part of the warm-up.

Prerequisites

Git and Rust stable, version 1.95 or newer, with rustfmt and clippy (rust-toolchain.toml and Cargo.toml). With rustup, the toolchain file selects the right components. CI tests on Linux, macOS and Windows.

Commands

git clone https://github.com/elixpo/crumb.elixpo
cd crumb.elixpo
cargo fmt --all --check
cargo clippy --workspace --all-targets -- -D warnings
cargo test --workspace --all-targets

Sources: .github/workflows/ci.yml (runs these on every pull request) and the "Checks" section of CONTRIBUTING.md.

How you know it worked

cargo fmt prints nothing, cargo clippy finishes without warnings, and every crate's tests end with test result: ok.

Warm-up tasks

See the connector contract idea page.

Known limitations

  • The README describes installing released binaries, not building from source. Use the commands above, from CONTRIBUTING.md.
  • Chatting with a real AI model needs a provider key and is not part of the warm-up.

Elixpo Open Source

Repository: elixpo/opensource.elixpo. Idea: contest-scoring engine.

What runs without keys

Type-checking and linting the code, applying the database schema to a local database, and running the web frontend, which shows example (mock) data. The backend services are not written yet: workers/ holds only the database migrations.

Prerequisites

Git, Node.js 20 or newer and npm (README and engines in package.json).

Commands

git clone https://github.com/elixpo/opensource.elixpo
cd opensource.elixpo
npm install
npm run typecheck
./biome.sh ci
npm run db:migrate:local
npm run dev

Sources: the README (npm install, npm run db:migrate:local, npm run dev, npm run typecheck), package.json scripts, and .github/workflows/biome.yml (./biome.sh ci on every pull request).

How you know it worked

npm run typecheck finishes without errors, ./biome.sh ci reports no errors, and http://localhost:3000 shows the landing page.

Warm-up tasks

See the contest-scoring engine idea page. The points ledger schema is in workers/migrations/.

Known limitations

  • The README's first setup step copies a settings template that is not in the repository. Skip it: the app has local defaults.
  • There are no automated tests yet. A first test is a welcome warm-up pull request.
  • The repository contains an encrypted .env file, which the development server reads. Do not try to decrypt it; the frontend does not need it.

Oreo

Repository: elixpo/oreo. Idea: desktop simulator.

What runs without keys

Without the badge, you can install the host tools and read and change the code. OreoOS apps run only on the ESP32-S3 badge today, and the repository has no tests. Running apps on a computer is exactly what the simulator idea builds, so the warm-up is hardware-free reading and analysis, not running apps.

Prerequisites

Git and Python 3.9 or newer (pyproject.toml). No badge hardware.

Commands

git clone https://github.com/elixpo/oreo
cd oreo
python -m venv .venv && source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -r oreoOS/requirements.txt

Source: the README "Get going" section. Stop there: the README's next command, tools/deploy.py, flashes a connected badge.

How you know it worked

pip finishes installing the host tools listed in oreoOS/requirements.txt. Then open oreoOS/api.py, the hardware abstraction every app is meant to go through.

Warm-up tasks

See the desktop simulator idea page: read oreoOS/api.py, find modules that import hardware directly, and try the MicroPython unix port from MicroPython's own documentation.

Known limitations

  • No automated tests and no way to run apps without the badge yet.
  • The deploy tool reads secrets from the encrypted .env file. You do not need it for the warm-up; do not try to decrypt it.
  • The README links templates/example_app/; the folder is app_templates/.

Common problems

  • A setup step asks for a secret, a key or an encrypted file. Do not try to decrypt the repository's .env file or ask anyone to share keys. Report it as a setup issue in the repository: it is a defect in our instructions, and fixing it is a valid first contribution. See configuration and access.
  • A feature needs a real service (sign-in, email, media uploads, AI models). Skip it: warm-up tasks do not depend on it.
  • Your Node.js or Rust version differs. Use the version in the project's prerequisites above.

Where to ask

Write to gsoc@elixpo.com with the project, the command you ran and its full output. GitHub Discussions for GSoC 2027 will open once Google announces the programme dates.