MeadowPy
A beginner-friendly Python IDE with built-in AI assistance, a step-through debugger, and everything you need to start coding — no experience required.
- Why MeadowPy?
- Requirements
- Getting Started
- AI Assistant
- Built for Beginners
- Features
- Troubleshooting
- Roadmap
- Contributing & Feedback
- License
Most code editors are built for professional developers. They're powerful, but for someone just starting out they can be overwhelming — cluttered interfaces, cryptic error messages, and no guidance when something goes wrong.
MeadowPy is different. It's built specifically for beginners, with three core ideas:
Everything is explained, not just shown. When your code errors, MeadowPy tells you what went wrong in plain English. When you don't know what a keyword means, you can right-click and find out instantly. The IDE teaches you as you use it.
AI that stays on your machine. MeadowPy's AI assistant runs entirely locally via Ollama — no account, no subscription, no data sent anywhere. It knows the context of what you're writing and answers questions like a knowledgeable friend sitting next to you.
Zero friction to get started. Six ready-to-run starter projects, one-click setup, and a full example library mean you can go from download to running code in minutes — no configuration required.
If you're learning Python and want an environment that supports you rather than gets in your way, MeadowPy is for you.
- Windows 10 or 11 (macOS compatibility coming soon)
- Python 3.11 or newer — Download Python
During installation, make sure to check "Add Python to PATH".
- Ollama (optional, for AI features) — Download Ollama
- Download — Click the green Code button on GitHub, then Download ZIP.
- Extract — Right-click the ZIP and choose Extract All. Pick any folder you like.
- Setup — Open the extracted folder and double-click
setup.bat. This creates a virtual environment and installs everything MeadowPy needs. You only need to do this once. - Launch — Double-click the MeadowPy shortcut (created by setup) to start the IDE.
MeadowPy has a built-in AI assistant powered by Ollama that runs entirely on your computer — no accounts, no internet, and no data leaves your machine.
AI Chat Panel — Open the chat sidebar and ask questions in plain English. The AI knows which file you're editing and what function you're in, so it gives relevant answers. Responses stream in token-by-token so you don't have to wait.
Right-click any code to:
- Explain this code — Get a plain-English breakdown of what selected code does
- Review & improve — Get suggestions for cleaner, better code
- Generate docstring — Automatically write a docstring for any function or class
Review Current File (Ctrl+Shift+R) — The AI reviews your entire file and gives feedback on structure, readability, naming, potential bugs, and performance.
Works with any model you have installed in Ollama — Llama, CodeLlama, DeepSeek Coder, and more. MeadowPy auto-connects when Ollama is running and lets you switch models from the status bar.
MeadowPy is designed from the ground up for people learning to code.
Welcome screen with templates — When you first open MeadowPy, you'll see six ready-to-run projects to get started with: Hello World, Simple Calculator, Guessing Game, Todo List, Turtle Graphics, and Simple Quiz. One click and you're coding.
Error messages you can actually understand — When your code hits an error, MeadowPy translates the traceback into plain English. Over 100 common error patterns are covered, from NameError typos to IndentationError mix-ups. Each explanation tells you what went wrong and how to fix it.
"What does this mean?" on any keyword — Right-click any Python keyword (for, def, class, try, etc.) and MeadowPy explains it in simple terms with a code example. Over 50 keywords are documented this way.
Example library — Browse a categorized collection of fully-commented code examples covering basics, lists, dictionaries, functions, objects, file I/O, and more. Preview the code and open it in a new tab with one click.
Keyboard shortcut reference — Available under Help, a full table of every shortcut organized by category.
MeadowPy's editor is built to feel familiar from day one — tabbed files, colour-coded syntax, and smart helpers that reduce the small frustrations that slow beginners down.
- Tabbed editing with Python syntax highlighting
- Auto-completion for Python keywords and built-ins
- Smart indentation and auto-closing brackets
- Code folding for functions, classes, and blocks
- Symbol outline panel for quick navigation
- Find & replace with search across files
- Light and dark themes
- Configurable font, tab width, and word wrap
Running your code is one keypress away. When something goes wrong, the debugger lets you slow everything down and watch your program think — line by line, variable by variable.
- Run your script with F5, or the dedicated run button
- Interactive REPL with stdin support
- Step-through debugger — set breakpoints (F9), then step over (F10), step into (F11), or step out (Shift+F11)
- Variable inspector — see all local and global variables update in real time as you step through code
- Watch expressions — monitor custom expressions like
len(my_list)orx + y - Call stack viewer — click any frame to inspect variables at that level
MeadowPy catches mistakes before you run your code, and explains them in terms you can actually act on.
- Real-time linting with flake8 and pylint
- Lint-on-save option
- Problems panel with click-to-jump-to-line
- Beginner-friendly error explanations for every issue
- AI explanations for more complicated problems
Whether you're working on a single script or a folder full of files, MeadowPy keeps everything within reach.
- File explorer sidebar with create, rename, and delete
- Drag and drop file opening
- Open entire project folders
- Search across all files in a project
Python not found
Make sure Python 3.11+ is installed and that you checked "Add Python to PATH" during installation. You can verify by opening Command Prompt and typing python --version.
"Please run setup.bat first"
You need to run setup.bat once before launching the IDE. Double-click it and wait for it to finish.
MeadowPy won't start
Try running setup.bat again to reinstall dependencies. If the problem persists, make sure no antivirus software is blocking Python.
Window closes immediately
Open Command Prompt, navigate to the MeadowPy folder, and run .venv\Scripts\python.exe main.py to see the error message.
AI features not working
Make sure Ollama is installed and running. MeadowPy connects to it automatically at localhost:11434. You need at least one model installed.
MeadowPy is actively developed. Here's what's coming next:
| Feature | Status |
|---|---|
| More example library entries and library UI rework | ✅ Completed |
| Improved app setup & first-run experience | ✅ Completed |
| More starter project templates | ✅ Completed |
| Custom theming options | ✅ Completed |
| Comment / uncomment toggle (Ctrl+/) | ✅ Completed |
| macOS support | 🔄 In progress |
| LM Studio integration | 🔄 In progress |
| Integrated terminal panel | 🔄 In progress |
| Improved styling cohesion | 🔄 In progress |
| Global search and replace | 🔄 In progress |
| Keyboard shortcut editor | 🔄 In progress |
| UI overhaul | 🔄 In progress |
| Improved syntax highlighting | 📋 Planned |
| Plot / output preview | 📋 Planned |
| Git basics panel | 📋 Planned |
| Claude API integration | 📋 Planned |
| Enhanced AI features/capabilities | 📋 Planned |
| Multi-cursor editing | 📋 Planned |
Snippet / template expansion (e.g. for+Tab) |
📋 Planned |
| Clickable tracebacks in output panel | 📋 Planned |
| Hover docstring & signature tooltips | 📋 Planned |
| Quick-fix lightbulb (auto-import, unused var, …) | 📋 Planned |
| Breadcrumb navigation bar (file › class › method) | 📋 Planned |
| Inline rename refactoring | 📋 Planned |
| Inline debug variable values | 📋 Planned |
| Large-file safeguard (warn / lazy-load >10 MB) | 📋 Planned |
| Panel jump shortcuts (Ctrl+1/2/3 …) | 📋 Planned |
MeadowPy is a solo project, but feedback from real users is what shapes it.
- Found a bug? Open an issue with what you were doing and what went wrong.
- Have a feature idea? Open an issue and describe what you'd find useful — especially if you're a beginner who ran into a gap.
- Want to contribute code? Pull requests are welcome. Open an issue first so we can discuss the change.
If MeadowPy helped you learn something or is something you find useful, a ⭐ on the repo goes a long way.
This project is licensed under the MIT License.
You're free to use, modify, and distribute MeadowPy for personal or commercial purposes. See the LICENSE file for full details.