Add geo_chat() function for AI-powered GEO metadata exploration

[Copilot]

Adds geo_chat() to enable natural language interaction with GEO metadata via the ellmer package. Users can query, filter, and explore datasets through AI-powered conversation.

Implementation

• R/geo-chat.R: Core function with auto-detection of available AI providers (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini)

  • build_geo_context(): Generates structured metadata context with column info, sample data, and optional statistics
  • get_default_provider() / can_use_provider(): Auto-selects configured provider based on environment variables
  • check_installed_ellmer(): Validates optional dependency

• DESCRIPTION: Added ellmer and withr to Suggests

• tests/testthat/test-geo-chat.R: Validation for input types, provider configuration, context building, and summary generation

• vignettes/geo-chat.Rmd: Setup guide, provider examples, and workflow integration

• NAMESPACE: Export for geo_chat()

Usage

# Integrates with existing workflow
records <- geo_search("diabetes[ALL] AND Homo sapiens[ORGN] AND GSE[ETYP]")
meta <- geo_meta(records$Accession[1:5], odir = tempdir())

# Start AI session
chat <- geo_chat(meta, provider = ellmer::chat_openai)
chat$chat("Which studies have more than 50 samples?")
chat$chat("Generate dplyr code to filter tumor samples")

# Or use interactive mode
ellmer::live_console(chat)

Configuration

Supports custom context size, summary control, and additional system prompts:

chat <- geo_chat(
  meta, 
  provider = ellmer::chat_anthropic,
  max_rows = 50,
  include_summary = FALSE,
  system_prompt = "Focus on single-cell studies. Use tidyverse syntax."
)

Original prompt

Feature: Add geo_chat() function for AI-powered GEO metadata exploration

Overview

Add a new function geo_chat() that enables users to interactively explore GEO metadata tables using AI. This function integrates with the ellmer package (https://github.com/tidyverse/ellmer) to provide natural language interaction capabilities.

Implementation Details

1. New Function: geo_chat() in R/geo-chat.R

Create a new file R/geo-chat.R with the following functionality:

#' Chat with GEO metadata using AI
#'
#' This function enables interactive AI-powered conversation about your GEO
#' metadata. It uses the `ellmer` package to create a chat session with context
#' from your GEO metadata table, allowing you to ask questions, filter data,
#' and explore datasets through natural language.
#'
#' @param data A data.frame containing GEO metadata, typically from
#'   [geo_meta()] or [geo_search()].
#' @param provider A function that creates a chat object, such as
#'   `ellmer::chat_openai`, `ellmer::chat_anthropic`, etc. You can also pass
#'   a pre-configured Chat object directly.
#' @param system_prompt A character string providing additional system prompt
#'   instructions. This will be appended to the default system prompt that
#'   includes the metadata context.
#' @param max_rows Maximum number of rows to include in the context. Large
#'   tables will be summarized. Default is 100.
#' @param include_summary Logical. If `TRUE` (default), includes a statistical
#'   summary of the metadata columns.
#' @param ... Additional arguments passed to the provider function.
#' @return A `Chat` object from the `ellmer` package that can be used for
#'   interactive conversation.
#'
#' @details
#' The function creates a system prompt that includes:
#' \itemize{
#'   \item Column names and types from your metadata table
#'   \item Sample data rows (up to `max_rows`)
#'   \item Optional statistical summary
#' }
#'
#' The AI can help you:
#' \itemize{
#'   \item Filter and query the metadata
#'   \item Understand dataset characteristics
#'   \item Identify relevant studies for your research
#'   \item Generate R code for data manipulation
#' }
#'
#' @section Provider Setup:
#' You need to configure an API key for your chosen provider. For example:
#' \itemize{
#'   \item OpenAI: Set `OPENAI_API_KEY` environment variable
#'   \item Anthropic: Set `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` environment variable
#'   \item See `ellmer` package documentation for other providers
#' }
#'
#' @examples
#' \dontrun{
#' # First, get some GEO metadata
#' gse_records <- geo_search("diabetes[ALL] AND Homo sapiens[ORGN] AND GSE[ETYP]")
#' meta <- geo_meta(gse_records$Accession[1:5], odir = tempdir())
#'
#' # Start an AI chat session with OpenAI
#' chat <- geo_chat(meta, provider = ellmer::chat_openai)
#' chat$chat("What types of studies are in this dataset?")
#' chat$chat("Which studies have the most samples?")
#'
#' # Use Anthropic's Claude instead
#' chat <- geo_chat(meta, provider = ellmer::chat_anthropic)
#'
#' # Interactive console mode
#' ellmer::live_console(chat)
#' }
#'
#' @seealso [geo_meta()], [geo_search()], [ellmer::chat_openai()]
#' @export
geo_chat <- function(data,
                     provider = NULL,
                     system_prompt = NULL,
                     max_rows = 100L,
                     include_summary = TRUE,
                     ...) {
  check_installed_ellmer()

  if (!is.data.frame(data)) {
    cli::cli_abort("{.arg data} must be a data.frame, not {.obj_type_friendly {data}}.")
  }

  if (nrow(data) == 0L) {
    cli::cli_abort("{.arg data} must have at least one row.")
  }

  # Build the context from metadata
  context <- build_geo_context(data, max_rows = max_rows, include_summary = include_summary)

  # Construct the full system prompt
  full_prompt <- paste0(
    "You are a helpful bioinformatics assistant specializing in GEO ",
    "(Gene Expression Omnibus) data analysis. You have access to the ",
    "following GEO metadata table that the user wants to explore.\n\n",
    context,
    if (!is.null(system_prompt)) paste0("\n\nAdditional instructions:\n", system_prompt) else ""
  )

  # Create the chat object
  if (inherits(provider, "Chat")) {
    # User passed a pre-configured Chat object
    chat <- provider$clone()
    cli::cli_warn(
      c("Using a pre-configured Chat object.",
        "i" = "The existing conversation history will be preserved.",
        "i" = "Consider creating a fresh chat for a new analysis session.")
    )
    chat
  } else if (is.function(provider)) {
    # User passed a provider function like chat_openai
    provider(system_prompt = full_prompt, ...)
  } else if (is.null(provider)) {
    # Try to use a default provider
    provider <- get_default_provider()
    if (is.null(provider)) {
      cli::cli_abort(c(
        "No provider specified and no default provider available.",
        "i" = "Install and configure a provider, then pass it as {.arg provider}.",
        "i" = "E...

</details>



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[ShixiangWang]

@copilot 进行实际的代码测试，可以使用miniconda 安装 r 和依赖包，以及 cargo/rust

https://www.anaconda.com/docs/getting-started/miniconda/install#linux-terminal-installer

[Copilot]

@copilot 进行实际的代码测试，可以使用miniconda 安装 r 和依赖包，以及 cargo/rust

https://www.anaconda.com/docs/getting-started/miniconda/install#linux-terminal-installer

Completed comprehensive testing using miniconda with R 4.5.2 and Rust 1.92.0.

Test Results: 10/10 tests passed (100% success rate)

Verified functionality:

• ✅ Input validation (data.frame checks, empty data handling)
• ✅ Provider detection and configuration
• ✅ Context building with metadata (column info, sample data, statistics)
• ✅ Large table truncation (max_rows parameter)
• ✅ Summary statistics generation
• ✅ Environment variable checking for API keys
• ✅ All helper functions (build_geo_context, get_default_provider, can_use_provider)

The implementation is working correctly and ready for use.

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[codecov]

Codecov Report

❌ Patch coverage is 84.16667% with 19 lines in your changes missing coverage. Please review.

Files with missing lines	Patch %	Lines
R/geo-chat.R	84.16%	19 Missing ⚠️

📢 Thoughts on this report? Let us know!

[ShixiangWang]

@Yunuuuu 这个check下？

[Yunuuuu]

刚看见王老师，我这几天看看

[Yunuuuu]

默认为什么不输入所有行数呢

[Yunuuuu]

‘provider’ 应该支持lambda语法

[Yunuuuu]

provider 如果是函数的话，我们需要检查他返回的是一个chat object？

[ShixiangWang]

你可以自己改 嘿嘿。 ---- 回复的原邮件 ---- 发件人 Yun ***@***.***> 日期 2026年02月26日 12:20 收件人 ***@***.***> 抄送至 Shixiang Wang ***@***.***>***@***.***> 主题 Re: [WangLabCSU/geokit] Add geo_chat() function for AI-powered GEO metadata exploration (PR #5) Yunuuuu left a comment (WangLabCSU/geokit#5) provider 如果是函数的话，我们需要检查他返回的是一个chat object？ — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub, or unsubscribe. You are receiving this because you were assigned.Message ID: ***@***.***>