Behind the Scenes Ft: Jerry 2.0

Every personal brand has its secret weapon — something that not only represents your work but also speaks for you. For me, that’s Jerry 2.0 — my own AI-powered assistant, living inside my portfolio at omkarbhosale.dev, ready to answer anything about me, my work, my skills, and my projects.

This post is a little peek into how Jerry 2.0 was built, the challenges I faced, and the tech magic that powers it.

Why Jerry 2.0?

I’ve always believed that a portfolio should feel alive — not just a static page with text and images. The goal was to let visitors interact with my profile in a way that feels personal, natural, and almost human. Instead of scrolling endlessly or hunting for details, they can just ask Jerry:

“Hey, what’s Omkar’s backend tech stack?”

“What’s his latest project?”

“Where can I contact him?”

And Jerry answers — politely, precisely, and in context.

The Process

The vision was simple:
Make an AI bot that only knows about me, and nothing else.
The execution, however, came with a few tricky parts.

The bot needed:

1. Context awareness – Jerry must stick strictly to portfolio-related topics. No random Wikipedia detours.
2. A polished personality – Responses should feel warm, professional, and approachable.
3. Security – Only my portfolio can talk to Jerry, so nobody can misuse it.
4. Seamless integration – It should work flawlessly without slowing down the site.

The Tech Stack

Node.js + Express.js : Backend API for processing user queries.

OpenRouter API (gpt-4o-mini) : AI model powering Jerry’s conversational abilities.

JavaScript : Core language for building the backend logic.

Challenges Along the Way

Like any project, Jerry 2.0 had its fair share of challenges:

1. Keeping Jerry on topic

AI loves to talk. But Jerry had to stick to just one subject — me. This required crafting a clear prompt template so the model understood it could only answer portfolio-related queries.

2. Securing the API

Since Jerry runs on my server, I added an API key validation step (some-random-string). This way, if anyone tries to use Jerry outside my site, they’ll be politely told “Nope.”

3. Making it feel natural

The goal was to avoid robotic answers. Jerry’s tone had to be human — a mix of professional and friendly, so the conversation feels genuine.

Hosting

Everything, from the backend API to the portfolio frontend, is hosted on a self-hosted platform.
This gives me complete control, better security, and the freedom to tweak Jerry whenever I want — no third-party limitations.

The Final Result

Today, Jerry 2.0 is live on my portfolio, ready to chat with anyone who visits. You can ask about my skills, education, work experience, or projects — and Jerry will answer instantly.

For me, Jerry isn’t just a fun addition. It’s a reflection of how tech can make personal branding interactive, memorable, and just a little bit magical.

Pro Tip: Next time you visit my portfolio, try asking Jerry something unexpected — you might just be surprised by the answer.