The context of this study is an introductory programming course where high school students often struggle with a proprietary graphics library used for animation/video game development projects, exacerbated by the limited availability of teaching assistants. This results in delayed and inefficient resolution of students’ queries, impacting their learning experience and self-perception towards programming. We developed an AI-powered tutor designed to offer constructive tips and guide students through their coding errors without providing direct solutions. Surveys results indicate that the AI tutor effectively addresses common student queries, and improves the correctness and completeness of student code.