TemplatesChat UIs

Basic Chat Interface

Loading pattern preview

Problems solved

Technical challenges this implementation handles out of the box.
  • Stream chat responses with message history in the UI
  • Switch between a user-selected model and Perplexity Sonar for web search
  • Enable source and reasoning parts in the UI message stream

Use cases

Products and workflows this pattern is designed to support.
  • Basic AI chat products
  • Model-picker chat experiences
  • Search-backed assistant demos
  • AI Elements conversation shells

Setup

Requirements, wiring steps, and what this pattern adds to your project.

Getting started

Pick how you want to pull this pattern in. Then wire env vars and routes the same way.

  1. 1

    Download → Next.js app

    Use Download → Next.js app in the preview toolbar. You get a zip scaffold (Pro downloads rewrite preview `/view/.../api/*` paths to `/api/*` automatically).

  2. 2

    Extract the zip and install dependencies

    Unzip the archive, then run `pnpm install` (or npm / yarn) in the project folder.

  3. 3

    Fill .env.local

    The download includes .env.local placeholders when needed. Add real values for: OPENAI_API_KEY.

  4. 4

    Customize the agent and tool files

    Adapt prompts, tools, and stop conditions in the generated project for your product.

  5. 5

    Run the app and open the pattern route

    Run `pnpm dev`, open the setup/checklist page if present, then navigate to the generated pattern route and verify responses.

Environment variables

Capabilities

AI SDK APIs

streamTextconvertToModelMessages

Providers

OpenAI

Files added

4 files
  • app/page.tsx
  • app/layout.tsx
  • components/chat-form.tsx
  • app/api/chat/route.ts

Dependencies

6 total

npm packages

4
AISDKlucide-reactNext.jsReact

Shadcn IconRegistry components

2
emptytooltip

Critical files

  • chat/route.ts

    API route showing the pattern for model switching (user-selected model vs perplexity/sonar for web search) and enabling sendSources/sendReasoning in toUIMessageStreamResponse.

Requirements

Complexity
Beginner
Setup time
~10 minutes
Node
24+
Memory
512MB