Build, enhance, audit, or migrate a React / Next.js web app with Stream (Chat, Video, Feeds, Moderation) - the default for all web React work. Scaffold Next.js + Tailwind + Shadcn + Stream React SDKs end-to-end with Steps 0-7. Add Chat/Video/Feeds/Moderation to an existing React project (enhance). Audit an existing Stream Video integration against best practices. Migrate/upgrade an SDK version (e.g. v13 -> v14). Migrate an existing Sendbird (@sendbird/chat, @sendbird/uikit-react) app to Stream Chat React. Triggers on 'build me a ... app', 'scaffold', 'create a new ...', 'add Chat to this app', 'integrate Video', 'drop Feeds into ...', 'upgrade'/'migrate'/'bump ... version', 'migrate from Sendbird', 'replace Sendbird with Stream', and React / Next.js tokens: stream-chat-react, @stream-io/video-react-sdk, @stream-io/feeds-react-sdk, useCreateChatClient, useCreateFeedsClient, StreamVideo, Channel, MessageList. Covers livestreaming, video conferencing, team messaging, direct messaging, social feed. Web React only
Build, enhance, audit, or migrate a React / Next.js web app with Stream (Chat, Video, Feeds, Moderation) - the default for all web React work. Scaffold Next.js + Tailwind + Shadcn + Stream React SDKs end-to-end with Steps 0-7. Add Chat/Video/Feeds/Moderation to an existing React project (enhance). Audit an existing Stream Video integration against best practices. Migrate/upgrade an SDK version (e.g. v13 -> v14). Migrate an existing Sendbird (@sendbird/chat, @sendbird/uikit-react) app to Stream Chat React. Triggers on 'build me a ... app', 'scaffold', 'create a new ...', 'add Chat to this app', 'integrate Video', 'drop Feeds into ...', 'upgrade'/'migrate'/'bump ... version', 'migrate from Sendbird', 'replace Sendbird with Stream', and React / Next.js tokens: stream-chat-react, @stream-io/video-react-sdk, @stream-io/feeds-react-sdk, useCreateChatClient, useCreateFeedsClient, StreamVideo, Channel, MessageList. Covers livestreaming, video conferencing, team messaging, direct messaging, social feed. Web React only - not React Native (use stream-react-native).
Read first (every session): Read RULES.md (React/Next.js non-negotiables) and the cross-cutting ../stream/RULES.md. Where the two files state the same rule differently (e.g. Strict mode protection, Package manager), this pack's RULES.md wins for React work. Glob ../stream/SKILL.md; if empty, install with getstream skills stream.
CLI: CLI usage (onboarding, credentials, auth, every getstream api call) lives in the root skill - its "Stream CLI" section in ../stream/SKILL.md, with CLI safety in ../stream/RULES.md. Glob ../stream/SKILL.md; install silently if missing (getstream skills stream).
This skill builds, enhances, audits, and migrates Stream Chat, Video, and Feeds in React / Next.js web apps - the default pack for all web React work. It covers five tracks:
Track A - Scaffold a new app: Steps 0-7 below. Use when the cwd is empty / new and the user said "build me a ... app".
Track E - Enhance an existing app: see enhance.md. Skips scaffold + theme; reuses the same SDK wiring and component blueprints.
Track F - Audit an existing integration (read-only): for "audit/review my video integration", "check my app against best practices", "is my video app production-ready?", "what am I missing before launch?". Video only: load the Integration best-practices audit section in references/VIDEO.md and follow its protocol - it has a Video-specific checklist + output contract. If the user asks to audit Chat or Feeds, say up front there is no dedicated best-practices checklist for those yet, then do a general docs-based review (fetch the relevant pages from and check the app against them) rather than applying the Video checklist. - this track only reads the app and reports findings. Fix issues only if the user then asks.
Skip onboarding, auth, the CLI, and all build steps
Track M - Migrate / upgrade an SDK version: see migrate.md. For "upgrade stream-chat-react to v14", "migrate to the new SDK", "bump my Stream version". Docs-driven: detect the installed version, fetch the matching release guide, apply it. Never migrate from memory.
Track S - Migrate from Sendbird: see sendbird-migration.md. For "migrate my app from Sendbird to Stream", "replace @sendbird/uikit-react with Stream", "we're switching off Sendbird". Detects the existing Sendbird integration shape, swaps packages + init, re-implements each touchpoint (UI composition, channels, messages, events/pagination, moderation, theming) against the grounded Sendbird<->Stream mapping the file carries, then offers the separate data migration.
Flow dispatch - choose exactly one
Track A: run getstream init to onboard (authenticate + select/create org + app + write credentials), then continue to Start and execute Steps 0-7.
Track E: run getstream init to onboard (authenticate + select/create org + app + write credentials), then Read and execute enhance.md. Do not enter Start or any scaffold task.
Track F: skip onboarding and go directly to the audit in references/VIDEO.md. Do not enter Start or any build step.
Track M: skip onboarding and Read migrate.md first; it fetches the live release guide before any edit. Do not enter Start or any scaffold task.
Track S: skip onboarding and Read sendbird-migration.md first; it detects the integration shape before any edit. Do not enter Start or any scaffold task.
Styling-depth flag (orthogonal to the track). If the request carries a target appearance - an attached screenshot, a Figma frame, or "make it look like WhatsApp / Slack / " - route through references/design-matching.md: a reference design is a checklist of regions, not a color tweak. Its pipeline is Classify -> Design analysis -> Route -> Ground -> Build -> Verify, run as a coordinator-agent orchestration (parallel subagents where the harness dispatches them; inline serially where not): classify the fidelity tier + viewport, produce a fine-grained design analysis at .design-verify/design-analysis.md that names the Stream concept behind every visual signal via per-product identification checklists (chat / video / feeds), route each region to a component + mechanism (theming / injection -> the references/custom-ui.md completion contract / bespoke), ground the names against the live docs, build batched, and close with an empirical verify loop - screenshot + computed-style checks via session browser tooling or a Playwright fallback - iterated until the spec table passes. This composes with the track: Track A scaffolds first, then matches before Step 4's build; Track E matches within E3. Load it before writing UI.
Docs-first triggers (consult docs before building)
For any feature that matches a UI component, cookbook, or advanced-guide topic, fetch the matching Stream docs page BEFORE writing code. The live docs are the source of truth for the current API and the recommended pattern; the bundled references/*-blueprints.md cover the prebuilt common path only. Full keyword -> page map with exact URLs: references/docs-map.md - it opens with the docs convention (the .md-twin rule + per-product live index) so any unmapped page is still reachable: never guess a path, fetch the index. Enforced by RULES.md > Docs-first for cookbook / advanced features.
This skill is prebuilt-component-first: build the common path with the SDK's prebuilt React components and customize via the documented hooks/props - see RULES.md > Reference authority. The docs-first protocol covers both the component reference pages and the cookbook / advanced recipes:
Advanced Guides: AI integrations (LangChain, AI SDK), advanced search, multiple lists, infinite scroll, read state, online status, location sharing, blocking, message reminders, notifications / web push, attachment previews, audio playback, date formatting, SDK state management, dialog management, TypeScript custom data, chat + video integration, recording, broadcasting, video filters.
When a request hits one of these: match -> WebFetch the page's .md URL from references/docs-map.md -> implement to match. On fetch failure, hand to the stream-docs skill; if neither resolves the API, stop and ask the user - never build from memory.
Start
Track A only. Tracks E, F, and M branch in Flow dispatch above and never enter this section.
Once getstream init has onboarded (authenticated + selected/created org + app + written credentials), announce the network plan once, then immediately start executing Steps 0-7 - do not ask permission to begin (the user has authorized the build by asking for it). The only pause for input is the theme + app pick (Step 1b).
Trust readout (announce, then continue on the same turn - do not wait)
Before the first network command, print this verbatim to the user, then proceed straight into Step 0 without stopping for a reply:
getstream env - local CLI, no network; writes .env.local (gitignored by the Next.js scaffold's default; Task B verifies).
Interrupt me at any point if something looks wrong. I'll pause once for your input: the theme + Stream-app pick (Step 1b).
Full per-command audit (publisher, why unpinned, what each writes): section Install trust & integrity below. The user's continued silence after the readout is implicit consent for this scaffold; an objection or stop instruction aborts the run.
Shadcn/ui is always installed during Step 3. stream-react does not install third-party frontend skills - the build uses Stream references + Shadcn. If frontend skill packs (frontend-design, vercel-react-best-practices, web-design-guidelines) are already available in the session, use them for generic React / UI polish only; Stream references remain authoritative for SDK wiring.
Install trust & integrity
This builder runs three classes of network-touching commands. Each is listed here so a reviewer can audit before approving. CLI install instructions live in the root skill's "Stream CLI" section in ../stream/SKILL.md.
Scaffolder; @latest is the maintainer's documented usage. Pinning ships outdated scaffolds.
Project files in cwd. Next.js scaffold's .gitignore ignores .env* by default.
npx shadcn@latest add ... (Task A.1)
Vercel - same source as above
Same scaffolder; component sync depends on registry parity.
Component files under components/ui/.
npm install <stream-packages> --legacy-peer-deps (Task C)
GetStream (npm) for @stream-io/* and stream-chat-react; transitive deps via standard npm trust
Latest published versions of GetStream's own SDKs - same trust model as the CLI itself.
Modules under node_modules/. Runtime SDKs + transitive deps.
getstream env (Task B)
GetStream - install instructions in the root skill's "Stream CLI" section in ../stream/SKILL.md
n/a (local CLI, no network at this step)
.env.local in the project root with NEXT_PUBLIC_STREAM_API_KEY + STREAM_API_SECRET. Task B verifies .gitignore covers .env* before writing (Next.js scaffold's default already does). The agent never reads .env.local (RULES.md > Secrets).
Playwright into a self-contained .design-verify/ harness (npm install --prefix .design-verify -D playwright + browser install) - design-matching verify-loop fallback only
Latest published; runs only when a design match needs a capture and no in-session browser tooling exists (may never run), announced inline at point of use.
Everything under .design-verify/ (its own package.json + node_modules, gitignored) - the app's package.json / lockfile are untouched - plus ~120MB Chromium in the shared Playwright cache. Deleted wholesale at loop exit; nothing lands in the app manifest.
Reviewer checklist:
All npx invocations resolve to the publishers listed above; substitute a different publisher and the install fails.
.env.local is written by the Stream CLI directly, not by the agent, and is not transmitted into the conversation.
If the user wants to pin a specific shadcn version, replace @latest with @<version> in Tasks A and A.1.
The Playwright row is a design-matching verify-loop fallback, not part of the scaffold: it is announced inline if and when it runs (it may never run), installs only into a self-contained .design-verify/ harness (never the app root), and does not appear in the Start trust readout above.
Builder Steps
Execute phases in order (later steps depend on earlier ones). Do not run independent phases in parallel. One exception: when references/design-matching.md is active, its Orchestration section governs scheduling - the design-analysis agent runs concurrently with the Steps 0-3 setup work, and builds / verifies fan out per its role table; everything else here stays sequential. Shell discipline (one bash -c per phase, no bash -ce, getstream login standalone) lives in ../stream/RULES.md > Shell discipline.
Two-call exception: If you must Read JSON from a getstream api call and then choose IDs, use one call for the read, one batched call for all creates.
Step 0: Package manager
Always use npm. Never use bun. (RULES.md > Package manager.)
Step 1: Auth
Authentication is handled by getstream init (Step 2) - it opens the browser as its own invocation if you're not signed in (builder.md > Provisioning; ../stream/RULES.md > Shell discipline). There is no separate getstream api auth probe - CLI v1.0.0 removed the pre-1.0 OrganizationRead probe, and getstream api subcommands are now product-namespaced (e.g. getstream api chat ...). Continue to Step 1b.
Step 1b: Theme + app pick
Ask both setup questions in one message before doing anything else - a single pause, the same "ask exactly once, then act" pattern the other platform packs use for credentials. Build the app options from what is already in context: the org/app already configured in this project by a prior getstream init, if any. If none is configured yet, getstream init lists your orgs/apps when it runs (Step 2) - interactively with a TTY; in a non-interactive shell it writes a .stream/init-*.yaml command file to uncomment instead (builder.md > Provisioning documents the exact headless sequence). Don't try to enumerate them with a raw getstream api call.
Quick setup - two questions:
Theme: I can use a random shadcn theme, or you can design your own at ui.shadcn.com/create and share the --preset value (e.g. --preset b1Gdi7z7r). Random, or do you have a preset? (If you already shared a screenshot or Figma, I'll match that instead - skip this.)
Stream app:(an app is already configured) Use the currently configured app <name> (default), or pick/create a different one? / (no app configured yet)getstream init will list your orgs and apps when it runs - use an existing one, or create a fresh org + app?
STOP here and wait for the user's answer. Do not continue with any other step until the user responds. Asking a question and continuing to work in parallel is confusing - the user misses the question as output scrolls past.
Theme - preset provided -> store it for Task A scaffold command. Random / doesn't care -> pick a random preset from nova, vega, maia, lyra, mira, luma.
Theme - a reference design (screenshot / Figma) was provided -> the design dictates the theme: skip question 1, pick the shadcn preset closest to the sampled palette, ask only question 2 (the Stream app), and match the design via references/design-matching.md.
App - named choice, "default", or "don't care" -> Step 2 applies it (the configured app wins whenever one exists). Create new -> Step 2 runs the create flow.
Account has no orgs at all -> drop question 2, announce that a fresh org + app will be created, and ask only the theme.
Step 2: Pick org + app
Run Provisioning in builder.md: getstream init handles auth and org/app selection-or-creation (including the Feeds v3 region choice). Let init drive it - interactively or via its command file; don't provision with raw getstream api calls.
Steps 1-1b: Auth + theme/app pick (wait for answer).
Step 2: Apply the org/app choice (select existing or create).
Task A: Scaffold with Shadcn + Next.js using the chosen preset.
Task A.1: Add base Shadcn components.
Continue with Task B (.env), Task C (SDKs), Task D (CLI config).
Task A: Scaffold - scaffolds Next.js + Tailwind + Shadcn/ui (Base UI) into the current directory. Use the theme preset chosen in Step 1b.
The scaffold command creates a new directory, so we scaffold into a temporary .scaffold subdirectory and move everything up. The -n .scaffold flag also lands in the generated package.json as "name": ".scaffold", which npm/pnpm/yarn reject (a package name can't start with .), so the final step rewrites name to a valid slug derived from the project directory:
Add more components as the use case requires (e.g. dialog, dropdown-menu, tabs, popover).
Do not modify layout.tsx or globals.css after scaffold - use Shadcn's defaults as-is (RULES.md > Theme).
Task B: .env - run AFTER scaffold so the .env lands inside the project directory.
First, verify .env* is gitignored (../stream/RULES.md > Secrets). The Next.js scaffold's default already includes it; this is a safety net for projects whose .gitignore was hand-edited or doesn't yet exist. Use the file tools (no shell) so no broad bash -c permission is needed:
Grep for ^\.env in .gitignore (or Read it). If it already ignores .env*, do nothing.
If .gitignore exists but has no .env entry, Edit it to append a line .env*.
If .gitignore does not exist, Write a new .gitignore containing .env*.
(Inspecting/editing .gitignore is fine; never Read or Edit .env itself - ../stream/RULES.md > Secrets.)
Then write secrets:
getstream env
getstream env detects the Next.js project and writes NEXT_PUBLIC_STREAM_API_KEY + STREAM_API_SECRET to .env.local. The secret is server-side only - used by /api/token to mint tokens, never in the client bundle. The public API key may be read client-side from NEXT_PUBLIC_STREAM_API_KEY or returned via /api/token. The agent never reads .env.local (RULES.md > Env vars).
Task C: Install Stream SDKs + verify icons - Only what the use case needs:
After installing SDKs, note the resolved Stream Chat React major: the bundled blueprints assume v14 (MessageComposer, stream-chat-react/css/index.css). @latest is v14 today; if a future install resolves a newer major, fetch that major's component reference from references/docs-map.md (Version note) before writing the provider tree - don't apply v14 names from memory.
Also verify an icon package is available. Some Shadcn presets bundle one, others don't:
If NO_ICONS, install lucide-react: npm install lucide-react --legacy-peer-deps. If an icon package is already present, use that one throughout the app - do not install a second.
Task D: Configure Stream - run the CLI commands from the relevant references/<Product>.md (App Integration -> Setup) for each product the use case needs.
Step 4: Generate code and UI
Prebuilt-component-first. Build the common path with the SDK's prebuilt React components and customize via the documented hooks/props (RULES.md > Reference authority). Writing your own component for a region (custom message row, composer, channel preview/header, call layout) - not just passing props - loads references/custom-ui.md (the completion contract) first; see RULES.md > Reference authority.
Docs-first: before implementing any component, cookbook, or advanced feature (typing indicator, custom message UI, reactions, AI integrations, read state, notifications, call layouts, ...), follow the Docs-first triggers section above - WebFetch the matching references/docs-map.md page first, then build to match.
Load builder-ui.md and sdk.md (cross-cutting SDK wiring: token route, instantiation, CSS imports), plus only the relevant references/<Product>.md header + references/<Product>-blueprints.md (the prebuilt provider tree + props) for the product(s) you are implementing - not every reference file. For any customization, fetch the matching live page from references/docs-map.md first (and if you are writing your own component for a region, load references/custom-ui.md first per Step 4's rule above / RULES.md > Reference authority). Pull Use Case Matching and Page Flow from builder.md to choose products and navigation structure. For multi-product apps (Chat + Video, Chat + Feeds, Video + Feeds, etc.), also load references/CROSS-PRODUCT.md before writing AppShell - it has the canonical multi-client provider hierarchy and an error -> cause -> fix table.
Step 5: Verify
Type-check first (reports ALL errors at once, ~3s):
npx tsc --noEmit
Fix all type errors. Then run the full build:
npx next build
Fix any remaining errors. Do NOT skip tsc --noEmit - it catches every type error in one pass, while next build stops at the first error per file and requires multiple rebuild cycles.
Step 6: Start dev server
Pick a random 5-digit port (10000-65535). Run the server using run_in_background:
PORT=$((RANDOM % 55536 + 10000))
npx next dev -p $PORT
Important: The dev server is a long-running process. When run in the background it will eventually emit a "completed" notification - this does not mean the server stopped. The server is still running and serving requests. Do not respond to the background-task completion notification by telling the user the server has stopped. If you receive that notification after Step 7, ignore it silently - do not output anything.
Step 6b: Smoke-check the render (required)
A green tsc + next build (Step 5) says nothing about what the user sees - it compiles, it does not render. Before the summary, capture at least one screenshot of the logged-in main screen and actually look at it, using the tool ladder in references/design-matching.md > 6b (in-session browser tooling first, else the Playwright fallback; the networkidle and capture gotchas in 6c apply). You are checking for gross breakage the build cannot catch: a blank / splash-stuck screen, unstyled or collapsed layout, a region not filling its pane, or console errors. Fix what you see and re-capture.
If the request carried any target appearance - an attached screenshot, a Figma frame, or "make it look like " - this smoke check is not enough: you must run the full references/design-matching.md Step 6 verify loop (a per-region spec table diffed against a this-round capture). A referenced build that skipped that loop is unfinished, not merely unpolished - catching it here is the backstop if the styling-depth flag was missed at Start.
Step 7: Summary
Show the org/app used (created or selected), plus resources and files created. Include the local URL. Do NOT say "you can now start the dev server" - it's already running.
End with:
Open http://localhost:<PORT>, enter a username, and start testing. Open a second tab with a different username to test multi-user interactions.
Use Case Matching and Page Flow
Both live in builder.md (Use Case Matching, Page Flow). Match the user's words to a use case there, then build only the products that use case needs and follow the hub-first navigation it describes. Moderation is configured via CLI during setup only - never build moderation review UI (RULES.md > Moderation is Dashboard-only).
Cross-Product Integration
When building apps that combine multiple products, read each relevant references/<Product>.md App Integration section. Key patterns:
Combined token route:/api/token returns tokens for each product ({ chatToken, videoToken, feedToken, apiKey }). Upsert only the requesting user - never seed demo users (../stream/RULES.md > No auto-seeding).
Video + Feeds (Livestreaming): Feed hub separates type === "live" activities as prominent live cards. "Go Live" posts a live activity via /api/feed/live. "End Stream" removes it.
Video + Chat (Livestreaming): Chat alongside video on the watch screen. Use livestream channel type - one channel per stream, keyed by call ID. Create the chat channel in the /api/token route.
Moderation (all use cases): Run Moderation CLI setup commands from references/MODERATION.md (App Integration -> Setup), adjusting channel type name. Never build moderation review UI (RULES.md > Moderation is Dashboard-only).
Blueprint files live in the references/ directory next to this SKILL.md. Resolve them relative to this skill's own directory, wherever the pack is installed (e.g. <skill-dir>/references/FEEDS.md). Do not hardcode machine-specific absolute paths or assume a repo-checkout layout.
