| name | chat-sdk |
| description | Build multi-platform chat bots with Chat SDK (`chat` npm package). Use when building Slack, Teams, Google Chat, Discord, Telegram, GitHub, Linear, or WhatsApp bots, handling mentions, DMs, threads, reactions, slash commands, cards, modals, files, or AI streaming, setting up webhook routes or multi-adapter bots, or building custom adapters. Triggers on "chat sdk", "chat bot", "slack bot", "teams bot", "@chat-adapter", and cross-platform bot development. |
Chat SDK
Unified TypeScript SDK for building chat bots across Slack, Teams, Google Chat, Discord, Telegram, GitHub, Linear, and WhatsApp. Write bot logic once, deploy everywhere.
Start with published sources
When Chat SDK is installed in a user project, inspect the published files that ship in node_modules:
node_modules/chat/docs/ # bundled docs
node_modules/chat/dist/index.d.ts # core API types
node_modules/chat/dist/jsx-runtime.d.ts # JSX runtime types
node_modules/chat/docs/contributing/ # adapter-authoring docs
node_modules/chat/docs/guides/ # framework/platform guides
If one of the paths below does not exist, that package is not installed in the project yet.
Read these before writing code:
node_modules/chat/docs/getting-started.mdx — install and setupnode_modules/chat/docs/usage.mdx — Chat config and lifecyclenode_modules/chat/docs/handling-events.mdx — event routing and handlersnode_modules/chat/docs/threads-messages-channels.mdx — thread/channel/message modelnode_modules/chat/docs/posting-messages.mdx — post, edit, delete, schedulenode_modules/chat/docs/streaming.mdx — AI SDK integration and streaming semanticsnode_modules/chat/docs/cards.mdx — JSX cardsnode_modules/chat/docs/actions.mdx — button/select interactionsnode_modules/chat/docs/modals.mdx — modal submit/close flowsnode_modules/chat/docs/slash-commands.mdx — slash command routingnode_modules/chat/docs/direct-messages.mdx — DM behavior and openDM()node_modules/chat/docs/files.mdx — attachments/uploadsnode_modules/chat/docs/state.mdx — persistence, locking, dedupenode_modules/chat/docs/adapters.mdx — cross-platform feature matrixnode_modules/chat/docs/api/chat.mdx — exact Chat APInode_modules/chat/docs/api/thread.mdx — exact Thread APInode_modules/chat/docs/api/message.mdx — exact Message APInode_modules/chat/docs/api/modals.mdx — modal element and event details
For the specific adapter or state package you are using, inspect that installed package's dist/index.d.ts export surface in node_modules.
Quick start
import { Chat } from "chat";
import { createSlackAdapter } from "@chat-adapter/slack";
import { createRedisState } from "@chat-adapter/state-redis";
const bot = new Chat({
userName: "mybot",
adapters: {
slack: createSlackAdapter(),
},
state: createRedisState(),
dedupeTtlMs: 600_000,
});
bot.onNewMention(async (thread) => {
await thread.subscribe();
await thread.post("Hello! I'm listening to this thread.");
});
bot.onSubscribedMessage(async (thread, message) => {
await thread.post(`You said: ${message.text}`);
});
Core concepts
- Chat — main entry point; coordinates adapters, routing, locks, and state
- Adapters — platform-specific integrations for Slack, Teams, Google Chat, Discord, Telegram, GitHub, Linear, and WhatsApp
- State adapters — persistence for subscriptions, locks, dedupe, and thread state
- Thread — conversation context with
post(), stream(), subscribe(), setState(), startTyping()
- Message — normalized content with
text, formatted, attachments, author info, and platform raw
- Channel — container for threads and top-level posts
Event handlers
| Handler | Trigger |
|---|
onNewMention | Bot @-mentioned in an unsubscribed thread |
onDirectMessage | New DM in an unsubscribed DM thread |
onSubscribedMessage | Any message in a subscribed thread |
onNewMessage(regex) | Regex match in an unsubscribed thread |
onReaction(emojis?) | Emoji added or removed |
onAction(actionIds?) | Button clicks and select/radio interactions |
onModalSubmit(callbackId?) | Modal form submitted |
onModalClose(callbackId?) | Modal dismissed/cancelled |
onSlashCommand(commands?) | Slash command invocation |
onAssistantThreadStarted | Slack assistant thread opened |
onAssistantContextChanged | Slack assistant context changed |
onAppHomeOpened | Slack App Home opened |
onMemberJoinedChannel | Slack member joined channel event |
Read node_modules/chat/docs/handling-events.mdx, node_modules/chat/docs/actions.mdx, node_modules/chat/docs/modals.mdx, and node_modules/chat/docs/slash-commands.mdx before wiring handlers. onDirectMessage behavior is documented in node_modules/chat/docs/direct-messages.mdx.
Streaming
Pass any AsyncIterable<string> to thread.post() or thread.stream(). For AI SDK, prefer result.fullStream over result.textStream when available so step boundaries are preserved.
import { ToolLoopAgent } from "ai";
const agent = new ToolLoopAgent({ model: "anthropic/claude-4.5-sonnet" });
bot.onNewMention(async (thread, message) => {
const result = await agent.stream({ prompt: message.text });
await thread.post(result.fullStream);
});
Key details:
streamingUpdateIntervalMs controls post+edit fallback cadencefallbackStreamingPlaceholderText defaults to "..."; set null to disable- Structured
StreamChunk support is Slack-only; other adapters ignore non-text chunks
Cards and modals (JSX)
Set jsxImportSource: "chat" in tsconfig.json.
Card components:
Card, CardText, Section, Fields, Field, Button, CardLink, LinkButton, Actions, Select, SelectOption, RadioSelect, Table, Image, Divider
Modal components:
Modal, TextInput, Select, SelectOption, RadioSelect
await thread.post(
<Card title="Order #1234">
<CardText>Your order has been received.</CardText>
<Actions>
<Button id="approve" style="primary">
Approve
</Button>
<Button id="reject" style="danger">
Reject
</Button>
</Actions>
</Card>
);
Adapters
For the latest platform adapters, state adapters, and community adapters, see chat-sdk.dev/adapters.
Building a custom adapter
Read these published docs first:
node_modules/chat/docs/contributing/building.mdxnode_modules/chat/docs/contributing/testing.mdxnode_modules/chat/docs/contributing/publishing.mdx
Also inspect:
node_modules/chat/dist/index.d.ts — Adapter and related interfacesnode_modules/@chat-adapter/shared/dist/index.d.ts — shared errors and utilities- Installed official adapter
dist/index.d.ts files — reference implementations for config and APIs
A custom adapter needs request verification, webhook parsing, message/thread/channel operations, ID encoding/decoding, and a format converter. Use BaseFormatConverter from chat and shared utilities from @chat-adapter/shared.
Webhook setup
Each registered adapter exposes bot.webhooks.<name>. Wire those directly to your HTTP framework routes. See node_modules/chat/docs/guides/slack-nextjs.mdx and node_modules/chat/docs/guides/discord-nuxt.mdx for framework-specific route patterns.
