agent-chat-ui/README.md

# Agent Chat UI

Agent Chat UI is a Vite + React application which enables chatting with any LangGraph server with a `messages` key through a chat interface.

> [!NOTE]
> 🎥 Watch the video setup guide [here](https://youtu.be/lInrwVnZ83o).

## Setup

> [!TIP]
> Don't want to run the app locally? Use the deployed site here: [agentchat.vercel.app](https://agentchat.vercel.app)!

First, clone the repository, or run the [`npx` command](https://www.npmjs.com/package/create-agent-chat-app):

```bash
npx create-agent-chat-app
```

or

```bash
git clone https://github.com/langchain-ai/agent-chat-ui.git

cd agent-chat-ui
```

Install dependencies:

```bash
pnpm install
```

Run the app:

```bash
pnpm dev
```

The app will be available at `http://localhost:5173`.

## Usage

Once the app is running (or if using the deployed site), you'll be prompted to enter:

- **Deployment URL**: The URL of the LangGraph server you want to chat with. This can be a production or development URL.
- **Assistant/Graph ID**: The name of the graph, or ID of the assistant to use when fetching, and submitting runs via the chat interface.
- **LangSmith API Key**: (only required for connecting to deployed LangGraph servers) Your LangSmith API key to use when authenticating requests sent to LangGraph servers.

After entering these values, click `Continue`. You'll then be redirected to a chat interface where you can start chatting with your LangGraph server.

## Environment Variables

You can bypass the initial setup form by setting the following environment variables:

```
VITE_API_URL=http://localhost:2024
VITE_ASSISTANT_ID=agent
VITE_LANGSMITH_API_KEY=your_api_key_if_needed
```

To use these variables:

1. Copy the `.env.example` file to a new file named `.env`
2. Fill in the values in the `.env` file
3. Restart the application

When these environment variables are set, the application will use them instead of showing the setup form.

## Hiding Messages in the Chat

You can control the visibility of messages within the Agent Chat UI in two main ways:

**1. Prevent Live Streaming:**

To stop messages from being displayed _as they stream_ from an LLM call, add the `langsmith:nostream` tag to the chat model's configuration. The UI normally uses `on_chat_model_stream` events to render streaming messages; this tag prevents those events from being emitted for the tagged model.

_Python Example:_

```python
from langchain_anthropic import ChatAnthropic

# Add tags via the .with_config method
model = ChatAnthropic().with_config(
    config={"tags": ["langsmith:nostream"]}
)
```

_TypeScript Example:_

```typescript
import { ChatAnthropic } from "@langchain/anthropic";

const model = new ChatAnthropic()
  // Add tags via the .withConfig method
  .withConfig({ tags: ["langsmith:nostream"] });
```

**Note:** Even if streaming is hidden this way, the message will still appear after the LLM call completes if it's saved to the graph's state without further modification.

**2. Hide Messages Permanently:**

To ensure a message is _never_ displayed in the chat UI (neither during streaming nor after being saved to state), prefix its `id` field with `do-not-render-` _before_ adding it to the graph's state, along with adding the `langsmith:do-not-render` tag to the chat model's configuration. The UI explicitly filters out any message whose `id` starts with this prefix.

_Python Example:_

```python
result = model.invoke([messages])
# Prefix the ID before saving to state
result.id = f"do-not-render-{result.id}"
return {"messages": [result]}
```

_TypeScript Example:_

```typescript
const result = await model.invoke([messages]);
// Prefix the ID before saving to state
result.id = `do-not-render-${result.id}`;
return { messages: [result] };
```

This approach guarantees the message remains completely hidden from the user interface.