chat-sdk
// Build multi-platform chat bots with Chat SDK (`chat` npm package). Use when developers want to (1) Build a Slack, Teams, Google Chat, Discord, GitHub, or Linear bot, (2) Use the Chat SDK to handle mentions, messages, reactions, slash commands, cards, modals, or streaming, (3) Set up webhook handlers
Chat SDK
Unified TypeScript SDK for building chat bots across Slack, Teams, Google Chat, Discord, GitHub, and Linear. Write bot logic once, deploy everywhere.
Critical: Read the bundled docs
The chat package ships with full documentation in node_modules/chat/docs/ and TypeScript source types. Always read these before writing code:
node_modules/chat/docs/ # Full documentation (MDX files)
node_modules/chat/dist/ # Built types (.d.ts files)
Key docs to read based on task:
docs/getting-started.mdx— setup guidesdocs/usage.mdx— event handlers, threads, messages, channelsdocs/streaming.mdx— AI streaming with AI SDKdocs/cards.mdx— JSX interactive cardsdocs/actions.mdx— button/dropdown handlersdocs/modals.mdx— form dialogs (Slack only)docs/adapters/*.mdx— platform-specific adapter setupdocs/state/*.mdx— state adapter config (Redis, ioredis, memory)
Also read the TypeScript types from node_modules/chat/dist/ to understand the full API surface.
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({
botToken: process.env.SLACK_BOT_TOKEN!,
signingSecret: process.env.SLACK_SIGNING_SECRET!,
}),
},
state: createRedisState({ url: process.env.REDIS_URL! }),
});
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 and routes events
- Adapters — platform-specific (Slack, Teams, GChat, Discord, GitHub, Linear)
- State — pluggable persistence (Redis for prod, memory for dev)
- Thread — conversation thread with
post(),subscribe(),startTyping() - Message — normalized format with
text,formatted(mdast AST),raw - Channel — container for threads, supports listing and posting
Event handlers
| Handler | Trigger |
|---|---|
onNewMention | Bot @-mentioned in unsubscribed thread |
onSubscribedMessage | Any message in subscribed thread |
onNewMessage(regex) | Messages matching pattern in unsubscribed threads |
onSlashCommand("/cmd") | Slash command invocations |
onReaction(emojis) | Emoji reactions added/removed |
onAction(actionId) | Button clicks and dropdown selections |
onAssistantThreadStarted | Slack Assistants API thread opened |
onAppHomeOpened | Slack App Home tab opened |
Streaming
Pass any AsyncIterable<string> to thread.post(). Works with AI SDK's textStream:
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.textStream);
});
Cards (JSX)
Set jsxImportSource: "chat" in tsconfig. Components: Card, CardText, Button, Actions, Fields, Field, Select, SelectOption, Image, Divider, LinkButton, Section, 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>,
);
Packages
| Package | Purpose |
|---|---|
chat | Core SDK |
@chat-adapter/slack | Slack |
@chat-adapter/teams | Microsoft Teams |
@chat-adapter/gchat | Google Chat |
@chat-adapter/discord | Discord |
@chat-adapter/github | GitHub Issues |
@chat-adapter/linear | Linear Issues |
@chat-adapter/state-redis | Redis state (production) |
@chat-adapter/state-ioredis | ioredis state (alternative) |
@chat-adapter/state-memory | In-memory state (development) |
Changesets (Release Flow)
This monorepo uses Changesets for versioning and changelogs. Every PR that changes a package's behavior must include a changeset.
pnpm changeset
# → select affected package(s) (e.g. @chat-adapter/slack, chat)
# → choose bump type: patch (fixes), minor (features), major (breaking)
# → write a short summary for the CHANGELOG
This creates a file in .changeset/ — commit it with the PR. When merged to main, the Changesets GitHub Action opens a "Version Packages" PR to bump versions and update CHANGELOGs. Merging that PR publishes to npm.
Webhook setup
Each adapter exposes a webhook handler via bot.webhooks.{platform}. Wire these to your HTTP framework's routes (e.g. Next.js API routes, Hono, Express).