ai-elements

▲ AI Elements

A command-line interface for installing AI Elements components - a component library built on top of shadcn/ui to help you build AI-native applications faster.

Overview

AI Elements provides pre-built, customizable React components specifically designed for AI applications, including conversations, messages, code blocks, reasoning displays, and more. The CLI makes it easy to add these components to your Next.js project.

Installation

You can use the AI Elements CLI directly with npx, or install it globally:

# Use directly (recommended)
npx ai-elements@latest

# Or using shadcn cli
npx shadcn@latest add https://registry.ai-sdk.dev/registry.json

Prerequisites

Before using AI Elements, ensure your project meets these requirements:

• Node.js 18 or later
• Next.js project with AI SDK installed
• shadcn/ui initialized in your project (npx shadcn@latest init)
• Tailwind CSS configured (AI Elements supports CSS Variables mode only)

Usage

Install All Components

Install all available AI Elements components at once:

npx ai-elements@latest

This command will:

• Set up shadcn/ui if not already configured
• Install all AI Elements components to your configured components directory
• Add necessary dependencies to your project

Install Specific Components

Install individual components using the add command:

npx ai-elements@latest add <component-name>

Examples:

# Install the message component
npx ai-elements@latest add message

# Install the conversation component
npx ai-elements@latest add conversation

# Install the code-block component
npx ai-elements@latest add code-block

Alternative: Use with shadcn CLI

You can also install components using the standard shadcn/ui CLI:

# Install all components
npx shadcn@latest add https://registry.ai-sdk.dev/registry.json

# Install a specific component
npx shadcn@latest add https://registry.ai-sdk.dev/message.json

Available Components

AI Elements includes the following components:

Component	Description
actions	Interactive action buttons for AI responses
branch	Branch visualization for conversation flows
code-block	Syntax-highlighted code display with copy functionality
conversation	Container for chat conversations
image	AI-generated image display component
inline-citation	Inline source citations
loader	Loading states for AI operations
message	Individual chat messages with avatars
prompt-form	Controlled form wrapper for prompt submission
prompt-input	Advanced input component with model selection
prompt-input-attachments	Opt-in file/image attachments for prompt input
reasoning	Display AI reasoning and thought processes
response	Formatted AI response display
source	Source attribution component
suggestion	Quick action suggestions
task	Task completion tracking
tool	Tool usage visualization
web-preview	Embedded web page previews

Quick Start Example

After installing components, you can use them in your React application:

'use client';

import { useChat } from '@ai-sdk/react';
import {
  Conversation,
  ConversationContent,
} from '@/components/ai-elements/conversation';
import {
  Message,
  MessageContent,
} from '@/components/ai-elements/message';
import { Response } from '@/components/ai-elements/response';

export default function Chat() {
  const { messages } = useChat();

  return (
    <Conversation>
      <ConversationContent>
        {messages.map((message, index) => (
          <Message key={index} from={message.role}>
            <MessageContent>
              <Response>{message.content}</Response>
            </MessageContent>
          </Message>
        ))}
      </ConversationContent>
    </Conversation>
  );
}

How It Works

The AI Elements CLI:

• Detects your package manager (npm, pnpm, yarn, or bun) automatically
• Fetches component registry from https://registry.ai-sdk.dev/registry.json
• Installs components using the shadcn/ui CLI under the hood
• Adds dependencies and integrates with your existing shadcn/ui setup

Components are installed to your configured shadcn/ui components directory (typically @/components/ai-elements/) and become part of your codebase, allowing for full customization.

Configuration

AI Elements uses your existing shadcn/ui configuration. Components will be installed to the directory specified in your components.json file.

Recommended Setup

For the best experience, we recommend:

• AI Gateway: Set up Vercel AI Gateway and add AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY to your .env.local
• CSS Variables: Use shadcn/ui's CSS Variables mode for theming
• TypeScript: Enable TypeScript for better development experience

Made with ❤️ by Vercel