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# CopilotKit Frontend Development Guide

## Core React Packages

### React Components
- **[react-core/](mdc:packages/react-core/)** - Core React components and hooks
  - `CopilotProvider` - Main provider component
  - `useCopilotChat` - Chat functionality hook
  - `useCopilotAction` - Action definition hook
  - `useCopilotReadable` - State reading hook

### UI Components
- **[react-ui/](mdc:packages/react-ui/)** - Pre-built UI components
  - `CopilotChat` - Chat interface component
  - `CopilotPopup` - Popup chat component
  - `CopilotSidebar` - Sidebar chat component

### Specialized Components
- **[react-textarea/](mdc:packages/react-textarea/)** - AI-enhanced textarea
  - `CopilotTextarea` - Smart textarea with AI suggestions
  - Auto-completion and suggestions

## Frontend Example Categories

### Basic Integration Examples
- **[copilot-chat-with-your-data/](mdc:examples/copilot-chat-with-your-data/)** - Chat with custom data
- **[copilot-form-filling/](mdc:examples/copilot-form-filling/)** - AI-powered form filling
- **[copilot-fully-custom/](mdc:examples/copilot-fully-custom/)** - Custom copilot implementation

### Advanced UI Examples
- **[copilot-state-machine/](mdc:examples/copilot-state-machine/)** - State machine integration
- **[demo-viewer/](mdc:examples/demo-viewer/)** - Demo viewer application
- **[saas-dynamic-dashboards/frontend/](mdc:examples/saas-dynamic-dashboards/frontend/)** - Dynamic dashboard UI

### Coagents UI Examples
Most coagents examples have a `ui/` folder with Next.js applications:
- **[coagents-starter/ui/](mdc:examples/coagents-starter/ui/)** - Basic coagents UI
- **[coagents-travel/ui/](mdc:examples/coagents-travel/ui/)** - Travel planning UI
- **[coagents-research-canvas/ui/](mdc:examples/coagents-research-canvas/ui/)** - Research canvas UI

## Component Registry
- **[registry/](mdc:registry/)** - Reusable component registry
- **[registry/registry/chat/](mdc:registry/registry/chat/)** - Chat components
- **[registry/registry/layout/](mdc:registry/registry/layout/)** - Layout components
- **[registry/registry/quickstarts/](mdc:registry/registry/quickstarts/)** - Quick start templates

## Common Frontend Patterns

### Provider Setup
```typescript
import { CopilotProvider } from '@copilotkit/react-core'

function App() {
  return (
    <CopilotProvider runtimeUrl="/api/copilotkit">
      {/* Your app components */}
    </CopilotProvider>
  )
}
```

### Chat Integration
```typescript
import { CopilotChat } from '@copilotkit/react-ui'

function ChatInterface() {
  return (
    <CopilotChat
      labels={{
        title: "Your AI Assistant",
        initial: "Hello! How can I help you today?"
      }}
    />
  )
}
```

### Actions and State
```typescript
import { useCopilotAction, useCopilotReadable } from '@copilotkit/react-core'
import { useState } from 'react'

function MyComponent() {
  const [state, setState] = useState({})
  // …
}
  
  useCopilotReadable({
    name: "current_state",
    description: "Current application state",
    value: state
  })
  
  useCopilotAction({
    name: "update_state",
    description: "Update application state",
    parameters: [/* ... */],
    handler: (args) => {
      setState(args.newState)
    }
  })
}
```

## Documentation Components
- **[docs/components/react/](mdc:docs/components/react/)** - React component documentation
- **[docs/components/ui/](mdc:docs/components/ui/)** - UI component library
- **[docs/snippets/](mdc:docs/snippets/)** - Code snippets and examples

## Integration with Agents

### Runtime Configuration
- **[runtime/](mdc:packages/runtime/)** - Core runtime for agent communication
- **[runtime-client-gql/](mdc:packages/runtime-client-gql/)** - GraphQL client

### Agent Communication
- Frontend components communicate with agents via the runtime
- Actions defined in frontend are executed by backend agents
- State is synchronized between frontend and agents

## Development Best Practices

### Component Development
1. Use TypeScript for better type safety
2. Follow the established component patterns
3. Implement proper error handling
4. Use the provided hooks and utilities

### UI/UX Guidelines
1. Maintain consistent styling with Tailwind CSS
2. Use the component registry for reusable components
3. Implement responsive design
4. Provide clear user feedback

### Testing and Quality
1. Test components with different agent configurations
2. Use the E2E testing setup in [examples/e2e/](mdc:examples/e2e/)
3. Follow accessibility best practices
4. Validate agent integration flows

### Styling and Theming
- Uses Tailwind CSS for styling
- Shared configuration in [utilities/tailwind-config/](mdc:utilities/tailwind-config/)
- Custom components in [components.json](mdc:docs/components.json)
- UI components follow modern design patterns