179 lines
8.1 KiB
Markdown
179 lines
8.1 KiB
Markdown
# Arcade × CopilotKit Cookbook
|
||
|
||
> Give CopilotKit's Built-in Agent **authenticated tools** (Gmail, Google News) through
|
||
> [Arcade](https://www.arcade.dev), and render the OAuth step as **generative UI** in the chat.
|
||
|
||
Arcade is the MCP runtime for production agents: it brokers per-user OAuth, vaults and
|
||
refreshes tokens, and runs agent-optimized tools, all without the credentials ever
|
||
touching the LLM. CopilotKit is the frontend stack for agents: chat, streaming, and
|
||
generative UI.
|
||
|
||
Put them together and you get the demo in this repo: an agent that can **send email and
|
||
read your inbox**, where the one-time "connect your account" step shows up as a card
|
||
right in the conversation. Approve it once and the agent completes the action.
|
||
|
||

|
||
|
||
---
|
||
|
||
## What's inside
|
||
|
||
| Path | What it does |
|
||
| ----------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
|
||
| `lib/arcade.ts` | `runArcadeTool()`, the authorize-then-execute helper around the Arcade SDK |
|
||
| `app/api/copilotkit/route.ts` | The CopilotKit runtime (single-route): 3 Arcade-backed tools on a Built-in Agent |
|
||
| `app/page.tsx` | Server entry that reads env for the keys banner and renders the client UI |
|
||
| `app/home-client.tsx` | The chat + `useRenderTool` renderers that turn tool calls into cards |
|
||
| `components/tool-cards.tsx` | The generative UI: `AuthorizationCard`, sent / inbox / news cards |
|
||
| `app/mock/page.tsx` | A static preview of every card, no keys or agent required (`/mock`) |
|
||
| `app/providers.tsx` | The `<CopilotKit>` v2 provider (single-route) |
|
||
|
||
The cookbook write-up lives in the docs at
|
||
[`showcase/shell-docs/src/content/docs/cookbook/arcade.mdx`](../../../showcase/shell-docs/src/content/docs/cookbook/arcade.mdx).
|
||
|
||
The three tools:
|
||
|
||
- **`searchNews`** maps to `GoogleNews.SearchNewsStories`, no auth, returns instantly.
|
||
- **`sendEmail`** maps to `Gmail.SendEmail`, needs a one-time Gmail connection.
|
||
- **`listEmails`** maps to `Gmail.ListEmails`, same Gmail connection.
|
||
|
||
They chain: _"Find the latest news on open-source AI agents and email me a 3-bullet summary."_
|
||
|
||
---
|
||
|
||
## Quickstart
|
||
|
||
### 1. Install
|
||
|
||
```bash
|
||
npm install
|
||
```
|
||
|
||
### 2. Configure environment
|
||
|
||
Copy the example and fill in your keys:
|
||
|
||
```bash
|
||
cp .env.example .env.local
|
||
```
|
||
|
||
```bash
|
||
# Arcade: https://api.arcade.dev/dashboard
|
||
ARCADE_API_KEY=arc_...
|
||
ARCADE_USER_ID=you@example.com # the user Arcade acts on behalf of
|
||
|
||
# Model: https://platform.openai.com
|
||
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...
|
||
# OPENAI_MODEL=openai/gpt-4o # optional override ("provider/model")
|
||
|
||
# CopilotKit runtime sends anonymous telemetry by default. Opt out:
|
||
COPILOTKIT_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=true
|
||
```
|
||
|
||
> `ARCADE_USER_ID` is required in production: the app **fails closed** if it's unset, because
|
||
> a shared id would put every end user on one Arcade token vault (cross-account access). The
|
||
> `demo-user@example.com` fallback only applies in development.
|
||
|
||
### 3. Run
|
||
|
||
```bash
|
||
npm run dev
|
||
```
|
||
|
||
Open [http://localhost:3000](http://localhost:3000) and try one of the suggested prompts -
|
||
or _"Send an email to me@example.com saying hello from my agent."_ The first time, you'll
|
||
get a **Connect Gmail** card; approve it in the new tab, come back, say _"continue,"_ and
|
||
the agent sends the email.
|
||
|
||
---
|
||
|
||
## How the authorization flow works
|
||
|
||
The whole pattern lives in `runArcadeTool()`:
|
||
|
||
1. **Authorize.** `arcade.tools.authorize({ tool_name, user_id })` asks Arcade whether this
|
||
user has already granted the scopes the tool needs. No-auth tools come back
|
||
`"completed"` immediately.
|
||
2. **Hand the URL to the UI.** If authorization is still pending, we **don't block** the
|
||
run, and instead return `{ authorizationRequired: true, authUrl }`. CopilotKit's `useRenderTool`
|
||
sees that result and renders the `AuthorizationCard` with a **Connect** button.
|
||
3. **Execute.** After the user approves and asks the agent to continue, the next call sees
|
||
`"completed"` and runs `arcade.tools.execute(...)`. The tool runs with the user's vaulted
|
||
credentials; the model only ever sees the structured result.
|
||
|
||
```text
|
||
agent calls sendEmail
|
||
│
|
||
▼
|
||
authorize(user, "Gmail.SendEmail")
|
||
│
|
||
status == "completed"? ──no──▶ return { authorizationRequired, authUrl }
|
||
│ │
|
||
yes <AuthorizationCard> renders a "Connect" button
|
||
│ │
|
||
▼ user approves in a new tab → "continue"
|
||
execute(...) → result │
|
||
│ └──────────────▶ agent re-calls the tool
|
||
▼
|
||
<EmailSentCard> renders
|
||
```
|
||
|
||
Because authorization is **per user**, this is exactly how you'd run a multi-tenant agent:
|
||
the route resolves a user id per request (`resolveArcadeUserId`) and Arcade scopes every
|
||
action to it. Wire that to your real session and each end user gets their own vault.
|
||
|
||
---
|
||
|
||
## Customizing
|
||
|
||
- **Add tools.** Browse [Arcade's tool catalog](https://www.arcade.dev/tools) (GitHub,
|
||
Slack, Notion, Google Calendar, …), add a `defineTool` wrapper in the route that calls
|
||
`runArcadeTool` with the new tool name (match its param names to the Arcade tool's schema,
|
||
or they're silently dropped), and register a `useRenderTool` renderer (or rely on the
|
||
generic fallback) in `app/page.tsx`.
|
||
- **Scale past a handful.** Arcade is a runtime, not a single connector. Pull formatted
|
||
tool definitions from Arcade to generate wrappers, or front your tools with an
|
||
OAuth-protected [MCP gateway](https://docs.arcade.dev) for the production shape.
|
||
- **Swap the model.** Set `OPENAI_MODEL` (e.g. `anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5`,
|
||
`google/gemini-2.5-pro`). See CopilotKit's Built-in Agent model identifiers.
|
||
- **Real users.** Replace `getArcadeUserId()` with your authenticated user's id, derived
|
||
per-request from your session (the app already fails closed if it's unset in production).
|
||
|
||
---
|
||
|
||
## Security & deploying publicly
|
||
|
||
This is a **demo**. It runs great locally, but the agent runtime can **send and read
|
||
email on your keys**, so don't expose it raw on the public internet. Before you deploy:
|
||
|
||
- **Protect the runtime.** `/api/copilotkit/*` is unauthenticated by default, so anyone who
|
||
can reach it can drive the agent on your keys. Set `COPILOTKIT_RUNTIME_TOKEN` for a
|
||
starter bearer-token gate (`onRequest` in the route), or better, replace it with your
|
||
real session auth. Never deploy without auth in front of it.
|
||
- **Scope every user.** Tool calls are scoped to the id from `resolveArcadeUserId(request)`.
|
||
In production, derive it from a **server-verified session** (validated cookie/JWT), not a
|
||
client header (those are spoofable). A single shared `ARCADE_USER_ID` across visitors means
|
||
one shared Gmail vault, which is cross-account access. The app fails closed in production if
|
||
the id is unset.
|
||
- **Use disposable keys.** For any public/live demo, use a throwaway Arcade project key, a
|
||
scoped OpenAI key, and a throwaway Google account, never production credentials. Keys live
|
||
only in `.env.local`, which is gitignored; keep it that way (don't `git add -f`).
|
||
- **Add rate limiting & spend caps.** Unauthenticated, multi-step (`maxSteps`) runs can burn
|
||
your OpenAI/Arcade quota. Add per-IP/session limits and billing alerts.
|
||
- **Already wired here:** errors are sanitized in production (`lib/arcade.ts`), all external
|
||
links are scheme-validated (`safeHttpUrl`), security headers are set in `next.config.ts`
|
||
(tighten the CSP with nonces for production), and telemetry is opt-out via
|
||
`COPILOTKIT_TELEMETRY_DISABLED`.
|
||
|
||
---
|
||
|
||
## Tech
|
||
|
||
- [CopilotKit](https://docs.copilotkit.ai) `@copilotkit/react-core` + `@copilotkit/runtime` (v2 API)
|
||
- [Arcade](https://docs.arcade.dev) `@arcadeai/arcadejs`
|
||
- Next.js (App Router) · React 19 · Tailwind CSS · Zod
|
||
|
||
## License
|
||
|
||
MIT
|