# Generative UI
URL: /docs/guides/tool-ui

Render tool calls as interactive UI instead of plain text.

***

title: Generative UI
description: Render tool calls as interactive UI instead of plain text.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

import { ToolUISample } from "@/components/docs/samples/tool-ui-sample";

Create custom UI components for AI tool calls, providing visual feedback and interactive experiences when tools are executed.

<ToolUISample />

## Overview

Tool UIs in assistant-ui allow you to create custom interfaces that appear when AI tools are called. These generative UI components enhance the user experience by:

* **Visualizing tool execution** with loading states and progress indicators
* **Displaying results** in rich, formatted layouts
* **Enabling user interaction** through forms and controls
* **Providing error feedback** with helpful recovery options

This guide demonstrates building tool UIs with the **Vercel AI SDK**.

## Creating Tool UIs

There are two main approaches to creating tool UIs in assistant-ui:

### 1. Client-Defined Tools (`makeAssistantTool`)

If you're creating tools on the client side, use `makeAssistantTool` to register them with the assistant context. Then create a UI component with `makeAssistantToolUI`:

```tsx
import { makeAssistantTool, tool } from "@assistant-ui/react";
import { z } from "zod";

// Define the tool
const weatherTool = tool({
  description: "Get current weather for a location",
  parameters: z.object({
    location: z.string(),
    unit: z.enum(["celsius", "fahrenheit"]),
  }),
  execute: async ({ location, unit }) => {
    const weather = await fetchWeatherAPI(location, unit);
    return weather;
  },
});

// Register the tool
const WeatherTool = makeAssistantTool({
  ...weatherTool,
  toolName: "getWeather",
});

// Create the UI
const WeatherToolUI = makeAssistantToolUI<
  { location: string; unit: "celsius" | "fahrenheit" },
  { temperature: number; description: string }
>({
  toolName: "getWeather",
  render: ({ args, result, status }) => {
    if (status.type === "running") {
      return <div>Checking weather in {args.location}...</div>;
    }

    return (
      <div className="weather-card">
        <h3>{args.location}</h3>
        <p>
          {result.temperature}°{args.unit === "celsius" ? "C" : "F"}
        </p>
        <p>{result.description}</p>
      </div>
    );
  },
});
```

<Callout type="tip">
  Tools defined with `makeAssistantTool` can be passed to your backend using the
  `frontendTools` utility
</Callout>

Learn more about creating tools in the [Tools Guide](/docs/guides/tools).

### 2. UI-Only for Existing Tools (`makeAssistantToolUI`)

If your tool is defined elsewhere (e.g., in your backend API, MCP server, or LangGraph), use `makeAssistantToolUI` to create just the UI component:

```tsx
import { makeAssistantToolUI } from "@assistant-ui/react";

const WeatherToolUI = makeAssistantToolUI<
  { location: string; unit: "celsius" | "fahrenheit" },
  { temperature: number; description: string }
>({
  toolName: "getWeather", // Must match the backend tool name
  render: ({ args, result, status }) => {
    // UI rendering logic only
  },
});
```

## Quick Start Example

This example shows how to implement the UI-only approach using `makeAssistantToolUI`:

<Steps>
  <Step>
    ### Create a Tool UI Component

    ```tsx
    import { makeAssistantToolUI } from "@assistant-ui/react";
    import { z } from "zod";

    type WeatherArgs = {
      location: string;
      unit: "celsius" | "fahrenheit";
    };

    type WeatherResult = {
      temperature: number;
      description: string;
      humidity: number;
      windSpeed: number;
    };

    const WeatherToolUI = makeAssistantToolUI<WeatherArgs, WeatherResult>({
      toolName: "getWeather",
      render: ({ args, status, result }) => {
        if (status.type === "running") {
          return (
            <div className="flex items-center gap-2">
              <Spinner />
              <span>Checking weather in {args.location}...</span>
            </div>
          );
        }

        if (status.type === "incomplete" && status.reason === "error") {
          return (
            <div className="text-red-500">
              Failed to get weather for {args.location}
            </div>
          );
        }

        return (
          <div className="weather-card rounded-lg bg-blue-50 p-4">
            <h3 className="text-lg font-bold">{args.location}</h3>
            <div className="mt-2 grid grid-cols-2 gap-4">
              <div>
                <p className="text-2xl">
                  {result.temperature}°{args.unit === "celsius" ? "C" : "F"}
                </p>
                <p className="text-gray-600">{result.description}</p>
              </div>
              <div className="text-sm">
                <p>Humidity: {result.humidity}%</p>
                <p>Wind: {result.windSpeed} km/h</p>
              </div>
            </div>
          </div>
        );
      },
    });
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step>
    ### Register the Tool UI

    Place the component inside your `AssistantRuntimeProvider`:

    ```tsx
    function App() {
      return (
        <AssistantRuntimeProvider runtime={runtime}>
          <Thread />
          <WeatherToolUI />
        </AssistantRuntimeProvider>
      );
    }
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step>
    ### Define the Backend Tool (Vercel AI SDK)

    When using the Vercel AI SDK, define the corresponding tool in your API route:

    ```tsx title="/app/api/chat/route.ts"
    import { streamText, tool } from "ai";
    import { z } from "zod";

    export async function POST(req: Request) {
      const { messages } = await req.json();

      const result = streamText({
        model: openai("gpt-4o"),
        messages: convertToModelMessages(messages),
        tools: {
          getWeather: tool({
            description: "Get current weather for a location",
            inputSchema: z.object({
              location: z.string(),
              unit: z.enum(["celsius", "fahrenheit"]),
            }),
            execute: async ({ location, unit }) => {
              const weather = await fetchWeatherAPI(location);
              return {
                temperature: weather.temp,
                description: weather.condition,
                humidity: weather.humidity,
                windSpeed: weather.wind,
              };
            },
          }),
        },
      });

      return result.toUIMessageStreamResponse();
    }
    ```
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Tool UI Patterns

### Component Pattern

Create standalone tool UI components:

```tsx
export const WebSearchToolUI = makeAssistantToolUI<
  { query: string },
  { results: SearchResult[] }
>({
  toolName: "webSearch",
  render: ({ args, status, result }) => {
    return (
      <div className="search-container">
        <div className="mb-3 flex items-center gap-2">
          <SearchIcon />
          <span>Search results for: "{args.query}"</span>
        </div>

        {status.type === "running" && <LoadingSpinner />}

        {result && (
          <div className="space-y-2">
            {result.results.map((item, index) => (
              <div key={index} className="rounded border p-3">
                <a href={item.url} className="font-medium text-blue-600">
                  {item.title}
                </a>
                <p className="text-sm text-gray-600">{item.snippet}</p>
              </div>
            ))}
          </div>
        )}
      </div>
    );
  },
});
```

### Hook Pattern

Use hooks for dynamic tool UI registration:

<Callout type="tip">
  When you assign your `makeAssistantToolUI({...})` call to a constant starting with `use…`, you can call it directly as a hook inside your component. This pattern lets you access local props or state when rendering the tool UI.
</Callout>

```tsx
import { useAssistantToolUI } from "@assistant-ui/react";

function DynamicToolUI() {
  const [theme, setTheme] = useState("light");

  useAssistantToolUI({
    toolName: "analyzeData",
    render: ({ args, result, status }) => {
      // Hook allows access to component state
      return (
        <DataVisualization
          data={result}
          theme={theme}
          loading={status.type === "running"}
        />
      );
    },
  });

  return null;
}
```

### Inline Pattern

For tools that need access to parent component props:

<Callout type="tip">
  **Why `useInlineRender`?** By default, a tool UI's `render` function is
  static. Use `useInlineRender` when your UI needs access to dynamic component
  props (for example, to pass in an `id` or other contextual data).
</Callout>

```tsx
import { useAssistantToolUI, useInlineRender } from "@assistant-ui/react";

function ProductPage({ productId, productName }) {
  useAssistantToolUI({
    toolName: "checkInventory",
    render: useInlineRender(({ args, result }) => {
      // Access parent component props
      return (
        <div className="inventory-status">
          <h4>{productName} Inventory</h4>
          <p>
            Stock for {productId}: {result.quantity} units
          </p>
          <p>Location: {result.warehouse}</p>
        </div>
      );
    }),
  });

  return <div>Product details...</div>;
}
```

## Interactive Tool UIs

### User Input Collection

Create tools that collect user input during execution:

<Callout type="tip">
  **Pro tip:** Call `addResult(...)` exactly once to complete the tool call.
  After it's invoked, the assistant will resume the conversation with your
  provided data.
</Callout>

```tsx
const DatePickerToolUI = makeAssistantToolUI<
  { prompt: string },
  { date: string }
>({
  toolName: "selectDate",
  render: ({ args, result, addResult }) => {
    if (result) {
      return (
        <div className="rounded bg-green-50 p-3">
          ✅ Selected date: {new Date(result.date).toLocaleDateString()}
        </div>
      );
    }

    return (
      <div className="rounded border p-4">
        <p className="mb-3">{args.prompt}</p>
        <DatePicker
          onChange={(date) => {
            addResult({ date: date.toISOString() });
          }}
        />
      </div>
    );
  },
});
```

### Multi-Step Interactions

Build complex workflows with human-in-the-loop patterns for multi-step user interactions:

```tsx
const DeleteProjectTool = makeAssistantTool({
  toolName: "deleteProject",
  execute: async ({ projectId }, { human }) => {
    const response = await human({ action, details });
    if (!response.approved) throw new Error("Project deletion cancelled");

    await deleteProject(projectId);
    return { success: true };
  },
});

const ApprovalTool = makeAssistantTool({
  ...tool({
    description: "Request user approval for an action",
    parameters: z.object({
      action: z.string(),
      details: z.any(),
    }),
    execute: async ({ action, details }, { human }) => {
      // Request approval from user
      const response = await human({ action, details });

      return {
        approved: response.approved,
        reason: response.reason,
      };
    },
  }),
  toolName: "requestApproval",
  render: ({ args, result, interrupt, resume }) => {
    const [reason, setReason] = useState("");

    // Show result after approval/rejection
    if (result) {
      return (
        <div className={result.approved ? "text-green-600" : "text-red-600"}>
          {result.approved ? "✅ Approved" : `❌ Rejected: ${result.reason}`}
        </div>
      );
    }

    // Show approval UI when waiting for user input
    if (interrupt) {
      return (
        <div className="rounded border-2 border-yellow-400 p-4">
          <h4 className="font-bold">Approval Required</h4>
          <p className="my-2">{interrupt.payload.action}</p>
          <pre className="rounded bg-gray-100 p-2 text-sm">
            {JSON.stringify(interrupt.payload.details, null, 2)}
          </pre>

          <div className="mt-4 flex gap-2">
            <button
              onClick={() => resume({ approved: true })}
              className="rounded bg-green-500 px-4 py-2 text-white"
            >
              Approve
            </button>
            <button
              onClick={() => resume({ approved: false, reason })}
              className="rounded bg-red-500 px-4 py-2 text-white"
            >
              Reject
            </button>
            <input
              type="text"
              placeholder="Rejection reason..."
              value={reason}
              onChange={(e) => setReason(e.target.value)}
              className="flex-1 rounded border px-2"
            />
          </div>
        </div>
      );
    }

    return <div>Processing...</div>;
  },
});
```

<Callout type="tip">
  Use tool human input (`human()` / `resume()`) for workflows that need to
  pause tool execution and wait for user input. Use `addResult()` for "human
  tools" where the AI requests a tool call but the entire execution happens
  through user interaction.
</Callout>

## Advanced Features

### Tool Status Handling

The `status` prop provides detailed execution state:

```tsx
render: ({ status, args }) => {
  switch (status.type) {
    case "running":
      return <LoadingState />;

    case "requires-action":
      return <UserInputRequired reason={status.reason} />;

    case "incomplete":
      if (status.reason === "cancelled") {
        return <div>Operation cancelled</div>;
      }
      if (status.reason === "error") {
        return <ErrorDisplay error={status.error} />;
      }
      return <div>Failed: {status.reason}</div>;

    case "complete":
      return <SuccessDisplay />;
  }
};
```

### Field-Level Validation

Use `useToolArgsFieldStatus` to show validation states:

```tsx
import { useToolArgsFieldStatus } from "@assistant-ui/react";

const FormToolUI = makeAssistantToolUI({
  toolName: "submitForm",
  render: ({ args }) => {
    const emailStatus = useToolArgsFieldStatus("email");
    const phoneStatus = useToolArgsFieldStatus("phone");

    return (
      <form className="space-y-4">
        <div>
          <input
            type="email"
            value={args.email}
            className={emailStatus.type === "running" ? "loading" : ""}
            disabled
          />
          {emailStatus.type === "incomplete" && (
            <span className="text-red-500">Invalid email</span>
          )}
        </div>

        <div>
          <input
            type="tel"
            value={args.phone}
            className={phoneStatus.type === "running" ? "loading" : ""}
            disabled
          />
        </div>
      </form>
    );
  },
});
```

### Partial Results & Streaming

Display results as they stream in:

```tsx
const AnalysisToolUI = makeAssistantToolUI<
  { data: string },
  { progress: number; insights: string[] }
>({
  toolName: "analyzeData",
  render: ({ result, status }) => {
    const progress = result?.progress || 0;
    const insights = result?.insights || [];

    return (
      <div className="analysis-container">
        {status.type === "running" && (
          <div className="mb-4">
            <div className="mb-1 flex justify-between">
              <span>Analyzing...</span>
              <span>{progress}%</span>
            </div>
            <div className="w-full rounded bg-gray-200">
              <div
                className="h-2 rounded bg-blue-500"
                style={{ width: `${progress}%` }}
              />
            </div>
          </div>
        )}

        <div className="space-y-2">
          {insights.map((insight, i) => (
            <div key={i} className="rounded bg-gray-50 p-2">
              {insight}
            </div>
          ))}
        </div>
      </div>
    );
  },
});
```

### Custom Tool Fallback

Provide a custom UI for tools without specific UIs:

```tsx
<Thread
  components={{
    ToolFallback: ({ toolName, args, result }) => (
      <div className="tool-fallback rounded bg-gray-100 p-3">
        <code className="text-sm">
          {toolName}({JSON.stringify(args)})
        </code>
        {result && (
          <pre className="mt-2 text-xs">{JSON.stringify(result, null, 2)}</pre>
        )}
      </div>
    ),
  }}
/>
```

## Execution Context

Generative UI components have access to execution context through props:

```tsx
type ToolUIRenderProps<TArgs, TResult> = {
  // Tool arguments
  args: TArgs;
  argsText: string; // JSON stringified args

  // Execution status
  status: ToolCallMessagePartStatus;
  isError?: boolean;

  // Tool result (may be partial during streaming)
  result?: TResult;

  // Tool metadata
  toolName: string;
  toolCallId: string;

  // Interactive callbacks
  addResult: (result: TResult) => void;
  resume: (payload: unknown) => void;

  // Interrupt state
  interrupt?: { type: "human"; payload: unknown }; // Payload from context.human()

  // Optional artifact data
  artifact?: unknown;
};
```

### Human Input Handling

When a tool calls `human()` during execution, the payload becomes available in the render function as `interrupt.payload`:

```tsx
const ConfirmationToolUI = makeAssistantToolUI<
  { action: string },
  { confirmed: boolean }
>({
  toolName: "confirmAction",
  render: ({ args, result, interrupt, resume }) => {
    // Tool is waiting for user input
    if (interrupt) {
      return (
        <div className="confirmation-dialog">
          <p>Confirm: {interrupt.payload.message}</p>
          <button onClick={() => resume(true)}>Yes</button>
          <button onClick={() => resume(false)}>No</button>
        </div>
      );
    }

    // Tool completed
    if (result) {
      return <div>Action {result.confirmed ? "confirmed" : "cancelled"}</div>;
    }

    return <div>Processing...</div>;
  },
});
```

Learn more about tool human input in the [Tools Guide](/docs/guides/tools#tool-human-input).

## Best Practices

### 1. Handle All Status States

Always handle loading, error, and success states:

```tsx
render: ({ status, result, args }) => {
  if (status.type === "running") return <Skeleton />;
  if (status.type === "incomplete") return <ErrorState />;
  if (!result) return null;
  return <ResultDisplay result={result} />;
};
```

### 2. Provide Visual Feedback

Use animations and transitions for better UX:

```tsx
<div
  className={cn(
    "transition-all duration-300",
    status.type === "running" && "opacity-50",
    status.type === "complete" && "opacity-100",
  )}
>
  {/* Tool UI content */}
</div>
```

### 3. Make UIs Accessible

Ensure keyboard navigation and screen reader support:

```tsx
<button
  onClick={() => addResult(value)}
  aria-label="Confirm selection"
  className="focus:outline-none focus:ring-2"
>
  Confirm
</button>
```

### 4. Optimize Performance

Use `useInlineRender` to prevent unnecessary re-renders:

```tsx
useAssistantToolUI({
  toolName: "heavyComputation",
  render: useInlineRender(({ result }) => {
    // Expensive rendering logic
    return <ComplexVisualization data={result} />;
  }),
});
```

<Callout>
  Generative UI components are only displayed in the chat interface. The actual
  tool execution happens on the backend. This separation allows you to create
  rich, interactive experiences while keeping sensitive logic secure on the
  server.
</Callout>

## Related Guides

* [Tools Guide](/docs/guides/tools) - Learn how to create and use tools with AI models
* [Tool Fallback](/docs/ui/tool-fallback) - Default UI for tools without custom components
* [API Reference](/docs/api-reference/primitives/message-part) - Detailed type definitions and component APIs
* [Message Primitive](/docs/api-reference/primitives/message) - Complete Message component documentation
