# Message

A React component in [Beamline](https://beamline.io/)'s [AI & agents](https://beamline.io/components/ai) category. Live demo: https://beamline.io/components/message

One turn in a conversation with an agent: the person's words in a quiet bubble, the agent's answer on the page with its orb mark, trace, tool calls and actions, or what went wrong with the way forward.

## Use it for

- Chat with an agent or assistant: questions, answers, traces, tool calls.

## Not for

- People talking to people ([chat-thread](https://beamline.io/components/chat-thread)).
- Notifications (toast, [notification-center](https://beamline.io/components/notification-center)).

## Anatomy

- Message (row, from user | assistant)
- MessageAgent (orb mark) or MessageAvatar (person)
- MessageContent (bubble for the person; page for the agent, or a bubble when contained). Bubbles are flat theme surfaces with a hairline in every look (content, not panels); long unbroken text wraps inside them
- MessageActions › MessageAction (copy, retry, rate; icon buttons with tooltips)
- MessageError (icon and what went wrong, then the way forward; Retry moves under the text when the turn is narrow; role alert)

## Variants

- **variant**: flat (default: agent on the page), contained (both in bubbles, for narrow side panels)

## States

- streaming (orb thinking)
- settled
- actions on hover or focus; always on the latest answer and on touch screens
- failed (MessageError)

## Keyboard

- Actions are buttons with tooltips; Tab reaches them even while hidden (they show on focus).

## Motion

Actions appear at once on hover and fade out over --motion-out; the orb breathes at rest and swirls while the agent works (paused off screen).

## Props

| Prop | Type | Default | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `Message: from` (required) | `"user" \| "assistant"` | — |  |
| `MessageContent: variant` | `"flat" \| "contained"` | — |  |
| `MessageAgent: state / name` | `AgentState / string` | — |  |
| `MessageAvatar: name / src` | `string` | — |  |
| `MessageActions: always` | `boolean` | — |  |
| `MessageAction: label` (required) | `string` | — |  |
| `MessageError: action` | `ReactNode` | — | Children say what went wrong; action is the way forward (Retry). |
| `style / ref` | `CSSProperties / native Ref` | — |  |
| `classNames` | `MessageErrorClassNames; MessageAgent inherits OrbClassNames` | — |  |

## Built from

- avatar
- button
- tooltip
- orb

## Dependencies

`lucide-react`

## Import

```tsx
import { MessageContent, Message, MessageAvatar, MessageAgent, MessageError, MessageActions } from "@/components/message/message";
```

## Get it

Message is part of Beamline: 190 React components and screens your coding agent (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor or any MCP client) installs into your app through Beamline's MCP server, as a ready-built package or as plain React source you can change. $49 one payment (regular $200), no subscription, a year of updates, one licence for your whole team. [Get Beamline](https://beamline.io/checkout?pack=complete) · [Connect your agent](https://beamline.io/connect)

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