📖 Introduction

Welcome to the comprehensive AI Elements documentation. This guide will help you build world-class AI-native applications using our component library, AI SDK, and Workflow DevKit.

🎯 Core Philosophy

AI Elements is built on the principle that accessibility-first development creates better experiences for everyone. Our component library follows strict guidelines to ensure your AI applications are accessible, performant, and delightful.

🏗️ Foundation

Built on top of shadcn/ui with 31 specialized AI components designed for conversational interfaces, workflow visualizations, and interactive AI experiences.

MUST USE

⚡ Performance

Compositor-friendly animations, virtual scrolling, lazy loading, and optimized bundle sizes ensure your AI applications feel instant and responsive.

PERFORMANCE FIRST

♿ Accessibility

WCAG AA compliant components with full keyboard navigation, screen reader support, and assistive technology integration built-in.

ACCESSIBLE BY DEFAULT

Why AI Elements?

  • Consistency: All components follow the same design patterns and interaction guidelines
  • Reliability: Battle-tested components used in production AI applications
  • Developer Experience: TypeScript support, excellent documentation, and intuitive APIs
  • Future-Proof: Built on modern web standards and updated regularly

Key Principles

Decision Priority

Accessibility > Performance > Visual Polish
Clarity > Cleverness
User Control > AI Autonomy
Consistency > Customization

Zero Tolerance Policy

ANY DEVIATION from component requirements constitutes a rule violation. There are no exceptions to using the 31 specified AI Elements components.

NO EXCEPTIONS

🚀 Getting Started

Let's get you set up with AI Elements and the complete ecosystem in under 5 minutes.

Prerequisites

System Requirements

  • Node.js 18 or later
  • React 19+ or Next.js
  • TypeScript (recommended)
  • Tailwind CSS 4

Required Knowledge

  • React/JavaScript fundamentals
  • Basic TypeScript knowledge
  • Understanding of AI/LLM concepts
  • Accessibility principles

Installation

Run this complete setup script to install all required packages:

Complete Setup Script
Installs AI Elements and entire ecosystem

Environment Configuration

Create a .env.local file with the required environment variables:

Environment Variables
Required configuration for AI Elements

Quick Start Example

Here's a simple chat interface using AI Elements components:

Basic Chat Component
Simple conversation interface

Live Preview

Chat interface would render here

This preview shows how your component will look when implemented.

🎯 Next Steps

Now that you have AI Elements installed, explore the components section to learn about all 31 available components and their specific use cases.

🧩 AI Elements Components

Complete reference for all 31 AI Elements components, organized by category and use case.

⚠️ Zero Tolerance Policy

THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS to using AI Elements components. Custom implementations, non-AI Elements components, or component substitutes are STRICTLY PROHIBITED.

Chatbot Components (22 components)

Essential components for building conversational AI interfaces:

actions

Interactive action buttons for AI responses like "Helpful", "Copy", "Regenerate"

MUST USE

conversation

Main container for chat conversations with proper ARIA attributes

MUST USE

message

Individual chat messages with avatars, timestamps, and formatting

MUST USE

code-block

Syntax-highlighted code display with copy functionality

MUST USE

image

AI-generated image display with proper loading states

MUST USE

suggestion

Quick action suggestions like "Explain this in simpler terms"

SHOULD USE

Vibe-Coding Components (2 components)

Specialized components for code and document display:

artifact

Display code or documents in an interactive, editable format

MUST USE

web-preview

Embedded web page previews within your application

MUST USE

Workflow Components (7 components)

Components for visualizing and managing AI workflows:

canvas

ReactFlow canvas for workflow visualizations

MUST USE

node

Node component for workflow graphs with AI integration

MUST USE

edge

Connection component for workflow node relationships

MUST USE

Component Usage Examples

See how components work together in real applications:

Complete Chat Interface
Using multiple AI Elements components together

⌨️ Keyboard & Interaction Standards

Comprehensive guidelines for building accessible, keyboard-navigable interfaces.

MUST Requirements

Keyboard Navigation

  • Full keyboard support per WAI-ARIA APG
  • Visible focus rings (`:focus-visible`)
  • Focus management (trap, move, return)
  • Hit target ≥24px (mobile ≥44px)
MANDATORY

Form Interactions

  • Enter submits focused text input
  • ⌘/Ctrl+Enter submits textarea
  • Keep submit enabled until request starts
  • Inline errors next to fields
MANDATORY

Interactive Examples

Keyboard Navigation Demo

Press Tab to navigate, Enter to submit

Touch Targets

All buttons meet ≥44px touch target requirement:

Best Practices

Accessible Form Pattern
Proper form structure with keyboard support

🎨 Animation Standards

Create delightful animations that respect user preferences and perform well.

MUST Animation Requirements

Compositor-Friendly Properties

  • transform and opacity only
  • Avoid layout/repaint properties
  • Interruptible animations
  • Respect prefers-reduced-motion
PERFORMANCE CRITICAL

User Preferences

  • Honor reduced motion settings
  • Input-driven animations only
  • Correct transform origins
  • No autoplay animations
ACCESSIBILITY REQUIRED

Animation Examples

Good Animation Pattern
Compositor-friendly CSS animations

Live Animation Demo

This content animates smoothly using transform and opacity only.

Animation respects prefers-reduced-motion setting

⚡ Performance Tips

  • Prefer CSS animations over JavaScript
  • Use will-change sparingly
  • Test on low-end devices
  • Keep animations under 1 second

🎯 Design & Layout

Visual design principles for creating polished, accessible interfaces.

MUST Design Requirements

Layout & Alignment

  • Deliberate alignment to grid
  • Optical center adjustments
  • No accidental placement
  • URL reflects application state
MANDATORY

Color & Contrast

  • APCA contrast standards
  • Color-blind friendly palettes
  • Hover/focus contrast increase
  • Accessible chart colors
ACCESSIBILITY REQUIRED

Visual Polish

  • Layered shadows (ambient + direct)
  • Crisp edges via borders
  • Nested radius consistency
  • Hue consistency in tints
RECOMMENDED

Design System Examples

AI Elements Design Tokens
Complete design system implementation

Component Variations

Button Styles

Status Indicators

✓ Success
⚠ Warning
✗ Error

♿ Accessibility Standards

Building inclusive interfaces that work for everyone, regardless of abilities.

🏆 WCAG AA Compliance

All AI Elements components meet or exceed WCAG 2.1 Level AA requirements, ensuring your applications are accessible to users with disabilities.

MUST Accessibility Requirements

Semantic Structure

  • Proper heading hierarchy (h1-h6)
  • Semantic HTML elements
  • Landmark regions
  • Skip to content links
MANDATORY

ARIA Support

  • Descriptive aria-labels
  • Live regions for dynamic content
  • Role attributes for complex widgets
  • State announcements
MANDATORY

Accessible Patterns

Accessible Component Pattern
Proper ARIA implementation

Testing Your Application

🔍 Automated Testing

  • axe-core integration
  • WAVE browser extension
  • Lighthouse accessibility audit

⌨️ Keyboard Testing

  • Tab through entire application
  • Test all interactive elements
  • Verify focus management

🔊 Screen Reader Testing

  • NVDA (Windows)
  • VoiceOver (Mac)
  • Orca (Linux)

⚡ Performance Standards

Optimizations for fast, responsive AI applications that feel instant.

MUST Performance Requirements

Loading & Rendering

  • Virtualize large lists
  • Lazy load non-critical components
  • Preload above-fold images
  • Prevent CLS from images
CRITICAL

AI-Specific Optimizations

  • Stream AI responses
  • Minimize client-side computation
  • Batch layout reads/writes
  • Optimistic UI patterns
AI CRITICAL

Performance Examples

Virtual Scrolling
Efficient large list rendering

Live Performance Demo

Performance Checklist

Before Going Live

  • Test on iOS Low Power Mode
  • Profile with CPU throttling
  • Measure with network throttling
  • Check for unnecessary re-renders
  • Verify bundle size impact
  • Test virtual scrolling performance
REQUIRED TESTING

🔍 The Ultimate SEO Guide

Complete guide to optimizing your website for search engines and AI-powered search.

🎯 Core SEO Philosophy

To optimize SEO effectively, focus on creating valuable, user-centered content while implementing technical optimizations. Search engines reward websites that provide genuine value to users with fast loading times, mobile-friendliness, and comprehensive, well-structured content.

Core SEO Pillars

1. Keyword Research & Strategy

Discover what your target audience searches for and align your content strategy accordingly.

  • Focus on relevant, high-intent keywords that match user search behavior
  • Target long-tail phrases for better conversion rates and less competition
  • Analyze competitor keywords to identify content gaps and opportunities
  • Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, or SEMrush for comprehensive research

2. On-Page SEO Optimization

Optimize individual pages to rank higher and earn more relevant traffic.

Content Quality & Structure

Create valuable, comprehensive content that naturally incorporates target keywords. Use proper heading hierarchy (H1, H2, H3) and organize content logically with clear sections and subheadings.

Title Tags & Meta Descriptions

Write compelling page titles (under 60 characters) and meta descriptions (under 160 characters) that include target keywords and encourage clicks from search results.

URL Optimization

Keep URLs short, descriptive, and keyword-rich (e.g., your-site.com/ultimate-seo-guide). Avoid unnecessary parameters and dates in URLs when possible.

Image Optimization

Compress images for faster loading, use descriptive filenames, and add comprehensive alt text that describes the image content and includes relevant keywords.

3. Off-Page SEO & Link Building

Build authority and trust through quality backlinks and online reputation management.

  • Earn high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites in your industry
  • Broken link building: Find and replace broken links with your content
  • Digital PR: Create newsworthy content that earns natural coverage
  • Internal linking: Create a strong internal link structure to distribute page authority

4. Technical SEO Foundation

Ensure your website is technically sound and easily crawlable by search engines.

  • Site Speed: Optimize loading times with image compression, code minification, and CDN usage
  • Mobile-First Design: Ensure perfect mobile experience with responsive design
  • XML Sitemaps: Help search engines discover and index all your pages
  • Structured Data: Implement schema markup to enhance search result appearances
  • SSL Certificate: Ensure HTTPS security for trust and ranking factors

User Experience (UX) Optimization

Increase Dwell Time

  • Use engaging multimedia content (videos, infographics, interactive elements)
  • Create comprehensive, in-depth content that fully answers user queries
  • Implement clear formatting with bullet points, numbered lists, and visual breaks
  • Add related articles and internal links to encourage exploration

Reduce Bounce Rate

  • Ensure content matches search intent and user expectations
  • Improve page loading speed to prevent abandonment
  • Design clear navigation and user-friendly layouts
  • Provide immediate value in the above-the-fold content

Modern SEO: AI & Voice Search

Optimizing for AI-Powered Search

As search engines increasingly use AI to understand content, focus on:

  • Natural language: Write in conversational, human-like tone
  • Featured snippets: Structure content to answer specific questions directly
  • Entity optimization: Build topical authority around key concepts and related terms
  • User intent matching: Create content that precisely matches searcher intent

Voice Search Optimization

  • Target question-based keywords (who, what, where, when, why, how)
  • Create FAQ sections addressing common voice queries
  • Optimize for local search if applicable to your business
  • Focus on featured snippet opportunities

Implementation Action Plan

🚀 Start Here: Your SEO Action Plan

Week 1-2: Foundation Audit

Conduct comprehensive SEO audit using tools like Google Search Console, Screaming Frog, or SEMrush. Identify technical issues, content gaps, and optimization opportunities.

Week 3-4: Technical Improvements

Fix technical issues, improve site speed, implement mobile optimization, and ensure proper indexing of all important pages.

Week 5-8: Content Strategy

Develop and publish high-quality, keyword-optimized content that addresses user needs. Focus on comprehensive guides and pillar content.

Week 9-12: Link Building & Promotion

Implement link building strategy, engage in digital PR, and promote content through social media and outreach.

Monitoring & Analytics

📊 Track Performance

  • Google Search Console
  • Google Analytics 4
  • Keyword ranking tools
  • Core Web Vitals monitoring

🔍 Regular Audits

  • Monthly ranking reports
  • Quarterly technical audits
  • Content performance analysis
  • Competitor monitoring

🤖 AI Tools Integration

  • AI content optimization tools
  • Automated SEO analysis
  • User behavior insights
  • Predictive SEO metrics

Key Takeaways

Remember: SEO is a long-term strategy that requires consistent effort and patience. Focus on providing genuine value to users, and search engine rankings will follow naturally.