A component that allows a user to view the sources or citations used to generate a response.

The Sources component allows a user to view the sources or citations used to generate a response.

See scripts/sources.tsx for this example.

npx ai-elements@latest add sources

Build a simple web search agent with Perplexity Sonar.

Add the following component to your frontend:

Create val
"use client";

import { useChat } from "@ai-sdk/react";
import {
  Source,
  Sources,
  SourcesContent,
  SourcesTrigger,
} from "@/components/ai-elements/sources";
import {
  Input,
  PromptInputSubmit,
  PromptInputTextarea,
} from "@/components/ai-elements/prompt-input";
import {
  Conversation,
  ConversationContent,
  ConversationScrollButton,
} from "@/components/ai-elements/conversation";
import {
  Message,
  MessageContent,
  MessageResponse,
} from "@/components/ai-elements/message";
import { useState } from "react";
import { DefaultChatTransport } from "ai";

const SourceDemo = () => {
  const [input, setInput] = useState("");
  const { messages, sendMessage, status } = useChat({
    transport: new DefaultChatTransport({
      api: "/api/sources",
    }),
  });

  const handleSubmit = (e: React.FormEvent) => {
    e.preventDefault();
    if (input.trim()) {
      sendMessage({ text: input });
      setInput("");
    }
  };

  return (
    <div className="max-w-4xl mx-auto p-6 relative size-full rounded-lg border h-[600px]">
      <div className="flex flex-col h-full">
        <div className="flex-1 overflow-auto mb-4">
          <Conversation>
            <ConversationContent>
              {messages.map((message) => (
                <div key={message.id}>
                  {message.role === "assistant" && (
                    <Sources>
                      <SourcesTrigger
                        count={message.parts.filter(
                          (part) => part.type === "source-url",
                        ).length}
                      />
                      {message.parts.map((part, i) => {
                        switch (part.type) {
                          case "source-url":
                            return (
                              <SourcesContent key={`${message.id}-${i}`}>
                                <Source
                                  key={`${message.id}-${i}`}
                                  href={part.url}
                                  title={part.url}
                                />
                              </SourcesContent>
                            );
                        }
                      })}
                    </Sources>
                  )}
                  <Message from={message.role} key={message.id}>
                    <MessageContent>
                      {message.parts.map((part, i) => {
                        switch (part.type) {
                          case "text":
                            return (
                              <MessageResponse key={`${message.id}-${i}`}>
                                {part.text}
                              </MessageResponse>
                            );
                          default:
                            return null;
                        }
                      })}
                    </MessageContent>
                  </Message>
                </div>
              ))}
            </ConversationContent>
            <ConversationScrollButton />
          </Conversation>
        </div>

        <Input
          onSubmit={handleSubmit}
          className="mt-4 w-full max-w-2xl mx-auto relative"
        >
          <PromptInputTextarea
            value={input}
            placeholder="Ask a question and search the..."
            onChange={(e) => setInput(e.currentTarget.value)}
            className="pr-12"
          />
          <PromptInputSubmit
            status={status === "streaming" ? "streaming" : "ready"}
            disabled={!input.trim()}
            className="absolute bottom-1 right-1"
          />
        </Input>
      </div>
    </div>
  );
};

export default SourceDemo;

Add the following route to your backend:

Create val
import { convertToModelMessages, streamText, UIMessage } from "ai";
import { perplexity } from "@ai-sdk/perplexity";

// Allow streaming responses up to 30 seconds
export const maxDuration = 30;

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

  const result = streamText({
    model: "perplexity/sonar",
    system:
      "You are a helpful assistant. Keep your responses short (< 100 words) unless you are asked for more details. ALWAYS USE SEARCH.",
    messages: await convertToModelMessages(messages),
  });

  return result.toUIMessageStreamResponse({
    sendSources: true,
  });
}

• Collapsible component that allows a user to view the sources or citations used to generate a response
• Customizable trigger and content components
• Support for custom sources or citations
• Responsive design with mobile-friendly controls
• Clean, modern styling with customizable themes

See scripts/sources-custom.tsx for this example.