dev-docs/architecture/plugin-points.md
CopilotKit is built around extension points. Almost everything is optional and replaceable. This guide catalogs every pluggable part, where it's configured, and what happens when you don't provide it.
graph TB
subgraph "Frontend (React / Angular / Vanilla)"
FT["Frontend Tools
<i>Functions agents can call</i>"]
CTX["Agent Context
<i>Data agents can read</i>"]
RTC["Tool Call Renderers
<i>Custom UI for tool calls</i>"]
HIL["Human-in-the-Loop
<i>Approval before execution</i>"]
RAM["Activity Renderers
<i>Custom activity messages</i>"]
RCM["Custom Message Renderers
<i>Inject UI before/after messages</i>"]
SUG["Suggestions Config
<i>AI or static suggestions</i>"]
SUBS["Event Subscribers
<i>React to lifecycle events</i>"]
end
subgraph "Backend (Runtime)"
BM["Before Middleware
<i>Auth, logging, transforms</i>"]
AM["After Middleware
<i>Post-processing</i>"]
RUNNER["Agent Runner
<i>How agents execute</i>"]
TS["Transcription Service
<i>Audio → text</i>"]
end
subgraph "Agent Level"
MW["AG-UI Middleware
<i>Intercept agent pipeline</i>"]
end
What: Functions in your app that agents can call during a conversation.
Where configured:
useFrontendTool() hook or frontendTools provider propcopilotKit.addTool() or tools in configcopilotKit.addTool()Default when not provided: No tools — agent can only send text messages.
// Type signature
type FrontendTool<T> = {
name: string;
description?: string;
parameters?: z.ZodType<T>;
handler?: (args: T, context: FrontendToolHandlerContext) => Promise<unknown>;
followUp?: boolean; // Re-run agent after tool completes
agentId?: string; // Scope to specific agent
};
sequenceDiagram
participant Agent
participant Core as CopilotKitCore
participant Tool as Your Tool Handler
Agent->>Core: TOOL_CALL_START { name: "myTool" }
Agent->>Core: TOOL_CALL_ARGS { ... }
Core->>Tool: handler(args)
Tool-->>Core: result
Core->>Agent: TOOL_CALL_RESULT
opt followUp = true
Core->>Agent: Re-run agent with result
end
What: JSON data that gets sent to agents as context (like "the user is on the settings page").
Where configured:
useAgentContext() hookcopilotKit.addContext() / removeContext()Default when not provided: No extra context — agent only sees messages and tool definitions.
type AgentContextInput = {
description: string; // Human-readable label
value: JsonSerializable; // Any JSON value
};
What: Custom React components that render while a tool is being called — showing progress, args, and results.
Where configured:
useRenderToolCall() hook or renderToolCalls provider proprenderToolCalls in configDefault when not provided: Generic built-in rendering.
type ReactToolCallRenderer<T> = {
name: string; // Tool name to render
args: z.ZodSchema<T>; // Schema for type-safe args
agentId?: string; // Scope to specific agent
render: React.ComponentType<
| { status: "in-progress"; args: Partial<T>; result: undefined }
| { status: "executing"; args: T; result: undefined }
| { status: "complete"; args: T; result: string }
>;
};
graph LR
IP["in-progress
<i>Args streaming in
Partial<T> available</i>"]
EX["executing
<i>Handler running
Full args available</i>"]
CO["complete
<i>Result available</i>"]
IP --> EX --> CO
What: Tools that pause and wait for user input before continuing. The user sees a custom UI with approve/deny buttons.
Where configured:
useHumanInTheLoop() hook or humanInTheLoop provider prophumanInTheLoop in configDefault when not provided: No approval required — tools execute immediately.
type ReactHumanInTheLoop<T> = Omit<FrontendTool<T>, "handler"> & {
render: React.ComponentType<{
args: T;
status: "in-progress" | "executing" | "complete";
respond: (result: unknown) => Promise<void>; // Call this to approve/deny
}>;
};
sequenceDiagram
participant Agent
participant Core as CopilotKitCore
participant UI as Your Approval UI
participant User
Agent->>Core: TOOL_CALL { name: "deleteUser" }
Core->>UI: Render with status: "executing"
UI->>User: "Delete user X?"
User->>UI: Clicks "Approve"
UI->>Core: respond("approved")
Core->>Agent: TOOL_CALL_RESULT
Agent->>Agent: Continues
What: Custom UI for structured activity messages (non-chat messages like progress indicators or MCP app outputs).
Where configured:
useRenderActivityMessage() hook or renderActivityMessages provider propDefault when not provided: Built-in MCP Apps renderer is included. Other activity types show generic display.
type ReactActivityMessageRenderer<T> = {
activityType: string; // Use "*" for wildcard
agentId?: string;
content: z.ZodSchema<T>;
render: React.ComponentType<{
activityType: string;
content: T;
message: ActivityMessage;
agent: AbstractAgent | undefined;
}>;
};
What: Inject custom UI before or after specific messages (e.g., add a "copy" button, show state snapshots).
Where configured:
useRenderCustomMessages() hook or renderCustomMessages provider propDefault when not provided: No custom rendering — standard message display.
type ReactCustomMessageRenderer = {
agentId?: string;
render: React.ComponentType<{
message: Message;
position: "before" | "after";
runId: string;
messageIndex: number;
agentId: string;
stateSnapshot: any;
}> | null;
};
What: Configure AI-generated or static prompt suggestions shown to users.
Where configured:
useConfigureSuggestions() hooksuggestionsConfig in configDefault when not provided: No suggestions.
// AI-generated suggestions
type DynamicSuggestionsConfig = {
instructions: string; // What to suggest
minSuggestions?: number; // Default: 1
maxSuggestions?: number; // Default: 3
available?: SuggestionAvailability; // When to show
providerAgentId?: string; // Which agent generates them
consumerAgentId?: string; // Which agent receives them ("*" = all)
};
// Static suggestions
type StaticSuggestionsConfig = {
suggestions: Array<{ title: string; message: string }>;
available?: SuggestionAvailability;
consumerAgentId?: string;
};
type SuggestionAvailability =
| "before-first-message" // Default for static
| "after-first-message" // Default for dynamic
| "always"
| "disabled";
graph TB
subgraph "Suggestion Types"
DYN["Dynamic
<i>AI generates suggestions
from instructions</i>"]
STA["Static
<i>You provide fixed
suggestion list</i>"]
end
subgraph "Availability"
BFM["before-first-message"]
AFM["after-first-message"]
ALW["always"]
DIS["disabled"]
end
DYN -.->|default| AFM
STA -.->|default| BFM
What: Listen to lifecycle events — connection status, tool execution, agent changes, errors.
Where configured:
copilotKit.subscribe(subscriber){ unsubscribe() } for cleanupDefault when not provided: No listeners — events still fire internally.
type CopilotKitCoreSubscriber = {
onRuntimeConnectionStatusChanged?: (event) => void;
onToolExecutionStart?: (event) => void;
onToolExecutionEnd?: (event) => void;
onAgentsChanged?: (event) => void;
onContextChanged?: (event) => void;
onSuggestionsChanged?: (event) => void;
onSuggestionsStartedLoading?: (event) => void;
onSuggestionsFinishedLoading?: (event) => void;
onPropertiesChanged?: (event) => void;
onHeadersChanged?: (event) => void;
onError?: (event) => void;
};
What: Intercept HTTP requests before they reach the handler. Use for auth, logging, request transformation.
Where configured: CopilotRuntime constructor — beforeRequestMiddleware
Default when not provided: Requests pass through unchanged.
type BeforeRequestMiddleware = (params: {
runtime: CopilotRuntime;
request: Request;
path: string;
}) => MaybePromise<Request | void>;
// Return modified Request, or void to pass through
// Return a Response to short-circuit (e.g., 401)
graph LR
REQ["Incoming Request"]
BM["beforeRequestMiddleware"]
HANDLER["Route Handler"]
REJECT["401 / Error Response"]
REQ --> BM
BM -->|pass through| HANDLER
BM -->|reject| REJECT
What: Run code after the response is prepared. Use for logging, metrics, cleanup.
Where configured: CopilotRuntime constructor — afterRequestMiddleware
Default when not provided: No post-processing.
type AfterRequestMiddleware = (params: {
runtime: CopilotRuntime;
response: Response;
path: string;
}) => MaybePromise<void>;
What: Controls how agents are executed and how thread state is managed.
Where configured: CopilotRuntime constructor — runner
Default when not provided: InMemoryAgentRunner — in-process, ephemeral (threads lost on restart).
abstract class AgentRunner {
abstract run(request: AgentRunnerRunRequest): Observable<BaseEvent>;
abstract connect(request: AgentRunnerConnectRequest): Observable<BaseEvent>;
abstract isRunning(request: AgentRunnerIsRunningRequest): Promise<boolean>;
abstract stop(request: AgentRunnerStopRequest): Promise<boolean | undefined>;
}
| Implementation | Storage | Persistence | Use case |
|---|---|---|---|
InMemoryAgentRunner | RAM | No | Development, stateless apps |
SQLiteAgentRunner | Disk | Yes | Production, long-running threads |
| Custom | Your choice | Your choice | Redis, PostgreSQL, etc. |
graph TB
RT["CopilotRuntime"]
RUNNER["runner (AgentRunner)"]
RT --> RUNNER
subgraph Implementations
IM["InMemoryAgentRunner
<i>Default — in-process</i>"]
SQ["SQLiteAgentRunner
<i>Persistent on disk</i>"]
CU["YourCustomRunner
<i>Redis, Postgres, etc.</i>"]
end
RUNNER -.-> IM
RUNNER -.-> SQ
RUNNER -.-> CU
What: Convert audio files to text. Enables the /transcribe endpoint.
Where configured: CopilotRuntime constructor — transcriptionService
Default when not provided: /transcribe endpoint returns 404.
abstract class TranscriptionService {
abstract transcribeFile(options: {
audioFile: File;
mimeType?: string;
size?: number;
}): Promise<string>;
}
What: Intercept and transform the agent execution pipeline. Cross-cutting concerns like logging, filtering, and backward compatibility.
Where configured: At the agent level (outside CopilotKit core).
Default when not provided: Direct agent execution.
abstract class Middleware {
abstract run(
input: RunAgentInput,
next: AbstractAgent,
): Observable<BaseEvent>;
}
// Built-in implementations:
// - FunctionMiddleware — wrap a function as middleware
// - FilterToolCallsMiddleware — filter which tools are sent
graph LR
INPUT["RunAgentInput"]
MW1["Middleware 1
<i>e.g., logging</i>"]
MW2["Middleware 2
<i>e.g., tool filtering</i>"]
AGENT["Agent.run()"]
INPUT --> MW1 --> MW2 --> AGENT
graph TB
subgraph "Provider / Config"
P["CopilotKitProvider
or provideCopilotKit()"]
P --> FT_P["frontendTools"]
P --> RTC_P["renderToolCalls"]
P --> RAM_P["renderActivityMessages"]
P --> RCM_P["renderCustomMessages"]
P --> HIL_P["humanInTheLoop"]
P --> HDR["headers"]
P --> CRD["credentials"]
P --> PRP["properties"]
P --> DC["showDevConsole"]
end
subgraph "Hooks / Service Methods"
UFT["useFrontendTool()"]
UAC["useAgentContext()"]
URT["useRenderToolCall()"]
UHL["useHumanInTheLoop()"]
UCS["useConfigureSuggestions()"]
URA["useRenderActivityMessage()"]
URC["useRenderCustomMessages()"]
end
subgraph "CopilotRuntime"
RT["new CopilotRuntime()"]
RT --> AGENTS["agents (required)"]
RT --> RUNNER["runner"]
RT --> BM["beforeRequestMiddleware"]
RT --> AM["afterRequestMiddleware"]
RT --> TS["transcriptionService"]
end
subgraph "Core API"
SUB["copilotKit.subscribe()"]
AT["copilotKit.addTool()"]
AC["copilotKit.addContext()"]
end
| Extension Point | Location | Config Method | Default | Optional |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frontend Tools | Frontend | Hook / Provider / addTool() | None | Yes |
| Agent Context | Frontend | Hook / addContext() | None | Yes |
| Tool Call Renderers | Frontend | Hook / Provider | Generic rendering | Yes |
| Human-in-the-Loop | Frontend | Hook / Provider | Immediate execution | Yes |
| Activity Renderers | Frontend | Hook / Provider | MCP Apps included | Yes |
| Custom Message Renderers | Frontend | Hook / Provider | None | Yes |
| Suggestions Config | Frontend | Hook / Config | None | Yes |
| Event Subscribers | Frontend | subscribe() | None | Yes |
| Before Middleware | Backend | Runtime constructor | Pass-through | Yes |
| After Middleware | Backend | Runtime constructor | None | Yes |
| Agent Runner | Backend | Runtime constructor | InMemoryAgentRunner | Yes |
| Transcription Service | Backend | Runtime constructor | None (404) | Yes |
| AG-UI Middleware | Agent | Agent-level config | Direct execution | Yes |