CopilotKit v1 to v2 Migration Skill

Live Documentation (MCP)

This plugin includes an MCP server (copilotkit-docs) that provides search-docs and search-code tools for querying live CopilotKit documentation and source code. Useful for looking up current v2 API signatures during migration.

• Claude Code: Auto-configured by the plugin's .mcp.json -- no setup needed.
• Codex: Requires manual configuration. See the copilotkit-debug skill for setup instructions.

Overview

CopilotKit v2 is a ground-up rewrite built on the AG-UI protocol (@ag-ui/client / @ag-ui/core). Users continue to install and import @copilotkit/* packages -- the v2 changes are exposed through the same package names with updated APIs (new hook names, component names, runtime configuration). The @copilotkit/* namespace is an internal implementation detail that users never interact with.

Migration Workflow

1. Audit Current Usage

Scan the codebase for all v1 imports and API usage:

@copilotkit/react-core    -> hooks, CopilotKit provider, types
@copilotkit/react-ui      -> CopilotChat, CopilotPopup, CopilotSidebar
@copilotkit/react-textarea -> CopilotTextarea (removed in v2)
@copilotkit/runtime       -> CopilotRuntime, service adapters, framework integrations
@copilotkit/runtime-client-gql -> GraphQL client, message types
@copilotkit/shared         -> utility types, constants
@copilotkit/sdk-js         -> LangGraph/LangChain SDK

2. Identify Deprecated APIs

Key hooks and components to find and replace:

3. Map to v2 Equivalents

Refer to references/v1-to-v2-migration.md for detailed before/after code examples.

4. Update Package Dependencies

The @copilotkit/* package names stay the same. Update to the latest v2 versions:

@copilotkit/react-core        -> @copilotkit/react (consolidated into one package)
@copilotkit/react-ui           -> @copilotkit/react (consolidated into one package)
@copilotkit/react-textarea     -> removed (no v2 equivalent)
@copilotkit/runtime            -> @copilotkit/runtime (same package, new agent-based API)
@copilotkit/runtime-client-gql -> removed (replaced by AG-UI protocol, re-exported from @copilotkit/react)
@copilotkit/shared             -> @copilotkit/shared (same package)
@copilotkit/sdk-js             -> @copilotkit/agent (new package for agent definitions)

5. Update Runtime Configuration

The v1 CopilotRuntime accepted service adapters (OpenAI, Anthropic, LangChain, etc.) and endpoint definitions. The v2 CopilotRuntime accepts AG-UI AbstractAgent instances directly.

v1 pattern (service adapter + endpoints):

import { CopilotRuntime, OpenAIAdapter } from "@copilotkit/runtime";
const runtime = new CopilotRuntime({ actions: [...] });
// used with copilotKitEndpoint() for Next.js, Express, etc.

v2 pattern (agents + Hono endpoint):

import { CopilotRuntime, createCopilotEndpoint } from "@copilotkit/runtime";
import { BuiltInAgent } from "@copilotkit/agent";
const runtime = new CopilotRuntime({
  agents: { myAgent: new BuiltInAgent({ model: "openai:gpt-4o" }) },
});
const app = createCopilotEndpoint({ runtime, basePath: "/api/copilotkit" });

6. Update Provider

The provider component keeps the name CopilotKit -- only the import path changes. The package root (@copilotkit/react-core) is the legacy v1 provider; the /v2 subpath is the migration target.

v1 (root import):

import { CopilotKit } from "@copilotkit/react-core";
<CopilotKit runtimeUrl="/api/copilotkit">{children}</CopilotKit>;

v2 (/v2 import):

import { CopilotKit } from "@copilotkit/react-core/v2";
<CopilotKit runtimeUrl="/api/copilotkit">{children}</CopilotKit>;

Note: @copilotkit/react-core/v2 also exports a CopilotKitProvider component. Do not migrate to it -- it is a functionality subset of CopilotKit, which is the compatibility bridge across v1 and v2 and accepts every CopilotKitProvider prop.

7. Verify

• Run the application and check for runtime errors
• Verify all agent interactions work (chat, tool calls, interrupts)
• Check that tool renderers display correctly
• Confirm suggestions load and display

Quick Reference