CopilotKit <> CrewAI Flow Starter

This is a starter template for building AI agents using CrewAI Flows and CopilotKit. It provides a modern Next.js application with an integrated CrewAI Flow agent to be built on top of.

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• Python 3.10+
• uv - Fast Python package installer and resolver
• Any of the following package managers:
  • npm (default)
  • pnpm
  • yarn
  • bun
• OpenAI API Key (for the CrewAI Flow agent)

Getting Started

1. Install dependencies using your preferred package manager:

# Using npm (default)
npm install

# Using pnpm
pnpm install

# Using yarn
yarn install

# Using bun
bun install

Note: Installing the package dependencies will also install the agent's Python dependencies via the install:agent script using uv. This will automatically create a virtual environment and install dependencies from pyproject.toml.

2. Set up your OpenAI API key:

echo "OPENAI_API_KEY=your-openai-api-key-here" > .env

3. Start the development server:

# Using npm (default)
npm run dev

# Using pnpm
pnpm dev

# Using yarn
yarn dev

# Using bun
bun run dev

This will start both the UI and agent servers concurrently.

Running a Channel

channel-host.mts mounts the same agent as an Intelligence Channel (Slack, Teams). It requires INTELLIGENCE_API_KEY and a declared Channel in .copilotkit/channels.json — set both up with copilotkit init or copilotkit channels add, which write that file and the credentials your .env needs, then:

npm run channel

The host reads which Channel to hold from .copilotkit/channels.json. If a project declares more than one, set INTELLIGENCE_CHANNEL_NAME to pick one.

The host holds no provider credentials and exposes no provider endpoint — Intelligence owns the provider edge — so the same file works for every provider.

The Channel itself is declared in channels.mts — that is where to add commands, reactions, or an onMention handler. channel-host.mts only owns the process lifetime, and is byte-identical in every starter.

Once startup finishes, the log reports the truth per Channel:

• Channel "<name>" is online. — the session is up and can send.
• Channel "<name>" is declared but no provider is attached yet. — a normal waiting state, not a failure. Run copilotkit channels status to see what setup remains.

Neither message proves the provider app is installed, reachable, or that anyone can message it — verify that separately (invite the bot, then message it) before treating the Channel as working.

Available Scripts

The following scripts can also be run using your preferred package manager:

• dev - Starts both UI and agent servers in development mode
• dev:ui - Starts only the Next.js UI server
• dev:agent - Starts only the CrewAI Flow agent server
• build - Builds the Next.js application for production
• start - Starts the production server
• install:agent - Installs Python dependencies for the agent using uv
• channel - Holds an Intelligence Channel open (see "Running a Channel" above)
• typecheck:channel - Type-checks the channel host on its own tsconfig.channel.json

Documentation

The main UI component is in src/app/page.tsx. You can:

• Modify the theme colors and styling
• Add new frontend actions
• Utilize shared-state
• Customize your user-interface for interacting with CrewAI Flow

📚 Documentation

• CopilotKit Documentation - Explore CopilotKit's capabilities
• CrewAI Flow Documentation - Learn more about CrewAI Flow and its features
• Next.js Documentation - Learn about Next.js features and API

Contributing

Feel free to submit issues and enhancement requests! This starter is designed to be easily extensible.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Troubleshooting

Agent Connection Issues

If you see "I'm having trouble connecting to my tools", make sure:

1. The CrewAI Flow agent is running on port 8000
2. Your OpenAI API key is set correctly
3. Both servers started successfully