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AI chat widget for Next.js

Add an AI chatbot to your Next.js site using Biel.ai's React components. The integration works with both client and server-side rendering, and supports all Next.js versions including the App Router.

This guide shows you how to install the package via NPM and add the chat widget to your Next.js components in minutes.

Prerequisites​

Before starting, ensure you have:

  • A Biel.ai account. If you don't have one, sign up for free.
  • A project created in your Biel.ai dashboard. Follow the Quickstart guide to create one.
  • A Next.js application ready to install Biel.ai.
  • Node.js installed.

Installation​

The Biel.AI chat widget enables a conversational chat powered by AI in your site.

Chatbot widget for docs

To integrate the Biel.AI chat widget into your Next.js site:

  1. Open your terminal or command prompt. Navigate to your project's root directory using the cd command:

    cd path/to/your/project

    Replace path/to/your/project with your project's actual directory path.

  2. With your terminal still open, run the following command to install Biel.ai:

    npm install biel-react
    info

    If you're using yarn as your package manager, run yarn add biel-react instead of the npm command above.

    This will download and install the Biel.ai package into your project.

  3. Create a wrapper for the chatbot by creating a file under the path components/biel-search.tsx and paste the following code:

    import React, { useEffect } from 'react';
    import { BielButton } from 'biel-react';
    import { JSX, defineCustomElements } from 'biel-search/loader';
    import { StyleReactProps } from 'biel-react/dist/types/react-component-lib/interfaces';
    import 'biel-search/dist/biel-search/biel-search.css';

    const DynamicBielButtonComponent = (props: React.JSX.IntrinsicAttributes & JSX.BielButton & Omit<React.HTMLAttributes<HTMLBielButtonElement>, "style"> & StyleReactProps & React.RefAttributes<HTMLBielButtonElement>) => {
    useEffect(() => {
        defineCustomElements(windowF);
    }, []);

    return <BielButton {...props} />;
    };

    export default DynamicBielButtonComponent;

  4. In the component where you wish to display the chatbot (often _pages/app.tsx or app/layout.tsx), include it shown below:

    'use client'
    import dynamic from 'next/dynamic';

    export default function Banner() {

    const DynamicBielButton = dynamic(() => import('@/components/utils/biel-search'), {
        ssr: false,
    });  

    return (
    <div className="App">
    {/* Other components and content */}
        <DynamicBielButton
            project="<YOUR_PROJECT_ID>"
            header-title="Biel.ai chatbot"
            button-position="bottom-right"
            modal-position="bottom-right"
            button-style="dark">
            Ask AI
        </DynamicBielButton>
    </div>
    );

    Replace <YOUR_PROJECT_ID> with your project's ID from the Biel.ai dashboard.

  5. Start your Next.js app by running npm start or yarn start in your terminal. Once it compiles successfully, verify that the chatbot appears and functions correctly on your site.

Next steps​

For more about customization and additional features exploration, check out the customization section.

Need assistance? We're here to help! Reach out to us at Biel.ai Support.