AI Chat & Streaming

Use this path when you are building a chat UI, token stream, SSE response viewer, or any screen where Markdown updates frequently while the user is watching.

If you only render static articles or docs pages, go back to Usage & Streaming and prefer the simpler content path.

1. Choose the leanest install

Need	Packages	Best for
Text-only or lightweight chat UI	markstream-vue	Basic Markdown, lists, links, blockquotes
Syntax-highlighted code without Monaco	markstream-vue shiki stream-markdown	SSR-friendly transcripts, lower bundle budgets
Rich code interactions	markstream-vue stream-monaco	Copy, preview, diff, and Monaco-powered code blocks
Diagrams or math in chat output	markstream-vue mermaid katex	Mermaid fences and KaTeX formulas

Install only the peers you actually expect to show up in responses.

2. Recommended data flow

For frequent updates, keep parsing outside MarkdownRender and pass nodes + final.

<script setup lang="ts">
import { computed, ref } from 'vue'
import MarkdownRender, { getMarkdown, parseMarkdownToStructure } from 'markstream-vue'

const streamedText = ref('')
const final = ref(false)
const md = getMarkdown('chat-message')

const nodes = computed(() =>
  parseMarkdownToStructure(streamedText.value, md, { final: final.value }),
)
</script>

<template>
  <MarkdownRender
    custom-id="chat"
    :nodes="nodes"
    :final="final"
  />
</template>

Why this path works better:

• MarkdownRender does not need to reparse the full string on every tiny token update.
• You can move parsing into a store, worker, or message pipeline later without changing the renderer contract.
• custom-id="chat" gives you a scoped place to theme the chat surface or override one renderer safely.

3. Renderer settings that usually work well

• Keep the default virtualization behavior for long transcripts. Only tune maxLiveNodes if you have a measured reason.
• Use renderCodeBlocksAsPre when code fences appear often but Monaco is too heavy for your chat surface.
• Leave heavy peers off until you need them. Chat UIs get a large win from not shipping Mermaid, KaTeX, or Monaco by default.
• If you disable virtualization (:max-live-nodes="0"), then the batching props in Props & Options become more important.

4. Common upgrade paths

Better code blocks

• Want a lighter docs-style look: use MarkdownCodeBlockNode with shiki + stream-markdown
• Want richer preview/diff controls: use CodeBlockNode with stream-monaco

See Renderer & Node Components for the trade-offs.

Trusted tags such as thinking

Use custom-html-tags plus setCustomComponents('chat', mapping) so custom tags only affect the chat surface.

See Custom Tags & Advanced Components.

Scoped overrides for one message surface

Use setCustomComponents('chat', { image: ChatImageNode }) and render with custom-id="chat".

See Override Built-in Components.

5. CSS and SSR checklist

• Load your reset first, then import markstream-vue/index.css inside @layer components.
• Import katex/dist/katex.min.css only if math is enabled.
• Gate browser-only peers such as Mermaid, D2, or Monaco behind client-only boundaries in SSR setups.
• If styles leak, scope your chat tweaks under [data-custom-id="chat"].

Start here when visuals look wrong: Troubleshooting

6. When not to use this path

• Use content when updates are infrequent or the page is basically static.
• Use server-side preparse + nodes when another layer already owns Markdown parsing.
• Use the framework-specific guides when SSR/runtime rules matter more than streaming itself.

Next pages

• Installation for peer decisions
• Usage & Streaming for content vs nodes
• Performance for larger transcripts
• Renderer & Node Components for code/math/diagram component choices
• Troubleshooting when CSS, peers, or SSR behave unexpectedly