About Chat Agent by Trigger.dev
Chat Agent is a backend for AI chat applications that runs each conversation on its own dedicated machine. It is part of Trigger.dev, a platform for building and running AI agents and workflows in TypeScript. The tool handles long-running tasks, survives browser refreshes, and lets you close the tab without losing state.
Review
Chat Agent was launched this week. It aims to replace the standard request/response endpoint with a machine that persists for the whole conversation. The makers report it has been in production since June, including at Arena.ai, handling millions of sessions.
Key Features
- Every conversation gets its own machine; the machine sleeps when nobody is typing and wakes where it left off.
- No timeouts in long-running turns. The makers' production data shows 1 in 20 turns runs longer than 36 minutes.
- Streaming survives a page refresh or a closed tab; picking up later returns the stream mid-response.
- Memory between turns uses variables. A sub-agent created four questions ago remains available the next day.
- Built-in tracing for prompts, tool calls, latency, and cost per turn with no extra setup.
Pricing and Value
Chat Agent runs on Trigger.dev, which is open source under Apache 2.0 and can be self-hosted. The reference content does not define a specific pricing model for Chat Agent separate from the Trigger.dev platform. Waiting for a human approval overnight is not billed for the wait time.
Pros
- Works with the AI SDK you already use: streamText on the server, useChat on the client.
- No need to manage external state such as Postgres or Redis for conversation memory.
- The underlying platform, Trigger.dev, has been reviewed positively for developer-speed, scalability, and responsive support.
- Open source and self-hostable under Apache 2.0.
Cons
- The documentation and setup assume familiarity with TypeScript and Trigger.dev's existing workflow system.
- Pricing for Chat Agent specifically is not yet defined, which creates uncertainty for budget planning.
- Not well suited for teams that need a GUI-driven chat builder rather than a code-based integration.
Chat Agent suits developers who already use the AI SDK and want to avoid building hand-coded durable chat infrastructure with workaround timeouts and external state. Teams comfortable with TypeScript and comfortable with self-hosting or the Trigger.dev platform will find a fitting tool. Non-technical users or those preferring a visual interface should look elsewhere.
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