Chat Artifacts
Chat artifacts is an AI UX pattern that renders generated content, code, documents, diagrams, or structured data, in a dedicated side panel instead of inline in the conversation. This keeps the chat thread readable while giving users a persistent, interactive workspace to view, edit, and iterate on the output without losing the conversation context.
When to use
Perfect for AI coding assistants, document generation tools, and design applications where generated content needs dedicated space for viewing and editing.
When not to use
- Short, disposable outputs like a one-line answer or single suggestion that do not warrant their own panel.
- Mobile layouts too narrow to show conversation and artifact side by side without heavy tab-switching.
- Outputs that are purely conversational text with nothing to interact with beyond reading.
Anti-patterns
- Artifacts that fork from the conversation with no visible link back to the message that created them.
- Overwriting an artifact on every regeneration with no version history to compare or revert.
- No export or copy path, trapping useful output inside the panel.
- Panels that cannot resize or collapse, permanently eating screen space on smaller viewports.
How products use it
| Product | Implementation |
|---|---|
| Claude Artifacts | Code, documents, and interactive components render in a side panel with version history. |
| Cursor | Generated code changes surface as diffs and files outside the chat thread itself. |
| Replit Agent | Generated apps run live in a preview pane alongside the agent conversation. |
| Notion AI | Generated content is written directly into the document rather than staying in a chat bubble. |
Use this pattern in your project
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Pattern Definition:Real-world examples
How shipped products implement chat artifacts, from our teardown guides.
Frequently asked questions
What is a chat artifact in AI product design?
A chat artifact is a piece of AI-generated content, code, a document, a diagram, that displays in its own dedicated panel next to the conversation instead of inline, so users can interact with it without cluttering the chat thread.
Why use a side panel instead of showing content in the chat bubble?
Complex or evolving content like code and documents needs room to be read, edited, and re-rendered. Keeping it in a separate panel avoids bloating the conversation history with large blocks that get harder to scroll past over time.
Should artifacts keep version history?
For anything users iterate on, yes. Without version history, each regeneration silently replaces prior work, making it hard to compare alternatives or recover a better earlier version.
Related patterns
- Chatbot
Thread Branching
Edit and fork chats
- Chatbot
Regeneration Carousel
Swipe bot responses
- Chatbot
Response Refinement
Modify AI responses with contextual actions
- Chatbot
Conversation History Search
Search through past conversations
- Chatbot
Message Pinning
Pin important messages
- Chatbot
Conversation Tags & Labels
Organize conversations with tags