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Real-time chat is one of the most natural fits for vly’s reactive backend. By the end of this recipe you’ll have channels, messages, presence indicators, file attachments, and unread tracking — all live across users. Time: ~60 min. Difficulty: Intermediate. Stack: Standard vly + Convex.
Full step-by-step build is being written. In the meantime, see the chat app prompting guide for the foundation prompt, and Real-time sync patterns for the architectural patterns this recipe uses.

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What you’ll build

  • Sidebar with channel list and unread counts.
  • Main pane with message stream, newest at the bottom.
  • Message input with markdown support.
  • Presence (avatars of users currently in channel).
  • File attachments via Convex file storage.

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Foundation prompt

See Chat apps prompting guide for the foundation prompt.

Chat prompting guide

Foundation prompts.

Real-time sync patterns

Architectural patterns.

AI chatbot recipe

The AI variant.
Last modified on April 18, 2026