Message threads

Threads are optional. Set threads: { enabled: true } when you create the Chatpack installation. Apply your storage adapter's thread migrations before you deploy the new code. Existing apps keep their own UI and notification setup.

const chat = chatpack({
  storage: drizzleAdapter(db),
  auth: resolveAppUser,
  threads: { enabled: true },
});

const reply = await chat.api.sendMessage({
  userId: "bob",
  conversationId,
  body: "I can take this.",
  threadRootMessageId: rootMessageId,
});

const page = await chat.api.listThread({
  userId: "alice",
  conversationId,
  rootMessageId,
});

listMessages returns the main conversation. listThread returns replies to one root, newest first. A root message has threadReplyCount. Thread replies use the conversation's message sequence and permissions. A reply to a reply still uses the original thread root, so threads stay one level deep.

Set alsoSendToMain: true when the sender wants the same reply in the main conversation. It keeps one message id and appears in both pages. That reply also counts toward the main conversation's unread count. The sender can turn this on per reply; it is off by default.

The browser client provides messages.get, messages.send, and useThread. Use messages.get to open a link to a message when it is outside the loaded page. The core REST routes are listed in REST API.

Existing installations

To add threads to an existing app:

Update @chatpack/core, @chatpack/client, and your storage adapter together.
Apply the matching migration below before enabling threads or alsoSendToMain.
Set threads: { enabled: true } in the server's chatpack() options.
Add thread UI and alert delivery in your app. Existing installations keep their own UI and notification providers.

Run the migration for your adapter:

Adapter	Existing database
Drizzle Postgres	Re-run exported `migrationStatements` or apply your generated Drizzle migration.
SQLite, Turso, MySQL	Run `thread-upgrade.sql`, then `thread-broadcast-upgrade.sql`.
Prisma	Apply `0002_thread_replies`, then `0003_thread_broadcast`; regenerate the Prisma client.
Supabase	Apply `20260925072829_thread_replies.sql`, then `20260925153817_thread_broadcast.sql`.
Memory	No migration.

The Chatpack app shows one way to add a Threads inbox, follow and mute state, email alerts, browser push, search navigation, and links to replies. These are app-owned features. To adapt the alert flow, connect afterMessageMutation to a durable job or outbox, resolve the recipient's email or push subscription, and retry failed delivery in your worker. The app README lists its environment variables and retry route.

Existing installations

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