Tambo
React toolkit that lets AI agents render your own components as interactive UI.
- Stars
- 11.2k
- Forks
- 575
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- TypeScript
- Last update
- 5 days ago
- Type
- Library
What it is
Tambo is a React SDK for generative UI: you register your components with Zod schemas, and an AI agent picks the right one and streams its props so users can interact with it. It also includes a backend that manages conversation state and agent execution. The project's hosted Tambo Cloud is shutting down on October 31, 2026, so the README points to self-hosting for ongoing use.
- Render a chart when a user asks 'show me sales by region'
- Keep an interactive task board or note updated as the user refines requests
- Give the agent browser-side functions via local tools, such as fetching data with the user's auth
- Connect an MCP server such as a filesystem server to the React app
Great for
- React developers who want an AI chat to show charts, forms, or boards instead of only text
- Teams willing to self-host the backend via Docker
- Developers integrating MCP servers into a React app
- Builders who want a starting template for an AI chat or analytics dashboard
Not ideal for
- People who need the hosted Tambo Cloud service, since it shuts down October 31, 2026 and new signups are closed
- Non-React projects, since the SDK is built for React
- Anyone wanting a no-code tool; this requires writing code and an LLM API key
How to get it
- 1
Install with a package manager
You'll need: Node.js · npm
Create a new Tambo app
npm create tambo-app my-tambo-appEnter the project folder
cd my-tambo-appStart the dev server
npm run dev - 2
Run it
- Run the create command to scaffold the app with git and Tambo setup
- Enter the project folder
- Start the dev server with npm run dev
- For ongoing use beyond Tambo Cloud, follow SELF-HOSTING.md to run the backend yourself
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Register components with Zod propsSchema so the agent knows what props it can send
- Use withInteractable for components that should persist and update as users refine requests
- Connect MCP servers through the mcpServers option on TamboProvider
- Define local tools with inputSchema and outputSchema for browser-side actions
- Start from the AI Chat or Analytics Dashboard templates listed in the README
Downloads
Strengths
- Components are registered with Zod schemas, so the agent's output maps to typed props
- Handles streaming, cancellation, and reconnection according to the README
- Supports multiple LLM providers via your own API key, and works with frameworks like LangChain and Mastra
Trade-offs
- Tambo Cloud is shutting down, so you must self-host or migrate to keep the backend running
- Requires writing React code and configuring an LLM provider; not a turnkey end-user app
- Project is in active transition, so the README and roadmap may change
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| tambo (this) | 11.2k | Library | intermediate | 5 days ago | React developers who want an AI chat to show charts, forms, or boards instead of only text |
| CopilotKit | 38.5k | Library | intermediate | 4 days ago | Developers adding an AI assistant or agent interface to a React or Next.js app |
| openui | 14.7k | Framework | intermediate | 4 days ago | Developers adding AI-generated charts, forms, or tables to a web app |
| Semantic-UI | 51k | Library | beginner | 1.9 years ago | Front-end developers who want prebuilt UI components they can restyle with themes |
| chakra-ui | 40.7k | Library | intermediate | 4 days ago | React developers who want prebuilt UI components instead of styling from scratch |
| react-native-elements | 25.9k | Library | intermediate | 6 months ago | React Native developers who want ready-made UI components |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.