canvas-chat 0.1.8

A visual, non-linear chat interface where conversations are nodes on an infinite canvas

Canvas Chat

A visual, non-linear chat interface where conversations are nodes on an infinite canvas. Explore topics by branching, merging, and navigating your discussions as a directed acyclic graph (DAG).

Features

• Infinite Canvas: Pan, zoom, and navigate your conversations visually
• Branching Conversations: Reply to any message to create a new branch
• Highlight & Branch: Select text within any node to create a highlight excerpt node
• Multi-Select & Merge: Select multiple nodes to combine context
• Context Visualization: See which messages are included in your context
• Auto-Layout: Automatically arrange nodes in a clean left-to-right hierarchy
• Matrix Evaluation: Use /matrix <context> to create cross-product evaluation tables
• Web Research: Use /research <topic> to generate research reports via Exa
• Web Search: Use /search <query> to search the web via Exa
• Multiple LLM Providers: Support for OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Groq, and local models via Ollama
• Local-First: All data stored in your browser (IndexedDB)
• Export/Import: Save sessions as .canvaschat files

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Python 3.11+
• Pixi (recommended) or uv

Installation

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/canvas-chat.git
cd canvas-chat

# Install with pixi
pixi install

# Or with uv
uv sync

Running

# With pixi
pixi run dev

# Or directly
uv run app.py

Open your browser to the URL shown (usually http://127.0.0.1:8765).

Configuration

Click the ⚙️ Settings button to add your API keys:

• OpenAI: Get from https://platform.openai.com/api-keys
• Anthropic: Get from https://console.anthropic.com/
• Google AI: Get from https://aistudio.google.com/
• Groq: Get from https://console.groq.com/
• Exa (for search/research): Get from https://exa.ai/

Keys are stored locally in your browser's localStorage.

Usage

1. Start chatting: Type a message and press Enter
2. Reply to a node: Click the ↩️ Reply button or click a node then type
3. Branch from text: Select text within a node, then click 🌿 Branch to create a highlight node
4. Multi-select: Cmd/Ctrl+Click multiple nodes to respond to all at once
5. Auto-layout: Click 🔀 to automatically arrange all nodes
6. Search the web: Type /search <query> to search via Exa
7. Research a topic: Type /research <topic> to generate a research report
8. Create a matrix: Select one or more context nodes, type /matrix <context> to create an evaluation table
9. Navigate: Drag the handle (⋮⋮) to move nodes, scroll to zoom, double-click canvas to fit content
10. Export: Click 💾 to save your session as a .canvaschat file

Tech Stack

• Backend: FastAPI
• Frontend: HTMX + vanilla JavaScript + CSS
• LLM: LiteLLM (multi-provider support)
• Storage: IndexedDB (browser-local)

License

MIT