Run the examples

The browser and native examples demonstrate direct and group conversations, unread state, replies, edits, reactions, image and voice attachments, online presence, and typing indicators through one shared Convex deployment.

Requirements

• Node.js 20 or newer
• pnpm 10
• A Convex account and development deployment
• Expo Go on a phone for the native client

Start Convex

pnpm install
pnpm --filter convex-chat build:codegen
pnpm convex:dev

After first-time Convex setup, manually copy its public CONVEX_URL into each client's ignored environment file:

# apps/example/.env.local
NEXT_PUBLIC_CONVEX_URL=https://your-development-deployment.convex.cloud

# apps/example-native/.env.local
EXPO_PUBLIC_CONVEX_URL=https://your-development-deployment.convex.cloud

Start Next.js

In a second terminal:

pnpm dev:example

Open http://localhost:3001. Convex keeps the ignored deployment settings in packages/example-backend/.env.local.

Start Expo

In another terminal:

pnpm dev:example-native

Scan the QR code with Expo Go. Keep the phone and development machine on the same network, or run pnpm --filter @convex-chat/example-native start --tunnel when LAN discovery is unavailable. Select Alice in the browser and Bob on the phone to test both clients together.

The example uses Expo Go-compatible modules, including expo-audio, so image selection, audio playback, and press-and-hold voice recording do not require a custom development build.