Documents & Canvas

Create and edit text documents, code, and spreadsheets

Canvas lets you create and edit documents directly in chat. The AI creates text documents, code files, and spreadsheets in a side panel where you can view, edit, and refine them.

Installation

Install the document bundles you want to expose:

bunx chat-js@alpha add text-documents code-documents sheet-documents

Each bundle supplies its document tools and editor. See Authoring tools to add a custom document kind.

Document bundles

You can create three types of canvas:

Creating a canvas

When you ask the AI to create something substantial, it automatically creates a canvas with the appropriate type. You can also request specific types:

• Text documents: “Write a professional email about…” or “Draft an essay on…”
• Code (code-documents): “Create a Python script that…” or “Write a React component for…”
• Spreadsheets: “Create a spreadsheet with…” or “Build a data table for…”

The AI uses dedicated tools to create documents:

• createTextDocument for markdown text content
• createCodeDocument for code files (filename determines syntax highlighting)
• createSheetDocument for CSV-format spreadsheets

Reading documents

Install read-document to expose readDocument. Other document tools can install it as a dependency. It reads saved document content and revision metadata for the current authorized conversation.

bunx chat-js@alpha add read-document

Document deletion with approval

npx chat-js@alpha add delete-document

This optional bundle installs deleteDocument and its readDocument dependency. The agent first calls readDocument, then passes the exact title and revision to deleteDocument to request owner approval. Rejection leaves the document unchanged. If the document changes before approval, deletion fails and requires a fresh request.

Deletion removes the document from the current conversation. Existing history snapshots and other branches retain their revisions. This is not permanent content erasure. The tool requires signed-in ownership, enabled document tools, and EVE’s native approval receipt. It adds no provider credentials or tool usage charge.

Editing documents

Direct editing

Click into any canvas to edit directly. Changes auto-save after you stop typing.

AI-assisted editing

Ask the AI to make changes and it will update the document:

• “Make this code more concise”
• “Fix the typos in this email”
• “Add a column for timestamps”

The AI reads the current document content before making edits to preserve context.

Version history

Every change creates a new version. Navigate between versions using the controls in the canvas header:

• Undo (left arrow): View the previous version
• Redo (right arrow): View the next version

When viewing an older version, a footer appears letting you return to the latest version.

Diff view (text only)

Text documents support a diff view that highlights additions and deletions between consecutive versions. Toggle diff view using the history icon in the canvas header.

Canvas toolbar

A floating toolbar appears at the bottom-right of the canvas. Each canvas type has different quick actions:

Text toolbar

• Add final polish: Checks grammar, adds section titles, improves readability

Code toolbar

• Add comments: Adds explanatory comments to the code
• Add logs: Adds debug logging statements

Sheet toolbar

• Format and clean data: Cleans and formats the spreadsheet data
• Analyze and visualize: Creates a Python code canvas with data analysis and visualization

Code execution

Install saved-code execution with a compatible sandbox provider:

bunx chat-js@alpha add saved-code-execution --sandbox-provider vercel

The Run action requests execution of the saved Python or JavaScript revision through EVE. Execution uses the selected sandbox provider and records results against that revision. See Code Execution for supported output and accounting.

Canvas actions

Each canvas type has action buttons in the header:

All types

• Undo/Redo: Navigate version history
• Copy: Copy content to clipboard

Text only

• View changes: Toggle diff view comparing current and previous version

Sheet only

• Copy as CSV: Exports clean CSV (removes empty rows)

Configuration

Installed document bundles determine the available kinds. Customize their editors in integrations/documents/ui.ts and their definitions in integrations/documents/definitions.ts. Removing a bundle preserves saved content and displays a read-only source fallback until that kind is installed again.