Chat SDK

Build chatbots that work across Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, WhatsApp, Twitter/X, Bluesky, and Reddit through a single Chat SDK adapter.

Chat SDK is Vercel's unified TypeScript framework for building chatbots across messaging platforms. The @zernio/chat-sdk-adapter is the vendor official Zernio adapter, listed on chat-sdk.dev, letting you build a single chatbot that works across all Zernio-supported messaging platforms.

Why use this?

Even if Chat SDK shipped native adapters for every social platform, you'd still need to apply to Meta's developer program, go through App Review, get WhatsApp Business verification, apply for X elevated API access, register a Reddit OAuth app, and set up a Telegram bot. That's 6+ developer programs, review processes, OAuth app configurations, and ongoing token refresh management.

Zernio handles all of that. Your users connect their accounts through OAuth in the Zernio dashboard, and you get a single API key. No developer program applications, no app reviews, no token management.

Without Zernio	With Zernio
Apply to 6+ developer programs	Connect accounts in a dashboard
Go through platform App Reviews	No reviews needed
Build 7 OAuth app configurations	1 API key
Manage token refresh per platform	Zernio handles token lifecycle
7 webhook endpoints to maintain	1 webhook endpoint
Platform-specific error handling	Unified error responses

Setup

Install the adapter

npm install @zernio/chat-sdk-adapter chat @chat-adapter/state-memory

For production, swap @chat-adapter/state-memory for a persistent state adapter like @chat-adapter/state-redis or @chat-adapter/state-pg. See State Adapters for all options.

Configure environment variables

# Required: your Zernio API key (read-write)
ZERNIO_API_KEY=your_api_key

# Recommended: webhook secret for signature verification
ZERNIO_WEBHOOK_SECRET=your_webhook_secret

Get your API key from zernio.com/dashboard/api-keys. Make sure the key has read-write permissions.

Create your bot

import { Chat } from "chat";
import { createZernioAdapter } from "@zernio/chat-sdk-adapter";
import { createMemoryState } from "@chat-adapter/state-memory";

export const bot = new Chat({
  userName: "pizza-bot",
  adapters: {
    zernio: createZernioAdapter(),
  },
  state: createMemoryState(),
});

// Register a handler for incoming messages (use /.*/ to match every message)
bot.onNewMessage(/.*/, async (thread, message) => {
  const platform = (message.raw as any).platform;
  await thread.post(`Hello from ${platform}!`);
});

Add a webhook route

import { bot } from "@/lib/bot";

export async function POST(request: Request) {
  return bot.webhooks.zernio(request);
}

import express from "express";
import { bot } from "./lib/bot";

const app = express();

app.post("/api/chat-webhook", async (req, res) => {
  const response = await bot.webhooks.zernio(req);
  res.status(response.status).send(await response.text());
});

Configure your Zernio webhook

In the Zernio dashboard, create a webhook:

• URL: https://your-app.com/api/chat-webhook
• Events: Select message.received and comment.received
• Secret: Set a strong secret (same as ZERNIO_WEBHOOK_SECRET)

Configuration

The adapter auto-detects credentials from environment variables. You can also pass them explicitly:

const adapter = createZernioAdapter({
  apiKey: "your-api-key",
  webhookSecret: "your-webhook-secret",
  baseUrl: "https://zernio.com/api",  // default
  botName: "My Bot",                   // default: "Zernio Bot"
});

Env Variable	Config Key	Required	Description
ZERNIO_API_KEY	apiKey	Yes	API key for sending messages
ZERNIO_WEBHOOK_SECRET	webhookSecret	Recommended	HMAC-SHA256 secret for webhook verification
ZERNIO_API_BASE_URL	baseUrl	No	Override API base URL
ZERNIO_BOT_NAME	botName	No	Bot display name

Accessing platform data

Every message includes the raw Zernio payload, so you can access platform-specific data:

bot.onNewMessage(/.*/, async (thread, message) => {
  const raw = message.raw as any;

  // Which platform sent this message
  console.log(raw.platform); // "instagram" | "facebook" | "telegram" | ...

  // Instagram-specific sender info
  if (raw.sender.instagramProfile) {
    console.log(raw.sender.instagramProfile.followerCount);
    console.log(raw.sender.instagramProfile.isVerified);
  }

  // WhatsApp phone number
  if (raw.sender.phoneNumber) {
    console.log(raw.sender.phoneNumber);
  }

  // Attachments (images, videos, etc.)
  for (const att of raw.attachments) {
    console.log(att.type, att.url);
  }
});

Supported features

Feature	Supported	Notes
Send messages	Yes	Text across all platforms
Rich messages (cards)	Yes	Buttons and templates on FB, IG, Telegram, WhatsApp
Edit messages	Partial	Telegram only
Delete messages	Partial	Telegram, X (full); Bluesky, Reddit (self-only)
Reactions	Partial	Telegram and WhatsApp
Typing indicators	Partial	Facebook Messenger and Telegram
AI streaming	Partial	Post+edit on Telegram; single post on others
File attachments	Yes	Via media upload endpoint
Fetch messages	Yes	Full conversation history
Fetch thread info	Yes	Participant details, platform, status
Webhook verification	Yes	HMAC-SHA256
Comment webhooks	Yes	comment.received routed through handlers

API client

The adapter exports a standalone API client for direct Zernio API calls beyond what Chat SDK covers:

import { ZernioApiClient } from "@zernio/chat-sdk-adapter";

const client = new ZernioApiClient("your-api-key", "https://zernio.com/api");

// List conversations
const { data, pagination } = await client.listConversations({
  platform: "instagram",
  status: "active",
  limit: 20,
});

// Send a message with an attachment
await client.sendMessage(conversationId, {
  accountId: "acc-123",
  message: "Check this out!",
  attachmentUrl: "https://example.com/image.jpg",
  attachmentType: "image",
});

Prerequisites

• A Zernio API key with read-write permissions
• At least one connected social account
• Inbox features available on your Zernio account (included with the Usage plan; AppSumo users need the Inbox add-on)
• Node.js 20+ (for native fetch and crypto support)

Inbox features (including message.received webhooks) are bundled with every paid account on the Usage plan. AppSumo users need the Inbox add-on; contact support if you need to enable it.

Resources

• GitHub repository
• npm package
• Chat SDK documentation
• Zernio Webhook API
• Zernio Inbox API