--- name: add-provider-package description: Guide for adding new AI provider packages to the AI SDK. Use when creating a new @ai-sdk/ package to integrate an AI service into the SDK. metadata: internal: true --- ## Adding a New Provider Package This guide covers the process of creating a new `@ai-sdk/` package to integrate an AI service into the AI SDK. ## First-Party vs Third-Party Providers - **Third-party packages**: Any provider can create a third-party package. We're happy to link to it from our documentation. - **First-party `@ai-sdk/` packages**: If you prefer a first-party package, please create an issue first to discuss. ## Reference Example See https://github.com/vercel/ai/pull/8136/files for a complete example of adding a new provider. ## Provider Architecture The AI SDK uses a layered provider architecture following the adapter pattern: 1. **Specifications** (`@ai-sdk/provider`): Defines interfaces like `LanguageModelV4`, `EmbeddingModelV4`, etc. 2. **Utilities** (`@ai-sdk/provider-utils`): Shared code for implementing providers 3. **Providers** (`@ai-sdk/`): Concrete implementations for each AI service 4. **Core** (`ai`): High-level functions like `generateText`, `streamText`, `generateObject` ## Step-by-Step Guide ### 1. Create Package Structure Create a new folder `packages/` with the following structure: ``` packages// ├── src/ │ ├── index.ts # Main exports │ ├── version.ts # Package version │ ├── -provider.ts # Provider implementation │ ├── -provider.test.ts │ ├── -*-options.ts # Model-specific options │ └── -*-model.ts # Model implementations (e.g., language, embedding, image) ├── package.json ├── tsconfig.json ├── tsconfig.build.json ├── tsup.config.ts ├── turbo.json ├── vitest.node.config.js ├── vitest.edge.config.js └── README.md ``` Do not create a `CHANGELOG.md` file. It will be auto-generated. ### 2. Configure package.json Set up your `package.json` with: - `"name": "@ai-sdk/"` - `"version": "0.0.0"` (initial version, will be updated by changeset) - `"license": "Apache-2.0"` - `"sideEffects": false` - Dependencies on `@ai-sdk/provider` and `@ai-sdk/provider-utils` (use `workspace:*`) - Dev dependencies: `@ai-sdk/test-server`, `@types/node`, `@vercel/ai-tsconfig`, `tsup`, `typescript`, `zod` - `"engines": { "node": ">=22" }` - Peer dependency on `zod` (both v3 and v4): `"zod": "^3.25.76 || ^4.1.8"` Example exports configuration: ```json { "exports": { "./package.json": "./package.json", ".": { "types": "./dist/index.d.ts", "import": "./dist/index.mjs", "require": "./dist/index.js" } } } ``` ### 3. Create TypeScript Configurations **tsconfig.json**: ```json { "extends": "@vercel/ai-tsconfig/base.json", "include": ["src/**/*.ts"], "exclude": ["node_modules", "dist"] } ``` **tsconfig.build.json**: ```json { "extends": "./tsconfig.json", "exclude": [ "**/*.test.ts", "**/*.test-d.ts", "**/__snapshots__", "**/__fixtures__" ] } ``` ### 4. Configure Build Tool (tsup) Create `tsup.config.ts`: ```typescript import { defineConfig } from 'tsup'; export default defineConfig({ entry: ['src/index.ts'], format: ['cjs', 'esm'], dts: true, sourcemap: true, clean: true, }); ``` ### 5. Configure Test Runners Create both `vitest.node.config.js` and `vitest.edge.config.js` (copy from existing provider like `anthropic`). ### 6. Implement Provider **Provider implementation pattern**: ```typescript // -provider.ts import { NoSuchModelError } from '@ai-sdk/provider'; import { loadApiKey } from '@ai-sdk/provider-utils'; export interface ProviderSettings { apiKey?: string; baseURL?: string; // provider-specific settings } export class ProviderInstance { readonly apiKey?: string; readonly baseURL?: string; constructor(options: ProviderSettings = {}) { this.apiKey = options.apiKey; this.baseURL = options.baseURL; } private get baseConfig() { return { apiKey: () => loadApiKey({ apiKey: this.apiKey, environmentVariableName: 'PROVIDER_API_KEY', description: 'Provider API key', }), baseURL: this.baseURL ?? 'https://api.provider.com', }; } languageModel(modelId: string) { return new ProviderLanguageModel(modelId, this.baseConfig); } // Shorter alias chat(modelId: string) { return this.languageModel(modelId); } } // Export default instance export const providerName = new ProviderInstance(); ``` ### 7. Implement Model Classes Each model type (language, embedding, image, etc.) should implement the appropriate interface from `@ai-sdk/provider`: - `LanguageModelV4` for text generation models - `EmbeddingModelV4` for embedding models - `ImageModelV4` for image generation models - etc. **Schema guidelines**: **Provider Options** (user-facing): - Use `.optional()` unless `null` is meaningful - Be as restrictive as possible for future flexibility **Response Schemas** (API responses): - Use `.nullish()` instead of `.optional()` - Keep minimal - only include properties you need - Allow flexibility for provider API changes ### 8. Create README.md Include: - Brief description linking to documentation - Installation instructions - Basic usage example - Link to full documentation ### 9. Write Tests - Unit tests for provider logic - API response parsing tests using fixtures in `__fixtures__` subdirectory - Both Node.js and Edge runtime tests See `capture-api-response-test-fixture` skill for capturing real API responses for testing. ### 10. Add Examples Create examples in `examples/ai-functions/src/` for each model type the provider supports: - `generate-text/.ts` - Basic text generation - `stream-text/.ts` - Streaming text - `generate-object/.ts` - Structured output (if supported) - `stream-object/.ts` - Streaming structured output (if supported) - `embed/.ts` - Embeddings (if supported) - `generate-image/.ts` - Image generation (if supported) - etc. Add feature-specific examples as needed (e.g., `-tool-call.ts`, `-cache-control.ts`). ### 11. Add Documentation Create documentation in `content/providers/01-ai-sdk-providers/-.mdx` Include: - Setup instructions - Available models - Model capabilities - Provider-specific options - Usage examples - API configuration ### 12. Create Changeset Run `pnpm changeset` and: - Select the new provider package - Choose `major` version (for new packages starting at 0.0.0) - Describe what the package provides ### 13. Update References Run `pnpm update-references` from the workspace root to update tsconfig references. ### 14. Build and Test ```bash # From workspace root pnpm build # From provider package cd packages/ pnpm test # Run all tests pnpm test:node # Run Node.js tests pnpm test:edge # Run Edge tests pnpm type-check # Type checking # From workspace root pnpm type-check:full # Full type check including examples ``` ### 15. Run Examples Test your examples: ```bash cd examples/ai-functions pnpm tsx src/generate-text/.ts pnpm tsx src/stream-text/.ts ``` ## Provider Method Naming - **Full names**: `languageModel(id)`, `imageModel(id)`, `embeddingModel(id)` (required) - **Short aliases**: `.chat(id)`, `.image(id)`, `.embedding(id)` (for DX) ## File Naming Conventions - Source files: `kebab-case.ts` - Test files: `kebab-case.test.ts` - Type test files: `kebab-case.test-d.ts` - Provider classes: `Provider`, `LanguageModel`, etc. ## Security Best Practices - Never use `JSON.parse` directly - use `parseJSON` or `safeParseJSON` from `@ai-sdk/provider-utils` - Load API keys securely using `loadApiKey` from `@ai-sdk/provider-utils` - Validate all API responses against schemas ## Error Handling Errors should extend `AISDKError` from `@ai-sdk/provider` and use a marker pattern: ```typescript import { AISDKError } from '@ai-sdk/provider'; const name = 'AI_ProviderError'; const marker = `vercel.ai.error.${name}`; const symbol = Symbol.for(marker); export class ProviderError extends AISDKError { private readonly [symbol] = true; constructor({ message, cause }: { message: string; cause?: unknown }) { super({ name, message, cause }); } static isInstance(error: unknown): error is ProviderError { return AISDKError.hasMarker(error, marker); } } ``` ## Pre-release Mode If `main` is set up to publish `beta` releases, no further action is necessary. Just make sure not to backport it to the `vX.Y` stable branch since it will result in an npm version conflict once we exit pre-release mode on `main`. ## Checklist - [ ] Package structure created in `packages/` - [ ] `package.json` configured with correct dependencies - [ ] TypeScript configs set up (`tsconfig.json`, `tsconfig.build.json`) - [ ] Build configuration (`tsup.config.ts`) - [ ] Test configurations (`vitest.node.config.js`, `vitest.edge.config.js`) - [ ] Provider implementation complete - [ ] Model classes implement appropriate interfaces - [ ] Unit tests written and passing - [ ] API response test fixtures captured - [ ] Examples created in `examples/ai-functions/src/` - [ ] Documentation added in `content/providers/01-ai-sdk-providers/` - [ ] README.md written - [ ] Major changeset created - [ ] `pnpm update-references` run - [ ] All tests passing (`pnpm test` from package) - [ ] Type checking passing (`pnpm type-check:full` from root) - [ ] Examples run successfully ## Common Issues - **Missing tsconfig references**: Run `pnpm update-references` from workspace root - **Type errors in examples**: Run `pnpm type-check:full` to catch issues early - **Test failures**: Ensure both Node and Edge tests pass - **Build errors**: Check that `tsup.config.ts` is configured correctly ## Related Documentation - [Provider Architecture](../../contributing/provider-architecture.md) - [Provider Development Notes](../../contributing/providers.md) - [Develop AI Functions Example](../develop-ai-functions-example/SKILL.md) - [Capture API Response Test Fixture](../capture-api-response-test-fixture/SKILL.md)