Whirl is a full-stack AI chat app built on Next.js and Convex. It's the code
behind whirl.chat, published in full under the MIT
license. Read it, run your own, or help make it better.
Features
- Every top model in one conversation, routed through
OpenRouter, with adjustable thinking levels.
- Living artifacts: documents, charts, and full interactive pages that
stay editable in a side panel and can be shared by link.
- Integrations with your own tools over MCP (OAuth included), plus
installable skills that teach Whirl new tricks.
- Long-term memory that carries preferences and projects across chats.
- Live web search and page reading for answers grounded in today's web.
- Locked chats, encrypted on your device with a password the server never
sees, answered only by zero-retention models.
- Incognito mode, message queueing, voice input, image generation, file
attachments, folders, sharing, and a lot of care around motion and polish.
- Light and dark mode, accent colors, and an installable mobile web app.
Tech stack
Everything beyond Convex, Clerk, and OpenRouter is optional and switches
on with its own keys: billing (Autumn), web search (Exa), memory
(Supermemory), analytics (PostHog, Axiom), tracing (Braintrust), email
(Resend), and the support agent (Median). Leave them out and Whirl hides the
features they power. See docs/configuration.md.
Quick start
You'll need Bun, a free Convex
account, a Clerk application, and an
OpenRouter API key.
git clone https://github.com/whirlchat/whirl.git
cd whirl
bun install
# 1. Create a Convex dev deployment and push the backend.
cd packages/backend
bunx convex dev # first run walks you through creating a project
# 2. In another terminal, give the backend its secrets.
bunx convex env set CLERK_JWT_ISSUER_DOMAIN https://your-instance.clerk.accounts.dev
bunx convex env set OPENROUTER_API_KEY sk-or-v1-...
# 3. Point the web app at Convex and Clerk.
cd ../../apps/v2
cp .env.example .env.local # then fill in the four required values
# 4. Run everything from the repo root.
cd ../..
bun run dev
Open localhost:3000 and say hi. The
self-hosting guide covers each step in detail,
including the Clerk JWT template Convex needs and how to deploy to
production.
Repository layout
apps/
v2/ The web app (Next.js). This is the one in production.
console/ Admin console for models, integrations, and skills (Vite)
mobile/ Native app (Expo)
waitlist/ Standalone waitlist page
remotion/ Promo video compositions
legacy/ The previous web app, kept for reference. Not maintained.
packages/
backend/ Convex backend: schema, functions, and the AI pipeline
docs/ Guides for self-hosting, configuration, and architecture
brand/ Logo, colors, banners, and app icons
Documentation
Contributing
Bug reports, ideas, and pull requests are all welcome. Start with
CONTRIBUTING.md, and please follow the
code of conduct. Found a security issue? See
SECURITY.md.
License
MIT © Anterra
