# Reply draft

> An AI email reply drafter where Claude streams a reply under a received Gmail message. Quick replies steer a fresh draft, tone and length rewrite it with a single crossfade, and you can edit the finished draft before you insert it.

- Type: Component (special)
- Access: Arc Pro
- Page: https://uiarc.dev/components/reply-draft
- Markdown: https://uiarc.dev/components/reply-draft/markdown
- Source file: `registry/components/reply-draft/reply-draft.tsx`
- Dependencies: motion, lucide-react
- Keywords: special, ai, new, ai reply, email reply, smart reply, draft reply, help me write, gmail ai, tone, rewrite, quick replies, streaming text, claude, inbox ai, support reply

## When to use

- Drafting a reply to an email, ticket or message with an AI model, where the reader reviews and edits before sending.
- Offering quick reply intents plus tone and length controls for generated text.
- Showing an AI writing feature on a landing page with a realistic, self-playing example.

## When not to use

- Free-form chat with a model: use a chat or composer component instead.
- Inline autocomplete while typing: use ghost-text.
- Sending the email itself: this component inserts a draft; your composer owns sending.

## Installation

Reply draft is part of Arc Pro. The live preview is public; the source and install command need Pro.

### CLI with a Pro token

1. Create a token in your account and set it in the environment (or `.env.local`). Never commit it.

```bash
export ARC_PRO_TOKEN=arc_pro_...
```

2. Add the Pro registry to `components.json`:

```json
{
  "registries": {
    "@uiarc": "https://uiarc.dev/r/{name}.json",
    "@uiarc-pro": {
      "url": "https://uiarc.dev/r/pro/{name}.json",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${ARC_PRO_TOKEN}"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

3. Install:

```bash
npx shadcn@latest add @uiarc-pro/reply-draft
```

### Manual

Signed-in Pro members can copy the source from the Manual tab on the docs page.

- Plans: https://uiarc.dev/pricing
- Create a Pro token: https://uiarc.dev/account#pro-access
- Setup guide: https://uiarc.dev/docs/ai#pro-access

## Usage

```tsx
import { ReplyDraft } from "@/components/arc/reply-draft/reply-draft";

export function Inbox({ email }) {
  return (
    <ReplyDraft
      message={email}
      suggestions={[{ id: "yes", label: "Sounds good" }, { id: "later", label: "Next week" }]}
      model={{ name: "Claude Sonnet 5.5" }}
      generate={async function* ({ message, tone, length, suggestion, signal }) {
        const res = await fetch("/api/reply", { method: "POST", body: JSON.stringify({ id: email.id, tone, length, hint: suggestion?.label }), signal });
        const reader = res.body!.pipeThrough(new TextDecoderStream()).getReader();
        for (;;) { const { value, done } = await reader.read(); if (done) return; yield value; }
      }}
      onInsert={draft => composer.insert(draft)}
    />
  );
}
```

## API reference

### ReplyDraft

A received email with an AI reply under it: quick reply chips, a fast streaming draft, tone and length rewrites, Regenerate and Insert. With no props it plays a simulated tour.

| Prop | Type | Default | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `message` | `ReplyDraftMessage` | `replyDraftSampleMessage` | The received email: from { name, email, avatar? }, to?, subject, body (blank lines split paragraphs) and receivedAt. |
| `suggestions` | `ReplyDraftSuggestion[]` | `3 sample quick replies` | Quick replies ({ id, label }) shown as chips above the draft. Selecting one streams a fresh draft steered by it. Pass [] to hide the row. |
| `defaultSuggestion` | `string` | – | Id of the quick reply that steers the first draft. Defaults to the first suggestion. |
| `onSuggestionSelect` | `(suggestion: ReplyDraftSuggestion) => void` | – | Called when a quick reply chip is chosen. |
| `model` | `ReplyDraftModel` | `{ name: "Claude Sonnet 5.5" }` | Model name and an optional 16px mark shown on the draft. The Claude mark is the default. |
| `tone` | `"friendly" \| "concise" \| "formal"` | – | Controlled tone. Changing it rewrites a finished draft with a crossfade, or restarts one that is still streaming. |
| `defaultTone` | `"friendly" \| "concise" \| "formal"` | `"friendly"` | Initial tone when uncontrolled. |
| `onToneChange` | `(tone: ReplyDraftTone) => void` | – | Called when the reader picks a tone. |
| `length` | `"short" \| "medium" \| "long"` | – | Controlled length. Works like tone. |
| `defaultLength` | `"short" \| "medium" \| "long"` | `"medium"` | Initial length when uncontrolled. |
| `onLengthChange` | `(length: ReplyDraftLength) => void` | – | Called when the reader picks a length. |
| `generate` | `(request: ReplyDraftRequest) => Promise<string> \| AsyncIterable<string>` | `simulateReplyDraft` | Writes the draft. The request carries message, tone, length, suggestion, mode ("draft" or "rewrite"), previous (the current text with edits) and an AbortSignal. Return the whole text, which is streamed locally in chunks, or yield chunks from your model stream. Throw to show the error state. |
| `onInsert` | `(draft: string, meta: { tone, length, suggestion? }) => void \| Promise<void>` | – | Receives the final draft, including the reader's edits. While a returned promise is pending, Insert shows a spinner. Without it, Insert is simulated and announces that nothing was sent. |
| `onDraft` | `(draft: string, meta: { tone, length, suggestion? }) => void` | – | Called each time a draft or rewrite finishes. |
| `autoStart` | `boolean` | `true` | Start the first draft when the card scrolls into view. When false, the draft box shows an empty state with a Draft reply button. |
| `autoPlay` | `boolean` | `true without generate` | Tours tones, length, a second quick reply and Insert on a loop. Stops for good on the first pointer or key press inside the card and pauses off screen. |
| `className` | `string` | – | Class on the outer wrapper (max width 600px, fills narrower containers). |

## Keyboard interactions

| Keys | Action |
| --- | --- |
| Tab | Moves through quick replies, the draft text, tone, length, Regenerate and Insert. |
| Arrow keys | Inside Tone or Length, move the selection and rewrite the draft. Home and End jump to the first and last option. |
| Enter / Space | Activates a quick reply or button. |
| Cmd / Ctrl + Enter | Inserts the finished draft from anywhere inside the card. |

## Accessibility

- The card is an article labelled with the sender; the reply area is a labelled section.
- Quick replies are toggle buttons with aria-pressed; tone and length are radio groups with roving tabindex.
- The finished draft is a plain-text editable textbox (contenteditable plaintext-only), so readers can fix a word before Insert. Edits are what onInsert receives.
- A polite live region announces drafting, rewriting, ready, inserted and errors. Simulated actions say nothing was sent.
- The body is aria-busy while drafting. Status uses an icon plus a short label, never color alone.

## Motion

- Drafts stream in chunks of 3 to 8 words every 34ms; each chunk only fades in over 140ms.
- Tone and length rewrites crossfade once: the old draft dims during the short rewrite, fades out in 100ms and the new one fades in over 160ms with a 2px rise.
- The draft box springs to its measured height with no bounce; during a regenerate its height is held until the new draft finishes, so the card never jumps.
- The selected tone and length pills glide with a bounce-free spring. Status labels crossfade; working labels use a calm shimmer.
- Reduced motion: drafts appear whole, crossfades and the height spring are instant, chunk fades and the press scale are dropped.

## Responsive behavior

- Fills its container up to 600px. Below 480px the card padding drops to 16px and the email body loses its avatar indent.
- Quick replies and the tone and length groups wrap; under 460px the divider between the groups hides and Length moves to its own row.
- Touch targets grow to 32px for options and 36px for quick replies on coarse pointers. Long emails and names truncate or wrap without horizontal scroll.

## Performance

- One state update per streamed chunk; chunks are plain spans with a CSS fade, swapped for a single text node when the draft finishes.
- The autoplay loop and auto start use an IntersectionObserver and stay idle off screen.
- No network calls by default; the simulation lives in reply-draft-data.ts.

## Notes for AI

- Use for AI-assisted replies in inboxes, support desks, CRMs and chat tools. Pass the real message and wire generate to your model with the AbortSignal; every new action aborts the previous request.
- generate can return a Promise<string> (it is chunk-streamed locally) or an async iterable of text deltas from a real stream. mode "rewrite" means restyle the previous text for the new tone or length.
- Map suggestions to intents your prompt understands (ids are stable, labels are what readers see). Keep labels to two or three words.
- Leave autoPlay off in products; it is for marketing and docs demos.

## Related

- [AI composer](https://uiarc.dev/components/blocks/ai-composer/markdown): The prompt box at the bottom of an AI app: files upload in place, / opens commands, @ inserts mentions, a model and effort menu sits in the toolbar, and the send button turns into a stop control ringed by the reply's progress.
- [Ghost text](https://uiarc.dev/components/ghost-text/markdown): An inline AI autocomplete where muted ghost text continues your sentence exactly at the caret and Tab turns it solid in place. Cmd+Right takes it one word at a time, Escape fades it away, and a calm chip shows the model behind it.
- [Tool call](https://uiarc.dev/components/tool-call/markdown): A tool call row for agent transcripts: the tool's mark and the call in plain words, a live state while it runs, and the input and output a click away, with approval and retry when needed.
- [Agent status](https://uiarc.dev/components/agent-status/markdown): A compact live status pill for a running AI agent: the agent's mark in a live ring, the current activity and an elapsed timer, opening into the steps so far.
- [Text shimmer](https://uiarc.dev/components/text-shimmer/markdown): Show ongoing work with a calm light across the words.
- [Segmented control](https://uiarc.dev/components/segmented-control/markdown): Switch between a small set of related views.

## Also in ai

- [Agent plan](https://uiarc.dev/components/agent-plan/markdown): The plan an agent writes before it acts: edit, reorder or add steps while it is a draft, then watch it work through them as a live checklist.
- [Agent timeline](https://uiarc.dev/components/agent-timeline/markdown): A compact timeline of one orchestrated agent run: the orchestrator and its subagents share a time axis, handoffs draw in between rows, and a playhead replays thinking, tool calls and waiting while the header counts time, tokens and cost. Hover a span for what it did, or click it to trace its handoff path.
- [Context window](https://uiarc.dev/components/context-window/markdown): An AI context window as a grid of 200 cells: the system prompt, tools, files, summary and messages fill it in order, a threshold row marks where compaction starts, and sending a message, attaching a file or compacting shows exactly how much still fits.
- [Reasoning block](https://uiarc.dev/components/reasoning-block/markdown): The collapsible thinking block of an AI reply. While the model thinks, a shimmering label counts the seconds and the latest reasoning streams underneath. When it finishes, it folds to "Thought for 7s" and opens to show the full reasoning as calm steps with headings.
- [Source cards](https://uiarc.dev/components/source-cards/markdown): A row of cited sources under an AI answer where cards stream in with real site marks while the model searches, the overflow collapses into a stack of favicons, hovering lifts a preview with the passage, and an inline [n] citation highlights its card.
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- [Speech player](https://uiarc.dev/components/speech-player/markdown): A read-aloud player for AI replies. The Read aloud button in the message's action row turns into a compact player with play, a scrubbable progress bar, speed and a voice picker, and a highlight follows the spoken word through the reply, karaoke style.
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- [Agent handoff](https://uiarc.dev/components/agent-handoff/markdown): A support conversation where an AI assistant hands off to a person. When it transfers, a card shows the summary it passes to the team and the typical wait. The person then joins and takes over, and a thin timeline on the left marks each step.
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- [Response feedback](https://uiarc.dev/components/response-feedback/markdown): A feedback control for AI replies where thumbs down opens an inline panel with reason chips and an optional note, thumbs up fills and asks what was good, and a submit shows a short thank-you before folding back into the row.
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- [Smart form fill](https://uiarc.dev/components/smart-form-fill/markdown): A paste-to-fill form card where AI reads an email signature or messy notes and fills a contact field by field. Each value flashes in with a confidence dot, its source lights up in the pasted text, low-confidence guesses ask for review, and Undo puts the old values back.
- [Enrich column](https://uiarc.dev/components/enrich-column/markdown): An AI enrichment column for a data table, where one prompt runs down every row and each cell shimmers while it works, then settles into a value with its source or a failure you can retry.
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- [Ask your data](https://uiarc.dev/components/ask-your-data/markdown): A natural language to chart card: you ask a question, PostgreSQL streams into a collapsible, syntax highlighted panel, the query runs with a rolling row count, and the answer builds as stacked bars, lines or a table, with a one line insight streamed in underneath.
- [Agent cursor](https://uiarc.dev/components/agent-cursor/markdown): A live document where Claude edits like a collaborator. Its labeled cursor comes out of its avatar, selects a paragraph and streams in a rewrite, adds a heading and fixes a typo, while a teammate's cursor reads along. Changes stay tinted until someone accepts or undoes them from a floating review bar.
- [Provider status](https://uiarc.dev/components/provider-status/markdown): A status card for the AI providers your product depends on. Each row shows the provider's real mark, its health as an icon and label, p50 latency and a 30-day uptime bar with a tooltip for each day. An incident row expands into its timeline of updates, and the card checks again on a visible countdown.
- [Training run](https://uiarc.dev/components/training-run/markdown): A fine-tuning job card where a live train and validation loss curve draws across a fixed step axis that doubles as the epoch progress bar. It shows the learning rate, elapsed time, ETA and the latest evals and checkpoints, has Pause and Cancel while it runs, and ends in results with a Deploy button.
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- [Image reveal](https://uiarc.dev/components/image-reveal/markdown): An image generation canvas where a soft, blurred preview made from the image's own colors sharpens top to bottom behind a soft-edged band. It works the way ChatGPT, Midjourney and Gemini show images forming, with fine film grain, a translucent progress pill and calm queued and error states.
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- [Pixel mascot](https://uiarc.dev/components/pixel-mascot/markdown): A pixel-art robot that shows what an AI assistant is doing. It idles, thinks, types, celebrates and errors in frame-stepped sprite animations, and stays crisp at every integer size from 24px to 192px.
- [Ghost mascot](https://uiarc.dev/components/ghost-mascot/markdown): A floating ghost mascot whose soft sheet ripples at the hem while it hovers. It blinks when idle, turns toward you to listen, fades a little translucent while thinking, draws a tiny pen line while writing, smiles with a sparkle when done and wobbles once on an error.
- [Cube mascot](https://uiarc.dev/components/cube-mascot/markdown): An isometric cube mascot where three shaded faces and a painted-on face show what the assistant is doing. It turns a quarter turn in eased steps while thinking, prints lines onto the floor while writing, settles with a sparkle when done, and shakes once on error.
- [Tone tuner](https://uiarc.dev/components/tone-tuner/markdown): A brand voice card where two sliders (formality and detail) and Friendly, Confident and Empathetic chips rewrite a customer reply. Each changed sentence crossfades in place, new words can be highlighted against the original, and Copy takes the current version.
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- [Live visitors](https://uiarc.dev/components/live-visitors/markdown): A realtime visitors card where the live count rolls digit by digit, new arrivals ping in on a dotted world map, the top pages reorder with bars, and signups and upgrades tick in with country flags.
- [Social proof toast](https://uiarc.dev/components/social-proof-toast/markdown): A stack of social proof notifications for landing and pricing pages, where recent trials, upgrades and verified purchases from people and companies arrive every few seconds. The stack pauses and fans out on hover, and visitors can dismiss any toast.
- [Install snippet](https://uiarc.dev/components/install-snippet/markdown): A "get started in 30 seconds" card where framework tabs, three numbered steps and highlighted snippets take a developer from install to first event. Generate key wipes a fresh API key into the placeholder in place.

## Guidance for AI tools

Reply draft: An AI email reply drafter where Claude streams a reply under a received Gmail message. Quick replies steer a fresh draft, tone and length rewrite it with a single crossfade, and you can edit the finished draft before you insert it. Follow the declared prop types and do not invent props. Keep keyboard access, reduced motion support, and both light and dark themes intact when adapting it.

Full library index: https://uiarc.dev/llms.txt