# Conversation History

Arrow-key scrollable stack for long chat threads



<ComponentPreview base="ink" name="conversation-history-demo" />

Installation [#installation]

<CodeTabs>
  <TabsList>
    <TabsTrigger value="cli">
      Command
    </TabsTrigger>

    <TabsTrigger value="manual">
      Manual
    </TabsTrigger>
  </TabsList>

  <TabsContent value="cli">
    ```bash
    npx shadcn@latest add @termcn/ink/conversation-history
    ```
  </TabsContent>

  <TabsContent value="manual">
    <Steps>
      <Step>
        Install the following dependencies:
      </Step>

      ```bash
      npm install ink
      ```

      <Step>
        Copy and paste the following code into your project.
      </Step>

      <ComponentSource src="registry/bases/ink/ui/types.ts" title="components/ui/types.ts" />

      <ComponentSource src="registry/bases/ink/themes/default.ts" title="lib/terminal-themes/default.ts" />

      <ComponentSource src="registry/bases/ink/hooks/use-theme.ts" title="hooks/use-theme.ts" />

      <ComponentSource src="registry/bases/ink/hooks/use-unicode.ts" title="hooks/use-unicode.ts" />

      <ComponentSource src="registry/bases/ink/hooks/use-interaction.tsx" title="hooks/use-interaction.tsx" />

      <ComponentSource base="ink" name="conversation-history" title="components/ui/conversation-history.tsx" />

      <Step>
        Update the import paths to match your project setup.
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </TabsContent>
</CodeTabs>

Usage [#usage]

```tsx
import { ConversationHistory } from "@/components/ui/conversation-history";
import { Text } from "ink";
```

```tsx
<ConversationHistory maxHeight={12} isActive>
  <Text>user: Hello</Text>
  <Text>assistant: Hi — how can I help?</Text>
</ConversationHistory>
```

When `isActive&#x60; is true, &#x2A;*↑*&#x2A; / &#x2A;*↓** move the window over `children`. The view starts scrolled to the bottom (`maxHeight` lines visible).

API Reference [#api-reference]

ConversationHistory [#conversationhistory]

| Prop             | Type        | Default |
| ---------------- | ----------- | ------- |
| `maxHeight`      | `number`    | `20`    |
| `children`       | `ReactNode` | -       |
| `showScrollHint` | `boolean`   | `true`  |
| `isActive`       | `boolean`   | `true`  |

Notes [#notes]

Accessibility [#accessibility]

termcn exposes the following behavior through Ink's terminal accessibility APIs. This is not a browser ARIA or general WCAG-conformance claim.

* **Keyboard:** Arrow keys move the current item or viewport; `Home` / `End` move to the boundaries; `PageUp` / `PageDown` move by a page; `Enter` / `Space` select or expand when supported; `Tab` / `Shift+Tab` leave the composite.
* **Focus and composition:** Input is active only while the component's focus target is focused, enabled, active, and inside the topmost focus scope.
* **Screen reader:** Ink labels and semantic state expose the component without relying on visual styling alone.