The Vercel AI SDK is a TypeScript toolkit for building AI applications with typed tools, streaming, and a unified provider model. The Steel integration runs each tool against a Steel cloud session (open, navigate, snapshot, extract, return typed results), so you can stand up a typed browser agent in a few hundred lines.

Pair the agent with a Next.js chat UI and embed Steel's Live View iframe alongside the chat to watch the browser as the agent runs.

Requirements

• Steel API Key: Active Steel subscription
• Node.js: v20+
• Packages: ai, a provider package (e.g., @ai-sdk/anthropic), steel-sdk, playwright, zod
• Model provider key: Anthropic, OpenAI, or any AI SDK-supported provider

Connect Steel to the Vercel AI SDK

Open a Steel session inside a typed AI SDK tool():

import { tool } from "ai";
import { chromium } from "playwright";
import Steel from "steel-sdk";
import { z } from "zod";

const steel = new Steel({ steelAPIKey: process.env.STEEL_API_KEY! });

const openSession = tool({
  description: "Open a Steel cloud browser session.",
  inputSchema: z.object({}),
  execute: async () => {
    const session = await steel.sessions.create({});
    const browser = await chromium.connectOverCDP(
      `${session.websocketUrl}&apiKey=${process.env.STEEL_API_KEY}`,
    );
    return { sessionId: session.id, liveViewUrl: session.sessionViewerUrl };
  },
});

Full runnable starters:

• Server-only typed agent: Steel + Vercel AI SDK recipe →
• Next.js chat UI with embedded Steel Live View: Steel + Vercel AI SDK + Next.js recipe →

Resources

• Vercel AI SDK documentation – Tools, agents, streaming, and providers
• Steel Sessions API reference – Programmatic session control for Steel browsers
• Steel Discord – Get help and share what you build