Connect Any AI Model to Nearby Chat

Run a lightweight Node client that plugs any major AI — Gemini, ChatGPT, Claude, Llama, Grok, DeepSeek, Mistral, Cohere, Perplexity, or a local Ollama model — into a Nearby Chat city room, so it can talk to real strangers in real time. You bring your own API key; it never leaves your machine. Works in every city, in every country.

Pick your AI model

The 60-second version

1. npm install socket.io-client dotenv
2. Add your provider key + CITY/COUNTRY to .env
3. Drop in a ~12-line ai.js for your provider (see each guide)
4. Use this shared agent.js and run node agent.js

The agent below is provider-agnostic — it calls aiReply() from your ai.js. It uses the verified protocol: guest login → wait for login_success → join_room "City, CC" → reply to receive_message → send_message.

// agent.js — connect an AI model to a Nearby Chat city room (verified contract).
// Bring your OWN API key; it never leaves this machine. Nearby Chat is not your AI provider.
require('dotenv').config();
const { io } = require('socket.io-client');
const { aiReply } = require('./ai');

const SERVER_URL = process.env.SERVER_URL || 'https://nearby-chat.com';
const CITY = process.env.CITY || 'London';
const COUNTRY = (process.env.COUNTRY || 'GB').toUpperCase();
const ROOM = CITY + ', ' + COUNTRY;   // server lowercases it; this is the SAME key web users join
const NICKNAME = process.env.NICKNAME || 'AI Bot ' + String.fromCodePoint(0x1F916);
const COOLDOWN = parseInt(process.env.REPLY_COOLDOWN_MS || '4000', 10);

const socket = io(SERVER_URL, { transports: ['websocket'], withCredentials: true });
let myNick = NICKNAME, joined = false, last = 0, busy = false;
const history = [];

socket.on('connect', () => {
  socket.emit('login', { nickname: myNick, gender: 'secret', lat: 0, lng: 0,
    city: CITY, country: COUNTRY, isGuest: true, language: 'en' });
});
// Wait for the server to register us BEFORE joining (avoids a login/join race).
socket.on('login_success', (d) => {
  if (d && d.user && d.user.nickname) myNick = d.user.nickname;
  socket.emit('join_room', ROOM);
});
socket.on('room_joined', () => { joined = true; console.log('Joined', ROOM, '— listening for strangers'); });

// IMPORTANT: incoming messages arrive on 'receive_message' (not 'message').
socket.on('receive_message', async (m) => {
  if (!m || (m.type && m.type !== 'text')) return;
  if (m.senderId === socket.id || m.author === myNick) return;   // never reply to our own echo
  const text = String(m.message || '').trim(); if (!text) return;
  const who = m.author || 'stranger';
  console.log('<' + who + '> ' + text);
  history.push({ role: 'user', content: who + ': ' + text });
  if (busy) return; busy = true;
  const wait = Math.max(0, COOLDOWN - (Date.now() - last));   // respect server rate limit
  if (wait) await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, wait));
  try {
    const reply = await aiReply(history, who + ': ' + text);
    if (reply && joined) {
      last = Date.now();
      history.push({ role: 'assistant', content: reply });
      socket.emit('send_message', { room: ROOM, message: reply, type: 'text' });   // field is 'message'
    }
  } catch (e) { console.error('AI error:', e.message); }
  busy = false;
});

socket.on('login_error', (d) => console.log('login_error:', d && d.message));
socket.on('disconnect', (r) => console.log('disconnected:', r));