vilow.dev · Integrations · Replit

Add Vilow to a Replit project

Replit gives you a cloud IDE with a real Linux runtime, env-var Secrets, and built-in deploy. Easiest stack for personal projects. Works with the Replit Agent (their AI coding assistant) too — just describe what you want and point it at this guide.

  1. Get a Vilow API key

    vilow.dev/dashboard → API keys → Create. Copy the ck_live_… string.

  2. Add the key to Replit Secrets

    In your Repl: left sidebar → Tools → Secrets (or the 🔒 icon). Add: 

    VILOW_API_KEY = ck_live_...
VILOW_API_BASE = https://api.vilow.dev/v1

    Replit injects these as environment variables at runtime. They're encrypted at rest and never appear in the public source if your Repl is public.

  3. Add a server route (Node example)

    For an Express Repl: 

    // server.js or index.js
import express from "express";
const app = express();
app.use(express.json());

const KEY = process.env.VILOW_API_KEY;
const API = process.env.VILOW_API_BASE || "https://api.vilow.dev/v1";

app.post("/chat", async (req, res) => {
  const { user_id, character_id, message } = req.body;

  let cid = character_id;
  if (!cid) {
    await fetch(`${API}/users`, {
      method: "POST",
      headers: { "X-API-Key": KEY, "Content-Type": "application/json" },
      body: JSON.stringify({ external_id: user_id, display_name: "Replit visitor" }),
    });
    const r = await fetch(`${API}/users/${user_id}/characters`, {
      method: "POST",
      headers: { "X-API-Key": KEY, "Content-Type": "application/json" },
      body: JSON.stringify({ name: "Aria", default_language: "auto" }),
    });
    cid = (await r.json()).id;
  }

  const chat = await fetch(`${API}/chat/${user_id}/${cid}/send`, {
    method: "POST",
    headers: { "X-API-Key": KEY, "Content-Type": "application/json" },
    body: JSON.stringify({ message }),
  });
  res.json({ ...(await chat.json()), character_id: cid });
});

app.listen(3000);

    Python (FastAPI) — equivalent shape, ask Replit Agent if you want it.

  4. Frontend — call /chat from the browser

    async function send(text) {
  const uid = localStorage.getItem("vilow_uid") ||
    (() => { const u = "u_" + crypto.randomUUID();
              localStorage.setItem("vilow_uid", u); return u; })();
  const cid = localStorage.getItem("vilow_cid");
  const r = await fetch("/chat", {
    method: "POST",
    headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
    body: JSON.stringify({ user_id: uid, character_id: cid && +cid, message: text }),
  });
  const d = await r.json();
  if (d.character_id) localStorage.setItem("vilow_cid", "" + d.character_id);
  return d.reply;
}

  5. Run + test

    Click Run. Replit gives you a preview at {slug}.{user}.repl.co (legacy) or {slug}.replit.app. Vilow allows both as CORS origins out of the box.

  6. Deploy

    For always-on production: Deployments → Reserved VM or Autoscale. Secrets carry over automatically. Custom domain via Deployments → Settings → Custom domains.

With the Replit Agent

If you're driving development through the Replit AI Agent, paste this prompt: 

Add a /chat endpoint that proxies to the Vilow API.
- Read VILOW_API_KEY and VILOW_API_BASE from Secrets.
- Lazy-create a Character on first message (POST /users, POST /users/{u}/characters).
- Forward every message to POST /chat/{u}/{cid}/send.
- Return the reply + character_id to the client.
- Browser stores user_id and character_id in localStorage.

Common gotchas