triggerdotdev · ericallam · Jun 16, 2026 · Jun 16, 2026 · Jun 16, 2026
diff --git a/.changeset/chat-headstart-custom-backends.md b/.changeset/chat-headstart-custom-backends.md
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+---
+"@trigger.dev/sdk": patch
+---
+
+`chat.headStart` now works with the `chat.customAgent` and `chat.createSession` backends, not only `chat.agent`. The warm step-1 response hands over to your loop the same way it does for a managed agent.
+
+In a `chat.customAgent` loop, consume the handover on turn 0:
+
+```ts
+const conversation = new chat.MessageAccumulator();
+const { isFinal, skipped } = await conversation.consumeHandover({ payload });
+if (skipped) return; // warm handler aborted, so exit without a turn
+if (isFinal) {
+  await chat.writeTurnComplete(); // step 1 is the response, no streamText
+} else {
+  const result = streamText({ model, messages: conversation.modelMessages, tools });
+  // Pass originalMessages so the handed-over tool round merges into the
+  // step-1 assistant instead of starting a new message.
+  const response = await chat.pipeAndCapture(result, {
+    originalMessages: conversation.uiMessages,
+  });
+  if (response) await conversation.addResponse(response);
+}
+```
+
+With `chat.createSession`, the iterator surfaces it as `turn.handover`; call `turn.complete()` with no argument on a final handover. The lower-level `chat.waitForHandover()` and `accumulator.applyHandover()` are also exported for hand-rolled loops.
diff --git a/.changeset/chat-headstart-trigger-config.md b/.changeset/chat-headstart-trigger-config.md
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+---
+"@trigger.dev/sdk": patch
+---
+
+Add `triggerConfig` support to `chat.headStart()` and `chat.openSession()`, so the auto-triggered handover-prepare run inherits tags, queue, machine, and other session trigger options the same way `chat.createStartSessionAction()` does. The `chat:{chatId}` tag is prepended automatically.
+
+```ts
+export const POST = chat.headStart({
+  agentId: "my-agent",
+  triggerConfig: { tags: ["org:acme"], queue: "chat" },
+  run: async ({ chat }) => streamText({ ...chat.toStreamTextOptions(), model }),
+});
+```
+
+Because the session is created once on the first head-start turn and is idempotent on the chat id, this is the only place to set those options for a head-start chat's lifetime. `chat.createStartSessionAction()` now also forwards `maxDuration`, `region`, and `lockToVersion` so both session entry points stay consistent.
diff --git a/packages/trigger-sdk/src/v3/ai.ts b/packages/trigger-sdk/src/v3/ai.ts
diff --git a/packages/trigger-sdk/src/v3/chat-server.test.ts b/packages/trigger-sdk/src/v3/chat-server.test.ts
@@ -216,6 +216,67 @@ describe("chat.headStart (route handler)", () => {
     expect(body.triggerConfig.basePayload.idleTimeoutInSeconds).toBe(60);
   });
 
+  it("merges triggerConfig tags and queue into createSession", async () => {
+    const requests: CapturedRequest[] = [];
+    global.fetch = vi.fn().mockImplementation(async (url: string | URL, init?: RequestInit) => {
+      const urlStr = typeof url === "string" ? url : url.toString();
+      requests.push({ url: urlStr, init });
+      if (urlStr.endsWith("/api/v1/sessions") || urlStr.endsWith("/api/v1/sessions/")) {
+        return createSessionResponse("chat-1");
+      }
+      if (urlStr.includes("/realtime/v1/sessions/") && urlStr.endsWith("/in/append")) {
+        return appendOkResponse();
+      }
+      if (/\/realtime\/v1\/sessions\/[^/]+\/out$/.test(urlStr)) {
+        return new Response(new ReadableStream({ start(c) { c.close(); } }), {
+          status: 200,
+          headers: { "content-type": "text/event-stream" },
+        });
+      }
+      throw new Error(`Unexpected URL: ${urlStr}`);
+    });
+
+    const handler = chat.headStart({
+      agentId: "test-agent",
+      triggerConfig: {
+        tags: ["org:acme", "agentic-run:xyz"],
+        queue: "my-queue",
+      },
+      run: async ({ chat: chatHelper }) => {
+        return streamText({
+          ...chatHelper.toStreamTextOptions(),
+          model: new MockLanguageModelV3({
+            doStream: async () => ({ stream: textStream("hi back") }),
+          }),
+        });
+      },
+    });
+
+    await withApiContext(() =>
+      handler(
+        makeRequest({
+          chatId: "chat-1",
+          trigger: "submit-message",
+          headStartMessages: [{ id: "m1", role: "user", parts: [{ type: "text", text: "hi" }] }],
+        })
+      )
+    );
+
+    const sessionCreate = requests.find((r) =>
+      r.url.endsWith("/api/v1/sessions") || r.url.endsWith("/api/v1/sessions/")
+    );
+    expect(sessionCreate).toBeDefined();
+    const body = JSON.parse(sessionCreate!.init!.body as string);
+    expect(body.triggerConfig.tags).toEqual([
+      "chat:chat-1",
+      "org:acme",
+      "agentic-run:xyz",
+    ]);
+    expect(body.triggerConfig.queue).toBe("my-queue");
+    expect(body.triggerConfig.basePayload.trigger).toBe("handover-prepare");
+    expect(body.triggerConfig.basePayload.chatId).toBe("chat-1");
+  });
+
   it("dispatches handover with isFinal=true on pure-text finishReason", async () => {
     const requests: CapturedRequest[] = [];
     global.fetch = vi.fn().mockImplementation(async (url: string | URL, init?: RequestInit) => {

diff --git a/packages/trigger-sdk/src/v3/chat-server.ts b/packages/trigger-sdk/src/v3/chat-server.ts
@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@ import {
   SessionStreamInstance,
   TRIGGER_CONTROL_SUBTYPE,
   apiClientManager,
+  type SessionTriggerConfig,
 } from "@trigger.dev/core/v3";
 // Runtime VALUES via the ESM/CJS shim so the CJS build can `require` ESM-only
 // `ai@7` (see ../imports/ai-runtime.ts).
@@ -195,6 +196,12 @@ export type HeadStartHandlerOptions<TTools extends Record<string, Tool>> = {
    * exiting. Defaults to 60.
    */
   idleTimeoutInSeconds?: number;
+  /**
+   * Run options for the auto-triggered `handover-prepare` session run —
+   * tags, queue, machine, etc. Mirrors `chat.createStartSessionAction`.
+   * The `chat:{chatId}` tag is prepended automatically.
+   */
+  triggerConfig?: Partial<SessionTriggerConfig>;
 };
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -220,6 +227,7 @@ export const chat = {
         req,
         agentId: opts.agentId,
         idleTimeoutInSeconds: opts.idleTimeoutInSeconds,
+        triggerConfig: opts.triggerConfig,
       });
 
       const helper: HeadStartChatHelper<TTools> = {
@@ -249,6 +257,7 @@ export const chat = {
     req: Request;
     agentId: string;
     idleTimeoutInSeconds?: number;
+    triggerConfig?: Partial<SessionTriggerConfig>;
   }): Promise<HeadStartSession> {
     return openHandoverSession(opts).then((s) => s.handle);
   },
@@ -304,6 +313,7 @@ async function openHandoverSession(opts: {
   req: Request;
   agentId: string;
   idleTimeoutInSeconds?: number;
+  triggerConfig?: Partial<SessionTriggerConfig>;
 }): Promise<InternalSession> {
   const wirePayload = (await opts.req.json()) as ChatTaskWirePayload;
   const chatId = wirePayload.chatId;
@@ -323,7 +333,39 @@ async function openHandoverSession(opts: {
   const modelMessages = await convertToModelMessages(uiMessages);
 
   const apiClient = resolveApiClient();
-  const idleTimeoutInSeconds = opts.idleTimeoutInSeconds ?? 60;
+  // Top-level `idleTimeoutInSeconds` wins over the one in `triggerConfig`.
+  const idleTimeoutInSeconds =
+    opts.idleTimeoutInSeconds ?? opts.triggerConfig?.idleTimeoutInSeconds ?? 60;
+
+  // Merge the customer's trigger options. `handover-prepare` and `chatId` in
+  // `basePayload` are ours and can't be overridden; the `chat:{chatId}` tag is
+  // prepended (SessionTriggerConfig.tags caps at 5).
+  const userTags = opts.triggerConfig?.tags ?? [];
+  const tags = [`chat:${chatId}`, ...userTags].slice(0, 5);
+
+  const triggerConfig: SessionTriggerConfig = {
+    basePayload: {
+      ...(opts.triggerConfig?.basePayload ?? {}),
+      ...wirePayload,
+      chatId,
+      trigger: "handover-prepare",
+      idleTimeoutInSeconds,
+    },
+    ...(opts.triggerConfig?.machine ? { machine: opts.triggerConfig.machine } : {}),
+    ...(opts.triggerConfig?.queue ? { queue: opts.triggerConfig.queue } : {}),
+    tags,
+    ...(opts.triggerConfig?.maxAttempts !== undefined
+      ? { maxAttempts: opts.triggerConfig.maxAttempts }
+      : {}),
+    ...(opts.triggerConfig?.maxDuration !== undefined
+      ? { maxDuration: opts.triggerConfig.maxDuration }
+      : {}),
+    ...(opts.triggerConfig?.region ? { region: opts.triggerConfig.region } : {}),
+    ...(opts.triggerConfig?.lockToVersion
+      ? { lockToVersion: opts.triggerConfig.lockToVersion }
+      : {}),
+    idleTimeoutInSeconds,
+  };
 
   // Create the session and trigger the chat.agent's `handover-prepare`
   // run atomically. `createSession` is idempotent on `(env, externalId
@@ -342,15 +384,7 @@ async function openHandoverSession(opts: {
     type: "chat.agent",
     externalId: chatId,
     taskIdentifier: opts.agentId,
-    triggerConfig: {
-      basePayload: {
-        ...wirePayload,
-        chatId,
-        trigger: "handover-prepare",
-        idleTimeoutInSeconds,
-      },
-      idleTimeoutInSeconds,
-    },
+    triggerConfig,
   });
   const sessionPublicAccessToken = created.publicAccessToken;
 

diff --git a/packages/trigger-sdk/src/v3/createStartSessionAction.test.ts b/packages/trigger-sdk/src/v3/createStartSessionAction.test.ts
@@ -96,6 +96,42 @@ describe("chat.createStartSessionAction — runtime", () => {
     expect(lastStartBody?.triggerConfig.basePayload).not.toHaveProperty("metadata");
   });
 
+  it("prepends chat:{chatId} to triggerConfig.tags and caps at 5", async () => {
+    installStartFixture();
+
+    const start = chat.createStartSessionAction("fake-chat", {
+      triggerConfig: {
+        tags: ["org:acme", "a", "b", "c", "d", "e"],
+      },
+    });
+    await start({ chatId: "chat-tags" });
+
+    expect(lastStartBody?.triggerConfig.tags).toEqual([
+      "chat:chat-tags",
+      "org:acme",
+      "a",
+      "b",
+      "c",
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it("forwards maxDuration, region, and lockToVersion from triggerConfig", async () => {
+    installStartFixture();
+
+    const start = chat.createStartSessionAction("fake-chat", {
+      triggerConfig: {
+        maxDuration: 120,
+        region: "us-east-1",
+        lockToVersion: "20260101.1",
+      },
+    });
+    await start({ chatId: "chat-parity" });
+
+    expect(lastStartBody?.triggerConfig.maxDuration).toBe(120);
+    expect(lastStartBody?.triggerConfig.region).toBe("us-east-1");
+    expect(lastStartBody?.triggerConfig.lockToVersion).toBe("20260101.1");
+  });
+
   it("keeps session-level metadata distinct from per-turn clientData", async () => {
     installStartFixture();