Customise the chat field prompts

Change every prompt string the shipped chat field shows for each conversation availability state, including the character's name.

The shipped chat field, ChatTranscriptUI, shows a different placeholder for every conversation availability state and disables itself until the addressed character can actually hear the player. Every one of those strings is a serialized field on the component, so a project can reword them in the Inspector without touching code.

Prerequisites

• The shipped chat prefab with ChatTranscriptUI in the scene. See Add chat UI.

Edit the prompt fields

Select the GameObject carrying ChatTranscriptUI and open the Input Availability section of the Inspector. Each field maps to one availability state:

Inspector field	Default value	Shown when
No Character Prompt	No character to talk to	NoCharacter
Offline Prompt	Not connected	Offline
Connecting Prompt	Connecting…	Connecting, and no character is being addressed yet
Connecting To Character Prompt	Connecting to {0}…	Connecting, and a character is already being addressed
Slow Connecting Prompt	Still connecting to {0}…	Connecting has lasted longer than Slow Connect Hint Seconds
Preparing Prompt	{0} is getting ready…	Preparing
Ready Prompt	Message {0}	Ready
Answering Prompt	{0} is speaking…	Answering
Unavailable Prompt	{0} is unavailable	Unavailable

{0} is replaced with the addressed character's display name. A template with {0} removed is shown as plain text instead of throwing.

Tune the slow-connect hint

Slow Connect Hint Seconds controls how long the field waits in Connecting before switching to the Slow Connecting Prompt — 35 seconds by default. Multi-character connects were measured at 26–34 seconds, so the default sits immediately above that: a hint that fires during a normal wait teaches the player to distrust it, and one that fires seconds before success is pure noise. Set the field to 0 to never show the slow-connect prompt.

Turn off the gate entirely

Gate Input On Availability is enabled by default and disables the field until the addressed character can receive a message. Turning it off is presentation only — ConvaiPlayer.TrySendTextMessage still refuses an early message either way, so the player finds out by being refused instead of by the field being closed. Turn it off only when your own UI already shows the state some other way.

Show why a message was refused

Notice Text is an optional TMP_Text reference. When assigned, it shows the refusal reason returned by a failed send, then clears itself after Refusal Notice Seconds (4 seconds by default). Leave Notice Text unassigned to send refusals to the Console only. Set Refusal Notice Seconds to 0 to leave refusals in the Console even with a Notice Text assigned.

Verify the change

Enter Play mode and step through the states — disconnected, connecting, and connected before the character is confirmed — confirming each shows the prompt you set. Type a message before the field opens and confirm the refusal notice, if assigned, shows your expected wording.

Next steps

Gate your UI on availabilityTroubleshoot player input