Inline Citations

Numbered source markers inside an answer. Hover or focus a number to see the source, and find the full list below.

Download the file Open full screen

One HTML file with the CSS and JavaScript inside. No library needed. MIT license.

Live preview

How to use it

Click Copy the code, or download the file.
Paste the CSS into your stylesheet, the HTML where you want the component, and the script before the closing body tag.
Change --accent at the top of the CSS to your brand color, then connect the events to your AI service.

What you get

Works in light and dark mode automatically
Keyboard friendly, with labels for screen readers
Fits phones, tablets and desktops
Respects the reduced motion setting
No framework, so it works with any stack

The code

<!DOCTYPE html>
<!--
  Inline Citations: a free AI UI component
  From 100 Free AI UI Components by MM Rahman Bappi, MIT license
  https://mmrahmanbappi.github.io/100-free-ai-ui-components/

  How to use: copy the CSS, HTML and JavaScript below into your page.
  Colors are CSS variables at the top. Change --accent to match your brand.
  Light and dark themes follow the visitor's system setting, or set
  data-theme="dark" or data-theme="light" on the html element.
-->
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
<title>Inline Citations | Free AI UI Component</title>
<meta name="description" content="Numbered source markers inside an answer. Hover or focus a number to see the source, and find the full list below.">
<meta name="robots" content="noindex, follow">
<style>
:root{
  --accent:#5b5bd6; --accent-ink:#fff; --accent-soft:#ececfc;
  --bg:#f7f7f8; --surface:#fff; --surface-2:#f1f1f4; --ink:#17171c; --text:#3a3a44; --muted:#6c6c78;
  --line:#e3e3e8; --good:#15803d; --warn:#b45309; --bad:#c62828;
  --radius:14px; --shadow:0 1px 2px rgba(20,20,30,.06),0 8px 24px -12px rgba(20,20,30,.18);
  --font:system-ui,-apple-system,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Ubuntu,sans-serif; --mono:ui-monospace,"Cascadia Code",Menlo,Consolas,monospace;
}
@media (prefers-color-scheme:dark){:root:not([data-theme=light]){
  --accent:#8b8bff; --accent-ink:#0f0f16; --accent-soft:#25254a;
  --bg:#0f0f13; --surface:#18181f; --surface-2:#212129; --ink:#f3f3f6; --text:#d4d4dc; --muted:#9a9aa8;
  --line:#2c2c36; --good:#4ade80; --warn:#fbbf24; --bad:#f87171; --shadow:0 1px 2px rgba(0,0,0,.4),0 10px 30px -12px rgba(0,0,0,.6);
}}
:root[data-theme=dark]{
  --accent:#8b8bff; --accent-ink:#0f0f16; --accent-soft:#25254a;
  --bg:#0f0f13; --surface:#18181f; --surface-2:#212129; --ink:#f3f3f6; --text:#d4d4dc; --muted:#9a9aa8;
  --line:#2c2c36; --good:#4ade80; --warn:#fbbf24; --bad:#f87171; --shadow:0 1px 2px rgba(0,0,0,.4),0 10px 30px -12px rgba(0,0,0,.6);
}
*{box-sizing:border-box}
html,body{margin:0}
body{min-height:100vh;display:grid;grid-template-columns:minmax(0,1fr);place-items:center;padding:24px;background:var(--bg);color:var(--text);font:15px/1.5 var(--font);-webkit-font-smoothing:antialiased}
button,input,textarea,select{font:inherit;color:inherit}
:focus-visible{outline:2px solid var(--accent);outline-offset:2px}
[hidden]{display:none!important}
.sr{position:absolute;width:1px;height:1px;overflow:hidden;clip:rect(0 0 0 0);white-space:nowrap}
@media (prefers-reduced-motion:reduce){*,*::before,*::after{animation-duration:.01ms!important;animation-iteration-count:1!important;transition:none!important}}
/* ---- component ---- */
.wrap{width:min(100%,660px);display:flex;flex-direction:column;gap:16px}
.ai,.me{display:flex;gap:12px;align-items:flex-start}
.me{flex-direction:row-reverse}
.av{width:32px;height:32px;border-radius:50%;display:grid;place-items:center;flex:none;font-size:13px;font-weight:700}
.ai .av{background:var(--accent);color:var(--accent-ink)}.me .av{background:var(--surface-2);color:var(--ink);border:1px solid var(--line)}
.col{display:flex;flex-direction:column;gap:6px;min-width:0;max-width:calc(100% - 44px)}
.me .col{align-items:flex-end}
.bubble{background:var(--surface);border:1px solid var(--line);border-radius:4px 16px 16px 16px;padding:11px 15px;color:var(--text);box-shadow:var(--shadow);min-width:0;overflow-wrap:anywhere}
.me .bubble{background:var(--accent);border-color:var(--accent);color:var(--accent-ink);border-radius:16px 4px 16px 16px;box-shadow:none}
.meta{font-size:12px;color:var(--muted)}
.tb{display:flex;gap:2px;align-items:center}
.tb button{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:6px;border:0;background:none;color:var(--muted);height:30px;min-width:30px;padding:0 7px;border-radius:8px;cursor:pointer;font-size:13px}
.tb button:hover{background:var(--surface-2);color:var(--ink)}
.cite{position:relative;display:inline-block}
.cite>button{border:0;background:var(--accent-soft);color:var(--accent);font-size:11px;font-weight:700;border-radius:6px;padding:0 5px;margin:0 1px;cursor:pointer;vertical-align:super;line-height:1.5}
.pop{position:absolute;left:50%;bottom:calc(100% + 6px);transform:translateX(-50%);width:min(240px,70vw);background:var(--surface);border:1px solid var(--line);border-radius:10px;box-shadow:var(--shadow);padding:10px 12px;font-size:13px;z-index:2;display:none;animation:pin .15s ease}
.cite:hover .pop,.cite:focus-within .pop{display:block}
@keyframes pin{from{opacity:0}}
.pop b{display:block;color:var(--ink)}.pop span{color:var(--muted);font-size:12px}
.srcs{margin:12px 0 0;padding:10px 0 0;border-top:1px solid var(--line);list-style:none;display:flex;flex-direction:column;gap:6px;font-size:13px}
.srcs li{display:flex;gap:8px}.srcs .n{color:var(--accent);font-weight:700;min-width:16px}.srcs a{color:var(--ink)}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<div class="wrap">
  <div class="ai"><div class="av" aria-hidden="true"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" width="16" height="16" fill="currentColor" aria-hidden="true"><path d="M12 2l1.8 6.2L20 10l-6.2 1.8L12 18l-1.8-6.2L4 10l6.2-1.8z"/></svg></div><div class="col" style="flex:1"><div class="bubble" style="line-height:1.7">
    Most adults need 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night<span class="cite"><button type="button" aria-describedby="p1">1</button><span class="pop" role="tooltip" id="p1"><b>Sleep Health Guide</b><span>sleepguide.example, updated 2026</span></span></span>.
    Keeping the same wake-up time every day, even on weekends, helps the most<span class="cite"><button type="button" aria-describedby="p2">2</button><span class="pop" role="tooltip" id="p2"><b>Better Rest Study</b><span>health-journal.example, 2025</span></span></span>.
    Screens right before bed can make it harder to fall asleep<span class="cite"><button type="button" aria-describedby="p3">3</button><span class="pop" role="tooltip" id="p3"><b>Evening Light and Sleep</b><span>science-daily.example, 2024</span></span></span>.
    <ol class="srcs" aria-label="Sources">
      <li><span class="n">1</span><a href="#">Sleep Health Guide</a></li>
      <li><span class="n">2</span><a href="#">Better Rest Study</a></li>
      <li><span class="n">3</span><a href="#">Evening Light and Sleep</a></li>
    </ol>
  </div></div></div>
</div>
<script>
// Demo helper: add ?theme=dark or ?theme=light to the address to preview a theme.
(function(){var t=new URLSearchParams(location.search).get('theme');if(t)document.documentElement.dataset.theme=t;})();

</script>
</body>
</html>

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Inline Citations

How to use it

What you get

The code

More chat messages components

Chat Bubbles

Formatted Answer

Code Block with Copy Button

Message Action Bar

Answer Versions

Editable User Message