Video Chat API Reference

Cloud Functions for video conferencing with Daily.co integration.

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Overview

The Video Chat feature uses Firebase Cloud Functions to interact with the Daily.co API. All functions are callable and require authentication.

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Functions

createDailyRoom

Creates a new Daily.co room for video conferencing.

Signature:

interface CreateRoomRequest {
  projectId: string;
}

interface CreateRoomResponse {
  roomName: string;
  roomUrl: string;
}

Behavior:

• Creates room with name pattern: onbook-{projectId}-{timestamp}
• Sets 2-hour expiry (exp property)
• Enables transcription by default
• Returns full room URL for client-side joining

Permissions: Requires stage-manager, production-manager, or owner role.

Example:

import { httpsCallable } from 'firebase/functions';
import { functions } from '@/lib/firebase-config';

const createRoom = httpsCallable(functions, 'createDailyRoom');
const { data } = await createRoom({ projectId: 'abc123' });
// data.roomUrl = "https://onbook.daily.co/onbook-abc123-1706567890"

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getDailyToken

Generates a participant authentication token for joining a room.

Signature:

interface GetTokenRequest {
  roomName: string;
  userName: string;
  isOwner?: boolean;
}

interface GetTokenResponse {
  token: string;
}

Behavior:

• Generates meeting token with user's display name
• isOwner: true grants room control privileges (kick, mute others)
• Token expires with the room (2 hours max)

Permissions: Any authenticated project member.

Token Types:

Role	isOwner	Capabilities
Stage Manager	true	Full room control
Production Manager	true	Full room control
Owner	true	Full room control
All Others	false	Join and participate only

Example:

const getToken = httpsCallable(functions, 'getDailyToken');
const { data } = await getToken({
  roomName: 'onbook-abc123-1706567890',
  userName: 'Jane Smith',
  isOwner: true
});
// data.token = "eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9..."

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fetchTranscript

Retrieves the transcript after a meeting ends.

Signature:

interface FetchTranscriptRequest {
  roomName: string;
}

interface FetchTranscriptResponse {
  transcript: TranscriptEntry[];
  duration: number; // seconds
}

interface TranscriptEntry {
  speaker: string;
  text: string;
  timestamp: number; // seconds from start
}

Behavior:

• Fetches transcript from Daily.co's transcription service
• Returns empty array if transcription was disabled or failed
• Automatically triggered by room expiry webhook (optional)

Permissions: Requires stage-manager, production-manager, or owner role.

Example:

const fetchTranscript = httpsCallable(functions, 'fetchTranscript');
const { data } = await fetchTranscript({
  roomName: 'onbook-abc123-1706567890'
});
// data.transcript = [{ speaker: "Jane", text: "Hello everyone", timestamp: 0 }, ...]

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Environment Setup

Daily API Key

The Daily API key must be stored as a Firebase secret:

firebase functions:secrets:set DAILY_API_KEY

Steps:

1. Create a Daily.co account at daily.co
2. Navigate to Developers → API Keys
3. Copy your API key
4. Run the Firebase CLI command above
5. Redeploy functions: firebase deploy --only functions

Function Configuration

Functions access the secret via runtime config:

// functions/src/video/createDailyRoom.ts
import { defineSecret } from 'firebase-functions/params';

const dailyApiKey = defineSecret('DAILY_API_KEY');

export const createDailyRoom = onCall(
  { secrets: [dailyApiKey] },
  async (request) => {
    const daily = new Daily({ apiKey: dailyApiKey.value() });
    // ...
  }
);

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Error Handling

Common Errors

Error Code	Meaning	Resolution
permission-denied	User lacks required role	Check RBAC permissions
invalid-argument	Missing projectId or roomName	Validate request payload
unavailable	Daily API unreachable	Retry with exponential backoff
resource-exhausted	Daily rate limit hit	Wait and retry

Client-Side Handling

try {
  const { data } = await createRoom({ projectId });
  return data.roomUrl;
} catch (error) {
  if (error.code === 'permission-denied') {
    toast.error('Only Stage Managers can start meetings');
  } else {
    toast.error('Failed to create meeting room');
  }
}

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Webhooks (Future)

Planned webhook endpoints for automatic processing:

Endpoint	Trigger	Purpose
/webhooks/daily/room-ended	Room expiry	Auto-fetch and save transcript
/webhooks/daily/participant-joined	Join event	Update presence indicators

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Rate Limits

Daily.co API limits (as of Jan 2026):

Resource	Limit
Room creation	100/minute
Token generation	1000/minute
Concurrent rooms	10 (free tier)

For production deployments, upgrade to Daily's paid tier for higher limits.

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Related Documentation

• Video Chat User Guide
• Video Chat Architecture
• Firebase Functions Reference