# Text helpers

> Filter a chat stream down to assistant text, with deduped deltas.

Source: https://maincode.com/docs/client-sdk-text-helpers
Section: Client SDK · Matilda documentation

---

These helpers filter the event stream to just text — useful when you only need the response text and don't care about tool calls, usage, or status events.

## `chat.streamText(params, options?)`

Returns an async generator that yields raw string deltas. Throws `SafetyReplaceError` when the server replaces the output (safety filter). Throws `Error` on stream errors.

```ts title="text.ts"
try {
  for await (const chunk of client.chat.streamText({ input: 'Write a haiku.' })) {
    process.stdout.write(chunk);
  }
} catch (err) {
  if (err instanceof SafetyReplaceError) {
    console.error(`\nSafety replace: ${err.categories.join(', ')}`);
  } else {
    console.error(err);
  }
}
```

> **Note** — **Why throw on safety replace?** The original text has already been yielded to the consumer by the time the replace event arrives. Throwing forces the consumer to handle the replacement explicitly — silently dropping it would lose the replacement message.

## `chat.createText(params, options?)`

Non-streaming convenience that returns just the final output text. Safety replace is handled naturally — the replacement text is returned. Throws if the stream produced any error events.

```ts
const text = await client.chat.createText({ input: 'What is 2 + 2?' });
console.log(text); // "4"
```

## `SafetyReplaceError`

```ts
class SafetyReplaceError extends Error {
  readonly categories: string[];
  // message = replacement content (or empty string)
}
```