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When FiveM chat stops working, first determine whether the failure is the chat box, the message path, or a single script. Confirm that the built-in chat resource is loaded, rescan and ensure it from the FXServer console, then inspect client bindings and F8 errors. If the stock resource works but a custom script does not, update that script to the current chat:addMessage API instead of the deprecated chatMessage event.

The sequence below separates a missing resource from a bad keybind, a server-side event error, and a custom NUI replacement. It also gives you the exact evidence—server-console text, F8 output, and active chat resources—you need before applying a framework-specific fix.

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Identify exactly what is broken

“Chat not working” describes several different failures. Test the symptom before changing files or clearing caches; each symptom points to a different layer of FiveM.

The chat box never opens

Treat this as a client interface, key-binding, or resource-loading problem. Press F8 to open the FiveM client console and look for errors at the moment you use the chat key. Run bind to list the client’s configured bindings. If the server uses a resource-specific binding, inspect it with rbind. A missing or conflicting binding can prevent the key from invoking the chat even when the server resource is running.

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The box opens, but sent text never appears

This points to the path from the client to the server and back to the chat display. Check the server console for a script error, then inspect the resource that handles the send action. A custom script that still triggers the deprecated chatMessage method can stop messages from reaching the current chat implementation; migrate it to chat:addMessage as described later.

Only system or command messages are missing

Verify that the sending code is running on the correct side. The server addMessage export requires a target and a message object. The documented target -1 sends the message to all players. The client export writes only to the client on which it executes, so calling it from the wrong context will not broadcast a server message.

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Messages from one resource fail while other chat works

Isolate that resource and compare its payload with the supported structure: color, multiline, and args. If the stock chat displays a minimal message but one script does not, the chat resource is probably healthy and the failing script has an event, export, or payload problem.

Understand the resources and message paths

FiveM’s built-in chat is a resource named chat. It supplies client and server events plus addMessage exports that other resources can call. The resource must be present in the server’s resources directory, discoverable through its manifest, and started by the server. A replacement chat or NUI resource may also register similar events, stop the stock resource, or override the interface, so resource ownership matters.

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There are two normal directions for a message:

  • Server to players: server-side code calls the server addMessage export with a target and message object. Use target -1 when every connected player should see it.
  • Local client output: client-side code calls the client addMessage export, or the client receives the chat:addMessage event. This affects the executing client rather than automatically broadcasting to everyone.

A failure in any one of these layers can look identical in the game. That is why restarting the resource alone will not fix a bad binding or an obsolete script API.

Refresh and restart the built-in chat resource

Use the FXServer console, not the in-game F8 console, for resource lifecycle commands. Enter the commands in this order:

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Command Purpose What to watch for
refresh Rescans resource manifests so the server can discover resources added, removed, or changed since startup. Errors about a missing folder or invalid manifest identify a discovery problem.
ensure chat Starts the chat resource if it is stopped and ensures it is running; use it after refresh. Record the complete error if the command fails.
restart chat Stops and starts an already running chat resource. A startup error after the restart usually names the dependency or manifest line that failed.
stop chat Stops the resource for an ownership or replacement test. Chat should disappear; if another interface remains, another resource is providing it.
start chat Starts a stopped resource. Confirm that the console reports a successful start and no immediate error.
  1. Run refresh.
  2. Run ensure chat.
  3. Reconnect or reopen the chat interface and test a message.
  4. Keep every line printed by the console if the resource refuses to start.

Do not guess at a framework fix when ensure chat reports an error. The exact text can identify a missing dependency, an invalid manifest entry, or a conflicting resource. FiveM’s support documentation separates server issues, server debugging, and resource FAQ topics, so the error category matters.

Check the client console and key bindings

When the input box does not open, perform this check on the affected client:

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  1. Press F8 while connected to open the FiveM client console.
  2. Read the newest errors and warnings, especially those that appear when you press the chat key or submit text. Copy the exact wording and resource name.
  3. Enter bind to print configured bindings. Confirm that the expected chat action has a key or controller input.
  4. If a resource-specific binding is involved, enter rbind and inspect that resource’s entries.
  5. If you find a bad or duplicate mapping, remove it with unbind <mapper> <input>. Then assign a replacement in the game’s keybind settings or with the documented binding syntax used by your server.
  6. Test again and note whether the box now opens. Save the F8 output even if the symptom changes.

This test distinguishes “the resource is running but no key invokes it” from “the server never started the resource.” It also catches a local binding problem without changing server files.

Update scripts to the current chat API

The older chatMessage method is deprecated. New and migrated scripts should use chat:addMessage and a message object containing the fields expected by the built-in chat.

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Message payload

A typical payload includes a three-number RGB color array, a Boolean multiline value, and an args array containing the author and text. Keep the payload shape consistent between the sending script and the chat resource.

local message = {
    color = { 255, 255, 255 },
    multiline = true,
    args = { 'Server', 'Chat test message' }
}

The names and order inside args are interpreted by the chat display. If a custom replacement expects a different schema, use that replacement’s documented contract rather than assuming the stock format.

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Server-side broadcast

For code running on the server, call the server export with a target and the message object. Target -1 is the documented way to show the message to all players:

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exports.chat:addMessage(-1, {
    color = { 255, 255, 255 },
    multiline = true,
    args = { 'Server', 'Chat test message' }
})

Replace -1 with a specific player target when only one client should receive the message. A server export call does not become local merely because the message is intended for one player; the target still has to be supplied.

Client-side local output

For code running on a client, use the client addMessage export with the message object, or trigger chat:addMessage on that client. A client export writes only to the executing client, which is useful for local status text but not for a server-wide announcement.

exports.chat:addMessage({
    color = { 255, 255, 0 },
    multiline = true,
    args = { 'Client', 'Local chat test' }
})

If a script currently listens for or triggers chatMessage, change the integration to chat:addMessage, preserve the supported payload fields, and restart that resource. Check both the server console and F8 after the change; a syntax or runtime error in the custom resource can still block the call.

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Run a controlled stock-chat test

A minimal isolation test tells you whether the built-in resource works independently of your framework and custom scripts. Do not use a full role-play command or a replacement UI for this test.

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  1. Stop the custom chat replacement or any resource that explicitly owns the chat interface. Use stop <resource-name> for the named replacement, not a guessed name.
  2. Run refresh, then ensure chat in the FXServer console.
  3. Use one small server-side test that calls exports.chat:addMessage(-1, message) with the documented payload.
  4. Connect one client and verify that the message appears. Also test opening the input box and sending ordinary text.
  5. If the stock test succeeds, re-enable custom resources one at a time. After each start, check the server console and F8 before adding the next resource.
  6. If the stock test fails, leave custom replacements disabled and focus on the chat resource’s startup output, manifest, and client errors.

This procedure is intentionally narrow: it changes one resource at a time and gives each failure a clear owner. It avoids attributing an API or lifecycle error to networking, hardware, or cache settings without evidence.

Compare stock chat with a custom replacement

Use these four axes when deciding whether to keep debugging the built-in resource or the replacement:

Diagnostic axis Stock chat resource Custom NUI or chat replacement
Resource ownership and startup Should be discoverable after refresh and running after ensure chat. May be the resource that is ensured, may stop stock chat, or may override its interface. Identify the active resource before changing code.
API compatibility Supports the documented chat:addMessage path and payload fields. May require its own event or payload. Code still calling deprecated chatMessage is a warning sign.
Client/server direction Server export takes a target and message; client export is local. Verify whether the replacement expects a server export, a client event, or a UI callback, and whether it broadcasts or displays locally.
Diagnostics Startup and runtime failures should appear in the FXServer console or F8. A replacement that produces no actionable console output is harder to isolate; enable its documented logging or temporarily remove it for the stock test.

Use the error text to choose the next fix

Observed result Most useful next action
ensure chat fails Keep the complete server-console error. Check the named dependency, resource folder, or manifest line before changing framework code.
No chat key in bind Inspect rbind for a resource-specific mapping, remove a bad mapping with unbind <mapper> <input>, and assign a key in game settings.
F8 shows a client script error when opening chat Identify the resource and line in the error. Restart or repair that resource; do not treat the symptom as a server broadcast failure.
Input opens but a message is absent Inspect the send handler and server console. Replace deprecated chatMessage usage with chat:addMessage and verify the payload.
Only one resource’s messages fail Compare that resource’s event direction and color, multiline, and args fields with the supported structure.
Stock test works; replacement fails Keep stock chat running, then re-enable the replacement alone and inspect its ownership, API contract, and logs.
Stock test fails too Focus on resource discovery/startup and F8 output. A framework-specific change is premature until those logs identify the failing layer.

What not to change first

  • Do not assume a router problem. A chat resource that is not running or a script using a deprecated event will fail on a local server even with a perfect network connection.
  • Do not buy hardware to solve an API error. CPU, GPU, or hosting changes do not repair a malformed message payload or missing resource manifest.
  • Do not clear cache as a substitute for logs. Cache cleanup may alter a client symptom, but it does not establish that the resource started or that the server event was handled.
  • Do not run both stock and replacement chat blindly. Two resources can compete for the same interface or event. Identify which one is ensured and stop the other during testing.
  • Do not discard the exact error. Artifact and client releases can change command behavior and diagnostics; the version context and full message are more useful than a paraphrase.

Information to collect before asking for framework help

If the sequence does not resolve the problem, provide reproducible evidence instead of only saying “chat is broken.” Include:

  • Whether the input box never opens, opens without displaying sent text, or loses only system/command messages.
  • The complete output from refresh and ensure chat, including any dependency or manifest error.
  • The list of active chat-related resources and which one is ensured or replaces the stock resource.
  • The exact F8 error and the moment it appears.
  • The output of bind and, when relevant, rbind.
  • The resource name and code path that sends the failing message.
  • Whether a minimal stock-chat message succeeds when custom replacements are stopped.

With those details, a support responder can distinguish a client binding issue, a server lifecycle issue, and an incompatible framework script without asking you to change unrelated settings.

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Version and release caveat

FiveM command names and behavior can change with server artifacts and client releases. The commands and API names above reflect the documented interfaces in the available guidance; confirm them against the current FiveM documentation when an artifact or client update changes the console output. Keep the artifact version, client version, and exact logs attached to any report so a version-specific change is not mistaken for a general chat failure.

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