diff --git a/src/actors/conversation/README.md b/src/actors/conversation/README.md
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+# Conversation Actor Prototype
+
+Standalone Rivet actor prototype based on Rivet's `examples/ai-agent` shape, but with actor-local SQLite + Drizzle.
+
+This folder is intentionally **not wired into `src/actors/registry.ts` yet**.
+
+## Files
+
+- `conversation-actor.ts` — Rivet actor with queue-driven message processing and streaming AI SDK response events.
+- `schema.ts` — Drizzle SQLite schema for messages, tool calls, and summaries.
+- `migrations.ts` — tiny inline SQLite migration for this isolated prototype.
+- `agent.ts` — AI SDK v6 `streamText` wrapper and stub memory tools.
+- `types.ts` — public event/message/status types.
+
+## Actor key
+
+Use a compound actor key when it is eventually wired:
+
+```ts
+client.conversationActor.getOrCreate([userId, conversationId])
+```
+
+## Runtime env
+
+The prototype expects:
+
+```txt
+OPENAI_API_KEY=...
+CONVERSATION_ACTOR_MODEL=...
+```
+
+No default model is hardcoded so we do not accidentally freeze this prototype to a stale model id.
+
+## Next steps when wiring later
+
+1. Add `conversationActor` to `src/actors/registry.ts`.
+2. Decide whether `userActor` creates conversation ids or frontend supplies them.
+3. Replace stub memory tools in `agent.ts` with actor-to-actor calls to `memoryActor[userId]`.
+4. Move inline migrations to generated Drizzle migrations if/when this becomes production code.
diff --git a/src/actors/conversation/agent.ts b/src/actors/conversation/agent.ts
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+++ b/src/actors/conversation/agent.ts
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+import { openai } from "@ai-sdk/openai";
+import { streamText, tool } from "ai";
+import { z } from "zod";
+import type { ConversationMessage } from "./types.js";
+
+const SYSTEM_PROMPT = `You are the GrowQR conversation agent.
+Keep answers concise, practical, and focused on the user's goals.
+When you learn durable information, call the memory tools. For now these tools
+are intentionally stubbed so this actor can stay isolated and unwired.`;
+
+export function getConversationModel() {
+  const modelId = process.env.CONVERSATION_ACTOR_MODEL;
+  if (!modelId) {
+    throw new Error(
+      "Missing CONVERSATION_ACTOR_MODEL. Set it to an OpenAI model id before using the conversation actor.",
+    );
+  }
+
+  return openai(modelId);
+}
+
+export function buildModelMessages(messages: ConversationMessage[]) {
+  return messages.map((message) => ({
+    role: message.role,
+    content: message.content,
+  }));
+}
+
+export function streamConversationResponse(messages: ConversationMessage[]) {
+  return streamText({
+    model: getConversationModel(),
+    system: SYSTEM_PROMPT,
+    messages: buildModelMessages(messages),
+    tools: {
+      readMemory: tool({
+        description: "Read a markdown memory file. Stubbed until memoryActor is wired.",
+        inputSchema: z.object({
+          path: z.string().describe("Memory path, e.g. /profile.md"),
+        }),
+        execute: async ({ path }) => ({
+          path,
+          found: false,
+          content: "",
+          note: "memoryActor is not wired yet",
+        }),
+      }),
+      writeMemory: tool({
+        description: "Write a markdown memory file. Stubbed until memoryActor is wired.",
+        inputSchema: z.object({
+          path: z.string(),
+          contentMd: z.string(),
+          reason: z.string().optional(),
+        }),
+        execute: async ({ path, contentMd, reason }) => ({
+          path,
+          bytes: contentMd.length,
+          reason,
+          saved: false,
+          note: "memoryActor is not wired yet",
+        }),
+      }),
+    },
+  });
+}
diff --git a/src/actors/conversation/conversation-actor.ts b/src/actors/conversation/conversation-actor.ts
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+++ b/src/actors/conversation/conversation-actor.ts
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+import { asc, eq } from "drizzle-orm";
+import { actor, event, queue } from "rivetkit";
+import { db as drizzleDb } from "rivetkit/db/drizzle";
+import { streamConversationResponse } from "./agent.js";
+import { migrateConversationDb } from "./migrations.js";
+import {
+  conversationMessages,
+  conversationSchema,
+} from "./schema.js";
+import type {
+  ConversationMessage,
+  ConversationQueueMessage,
+  ConversationResponseEvent,
+  ConversationStatus,
+} from "./types.js";
+
+const buildId = (prefix: string) =>
+  `${prefix}-${Date.now()}-${Math.random().toString(16).slice(2)}`;
+
+function now() {
+  return Date.now();
+}
+
+function conversationIdFromKey(key: unknown[]) {
+  return String(key[1] ?? key[0] ?? "default");
+}
+
+function toPublicMessage(row: typeof conversationMessages.$inferSelect): ConversationMessage {
+  return {
+    id: row.id,
+    conversationId: row.conversationId,
+    role: row.role,
+    sender: row.sender,
+    content: row.content,
+    createdAt:
+      row.createdAt instanceof Date ? row.createdAt.getTime() : Number(row.createdAt),
+  };
+}
+
+export const conversationActor = actor({
+  // Keep only small runtime state here. Message history lives in actor-local
+  // SQLite via Drizzle so this actor can grow without bloating c.state.
+  state: {
+    status: {
+      state: "idle",
+      updatedAt: Date.now(),
+    } as ConversationStatus,
+  },
+
+  db: drizzleDb({
+    schema: conversationSchema,
+  }),
+
+  queues: {
+    message: queue<ConversationQueueMessage>(),
+  },
+
+  events: {
+    messageAdded: event<ConversationMessage>(),
+    status: event<ConversationStatus>(),
+    response: event<ConversationResponseEvent>(),
+  },
+
+  onCreate: async (c) => {
+    await migrateConversationDb(c.db);
+  },
+
+  onWake: async (c) => {
+    await migrateConversationDb(c.db);
+  },
+
+  run: async (c) => {
+    for await (const queued of c.queue.iter()) {
+      const { body } = queued;
+      if (!body?.text || typeof body.text !== "string") continue;
+
+      const conversationId = conversationIdFromKey(c.key);
+      const sender = body.sender?.trim() || "User";
+
+      const userMessage: ConversationMessage = {
+        id: buildId("user"),
+        conversationId,
+        role: "user",
+        sender,
+        content: body.text.trim(),
+        createdAt: now(),
+      };
+
+      await c.db.insert(conversationMessages).values({
+        ...userMessage,
+        createdAt: new Date(userMessage.createdAt),
+      });
+      c.broadcast("messageAdded", userMessage);
+
+      const historyRows = await c.db
+        .select()
+        .from(conversationMessages)
+        .where(eq(conversationMessages.conversationId, conversationId))
+        .orderBy(asc(conversationMessages.createdAt));
+      const history = historyRows.map(toPublicMessage);
+
+      const assistantMessage: ConversationMessage = {
+        id: buildId("assistant"),
+        conversationId,
+        role: "assistant",
+        sender: "GrowQR",
+        content: "",
+        createdAt: now(),
+      };
+
+      await c.db.insert(conversationMessages).values({
+        ...assistantMessage,
+        createdAt: new Date(assistantMessage.createdAt),
+      });
+      c.broadcast("messageAdded", assistantMessage);
+
+      c.state.status = { state: "thinking", updatedAt: now() };
+      c.broadcast("status", c.state.status);
+
+      try {
+        const result = streamConversationResponse(history);
+
+        let content = "";
+        for await (const delta of result.textStream) {
+          if (c.aborted) break;
+
+          content += delta;
+          c.broadcast("response", {
+            messageId: assistantMessage.id,
+            delta,
+            content,
+            done: false,
+          });
+        }
+
+        assistantMessage.content = content || assistantMessage.content;
+        await c.db
+          .update(conversationMessages)
+          .set({ content: assistantMessage.content })
+          .where(eq(conversationMessages.id, assistantMessage.id));
+
+        c.broadcast("response", {
+          messageId: assistantMessage.id,
+          delta: "",
+          content: assistantMessage.content,
+          done: true,
+        });
+
+        c.state.status = { state: "idle", updatedAt: now() };
+        c.broadcast("status", c.state.status);
+      } catch (error) {
+        const errorMessage =
+          error instanceof Error ? error.message : "Unknown conversation error";
+
+        assistantMessage.content =
+          assistantMessage.content ||
+          "I hit a snag while responding. Please try again.";
+
+        await c.db
+          .update(conversationMessages)
+          .set({ content: assistantMessage.content })
+          .where(eq(conversationMessages.id, assistantMessage.id));
+
+        c.state.status = {
+          state: "error",
+          updatedAt: now(),
+          error: errorMessage,
+        };
+
+        c.broadcast("response", {
+          messageId: assistantMessage.id,
+          delta: "",
+          content: assistantMessage.content,
+          done: true,
+          error: errorMessage,
+        });
+        c.broadcast("status", c.state.status);
+      }
+    }
+  },
+
+  actions: {
+    sendMessage: async (c, input: ConversationQueueMessage) => {
+      await c.queue.send("message", input);
+      return { queued: true };
+    },
+
+    getHistory: async (c): Promise<ConversationMessage[]> => {
+      const conversationId = conversationIdFromKey(c.key);
+      const rows = await c.db
+        .select()
+        .from(conversationMessages)
+        .where(eq(conversationMessages.conversationId, conversationId))
+        .orderBy(asc(conversationMessages.createdAt));
+
+      return rows.map(toPublicMessage);
+    },
+
+    getStatus: (c): ConversationStatus => c.state.status,
+  },
+});
diff --git a/src/actors/conversation/index.ts b/src/actors/conversation/index.ts
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--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/actors/conversation/index.ts
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+export { conversationActor } from "./conversation-actor.js";
+export * from "./schema.js";
+export * from "./types.js";
diff --git a/src/actors/conversation/migrations.ts b/src/actors/conversation/migrations.ts
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+++ b/src/actors/conversation/migrations.ts
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+import type { RawAccess } from "rivetkit/db";
+
+// Tiny inline migration for the actor-local SQLite database. This keeps the
+// example self-contained and avoids wiring drizzle-kit output into the app yet.
+export async function migrateConversationDb(db: RawAccess) {
+  await db.execute(`
+    CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS conversation_messages (
+      id TEXT PRIMARY KEY NOT NULL,
+      conversation_id TEXT NOT NULL,
+      role TEXT NOT NULL CHECK (role IN ('user', 'assistant')),
+      sender TEXT NOT NULL,
+      content TEXT NOT NULL,
+      created_at INTEGER NOT NULL
+    );
+
+    CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS conversation_messages_conversation_created_at_idx
+      ON conversation_messages (conversation_id, created_at);
+
+    CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS conversation_tool_calls (
+      id TEXT PRIMARY KEY NOT NULL,
+      conversation_id TEXT NOT NULL,
+      message_id TEXT NOT NULL REFERENCES conversation_messages(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
+      tool_name TEXT NOT NULL,
+      args_json TEXT,
+      result_json TEXT,
+      status TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT 'running' CHECK (status IN ('running', 'done', 'error')),
+      created_at INTEGER NOT NULL,
+      finished_at INTEGER
+    );
+
+    CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS conversation_tool_calls_conversation_idx
+      ON conversation_tool_calls (conversation_id, created_at);
+
+    CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS conversation_summaries (
+      id TEXT PRIMARY KEY NOT NULL,
+      conversation_id TEXT NOT NULL,
+      content_md TEXT NOT NULL,
+      created_at INTEGER NOT NULL,
+      updated_at INTEGER NOT NULL
+    );
+  `);
+}
diff --git a/src/actors/conversation/schema.ts b/src/actors/conversation/schema.ts
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+++ b/src/actors/conversation/schema.ts
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+import { relations, sql } from "drizzle-orm";
+import {
+  index,
+  integer,
+  sqliteTable,
+  text,
+} from "rivetkit/db/drizzle";
+
+export const conversationMessages = sqliteTable(
+  "conversation_messages",
+  {
+    id: text("id").primaryKey(),
+    conversationId: text("conversation_id").notNull(),
+    role: text("role", { enum: ["user", "assistant"] }).notNull(),
+    sender: text("sender").notNull(),
+    content: text("content").notNull(),
+    createdAt: integer("created_at", { mode: "timestamp_ms" }).notNull(),
+  },
+  (table) => ({
+    conversationCreatedAtIdx: index("conversation_messages_conversation_created_at_idx").on(
+      table.conversationId,
+      table.createdAt,
+    ),
+  }),
+);
+
+export const conversationToolCalls = sqliteTable(
+  "conversation_tool_calls",
+  {
+    id: text("id").primaryKey(),
+    conversationId: text("conversation_id").notNull(),
+    messageId: text("message_id")
+      .notNull()
+      .references(() => conversationMessages.id, { onDelete: "cascade" }),
+    toolName: text("tool_name").notNull(),
+    argsJson: text("args_json", { mode: "json" }).$type<Record<string, unknown>>(),
+    resultJson: text("result_json", { mode: "json" }).$type<Record<string, unknown>>(),
+    status: text("status", { enum: ["running", "done", "error"] })
+      .notNull()
+      .default("running"),
+    createdAt: integer("created_at", { mode: "timestamp_ms" }).notNull(),
+    finishedAt: integer("finished_at", { mode: "timestamp_ms" }),
+  },
+  (table) => ({
+    conversationIdx: index("conversation_tool_calls_conversation_idx").on(
+      table.conversationId,
+      table.createdAt,
+    ),
+  }),
+);
+
+export const conversationSummaries = sqliteTable("conversation_summaries", {
+  id: text("id").primaryKey(),
+  conversationId: text("conversation_id").notNull(),
+  contentMd: text("content_md").notNull(),
+  createdAt: integer("created_at", { mode: "timestamp_ms" }).notNull(),
+  updatedAt: integer("updated_at", { mode: "timestamp_ms" })
+    .notNull()
+    .default(sql`(unixepoch('subsec') * 1000)`),
+});
+
+export const conversationMessagesRelations = relations(
+  conversationMessages,
+  ({ many }) => ({
+    toolCalls: many(conversationToolCalls),
+  }),
+);
+
+export const conversationToolCallsRelations = relations(
+  conversationToolCalls,
+  ({ one }) => ({
+    message: one(conversationMessages, {
+      fields: [conversationToolCalls.messageId],
+      references: [conversationMessages.id],
+    }),
+  }),
+);
+
+export const conversationSchema = {
+  conversationMessages,
+  conversationToolCalls,
+  conversationSummaries,
+};
+
+export type ConversationMessageRow = typeof conversationMessages.$inferSelect;
+export type NewConversationMessageRow = typeof conversationMessages.$inferInsert;
+export type ConversationToolCallRow = typeof conversationToolCalls.$inferSelect;
+export type NewConversationToolCallRow = typeof conversationToolCalls.$inferInsert;
+export type ConversationSummaryRow = typeof conversationSummaries.$inferSelect;
diff --git a/src/actors/conversation/types.ts b/src/actors/conversation/types.ts
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+++ b/src/actors/conversation/types.ts
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+export type ConversationRole = "user" | "assistant";
+
+export type ConversationStatus = {
+  state: "idle" | "thinking" | "error";
+  updatedAt: number;
+  error?: string;
+};
+
+export type ConversationMessage = {
+  id: string;
+  conversationId: string;
+  role: ConversationRole;
+  sender: string;
+  content: string;
+  createdAt: number;
+};
+
+export type ConversationQueueMessage = {
+  text: string;
+  sender?: string;
+};
+
+export type ConversationResponseEvent = {
+  messageId: string;
+  delta: string;
+  content: string;
+  done: boolean;
+  error?: string;
+};
+
+export type ConversationToolEvent = {
+  id: string;
+  messageId: string;
+  toolName: string;
+  status: "running" | "done" | "error";
+  args?: Record<string, unknown>;
+  result?: Record<string, unknown>;
+  error?: string;
+};