OpenWebUI Chat Viewer

A simple web-based viewer for OpenWebUI chat logs stored in SQLite database.

Features

• Browse all chat sessions
• View complete message history for each chat
• Clean, responsive UI
• Handles various OpenWebUI database schema versions
• Debug endpoints for troubleshooting

Setup Instructions

1. Prerequisites

• Python 3.7 or higher
• Your OpenWebUI database file (usually webui.db)

2. Install Dependencies

pip install flask --break-system-packages

3. Configure Database Path

Edit app.py and update the DB_PATH variable to point to your database file:

DB_PATH = 'webui_backup_20250918_102142.db'  # Update this path

Or use a relative/absolute path:

DB_PATH = '/path/to/your/webui.db'

4. Inspect Your Database (Optional but Recommended)

Before running the app, it's helpful to understand your database structure:

python3 inspect_db.py /path/to/your/webui.db

This will show you:

• All tables in the database
• Column structure of the chat table
• Sample chat data structure
• Message extraction attempt

5. Run the Application

python3 app.py

The server will start on http://0.0.0.0:5000

6. Access the Viewer

Open your browser and navigate to:

• Local: http://localhost:5000
• Network: http://YOUR_IP:5000 (from other devices on your network)

Troubleshooting

Issue: No messages are displayed when clicking a chat

Solution 1: Use the Debug Endpoint

Visit: http://localhost:5000/api/debug/chat/<chat_id>

Replace <chat_id> with the ID of a chat (you can get this from the chat list).

This will show you:

• The raw database structure
• Parsed JSON structure
• Available keys in the chat data

Solution 2: Check the Console

Open your browser's developer console (F12) and look for:

• JavaScript errors
• The structure of the data being received
• Network request failures

Solution 3: Check Server Logs

The Flask server will print errors to the terminal. Look for:

• JSON parsing errors
• Database query errors
• Python exceptions

Issue: Database file not found

Make sure:

1. The database file path in app.py is correct
2. The file has read permissions: chmod 644 your_database.db
3. You're running the app from the correct directory

Issue: Empty chat list

This could mean:

1. The database file is empty or corrupted
2. The schema is different than expected
3. Check with: python3 inspect_db.py your_database.db

Common OpenWebUI Schema Variations

The chat column can have different JSON structures:

Structure 1: Direct messages array

{
  "messages": [
    {"role": "user", "content": "Hello"},
    {"role": "assistant", "content": "Hi there!"}
  ]
}

Structure 2: Nested in history

{
  "history": {
    "messages": [...]
  }
}

Structure 3: Top-level properties

{
  "id": "...",
  "messages": [...],
  "title": "..."
}

The application attempts to handle all these variations automatically.

API Endpoints

GET /api/chats

Returns list of all chats:

[
  {
    "id": "chat_id",
    "title": "Chat title",
    "created_at": 1234567890,
    "updated_at": 1234567890
  }
]

GET /api/chats/<chat_id>

Returns messages for a specific chat:

{
  "title": "Chat title",
  "messages": [...],
  "raw_structure": ["messages", "title", ...]
}

GET /api/debug/chat/<chat_id>

Returns complete raw database record with parsed JSON for debugging.

Customization

Changing the Port

Edit app.py:

app.run(host='0.0.0.0', port=8080, debug=True)  # Change port here

Styling

The CSS is embedded in templates/index.html. You can modify:

• Colors
• Fonts
• Layout dimensions
• Message styling

Message Rendering

The createMessageElement() function in index.html handles message rendering. Modify this to:

• Add markdown support
• Format code blocks
• Add timestamps
• Change message appearance

Security Notes

⚠️ This application is designed for LOCAL NETWORK use only!

• Do not expose to the public internet without authentication
• The debug endpoint reveals database contents
• Flask debug mode should be disabled in production
• Consider adding authentication if needed

File Structure

.
├── app.py                    # Flask backend
├── templates/
│   └── index.html           # Frontend HTML/CSS/JS
├── inspect_db.py            # Database inspection tool
├── README.md                # This file
└── webui_backup_*.db        # Your database file

Common Fixes

If messages appear as JSON strings

The issue is in the message content parsing. Check the createMessageElement() function in index.html.

If only some chats work

Different chats might have different JSON structures. The code attempts to handle variations, but you might need to add custom logic for your specific schema.

Performance with large databases

For databases with thousands of chats or very long conversations:

1. Add pagination to the chat list
2. Implement message loading limits
3. Add search/filter functionality

Support

For issues related to:

• OpenWebUI itself: https://github.com/open-webui/open-webui
• This viewer: Check the debug endpoints and inspect_db.py output

License

This is a simple utility script provided as-is for personal use.