diff --git a/.changeset/spicy-colts-dream.md b/.changeset/spicy-colts-dream.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..392dca0f4080ff720d367d8d53adfc0fe3cebc8a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/spicy-colts-dream.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"create-llama": patch
+---
+
+feat: support showing image on chat message
diff --git a/packages/create-llama/templates/types/streaming/express/src/controllers/chat.controller.ts b/packages/create-llama/templates/types/streaming/express/src/controllers/chat.controller.ts
index e82658016cbfb036f31485a79d8e83a2c8fe376f..9d1eb0c69b50ae4f258e5321eec1ffcc5d0bda1e 100644
--- a/packages/create-llama/templates/types/streaming/express/src/controllers/chat.controller.ts
+++ b/packages/create-llama/templates/types/streaming/express/src/controllers/chat.controller.ts
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ export const chat = async (req: Request, res: Response) => {
     }
 
     const llm = new OpenAI({
-      model: process.env.MODEL || "gpt-3.5-turbo",
+      model: (process.env.MODEL as any) || "gpt-3.5-turbo",
     });
 
     const chatEngine = await createChatEngine(llm);
@@ -54,9 +54,24 @@ export const chat = async (req: Request, res: Response) => {
     });
 
     // Return a stream, which can be consumed by the Vercel/AI client
-    const stream = LlamaIndexStream(response);
+    const { stream, data: streamData } = LlamaIndexStream(response, {
+      parserOptions: {
+        image_url: data?.imageUrl,
+      },
+    });
 
-    streamToResponse(stream, res);
+    // Pipe LlamaIndexStream to response
+    const processedStream = stream.pipeThrough(streamData.stream);
+    return streamToResponse(processedStream, res, {
+      headers: {
+        // response MUST have the `X-Experimental-Stream-Data: 'true'` header
+        // so that the client uses the correct parsing logic, see
+        // https://sdk.vercel.ai/docs/api-reference/stream-data#on-the-server
+        "X-Experimental-Stream-Data": "true",
+        "Content-Type": "text/plain; charset=utf-8",
+        "Access-Control-Expose-Headers": "X-Experimental-Stream-Data",
+      },
+    });
   } catch (error) {
     console.error("[LlamaIndex]", error);
     return res.status(500).json({
diff --git a/packages/create-llama/templates/types/streaming/express/src/controllers/llamaindex-stream.ts b/packages/create-llama/templates/types/streaming/express/src/controllers/llamaindex-stream.ts
index e86c7626f09e2beca9ce15d922a37679c9906e43..6ddd8eae68bc199188d07a0af8f27a12b2a6abb3 100644
--- a/packages/create-llama/templates/types/streaming/express/src/controllers/llamaindex-stream.ts
+++ b/packages/create-llama/templates/types/streaming/express/src/controllers/llamaindex-stream.ts
@@ -1,19 +1,45 @@
 import {
+  JSONValue,
   createCallbacksTransformer,
   createStreamDataTransformer,
+  experimental_StreamData,
   trimStartOfStreamHelper,
   type AIStreamCallbacksAndOptions,
 } from "ai";
 import { Response } from "llamaindex";
 
-function createParser(res: AsyncIterable<Response>) {
+type ParserOptions = {
+  image_url?: string;
+};
+
+function createParser(
+  res: AsyncIterable<Response>,
+  data: experimental_StreamData,
+  opts?: ParserOptions,
+) {
   const it = res[Symbol.asyncIterator]();
   const trimStartOfStream = trimStartOfStreamHelper();
   return new ReadableStream<string>({
+    start() {
+      // if image_url is provided, send it via the data stream
+      if (opts?.image_url) {
+        const message: JSONValue = {
+          type: "image_url",
+          image_url: {
+            url: opts.image_url,
+          },
+        };
+        data.append(message);
+      } else {
+        data.append({}); // send an empty image response for the user's message
+      }
+    },
     async pull(controller): Promise<void> {
       const { value, done } = await it.next();
       if (done) {
         controller.close();
+        data.append({}); // send an empty image response for the assistant's message
+        data.close();
         return;
       }
 
@@ -27,11 +53,16 @@ function createParser(res: AsyncIterable<Response>) {
 
 export function LlamaIndexStream(
   res: AsyncIterable<Response>,
-  callbacks?: AIStreamCallbacksAndOptions,
-): ReadableStream {
-  return createParser(res)
-    .pipeThrough(createCallbacksTransformer(callbacks))
-    .pipeThrough(
-      createStreamDataTransformer(callbacks?.experimental_streamData),
-    );
+  opts?: {
+    callbacks?: AIStreamCallbacksAndOptions;
+    parserOptions?: ParserOptions;
+  },
+): { stream: ReadableStream; data: experimental_StreamData } {
+  const data = new experimental_StreamData();
+  return {
+    stream: createParser(res, data, opts?.parserOptions)
+      .pipeThrough(createCallbacksTransformer(opts?.callbacks))
+      .pipeThrough(createStreamDataTransformer(true)),
+    data,
+  };
 }