diff --git a/embabel-common-chat/pom.xml b/embabel-common-chat/pom.xml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..30fa198
--- /dev/null
+++ b/embabel-common-chat/pom.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 https://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+    <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
+    <parent>
+        <groupId>com.embabel.common</groupId>
+        <artifactId>embabel-common-parent</artifactId>
+        <version>0.1.10-SNAPSHOT</version>
+    </parent>
+    <artifactId>embabel-common-chat</artifactId>
+    <packaging>jar</packaging>
+    <name>Embabel Common Chat</name>
+    <description>Common chat and conversation abstractions for storage-agnostic persistence</description>
+    <url>https://github.com/embabel/embabel-common</url>
+
+    <scm>
+        <url>https://github.com/embabel/embabel-common</url>
+        <connection>scm:git:https://github.com/embabel/embabel-common.git</connection>
+        <developerConnection>scm:git:https://github.com/embabel/embabel-common.git</developerConnection>
+        <tag>HEAD</tag>
+    </scm>
+
+    <dependencies>
+        <dependency>
+            <groupId>com.embabel.common</groupId>
+            <artifactId>embabel-common-core</artifactId>
+            <version>${project.version}</version>
+        </dependency>
+    </dependencies>
+</project>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/embabel-common-chat/src/main/kotlin/com/embabel/common/chat/ConversationFactory.kt b/embabel-common-chat/src/main/kotlin/com/embabel/common/chat/ConversationFactory.kt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..67c9d62
--- /dev/null
+++ b/embabel-common-chat/src/main/kotlin/com/embabel/common/chat/ConversationFactory.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2024-2026 Embabel Pty Ltd.
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ * http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package com.embabel.common.chat
+
+/**
+ * Type of conversation storage.
+ */
+enum class ConversationStoreType {
+
+    /**
+     * Conversations are stored in memory only.
+     * Fast and simple, suitable for testing and ephemeral sessions.
+     */
+    IN_MEMORY,
+
+    /**
+     * Conversations are persisted to a backing store.
+     * The specific store (e.g., Neo4j) is configured at factory level.
+     */
+    STORED
+}
+
+/**
+ * Factory for creating [StorableConversation] instances.
+ *
+ * Implementations provide different storage strategies (in-memory, persistent, etc.).
+ * Use [ConversationFactoryProvider] to obtain factories by type.
+ */
+interface ConversationFactory {
+
+    /**
+     * The storage type this factory provides.
+     */
+    val storeType: ConversationStoreType
+
+    /**
+     * Create a new conversation with the given ID.
+     *
+     * @param id unique identifier for the conversation
+     * @return a new StorableConversation instance
+     */
+    fun create(id: String): StorableConversation
+
+    /**
+     * Create a conversation for a 1-1 chat between a user and an agent.
+     *
+     * Messages can be automatically attributed based on role when participants are set.
+     *
+     * @param id the conversation/session ID
+     * @param user the human user participant
+     * @param agent the AI/system user participant (optional)
+     * @param title the session title (optional)
+     * @return a new StorableConversation instance
+     */
+    fun createForParticipants(
+        id: String,
+        user: MessageAuthor,
+        agent: MessageAuthor? = null,
+        title: String? = null
+    ): StorableConversation = create(id)
+}
diff --git a/embabel-common-chat/src/main/kotlin/com/embabel/common/chat/ConversationFactoryProvider.kt b/embabel-common-chat/src/main/kotlin/com/embabel/common/chat/ConversationFactoryProvider.kt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1665dd4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/embabel-common-chat/src/main/kotlin/com/embabel/common/chat/ConversationFactoryProvider.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2024-2026 Embabel Pty Ltd.
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ * http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package com.embabel.common.chat
+
+/**
+ * Provider for [ConversationFactory] instances by type.
+ *
+ * Implementations resolve factories based on [ConversationStoreType],
+ * typically backed by Spring beans registered via autoconfiguration.
+ *
+ * To use conversation factories, either:
+ * - Inject [ConversationFactoryProvider] directly via Spring DI
+ * - Use the fluent API in agent frameworks: `context.ai().conversationFactory(type)`
+ */
+interface ConversationFactoryProvider {
+
+    /**
+     * Get a conversation factory for the given store type.
+     *
+     * @param type the conversation store type
+     * @return the factory for that type
+     * @throws IllegalArgumentException if no factory is registered for the type
+     */
+    fun getFactory(type: ConversationStoreType): ConversationFactory
+
+    /**
+     * Get a conversation factory for the given store type, or null if not available.
+     *
+     * @param type the conversation store type
+     * @return the factory for that type, or null
+     */
+    fun getFactoryOrNull(type: ConversationStoreType): ConversationFactory?
+
+    /**
+     * Get all registered factory types.
+     */
+    fun availableTypes(): Set<ConversationStoreType>
+}
+
+/**
+ * Simple map-based implementation of [ConversationFactoryProvider].
+ */
+class MapConversationFactoryProvider(
+    private val factories: Map<ConversationStoreType, ConversationFactory>
+) : ConversationFactoryProvider {
+
+    constructor(vararg factories: ConversationFactory) : this(
+        factories.associateBy { it.storeType }
+    )
+
+    constructor(factories: List<ConversationFactory>) : this(
+        factories.associateBy { it.storeType }
+    )
+
+    override fun getFactory(type: ConversationStoreType): ConversationFactory {
+        return factories[type]
+            ?: throw IllegalArgumentException(
+                "No ConversationFactory registered for type $type. Available: ${factories.keys}"
+            )
+    }
+
+    override fun getFactoryOrNull(type: ConversationStoreType): ConversationFactory? {
+        return factories[type]
+    }
+
+    override fun availableTypes(): Set<ConversationStoreType> = factories.keys
+}
diff --git a/embabel-common-chat/src/main/kotlin/com/embabel/common/chat/MessageAuthor.kt b/embabel-common-chat/src/main/kotlin/com/embabel/common/chat/MessageAuthor.kt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e84166f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/embabel-common-chat/src/main/kotlin/com/embabel/common/chat/MessageAuthor.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2024-2026 Embabel Pty Ltd.
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ * http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package com.embabel.common.chat
+
+/**
+ * Represents the author of a message in a conversation.
+ *
+ * This interface provides a persistence-agnostic abstraction for user identity
+ * in chat contexts. Implementations can extend this interface with additional
+ * persistence-specific annotations.
+ *
+ * ## Usage
+ *
+ * For simple cases, use the provided [SimpleMessageAuthor] data class:
+ * ```kotlin
+ * val author = SimpleMessageAuthor(id = "user-123", displayName = "Alice")
+ * conversation.addMessageFrom(message, author)
+ * ```
+ */
+interface MessageAuthor {
+
+    /**
+     * Unique identifier for the author.
+     */
+    val id: String
+
+    /**
+     * Human-readable display name for the author.
+     */
+    val displayName: String
+}
+
+/**
+ * Simple implementation of [MessageAuthor] for non-persistent use cases.
+ */
+data class SimpleMessageAuthor(
+    override val id: String,
+    override val displayName: String
+) : MessageAuthor
diff --git a/embabel-common-chat/src/main/kotlin/com/embabel/common/chat/MessageRole.kt b/embabel-common-chat/src/main/kotlin/com/embabel/common/chat/MessageRole.kt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c276ff1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/embabel-common-chat/src/main/kotlin/com/embabel/common/chat/MessageRole.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2024-2026 Embabel Pty Ltd.
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ * http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package com.embabel.common.chat
+
+/**
+ * Role of a message sender in a conversation.
+ */
+enum class MessageRole {
+    USER,
+    ASSISTANT,
+    SYSTEM
+}
diff --git a/embabel-common-chat/src/main/kotlin/com/embabel/common/chat/StorableConversation.kt b/embabel-common-chat/src/main/kotlin/com/embabel/common/chat/StorableConversation.kt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1412f93
--- /dev/null
+++ b/embabel-common-chat/src/main/kotlin/com/embabel/common/chat/StorableConversation.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,114 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2024-2026 Embabel Pty Ltd.
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ * http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package com.embabel.common.chat
+
+/**
+ * Minimal conversation interface for storage-agnostic persistence.
+ *
+ * This interface captures the essential properties needed to persist a conversation
+ * without coupling to agent-specific types like PromptContributor or AssetTracker.
+ *
+ * Implementations in agent frameworks (e.g., embabel-agent) can extend this
+ * interface with richer functionality while still being storable.
+ */
+interface StorableConversation {
+
+    /**
+     * Unique identifier for this conversation.
+     */
+    val id: String
+
+    /**
+     * Messages in the conversation in chronological order.
+     */
+    val messages: List<StorableMessage>
+
+    /**
+     * Whether this conversation is backed by persistent storage.
+     *
+     * Returns `true` for database-backed conversations, `false` for in-memory.
+     */
+    fun persistent(): Boolean = false
+
+    /**
+     * Add a message to the conversation.
+     *
+     * @param message the message to add
+     * @return the added message (may be wrapped or enhanced by the implementation)
+     */
+    fun addMessage(message: StorableMessage): StorableMessage
+
+    /**
+     * Add a message with explicit author attribution.
+     *
+     * @param message the message to add
+     * @param author the author of this message
+     * @return the added message
+     */
+    fun addMessageFrom(message: StorableMessage, author: MessageAuthor?): StorableMessage =
+        addMessage(message)
+
+    /**
+     * Add a message with explicit author and recipient.
+     *
+     * @param message the message to add
+     * @param from the author of this message
+     * @param to the recipient of this message
+     * @return the added message
+     */
+    fun addMessageFromTo(
+        message: StorableMessage,
+        from: MessageAuthor?,
+        to: MessageAuthor?
+    ): StorableMessage = addMessage(message)
+
+    /**
+     * Create a view of this conversation with only the last n messages.
+     *
+     * Implementations may optimize this (e.g., database query with LIMIT)
+     * or use the default in-memory slicing.
+     *
+     * @param n the number of messages to include
+     * @return a conversation view with the last n messages
+     */
+    fun last(n: Int): StorableConversation = SlicedStorableConversation(
+        id = id,
+        slicedMessages = messages.takeLast(n)
+    )
+}
+
+/**
+ * A read-only slice of a conversation with a subset of messages.
+ */
+private class SlicedStorableConversation(
+    override val id: String,
+    private val slicedMessages: List<StorableMessage>
+) : StorableConversation {
+
+    override val messages: List<StorableMessage>
+        get() = slicedMessages
+
+    override fun persistent(): Boolean = false
+
+    override fun addMessage(message: StorableMessage): StorableMessage {
+        throw UnsupportedOperationException("Cannot add messages to a conversation slice")
+    }
+
+    override fun last(n: Int): StorableConversation = SlicedStorableConversation(
+        id = id,
+        slicedMessages = slicedMessages.takeLast(n)
+    )
+}
diff --git a/embabel-common-chat/src/main/kotlin/com/embabel/common/chat/StorableMessage.kt b/embabel-common-chat/src/main/kotlin/com/embabel/common/chat/StorableMessage.kt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d594ce2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/embabel-common-chat/src/main/kotlin/com/embabel/common/chat/StorableMessage.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2024-2026 Embabel Pty Ltd.
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ * http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package com.embabel.common.chat
+
+import java.time.Instant
+
+/**
+ * Minimal message interface for storage-agnostic persistence.
+ *
+ * This interface captures the essential properties needed to persist a message
+ * without coupling to agent-specific types like Awaitable or ActionContext.
+ *
+ * Implementations in agent frameworks (e.g., embabel-agent) can extend this
+ * interface with richer functionality while still being storable.
+ */
+interface StorableMessage {
+
+    /**
+     * The role of the message sender.
+     */
+    val role: MessageRole
+
+    /**
+     * The text content of the message.
+     */
+    val content: String
+
+    /**
+     * When the message was created.
+     */
+    val timestamp: Instant
+
+    /**
+     * Optional identifier of the message author.
+     * Useful for multi-user conversations.
+     */
+    val authorId: String?
+        get() = null
+
+    /**
+     * Optional identifier of the message recipient.
+     * Useful for directed messages in group chats.
+     */
+    val recipientId: String?
+        get() = null
+}
+
+/**
+ * Simple implementation of [StorableMessage] for basic use cases.
+ */
+data class SimpleStorableMessage(
+    override val role: MessageRole,
+    override val content: String,
+    override val timestamp: Instant = Instant.now(),
+    override val authorId: String? = null,
+    override val recipientId: String? = null
+) : StorableMessage
diff --git a/embabel-common-dependencies/pom.xml b/embabel-common-dependencies/pom.xml
index 6c26f70..0576268 100644
--- a/embabel-common-dependencies/pom.xml
+++ b/embabel-common-dependencies/pom.xml
@@ -42,6 +42,12 @@
                 <version>${project.version}</version>
             </dependency>
 
+            <dependency>
+                <groupId>com.embabel.common</groupId>
+                <artifactId>embabel-common-chat</artifactId>
+                <version>${project.version}</version>
+            </dependency>
+
         </dependencies>
     </dependencyManagement>
 
diff --git a/pom.xml b/pom.xml
index 6d43888..b30f8f0 100644
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
     <modules>
         <module>embabel-common-dependencies</module>
         <module>embabel-common-core</module>
+        <module>embabel-common-chat</module>
         <module>embabel-common-util</module>
         <module>embabel-common-textio</module>
         <module>embabel-common-test</module>