Feedback: voice-agents-livekit-intro-guide

Documentation Feedback

Original URL: https://assemblyai.com/docs/voice-agents/livekit-intro-guide
Category: voice-agents
Generated: 05/08/2025, 4:26:43 pm

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Claude Sonnet 4 Feedback

Generated: 05/08/2025, 4:26:42 pm

Technical Documentation Analysis & Feedback

Overall Assessment

This documentation provides a solid foundation for building voice agents, but there are several areas where clarity, completeness, and user experience can be significantly improved.

🔴 Critical Issues

1. Missing Error Handling & Troubleshooting

Problem: No guidance on common errors or debugging steps.

Fix: Add a dedicated troubleshooting section:

## Troubleshooting

### Common Issues

**Agent won't start:**
- Verify all API keys are correct and active
- Check Python version: `python --version` (requires 3.9+)
- Ensure virtual environment is activated

**Connection fails in playground:**
- Confirm you're logged into the correct LiveKit Cloud account
- Verify project credentials match your `.env` file
- Check WebSocket URL format: `wss://your-project.livekit.cloud`

**Audio issues:**
- Grant microphone permissions in your browser
- Test microphone: Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone
- Try different browsers (Chrome recommended)

**Import errors:**
```bash
# If you get module import errors, reinstall:
pip uninstall livekit-agents
pip install "livekit-agents[assemblyai,openai,cartesia,silero]"

### 2. Unclear Project Structure
**Problem**: Users don't know where to create files or how to organize their project.

**Fix**: Add explicit project structure:
```markdown
## Project Setup

Create your project directory:
```bash
mkdir voice-agent-tutorial
cd voice-agent-tutorial

Your final project structure should look like:

voice-agent-tutorial/
├── .env                    # API keys (never commit)
├── voice_agent.py         # Main agent code
├── requirements.txt       # Dependencies (optional)
└── voice-agent/          # Virtual environment

## 🟡 Clarity & User Experience Issues

### 3. Confusing Prerequisites Section
**Problem**: API key requirements are mentioned but not clearly prioritized.

**Fix**: Restructure prerequisites:
```markdown
## Prerequisites

### Required
- Python 3.9+ ([Download here](https://python.org/downloads/))
- Microphone and speakers/headphones for testing

### API Keys (we'll get these in Step 2)
- AssemblyAI (speech-to-text) - Free tier available
- OpenAI (language model) - Paid service, ~$0.15/1M tokens
- Cartesia (text-to-speech) - Free tier available
- LiveKit Cloud (infrastructure) - Free tier available

**Estimated setup time**: 15-20 minutes
**Cost to test**: Under $1 for basic testing

4. Weak Code Examples

Problem: The main code example lacks comments explaining key concepts.

Fix: Add comprehensive comments:

from dotenv import load_dotenv
from livekit import agents
from livekit.agents import AgentSession, Agent, RoomInputOptions
from livekit.plugins import (
    openai,      # Language model integration
    cartesia,    # Text-to-speech
    assemblyai,  # Speech-to-text with turn detection
    noise_cancellation,  # Audio quality improvement
    silero,      # Voice activity detection
)

# Load environment variables from .env file
load_dotenv()

class Assistant(Agent):
    """
    Your voice agent's personality and behavior.
    The instructions define how the agent responds to users.
    """
    def __init__(self) -> None:
        super().__init__(
            instructions="""
            You are a helpful AI assistant having a real-time voice conversation.

            Guidelines:
            - Keep responses under 20 seconds when spoken
            - Be conversational and natural
            - Ask clarifying questions if needed
            - Avoid reading lists or long explanations unless requested
            """
        )

async def entrypoint(ctx: agents.JobContext):
    """
    Main function that sets up and runs your voice agent.
    This is called when a new conversation starts.
    """
    # Connect to the LiveKit room
    await ctx.connect()

    # Configure the complete voice agent pipeline
    session = AgentSession(
        # Speech-to-Text: AssemblyAI with advanced turn detection
        stt=assemblyai.STT(
            # How confident we need to be that user finished speaking (0.0-1.0)
            end_of_turn_confidence_threshold=0.7,
            # Minimum silence when confident user is done (milliseconds)
            min_end_of_turn_silence_when_confident=160,
            # Maximum silence before assuming user is done (milliseconds)
            max_turn_silence=2400,
        ),

        # Language Model: OpenAI GPT-4o mini
        llm=openai.LLM(
            model="gpt-4o-mini",
            temperature=0.7,  # 0.0 = deterministic, 1.0 = creative
        ),

        # Text-to-Speech: Cartesia (fast, natural voices)
        tts=cartesia.TTS(),

        # Voice Activity Detection: Detects when user starts/stops speaking
        vad=silero.VAD.load(),

        # Use AssemblyAI's intelligent turn detection instead of simple silence
        turn_detection="stt",
    )

    # Start the agent session
    await session.start(
        room=ctx.room,
        agent=Assistant(),
        room_input_options=RoomInputOptions(
            # Reduce background noise for better speech recognition
            noise_cancellation=noise_cancellation.BVC(),
        ),
    )

    # Send initial greeting when user connects
    await session.generate_reply(
        instructions="Greet the user warmly and ask how you can help them today."
    )

if __name__ == "__main__":
    # Start the agent using LiveKit's CLI
    agents.cli.run_app(agents.WorkerOptions(entrypoint_fnc=entrypoint))

🟢 Structure & Organization Improvements

5. Add Quick Start Section

Problem: Users have to read through everything before seeing results.

Fix: Add a quick start option:

## Quick Start (5 minutes)

Want to see it working first? Follow these minimal steps:

1. **Install**: `pip install "livekit-agents[assemblyai,openai,cartesia,silero]" python-dotenv`
2. **Get API Keys**: [Jump to Step 2](#step-2-get-api-keys)
3. **Copy the code**: [Download voice_agent.py](#complete-code-example)
4. **Add your keys** to `.env` file
5. **Run**: `python voice_agent.py dev`
6. **Test**: Open [Agents Playground](https://agents-playground.livekit.io/)

Then come back to understand how it works!

6. Missing Production Guidance

Problem: Production section is too brief and lacks specifics.

Fix: Expand production guidance:

## Production Deployment

### Before Going Live

**1. Security Checklist**
- [ ] API keys in environment variables (not code)
- [ ] Rate limiting configured
- [ ] Logging and monitoring set up
- [ ] Error handling implemented

**2. Performance Optimization**
```python
# Production-optimized configuration
stt=assemblyai.STT(
    # Faster response for production
    end_of_turn_confidence_threshold=0.8,
    min_end_of_turn_silence_when_confident=120,
    max_turn_silence=2000,
)

llm=openai.LLM(
    model="gpt-4o-mini",
    temperature=0.5,  # More consistent responses
    max_tokens=150,   # Limit response length
)

3. Monitoring

• Set up logging for conversation quality
• Monitor API usage and costs
• Track response times and errors

4. Scaling See LiveKit’s deployment guide for:

• Auto-scaling configuration
• Load balancing
• Global deployment

## 🔵 Additional Improvements

### 7.

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