# Quick Start Guide

> Deploy your first AI voice agent in under 10 minutes with this step-by-step guide.

Source: https://edesy.in/docs/voice-agent/getting-started/quick-start

Get your first AI voice agent up and running in minutes.

> **Prefer a visual interface?** Skip the code and [use the Edesy Platform](https://voice-agent.edesy.in) to configure your agent through our no-code dashboard.

## Prerequisites

- Node.js 18+ or Go 1.21+
- A Twilio or Exotel account
- API keys for your chosen providers (Deepgram, OpenAI, etc.)

## Step 1: Clone the Repository

```bash
git clone https://github.com/edesy-labs/voice-agent.git
cd voice-agent/backend-go
```

## Step 2: Configure Environment

Create a `.env` file with your provider credentials:

```bash
# Telephony
TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID=your_account_sid
TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN=your_auth_token
TWILIO_PHONE_NUMBER=+1234567890

# STT (Speech-to-Text)
DEEPGRAM_API_KEY=your_deepgram_key

# TTS (Text-to-Speech)
CARTESIA_API_KEY=your_cartesia_key

# LLM
OPENAI_API_KEY=your_openai_key
# Or for Gemini:
GOOGLE_AI_API_KEY=your_google_key

# Server
NGINX_DOMAIN=your-domain.com
REDIS_HOST=localhost
REDIS_PORT=6379
```

## Step 3: Build and Run

```bash
# Install dependencies
go mod tidy

# Build the server
go build -o voice-agent .

# Run
./voice-agent
```

The server will start on port 8080 by default.

## Step 4: Configure Your Agent

Create an agent via the API or dashboard:

```bash
curl -X POST https://your-domain.com/api/agents \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Customer Support Agent",
    "language": "en",
    "greeting": "Hello! How can I help you today?",
    "prompt": "You are a helpful customer support agent for Acme Corp...",
    "sttProvider": "deepgram",
    "ttsProvider": "cartesia",
    "llmProvider": "openai"
  }'
```

## Step 5: Make Your First Call

### Option A: Inbound Calls

Configure your Twilio phone number to point to:
```
https://your-domain.com/twiml/{agentId}
```

### Option B: Outbound Calls

Trigger an outbound call via API:

```bash
curl -X POST https://your-domain.com/make-call \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "agent_id": "your_agent_id",
    "phone_number": "+1234567890",
    "workspace_id": "your_workspace_id"
  }'
```

## What Happens During a Call

1. **Call Initiated**: Twilio/Exotel connects the call
2. **WebSocket Established**: Audio stream connects to your server
3. **Greeting Played**: Agent speaks the greeting message
4. **Conversation Loop**:
   - User speaks → VAD detects speech
   - Audio sent to STT (Deepgram)
   - Transcript sent to LLM (OpenAI/Gemini)
   - Response sent to TTS (Cartesia)
   - Audio played back to user
5. **Call Ends**: Disposition logged, recording saved

## Monitoring Your Agent

View real-time logs:

```bash
tail -f logs/$(date +%Y-%m-%d)/*.log
```

Key metrics to watch:
- **E2E Latency**: Total response time (target: < 500ms)
- **STT Latency**: Speech recognition time
- **LLM Latency**: Model response time
- **TTS Latency**: Audio generation time

## Next Steps

- [Architecture Overview](https://edesy.in/docs/voice-agent/getting-started/architecture) - Deep dive into system design
- [Twilio Integration](https://edesy.in/docs/voice-agent/telephony/twilio) - Advanced Twilio configuration
- [Exotel Integration](https://edesy.in/docs/voice-agent/telephony/exotel) - Set up Indian telephony
- [Deepgram STT](https://edesy.in/docs/voice-agent/providers/deepgram) - Optimize speech recognition

## Troubleshooting

### Call Not Connecting

1. Verify your domain is accessible via HTTPS
2. Check Twilio/Exotel webhook configuration
3. Ensure WebSocket endpoint is reachable

### High Latency

1. Check provider API response times
2. Consider using Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite for faster LLM responses
3. Enable streaming for STT and TTS

### Audio Quality Issues

1. Verify audio encoding (μ-law for Twilio/Exotel)
2. Check sample rate (8kHz for telephony)
3. Review VAD threshold settings

---

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- **Fully managed hosting** - No servers to configure
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