Quickstart

Building your own text, voice or video AI is easy. In this quickstart you create an agent, give it a tool that calls your own code, and build a chat and voice UI for it.

Stream hosts the agents backend for you, in regions around the world for low latency. The backend is open source, so you can also self-host it.

Time to get started. If you get stuck at any point, use the Ask AI button at the top of the page. It is built with Stream Agents too.

The quickest path

In a hurry? Copy a prompt into Claude or another coding agent, and it builds the agent for you in the SDKs you picked at the top of the page. Each prompt points it at Stream's agent skill, getstream.io/SKILL-agents.md.

Voice agent
Build me a voice AI in Node.jsPythonRubyPHPGo.NETRust that takes orders for my restaurant. Optimize it for Dutch and give me a phone number in Amsterdam. Use the Stream agent skill: getstream.io/SKILL-agents.md
Video agent
Build me a video AI in Node.jsPythonRubyPHPGo.NETRust that checks which strawberries are ripe and counts them. Use the Stream agent skill: getstream.io/SKILL-agents.md
Support agent
Build me a support agent in Node.jsPythonRubyPHPGo.NETRust that answers questions from my docs, and add its chat UI to my webAndroidiOSFlutter app. Use the Stream agent skill: getstream.io/SKILL-agents.md

Stream app setup

Install the beta Stream CLI, then pick or create the Stream app your agent runs in:

curl -fsSL https://getstream.io/cli/beta/install.sh | bash
getstream --version # a beta build shows a date and commit, such as 2026-10-14-3178aae

getstream init # pick or create a Stream app
Warning:

The getstream agents commands are only in beta builds of the CLI. If getstream agents answers "agents unavailable", you are running a stable build: install the beta with the command above, and check that getstream --version shows a date and commit.

The installer puts getstream in ~/.local/bin. If that folder is not on your PATH, the installer adds it to your shell's rc file (~/.zshrc, ~/.bashrc, ~/.bash_profile or ~/.profile, or fish's config.fish), so open a new terminal before you run getstream.

Create an agent

First, define an agent. An agent is a folder of configuration files that you sync to Stream, and it holds no code. Each agent folder has this structure:

agents/my-agent/
  knowledge/       # indexed markdown and URLs
    faq.md
    urls.yaml
  skills/          # skills loaded as needed
    research.md
  agent.yaml       # config for the agent
  instructions.md  # system prompt
  guardrail.md     # prevent abuse

Create the folder from a template

The quickest way to create an agent folder is from one of the CLI's templates. Run this in your project's folder:

getstream agents init my-agent --template text # or --template voice

Edit the system prompt

The agents/my-agent/ folder appears, with a lot of settings to play with. The template is a support agent for Acme Corp, a made-up company. Edit the system prompt in instructions.md to match your use case.

Sync the agent

Upload the agent to Stream:

getstream agents sync my-agent

Your agent now runs on Stream.

Talk to it

Talk to it from the terminal and see how it does:

getstream agents test my-agent

Ask it about Acme first, such as "How do I get started with Acme?". The template's guardrail turns away questions that are not about Acme Corp.

You build any agent from these blocks:

  • Instructions: the system prompt in instructions.md.
  • Knowledge and skills: documents the agent searches, and instructions it loads when a task needs them.
  • Guardrail: what the agent refuses to talk about.
  • Tools: functions in your own code that the agent calls. The tool calling section below adds one.
  • Sandbox: an isolated place where the agent writes and runs code, such as Python for arithmetic or parsing.

Client and server

Stream hosts the agent you just synced: the backend runs its conversations and calls, picks the models, and searches its knowledge. Running your own code next to it is not self-hosting, which means running that backend yourself.

From here on, your own code runs in two places, and each call is made in only one of them:

  • Client: your app (JavaScript in the browser, Kotlin on Android, Swift on iOS, or Flutter) holds the conversation for the user who signed in. It opens the session, sends what they type or say, and shows the replies. It connects with the public API key and a token for that user, never with your API secret.
  • Server: your server (Node.js, Python, Ruby, PHP, Go, .NET or Rust) holds the API secret. It mints each user's token, runs the tools that reach your systems in a worker (see the next section), and does what a client may not, such as syncing agents, buying phone numbers and setting spend limits.

So you don't open a session on your server and again in the client: the client opens it. With no client, such as for a phone line, WhatsApp or a server-only integration, your server opens sessions instead.

Pick yours in the Client and Server menus at the top of the page, and every sample shows the SDK you picked. Auth has the details.

Tool calling

Tool calling connects your agent to your own systems.

If you're building a customer support bot, you typically want tools for:

  • Creating a ticket
  • Looking up a ticket
  • Replying to a customer

If you're building a legal AI, you might want to expose legal databases through tools.

Tools are code, so they don't go in the agent folder. Server tools run in a worker: a process on your server that connects out to Stream (nothing you run needs to be publicly reachable). When the model calls a tool, Stream sends the call to your worker, the worker runs your function, and the result goes back to the model. Stream still runs the agent; the worker only answers its tool calls. An agent that uses only built-in features and connectors needs no worker.

Install the server SDK

Install the SDK in your server project:

Node.js
npm install @stream-io/stream-agents
Python
uv add "vision-agents[stream]"
Ruby
bundle add getstream-vision-agents
PHP
composer require getstream/vision-agents amphp/websocket-client amphp/http-client-psr7
Go
go get github.com/GetStream/Vision-Agents/sdks/go@latest
.NET
dotnet add package getstream-vision-agents-net
Rust
cargo add vision-agents --git https://github.com/GetStream/Vision-Agents --branch accelerate
cargo add tokio --features full
cargo add serde_json

Set your app's credentials

The worker signs in to Stream with your app's API key and secret, which it reads from the environment. getstream env writes your app's keys to an env file for your project. Set them in the terminal where you run the worker:

export STREAM_API_KEY=your_api_key
export STREAM_API_SECRET=your_api_secret

The secret is for your server only: never put it in an app or a web page. See Auth.

Write and start the worker

This worker registers a weather_lookup tool on my-agent and then runs, waiting for tool calls. Save it as a file in your server project, such as worker.ts, worker.py or main.go:

Node.js
import { Client, Dispatch } from "@stream-io/stream-agents";

const client = new Client();
const agent = client.agent("my-agent");

agent.tools.register<{ location: string }>({
  name: "weather_lookup",
  description: "Look up the current weather for a location",
  parameters: {
    type: "object",
    properties: {
      location: { type: "string", description: "a city or region" },
    },
    required: ["location"],
  },
  run: ({ location }) => {
    const place = location.toLowerCase();
    if (place.includes("colorado")) return "sunny";
    if (place.includes("amsterdam")) return "rainy";
    if (place.includes("san francisco")) return "foggy";
    return `no forecast for ${location}`;
  },
});

await new Dispatch().host(agent).run();
Python
import asyncio

from vision_agents.plugins import stream

agent = stream.Client().agent("my-agent")


@agent.register(description="Look up the current weather for a location")
async def weather_lookup(location: str) -> str:
    place = location.lower()
    if "colorado" in place:
        return "sunny"
    if "amsterdam" in place:
        return "rainy"
    if "san francisco" in place:
        return "foggy"
    return f"no forecast for {location}"


async def main() -> None:
    dispatch = stream.Dispatch()
    dispatch.host(agent)
    await dispatch.run()


asyncio.run(main())
Ruby
require "getstream/vision_agents"

agent = GetStream::VisionAgents::Client.new.agent("my-agent")

agent.tools.register(
  "weather_lookup",
  description: "Look up the current weather for a location",
  parameters: {
    type: "object",
    properties: {
      location: { type: "string", description: "a city or region" },
    },
    required: ["location"],
  },
) do |args|
  location = args["location"]
  place = location.downcase
  if place.include?("colorado") then "sunny"
  elsif place.include?("amsterdam") then "rainy"
  elsif place.include?("san francisco") then "foggy"
  else "no forecast for #{location}"
  end
end

dispatch = GetStream::VisionAgents::Dispatch.new
dispatch.host(agent)
dispatch.run
PHP
<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

use GetStream\VisionAgents\Client;
use GetStream\VisionAgents\Worker\Dispatch;

require __DIR__ . '/vendor/autoload.php';

$agent = (new Client())->agent('my-agent');

$agent->tools->register(
    'weather_lookup',
    'Look up the current weather for a location',
    [
        'type' => 'object',
        'properties' => [
            'location' => [
                'type' => 'string',
                'description' => 'a city or region',
            ],
        ],
        'required' => ['location'],
    ],
    function (array $args): string {
        $location = $args['location'];
        $place = strtolower($location);
        return match (true) {
            str_contains($place, 'colorado') => 'sunny',
            str_contains($place, 'amsterdam') => 'rainy',
            str_contains($place, 'san francisco') => 'foggy',
            default => "no forecast for {$location}",
        };
    },
);

(new Dispatch())->host($agent)->run();
Go
package main

import (
	"context"
	"log"
	"strings"

	"github.com/GetStream/Vision-Agents/sdks/go/agents"
	"github.com/GetStream/Vision-Agents/sdks/go/client"
	"github.com/GetStream/Vision-Agents/sdks/go/stream"
	"github.com/GetStream/Vision-Agents/sdks/go/tools"
)

type WeatherLookup struct {
	Location string `json:"location" schema:"a city or region"`
}

func weatherLookup(_ context.Context, in WeatherLookup) (any, error) {
	place := strings.ToLower(in.Location)
	switch {
	case strings.Contains(place, "colorado"):
		return "sunny", nil
	case strings.Contains(place, "amsterdam"):
		return "rainy", nil
	case strings.Contains(place, "san francisco"):
		return "foggy", nil
	}
	return "no forecast for " + in.Location, nil
}

func main() {
	api, err := client.New(stream.Backend{})
	if err != nil {
		log.Fatal(err)
	}
	agent := api.Agent("my-agent")
	if err := tools.Register(agent.Tools(), "weather_lookup", "Look up the current weather for a location", weatherLookup); err != nil {
		log.Fatal(err)
	}

	dispatch, err := agents.NewDispatch(agents.DispatchOptions{})
	if err != nil {
		log.Fatal(err)
	}
	dispatch.Host(agent, 0)
	log.Fatal(dispatch.Run(context.Background()))
}
.NET
using GetStream.VisionAgents;

using var client = new VisionAgentsClient();
var agent = client.Agent("my-agent");

agent.Tools.Register<WeatherLookup, string>("weather_lookup",
    "Look up the current weather for a location",
    (lookup, _) => Task.FromResult(Forecast(lookup.Location)));

await new Dispatch(new DispatchOptions { Client = client }).Host(agent).RunAsync();

static string Forecast(string location) => location.ToLowerInvariant() switch
{
    var place when place.Contains("colorado") => "sunny",
    var place when place.Contains("amsterdam") => "rainy",
    var place when place.Contains("san francisco") => "foggy",
    _ => $"no forecast for {location}",
};

record WeatherLookup(string Location);
Rust
use serde_json::json;
use vision_agents::{Client, Dispatch};

#[tokio::main]
async fn main() -> vision_agents::Result<()> {
    let client = Client::from_env()?;
    let agent = client.agent("my-agent");

    agent.tools.register(
        "weather_lookup",
        "Look up the current weather for a location",
        json!({
            "type": "object",
            "properties": { "location": { "type": "string", "description": "a city or region" } },
            "required": ["location"],
        }),
        |args| async move {
            let place = args["location"].as_str().unwrap_or_default().to_lowercase();
            let weather = if place.contains("colorado") {
                "sunny"
            } else if place.contains("amsterdam") {
                "rainy"
            } else if place.contains("san francisco") {
                "foggy"
            } else {
                "no forecast for that location"
            };
            Ok::<_, String>(weather)
        },
    );

    let dispatch = Dispatch::new(client);
    dispatch.host(&agent, None);
    dispatch.run().await
}

Start the worker with your language's usual run command, and leave it running in its own terminal. From now on, every session of my-agent can call weather_lookup.

Let the weather through and test

The template's guardrail turns away anything that isn't about Acme, so it would refuse a weather question before the tool is ever called. In a second terminal, edit the policy in agents/my-agent/guardrail.md to allow the weather:

Answer questions about Acme Corp: its products, plans, pricing, accounts and support,
and questions about the weather.
Greetings, thanks, goodbyes and questions about who the agent is or what it can help with
are permitted too.

Then test again. --sync uploads your changed guardrail before the test starts:

getstream agents test my-agent --sync

Ask about the weather in Amsterdam, Colorado or San Francisco. The model calls weather_lookup, your worker answers, and the agent replies with the forecast.

Approval, interruptions, progress updates and the rest are in Tool calling and dispatch. For a runnable Go agent with tools, knowledge and memory together, see the caregiving example.

Agent UI

Next, build your agent's UI in React, on Android or on iOS.

Install the SDK

Not documented for Flutter yet. Showing JavaScript.

JavaScript
npm install @stream-io/stream-agents stream-chat stream-chat-react @stream-io/video-react-sdk
Kotlin
// settings.gradle.kts: the SDK and the Stream Chat it uses come from Stream's Maven repository
dependencyResolutionManagement {
    repositories {
        google()
        mavenCentral()
        maven("https://stream-io-repo.com")
    }
}

// build.gradle.kts: needs compileSdk 37 and Kotlin 2.3 or newer
implementation("io.getstream:stream-agents-android-core:0.2.0")
implementation("io.getstream:stream-chat-android-ai-compose:7.18.0")
implementation("androidx.lifecycle:lifecycle-runtime-compose:<version>")
Swift
// Package.swift: needs iOS 15 and Xcode 27 or newer
platforms: [.iOS(.v15)],
dependencies: [
    .package(url: "https://github.com/GetStream/Vision-Agents.git", branch: "accelerate"),
    .package(url: "https://github.com/GetStream/stream-chat-swift.git", from: "5.16.0"),
],
targets: [
    .target(
        name: "MyApp",
        dependencies: [
            .product(name: "StreamAgents", package: "Vision-Agents"),
            .product(name: "StreamChatAI", package: "stream-chat-swift"),
        ]
    ),
]

Mint a token

Your users sign in with a Stream user token. Mint one for a test user with the CLI.

getstream token jlahey --ttl 2h
Info:

In production, your server mints the token when a user signs up or logs in.

Create a session

A session is one conversation between a user and your agent, by text or by voice. Open one and ask the agent something. Replace your_api_key with your app's API key (the public one, which getstream env writes to your env file) and paste_the_token_here with the token from the previous step:

Not documented for Flutter yet. Showing JavaScript.

JavaScript
import { Client, type Session } from "@stream-io/stream-agents";

// Stream's hosted router. Self-hosting covers pointing it at your own.
export const api = new Client({ apiKey: "your_api_key" });

/** Call once, when the user signs in. */
export async function signIn() {
  await api.setUser("jlahey", "paste_the_token_here");
}

/** Opens a session with the agent and asks it something. */
export async function startSession(): Promise<Session> {
  const session = await api.agent("my-agent").sessions.create();
  await session.responses.create("How do I get started with Acme?");
  return session;
}
Kotlin
val agents = StreamAgents(apiKey = "your_api_key")
agents.setUser(User(id = "jlahey"), token = "paste_the_token_here")

val session = agents.agent("my-agent").chat()
session.responses.create("How do I get started with Acme?")
Swift
import StreamAgents

let agents = StreamAgents(apiKey: "your_api_key")

/// Call once, when the user signs in.
func signIn() {
    agents.setUser(User(id: "jlahey"), token: "paste_the_token_here")
}

/// Opens a session with the agent and asks it something.
@MainActor
func startSession() async throws -> AgentSession {
    let session = try await agents.agent("my-agent").sessions.create()
    // The session's socket, which stops a reply and runs the tools this phone offers.
    await session.start()
    _ = try await session.responses.create("How do I get started with Acme?")
    return session
}

Add the chat UI

Each session's conversation is stored in a Stream Chat channel, so you show it with Stream Chat's UI components. They support thinking, tool calling, markdown, table responses, code, and UI the agent writes in A2UI or OpenUI.

Info:

Send the user's messages with session.responses.create, not to the channel. The agent doesn't answer a message posted to the channel directly. responses.create asks the agent, and Stream adds the user's message to the channel for you.

Voice sessions use the channel the same way:

  • Each thing the caller says is written to it as a message.
  • The agent's reply streams into its message while it is generated, and settles once it is spoken.
  • A reply the caller cut off is marked interrupted, and its text is usually cleared.

So render the channel for the transcript and live captions, and don't build a second transcript from session.events().

Here is how to show the UI:

Not documented for Flutter yet. Showing JavaScript.

JavaScript

In JavaScript, import @stream-io/stream-agents/chat once, or session.chat() throws (@stream-io/stream-agents/video does the same for session.video()).

import "@stream-io/stream-agents/chat";
import type { Session } from "@stream-io/stream-agents";
import { useMemo } from "react";
import type { Channel as ChatChannel, StreamChat } from "stream-chat";
import {
  AIStateIndicator,
  Channel,
  Chat,
  MessageComposer,
  MessageList,
  WithComponents,
} from "stream-chat-react";
import "stream-chat-react/css/index.css";

// The agent's replies carry `ai_generated: true`.
declare module "stream-chat" {
  interface CustomMessageData {
    ai_generated?: boolean;
  }
}

/** Opens the session's channel, as the chat's views show it. */
export async function openChat(session: Session) {
  // `session.chat()` connects to Stream Chat with the user set above.
  const { client, channel } = await session.chat();
  return {
    session,
    client: client as StreamChat,
    channel: channel as ChatChannel,
  };
}

export type AgentChat = Awaited<ReturnType<typeof openChat>>;

export const AgentConversation = ({ chat }: { chat: AgentChat }) => {
  // While the agent answers, the composer shows a Stop button. Its default sends
  // `ai_indicator.stop` to the channel, which the agent does not act on, so stop
  // the reply through the session instead.
  const StopButton = useMemo(
    () => () => (
      <button
        aria-label="Stop"
        className="str-chat__stop-ai-generation-button"
        onClick={() => chat.session.interrupt()}
        type="button"
      />
    ),
    [chat.session],
  );

  return (
    <Chat
      client={chat.client}
      // Renders the agent's replies as streaming markdown.
      isMessageAIGenerated={(message) => Boolean(message.ai_generated)}
    >
      <WithComponents overrides={{ StopAIGenerationButton: StopButton }}>
        <Channel channel={chat.channel}>
          <MessageList />
          {/* Thinking and generating states, for text and voice sessions. */}
          <AIStateIndicator />
          <MessageComposer
            overrideSubmitHandler={async ({ message }) => {
              await chat.session.responses.create(message.text ?? "");
            }}
          />
        </Channel>
      </WithComponents>
    </Chat>
  );
};

In React, isMessageAIGenerated makes MessageList render the agent's replies with streaming markdown, and AIStateIndicator shows while the agent thinks or writes. The React AI integration guide covers both. For a custom message, use the AI components such as StreamingMessage and AIMarkdown. AIConversation, among them, lays the conversation out by turn with each reply's reasoning, tool calls, approvals and sign-ins. The React assistant sample builds a complete app on them, with a list of conversations, photos, voice mode, connector sign-ins and tools that run in the browser. Step 5 adds the call audio and a listening, thinking or speaking status.

Kotlin
import android.content.Context
import androidx.activity.compose.setContent
import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Column
import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxSize
import androidx.compose.runtime.Composable
import androidx.compose.runtime.getValue
import androidx.compose.ui.Modifier
import androidx.lifecycle.compose.collectAsStateWithLifecycle
import androidx.lifecycle.lifecycleScope
import io.getstream.chat.android.ai.compose.conversation.AIMessage
import io.getstream.chat.android.ai.compose.conversation.AIMessageRole
import io.getstream.chat.android.ai.compose.parts.AIClientIdentity
import io.getstream.chat.android.ai.compose.parts.AIMessagePart
import io.getstream.chat.android.ai.compose.ui.component.AIConversation
import io.getstream.chat.android.ai.compose.ui.component.AIToolApprover
import io.getstream.chat.android.ai.compose.ui.component.ChatComposer
import io.getstream.chat.android.client.channel.state.ChannelState
import io.getstream.chat.android.models.Message
import io.getstream.agents.android.core.AgentSession
import io.getstream.agents.android.core.AgentsException
import io.getstream.agents.android.core.Conversation
import io.getstream.agents.android.core.channelState
import kotlinx.coroutines.CoroutineScope
import kotlinx.coroutines.ExperimentalCoroutinesApi
import kotlinx.coroutines.flow.SharingStarted
import kotlinx.coroutines.flow.StateFlow
import kotlinx.coroutines.flow.combine
import kotlinx.coroutines.flow.flatMapLatest
import kotlinx.coroutines.flow.flowOf
import kotlinx.coroutines.flow.map
import kotlinx.coroutines.flow.stateIn
import kotlinx.coroutines.launch

// In your activity, with the session from step 3.
lifecycleScope.launch {
    val chat = AgentChat.open(this@MainActivity, session, lifecycleScope)
    setContent { AgentConversation(chat, Modifier.fillMaxSize()) }
}

@Composable
fun AgentConversation(chat: AgentChat, modifier: Modifier = Modifier) {
    val messages by chat.messages.collectAsStateWithLifecycle()
    val answering by chat.isAnswering.collectAsStateWithLifecycle()

    Column(modifier) {
        // Each question moves to the top, and its reply streams in below it with its
        // reasoning and tool calls.
        AIConversation(
            messages = messages,
            modifier = Modifier.weight(1f),
            // The agent is on it, and its reply isn't in the channel yet.
            isThinking = answering && messages.lastOrNull()?.role != AIMessageRole.Assistant,
            // Asks the user before a tool that asks first runs.
            approver = chat.approver,
        )
        ChatComposer(
            // The agent does not answer a message sent to the channel: ask the session.
            onSendClick = { chat.send(it.text) },
            onStopClick = chat::stop,
            // While the agent answers, the composer shows a Stop button.
            isGenerating = answering,
        )
    }
}

/** The session's channel, as the AI components show it. */
@OptIn(ExperimentalCoroutinesApi::class)
class AgentChat private constructor(
    val session: AgentSession,
    val approver: AIToolApprover,
    channel: StateFlow<ChannelState?>,
    private val scope: CoroutineScope,
) {
    /** The channel's messages, oldest first, as Stream Chat keeps them up to date. */
    val messages: StateFlow<List<AgentMessage>> = channel
        .flatMapLatest { it?.messages ?: flowOf(emptyList()) }
        .map { messages -> messages.filter { it.deletedAt == null }.map(::AgentMessage) }
        .stateIn(scope, SharingStarted.Eagerly, emptyList())

    /** Whether a reply is on its way, from the first thought to the last word. */
    val isAnswering: StateFlow<Boolean> = combine(session.conversation, messages) { conversation, messages ->
        when (conversation.state) {
            Conversation.State.Responding, is Conversation.State.Working -> true
            else -> messages.lastOrNull()?.isGenerating == true
        }
    }.stateIn(scope, SharingStarted.Eagerly, false)

    fun send(text: String) {
        scope.launch {
            try {
                session.responses.create(text)
            } catch (_: AgentsException) {
                // Not sent: the user can send it again.
            }
        }
    }

    /** Stops the reply in flight. What was written so far is kept. */
    fun stop() {
        scope.launch {
            try {
                session.interrupt()
            } catch (_: AgentsException) {
                // The reply finished first.
            }
        }
    }

    companion object {
        /** Opens the session's channel. Pass a [scope] on the main thread, such as `lifecycleScope`. */
        suspend fun open(context: Context, session: AgentSession, scope: CoroutineScope): AgentChat {
            // The user set above, who answers the calls the agent addresses to them.
            val approver = AIToolApprover("jlahey", AIClientIdentity.installId(context), scope) { call, allowed ->
                session.decide(call.id, allowed)
            }
            // Connects to Stream Chat as the user set above and watches the session's channel.
            return AgentChat(session, approver, session.channelState(context, scope), scope)
        }
    }
}

/** A message of the channel, as the AI components show it. */
data class AgentMessage(val message: Message) : AIMessage {
    override val id: String = message.id
    // The agent's replies carry `ai_generated: true`.
    override val role: AIMessageRole =
        if (message.extraData["ai_generated"] == true) AIMessageRole.Assistant else AIMessageRole.User
    override val text: String = message.text
    override val isGenerating: Boolean = message.extraData["generating"] == true
    // The reply's reasoning and tool calls, which the router writes as its attachments. Stream Chat
    // lifts `name` out of an attachment's fields, and a tool call's step needs it back.
    override val parts: List<AIMessagePart> = AIMessagePart.parts(
        message.attachments.map { it.type.orEmpty() to it.extraData + ("name" to it.name) },
    )
}

On Android, the views are the AI components of stream-chat-android-ai-compose, and the agents SDK brings no views of its own. Stream Chat's client, which channelState watches the channel with, comes with the agents SDK. AIConversation shows each reply's reasoning and tool calls above its streaming markdown answer, and shows the agent thinking until the reply has something to show. AIToolApprover asks the user before a tool that asks first runs, and answers with session.decide(call.id, allowed). It keeps the user's answers, so in an app, open the chat in a ViewModel and pass its viewModelScope. ChatComposer asks for the microphone the first time the user taps dictation; RECORD_AUDIO is already in your manifest, from Stream Video, which comes with the agents SDK. Its photo picker needs no permission, but send here passes only the text: responses.create takes photos as images. The Android assistant sample builds a complete app on them, with a list of conversations, photos, voice mode, connector sign-ins and tools that run on the phone.

Swift
import Combine
import StreamChat
import StreamChatAI
import SwiftUI
import StreamAgents

/// Opens a session with the agent, and shows it once its channel is open.
struct AgentScreen: View {
    @State private var transport: AgentTransport?

    var body: some View {
        if let transport {
            AgentConversation(transport: transport)
        } else {
            ProgressView()
                .task { transport = try? await AgentTransport(startSession()) }
        }
    }
}

struct AgentConversation: View {
    @StateObject private var conversation: AIConversation<AgentMessage>

    init(transport: AgentTransport) {
        _conversation = StateObject(
            wrappedValue: AIConversation(transport: transport, approver: transport.approver)
        )
    }

    var body: some View {
        // Each question moves to the top, and its reply streams in below it with its
        // reasoning and tool calls. While the agent writes, the composer shows a Stop button.
        AIConversationView(conversation: conversation)
            .safeAreaInset(edge: .bottom) {
                AIComposerView(conversation: conversation)
            }
    }
}

/// Connects the AI components to the session: they show its channel, and ask the session.
@MainActor
final class AgentTransport: AIConversationTransport {
    let session: AgentSession
    private let channel: ChatChannelController
    private var subscription: AnyCancellable?

    init(_ session: AgentSession) async throws {
        self.session = session
        // `session.chat()` connects to Stream Chat as the user set above and opens the session's channel.
        channel = try await session.chat()
        // The session's socket, which stops a reply and runs the tools this phone offers.
        await session.start()
    }

    func connect(_ feed: AIConversationFeed<AgentMessage>) {
        // The channel lists its messages newest first, the conversation oldest first.
        let publish = { [channel] in
            feed.update(messages: channel.messages.reversed().map(AgentMessage.init))
        }
        subscription = channel.messagesChangesPublisher.sink { _ in publish() }
        channel.synchronize { _ in publish() }
    }

    // The agent does not answer a message sent to the channel: ask the session.
    func send(_ request: AIConversationRequest<AgentMessage>) async throws {
        _ = try await session.responses.create(request.text)
    }

    func stop() async throws {
        try await session.interrupt()
    }

    /// Answers the tools that ask before they run.
    var approver: AIToolApprover {
        AIToolApprover(userID: agents.backend.user?.id ?? "", clientID: AIClientIdentity.installID) { call, allowed in
            try await self.session.decide(call.id, allowed: allowed)
        }
    }
}

/// A message of the channel, as the AI components show it.
struct AgentMessage: AIMessage {
    let message: ChatMessage

    var id: MessageId { message.id }
    // The agent's replies carry `ai_generated: true`.
    var role: AIMessageRole {
        message.extraData["ai_generated"]?.boolValue == true ? .assistant : .user
    }
    var text: String { message.text }
    var isGenerating: Bool { message.extraData["generating"]?.boolValue == true }
    // The reply's reasoning and tool calls, which the router writes as its attachments.
    var parts: [AIMessagePart] {
        AIMessagePart.parts(from: message.allAttachments.map { ($0.type.rawValue, $0.payload) })
    }
}

On iOS, the views are the AI components of StreamChatAI, and StreamAgents brings no views of its own. StreamChat, which the snippet imports for the channel, comes with StreamAgents. AIConversation holds the conversation's state, and the transport connects it to the session. AIConversationView shows the reply's reasoning and tool calls above its streaming markdown answer, and shows the agent thinking until the reply has something to show. The transport's approver lets the user answer a tool that asks first, with session.decide(call.id, allowed: allowed). The composer's photo picker and dictation need the camera, photo library, microphone and speech recognition usage descriptions in your Info.plist. The Swift assistant sample builds a complete app on them, with a list of conversations, photos, voice mode, connector sign-ins and tools that run on the phone.

Add the voice UI

A voice session puts the agent on a call. Your app joins that call, and the agent hears the user and answers out loud. What is said on the call is written into the session's channel, so the chat's views show the transcript here too. The code builds on the client and session from the earlier steps, and on the chat UI. Add a glow that shows whether the agent is listening, thinking or speaking, and buttons to mute and hang up:

Not documented for Flutter yet. Showing JavaScript.

JavaScript
import { VoiceSession } from "@stream-io/stream-agents/video";
import {
  ParticipantsAudio,
  StreamCall,
  StreamVideo,
  useCallStateHooks,
} from "@stream-io/video-react-sdk";
import { useEffect, useSyncExternalStore } from "react";
import { Channel, Chat, MessageList } from "stream-chat-react";
import { VoiceGlow } from "stream-chat-react/ai-components";

/** Starts a session with voice on, and opens its transcript. Call it from a click. */
export async function startVoice() {
  // The agent joins the session's call right away.
  const voice = await VoiceSession.start(api.agent("my-agent"));
  // What is said on the call is written into the session's channel, so the chat's views show it.
  return { voice, chat: await openChat(voice.session) };
}

export const AgentVoice = ({
  voice,
  chat,
}: {
  voice: VoiceSession;
  chat: AgentChat;
}) => {
  // What the agent is doing, in the states the glow takes.
  const { call, client, muted, status } = useSyncExternalStore(
    voice.subscribe,
    voice.get,
  );

  // Joins the call from this device, with the microphone on. Run twice, it joins once.
  useEffect(() => {
    voice
      .join()
      .catch((error: unknown) =>
        console.error("Could not join the call", error),
      );
  }, [voice]);

  return (
    <div>
      <VoiceGlow state={status} style={{ width: 240, height: 240 }} />
      {call && client && (
        <StreamVideo client={client}>
          <StreamCall call={call}>
            <AgentAudio />
          </StreamCall>
        </StreamVideo>
      )}
      {/* What the user said and the agent's replies, as in the chat. */}
      <Chat
        client={chat.client}
        isMessageAIGenerated={(message) => Boolean(message.ai_generated)}
      >
        <Channel channel={chat.channel}>
          <MessageList />
        </Channel>
      </Chat>
      <button onClick={() => void voice.setMuted(!muted)}>
        {muted ? "Unmute" : "Mute"}
      </button>
      {/* Leaves the call and ends the session this page started. */}
      <button onClick={() => void voice.leave()}>Hang up</button>
    </div>
  );
};

/** Plays the agent. */
const AgentAudio = () => {
  const { useRemoteParticipants } = useCallStateHooks();
  return <ParticipantsAudio participants={useRemoteParticipants()} />;
};

VoiceSession joins the call with Stream Video, signed in as the user you passed to setUser. join() rejects if joining fails, for example because the user denied microphone access. Call startVoice() from a click: a browser asks for the microphone and plays audio only after one. voice.session is a regular Session, so openChat from step 4 works here too, and the agent's replies stream into the transcript as they're generated. status is worked out for you: speaking comes from the call, and the agent is thinking until its reply is heard, since a reply is written before it is spoken. Import VoiceSession from @stream-io/stream-agents/video, which brings in @stream-io/video-client with the Video React SDK from step 1, so don't install that separately.

VoiceGlow is one of the React SDK's AI components, in stream-chat-react/ai-components from version 14.14. For a waveform instead of a glow, use VoiceWave, which takes the same states. To show the agent what the camera sees, join with voice.join({ camera: true }) or call voice.setCameraEnabled(true). The camera starts on the back lens where there is one, and the agent looks through it when asked, if its config has the vision skill and a vision subagent.

An agent made from the text template talks with Stream's default speech-to-text and text-to-speech models. Make it with --template voice to choose those models and add a greeting. To switch an open chat to voice, call session.voice.start(), then join with VoiceSession.of(session). Leaving then leaves the session running; voice.end() ends it. The voice mode of the React assistant sample does this.

Kotlin
import io.getstream.chat.android.ai.compose.ui.component.AIVoiceAgentState
import io.getstream.chat.android.ai.compose.ui.component.AIVoiceGlow
import io.getstream.agents.android.core.Conversation
import io.getstream.agents.android.core.SessionOptions
import io.getstream.agents.android.core.VoiceSession

/** Starts a session with voice on. Ask for RECORD_AUDIO before you call it. */
suspend fun startVoice(context: Context): VoiceSession =
    // The agent joins the session's call right away.
    VoiceSession.start(context, agents, SessionOptions(agent = "my-agent"))

@Composable
fun AgentVoice(voice: VoiceSession) {
    val scope = rememberCoroutineScope()
    val call by voice.call.collectAsStateWithLifecycle()
    val muted by voice.isMuted.collectAsStateWithLifecycle()
    val conversation by voice.session.conversation.collectAsStateWithLifecycle()
    // Who on the call is speaking: the agent, or the person holding the phone.
    val speakers by remember(call) { call?.state?.activeSpeakers ?: MutableStateFlow(emptyList()) }
        .collectAsStateWithLifecycle()

    // Joins the call from this device, with the microphone on and the agent on the speaker.
    LaunchedEffect(voice) { voice.join() }

    // Speaking comes from the call: a reply is written before it is spoken.
    val state = when {
        call == null -> AIVoiceAgentState.Connecting
        speakers.any { !it.isLocal } -> AIVoiceAgentState.Speaking
        speakers.any { it.isLocal } -> AIVoiceAgentState.Listening
        else -> when (conversation.state) {
            Conversation.State.Listening -> AIVoiceAgentState.Listening
            Conversation.State.Responding, is Conversation.State.Working -> AIVoiceAgentState.Thinking
            else -> AIVoiceAgentState.Idle
        }
    }

    Column(horizontalAlignment = Alignment.CenterHorizontally, verticalArrangement = Arrangement.spacedBy(16.dp)) {
        AIVoiceGlow(state = state, modifier = Modifier.size(240.dp))
        // What the user said and the agent's replies.
        LazyColumn(Modifier.weight(1f)) {
            items(conversation.turns) { turn -> Text(turn.text) }
        }
        Row(horizontalArrangement = Arrangement.spacedBy(24.dp)) {
            Button(onClick = { voice.setMuted(!muted) }) { Text(if (muted) "Unmute" else "Mute") }
            // Leaves the call and ends the session this device started.
            Button(onClick = { scope.launch { voice.leave() } }) { Text("Hang up") }
        }
    }
}

VoiceSession joins the call with Stream Video, signed in as the user you passed to setUser. join() doesn't throw. If joining fails, for example because the app doesn't hold RECORD_AUDIO, the error is in voice.failure, so ask for the microphone before startVoice. voice.session is a regular AgentSession, so AgentChat.open from step 4 works here too. conversation holds the turns, each reply growing as it is generated. You don't need to add Stream Video to your app: it comes with the agents SDK.

AIVoiceGlow is one of the AI components of stream-chat-android-ai-compose, from step 1. For a waveform instead of a glow, use AIVoiceWave, which takes the same states.

An agent made from the text template talks with Stream's default speech-to-text and text-to-speech models. Make it with --template voice to choose those models and add a greeting. To switch an open chat to voice, call session.startVoice(), then join with VoiceSession.attach(context, agents, session.id). voice.end() ends the session whoever started it. The voice mode of the Android assistant sample does this.

Swift
import StreamChatAI
import StreamVideo
import SwiftUI
import StreamAgents

/// Starts a session with voice on, and opens its transcript.
@MainActor
func startVoice() async throws -> (voice: VoiceSession, transcript: AgentTransport) {
    // The agent joins the session's call right away.
    let voice = try await VoiceSession.start(agents: agents, agent: "my-agent")
    // The session's socket, which follows what the agent is doing and runs the tools this phone offers.
    await voice.session.start()
    // What is said on the call is written into the session's channel, so the chat's views show it.
    return (voice, try await AgentTransport(voice.session))
}

struct AgentVoice: View {
    @ObservedObject var voice: VoiceSession
    @StateObject private var transcript: AIConversation<AgentMessage>

    init(voice: VoiceSession, transcript: AgentTransport) {
        self.voice = voice
        _transcript = StateObject(
            wrappedValue: AIConversation(transport: transcript, approver: transcript.approver)
        )
    }

    var body: some View {
        VStack(spacing: 16) {
            if let call = voice.call {
                AgentStatus(voice: voice, call: call.state)
            } else {
                AIVoiceGlowView(state: .connecting)
                    .frame(width: 240, height: 240)
            }
            // What the user said and the agent's replies, as in the chat.
            AIConversationView(conversation: transcript)
            HStack(spacing: 24) {
                Button {
                    Task { await voice.setMuted(!voice.isMuted) }
                } label: {
                    Image(systemName: voice.isMuted ? "mic.slash.fill" : "mic.fill")
                }
                // Leaves the call and ends the session this device started.
                Button(role: .destructive) {
                    Task { await voice.leave() }
                } label: {
                    Image(systemName: "phone.down.fill")
                }
            }
            .font(.title2)
            .buttonStyle(.bordered)
        }
        // Joins the call from this device, with the microphone on and the agent on the speaker.
        .task { await voice.join() }
    }
}

/// What the agent is doing, as the glow shows it.
struct AgentStatus: View {
    @ObservedObject var voice: VoiceSession
    // The call's participants, and which of them is speaking.
    @ObservedObject var call: CallState

    var body: some View {
        AIVoiceGlowView(state: state)
            .frame(width: 240, height: 240)
    }

    private var state: AIVoiceAgentState {
        // Speaking comes from the call: a reply is written before it is spoken,
        // and is done before the agent stops talking.
        if call.remoteParticipants.contains(where: \.isSpeaking) { return .speaking }
        if call.localParticipant?.isSpeaking == true { return .listening }
        switch voice.session.state {
        case .listening: return .listening
        case .responding, .working: return .thinking
        case .idle, .ended: return .idle
        }
    }
}

VoiceSession joins the call with Stream Video, signed in as the user you passed to setUser. join() doesn't throw. If joining fails, for example because the user denied microphone access, the error is in voice.failure. voice.session is a regular AgentSession, so the AgentTransport from step 4 works here too, and the agent's replies stream into the transcript as they're generated. You don't need to add StreamVideo to your package: it comes with StreamAgents.

AIVoiceGlowView is one of StreamChatAI's AI components. For a waveform instead of a glow, use AIVoiceWaveView, which takes the same states. Add a microphone usage description to your Info.plist. Without it, iOS closes the app when it asks for the microphone.

An agent made from the text template talks with Stream's default speech-to-text and text-to-speech models. Make it with --template voice to choose those models and add a greeting. To switch an open chat to voice, call session.startVoice(), then join with VoiceSession.attach(agents:sessionID:). The voice mode of the Swift assistant sample does this.

Going further