> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.rumik.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# cookbook

> step-by-step guides for building with rumik tts.

practical, build-it-from-scratch guides. each one is a complete walkthrough you
can follow start to finish, in plain language, with every command and file you
need.

## build a voice agent

a voice agent listens to a person, thinks, and talks back, all in real time. the
loop is always the same four steps:

```
 you speak  →  STT (speech to text)  →  LLM (the brain)  →  rumik TTS (text to speech)  →  it speaks
```

silk is the **last step**: it turns the agent's reply into natural
speech. these guides wire up the whole loop around it. pick your framework:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="with pipecat" icon="diagram-project" href="/cookbook/voice-agent-pipecat">
    build a voice agent using pipecat, an open-source framework for real-time voice.
  </Card>

  <Card title="with livekit" icon="tower-broadcast" href="/cookbook/voice-agent-livekit">
    build a voice agent using livekit agents, with rooms and telephony built in.
  </Card>

  <Card title="pipecat + livekit transport" icon="merge" href="/cookbook/voice-agent-pipecat-livekit">
    use livekit just for WebRTC transport while pipecat orchestrates the pipeline.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## which framework?

both give you a production-ready real-time agent. the difference is what they
ship around the voice loop:

|              | pipecat                                              | livekit                                                |
| ------------ | ---------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ |
| best for     | a lightweight, code-first pipeline you fully control | rooms, web/mobile SDKs, and phone calls out of the box |
| transport    | brings its own                                       | livekit's WebRTC rooms                                 |
| rumik plugin | [`pipecat-rumik`](/pipecat)                          | [`livekit-plugins-rumik-ai`](/livekit)                 |

new to both? **start with pipecat**, it's the shortest path to hearing your agent
talk.

<Note>
  these guides assume you can run python and use a terminal. you do not need prior
  experience with voice agents.
</Note>