Dear : VAPI On outbound calls, the assistant should start speaking only after the client answers, but right now it speaks while the phone is still ringing. Even with a long first message, the client often hears only part of it or just the end. I’ve tried all possible API configurations. There needs to be proper answer detection before the assistant begins talking on outbound calls. I'm open to provide any example needed but I believe I explained the core concept. I appreciate any help on this. thankyou

To help ensure the assistant waits before speaking on outbound calls, try setting the

firstMessageMode

to

"assistant-waits-for-user"

in your assistant configuration. This instructs the assistant to wait for the user to say something before delivering the first message:

json
{
  "firstMessageMode": "assistant-waits-for-user"
}

This may help prevent the assistant from speaking during ringing, though full answer detection on outbound calls is not explicitly documented as supported. For more details, see the [Vapi documentation](https://docs.vapi.ai/assistants/quickstart). Source: - [Assistants quickstart](https://docs.vapi.ai/assistants/quickstart)

no i want assistant to speak first but only when call is connected

man help me for fuck sake

Hey! To help track down this issue, could you share: \- The call ID \- When exactly this happened (the timestamp) \- What response you expected to get \- What response you actually got instead This would really help us figure out what went wrong!

call id 0199a4ae-ee5e-7cce-ab04-b33c2714f15a i have given one id only but all me calls all of my calls are like this i expected first full message now i have added dummy data to first message so that user hears real part of first message but that didnt work too cus sometime user hear part of dummy data some times he just listen real first message and sometime even after adding dummy message the user dont even hear real message i have added dummy message so my first message becomes long

We will review the logs and get back to you. The assistant should only be speaking after the call has been answered. In the meantime, could you please provide some information about your phone provider?

im using twilio and vici dialer

im using twilio and vici dialer and facing same problem on both please be quick

We’ve reviewed the logs and the bot is starting almost immediately after the call session is created. This happens when the dialer or carrier passes early media (progress audio) into Vapi before the customer has actually answered the call. Since Vapi sees this as a live connection, the bot begins speaking right away. --- How to Fix It 1. Check Vici Dialer settings - Make sure calls are only bridged to Vapi after answer supervision (200 OK). If Vici sends media before the callee picks up, the bot will always speak too soon. 2. Twilio configuration - If you’re using Twilio, confirm you’re dialing with

answerOnBridge=true

. This prevents Twilio from sending media until the call is answered. 3. Optional delay - If needed, you can add a short (1–2s) buffer in Vapi before the bot speaks, to cover cases where the answer signal is slightly delayed. --- Summary: The issue isn’t with Vapi’s timing, but with when the call is being bridged. Adjusting your Vici/Twilio settings to wait for answer will ensure the bot only speaks once the customer actually picks up.