---

name: create-assistant description: Create and configure Vapi voice AI assistants with models, voices, transcribers, tools, hooks, and advanced settings. Use when building voice agents, phone bots, customer support assistants, or any conversational AI that handles phone or web calls. license: MIT compatibility: Requires internet access and a Vapi API key (VAPI_API_KEY). metadata: author: vapi version: "1.0"

Vapi Assistant Creation

Create fully configured voice AI assistants using the Vapi API. Assistants combine a language model, voice, and transcriber to handle real-time phone and web conversations.

Setup: Ensure VAPI_API_KEY is set. See the setup-api-key skill if needed.

Quick Start

cURL

curl -X POST https://api.vapi.ai/assistant \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $VAPI_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Support Assistant",
    "firstMessage": "Hello! How can I help you today?",
    "model": {
      "provider": "openai",
      "model": "gpt-4.1",
      "messages": [
        {
          "role": "system",
          "content": "You are a friendly phone support assistant. Keep responses concise and under 30 words."
        }
      ]
    },
    "voice": {
      "provider": "vapi",
      "voiceId": "Elliot"
    },
    "transcriber": {
      "provider": "deepgram",
      "model": "nova-3",
      "language": "en"
    }
  }'

TypeScript (Server SDK)

import { VapiClient } from "@vapi-ai/server-sdk";

const vapi = new VapiClient({ token: process.env.VAPI_API_KEY! });

const assistant = await vapi.assistants.create({
  name: "Support Assistant",
  firstMessage: "Hello! How can I help you today?",
  model: {
    provider: "openai",
    model: "gpt-4.1",
    messages: [
      {
        role: "system",
        content: "You are a friendly phone support assistant. Keep responses concise and under 30 words.",
      },
    ],
  },
  voice: {
    provider: "vapi",
    voiceId: "Elliot",
  },
  transcriber: {
    provider: "deepgram",
    model: "nova-3",
    language: "en",
  },
});

console.log("Assistant created:", assistant.id);

Python

import requests
import os

response = requests.post(
    "https://api.vapi.ai/assistant",
    headers={
        "Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['VAPI_API_KEY']}",
        "Content-Type": "application/json",
    },
    json={
        "name": "Support Assistant",
        "firstMessage": "Hello! How can I help you today?",
        "model": {
            "provider": "openai",
            "model": "gpt-4.1",
            "messages": [
                {
                    "role": "system",
                    "content": "You are a friendly phone support assistant. Keep responses concise and under 30 words.",
                }
            ],
        },
        "voice": {"provider": "vapi", "voiceId": "Elliot"},
        "transcriber": {"provider": "deepgram", "model": "nova-3", "language": "en"},
    },
)

assistant = response.json()
print(f"Assistant created: {assistant['id']}")

Core Configuration

Model (required)

The language model powering the assistant's intelligence.

Provider	Models	Notes
openai	gpt-4o, gpt-4o-mini, gpt-4-turbo	Most popular, best tool calling
anthropic	claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022, claude-3-5-haiku-20241022	Strong reasoning
google	gemini-1.5-pro, gemini-1.5-flash	Multimodal capable
groq	llama-3.1-70b-versatile, llama-3.1-8b-instant	Ultra-fast inference
deepinfra	meta-llama/Meta-Llama-3.1-70B-Instruct	Open-source models
openrouter	Various	Access 100+ models
perplexity	llama-3.1-sonar-large-128k-online	Web-connected
together-ai	Various open-source	Cost-effective

{
  "model": {
    "provider": "openai",
    "model": "gpt-4.1",
    "temperature": 0.7,
    "maxTokens": 1000,
    "messages": [
      {
        "role": "system",
        "content": "Your system prompt here. Define the assistant's personality, rules, and behavior."
      }
    ]
  }
}

Voice

The text-to-speech voice for the assistant.

Provider	Popular Voices	Notes
vapi	Elliot, Lily, Rohan, Paola, Kian	Vapi's optimized voices, lowest latency
11labs	Use voice IDs from ElevenLabs	High quality, many voices
playht	Use voice IDs from PlayHT	Expressive voices
cartesia	Use voice IDs from Cartesia	Fast, high quality
openai	alloy, echo, fable, onyx, nova, shimmer	OpenAI TTS voices
azure	Azure voice names	Enterprise-grade
deepgram	aura-asteria-en, aura-luna-en	Low latency
rime-ai	Use voice IDs from Rime	Specialized voices

{
  "voice": {
    "provider": "vapi",
    "voiceId": "Elliot"
  }
}

Transcriber

The speech-to-text engine for understanding callers.

Provider	Models	Notes
deepgram	nova-3, nova-2	Fastest, most accurate
google	latest_long, latest_short	Google Cloud STT
gladia	fast, accurate	European provider
assembly-ai	best, nano	High accuracy
speechmatics	Various	Enterprise STT
talkscriber	Default	Specialized

{
  "transcriber": {
    "provider": "deepgram",
    "model": "nova-3",
    "language": "en",
    "keywords": ["Vapi:2", "AI:1"]
  }
}

The keywords field boosts recognition of specific words (word:boost format, boost 1-10).

Behavior Configuration

First Message

{
  "firstMessage": "Hello! Thanks for calling Acme Corp. How can I help you today?",
  "firstMessageMode": "assistant-speaks-first"
}

firstMessageMode options:

• "assistant-speaks-first" — Assistant greets immediately (default)
• "assistant-waits-for-user" — Assistant waits for caller to speak first
• "assistant-speaks-first-with-model-generated-message" — LLM generates the greeting

Background Sound

{
  "backgroundSound": "office"
}

Options: "off", "office", "static"

Backchanneling

Enable natural conversational acknowledgments ("uh-huh", "I see"):

{
  "backgroundDenoisingEnabled": true,
  "backchannelingEnabled": true
}

HIPAA Compliance

{
  "hipaaEnabled": true
}

When enabled, Vapi won't store call recordings or transcripts.

Adding Tools

Attach tools so the assistant can take actions during calls.

Using saved tool IDs

{
  "model": {
    "provider": "openai",
    "model": "gpt-4.1",
    "toolIds": ["tool-id-1", "tool-id-2"],
    "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "..."}]
  }
}

Inline tool definition

{
  "model": {
    "provider": "openai",
    "model": "gpt-4.1",
    "tools": [
      {
        "type": "function",
        "function": {
          "name": "check_availability",
          "description": "Check appointment availability for a given date",
          "parameters": {
            "type": "object",
            "properties": {
              "date": {
                "type": "string",
                "description": "Date in YYYY-MM-DD format"
              }
            },
            "required": ["date"]
          }
        },
        "server": {
          "url": "https://your-server.com/api/tools"
        }
      }
    ],
    "messages": [{"role": "system", "content": "..."}]
  }
}

Hooks

Automate actions when specific call events occur. See hooks reference for details.

{
  "hooks": [
    {
      "on": "customer.speech.timeout",
      "options": {
        "timeoutSeconds": 10,
        "triggerMaxCount": 3
      },
      "do": [
        {
          "type": "say",
          "exact": "Are you still there?"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "on": "call.ending",
      "filters": [
        {
          "type": "oneOf",
          "key": "call.endedReason",
          "oneOf": ["pipeline-error"]
        }
      ],
      "do": [
        {
          "type": "tool",
          "tool": {
            "type": "transferCall",
            "destinations": [
              {
                "type": "number",
                "number": "+1234567890"
              }
            ]
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Managing Assistants

List

curl https://api.vapi.ai/assistant \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $VAPI_API_KEY"

Get

curl https://api.vapi.ai/assistant/{id} \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $VAPI_API_KEY"

Update

curl -X PATCH https://api.vapi.ai/assistant/{id} \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $VAPI_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "firstMessage": "Updated greeting!"
  }'

Delete

curl -X DELETE https://api.vapi.ai/assistant/{id} \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $VAPI_API_KEY"

Common Patterns

Customer Support Agent

{
  "name": "Customer Support",
  "firstMessage": "Thank you for calling! How can I assist you today?",
  "model": {
    "provider": "openai",
    "model": "gpt-4.1",
    "messages": [
      {
        "role": "system",
        "content": "You are a helpful customer support agent for Acme Corp. Be empathetic, concise, and solution-oriented. If you cannot resolve an issue, offer to transfer to a human agent. Keep responses under 30 words."
      }
    ]
  },
  "voice": { "provider": "vapi", "voiceId": "Lily" },
  "transcriber": { "provider": "deepgram", "model": "nova-3", "language": "en" },
  "backchannelingEnabled": true
}

Appointment Scheduler

{
  "name": "Appointment Scheduler",
  "firstMessage": "Hi there! I can help you schedule an appointment. What date works best for you?",
  "model": {
    "provider": "openai",
    "model": "gpt-4.1",
    "messages": [
      {
        "role": "system",
        "content": "You are an appointment scheduling assistant. Collect the customer's preferred date, time, and service type. Confirm details before booking. Be friendly and efficient."
      }
    ],
    "tools": [
      {
        "type": "function",
        "function": {
          "name": "book_appointment",
          "description": "Book an appointment for the given date, time, and service",
          "parameters": {
            "type": "object",
            "properties": {
              "date": { "type": "string", "description": "YYYY-MM-DD" },
              "time": { "type": "string", "description": "HH:MM in 24h format" },
              "service": { "type": "string", "description": "Type of service" },
              "name": { "type": "string", "description": "Customer name" }
            },
            "required": ["date", "time", "service", "name"]
          }
        },
        "server": { "url": "https://your-server.com/api/book" }
      }
    ]
  },
  "voice": { "provider": "vapi", "voiceId": "Paola" },
  "transcriber": { "provider": "deepgram", "model": "nova-3", "language": "en" }
}

Multilingual Agent

{
  "name": "Multilingual Support",
  "firstMessage": "Hello! How can I help you? / Hola! Como puedo ayudarte?",
  "model": {
    "provider": "openai",
    "model": "gpt-4.1",
    "messages": [
      {
        "role": "system",
        "content": "You are a multilingual support assistant. Detect the caller's language and respond in the same language. You support English and Spanish."
      }
    ]
  },
  "voice": { "provider": "vapi", "voiceId": "Paola" },
  "transcriber": { "provider": "deepgram", "model": "nova-3", "language": "multi" }
}

References

• Hooks Configuration — Complete hook events and actions
• Voice & Model Providers — All supported providers and models
• Vapi API Docs — Official documentation

Additional Resources

This skills repository includes a Vapi documentation MCP server (vapi-docs) that gives your AI agent access to the full Vapi knowledge base. Use the searchDocs tool to look up anything beyond what this skill covers — advanced configuration, troubleshooting, SDK details, and more.

Auto-configured: If you cloned or installed these skills, the MCP server is already configured via .mcp.json (Claude Code), .cursor/mcp.json (Cursor), or .vscode/mcp.json (VS Code Copilot).

Manual setup: If your agent doesn't auto-detect the config, run:

claude mcp add vapi-docs -- npx -y mcp-remote https://docs.vapi.ai/_mcp/server

See the README for full setup instructions across all supported agents.