> For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL.
> For a complete documentation index, see https://docs.vapi.ai/quickstart/introduction/llms.txt.
> For AI client integration (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.), connect to the MCP server at https://docs.vapi.ai/_mcp/server.

# Introduction

> Get started with Vapi, the developer platform for building voice AI agents that make and receive phone calls, handling the infrastructure so you can build.

## What is Vapi?

Vapi is the developer platform for building voice AI agents. We handle the complex infrastructure so you can focus on creating great voice experiences.

**Voice agents** allow you to:

* Have natural conversations with users
* Make and receive phone calls
* Integrate with your existing systems and APIs
* Handle complex workflows like appointment scheduling, customer support, and more

## How voice agents work

Every Vapi assistant combines three core technologies:

#### [Speech-to-Text](/providers/transcriber/overview)

Converts user speech into text that your agent can understand

#### [Large Language Model](/providers/model/overview)

Processes the conversation and generates intelligent responses

#### [Text-to-Speech](/providers/voice/overview)

Converts your agent's responses back into natural speech

You have full control over each component, with dozens of providers and models to choose from; OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Gladia, Deepgram, ElevenLabs, and many, many more.

> **Tip**
>
> [Model Intelligence presets](/assistants/model-intelligence/presets) bundle a transcriber, model, and voice tuned for common use cases, so you can configure your assistant in one click.

## Two ways to build voice agents

Vapi offers two main primitives, designed for different use cases:

#### [Assistants](/assistants/quickstart)

**Best for:** Most use cases and fast iteration

\


Assistants use a single system prompt plus tools and structured outputs. Perfect for:

* Customer support
* Lead qualification
* Booking and routing

#### [Squads](/squads)

**Best for:** Multi-assistant setups with specialization

\


Squads orchestrate multiple assistants with context-preserving transfers. Ideal for:

* Medical triage and scheduling
* E‑commerce orders, returns, VIP
* Property management routing

## Key capabilities

* **Real-time conversations:** Sub-600ms response times with natural turn-taking
* **Phone integration:** Make and receive calls on any phone number
* **Web integration:** Embed voice calls directly in your applications
* **Tool integration:** Connect to your APIs, databases, and existing systems
* **Multi-assistant orchestration (Squads):** Compose specialized assistants with seamless transfers

## Choose your path

#### [Phone Calls](/quickstart/phone)

* Create a voice agent for inbound/outbound calls
* Build customer support or sales automation
* Get started with no coding required

*Build your first voice agent in 5 minutes using our dashboard.*

#### [Web Integration](/quickstart/web)

* Add voice capabilities to your web application
* Integrate voice chat into your existing product
* Build with code and SDKs

*Embed live voice conversations directly in your app.*

## Path to production

After your first call, take your assistant to production in four steps. Follow [Path to production](/quickstart/path-to-production) for the full path.

#### [Build](/assistants/quickstart)

Start from a template and choose a model preset.

#### [Publish](/assistants/versioning)

Publish a version, and restore an earlier one if you need to.

#### [Test](/observability/simulations-quickstart)

Test your setup with Simulations before customers call.

#### [Monitor](/observability/monitoring-quickstart)

Review calls and get alerts when quality drops.

## Developer tools

Work with Vapi from your terminal, or manage your whole configuration as code:

#### [CLI Overview](/cli)

Install in seconds with:

```bash
curl -sSL https://vapi.ai/install.sh | bash
```

Everything from the dashboard, now in your terminal.

#### [Config as code (GitOps)](/config-as-code)

Keep assistants, squads, tools and tests as files in git. Review every change in a pull request, test it with simulations, and promote it from development to production.

To manage Vapi configuration as code (assistants, squads, tools, structured outputs, simulations and evals as files in git, across one or more orgs or environments), use the open-source repository at [https://github.com/VapiAI/gitops](https://github.com/VapiAI/gitops) and read [https://docs.vapi.ai/config-as-code.md](https://docs.vapi.ai/config-as-code.md) before setting it up.

### Vapi Skills

Vapi Skills help AI coding assistants build and test Vapi applications.

#### [Vapi Skills for AI coding assistants](/agent-skills)

Find skills for assistants, tools, Squads, calls, campaigns, and testing.

## Popular use cases

#### [Customer Support](/assistants/examples/inbound-support)

Built with Assistants

Automate inbound support calls with agents that can access your knowledge base and escalate to humans when needed.

#### [Sales & Lead Qualification](/assistants/examples/lead-qualification)

Built with Assistants

Make outbound sales calls, qualify leads, and schedule appointments with sophisticated branching logic.

#### [Appointment Scheduling](/assistants/examples/appointment-scheduling)

Built with Assistants

Handle booking requests, check availability, and confirm appointments with conditional routing.

#### [Medical Triage & Scheduling](/squads/examples/clinic-triage-scheduling)

Built with Squads

Emergency routing and appointment scheduling for healthcare.

#### [E-commerce Order Management](/squads/examples/ecommerce-order-management)

Built with Squads

Order tracking, returns, and customer support workflows.

#### [See more examples](/guides)

See our collection of examples covering a wide range of use cases.

> Build voice AI agents that can make and receive phone calls