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Go from zero to a working voice agent you can call from your phone. By the end, you’ll have a LiveKit agent deployed on Telnyx infrastructure, connected to a real phone number.

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Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure you have:
  • A Telnyx account
  • A Telnyx API key (generate one in the portal)
  • A secret key you create and keep safe — this is your LIVEKIT_API_SECRET
  • Python ≥ 3.10
  • LiveKit CLI (lk) version 2.16.0 or later
Verify your CLI version: 
lk version

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Step 1: Configure the CLI

Set your environment variables to point at a Telnyx LiveKit region: 
export LIVEKIT_URL=https://<region>.livekit-telnyx.com
export LIVEKIT_API_KEY=<your-telnyx-api-key>
export LIVEKIT_API_SECRET=<your-secret>

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Available regions

RegionURL
New Yorknyc1.livekit-telnyx.com
San Franciscosfo3.livekit-telnyx.com
Atlantaatl1.livekit-telnyx.com
Sydneysyd1.livekit-telnyx.com
Choose the region closest to your users for the lowest latency.

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Step 2: Set up telephony

To receive phone calls, you need a phone number (DID) pointed at the Telnyx LiveKit SIP servers. No third-party SIP fees — Telnyx is the carrier.

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Buy a phone number

  1. Log in to the Telnyx portal
  2. Go to Real Time Communcations → Numbers → Buy Numbers
  3. Purchase a number by checking out

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Create a SIP connection

NOTE: You’ll need to do this step separately
  1. In the portal, go to Real Time Communcations → Voice → SIP Connections → Create
  2. Set the connection type to FQDN
  3. Point it at your region’s SIP endpoint:
RegionSIP FQDN
New Yorknyc1.sip.livekit-telnyx.com
San Franciscosfo3.sip.livekit-telnyx.com
Atlantaatl1.sip.livekit-telnyx.com
Sydneysyd1.sip.livekit-telnyx.com
  1. Assign your phone number to this SIP connection

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Register the number with the platform

Once your DID is configured in the portal, register it with the LiveKit platform so inbound calls route to your agent: 
lk sip inbound create --from <your-phone-number>
lk sip dispatch create --from <your-phone-number>
The SIP connection routes calls from Telnyx’s network to the LiveKit platform. The platform then matches the phone number to your tenant and dispatches the call to your agent.

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Step 3: Clone an example agent

Clone the example agents repo and navigate to the restaurant agent: 
git clone https://github.com/team-telnyx/telnyx-livekit-agent-examples.git
cd telnyx-livekit-agent-examples/restaurant
This is a fully working voice agent — an Italian restaurant ordering assistant built with livekit-plugins-telnyx for STT, TTS, and LLM.

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Step 4: Deploy

Deploy the agent to your Telnyx LiveKit region: 
lk agent deploy . --url $LIVEKIT_URL
The CLI uploads your agent code, builds a container image, and deploys it. You’ll see build logs streaming in real-time. Check that your agent is running: 
lk agent status

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Step 5: Call your agent

Pick up your phone and dial the number you purchased. You should hear:
“Thanks for calling Bella’s Kitchen!”
Try ordering some pasta. The agent handles the full conversation — browsing the menu, answering questions, and taking your order.

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Troubleshooting

  • Call doesn’t connect — Verify your SIP connection is pointed at the correct regional FQDN and your DID is assigned to it.
  • Agent doesn’t pick up — Run lk agent status to confirm the agent is running. Check logs with lk agent logs.
  • Audio quality issues — Make sure you’re using the region closest to you.

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Next steps

You’ve deployed your first agent. Here’s where to go from here:
  • Build — Write your own agent from scratch
  • Deploy — Regions, scaling, secrets, and production deployment
  • Models — STT, TTS, and LLM options available on Telnyx
  • Telephony — Inbound/outbound calls, dispatch rules, multiple numbers
  • Compatibility — What’s the same and different from LiveKit Cloud