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Prerequisites

Pipecat requires Python 3.10 or higher. To check your Python version: 
python --version

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Accounts you’ll need

While you can use Pipecat without third-party services, integrating with the following providers will enhance your bot’s capabilities. Here’s what we recommend for getting started:

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Essential services for the quickstart

Cartesia

Text-to-Speech: Required for the quickstart. Converts text to natural-sounding speech.

Daily

Transport: Handles real-time audio, video, and data exchange between bot and user. Recommended for production (our quickstart uses P2P WebRTC).

Deepgram

Speech-to-Text: Converts audio to text in realtime.

OpenAI / Anthropic / Gemini

LLM Inference: Generates streaming text responses based on user input.

Cartesia / ElevenLabs / Rime

Text-to-Speech: Additional TTS options for production use.
Explore our full list of supported services for more integration options.

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Setting up your project

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Create a virtual environment

We recommend using a virtual environment to manage your dependencies: 
mkdir pipecat-project
cd pipecat-project
python3 -m venv env
Activate the virtual environment based on your operating system: 
source env/bin/activate

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Install Pipecat

The pipecat-ai Python module uses optional dependencies to keep your installation lightweight. This approach lets you include only the specific AI libraries you need for your project. To install Pipecat with support for the recommended services above, use this command: 
pip install "pipecat-ai[webrtc,deepgram,openai,cartesia]"
You can add this to your requirements.txt file or include any combination of supported integrations based on your needs.

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Configure your services

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Cartesia Text-to-Speech Setup

  1. Visit Cartesia’s Voice library
  2. Find a voice you like and click the three dots at the end of the row
  3. Select Copy ID to get your voice ID
  4. Go to Cartesia API keys and create an API key

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Environment Setup

Create a .env file in your project directory with your service credentials: 
CARTESIA_API_KEY=your_cartesia_api_key
CARTESIA_VOICE_ID=your_voice_id
Make sure to add .env to your .gitignore file to avoid accidentally committing sensitive API keys.

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Next Steps

Build Your First Bot

Now that you have everything set up, proceed to the Quickstart guide to build your first Pipecat application.