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Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.pipecat.ai/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

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Overview

Proxy agents connect agents running on different buses. Unlike distributed agents (which all share the same bus), proxy agents bridge two isolated bus instances point-to-point. This is useful when:
  • You want to run an LLM agent on a separate server without shared infrastructure
  • You need fine-grained control over which messages cross the network
  • You’re connecting to a third-party service that hosts agents

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Architecture

Proxy agents architecture
Each side has its own WorkerRunner and bus. The proxy agents relay messages between the two buses over a WebSocket connection. Like any worker, a proxy gets its bus from the runner when you register it — you never pass bus= to its constructor.

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Client side: WebSocketProxyClient

The client connects to a remote server and forwards specific message types: 
from pipecat.bus import BusFrameMessage
from pipecat.workers.proxy.websocket import WebSocketProxyClient

proxy = WebSocketProxyClient(
    "proxy",
    url="ws://remote-server:8765/ws",
    local_worker_name="acme",         # Agent on this bus
    remote_worker_name="assistant",   # Agent on remote bus
    forward_messages=(BusFrameMessage,),
)
await runner.add_workers(proxy)
ParameterDescription
urlWebSocket URL of the remote server
local_worker_nameName of the local agent that exchanges frames with the remote
remote_worker_nameName of the remote agent to communicate with
forward_messagesTuple of message types to forward across the connection
headersOptional HTTP headers (e.g. authentication tokens)
The proxy connects when activated. Activate it when the client connects, by calling activate_worker on the main agent: 
@transport.event_handler("on_client_connected")
async def on_client_connected(transport, client):
    await main.activate_worker("proxy")

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Server side: WebSocketProxyServer

The server accepts WebSocket connections and creates a proxy for each session: 
from fastapi import FastAPI, WebSocket

from pipecat.bus import BusFrameMessage
from pipecat.workers.runner import WorkerRunner
from pipecat.workers.proxy.websocket import WebSocketProxyServer

app = FastAPI()


@app.websocket("/ws")
async def websocket_endpoint(websocket: WebSocket):
    await websocket.accept()

    runner = WorkerRunner(handle_sigint=False)

    proxy = WebSocketProxyServer(
        "gateway",
        websocket=websocket,
        worker_name="assistant",        # Agent on this bus
        remote_worker_name="acme",      # Agent on remote bus
        forward_messages=(BusFrameMessage,),
    )

    assistant = build_assistant()  # an LLMWorker named "assistant"

    await runner.add_workers(proxy, assistant)
    await runner.run()
Each WebSocket connection gets its own WorkerRunner, bus, and set of agents. This isolates sessions from each other.

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Message filtering

Proxy agents provide security through message filtering:
  • Only messages targeted at the configured agent names cross the connection
  • Broadcast messages (no target) are not forwarded
  • Local-only messages (BusLocalMessage) never cross
  • forward_messages controls which message types are allowed
This means internal bus traffic stays local. Only the specific message types you opt into are relayed.

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Full example

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Client (main.py)

async def run_bot(transport, runner_args):
    runner = WorkerRunner(handle_sigint=runner_args.handle_sigint)

    # ... build the main transport pipeline with a BusBridgeProcessor ...
    main = PipelineWorker(pipeline, name="acme", params=PipelineParams(...))

    proxy = WebSocketProxyClient(
        "proxy",
        url=runner_args.cli_args.remote_url,
        local_worker_name="acme",
        remote_worker_name="assistant",
        forward_messages=(BusFrameMessage,),
    )

    async def on_assistant_ready(_data):
        await main.activate_worker(
            "assistant",
            args=LLMWorkerActivationArgs(
                messages=[{"role": "developer", "content": "Welcome the user."}],
            ),
        )

    await runner.registry.watch("assistant", on_assistant_ready)

    @transport.event_handler("on_client_connected")
    async def on_client_connected(transport, client):
        await main.activate_worker("proxy")

    @transport.event_handler("on_client_disconnected")
    async def on_client_disconnected(transport, client):
        await runner.cancel()

    await runner.add_workers(proxy, main)
    await runner.run()

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Server (assistant.py)

@app.websocket("/ws")
async def websocket_endpoint(websocket: WebSocket):
    await websocket.accept()
    runner = WorkerRunner(handle_sigint=False)

    proxy = WebSocketProxyServer(
        "gateway",
        websocket=websocket,
        worker_name="assistant",
        remote_worker_name="acme",
        forward_messages=(BusFrameMessage,),
    )

    @proxy.event_handler("on_client_connected")
    async def on_client_connected(proxy, client):
        logger.info("WebSocket client connected")

    @proxy.event_handler("on_client_disconnected")
    async def on_client_disconnected(proxy, client):
        await runner.cancel()

    assistant = AcmeAssistant()  # an LLMWorker named "assistant"
    await runner.add_workers(proxy, assistant)
    await runner.run()

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Running

# Terminal 1: Start the LLM server
python assistant.py --port 8765

# Terminal 2: Start the transport client
python main.py --remote-url ws://localhost:8765/ws
Install the WebSocket extra: uv add "pipecat-ai[websocket]"

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Proxy agents vs distributed agents

Proxy Agents (different buses)Distributed (same bus)
TopologyPoint-to-pointMany-to-many
Session isolationEach connection is isolatedAll agents share a channel
Use caseSeparate networks, third-party agentsScaling agents across machines