To handle user silence and set a timeout for it in LiveKit, you can use the

user_away_timeout

parameter. This allows you to detect when a user has been inactive and take appropriate actions. Here's a brief overview: • Set the

user_away_timeout

parameter when creating an AgentSession. For example:

session = AgentSession(
    vad=silero.VAD.load(),
    llm=openai.LLM(model="gpt-4o-mini"),
    stt=deepgram.STT(),
    tts=cartesia.TTS(),
    user_away_timeout=12.5,  # Set timeout to 12.5 seconds
)

• Handle the

user_state_changed

event to respond when a user becomes inactive. For example:

@session.on("user_state_changed")
def _user_state_changed(ev: UserStateChangedEvent):
    if ev.new_state == "away":
        # Handle user inactivity
        inactivity_task = asyncio.create_task(user_presence_task())
    else:
        # User is active again, cancel inactivity task if it exists
        if inactivity_task is not None:
            inactivity_task.cancel()

• Define a task to handle user inactivity, such as prompting the user or closing the session. For example:

async def user_presence_task():
    # Try to ping the user multiple times
    for _ in range(3):
        await session.generate_reply(
            instructions="The user has been inactive. Politely check if the user is still present."
        )
        await asyncio.sleep(10)
    # If no response after attempts, close the session
    await asyncio.shield(session.aclose())
    ctx.delete_room()

The system automatically manages the user away timer, setting it when both the user and agent are in the "listening" state and canceling it when either party changes state. Sources: GitHub::livekit::agents | livekit-plugins/livekit-plugins-gladia/livekit/pl...