async def on_enter(self) -> None:
        time_to_first_word = self.time_to_first_word if self.time_to_first_word else 0.0
        <http://logger.info|logger.info>(f"Agent waiting for {time_to_first_word} seconds before greeting")
        await asyncio.sleep(time_to_first_word)
        if self.enter_instructions:
            await self.session.say(self.enter_instructions, allow_interruptions=True)

Why is this working on my local but not on cloud deployment?

Thanks for reaching out, Subham. I'm an AI assistant and I'm here to help. Give me a moment while I research this topic.

No error messages, the sleep logic doesn't work. There is no perceived delay in the agent's speech

Thanks — since there are no errors and the speech happens immediately, let’s narrow down causes for why

asyncio.sleep

appears ignored in cloud. Please confirm/provide the following so I can pinpoint the issue: 1. Does the cloud log contain the line "Agent waiting for X seconds before greeting"? If yes, paste that log line with its timestamp. 2. Is

time_to_first_word

> 0 in cloud? How is it provided (env var, config file, DB)? Show the value or how you set it. 3. Is

enter_instructions

present and non-empty in cloud? 4. Are there any wrappers or middleware around

on_enter

in cloud (task schedulers, framework hooks) that might call

session.say

concurrently or cancel/await differently? 5. Does your cloud runtime use the same Python version and event loop (e.g., uvloop) as local? If different, which versions/runtimes? 6. Could the cloud platform auto-buffer or batch TTS requests (making delay invisible)? Which TTS/voice provider and endpoint are you using in cloud vs local? 7. Can you try a quick experiment in cloud: replace

await asyncio.sleep(time_to_first_word)

with

await asyncio.sleep(5)

and report whether you hear a 5s delay or still immediate speech? Answering 1–3 and the experiment (7) will quickly indicate whether the sleep actually runs or if something else triggers immediate speech. Once you share those, I’ll suggest specific fixes (adjusting task scheduling, ensuring the sleep runs inside the same event loop, or moving the delay to before

session

activation).

for both I am using cartesia.

Thanks — you mentioned both local and cloud use Cartesia. That helps. To focus on why the sleep is ignored in cloud, please run these quick checks in your Cartesia deployment and share results: 1. Confirm logs: does the cloud log show the line "Agent waiting for X seconds before greeting"? If yes, paste that line (with timestamp). 2. Confirm value: is

time_to_first_word

> 0 in cloud? How are you setting it (env var, config, DB)? Give the value or how it’s set. 3. Fixed-delay test: change the sleep to

await asyncio.sleep(5)

in cloud and report whether speech is delayed 5s or still immediate. 4. Concurrent calls: verify no other code calls

session.say

around

on_enter

(search for other

say

calls or event handlers that might run earlier). 5. Lifecycle behavior: is

on_enter

awaited directly or scheduled as a background task by Cartesia? If you can, log just before and after the sleep to show timestamps: ◦ "on_enter start: {time}" ◦ "after sleep: {time}" Share those timestamps. With those answers/logs I can pinpoint whether the sleep is not running, being bypassed, or another

say

triggers immediate speech and suggest the fix.

1. yes the logs does say waiting for X seconds. 2. TTFT is 5.5 seconds. 3. The response is still immediate with 20 seconds.

Thanks — you're saying logs show the wait message,

time_to_first_word

is 5.5s, and even a 20s

asyncio.sleep

doesn't delay speech. That tells us the sleep runs but something else triggers immediate playback. Likely causes and concrete next steps to isolate and fix (please run these and share results): 1. Another

session.say

is triggered elsewhere ◦ Search the codebase for any other

say

calls or event handlers that could run on enter. If found, temporarily disable them and retest. 1.

session.say

may start playback from the TTS/service as soon as it's called elsewhere ◦ Add timestamped logs immediately before and after every

session.say

across your app to see which call happens first. Example log texts: ▪︎ "say called in on_enter at {time}" ▪︎ "say called in <other_handler> at {time}" 1. Confirm the sleep and on_enter are in the same task/context ◦ Instrument with logs: log "on_enter start", then after sleep log "on_enter after sleep", then log right before

session.say

. Share those timestamps. 1. Ensure Cartesia runtime doesn't auto-play or queue a default greeting ◦ Check Cartesia settings for any automatic welcome/greeter. Temporarily remove default greetings and retest. 1. Try moving the delay to before session activation ◦ If you initialize or join the session before

on_enter

, the platform might start audio immediately. Try delaying until after the session is fully ready or do the sleep before you attach the session. 1. As a definitive test, block immediate calls ◦ Replace

await session.say(...)

with a no-op log to confirm it's

say

being invoked by another code path. If speech stops, you’ve found the duplicate invoker. Share the timestamped logs from steps 2–3 (the "say called ..." and "on_enter ..." lines). With those I can point to the exact call ordering and recommend the minimal code change.

But the message is specific to the on_enter function only.

Thanks — you’ve said the immediate speech is specific to

on_enter

. That’s helpful. Most likely cause: in the Cartesia cloud runtime the

on_enter

coroutine is not being awaited (or its continuation runs concurrently), so your

await asyncio.sleep(...)

completes but something else triggers

session.say

immediately or the framework starts playback before your awaited path reaches the

session.say

. To confirm and fix, please run these focused checks and share the results: 1. Add timestamped logs inside

on_enter

to prove sequencing: ◦ Log at start: "on_enter start: {ts}" ◦ Log after sleep: "on_enter after sleep: {ts}" ◦ Log immediately before `session.say`: "on_enter before say: {ts}" ◦ Also log in any other handlers that call `session.say`: "other handler before say: {ts}" 1. Verify whether Cartesia is calling

on_enter

and not awaiting it: ◦ If you see "on_enter after sleep" appear after an immediate "other handler before say" log, the framework or another handler is invoking speech concurrently. ◦ If "on_enter before say" appears after the immediate speech happened, then something else triggered

session.say

. 1. Quick code change to test awaiting behavior: ◦ Wrap

on_enter

body in an explicit task and await it to force ordering:

async def on_enter(self):
         async def _work():
             await asyncio.sleep(self.time_to_first_word or 0)
             await self.session.say(self.enter_instructions, allow_interruptions=True)
         await _work()  # try making it explicit

• If that still yields immediate speech, try delaying before session initialization or blocking other

say

calls (replace them with logs). 1. Test moving the delay earlier: ◦ Perform the sleep before you attach/join the session or before any code that may trigger default greetings in Cartesia. Run steps 1 and 3 and paste the timestamped logs (the three on_enter logs plus any "other handler" logs). With those I’ll point to the exact ordering and the minimal code change to ensure the delay is honored in cloud.