Thanks — this is a great question. You're asking whether to let the API (server-side SDK) start egress recordings for a room name, or to have an agent inside the room initiate the recording. I recommend using the API (server-side) to start egress. Below is a concise explanation and when you might choose the agent approach. Why prefer the API (server-side) to start egress • Separation of concerns: The agent stays focused on real‑time media and in‑room logic; the server handles lifecycle and infrastructure control (start/stop egress). • Reliability & timing: The server can start recording immediately on room creation (or on a webhook like room_started), so you won’t miss the session start while an agent cold‑starts or loads models. • Works with auto‑created rooms: Rooms can be created automatically when participants join; the server can request egress for a room name and the recording will begin as soon as the room exists. • Centralized orchestration and monitoring: Starting egress via the server makes it easier to manage recordings across many rooms, add retries, log metadata, and handle outputs (S3, file, etc.). When it makes sense to start egress from an agent • Recording depends on dynamic, in‑session decisions that only the agent can evaluate (e.g., after an interactive consent flow or a runtime quality check). • Even in those cases, prefer that the agent signal your backend (a webhook, API call, or message) and have the backend start egress. That keeps observability and control centralized while letting the agent trigger the decision. Practical pattern I recommend 1. Use webhooks (e.g., room_started) or your application logic on the server to decide when to start egress. 2. Server calls the egress API (server SDK) to start recording for the given room name and output target. 3. If an agent must decide in‑session, have the agent notify the server and let the server start the egress. If you want, I can: • Show a short example of a webhook handler that starts room egress. • Outline how to handle agent-triggered consent flows while keeping the server responsible for starting egress. Which would be most useful for you? Sources: livekit/livekit_composite | DeepWiki | server-sdk-js | livekit/livekit_composite | DeepWiki | CreateRoom() is taking too long | LiveKit | server-sdk-ruby | livekit/livekit_composite | DeepWiki | Python SDKs | livekit/livekit_composite | DeepWiki