Thanks — great question. You're asking whether you should use Silero VAD when your agent is using the OpenAI Realtime API. Short answer: No — it’s not recommended or necessary. Why: • The OpenAI Realtime API already performs voice activity detection (VAD) and turn/endpoint detection server-side. Client-side VAD settings (for example, Silero parameters like

min_silence_duration

or

activation_threshold

) are not used and will have no effect on the Realtime agent’s behavior. • The Realtime API exposes its own turn detection modes (Semantic VAD — the default — and Server VAD) which you configure via the

turn_detection

parameter on the

RealtimeModel

. These modes handle speech detection and endpointing without requiring a client VAD plugin. • Running Silero VAD alongside the Realtime API would be redundant. Recommended action: • Configure turn detection through the OpenAI Realtime API settings instead of adding Silero VAD on the client. For example:

from livekit.plugins import openai

session = AgentSession(
    llm=openai.realtime.RealtimeModel(
        turn_detection={"type": "semantic_vad", "eagerness": "medium"}
    )
)

If you want, I can help you pick the right

turn_detection

settings for your use case (low-latency streaming, multi-speaker environments, or noisy backgrounds). Which scenario best matches your application? Sources: VAD and turn detection configuration guide | LiveKit | OpenAI Realtime API plugin guide | LiveKit Documentation