can livekit do video recording. how to enable it w...
# ask-ai
v
can livekit do video recording. how to enable it when the session is with agent sdk
✅ 1
t
Thanks for reaching out, Justin. I'm an AI assistant and I'm here to help. Give me a moment while I research this topic.
Thanks — I’ll answer whether LiveKit can record video and how to enable it when a session uses the Agent SDK. Yes — LiveKit supports video recording in two ways you can use with Agent SDK sessions: • Universal Egress (recommended for production): records room- or track-level audio/video to MP4, files, S3/GCS, or RTMP. Start an egress job (room composite, track composite, or track egress) and point the output to your storage or RTMP endpoint. Egress runs separately so it won’t degrade real-time performance. • Agent Observability (convenience for debugging): the Agent SDK can record audio, video, logs, and traces when you start a session with recording enabled. Observability recordings are intended for debugging, are stored short-term (30 days), and are available in LiveKit Cloud (not for self-hosted LiveKit). Use this for debugging sessions, not as a guaranteed production archive. How to enable (high-level): 1. For production recording with Egress: a. Start an egress job for the room or track you want recorded (room composite is common for full-session MP4). b. Specify output (file path, S3/GCS, or RTMP). c. Ensure your project/credentials allow the egress request. 1. For Agent Observability (Agent SDK): ◦ When starting the agent session include recording, e.g.: ▪︎ Python/Node style: start the session with
record=True
or
record={ "audio": true, "video": true, "traces": true }
◦ Ensure Observability is enabled in your LiveKit Cloud project settings and you’re using a supported Agent SDK version (Observability requires recent Agent SDK releases). Quick questions so I can give exact code/snippets for your setup: • Are you aiming for production-quality archived recordings (use Egress) or debugging/observability recordings from the Agent SDK? • Which Agent SDK are you using (Python or Node) and which versions? Sources: Why is my Agent insights data missing? | LiveKit | Universal Egress | LiveKit, with interactive elements
v
when i call egress.start_room_composite_egress, does it start immediately or there's some delay
t
Thanks — good question about timing for
start_room_composite_egress
. Calling
start_room_composite_egress
returns an
egressId
immediately and the egress job is started right away, but there is a short setup delay before media capture begins. LiveKit spins up a headless browser compositor that connects to the room as a hidden participant; recording starts as soon as that compositor is initialized and joined. The startup is typically fast but can vary with system load and room state. Sources: Universal Egress | LiveKit, with interactive elements
v
to avoid cutting out the first few words, is there a recommend delay before starting the conversatin
t
Good question — to avoid cutting the first few words, add a short buffer before participants start speaking. Recommendations: • Start the egress a few seconds before the conversation begins (2–5 seconds is common). • If possible, start egress before participants join the room so the compositor is already initialized. • Confirm the egress job is active (you get an
egressId
and can check its status) before letting participants speak. If you tell me whether you control the client flow (can delay participants) or need an automatic approach, I can suggest a specific implementation pattern or snippet. , with interactive elements