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whats the correct use of the - "NO_RESPONSE_NEEDED...
# ❓・ai-evy-support
m
@AI Evy whats the correct use of the - "NO_RESPONSE_NEEDED" function?
a
Thanks for tagging me @MrG#1803. I'll look through relevant sources and get back to you shortly.
### Answer
NO_RESPONSE_NEEDED
is a hard-coded stop sequence in the LLM that makes the agent hold and not respond to the user. [(1) ]() How to use it: Prompt the LLM to output this exact text when you want silence. For example:
Copy code
- if user says "hold on", reply exactly the following: "NO_RESPONSE_NEEDED".
For reasoning models (gpt-5, gpt-5.1) : This feature is not supported. Instead, use a prompt like:
When user says hold on, simply do not respond
. [(2) ]() Important notes: - Be explicit in your prompt so the LLM outputs only
NO_RESPONSE_NEEDED
with nothing before or after it—otherwise it may say the phrase aloud. [(3) ]() - If the agent is still saying the words out loud, try switching to GPT-4o. [(4) ]() -
NO_RESPONSE_NEEDED
stops the agent entirely—it's a terminal command, so features like Reminder Message Frequency won't resume after it's used. [(8) ]()
​ To learn more, see the sources I considered: [[1] Make agent hold and respond nothing](https://docs.retellai.com/build/no-response) [[2] Prompt guide & examples for specific situations](https://docs.retellai.com/build/prompt-situation-guide) [[3] no_response_needed](https://discord.com/channels/1186424376300679209/1433483896179261480) [[4] NO_RESPONSE_NEEDED ERRORS](https://discord.com/channels/1186424376300679209/1376157747783143434) ​
Feel free to tag @AI Evy with additional questions. I also appreciate feedback, it helps me improve.