Prerequisites
Pipecat requires Python 3.10 or higher. To check your Python version:
python --versionYou must also have an LMNT API key. Follow the steps here.
Text-to-Speech: Converts text to natural-sounding speech.
Accounts you'll need
These are the services you need for the quickstart. You can later swap these out as needed.
Speech-to-Text: Converts audio to text in realtime.
LLM Inference: Generates streaming text responses based on user input.
Explore Pipecat's full list of supported services for more integration options.
Setting up your project
Create a virtual environment
We recommend using a virtual environment to manage your dependencies:
mkdir pipecat-project
cd pipecat-project
python3 -m venv envActivate the virtual environment based on your operating system:
source env/bin/activateInstall Pipecat
The pipecat-ai Python module uses optional dependencies to keep your installation lightweight. This approach lets you include only the specific AI libraries you need for your project.
To install Pipecat with support for the recommended services above, use this command:
pip install "pipecat-ai[webrtc,deepgram,openai,lmnt]"You can add this to your requirements.txt file or include any combination of
supported integrations based on your
needs.
Next Steps
Now that you have everything set up, proceed to the Quickstart guide to build your first Pipecat application with LMNT.