Azure AI Voicelive Dotnet
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The Azure.AI.VoiceLive SDK for .NET provides the necessary components to integrate real-time voice capabilities into .NET applications. It facilitates bidirectional WebSocket communication with Azure AI models, enabling the development of voice assistants, conversational AI, and speech-to-speech interfaces. The SDK includes support for session configuration, event handling, function calling, and voice activity detection.
What it does
- Establishes bidirectional WebSocket connections for real-time voice interaction.
- Supports configuration of session parameters including voice selection and modalities.
- Provides event-driven processing for audio and text updates.
- Enables function calling to integrate external services with voice responses.
- Includes built-in support for voice activity detection (VAD).
- Offers multiple authentication methods including Microsoft Entra and API keys.
When to use it
- When building voice-enabled chatbots or conversational AI agents in .NET.
- When implementing real-time speech-to-speech functionality.
- When integrating Azure AI voice models into existing .NET applications.
- When requiring bidirectional audio streaming for interactive voice assistants.
Advantages
- Native .NET integration for Azure AI voice services.
- Structured client hierarchy for managing sessions and events.
- Flexible configuration for audio formats and turn detection.
- Supports standard Azure authentication patterns.
Usage examples
- “How do I start a voice session in .NET using Azure.AI.VoiceLive?”
- The user receives a code example demonstrating the initialization of a VoiceLiveClient, session configuration with VoiceLiveSessionOptions, and the use of StartSessionAsync.
- “How can I handle incoming audio and text from the VoiceLive session?”
- The user is shown how to iterate through GetUpdatesAsync and use a switch statement to process SessionUpdateResponseAudioDelta and SessionUpdateResponseTextDelta events.
- “How do I add a function call to my voice assistant?”
- The user receives guidance on defining a VoiceLiveFunctionDefinition, adding it to session options, and handling the resulting function call arguments within the event loop.
Install
Download the skill as a ZIP:
https://autogineer.com/agent-skills/microsoft/azure-ai-voicelive-dotnet/downloadUnzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:
mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip azure-ai-voicelive-dotnet.zip -d .agents/skills
Documentation by Microsoft
Azure.AI.VoiceLive (.NET)
Real-time voice AI SDK for building bidirectional voice assistants with Azure AI.
Installation
dotnet add package Azure.AI.VoiceLive
dotnet add package Azure.Identity
dotnet add package NAudio # For audio capture/playbackCurrent Versions: Stable v1.0.0, Preview v1.1.0-beta.1
Environment Variables
AZURE_VOICELIVE_ENDPOINT=https://<resource>.services.ai.azure.com/ # Required: Voice Live endpoint
AZURE_VOICELIVE_MODEL=gpt-4o-realtime-preview # Required: model deployment name
AZURE_VOICELIVE_VOICE=en-US-AvaNeural # Optional: Voice Live voice name
AZURE_VOICELIVE_API_KEY=<your-api-key> # Only required for AzureKeyCredential auth
AZURE_TOKEN_CREDENTIALS=prod # Required only if DefaultAzureCredential is used in productionAuthentication
Microsoft Entra Token Credential
using Azure.Identity;
using Azure.AI.VoiceLive;
Uri endpoint = new Uri("https://your-resource.cognitiveservices.azure.com");
// Local dev: DefaultAzureCredential. Production: set AZURE_TOKEN_CREDENTIALS=prod or AZURE_TOKEN_CREDENTIALS=<specific_credential>
var credential = new DefaultAzureCredential(
DefaultAzureCredential.DefaultEnvironmentVariableName
);
// Or use a specific credential directly in production:
// See https://learn.microsoft.com/dotnet/api/overview/azure/identity-readme?view=azure-dotnet#credential-classes
// var credential = new ManagedIdentityCredential();
VoiceLiveClient client = new VoiceLiveClient(endpoint, credential);Required Role: Cognitive Services User (assign in Azure Portal → Access control)
API Key
Uri endpoint = new Uri("https://your-resource.cognitiveservices.azure.com");
AzureKeyCredential credential = new AzureKeyCredential("your-api-key");
VoiceLiveClient client = new VoiceLiveClient(endpoint, credential);Client Hierarchy
VoiceLiveClient
└── VoiceLiveSession (WebSocket connection)
├── ConfigureSessionAsync()
├── GetUpdatesAsync() → SessionUpdate events
├── AddItemAsync() → UserMessageItem, FunctionCallOutputItem
├── SendAudioAsync()
└── StartResponseAsync()Core Workflow
1. Start Session and Configure
using Azure.Identity;
using Azure.AI.VoiceLive;
var endpoint = new Uri(Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("AZURE_VOICELIVE_ENDPOINT"));
var client = new VoiceLiveClient(endpoint, new DefaultAzureCredential());
var model = "gpt-4o-mini-realtime-preview";
// Start session
using VoiceLiveSession session = await client.StartSessionAsync(model);
// Configure session
VoiceLiveSessionOptions sessionOptions = new()
{
Model = model,
Instructions = "You are a helpful AI assistant. Respond naturally.",
Voice = new AzureStandardVoice("en-US-AvaNeural"),
TurnDetection = new AzureSemanticVadTurnDetection()
{
Threshold = 0.5f,
PrefixPadding = TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(300),
SilenceDuration = TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(500)
},
InputAudioFormat = InputAudioFormat.Pcm16,
OutputAudioFormat = OutputAudioFormat.Pcm16
};
// Set modalities (both text and audio for voice assistants)
sessionOptions.Modalities.Clear();
sessionOptions.Modalities.Add(InteractionModality.Text);
sessionOptions.Modalities.Add(InteractionModality.Audio);
await session.ConfigureSessionAsync(sessionOptions);2. Process Events
await foreach (SessionUpdate serverEvent in session.GetUpdatesAsync())
{
switch (serverEvent)
{
case SessionUpdateResponseAudioDelta audioDelta:
byte[] audioData = audioDelta.Delta.ToArray();
// Play audio via NAudio or other audio library
break;
case SessionUpdateResponseTextDelta textDelta:
Console.Write(textDelta.Delta);
break;
case SessionUpdateResponseFunctionCallArgumentsDone functionCall:
// Handle function call (see Function Calling section)
break;
case SessionUpdateError error:
Console.WriteLine($"Error: {error.Error.Message}");
break;
case SessionUpdateResponseDone:
Console.WriteLine("\n--- Response complete ---");
break;
}
}3. Send User Message
await session.AddItemAsync(new UserMessageItem("Hello, can you help me?"));
await session.StartResponseAsync();4. Function Calling
// Define function
var weatherFunction = new VoiceLiveFunctionDefinition("get_current_weather")
{
Description = "Get the current weather for a given location",
Parameters = BinaryData.FromString("""
{
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"location": {
"type": "string",
"description": "The city and state or country"
}
},
"required": ["location"]
}
""")
};
// Add to session options
sessionOptions.Tools.Add(weatherFunction);
// Handle function call in event loop
if (serverEvent is SessionUpdateResponseFunctionCallArgumentsDone functionCall)
{
if (functionCall.Name == "get_current_weather")
{
var parameters = JsonSerializer.Deserialize<Dictionary<string, string>>(functionCall.Arguments);
string location = parameters?["location"] ?? "";
// Call external service
string weatherInfo = $"The weather in {location} is sunny, 75°F.";
// Send response
await session.AddItemAsync(new FunctionCallOutputItem(functionCall.CallId, weatherInfo));
await session.StartResponseAsync();
}
}Voice Options
| Voice Type | Class | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Azure Standard | AzureStandardVoice | "en-US-AvaNeural" |
| Azure HD | AzureStandardVoice | "en-US-Ava:DragonHDLatestNeural" |
| Azure Custom | AzureCustomVoice | Custom voice with endpoint ID |
Supported Models
| Model | Description |
|---|---|
gpt-4o-realtime-preview | GPT-4o with real-time audio |
gpt-4o-mini-realtime-preview | Lightweight, fast interactions |
phi4-mm-realtime | Cost-effective multimodal |
Key Types Reference
| Type | Purpose |
|---|---|
VoiceLiveClient | Main client for creating sessions |
VoiceLiveSession | Active WebSocket session |
VoiceLiveSessionOptions | Session configuration |
AzureStandardVoice | Standard Azure voice provider |
AzureSemanticVadTurnDetection | Voice activity detection |
VoiceLiveFunctionDefinition | Function tool definition |
UserMessageItem | User text message |
FunctionCallOutputItem | Function call response |
SessionUpdateResponseAudioDelta | Audio chunk event |
SessionUpdateResponseTextDelta | Text chunk event |
Best Practices
Always set both modalities — Include
TextandAudiofor voice assistantsUse
AzureSemanticVadTurnDetection— Provides natural conversation flowConfigure appropriate silence duration — 500ms typical to avoid premature cutoffs
Use
usingstatement — Ensures proper session disposalHandle all event types — Check for errors, audio, text, and function calls
Use DefaultAzureCredential — Never hardcode API keys
Error Handling
if (serverEvent is SessionUpdateError error)
{
if (error.Error.Message.Contains("Cancellation failed: no active response"))
{
// Benign error, can ignore
}
else
{
Console.WriteLine($"Error: {error.Error.Message}");
}
}Audio Configuration
Input Format:
InputAudioFormat.Pcm16(16-bit PCM)Output Format:
OutputAudioFormat.Pcm16Sample Rate: 24kHz recommended
Channels: Mono
Related SDKs
| SDK | Purpose | Install |
|---|---|---|
Azure.AI.VoiceLive | Real-time voice (this SDK) | dotnet add package Azure.AI.VoiceLive |
Microsoft.CognitiveServices.Speech | Speech-to-text, text-to-speech | dotnet add package Microsoft.CognitiveServices.Speech |
NAudio | Audio capture/playback | dotnet add package NAudio |
Reference Links
Files
- ATTRIBUTION.mdAdded by AutoGineer986 B
- LICENSELicence file added by AutoGineer1.1 KiB
- SKILL.md9.0 KiB
LICENSE
MIT License
Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation.
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
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furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
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SOFTWARERequirements and compatibility
Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta
“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.
Needs: Needs an API key
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Attribution and licence
- Created by
- Microsoft
- Publisher
- Microsoft (Official)
- Source
- microsoft/skills · .github/plugins/azure-sdk-dotnet/skills/azure-ai-voicelive-dotnet · commit 0696600
- Licence
- MIT License (redistribution allowed)
- LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE)
- ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
- Synced
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Download ZIP
The ZIP holds the skill’s files, its licence files and an ATTRIBUTION.md. Download azure-ai-voicelive-dotnet.zip