VoiceThere

Session idle timeout

VoiceThere disconnects idle WebRTC peers after a configurable period with no qualifying activity. Idle timeout settings control how long a session stays connected when nobody is speaking, sending data-channel messages, or otherwise resetting the timer. Longer timeouts or disabling auto-idle increase billable session time.

Where to configure

  • Dashboard: Project overview → Session settings → Auto idle timeout, voice/data timeouts, and reset toggles.
  • CLI: voicethere projects session-settings list and voicethere projects session-settings set <key> <value>
  • API: PATCH /projects/:projectId/session-settings — see Control plane API.

Settings are saved on the project immediately but apply to live sessions only after you Deploy to cloud (runner env is updated at deploy time).

idle_timeout_enabled

When true (default), idle peers are disconnected automatically. When false, sessions can remain connected and billable indefinitely until the client disconnects or another limit applies — use only when you understand the billing impact.

Voice vs data-only timeouts

KeyDefaultApplies when
idle_timeout_seconds120Voice or voice+data projects — seconds without activity before disconnect.
data_only_idle_timeout_seconds120Data-only projects — seconds without client→server data-channel traffic.

Platform default maximum is 120 seconds; your organization may allow higher values via API on eligible plans. Minimum is 30 seconds.

What resets the idle timer

  • idle_timeout_voice_activity (default true) — user speech and agent TTS reset the countdown on voice / voice+data projects. When off, voice does not extend the session — a call can still hit idle timeout while people are talking. Ignored for data-only projects.
  • idle_timeout_dc_inbound (default true) — client→server data-channel messages reset the timer. When off, inbound DC traffic does not extend the session.

Billing warning

Billable time is tied to connected WebRTC peers. Disabling auto-idle or raising timeout values keeps sessions open longer and increases usage credits consumed. See Billing & usage credits.

CLI examples

# List session settings (idle keys and defaults)
voicethere projects session-settings list

# Voice idle timeout — 90 seconds (redeploy to apply)
voicethere projects session-settings set idle_timeout_seconds 90
voicethere deploy --wait

# Disable auto idle (billing risk — sessions stay connected)
voicethere projects session-settings set idle_timeout_enabled false

# Data-only project: longer DC idle window
voicethere projects session-settings set data_only_idle_timeout_seconds 60

# Voice activity does not reset timer (strict wall-clock idle)
voicethere projects session-settings set idle_timeout_voice_activity false

# Data-channel inbound does not reset timer
voicethere projects session-settings set idle_timeout_dc_inbound false

Related

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