# Improve ASR accuracy with keywords (/en/ai/build/shape-the-conversation/asr-keywords)

> For AI agents: see the complete documentation index at [llms.txt](/llms.txt).

In a conversational AI scenario, users may say non-dictionary words such as brand names, product names, personal names, place names, or industry-specific terms. You can configure ASR keywords when starting a conversational AI agent to improve ARES's recognition accuracy for these terms.

## Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure you have:

* Implemented the basic logic for talking with an agent, as described in [Quickstart](../../get-started/quickstart).
* If you configure keywords through the Agent SDK, installed Agent SDK `v2.6.0` or later.

## Implementation

The following examples show how to configure ASR keywords for ARES using the Agent SDK or the REST API.

<Tabs defaultValue="python" groupId="ai-sdk-language">
  <TabsList>
    <TabsTrigger value="python">
      Python SDK
    </TabsTrigger>

    <TabsTrigger value="typescript">
      TypeScript SDK
    </TabsTrigger>

    <TabsTrigger value="go">
      Go SDK
    </TabsTrigger>

    <TabsTrigger value="rest-api">
      REST API
    </TabsTrigger>
  </TabsList>

  <TabsContent value="python">
    Pass a list of keywords to `AresSTT`'s `keywords` parameter:

    ```python
    from agora_agent.agentkit.vendors import AresSTT

    agent = agent.with_stt(
        AresSTT(
            keywords=[
                'Agora',
                'Conversational AI',
                'RTC',
            ],
        )
    )
    ```
  </TabsContent>

  <TabsContent value="typescript">
    Pass a list of keywords to the `AresSTT` constructor's `keywords` option:

    ```typescript
    import { AresSTT } from 'agora-agents';

    const agentWithKeywords = agent.withStt(
      new AresSTT({
        keywords: [
          'Agora',
          'Conversational AI',
          'RTC',
        ],
      })
    );
    ```
  </TabsContent>

  <TabsContent value="go">
    Pass a list of keywords to `AresSTTOptions.Keywords`:

    ```go
    agent := agentkit.NewAgent(client).WithStt(
        vendors.NewAresSTT(vendors.AresSTTOptions{
            Keywords: []string{
                "Agora",
                "Conversational AI",
                "RTC",
            },
        }),
    )
    ```
  </TabsContent>

  <TabsContent value="rest-api">
    When you [Start a conversational AI agent](/en/api-reference/api-ref/conversational-ai/join), pass a list of keywords in the request body's `properties.asr.keywords` field:

    ```json
    {
      "asr": {
        "language": "en-US",
        "vendor": "ares",
        "keywords": [
          "Agora",
          "Conversational AI",
          "RTC"
        ]
      }
    }
    ```
  </TabsContent>
</Tabs>

<CalloutContainer type="info">
  <CalloutTitle>
    Info
  </CalloutTitle>

  <CalloutDescription>
    * With the REST API, you can only set `properties.asr.keywords` when you use ARES or when `properties.asr.vendor` is not set.
    * Setting keywords while explicitly using another ASR vendor causes the request to fail.
    * You can configure up to 128 keywords.
  </CalloutDescription>
</CalloutContainer>

## ASR keywords versus keyword interruption

ASR keywords and keyword interruption are separate features that each use their own list of keywords:

| Feature              | Configuration field                                        | Purpose                                                                                                               |
| :------------------- | :--------------------------------------------------------- | :-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| ASR keywords         | `properties.asr.keywords`                                  | Improves speech recognition accuracy for specific terms.                                                              |
| Keyword interruption | `properties.interruption.keywords_config.trigger_keywords` | Interrupts the agent when the user says a specified keyword. See [Interrupt the agent mid-response](interrupt-agent). |

## Best practices

* Prioritize configuring brand names, product names, personal names, place names, model numbers, and abbreviations that are prone to misrecognition.
* Avoid configuring too many common words, short words, or overly generic terms, such as "okay" or "start."
* For mixed-language scenarios, you can configure terms in multiple languages together, such as a product's name in its local language, its English name, and its abbreviation.
* Validate recognition results with real production audio before going live, and check both the target keywords and similar-sounding words.