# Customize your agent (/en/ai/studio/build/customize-agent)

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

This guide covers the configuration options available in the agent editor. The editor is organized into four tabs: **Prompt**, **Models**, **Advanced**, and **Actions**.

## Prerequisites [#prerequisites]

Follow the [quickstart](../quickstart) to create your first Agent Studio agent.

## Prompt [#prompt]

The Prompt tab contains the core instructions that define your agent's identity and behavior.

![](https://assets-docs.agora.io/images/conversational-ai/studio/agent-editor-prompt.png)

* **System Prompt**: Defines how your agent behaves. For example: `You are a helpful customer support assistant.` See [Prompt design](prompt-design) for guidance on writing effective prompts.
* **Greeting Message**: The first thing your agent says when a session starts. For example: `Hello! How can I help you today?`
* **Failure Message**: The message the agent speaks when the LLM fails to respond or returns an error. For example: `Please hold on a second.`

See [Template variables](prompt-design#template-variables) to customize the system prompt, greeting message, and failure message for each user.

## Models [#models]

The Models tab is where you select the ASR, LLM, and TTS services your agent uses. The dropdowns list vendor-model combinations that support Agora Managed Key.

![](https://assets-docs.agora.io/images/conversational-ai/studio/agent-editor-models.png)

### ASR [#asr]

* **Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR)**: Select a vendor-model from the dropdown.
* **Language**: Select the primary language for agent interaction using the BCP-47 language tag.

For advanced ASR settings, click the settings icon next to the ASR dropdown. For supported vendors, see [Supported ASR vendors](supported-vendors#asr-vendors).

### LLM [#llm]

* **Large Language Model (LLM)**: Select a vendor-model from the dropdown.

For advanced LLM settings, click the settings icon next to the LLM dropdown. For supported vendors, see [Supported LLM vendors](supported-vendors#llm-vendors).

### TTS [#tts]

* **Text-to-Speech (TTS)**: Select a vendor-model from the dropdown.
* **Voice**: Select a voice for the selected TTS vendor-model.

For advanced TTS settings, click the settings icon next to the TTS dropdown. For supported vendors, see [Supported TTS vendors](supported-vendors#tts-vendors).

### Bring your own API key (BYOK) [#bring-your-own-api-key-byok]

To use your own API key or to select a vendor or model not available under Agora Managed Key, click the settings icon next to the relevant dropdown. This opens a configuration panel where you can select any supported vendor and add your own API credentials. See [Manage integrations](integrations#credentials) for details on adding credentials.

![](https://assets-docs.agora.io/images/conversational-ai/studio/configure-llm.png)

## Advanced [#advanced]

The Advanced tab contains configuration options for turn detection, speech detection, selective attention locking, filler words, and conversation history.

* **Select Project**: The Agora project this agent is associated with. Billing and usage are tracked under this project.

### Turn detection [#turn-detection]

Turn detection controls how the agent manages conversation flow and turn-taking behavior. Use the **Quick Presets** to get started quickly, or select **Custom** to configure individual parameters.

![](https://assets-docs.agora.io/images/conversational-ai/studio/turn-detection.png)

**Quick Presets:**

* **Responsive**: Optimized for fast-paced conversations

* **Balanced**: A middle ground between responsiveness and naturalness. Suitable for most use-cases.

* **Patient**: Optimized for slower, more thoughtful conversations.

* **Custom**: Manually configure individual parameters.

* **Threshold**: The audio level required for the system to detect speech. Lower values increase sensitivity and work better in quiet environments; higher values help filter out background noise.

### Start of speech [#start-of-speech]

Controls how the system detects when the user starts speaking.

![](https://assets-docs.agora.io/images/conversational-ai/studio/start-of-speech.png)

* **Detection Mode**: Select one of the following:
  * **Voice Activity Detection (VAD)**: Detects speech based on silence duration.
  * **Keyword Triggered**: Triggers detection on configured keywords.
  * **Disabled**: No active detection.

* **Interrupt Duration (ms)**: How long the agent waits after you stop talking before it responds. Lower values result in faster responses; higher values give the user more time to speak.

* **Speaking Interrupt Duration (ms)**: How long the user must speak while the agent is talking before the system decides to interrupt. Lower values make the agent easier to interrupt; higher values make it less interruptible.

* **Prefix Padding (ms)**: Buffer time added to avoid cutting off the start or end of words. Lower values reduce latency; higher values reduce the chance of clipping.

### End of speech [#end-of-speech]

Controls how the system decides the user has finished their thought.

![](https://assets-docs.agora.io/images/conversational-ai/studio/end-of-speech.png)

* **Detection Mode**: Select one of the following:
  * **Voice Activity Detection (VAD)**: Detects end of speech based on silence duration.
  * **Semantic**: Analyzes the semantic meaning of speech to identify natural pause points. Recommended for more natural conversations.

* **Silence Duration (ms)**: How long the agent waits after you stop talking before it considers you finished. Lower values result in faster responses; higher values give the user more time to complete their thought.

### Selective Attention Locking (SAL) [#selective-attention-locking-sal]

Helps the agent focus on the right voice while filtering out background conversations and noise.

![](https://assets-docs.agora.io/images/conversational-ai/studio/selective-attention-locking.png)

* **SAL Mode**: Select one of the following:
  * **Speaker Lock**: Blocks all other background noise and adapts to the detected speaker.
  * **Voiceprint Recognition**: Identifies known speakers using voiceprint. When enabled, configure the following:
    * **Name**: A label for the speaker.
    * **Voiceprint URL**: URL to a voiceprint audio file. Supported format: 16kHz, 16-bit, mono PCM. Maximum size: 2 MB.

### Filler words [#filler-words]

When enabled, the agent uses natural filler phrases while processing a response, reducing awkward silences.

![](https://assets-docs.agora.io/images/conversational-ai/studio/filler-words.png)

* **Filler words / phrases**: Enter up to 100 filler phrases, one per line. For example:
  ```text
    sure let me look that up for you
    uh huh
    please wait
  ```
* **Response Wait Threshold (ms)**: How long the agent waits before it starts using filler words. Lower values trigger fillers sooner; higher values give the LLM more time to respond before fillers are used.
* **Selection Rule**: Controls how filler phrases are selected:
  * **Shuffle**: Random, no repeats until all phrases are exhausted.
  * **Round Robin**: Played sequentially.

### History [#history]

* **Max History**: The maximum number of conversation history messages included in context. Higher values give the agent more memory of the conversation but increase LLM token usage.

## Actions [#actions]

The Actions tab is where you connect your agent to external data and services.

![](https://assets-docs.agora.io/images/conversational-ai/studio/agent-editor-actions.png)

### Knowledge base [#knowledge-base]

A knowledge base provides your agent with additional context from reference documents. Click **+ Add Knowledge Base** to select or create a knowledge base. See [Add knowledge base](integrations#knowledge-bases).

### MCP Server [#mcp-server]

MCP servers enable your agent to call tools provided by external services. Click **+ Add MCP Server** to select or create an MCP server. See [Add MCP server](integrations#mcp-servers).

## Next steps [#next-steps]

* [Manage integrations](integrations): Manage credentials, MCP servers, and knowledge bases for reuse across agents
* [Test your agent](test-agent): Learn more about testing features and troubleshooting agent behavior
* [Publish your agent](../deploy/deploy-agent): Publish your agent to production