--- title: "Dictation and Text-Only Calls | Micdrop" description: "Leave out the agent, the voice, or both, to build a dictation tool, a text-only assistant, or a call your own code drives." url: "https://micdrop.dev/docs/server/dictation" --- * [Getting Started](/docs/getting-started) * [Client (Browser)](/docs/client) * [Installation](/docs/client/installation) * [React Hooks](/docs/client/react-hooks) * [Start/Stop Call](/docs/client/start-stop-call) * [Pause/Resume Call](/docs/client/pause-resume-call) * [Mute/Unmute Call](/docs/client/mute-unmute-call) * [Call State](/docs/client/call-state) * [Display Conversation Messages](/docs/client/display-conversation-messages) * [Handling Tool Calls](/docs/client/handling-tool-calls) * [Device Management](/docs/client/devices-management) * [Voice Activity Detection (VAD)](/docs/client/vad) * [Turn Detection](/docs/client/turn-detection) * [Reducing Latency](/docs/client/latency) * [Error Handling](/docs/client/error-handling) * Utility Classes * [Mic](/docs/client/utility-classes/mic) * [MicdropClient](/docs/client/utility-classes/micdrop-client) * [MicRecorder](/docs/client/utility-classes/mic-recorder) * [Speaker](/docs/client/utility-classes/speaker) * [Client (React Native)](/docs/react-native) * [Installation](/docs/react-native/installation) * [Hooks and Call State](/docs/react-native/hooks) * [Audio Output and Devices](/docs/react-native/audio-output) * [Voice Activity Detection (VAD)](/docs/react-native/vad) * [Turn Detection](/docs/react-native/turn-detection) * [Using Another Audio Library](/docs/react-native/custom-audio) * [Server (Node.js)](/docs/server) * [Installation](/docs/server/installation) * [With Fastify](/docs/server/with-fastify) * [With NestJS](/docs/server/with-nestjs) * [Auth and Parameters](/docs/server/auth-and-parameters) * [First Message](/docs/server/first-message) * [Dictation and Text-Only Calls](/docs/server/dictation) * [Partial Messages](/docs/server/partial-messages) * [Save Messages](/docs/server/save-messages) * [Resume a Conversation](/docs/server/resume-conversation) * [Recording Audio](/docs/server/recording-audio) * [Error Handling](/docs/server/error-handling) * [Tools](/docs/server/tools) * [Extract Value from Answer](/docs/server/extract) * [Auto End Call](/docs/server/auto-end-call) * [Semantic Turn Detection](/docs/server/semantic-turn-detection) * [Noise Filtering](/docs/server/noise-filtering) * [Micdrop Protocol](/docs/server/protocol) * [AI Integrations](/docs/ai-integration) * Provided Integrations * [AI SDK](/docs/ai-integration/provided-integrations/ai-sdk) * [Cartesia](/docs/ai-integration/provided-integrations/cartesia) * [ElevenLabs](/docs/ai-integration/provided-integrations/elevenlabs) * [Gladia](/docs/ai-integration/provided-integrations/gladia) * [Gradium](/docs/ai-integration/provided-integrations/gradium) * [Kokoro](/docs/ai-integration/provided-integrations/kokoro) * [Mistral](/docs/ai-integration/provided-integrations/mistral) * [OpenAI](/docs/ai-integration/provided-integrations/openai) * [Piper](/docs/ai-integration/provided-integrations/piper) * [Pocket TTS](/docs/ai-integration/provided-integrations/pocket-tts) * [Whisper](/docs/ai-integration/provided-integrations/whisper) * Custom Integrations * [Agent (LLM)](/docs/ai-integration/custom-integrations/custom-agent) * [Speech-to-Text (STT)](/docs/ai-integration/custom-integrations/custom-stt) * [Text-to-Speech (TTS)](/docs/ai-integration/custom-integrations/custom-tts) * Fallback Strategies * [FallbackAgent](/docs/ai-integration/fallback-strategies/agent-fallback) * [FallbackSTT](/docs/ai-integration/fallback-strategies/stt-fallback) * [FallbackTTS](/docs/ai-integration/fallback-strategies/tts-fallback) * [Local Models](/docs/ai-integration/local-models) * [Choosing the Models](/docs/ai-integration/local-models/choosing-models) * [Latency and Memory](/docs/ai-integration/local-models/performance) * [Explorations](/docs/ai-integration/local-models/explorations) * [IA Vocale Souveraine 🇫🇷🇪🇺](/docs/ai-integration/sovereign-voice-ai) * [Migration](/docs/migration) * [Upgrade to v3](/docs/migration/v3) [Micdrop](/) › [Documentation](/docs/getting-started) › [Server (Node.js)](/docs/server) # Dictation and Text-Only Calls `agent` and `tts` are optional. Leaving one of them out changes what a call does, while the microphone, the voice activity detection and the transport keep working the same way. Configuration What the user gets `stt + agent + tts` A full spoken conversation `stt + agent` An assistant that answers in writing `stt` Dictation, with nothing answering back `stt + tts` A call your own code drives, speaking when it decides to ## Dictation With a speech to text alone, the call transcribes and stays quiet. Each sentence reaches the client as a message, exactly as a user message does in a full conversation. ``` import { MicdropServer } from '@micdrop/server'import { GladiaSTT } from '@micdrop/gladia' new MicdropServer(socket, { stt: new GladiaSTT({ apiKey: process.env.GLADIA_API_KEY }),}) ``` The client displays them from `conversation`, like any other message: ``` Micdrop.on('StateChange', (state) => { const text = state.conversation .filter((message) => message.role === 'user') .map((message) => message.content) .join(' ') textarea.value = text}) ``` Each sentence lands once the speech to text has settled it, so the text grows sentence by sentence, at the pauses. The [dictation example](https://github.com/Godefroy/micdrop/tree/main/examples/dictation) does exactly this, in a page with a microphone button, a language picker and a text area. ## An assistant that writes instead of speaking Without a text to speech, the agent still answers, and its answer reaches the client as a message. Nothing is synthesized, so nothing plays. ``` new MicdropServer(socket, { stt, agent: new OpenaiAgent({ apiKey: process.env.OPENAI_API_KEY, systemPrompt: 'You are a helpful assistant', }),}) ``` The client leaves its processing state as soon as the answer is complete, and `isAssistantSpeaking` stays false for the whole call, since no voice ever plays. Turn on [`partialMessages`](/docs/server/partial-messages) to stream the answer as it is written, which is what makes a text answer feel as immediate as a spoken one. ## Driving the conversation yourself A call with a voice and no agent speaks only when your code asks it to. This is the shape to reach for when the answers come from a state machine, a workflow engine, or an orchestration framework you already run. ``` const server = new MicdropServer(socket, { stt, tts }) server.on('Message', async (message) => { if (message.role !== 'user') return const answer = await myOwnOrchestrator(message.content) server.speak(answer)}) ``` `speak()` accepts a string or a stream of text. Given a string, it also records the sentence in the conversation, since no agent is there to do it. ## Reading the conversation `server.conversation` holds everything said, whether an agent keeps it or the server does, and stays readable once the call is over. ``` const server = new MicdropServer(socket, { stt }) server.on('End', ({ conversation, duration }) => { console.log(`${conversation.length} sentences in ${duration}s`)}) ``` The `Message` event fires for every message added on either side. See [Save Messages](/docs/server/save-messages) for storing them as they arrive. With an agent, the conversation opens with the system message that carries the prompt. Without one, it holds nothing but what was said. ## What still needs an agent `generateFirstMessage` asks the agent for its opening line, so it does nothing without one. A static `firstMessage` works either way, and is spoken when a text to speech is configured. Tools, [automatic call ending](/docs/server/auto-end-call), [extraction](/docs/server/extract) and [semantic turn detection](/docs/server/semantic-turn-detection) are agent features, and are out of reach in a call that has no agent. [Previous← First Message](/docs/server/first-message)[NextPartial Messages →](/docs/server/partial-messages) On this page * [Dictation](#dictation) * [An assistant that writes instead of speaking](#an-assistant-that-writes-instead-of-speaking) * [Driving the conversation yourself](#driving-the-conversation-yourself) * [Reading the conversation](#reading-the-conversation) * [What still needs an agent](#what-still-needs-an-agent)