--- title: "Partial Messages | Micdrop" description: "Send the answer to the client while the agent is still writing it, so a page can display it before it is finished." url: "https://micdrop.dev/docs/server/partial-messages" --- * [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) # Partial Messages The answer normally reaches the client once the agent has finished writing it. `partialMessages` adds an earlier stream, carrying it as it is being written. ``` new MicdropServer(socket, { stt, agent, tts, partialMessages: true,}) ``` It stays off by default, since a page that only displays finished messages has nothing to do with it. Any agent works, since the text is read from the stream the agent writes to. ## Reading it in the client The client keeps the answer being written in its state, next to the conversation: ``` Micdrop.on('StateChange', (state) => { answerText.textContent = state.partialAssistantMessage}) ``` An event carries the same text, for a page that would rather react than re-render: ``` Micdrop.on('PartialAssistantMessage', (content) => { answerText.textContent = content}) ``` Each one carries the whole answer so far, replacing the previous one. Display it as it comes, no reassembly needed. It empties as soon as the settled message lands in `conversation`, so the two never show the same sentence twice. It also empties when the user interrupts the assistant, and when the answer is skipped. ## Where it earns its place A [call without a voice](/docs/server/dictation) is the clearest case: the answer would otherwise appear all at once, several seconds after the question. Streaming it makes a written answer feel as immediate as a spoken one. In a spoken call, the voice already carries the answer, so partial messages are worth their bandwidth only when the page displays the text beside it. What the user says is not streamed this way. A transcript reaches the client once the speech to text has settled the sentence, as a regular message. [Previous← Dictation and Text-Only Calls](/docs/server/dictation)[NextSave Messages →](/docs/server/save-messages) On this page * [Reading it in the client](#reading-it-in-the-client) * [Where it earns its place](#where-it-earns-its-place)