# Init > Scaffold a new Pipecat project with guided setup Use when this capability is needed. - Skill: `tomevault-io/init-6` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add tomevault-io/init-6` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/tomevault-io/init-6/raw - Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS) - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: tomevault-io (https://skillmd.com/u/tomevault-io) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/tomevault-io/init-6 --- Scaffold a new Pipecat project by collecting configuration from the user and running `pc init` in non-interactive mode. ## Arguments ``` /init [--output ] ``` - `--output` (optional): Directory where the project will be created. Defaults to the current directory. ## Prerequisites Check if `pc` is installed by running `pc --version`. If not installed, tell the user to install it with `uv tool install pipecat-ai-cli` and stop. ## Discover Available Options Before asking the user any questions, run `pc init --list-options` to get the current valid values for all fields. The output is JSON: ```json { "bot_type": ["web", "telephony"], "transports": { "web": ["daily", "smallwebrtc"], "telephony": ["twilio", "telnyx", ...] }, "stt": ["deepgram_stt", "openai_stt", ...], "llm": ["openai_llm", "anthropic_llm", ...], "tts": ["cartesia_tts", "elevenlabs_tts", ...], "realtime": ["openai_realtime", "gemini_live_realtime", ...], "video": ["heygen_video", "tavus_video", "simli_video"] } ``` Use this data to populate the choices in every question below. Do NOT hardcode service lists — always use the values from `--list-options`. ## Configuration Flow Walk through the following questions to build the project configuration. After collecting all answers, show a summary and run the command. **Choosing the right interaction method:** - **AskUserQuestion** — Use for questions with a small, fixed set of options (bot type, pipeline mode, client framework, yes/no questions). This gives a clean clickable UI. - **Show list as text** — Use for questions with many options (STT, LLM, TTS, realtime, video, transports). Display the full list of available options from `--list-options` formatted as a readable list, then let the user reply with their choice in chat. ### Step 1: Project Name Ask the user for a project name. This will be used as the directory name and project identifier. ### Step 2: Bot Type Ask the user to choose a bot type: - **Web/Mobile** (`web`) - Browser or mobile app - **Telephony** (`telephony`) - Phone calls ### Step 3: Client Framework (web only) If the bot type is `web`, ask the user to choose a client framework: - **React** (`react`) - **Vanilla JS** (`vanilla`) - **None** (`none`) - Server only, no client generated If the user chose React, ask which dev server: - **Vite** (`vite`) - **Next.js** (`nextjs`) Skip this step entirely for telephony bots. ### Step 4: Transport Show the user the full list of available transports from `--list-options`, filtered by the selected bot type. Let the user reply with their choice. If the user chose a `daily_pstn` transport, ask for mode: - Dial-in (receive calls) → use `--daily-pstn-mode dial-in` - Dial-out (make calls) → use `--daily-pstn-mode dial-out` If the user chose a `twilio_daily_sip` transport, ask for mode: - Dial-in (receive calls) → use `--twilio-daily-sip-mode dial-in` - Dial-out (make calls) → use `--twilio-daily-sip-mode dial-out` Then ask if they want to add an additional transport for local testing. This is common — e.g. a telephony bot that also supports WebRTC for development. ### Step 5: Pipeline Mode Ask the user to choose a pipeline architecture: - **Cascade** (`cascade`) - STT → LLM → TTS pipeline - **Realtime** (`realtime`) - Speech-to-speech model ### Step 6: AI Services **If cascade mode**, show the full list of available options from `--list-options` for each service and let the user reply with their choice: 1. **Speech-to-Text (STT)** — Show all available STT services 2. **Language Model (LLM)** — Show all available LLM services 3. **Text-to-Speech (TTS)** — Show all available TTS services **If realtime mode**, show all available realtime services and let the user reply with their choice. For each service question, display the options as a numbered vertical list (one per line) so the user can easily scan and pick one. ### Step 7: Features Show the user the default feature settings and ask if they want to customize: **Defaults:** - Audio recording: No - Transcription logging: No - Video avatar service: None - Video input: No (web only) - Video output: No (web only) - Observability: No If they want to customize, ask about each feature. For video avatar service (web bots only), use the video options from `--list-options`. If a video avatar service is selected, video output is automatically enabled. ### Step 8: Deployment Ask if they want to generate Pipecat Cloud deployment files (Dockerfile, pcc-deploy.toml). Default is yes. If deploying to cloud, ask if they want to enable Krisp noise cancellation. Default is no. ## Building the Command After collecting all answers, build the `pc init` command using non-interactive flags: ``` pc init \ --name \ --bot-type \ --transport \ --mode \ [--stt ] \ [--llm ] \ [--tts ] \ [--realtime ] \ [--video ] \ [--client-framework ] \ [--client-server ] \ [--daily-pstn-mode ] \ [--twilio-daily-sip-mode ] \ [--recording | --no-recording] \ [--transcription | --no-transcription] \ [--video-input | --no-video-input] \ [--video-output | --no-video-output] \ [--deploy-to-cloud | --no-deploy-to-cloud] \ [--enable-krisp | --no-enable-krisp] \ [--observability | --no-observability] \ --output ``` For multiple transports, repeat the `--transport` flag (e.g. `--transport twilio --transport smallwebrtc`). ## Confirmation Before running the command, show the user a summary of their choices: - Project name - Bot type - Client framework (if web) - Transport(s) - Pipeline mode and services - Features enabled - Deployment target Ask the user to confirm before proceeding. If they want to change something, go back and re-ask that specific question. ## Running the Command Run the `pc init` command. Use `--output` to specify the output directory (from the `--output` argument, or default to `./`). If the command succeeds, show the user what was generated and suggest next steps: 1. `cd /server` 2. Copy `.env.example` to `.env` and fill in API keys 3. Run the bot If deploying to cloud, also mention they can use `/pipecat-cloud:deploy` to deploy. ## Error Handling - If `pc init` fails with validation errors, show the error and help the user fix their choices. - If the output directory already exists and is not empty, warn the user before proceeding. --- > Converted and distributed by [TomeVault](https://tomevault.io/claim/pipecat-ai) — claim your Tome and manage your conversions.