# User Started Speaking

Voice Agent

The `userStartedSpeaking` message confirms when a user begins to speak.

## Purpose

The `UserStartedSpeaking` message is sent by the server to notify the client that the user has begun speaking, prompting the client to stop any ongoing agent audio playback and discard any buffered audio, ensuring that the user's input is prioritized and processed immediately.

## Example Payload

The server will send a `UserStartedSpeaking` message every time the user begins a new utterance. If the client is playing agent audio when this message is received, it should stop playback immediately and discard all of its buffered agent audio.

**`JSON`**

```json JSON
{
  "type": "UserStartedSpeaking"
}
```

## Related pages

- [Outputs: Server Events](./self-hosted-deployments-3-voice-agent-outputs.md)
- [Welcome](./self-hosted-deployments-3-voice-agent-welcome-message.md)
- [Settings Applied](./self-hosted-deployments-3-voice-agent-setting-applied-message.md)
- [Conversation Text](./self-hosted-deployments-3-voice-agent-conversation-text.md)
- [Agent Thinking](./self-hosted-deployments-3-voice-agent-agent-thinking.md)
- [Function Call Cancelled](./self-hosted-deployments-3-voice-agent-function-call-cancelled.md)
- [Acknowledgements](./self-hosted-deployments-3-voice-agent-acknowledgements.md)
- [Agent Audio Done](./self-hosted-deployments-3-voice-agent-agent-audio-done.md)
- [Errors & Warnings](./self-hosted-deployments-3-voice-agent-errors-warnings.md)
- [Latency Report](./self-hosted-deployments-3-voice-agent-latency-report.md)

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