> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.threetone.in/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Conversation flow
> Configure first-message interruptions and soft timeouts, then review the saved turn settings on an agent version.
Conversation-flow settings describe when an agent should wait, respond, or allow an interruption. This guide updates the first-message and soft-timeout controls that the dashboard saves, then shows where the remaining turn settings belong in the API.
This guide ends with a reviewed configuration. Conversation execution is currently gated, so saving these values does not demonstrate timing or interruption behavior in a live session. See [current availability](/agents-platform/overview#current-availability).
## Before you begin
Open an agent you can edit in the intended workspace and select its branch. Preserve voice or custom-model changes in a complete server draft; those publication paths are unavailable. Managed text-only publication has model, resource, and workflow validation. See [versions and drafts](/agents-platform/deploy/versioning) for the appropriate workflow.
## Configure the saved dashboard controls
Open the agent's **Agent Configuration** page. Write a short **First message** that matches the task, or leave it empty to express that the user should speak first.
Review **Interruptible** beside the first-message editor. When enabled, the stored `conversation_config.agent.disable_first_message_interruptions` value is `false`. Turning it off stores `true`. This control applies to the opening message, not every agent response. Use a wider desktop window if the control is hidden.
In the **LLM** section, open the selected model's settings, then select **Soft timeout**. Turn on **Enable soft timeout** to configure a filler message for a delayed model response.
When no earlier duration is available, enabling the setting starts at 2 seconds. **Timeout duration** accepts 0.5–8 seconds. Turning the setting off stores `timeout_seconds: -1`.
For static copy, edit **First message** inside the Soft timeout sheet and optionally add more messages. This is the first filler message, separate from the agent's opening message. **Randomize filler order** becomes available when you add another filler.
Alternatively, enable **Use LLM-generated message**. Review **Maximum filler messages**, **Override soft timeout prompt**, and **Fallback message**. Enable **Wait for first user message** if the saved configuration should defer fillers until the user has spoken.
Keep the copy brief and avoid implying that an external action has completed. These controls save the requested behavior; runtime delivery still requires a supported execution path.
Review the first-message interruption value and `conversation_config.turn.soft_timeout_config` in the complete snapshot, then save a server draft. For eligible managed text-only publication, inspect **Review Changes** and confirm the branch before submitting a **Commit message**.
Inspect the saved draft or eligible published version and confirm the values. For an API check, use [Get agent](/api-reference/agents-platform/get-agent) with the selected branch and the appropriate read options. Retain the configuration identifiers for later runtime testing.
## Soft-timeout fields
The following paths are relative to `conversation_config.turn.soft_timeout_config`.
| Field | Default and accepted configuration |
| - | - |
| `timeout_seconds` | `-1` disables the setting. The dashboard accepts 0.5–8 seconds when enabled. |
| `message` | `"Hhmmmm...yeah."`; 1–200 characters. Used for static first-filler copy or the generated mode's fallback. |
| `additional_soft_timeout_messages` | Empty list; at most 7 additional static messages. |
| `use_llm_generated_message` | `false`; selects static or generated filler intent. |
| `randomize_fillers` | `false`; applies to static fillers. |
| `max_soft_timeouts_per_generation` | `1`; integer from 1 to 8. |
| `llm_generated_message_prompt_override` | `null`; an override must contain 1–1000 characters. |
| `disable_until_first_user_message` | `false`. |
The dashboard's duration range is an editor constraint. Use the generated [Update agent schema](/api-reference/agents-platform/update-agent) for the complete API contract.
## Other turn settings through the API
The main **Agent behavior** presets are labelled as previews and do not save changes. The **Advanced** tab on the Security page also displays disabled example settings. Use the API to author the following base-agent fields, and read the resulting values back.
These paths are relative to `conversation_config.turn`.
| Field | Default | Configuration purpose |
| - | - | - |
| `turn_timeout` | `7` | Requested wait, in seconds, before re-engaging a silent user. |
| `initial_wait_time` | `null` | Opening wait when the first message is empty; unset uses the regular turn timeout. |
| `silence_end_call_timeout` | `-1` | Requested silence limit before ending a call. |
| `turn_eagerness` | `normal` | Choose `patient`, `normal`, or `eager`. |
| `spelling_patience` | `auto` | Choose `auto` or `off`. |
| `speculative_turn` | `false` | Request earlier response generation while a turn is being detected. |
| `interruption_ignore_terms` | `[]` | Terms configured not to trigger interruptions. |
| `interruption_ignore_term_languages` | `[]` | Languages associated with configured ignore-term presets. |
| `merge_with_default_ignore_terms` | `false` | Request preset terms alongside custom terms. |
| `transcribe_on_disabled_interruptions` | `false` | Request transcription while interruptions are disabled. |
The schema also includes `mode` (`silence` or `turn`, default `turn`), `turn_model` (`turn_v2` or `turn_v3`, default `turn_v3`), and `retranscribe_on_turn_timeout` (default `false`). Their presence in a saved document does not establish runtime support.
The total-duration setting is separate: `conversation_config.conversation.max_duration_seconds` defaults to `600`. Its optional closing copy is `conversation_config.agent.max_conversation_duration_message`, which defaults to an empty string.
Use [Update agent](/api-reference/agents-platform/update-agent) with an explicit `branch_id` when changing conversation configuration. For a complete server draft, preserve the selected version's other fields and follow [versions and drafts](/agents-platform/deploy/versioning).
## Frequently asked questions
That picker is a local preview. Use the saved controls described above or the corresponding API fields, then inspect the published version. Preview selections are not evidence of a configuration change.
No. The switch beside First message updates only `disable_first_message_interruptions`. Review other turn fields separately; do not infer a conversation-wide interruption setting from that switch.
The soft-timeout configuration describes filler feedback while waiting for a model response. Turn silence and total conversation duration use separate fields. Saving any of them does not verify live timing behavior.
Compare the published configuration with the intended values and record its version ID. Keep timing and interruption scenarios for a later execution test when the runtime path is available.
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