> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily-docs-pr-4892.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Build Your Next Bot

> Scaffold a new Pipecat project and build it with a coding agent or by hand

Ready to build your own bot? The Pipecat CLI takes you from zero to a runnable project, whether you build with an AI coding agent or scaffold it by hand.

<Note>
  **New to Pipecat?** We recommend completing the
  [Quickstart](/pipecat/get-started/quickstart) first to understand Pipecat
  basics before scaffolding your own project.
</Note>

## Install the Pipecat CLI

Install the CLI globally with [uv](https://docs.astral.sh/uv/):

```bash theme={null}
uv tool install "pipecat-ai[cli]"
```

Verify installation:

```bash theme={null}
pipecat --version
```

## Start with `pipecat init`

`pipecat init` is the starting point. It writes the Pipecat coding-agent guide (`AGENTS.md` + `CLAUDE.md`) so your coding agent works well with Pipecat, then asks how you want to build:

```bash theme={null}
pipecat init
```

* **Build with a coding agent (recommended).** Let an AI coding assistant (Claude Code, Codex, …) do the building. Continue with [Build with a coding agent](#build-with-a-coding-agent) below.
* **Scaffold a runnable bot now.** Prefer to drive the CLI yourself? Skip to [Scaffold it yourself](#scaffold-it-yourself).

## Build with a coding agent

AI coding tools like Claude Code and Codex write your agent code. The agent follows the `AGENTS.md` guide that `init` wrote, so it uses Pipecat conventions, scaffolds the app for you, and verifies its own work. This path also writes `GETTING_STARTED.md`, a short guide to driving the agent well.

### Add the Pipecat Context Hub

The Context Hub indexes Pipecat docs, examples, and API source into a local database, so your agent queries live context instead of stale training data. Build the index, then add it as an MCP server:

```bash theme={null}
uvx pipecat-ai-context-hub@latest refresh   # build local index (~2 min first run)
```

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Claude Code">
    ```bash theme={null}
    claude mcp add pipecat-context-hub -- uvx pipecat-ai-context-hub serve
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Codex">
    ```bash theme={null}
    codex mcp add pipecat-context-hub -- uvx pipecat-ai-context-hub serve
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

<Card title="Pipecat Context Hub reference" icon="database" href="/api-reference/context-hub">
  Full setup, the tool list, CLI lookups, and MCP config for Cursor and VS Code
</Card>

### Start a coding session

Open Claude Code or Codex in your project and prompt it to build. The agent follows `AGENTS.md`, queries the Context Hub for accurate APIs, and scaffolds and iterates on your bot.

<Note>
  Prefer to feed context by hand? Pipecat docs support the [llms.txt
  standard](https://llmstxt.org/): [`llms.txt`](https://docs.pipecat.ai/llms.txt)
  is a structured index of all pages, and
  [`llms-full.txt`](https://docs.pipecat.ai/llms-full.txt) is the full
  documentation in a single file, useful for tools that ingest docs in bulk.
</Note>

## Scaffold it yourself

Prefer to drive the CLI directly? When you pick **Scaffold a runnable bot now**, `init` runs an interactive setup wizard that walks you through your platform (phone or web/mobile), transport provider, AI services (STT, LLM, TTS), and deployment target, then scaffolds the project in place alongside `AGENTS.md` + `CLAUDE.md`. The generated README includes Pipecat Context Hub setup, so the project is ready for a coding agent too.

Once scaffolding completes, the CLI provides specific next steps for your generated project:

* How to configure your API keys
* Installing dependencies
* Running your bot locally
* Customizing the bot logic and behavior

## Deploy to Production

Ready to deploy your bot? Choose between managed cloud hosting or self-hosted infrastructure.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Pipecat Cloud" icon="cloud" href="/pipecat-cloud/introduction">
    Deploy and manage your agents with the CLI - purpose-built for Pipecat
  </Card>

  <Card title="Self-Hosted Options" icon="server" href="/pipecat/deployment/overview">
    Deploy to Fly.io, Modal, AWS, or your own infrastructure
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Learn More

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Core Concepts" icon="book-open" href="/pipecat/learn/overview">
    Understand pipelines, processors, and transports
  </Card>

  <Card title="Browse Examples" icon="code" href="https://github.com/pipecat-ai/pipecat-examples">
    30+ production-ready examples for inspiration
  </Card>
</CardGroup>