Overview

Conversational Video Interface (CVI) is a framework for creating real-time multimodal video interactions with AI. It enables an AI agent to see, hear, and respond naturally, mirroring human conversation. CVI is the world’s fastest interface of its kind. It allows you to map a human face and conversational ability onto your AI agent. With CVI, you can achieve utterance-to-utterance latency with SLAs under 1 second. This is the full round-trip time for a participant to say something and the replica to reply. CVI provides a comprehensive solution, with the option to plug in your existing components as required.

Key Concepts

CVI is built around three core concepts that work together to create real-time, humanlike interactions with an AI agent:

Persona

The Persona defines the agent’s behavior, tone, and knowledge. It also configures the CVI layer and pipeline.

Replica

The Replica brings the persona to life visually. It renders a photorealistic human-like avatar using the Phoenix-3 model.

Conversation

A Conversation is a real-time video session that connects the persona and replica through a WebRTC connection.

Key Features

Natural Interaction

CVI uses facial cues, body language, and real-time turn-taking to enable natural, human-like conversations.

Modular pipeline

Customize the Perception, STT, LLM and TTS layers to control identity, behavior, and responses.

Lifelike AI replicas

Choose from over 100+ hyper-realistic digital twins or customize your own with human-like voice and expression.

Multilingual support

Hold natural conversations in 30+ languages using the supported TTS engines.

World's lowest latency

Experience real-time interactions with ~600ms response time and smooth turn-taking.

Layers

The Conversational Video Interface (CVI) is built on a modular layer system, where each layer handles a specific part of the interaction. Together, they capture input, process it, and generate a real-time, human-like response. Here’s how the layers work together:

1. Transport

Handles real-time audio and video streaming using WebRTC (powered by Daily). This layer captures the user’s microphone and camera input and delivers output back to the user.This layer is always enabled. You can configure input/output for audio (mic) and video (camera).

2. Perception

Uses Raven to analyze user expressions, gaze, background, and screen content. This visual context helps the replica understand and respond more naturally.Click here to learn how to configure the Perception layer.

3. Conversational Flow

Controls the natural dynamics of conversation, including turn-taking and interruptibility. Uses Sparrow for intelligent turn detection, enabling the replica to decide when to speak and when to listen.Click here to learn how to configure the Conversational Flow layer.

4. Speech Recognition (STT)

This layer transcribes user speech in real time with lexical and semantic awareness.Click here to learn how to configure the Speech Recognition (STT) layer.

5. Large Language Model (LLM)

Processes the user’s transcribed speech and visual input using a low-latency LLM. Tavus provides ultra-low latency optimized LLMs or lets you integrate your own.Click here to learn how to configure the Large Language Model (LLM) layer.

6. Text-to-Speech (TTS)

Converts the LLM response into speech using the supported TTS Engines (Cartesia (Default), ElevenLabs).Click here to learn how to configure the Text-to-Speech (TTS) layer.

7. Realtime Replica

Delivers a high-quality, synchronized digital human response using Tavus’s real-time avatar engine powered by Phoenix.Click here to learn more about the Replica layer.

Most layers are configurable via the Persona.

Getting Started

You can quickly create a conversation by using the Developer Portal or following the steps in the Quickstart guide.

If you use Cursor, use this pre-built prompt to get started faster:

✅ System Prompt for AI: React (Vite) + Tavus CVI Integration

Purpose: Generate React (TypeScript) apps with Tavus CVI using Vite, following the official docs and GitHub examples: https://docs.tavus.io/sections/integrations/embedding-cvi

✅ AI MUST ALWAYS DO THE FOLLOWING:

1. Setup React App Using Vite

npm create vite@latest my-tavus-app -- --template react-ts
cd my-tavus-app
npm install

2. Install Tavus CVI UI Components

npx @tavus/cvi-ui@latest init
npx @tavus/cvi-ui@latest add conversation

✅ This creates:

src/components/cvi/components/
  cvi-provider.tsx
  conversation.tsx

3. Wrap App with `CVIProvider`

Update src/App.tsx:

import { CVIProvider } from "./components/cvi/components/cvi-provider";

function App() {
  return <CVIProvider>{/* Your app content */}</CVIProvider>;
}

4. Create Conversation API Call

Always use this pattern:

const response = await fetch("https://tavusapi.com/v2/conversations", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
    "x-api-key": import.meta.env.VITE_TAVUS_API_KEY || "",
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    replica_id: import.meta.env.VITE_REPLICA_ID || "rfe12d8b9597",  // Default
    persona_id: import.meta.env.VITE_PERSONA_ID || "pdced222244b",  // Default
  }),
});

const data = await response.json();
setConversationUrl(data.conversation_url);

✅ Explain: conversation_url from API response is used inside <Conversation>.

5. Render `Conversation` Inside `CVIProvider`

<Conversation
  conversationUrl={conversationUrl}
  onLeave={() => setConversationUrl(null)}
/>

6. Add Environment Variable

Create .env in the my-tavus-app folder (if not already there):

VITE_TAVUS_API_KEY=your_api_key_here
VITE_REPLICA_ID=rfe12d8b9597   // Default replica_id, can be overridden in .env
VITE_PERSONA_ID=pdced222244b  // Default persona_id, can be overridden in .env

Important: DO NOT create .env outside of the my-tavus-app folder. It must be inside your project directory where src exists.

Access via:

import.meta.env.VITE_TAVUS_API_KEY
import.meta.env.VITE_REPLICA_ID
import.meta.env.VITE_PERSONA_ID

7. Create `cvi-components.json` by Default

Ensure that the cvi-components.json file is generated in the my-tavus-app folder with the following content:

{
  "tsx": true
}

✅ Expected AI Output Example

src/App.tsx:

import React, { useState } from "react";
import { CVIProvider } from "./components/cvi/components/cvi-provider";
import { Conversation } from "./components/cvi/components/conversation";

const App: React.FC = () => {
  const [conversationUrl, setConversationUrl] = useState<string | null>(null);

  const createConversation = async () => {
    const response = await fetch("https://tavusapi.com/v2/conversations", {
      method: "POST",
      headers: {
        "Content-Type": "application/json",
        "x-api-key": import.meta.env.VITE_TAVUS_API_KEY || "",
      },
      body: JSON.stringify({
        replica_id: import.meta.env.VITE_REPLICA_ID || "rfe12d8b9597",
        persona_id: import.meta.env.VITE_PERSONA_ID || "pdced222244b",
      }),
    });

    const data = await response.json();
    setConversationUrl(data.conversation_url);
  };

  return (
    <CVIProvider>
      <div
        style={{
          display: "flex",
          justifyContent: "center",
          alignItems: "center",
          width: "100vw",
          height: "100vh",
          backgroundColor: "#1e1e1e",
          color: "#fff",
          textAlign: "center",
          flexDirection: "column",
          margin: 0,
          padding: 0,
        }}
      >
        <h1 style={{ marginBottom: "1rem" }}>Tavus CVI Integration (Vite)</h1>
        {!conversationUrl ? (
          <button
            onClick={createConversation}
            style={{
              padding: "0.75rem 1.5rem",
              fontSize: "1rem",
              background: "#6a0dad",  // Purple for light and dark modes
              color: "#fff",
              border: "none",
              borderRadius: "6px",
              cursor: "pointer",
            }}
          >
            Start Conversation
          </button>
        ) : (
          <div style={{ width: "100%", maxWidth: "800px" }}>
            <Conversation
              conversationUrl={conversationUrl}
              onLeave={() => setConversationUrl(null)}
            />
          </div>
        )}
      </div>
    </CVIProvider>
  );
};

export default App;

✅ Checklist for AI Output

✅ Uses Vite + React TypeScript (npm create vite@latest --template react-ts)
✅ Includes npx @tavus/cvi-ui init and add conversation
✅ Imports CVIProvider and Conversation from src/components/cvi/components/
✅ Uses correct API call with:
- https://tavusapi.com/v2/conversations
- Headers: Content-Type, x-api-key
- Body: replica_id & persona_id
✅ Uses import.meta.env.VITE_TAVUS_API_KEY
✅ Renders <Conversation> inside <CVIProvider>
✅ Purple button is visible in both light and dark modes
✅ .env is created inside the correct project folder (my-tavus-app)
✅ cvi-components.json is created by default with { "tsx": true }

Keep things in mind:

If you’re already in the my-tavus-app folder, avoid running cd my-tavus-app again. Check your current folder before running commands.
After running the necessary setup, remember to run npm run dev to start your app.
Do NOT place the .env file outside of the project folder. It must reside within the my-tavus-app directory.

Getting Started

Conversational Video Interface

Replica

Video Generation

Resources

Key Concepts

Persona

Replica

Conversation

Key Features

Natural Interaction

Modular pipeline

Lifelike AI replicas

Multilingual support

World's lowest latency

Layers

Getting Started

✅ System Prompt for AI: React (Vite) + Tavus CVI Integration

✅ AI MUST ALWAYS DO THE FOLLOWING:

1. Setup React App Using Vite

2. Install Tavus CVI UI Components

3. Wrap App with `CVIProvider`

4. Create Conversation API Call

5. Render `Conversation` Inside `CVIProvider`

6. Add Environment Variable

7. Create `cvi-components.json` by Default

✅ Expected AI Output Example

✅ Checklist for AI Output

Keep things in mind:

Getting Started

Conversational Video Interface

Replica

Video Generation

Resources

​Key Concepts

Persona

Replica

Conversation

​Key Features

Natural Interaction

Modular pipeline

Lifelike AI replicas

Multilingual support

World's lowest latency

​Layers

​Getting Started

​✅ System Prompt for AI: React (Vite) + Tavus CVI Integration

​✅ AI MUST ALWAYS DO THE FOLLOWING:

​1. Setup React App Using Vite

​2. Install Tavus CVI UI Components

​3. Wrap App with CVIProvider

​4. Create Conversation API Call

​5. Render Conversation Inside CVIProvider

​6. Add Environment Variable

​7. Create cvi-components.json by Default

​✅ Expected AI Output Example

​✅ Checklist for AI Output

​Keep things in mind:

Key Concepts

Key Features

Layers

Getting Started

✅ System Prompt for AI: React (Vite) + Tavus CVI Integration

✅ AI MUST ALWAYS DO THE FOLLOWING:

1. Setup React App Using Vite

2. Install Tavus CVI UI Components

3. Wrap App with `CVIProvider`

4. Create Conversation API Call

5. Render `Conversation` Inside `CVIProvider`

6. Add Environment Variable

7. Create `cvi-components.json` by Default

✅ Expected AI Output Example

✅ Checklist for AI Output

Keep things in mind: