# Zoom Scribe API: Introducing Live mode

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We launched [Zoom AI Services](/blog/introducing-zoom-ai-services) with the [Scribe API](/docs/ai-services/scribe) for accurate, scalable transcription. Scribe already supports synchronous transcription for individual files through Fast mode and asynchronous processing for large collections through Batch mode.

Today, we're adding [**Live mode**](/docs/ai-services/scribe/live-mode): a real-time transcription API for voice agents and interactive audio applications.

## Transcription as the conversation happens

File-based transcription works well when audio is already recorded. Interactive applications need text while someone is still speaking.

Live mode opens a secure WebSocket connection between your backend and Scribe. Your application streams audio as binary messages, and Scribe returns a transcript segment after each detected speech turn.

This event-driven workflow supports experiences such as:

-   Voice agents that respond without waiting for a recording to finish
-   Real-time keyword detection and agent assistance
-   Conversational interfaces that act on finalized speech turns

## One API, three processing modes

Live mode joins Fast and Batch to give developers a processing option for each stage of an audio workflow.

| Mode  | Processing model           | Best for                                       |
| ----- | -------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- |
| Live  | Real-time WebSocket stream | Voice agents and interactive applications      |
| Fast  | Synchronous file request   | Short recordings that need an immediate result |
| Batch | Asynchronous storage job   | Long recordings and large file collections     |

Applications can combine these modes. For example, use Live mode to show a transcript during a customer conversation, then use Batch mode to process stored recordings for quality assurance and analytics.

## How Live mode works

Your backend connects to the Scribe Live WebSocket with a Zoom AI Services JWT and the `live-asr` WebSocket subprotocol. After the connection opens:

1. Send a `session.update` message with the language and audio format.
2. Stream 16-bit, 16 kHz, mono PCM audio as binary WebSocket messages.
3. Handle speech and transcription events returned by Scribe.
4. Send `session.close` when transcription is complete.

The session configuration defines the language and audio format:

```json
{
    "type": "session.update",
    "language": "en-US",
    "audio": {
        "format": "pcm16"
    }
}
```

Scribe sends lifecycle events such as `input_audio_buffer.speech_started` and `input_audio_buffer.speech_stopped`, followed by the text for a completed speech turn through `transcription.completed`.

For browser microphone capture, connect the browser to your backend through a WebSocket proxy. Browsers cannot add an `Authorization` header to a WebSocket connection, and keeping the JWT on your backend prevents it from being exposed in client-side code.

## Get started

Zoom Scribe Live mode is available through the [Zoom Build platform](https://zoom.us/pricing/developer). Read the [Live mode documentation](/docs/ai-services/scribe/live-mode) to configure a session, stream audio, handle transcription events, and close the connection. You can try out Live mode with the [AI Service Quickstart](https://github.com/zoom/ai-services-quickstart) repository on Github.

With Live, Fast, and Batch modes, Scribe can now support transcription from the first spoken word through large-scale processing of your audio archive.