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---

# Google Gemini Live

[`GoogleRealtimeModel`](/docs/ai/api/realtime/google/#pydantic_ai.realtime.google.GoogleRealtimeModel) connects an agent to Gemini Live, including native audio, live images, and provider-native tools. Start with the [realtime quickstart](/docs/ai/realtime/overview/#quickstart) or [camera example](/docs/ai/examples/realtime/realtime-camera/).

## Setup

To use Gemini Live models, install `pydantic-ai-slim` with the `google-realtime` optional group, which bundles the `google-genai` SDK together with the realtime transport dependencies:

-   [pip](#tab-panel-178)
-   [uv](#tab-panel-179)

Terminal

```bash
pip install "pydantic-ai-slim[google-realtime]"
```

Terminal

```bash
uv add "pydantic-ai-slim[google-realtime]"
```

Authentication comes from `provider`, mirroring [`GoogleModel`](/docs/ai/api/models/google/#pydantic_ai.models.google.GoogleModel). Use `provider='google'` for the Gemini Developer API or `provider='google-cloud'` for Vertex AI/ADC, with API keys and credentials configured as described in the [Google model documentation](/docs/ai/models/google/#configuration). Pass a [`GoogleProvider`](/docs/ai/api/pydantic-ai/providers/#pydantic_ai.providers.google.GoogleProvider) or [`GoogleCloudProvider`](/docs/ai/api/pydantic-ai/providers/#pydantic_ai.providers.google_cloud.GoogleCloudProvider) for custom credentials, project, region, or client.

## Model names

Use a Gemini Live model ID, for example `gemini-2.5-flash-native-audio-latest` or `gemini-3.1-flash-live-preview`. Native-audio and other Live models differ in thinking, asynchronous tools, and output behavior. Use the [official Gemini Live documentation](https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/live) as the canonical model and availability source.

## Settings

[`GoogleRealtimeModelSettings`](/docs/ai/api/realtime/google/#pydantic_ai.realtime.google.GoogleRealtimeModelSettings) -- the realtime counterpart of [model run settings](/docs/ai/core-concepts/agent/#model-run-settings) -- extends the [shared settings](/docs/ai/realtime/overview/#shared-settings) with Google generation and Live controls:

```python
from pydantic_ai.realtime.google import GoogleRealtimeModel, GoogleRealtimeModelSettings

settings = GoogleRealtimeModelSettings(
    temperature=0.7,
    top_p=0.9,
    google_voice='Puck',
    google_language_code='en-US',
    google_affective_dialog=True,
    google_proactive_audio=True,
    google_vad={'start_sensitivity': 'high', 'end_sensitivity': 'low'},
    google_turn_coverage='all_video',
    google_context_compression={'trigger_tokens': 16000, 'target_tokens': 8000},
)
model = GoogleRealtimeModel('gemini-2.5-flash-native-audio-latest', settings=settings)
```

Setting

Purpose

`google_voice`, `google_language_code`, `google_multi_speaker`

Voice, output language, and per-speaker voices

`google_affective_dialog`, `google_proactive_audio`

Emotion-aware delivery and model-decided speech on native-audio models

`google_vad`

Exact automatic VAD; fully overrides shared [`turn_detection`](/docs/ai/realtime/turns/#automatic-turn-detection)

`google_activity_handling`, `google_turn_coverage`

[Interruption](/docs/ai/realtime/turns/#barge-in) behavior and which input belongs to a turn

`google_input_transcription`, `google_output_transcription`

Native [transcription](/docs/ai/realtime/audio/#input-transcription) switches, enabled by default

`google_context_compression`

Sliding-window compression for long sessions

`google_enable_session_resumption`

Native state restoration; enabled automatically by a `reconnect` policy

`google_async_tool_calls`

Lets supported native-audio models continue speaking during tools

`google_config_overrides`

Raw `LiveConnectConfig` keys merged last as a forward-compatibility escape hatch

`google_voice` is the provider voice setting. `google_thinking_config` takes precedence over the shared [`thinking`](/docs/ai/capabilities/thinking/) setting when a token budget or other Gemini-specific control is needed.

Keep automatic VAD enabled

Pydantic AI does not expose Gemini activity markers or manual turn verbs. Do not set `google_vad={'disabled': True}`; shared `turn_detection=False` is rejected for the same reason.

### Asynchronous tool calls

Gemini normally pauses generation while a function tool is outstanding. Set `google_async_tool_calls=True` on supported native-audio models to let it continue speaking. This is best for slow tools; a fast result can interrupt speech that barely started and leave an empty interrupted turn in history. Other Live models ignore the setting.

### Native tools

Gemini Live maps [`WebSearch`](/docs/ai/api/pydantic-ai/capabilities/#pydantic_ai.capabilities.WebSearch) to Google Search grounding, the only native tool it supports -- no Live model runs native code execution or URL context, so neither [`CodeExecutionTool`](/docs/ai/api/pydantic-ai/native_tools/#pydantic_ai.native_tools.CodeExecutionTool) nor [`WebFetch`](/docs/ai/api/pydantic-ai/capabilities/#pydantic_ai.capabilities.WebFetch) is advertised in `supported_native_tools`. Give those a [`local=` fallback](/docs/ai/realtime/tools/#native-tools) and the session runs the local tool instead: `CodeExecutionTool(local=...)`, or `WebFetch(native=False, local=True)`, which requires the `web-fetch` optional group (`pip/uv-add "pydantic-ai-slim[google-realtime,web-fetch]"`).

Gemini 2.5 also cannot combine native Google Search grounding with function tools; choose native grounding or local function-tool fallbacks unless using a model that supports the combination.

### Specialist streaming models

The built-in profile describes the speech-to-speech Live models. Gemini also serves specialist streaming models on the same endpoint that behave differently -- `gemini-robotics-er-2-streaming-preview`, for instance, is text-only and rejects audio output. Point a session at one of those and correct the facts with [`profile=`](/docs/ai/realtime/overview/#provider-support), which resolves like a [standard model profile](/docs/ai/models/overview/#inspecting-a-models-profile), e.g. `GoogleRealtimeModel('gemini-robotics-er-2-streaming-preview', profile={'supports_text_output': True})`.

## Feature support and limitations

Feature

Support

Notes

Audio format

Full feature support

Mono PCM16, 16 kHz input and 24 kHz output

Text output

Unsupported

Every speech-to-speech Live model rejects a `TEXT` response modality, so `output_modality='text'` raises. Read the answer from the transcript on the `SpeechPart`

Image/live video input

Full feature support

[Images](/docs/ai/realtime/audio/#images); `google_turn_coverage='all_video'` keeps streamed frames in context

Manual turns

Unsupported

[Automatic turn detection](/docs/ai/realtime/turns/#automatic-turn-detection) is required

Explicit interruption/truncation

Unsupported

Gemini [interrupts server-side](/docs/ai/realtime/turns/#barge-in) and emits `RealtimeResponseInterruptedEvent`

Input transcription

Full feature support

Native [transcription](/docs/ai/realtime/audio/#input-transcription), enabled by default; no separate model ID

Native tools

Limited parameter support

Google Search grounding only; URL context and code execution fall back to a [`local=` tool](/docs/ai/realtime/tools/#native-tools) (see above)

Usage

Full feature support

Token and modality breakdowns; function-call usage may arrive on a later turn

State-restoring reconnect

Full feature support

Requires [session resumption](#session-resumption) plus a reconnect policy

See [Audio, images, and transcripts](/docs/ai/realtime/audio/), [Turns and interruptions](/docs/ai/realtime/turns/), [Tools](/docs/ai/realtime/tools/), and [Connection lifecycle](/docs/ai/realtime/lifecycle/) for the provider-agnostic workflows.

## Gateway

To route through the [Pydantic AI Gateway](/docs/ai/overview/gateway/), use a `gateway/`\-prefixed model string:

```python
from pydantic_ai import Agent

agent = Agent(instructions='You are a helpful voice assistant.')
realtime = agent.realtime('gateway/google:gemini-live-2.5-flash')
```

The gateway proxies Gemini Live through the Vertex upstream, so configure a region that supports the Live API. `gateway/google-cloud` is an alias. See [Gateway trace propagation](/docs/ai/realtime/observability/#gateway-trace-propagation).

## Session resumption

For [state-restoring reconnects](/docs/ai/realtime/lifecycle/#state-restoration), set the `reconnect` setting to a [`ReconnectPolicy`](/docs/ai/api/pydantic-ai/realtime/#pydantic_ai.realtime.ReconnectPolicy); session resumption is enabled automatically alongside it (`google_enable_session_resumption` can still request handles without a policy, and explicitly setting it to `False` next to a policy raises [`UserError`](/docs/ai/api/pydantic-ai/exceptions/#pydantic_ai.exceptions.UserError) rather than silently losing the conversation). Reconnection uses the latest in-memory server handle and emits `state_restored=True`.

The connection cap can briefly interrupt a turn

Gemini sends `GoAway` shortly before its provider-defined connection cap. Pydantic AI reconnects after the drop rather than proactively on `GoAway`, so a long call can briefly drop mid-turn. This is tracked in [#6643](https://github.com/pydantic/pydantic-ai/issues/6643).

## Provider-specific quirks

-   Gemini reports response interruption but not user speech-start/end events, so local playback is flushed on `RealtimeResponseInterruptedEvent`, and Gemini sessions record no `user speech` span (see [Logfire instrumentation](/docs/ai/realtime/observability/#logfire-instrumentation)).
-   [Seeded](/docs/ai/realtime/history/#seeding-a-session) function calls/results are represented as readable text because Live cannot accept function parts in seeded turns.
-   Native transcription can produce only a completed sentence on some models. [Caption UIs](/docs/ai/realtime/audio/#live-captions) should replace text from `TranscriptUpdate.transcript` rather than assume incremental deltas.