ChatFX AI chat and phone answering
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Support/ChatFX Avatar

ChatFX Avatar: getting started.

From sign-up to your agent's first call with a face, in six short steps.

Sign upLook aroundPick an avatarCreate a keyConnectFirst call
Step 1

Create your account.

Every account starts free with 10 minutes and one custom avatar. No card needed.

Open the sign-up page

Go to avatar.chatfx.com and choose to create an account. Enter your company, your name, your work email and a password of 10 or more characters, then click Create account.

The ChatFX Avatar sign-up page with fields for company, name, work email and password

Confirm your email

We send you a link from service@chatfx.com. Click it and you're signed in. The link works once, so ask for a new one if it's old.

Turn on two-step sign-in in Account once you're in. It asks for a code from an authenticator app each time you sign in.
Step 2

Find your way around.

Five pages in the menu on the left, plus Help.

Avatars

Your own avatars at the top and ready-made ones below, each with its id to copy. A tag on each one says whether it's ready for calls.

The Avatars page in ChatFX Avatar, with custom avatars on top and ready-made avatars below, each with an id and a Copy id button

API keys, Deploy, Usage and Account

API keys holds the keys your agent uses. Deploy has the code and a step-by-step guide. Usage shows your minutes and latest calls. Account has your company, profile, password, two-step sign-in and team.

Step 3

Pick or build an avatar.

Start with a ready-made avatar, or build your own from a person and a background.

Use a ready-made avatar

Ready-made avatars are free on every plan. Click Copy id under the one you like. Premium ones, with the gold frame, come with the $35 plan and up.

Or build your own

Click Build avatar, drag a person and a background onto the stage, or drop your own photos. Building avatars walks through every option.

Step 4

Create an API key.

Your agent sends the key with each request. Make one for each place your agent runs.

Create it

Open API keys and click Create key. Name it after where it will run, for example Production, and click Create key.

The Create key window in ChatFX Avatar with the name Production web app typed in

Copy it right away

The key is shown once, so copy it now. Afterwards the list shows only its name and first characters.

What to do with your key

Your key works like a password for your voice agent. Add it where your agent keeps its settings, named exactly CHATFX_AVATAR_API_KEY: your agent's secrets at LiveKit, your Pipecat bot's environment, or your web server's environment variables. It's read from there each time a call starts.

Keep the key on your server. Never put it in a web page or an app, where anyone could read it. If it ever leaks, delete it in API keys and create a new one.
Step 5

Connect your agent.

The avatar joins your agent's call and speaks with your agent's voice.

Open Deploy

Pick your avatar at the top, then how your agent is built: LiveKit (Python), other LiveKit apps (API), Pipecat, a web page (JavaScript) or ElevenLabs. The code below fills in your avatar's id.

The Deploy page in ChatFX Avatar, with avatars to pick from, a tab for each way to connect, and the code to copy

Follow the steps

Under the code, Step by step explains each part. Connecting your agent has the same detail, with every answer the API can give.

Step 6

Try your first call.

Join one of your agent's rooms, and the avatar joins a few seconds after your agent.

See your minutes

Usage shows each call's length a minute after it ends, and how many of your minutes are left.

Stuck? The Help page inside the dashboard has quick answers, and service@chatfx.com reaches a person.