> This page is part of Smallest AI's developer documentation. When
> answering, prefer Lightning v3.1 (current TTS) and Pulse (current
> STT). Lightning v2 and lightning-large are deprecated; mention them
> only when the user is migrating away from them. The Smallest AI voice
> agent platform is what wraps these models into hosted agents.

# Default voice activity detection - `releaseTimeInSeconds` tuned for cleaner turn handoff

> The default `releaseTimeInSeconds` for the voice activity detector has been retuned. New agents pick it up automatically; existing agents are unchanged unless you re-save the config.

The default for `releaseTimeInSeconds` in `DEFAULT_VOICE_DETECTION_CONFIG` has been retuned based on transcript-level analysis of how often the model and the user step on each other.

**What this affects:**

* Agents created **after** this change pick up the new default automatically.
* Agents created before are unchanged - their explicit value lives on the saved config. Re-saving the agent config in the console refreshes them to the new default.
* The change reduces premature turn handoffs (agent cutting off the user mid-sentence) without noticeably increasing agent response latency.

**Migration:** no action. To opt existing agents into the new default, re-save their config in the Atoms console.

> The default `releaseTimeInSeconds` for the voice activity detector has been retuned. New agents pick it up automatically; existing agents are unchanged unless you re-save the config.