# **File: COMMIT\_08\_VOICE\_TOKEN.md**

## **Commit 8: Real-time Voice: Token API**

### **Objective**

Implement the serverless-friendly Deepgram token generation API. This is the expert-level correction to the user's "WebSocket proxy" plan. A standard Vercel deployment does not support persistent WebSocket backends.22

This architecture (based on the nextjs-live-transcription starter's implications 23) provides a secure, stateless way to use Deepgram's real-time streaming:

1. The client requests a temporary token from our Next.js API.  
2. Our Next.js API (server-side) uses  
   our secret Deepgram API key to generate a temporary, short-lived token.  
3. The client receives this temporary token and uses it to connect *directly* to Deepgram's WebSocket endpoint.

### **Implementation Specification**

**1\. Create app/api/voice-token/route.ts**

Create a file at /app/api/voice-token/route.ts:

TypeScript

import { NextRequest, NextResponse } from 'next/server';  
import { DeepgramClient, createClient } from '@deepgram/sdk';

/\*\*  
 \* This API route generates a short-lived, temporary API key  
 \* for a client to connect directly to Deepgram's WebSocket.  
 \* This avoids exposing our main API key and bypasses  
 \* serverless WebSocket limitations.  
 \*/  
export async function POST(request: NextRequest) {  
  const deepgramApiKey \= process.env.DEEPGRAM\_API\_KEY;

  if (\!deepgramApiKey) {  
    return NextResponse.json(  
      { error: 'Deepgram API key not configured' },  
      { status: 500 }  
    );  
  }

  const deepgram: DeepgramClient \= createClient(deepgramApiKey);

  try {  
    // Create a new, temporary key with 'member' permissions  
    // that expires in 1 minute (60 seconds).  
    const { key, error } \= await deepgram.keys.create(  
      null, // Let Deepgram generate the key  
      'Temporary key for Ponderants user',  
      \['member'\], // Required scope for transcription  
      { timeToLive: 60 }  
    );

    if (error) {  
      throw error;  
    }

    // Send the temporary key back to the client  
    return NextResponse.json({ key });

  } catch (error) {  
    console.error('Error creating Deepgram key:', error);  
    return NextResponse.json(  
      { error: 'Failed to generate voice token' },  
      { status: 500 }  
    );  
  }  
}

### **Test Specification**

This is an API-only commit. It will be tested by the client implemented in **Commit 09**.