> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://retellai.gitbook.io/retell-ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://retellai.gitbook.io/retell-ai/get-started/build-your-first-phone-agent-in-5-minutes.md).

# Build your first phone agent in 5 minutes

Deploy your first phone agent in 5 minutes.

**Retell** is a platform for building, testing, deploying, and monitoring reliable **AI phone agents** that can handle natural conversations over the phone.

1

Create Your Account

1. Visit the [Retell Dashboard](https://dashboard.retellai.com/)
2. Sign up for a new account

2

Create a New Agent

1. Navigate to the “Agents” tab
2. Click “Create an agent”
3. Choose a template
   * If you are not sure which template to choose, we recommend starting with “Lead qualification” in “Multi Prompt” category.

<figure><img src="https://project-44.gitbook.io/~gitbook/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmintlify.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com%2Fretellai%2Fimages%2Ftemplate.png&#x26;width=300&#x26;dpr=4&#x26;quality=100&#x26;sign=128c856f&#x26;sv=2" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

3

Test Your Agent

1. Click the “Test” button to test your agent

<figure><img src="https://project-44.gitbook.io/~gitbook/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmintlify.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com%2Fretellai%2Fimages%2Fdashboard-web-call.png&#x26;width=300&#x26;dpr=4&#x26;quality=100&#x26;sign=29352c0f&#x26;sv=2" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

4

Add your payment method

1. Before buying a phone number, you need to add a payment method to your account
2. Go to the “Billing” tab and click “Change payment methods”

<figure><img src="https://project-44.gitbook.io/~gitbook/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmintlify.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com%2Fretellai%2Fimages%2Fpayment_1.png&#x26;width=300&#x26;dpr=4&#x26;quality=100&#x26;sign=c6131ba1&#x26;sv=2" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

5

Deploy to a Phone Number

1. Go to the “Phone Numbers” tab
2. Click “Buy New Number”
3. (Optional) Enter the area code you want to buy the number for
4. Purchase your number
5. Assign your agent to the number in the configuration settings

<figure><img src="https://project-44.gitbook.io/~gitbook/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmintlify.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com%2Fretellai%2Fimages%2Fdashboard-phone.png&#x26;width=300&#x26;dpr=4&#x26;quality=100&#x26;sign=ce45ada0&#x26;sv=2" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

6

Test Your Phone Agent

1. Incoming Calls:
   * Dial your purchased number
2. Outbound Calls:
   * Click “Make an outbound call”
   * Enter the phone number including the country code (e.g., `+12137774445`)

🎉 Congratulations! Your agent is now live and can:

* Receive incoming calls
* Make outbound calls
* Handle natural conversations
* Process requests 24/7


---

# Agent Instructions
This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com.

## Querying This Documentation
If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter:

```
GET https://retellai.gitbook.io/retell-ai/get-started/build-your-first-phone-agent-in-5-minutes.md?ask=<question>&goal=<endgoal>
```

`ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
`goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal.

The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.