> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.bolna.ai/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Choose how to build your voice AI agent

> Compare the six ways to build a Bolna voice agent: Agent Studio, the agent builder, graph agents, workflows, the REST API, and the CLI or MCP server.

There are six ways to build the same thing on Bolna. They all produce an agent that can place and receive phone calls, and you can switch between them later — an agent created in the dashboard is fully editable over the API, and the reverse is also true.

Pick the row that matches how you work.

| You want to | Use | Where to start |
| - | - | - |
| Describe your use case and get a working agent | **Agent Studio** — generates a call-ready agent from a description | [Build your first agent (no code)](/docs/agent-setup/studio) |
| Configure every setting yourself, no code | **Agent builder** — the tabbed dashboard editor | [Agent builder overview](/docs/agent-setup/overview) |
| Control the conversation as explicit states and transitions | **Graph agents** — a visual node graph | [Graph agents overview](/docs/graph-agent/introduction) |
| Chain several steps and channels into one automated sequence | **Workflows (beta)** | [Workflows overview](/docs/workflows/introduction) |
| Create and run agents from your own backend | **REST API** | [Make your first call (API)](/docs/quickstarts/api) |
| Build from Cursor, Claude Code or another AI assistant | **MCP server and skills** | [MCP server](/docs/build-with-ai/mcp), [Skills](/docs/build-with-ai/skills) |
| Work from a terminal | **CLI** | [CLI overview](/docs/cli/introduction) |

***

## How to decide

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Start in the dashboard if you are evaluating" icon="wand-magic-sparkles">
    Agent Studio gets you to a real call fastest, and everything it produces is visible and editable in the [agent builder](/docs/agent-setup/overview).
  </Card>

  <Card title="Start with the API if calls are triggered by your systems" icon="code">
    Anything you can do in the dashboard is available over the [API](/docs/api-reference/introduction), including creating agents, placing calls, and pulling transcripts.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Choose a graph agent when the flow is strict" icon="diagram-project">
    Use it when the conversation must follow defined states — verification, eligibility checks, scripted collections. See [Graph agents vs workflows](/docs/graph-agent/graph-agents-vs-workflows).
  </Card>

  <Card title="Choose a no-code tool when the trigger lives elsewhere" icon="plug">
    If the call should fire from a spreadsheet or CRM event, use [Make.com, n8n, Zapier, viaSocket or Google Sheets](/docs/tutorials/introduction) instead of writing a backend.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Info>
  These are not exclusive. A common pattern is building and tuning the agent in the dashboard, then triggering calls in production over the [Make call API](/docs/api-reference/calls/make) or in bulk with [batches](/docs/outbound/batch-calling).
</Info>

***

## What every path still needs

Whichever route you take, you will need a phone number and a telephony provider before real calls work. Bolna can sell you a number, or you can bring your own Twilio, Plivo, Exotel or Vobiz account, or your own SIP trunk — see [Choose a telephony setup](/docs/supported-telephony-providers).

***

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Build your first agent" icon="rocket" href="/docs/agent-setup/studio">
    No code, in the dashboard
  </Card>

  <Card title="Make your first call" icon="phone" href="/docs/quickstarts/api">
    Four API calls end to end
  </Card>

  <Card title="What it costs" icon="money-bill" href="/docs/get-started/what-it-costs">
    Pricing in one screen
  </Card>
</CardGroup>


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