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# call_connected

> Sent when Dial connects to your server — on every connection, including reconnects.

**Direction:** Dial → your server. Sent **once per connection**, immediately after the socket opens,
before any transcript or response request — so you receive it again if the connection drops and
[reconnects](/api-reference/self-hosted-protocol/overview#resumability). Use it to set up (or
restore) per‑call state, keyed by `call_id`.

## Schema

| Field         | Type           | Description                                                                                                                                                                                              |
| ------------- | -------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `type`        | string         | Always `"call_connected"`.                                                                                                                                                                               |
| `call_id`     | string         | Dial's call identifier — the same value as in the connection path. Stable across reconnects. The only call id you receive.                                                                               |
| `direction`   | string         | `"inbound"` if someone called your Dial number; `"outbound"` if the call originated from your account.                                                                                                   |
| `from`        | string         | Calling phone number, E.164.                                                                                                                                                                             |
| `to`          | string         | Called phone number, E.164.                                                                                                                                                                              |
| `instruction` | string \| null | The instruction Dial ran the call with — your outbound/inbound instruction plus Dial's general context (current time, the voice's gender). Use it as your model's system prompt. `null` if none was set. |
| `language`    | string \| null | The call's primary language, BCP‑47 (e.g. `en-US`, `he-IL`). `null` if unset.                                                                                                                            |

## Example

```json
{
  "type": "call_connected",
  "call_id": "call_01HW3X7P5QF6K2YQ9YJ7Q8R5N3",
  "direction": "inbound",
  "from": "+14155550123",
  "to": "+14155559876",
  "instruction": "General context:\n- Current time: Tuesday, June 9, 2026 at 14:43 (Asia/Jerusalem)\n- Speak as a female\n\nAnswer billing questions for Acme Corp.",
  "language": "en-US"
}
```