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

# How it works

> Your agent always hands off the same way; Ringup decides what happens next.

Ringup's architecture rests on one rule: **your agent never branches on payment logic.**
When the order is confirmed, it always does the same thing: a silent handoff ("One moment.")
to the Ringup payment step. The payment step, not your agent, decides what happens next.

```text theme={null}
your agent takes the order -> "One moment." (always the same silent handoff)
  -> payment step silently asks Ringup: is payment needed for THIS purchase?
       required      -> "Let's knock out payment now..." (must complete before the call ends)
       optional      -> one offer, never blocks
       not_required  -> says nothing at all
  -> wrap-up (your agent): announces success, reads the confirmation number, closes politely
```

## Why the decision lives with the payment step

If your agent decided when to hand off, every merchant policy change would be a prompt
change, and every prompt change a redeploy. Because the handoff is unconditional and the
policy is resolved server-side per purchase, a merchant switching from payment-optional to
payment-required changes call behavior immediately, with zero agent edits.

The `not_required` branch is what makes this safe to run everywhere: for a business that
does not take payment on calls (or has not connected a processor yet), the payment step
checks the policy, says nothing, and passes straight to the wrap-up. The caller never hears
a word about payment. Payments switch on the day the merchant connects, with no changes on
your side.

## The three steps on a call

| Step         | Who it is                                                                       | What it does                                                                              |
| ------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Your agent   | Yours, untouched                                                                | Takes the order, confirms it, collects a name, hands off                                  |
| Payment step | Ringup's, inherits your agent's voice, model, and transcriber                   | Silently checks the policy and the caller, then takes payment, offers it, or stays silent |
| Wrap-up      | Your own agent in wrap-up mode: its prompt verbatim with only the task replaced | Announces success, reads back the confirmation code, thanks the caller, ends the call     |

The wrap-up matters more than it looks: business confirmation stays in your agent's voice
and persona. Ringup never makes business claims; it confirms only that money moved, grounded
in the charge result.

## Handoffs, not call transfers

Ringup rides the platform's native handoff mechanism (on Vapi, squads), not a phone-network
call transfer. The conversation context carries over, there is no second dial tone, no
hold music, and no way to strand a caller between two phone legs. And because the caller
never reads a card number aloud, there is nothing PCI-sensitive in the audio to protect.