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An LLM Judge metric is a prompt. You describe what to measure, and Roark Prism, our evaluation model built for voice AI, reads each call and returns a typed result with its reasoning.
Use an LLM Judge for anything that takes understanding the conversation: whether a step was followed, how well something was handled, why the customer called. When the answer is already in other metrics, a Formula or Pattern is cheaper and deterministic. When it lives in your backend, use an API check.

Quickstart

Define the metric in code (recommended), or build it in Studio.
See the config as code metrics reference for SCALE, CLASSIFICATION, and PER_PARTICIPANT fields.

Create it with the SDK

Create the metric with calculationType: "LLM_JUDGE". It’s the default, so requests that leave calculationType out create an LLM Judge too.
Type-specific fields: To change the prompt or labels later, PUT /v1/metric/definitions/{idOrSlug} with the fields to change. Each change creates a new metric version.

Build it in Studio

Open Studio in Author mode and pick the LLM Judge engine. Choose an output type, then write the instructions: for a Boolean, the yes/no question the judge should answer; for a Scale, what each band means. Use the test rail to score real calls before you save.
Studio Author mode: the numbered Engine, Output (with range labels), Instructions, and Group sections, plus a Tests rail of scored test calls

Output Types


Prompt Variables

Prompts reference call data with {{variable}} placeholders, which Roark fills in before the judge runs. In Studio, type {{ in the instructions to pick one.

Using a custom property

{{properties.<name>}} inserts just that property’s value, which makes it easy to grade the conversation against data from your own systems:
  • The name can be written as stored (partner_outcome) or as you send it (partnerOutcome).
  • If the call doesn’t carry the property, the prompt says so ([partner_outcome property not set on this conversation]) rather than leaving the placeholder in.
  • Properties added after the call was created are picked up the next time the metric runs. See updating properties after ingest.

Writing Good Prompts

A prompt that checks identity, tone, and resolution at once gives you one number you can’t act on. Write three focused metrics and combine them with a formula if you need a single pass/fail.
Spell out the edge cases: “Verification counts if the agent confirmed two of name, date of birth, and postcode. Asking without confirming doesn’t count.”
For a Scale, describe what a 1, a 3, and a 5 look like. Without that, scores drift between calls that are about the same.
Run the metric against representative calls in Studio and read the reasoning before attaching it to a collector.

What’s Next

Studio

Write and test a prompt against real calls

Formulas

Combine focused judges into one score

Thresholds

Turn a score into a pass/fail check

Collectors

Run the metric automatically on live calls