diff --git a/api/services/pipecat/event_handlers.py b/api/services/pipecat/event_handlers.py
index c2804c2..6a654ee 100644
--- a/api/services/pipecat/event_handlers.py
+++ b/api/services/pipecat/event_handlers.py
@@ -51,7 +51,6 @@ def register_transport_event_handlers(
     async def on_client_connected(transport, participant):
         logger.debug("In on_client_connected callback handler - initializing workflow")
         await audio_buffer.start_recording()
-        await engine.initialize()
 
     @transport.event_handler("on_client_disconnected")
     async def on_client_disconnected(transport, participant):
diff --git a/api/services/pipecat/run_pipeline.py b/api/services/pipecat/run_pipeline.py
index 4d725a9..a516de0 100644
--- a/api/services/pipecat/run_pipeline.py
+++ b/api/services/pipecat/run_pipeline.py
@@ -567,6 +567,9 @@ async def _run_pipeline(
 
     # Now set the task on the engine
     engine.set_task(task)
+    
+    # Initialize the engine to set the initial context
+    await engine.initialize()
 
     # Register event handlers
     in_memory_audio_buffer, in_memory_transcript_buffer = (