Runner: strip protocol from proxy address

src/pipecat/runner/run.py

@@ -357,6 +357,27 @@ async def _run_daily_direct():
         await bot_module.bot(runner_args)
 
 
+def _validate_and_clean_proxy(proxy: str) -> str:
+    """Validate and clean proxy hostname, removing protocol if present."""
+    if not proxy:
+        return proxy
+
+    original_proxy = proxy
+
+    # Strip common protocols
+    if proxy.startswith(("http://", "https://")):
+        proxy = proxy.split("://", 1)[1]
+        logger.warning(
+            f"Removed protocol from proxy URL. Using '{proxy}' instead of '{original_proxy}'. "
+            f"The --proxy argument expects only the hostname (e.g., 'mybot.ngrok.io')."
+        )
+
+    # Remove trailing slashes
+    proxy = proxy.rstrip("/")
+
+    return proxy
+
+
 def main():
     """Start the Pipecat development runner.
 
@@ -408,6 +429,10 @@ def main():
 
     args = parser.parse_args()
 
+    # Validate and clean proxy hostname
+    if args.proxy:
+        args.proxy = _validate_and_clean_proxy(args.proxy)
+
     # Auto-set transport to daily if --direct is used without explicit transport
     if args.direct and args.transport == "webrtc":  # webrtc is the default
         args.transport = "daily"