Voice Mode

Install via: uvx voice-mode | pip install voice-mode | getvoicemode.com

Natural voice conversations for AI assistants. Voice Mode brings human-like voice interactions to Claude, ChatGPT, and other LLMs through the Model Context Protocol (MCP).

🖥️ Compatibility

Runs on: Linux • macOS • Windows (WSL) | Python: 3.10+ | Tested: Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, Fedora 42

✨ Features

🎙️ Voice conversations with Claude - ask questions and hear responses
🔄 Multiple transports - local microphone or LiveKit room-based communication
🗣️ OpenAI-compatible - works with any STT/TTS service (local or cloud)
⚡ Real-time - low-latency voice interactions with automatic transport selection
🔧 MCP Integration - seamless with Claude Desktop and other MCP clients

🎯 Simple Requirements

All you need to get started:

🔑 OpenAI API Key (or compatible service) - for speech-to-text and text-to-speech
🎤 Computer with microphone and speakers OR ☁️ LiveKit server (LiveKit Cloud or self-hosted)

Quick Start

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh
claude mcp add --scope user voice-mode uvx voice-mode
export OPENAI_API_KEY=your-openai-key
claude converse

🎬 Demo

Watch Voice Mode in action:

Voice Mode with Gemini CLI

See Voice Mode working with Google's Gemini CLI (their implementation of Claude Code):

Example Usage

Once configured, try these prompts with Claude:

"Let's have a voice conversation"
"Ask me about my day using voice"
"Tell me a joke" (Claude will speak and wait for your response)
"Say goodbye" (Claude will speak without waiting)

The new converse function makes voice interactions more natural - it automatically waits for your response by default.

Installation

Prerequisites

Python >= 3.10
Astral UV - Package manager (install with curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh)
OpenAI API Key (or compatible service)

System Dependencies

Ubuntu/Debian

sudo apt install python3-dev libasound2-dev libportaudio2 portaudio19-dev ffmpeg

Fedora/RHEL

sudo dnf install python3-devel alsa-lib-devel portaudio-devel ffmpeg

macOS

# Install Homebrew if not already installed
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

# Install dependencies
brew install portaudio ffmpeg

Windows (WSL)

Follow the Ubuntu/Debian instructions above within WSL.

Quick Install

# Using Claude Code (recommended)
claude mcp add --scope user voice-mode uvx voice-mode

# Using UV
uvx voice-mode

# Using pip
pip install voice-mode

Manual Configuration for Different Clients

Claude Code (CLI)

claude mcp add voice-mode -- uvx voice-mode

Or with environment variables:

claude mcp add voice-mode --env OPENAI_API_KEY=your-openai-key -- uvx voice-mode

Claude Desktop

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "voice-mode": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["voice-mode"],
      "env": {
        "OPENAI_API_KEY": "your-openai-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Cline

Add to your Cline MCP settings:

Windows:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "voice-mode": {
      "command": "cmd",
      "args": ["/c", "uvx", "voice-mode"],
      "env": {
        "OPENAI_API_KEY": "your-openai-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

macOS/Linux:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "voice-mode": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["voice-mode"],
      "env": {
        "OPENAI_API_KEY": "your-openai-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Continue

Add to your .continue/config.json:

{
  "experimental": {
    "modelContextProtocolServers": [
      {
        "transport": {
          "type": "stdio",
          "command": "uvx",
          "args": ["voice-mode"],
          "env": {
            "OPENAI_API_KEY": "your-openai-key"
          }
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}

Cursor

Add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "voice-mode": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["voice-mode"],
      "env": {
        "OPENAI_API_KEY": "your-openai-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

VS Code

Add to your VS Code MCP config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "voice-mode": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["voice-mode"],
      "env": {
        "OPENAI_API_KEY": "your-openai-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Windsurf

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "voice-mode": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["voice-mode"],
      "env": {
        "OPENAI_API_KEY": "your-openai-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Zed

Add to your Zed settings.json:

{
  "context_servers": {
    "voice-mode": {
      "command": {
        "path": "uvx",
        "args": ["voice-mode"],
        "env": {
          "OPENAI_API_KEY": "your-openai-key"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Roo Code

Add to your Roo Code MCP configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "voice-mode": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["voice-mode"],
      "env": {
        "OPENAI_API_KEY": "your-openai-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Alternative Installation Options

Using Docker

docker run -it --rm \
  -e OPENAI_API_KEY=your-openai-key \
  --device /dev/snd \
  -v /tmp/.X11-unix:/tmp/.X11-unix \
  -e DISPLAY=$DISPLAY \
  ghcr.io/mbailey/voicemode:latest

Using pipx

pipx install voice-mode

From source

git clone https://github.com/mbailey/voicemode.git
cd voicemode
pip install -e .

Tools

Tool	Description	Key Parameters
`converse`	Have a voice conversation - speak and optionally listen	`message`, `wait_for_response` (default: true), `listen_duration` (default: 10s), `transport` (auto/local/livekit)
`listen_for_speech`	Listen for speech and convert to text	`duration` (default: 5s)
`check_room_status`	Check LiveKit room status and participants	None
`check_audio_devices`	List available audio input/output devices	None
`start_kokoro`	Start the Kokoro TTS service	`models_dir` (optional, defaults to ~/Models/kokoro)
`stop_kokoro`	Stop the Kokoro TTS service	None
`kokoro_status`	Check the status of Kokoro TTS service	None

Note: The converse tool is the primary interface for voice interactions, combining speaking and listening in a natural flow.

Configuration

📖 See docs/configuration.md for complete setup instructions for all MCP hosts

📁 Ready-to-use config files in config-examples/

Quick Setup

The only required configuration is your OpenAI API key:

export OPENAI_API_KEY="your-key"

Optional Settings

# Custom STT/TTS services (OpenAI-compatible)
export STT_BASE_URL="http://localhost:2022/v1"  # Local Whisper
export TTS_BASE_URL="http://localhost:8880/v1"  # Local TTS
export TTS_VOICE="alloy"                        # Voice selection

# LiveKit (for room-based communication)
# See docs/livekit/ for setup guide
export LIVEKIT_URL="wss://your-app.livekit.cloud"
export LIVEKIT_API_KEY="your-api-key"
export LIVEKIT_API_SECRET="your-api-secret"

# Debug mode
export VOICEMODE_DEBUG="true"

# Save all audio (TTS output and STT input)
export VOICEMODE_SAVE_AUDIO="true"

# Audio format configuration (default: pcm)
export VOICEMODE_AUDIO_FORMAT="pcm"         # Options: pcm, mp3, wav, flac, aac, opus
export VOICEMODE_TTS_AUDIO_FORMAT="pcm"     # Override for TTS only (default: pcm)
export VOICEMODE_STT_AUDIO_FORMAT="mp3"     # Override for STT upload

# Format-specific quality settings
export VOICEMODE_OPUS_BITRATE="32000"       # Opus bitrate (default: 32kbps)
export VOICEMODE_MP3_BITRATE="64k"          # MP3 bitrate (default: 64k)

Audio Format Configuration

Voice Mode uses PCM audio format by default for TTS streaming for optimal real-time performance:

PCM (default for TTS): Zero latency, best streaming performance, uncompressed
MP3: Wide compatibility, good compression for uploads
WAV: Uncompressed, good for local processing
FLAC: Lossless compression, good for archival
AAC: Good compression, Apple ecosystem
Opus: Small files but NOT recommended for streaming (quality issues)

The audio format is automatically validated against provider capabilities and will fallback to a supported format if needed.

Local STT/TTS Services

For privacy-focused or offline usage, Voice Mode supports local speech services:

Whisper.cpp - Local speech-to-text with OpenAI-compatible API
Kokoro - Local text-to-speech with multiple voice options

These services provide the same API interface as OpenAI, allowing seamless switching between cloud and local processing.

OpenAI API Compatibility Benefits

By strictly adhering to OpenAI's API standard, Voice Mode enables powerful deployment flexibility:

🔀 Transparent Routing: Users can implement their own API proxies or gateways outside of Voice Mode to route requests to different providers based on custom logic (cost, latency, availability, etc.)
🎯 Model Selection: Deploy routing layers that select optimal models per request without modifying Voice Mode configuration
💰 Cost Optimization: Build intelligent routers that balance between expensive cloud APIs and free local models
🔧 No Lock-in: Switch providers by simply changing the BASE_URL - no code changes required

Example: Simply set OPENAI_BASE_URL to point to your custom router:

export OPENAI_BASE_URL="https://router.example.com/v1"
export OPENAI_API_KEY="your-key"
# Voice Mode now uses your router for all OpenAI API calls

The OpenAI SDK handles this automatically - no Voice Mode configuration needed!

Architecture

┌─────────────────────┐     ┌──────────────────┐     ┌─────────────────────┐
│   Claude/LLM        │     │  LiveKit Server  │     │  Voice Frontend     │
│   (MCP Client)      │◄────►│  (Optional)     │◄───►│  (Optional)         │
└─────────────────────┘     └──────────────────┘     └─────────────────────┘
         │                            │
         │                            │
         ▼                            ▼
┌─────────────────────┐     ┌──────────────────┐
│  Voice MCP Server   │     │   Audio Services │
│  • converse         │     │  • OpenAI APIs   │
│  • listen_for_speech│◄───►│  • Local Whisper │
│  • check_room_status│     │  • Local TTS     │
│  • check_audio_devices    └──────────────────┘
└─────────────────────┘

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

No microphone access: Check system permissions for terminal/application
- WSL2 Users: See WSL2 Microphone Access Guide
UV not found: Install with curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh
OpenAI API error: Verify your OPENAI_API_KEY is set correctly
No audio output: Check system audio settings and available devices

Debug Mode

Enable detailed logging and audio file saving:

export VOICEMODE_DEBUG=true

Debug audio files are saved to: ~/voicemode_recordings/

Audio Diagnostics

Run the diagnostic script to check your audio setup:

python scripts/diagnose-wsl-audio.py

This will check for required packages, audio services, and provide specific recommendations.

Audio Saving

To save all audio files (both TTS output and STT input):

export VOICEMODE_SAVE_AUDIO=true

Audio files are saved to: ~/voicemode_audio/ with timestamps in the filename.

Documentation

Configuration Guide - Complete setup instructions for all MCP hosts
Using uv/uvx - Package management with uv and uvx
Local Development - Development setup guide
Audio Formats - Audio format configuration and migration
Statistics Dashboard - Performance monitoring and metrics

Service Guides

Whisper.cpp Setup - Local speech-to-text configuration
Kokoro Setup - Local text-to-speech configuration
LiveKit Integration - Real-time voice communication

Troubleshooting

WSL2 Microphone Access - WSL2 audio setup
Migration Guide - Upgrading from older versions

Links

Website: getvoicemode.com
GitHub: github.com/mbailey/voicemode
PyPI: pypi.org/project/voice-mcp
npm: npmjs.com/package/voicemode

Community

Discord: Join our community
Twitter/X: @getvoicemode
YouTube: @getvoicemode

License

MIT - A Failmode Project

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
.claude		.claude
.external		.external
.github/workflows		.github/workflows
assets		assets
bin		bin
config-examples		config-examples
docs		docs
livekit/voice-assistant-frontend		livekit/voice-assistant-frontend
npm-voicemode		npm-voicemode
scripts		scripts
tests		tests
voice_mcp		voice_mcp
.ai_docs		.ai_docs
.conventions		.conventions
.env.example		.env.example
.gitignore		.gitignore
.mcp.json		.mcp.json
.repos.txt		.repos.txt
CHANGELOG.md		CHANGELOG.md
CLAUDE.md		CLAUDE.md
CONTRIBUTING.md		CONTRIBUTING.md
DUAL_PACKAGE_NAMES.md		DUAL_PACKAGE_NAMES.md
Makefile		Makefile
README.md		README.md
musicforprogramming_design_analysis.txt		musicforprogramming_design_analysis.txt
pyproject-voice-mcp.toml		pyproject-voice-mcp.toml
pyproject.toml		pyproject.toml
test_tts_models.py		test_tts_models.py
uv.lock		uv.lock
voicemode		voicemode

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Voice Mode

🖥️ Compatibility

✨ Features

🎯 Simple Requirements

Quick Start

🎬 Demo

Voice Mode with Gemini CLI

Example Usage

Installation

Prerequisites

System Dependencies

Quick Install

Manual Configuration for Different Clients

Alternative Installation Options

Tools

Configuration

Quick Setup

Optional Settings

Audio Format Configuration

Local STT/TTS Services

OpenAI API Compatibility Benefits

Architecture

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Debug Mode

Audio Diagnostics

Audio Saving

Documentation

Service Guides

Troubleshooting

Links

Community

License

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