VoiceMode

Install via: uv tool install voice-mode | getvoicemode.com

Natural voice conversations for AI assistants. VoiceMode brings human-like voice interactions to Claude Code, AI code editors through the Model Context Protocol (MCP).

🖥️ Compatibility

Runs on: Linux • macOS • Windows (WSL) • NixOS | Python: 3.10+

✨ Features

• 🎙️ Natural Voice Conversations with Claude Code - ask questions and hear responses
• 🗣️ Supports local VoiceModels - works with any OpenAI API compatible STT/TTS services
• ⚡ Real-time - low-latency voice interactions with automatic transport selection
• 🔧 MCP Integration - seamless with Claude Code (and other MCP clients)
• 🎯 Silence detection - automatically stops recording when you stop speaking (no more waiting!)
• 🔄 Multiple transports - local microphone or LiveKit room-based communication

🎯 Simple Requirements

All you need to get started:

1. 🎤 Computer with microphone and speakers
2. 🔑 OpenAI API Key (optional) - VoiceMode can install free, open-source transcription and text-to-speech services locally

Optional for enhanced performance:

• 🍎 Xcode (macOS only) - Required for Core ML acceleration of Whisper models (2-3x faster inference). Install from Mac App Store then run sudo xcode-select -s /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer

Quick Start

Automatic Installation (Recommended)

Install Claude Code with VoiceMode configured and ready to run on Linux, macOS, and Windows WSL:

# Download and run the installer
curl -O https://getvoicemode.com/install.sh && bash install.sh

# While local voice services can be installed automatically, we recommend
# providing an OpenAI API key as a fallback in case local services are unavailable
export OPENAI_API_KEY=your-openai-key  # Optional but recommended

# Start a voice conversation
claude converse

This installer will:

• Install all system dependencies (Node.js, audio libraries, etc.)
• Install Claude Code if not already installed
• Configure VoiceMode as an MCP server
• Set up your system for voice conversations
• Offer to install free local STT/TTS services if no API key is provided

Manual Installation

For manual setup steps, see the Getting Started Guide.

🎬 Demo

Watch VoiceMode in action with Claude Code:

The converse function makes voice interactions natural - it automatically waits for your response by default, creating a real conversation flow.

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 update
sudo apt install -y python3-dev libasound2-dev libasound2-plugins libportaudio2 portaudio19-dev ffmpeg pulseaudio pulseaudio-utils

Note for WSL2 users: WSL2 requires additional audio packages (pulseaudio, libasound2-plugins) for microphone access.

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 cmake

Windows (WSL)

Follow the Ubuntu/Debian instructions above within WSL.

NixOS

VoiceMode includes a flake.nix with all required dependencies. You can either:

1. Use the development shell (temporary):

nix develop github:mbailey/voicemode

2. Install system-wide (see Installation section below)

Quick Install

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

Configuration for AI Coding Assistants

📖 Looking for detailed setup instructions? Check our comprehensive Getting Started Guide for step-by-step instructions!

Below are quick configuration snippets. For full installation and setup instructions, see the integration guides above.

Claude Code (CLI)

claude mcp add voicemode -- uvx --refresh voice-mode

Or with environment variables:

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

Alternative Installation Options

From source

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

NixOS Installation Options

1. Install with nix profile (user-wide):

nix profile install github:mbailey/voicemode

2. Add to NixOS configuration (system-wide):

# In /etc/nixos/configuration.nix
environment.systemPackages = [
  (builtins.getFlake "github:mbailey/voicemode").packages.${pkgs.system}.default
];

3. Add to home-manager:

# In home-manager configuration
home.packages = [
  (builtins.getFlake "github:mbailey/voicemode").packages.${pkgs.system}.default
];

4. Run without installing:

nix run github:mbailey/voicemode

Configuration

• 📖 Getting Started - Step-by-step setup guide
• 🔧 Configuration Reference - All environment variables

Quick Setup

The only required configuration is your OpenAI API key:

export OPENAI_API_KEY="your-key"

Local STT/TTS Services

For privacy-focused or offline usage, VoiceMode 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.

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

• No microphone access: Check system permissions for terminal/application
  • WSL2 Users: Additional audio packages (pulseaudio, libasound2-plugins) required for microphone access
• 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

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/YYYY/MM/ with timestamps in the filename.

Documentation

📚 Read the full documentation at voice-mode.readthedocs.io

Getting Started

• Getting Started - Step-by-step setup for all supported tools
• Configuration Guide - Complete environment variable reference

Development

• Development Setup - Local development guide

Service Guides

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

Links

• Website: getvoicemode.com
• Documentation: voice-mode.readthedocs.io
• GitHub: github.com/mbailey/voicemode
• PyPI: pypi.org/project/voice-mode

Community

• Twitter/X: @getvoicemode
• YouTube: @getvoicemode

See Also

• 🚀 Getting Started - Setup instructions for all supported tools
• 🔧 Configuration Reference - Environment variables and options
• 🎤 Local Services Setup - Run TTS/STT locally for privacy

License

MIT - A Failmode Project

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mcp-name: com.failmode/voicemode