---
name: piper-tts
description: Local text-to-speech using Piper for voice message delivery. Use when the user asks for voice responses, audio messages, TTS, text-to-speech, voice notes, or wants to hear something spoken aloud. Converts text to speech locally (no cloud APIs, no cost, no latency) and delivers as voice messages on Telegram, Discord, or any channel supporting audio.
---

# Piper TTS — Local Voice Messages

Generate voice messages using [Piper](https://github.com/rhasspy/piper), a fast local TTS engine. Zero cloud calls, zero cost, zero API keys.

## Setup

If Piper is not installed, run the setup script:

```bash
scripts/setup-piper.sh
```

This installs `piper-tts` via pip and downloads a default voice (`en_US-kusal-medium`).

## Generating Voice Messages

Use `scripts/piper-speak.sh` to generate and deliver voice:

```bash
scripts/piper-speak.sh "<text>" [voice]
```

- `text`: The text to speak (required)
- `voice`: Piper voice name (default: `en_US-kusal-medium`)

The script outputs an MP3 path. Include it in your reply as:

```
[[audio_as_voice]]
MEDIA:<path-to-mp3>
```

This delivers the audio as a native voice message on supported channels (Telegram, Discord, etc.).

## Example Workflow

1. User asks: "Tell me a joke as audio"
2. Run: `scripts/piper-speak.sh "Why do programmers prefer dark mode? Because light attracts bugs!"`
3. Get MP3 path from output
4. Reply with `[[audio_as_voice]]` + `MEDIA:<path>`

## Available Voices

After setup, download additional voices:

```bash
scripts/setup-piper.sh --voice en_US-ryan-high
scripts/setup-piper.sh --voice en_GB-northern_english_male-medium
```

Popular voices:
- `en_US-kusal-medium` — Clear male voice (default, recommended)
- `en_US-ryan-high` — High quality US male
- `en_US-hfc_male-medium` — US male
- `en_GB-northern_english_male-medium` — British male
- Browse all: https://huggingface.co/rhasspy/piper-voices

## Important Notes

- **Speed**: Local generation is ~0.5-1s. Much faster than cloud TTS.
- **No API keys**: Works completely offline after setup.
- **Platform**: macOS (Apple Silicon + Intel), Linux. Requires Python 3.9+.
- **Do NOT** set `messages.tts.auto: "always"` in OpenClaw config — it makes every response slow. Keep TTS on-demand.


---
Source attribution: modbender
Original project: https://github.com/modbender/skill-library-mcp/blob/d9c8fe903b5b4e82237dbe8d0df8567783022e18/data/beware-piper-tts/SKILL.md
License: MIT
License information: https://opensource.org/license/mit
Original upstream instructions; downloaded from Mega AI Hub.

## Upstream license notice

MIT License

Copyright (c) 2025 skill-library-mcp contributors

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
SOFTWARE.



# Mega AI Hub resource metadata

Creator / publisher: modbender
Original project: https://github.com/modbender/skill-library-mcp/blob/d9c8fe903b5b4e82237dbe8d0df8567783022e18/data/beware-piper-tts/SKILL.md
Attribution basis: Source repository record

Fields of work: Marketing, Customer Support
Roles: Customer Experience, Social Media Manager, Support Agent
Specialties: Specialty not specified
Tools: Discord, Piper, Telegram
Country applicability: Country not specified
Classification basis: Source catalog labels
Instruction SHA-256: aaa8ac527b01e7c9c0319044e8d7a454d27740ab4ce8ea531a421e1277b5ef2e