Speak

Speak

Speak text aloud using the local Kokoro TTS service on port 8880.

When to Use

• User says "speak", "say that", "read that aloud", "tell me out loud"
• User asks for voice/audio output

Instructions

1. Compose a natural spoken version of your response. Strip markdown, code blocks, bullet points - write it as you'd say it conversationally. Keep it concise.
2. Type the response normally so the user has it in the terminal.
3. Run the speak script via Bash:

   /usr/local/bin/speak "Your spoken text here"
   

That's it. The speak script handles JSON encoding via jq, calls Kokoro, and plays the audio.

IMPORTANT:

• NEVER run speak in the background (no run_in_background). Background task completions trigger phantom commands due to a Claude Code bug. Always run in foreground.
• Use double quotes around the text argument
• Escape any double quotes inside the text with backslash
• For long responses (500+ words), split into multiple speak calls
• The permission pattern Bash(/usr/local/bin/speak *) auto-approves these calls
• Works in both normal mode and plan mode (no Write tool needed)
• When speaking and your next action needs permission, speak what you are about to do before the tool call so the user knows to check the screen
• When using AskUserQuestion or any tool that requires user permission/input, speak "Response required" before the tool call so the user knows to check the screen even when away from the terminal

Voice Options

ALWAYS uses af_sky (configured in the speak script).

Troubleshooting

If Kokoro isn't running, fall back to macOS say:

say -v Samantha "spoken text here"