ttsCN

ttsCN — Multi-Platform Chinese TTS Skill

Overview

Generate natural speech audio from text. 11 backends — 8 China-friendly clouds plus 3 international (ElevenLabs / OpenAI / Google).

New in 1.4: word-level timestamps (edge/azure), [PAUSE:x] + sound-tag markers (all platforms), --phonemes pronunciation overrides (azure/minimax). New in 1.5: word-level timestamps on doubao and minimax (doubao with_timestamp frontend; minimax subtitle_type: word — best-effort, degrades to no boundaries). New in 1.6: word-level timestamps on cosyvoice (word_timestamp_enabled — v2/v3 models; cosyvoice-v1 ignores the flag and yields no boundaries).

Cross-platform: Windows, macOS, Linux

When to Use This Skill

Automatically activate this skill when:

• User wants to convert Chinese text to speech audio
• Generating voice narration or voiceover for videos
• Creating audiobook or podcast audio from text
• User asks to compare TTS providers, choose a TTS backend, or see what voices are available
• User asks about TTS pricing, features, or which provider supports cloning/SSML/dialects
• User mentions any of: TTS, text-to-speech, 语音合成, 文字转语音, Edge TTS, Doubao TTS, CosyVoice, 火山引擎, 阿里云语音, Azure TTS, 腾讯云TTS, 百度语音, MiniMax, 讯飞语音, ElevenLabs, OpenAI TTS, Google Cloud TTS
• User needs word-level timestamps/subtitles, pause control, or fixing mispronounced Chinese characters (多音字)
• Any task where Chinese text-to-speech would be helpful

Provider Comparison Page

When the user wants to browse, compare, or choose a TTS provider, ALWAYS open the local HTML comparison page in their browser FIRST — it's a visual, filterable table that is much faster to scan than reading text output.

All paths in this document are relative to this skill's root directory (the directory containing this SKILL.md) — resolve them against it.

# Open the comparison page (path relative to this skill's directory)
open docs/providers.html

The comparison page includes:

• Filterable table — filter by free, SSML, voice cloning, streaming, dialects, multilingual
• Per-provider detail panels — cost, max chars/duration, clone method, emotion, languages
• Voice cards — recommended voices with style descriptions and best-use labels
• API key links — direct links to each provider's console for key acquisition

This page is auto-generated from data/providers.json. Run python scripts/build_docs.py to regenerate it after editing the JSON.

After opening the page, ask the user which backend and voice they'd like to use, then proceed to Step 2.

Workflow

Step 0 — Show the comparison page (when comparing/choosing)

If the user is browsing, comparing providers, or unsure which backend to use:

open docs/providers.html

This opens a filterable visual comparison in their browser. Let them explore, then ask which backend + voice they want.

Step 1 — Understand the request

Clarify what the user needs:

• Text: inline text or a file? Short or long-form?
• Voice style: male/female, young/mature, warm/energetic? (see Voice Guide)
• Speed: normal, faster (+10-20%), slower (-10-20%)?
• Format: WAV (lossless) or MP3 (compressed)?

Step 2 — Pick a backend & voice

Choose based on the use case (see Backend Selection Guide). Default to Edge TTS with zh-CN-XiaoxiaoNeural (female, warm, standard) if unsure. Mention your choice.

Step 3 — Synthesize

Run scripts/tts.py with the text and chosen options.

Step 4 — Report

Confirm: output path, file size, audio duration.

Backend Selection Guide

Quick Pick

Full Capability Comparison

International Backends (need international network access)

Voice Cloning (clone command)

Create a custom voice from reference audio, store it under a name, then use the name anywhere --voice is accepted. Built-in for minimax (local file OK, 10s-5min audio, paid: ~$1.5/voice global site or ¥9.9 on first use China site; a new clone is TEMPORARY until its first real synthesis — use it within 7 days [global site] / 48 h [China site] of creation or MiniMax deletes it, previews don't count; permanent after first use) and cosyvoice (enrollment free, audio must be a PUBLIC http(s) URL, 10-20s, voice expires after 1 year unused).

# MiniMax — local file, paid, must confirm with --yes
python3 scripts/tts.py clone create --platform minimax --audio my_voice.wav --name myvoice --yes

# CosyVoice — free, but --audio must be a public URL; --target-model must
# match the synthesis model (default: $COSYVOICE_MODEL or cosyvoice-v3-flash)
python3 scripts/tts.py clone create --platform cosyvoice --audio https://example.com/my.wav --name myvoice

# Manage
python3 scripts/tts.py clone list
python3 scripts/tts.py clone delete --name myvoice [--remote]   # --remote: cosyvoice only

# Use it — the stored name resolves to the platform voice_id automatically
python3 scripts/tts.py "用我的声音说这句话" out.wav --platform minimax --voice myvoice

Rules the agent MUST follow:

• MiniMax creation is paid — never run clone create --platform minimax without the user's explicit confirmation (the CLI enforces --yes).
• Only clone the user's own voice or one they are authorized to use — both platforms contractually prohibit cloning third parties without consent.
• Reference audio: clean single-speaker speech, no BGM, 10-20s is ideal.
• Named voices live in ~/.ttsCN.json under cloned_voices.

Other platforms (Doubao/Tencent/Baidu/Xunfei/Azure) support cloning via their consoles — the resulting voice id also works as a plain --voice.

Voice Guide

Edge / Azure Chinese Voices (20+)

CosyVoice Voices (Alibaba)

Doubao Voices (ByteDance)

Tencent Cloud Voices (380+, selected)

Baidu AI Voices (30+, selected)

MiniMax Voices (300+, selected)

Xunfei Voices (500+, selected)

International Voices (ElevenLabs / OpenAI / Google, selected)

Usage

Basic Usage

# Default (Edge TTS, free, Xiaoxiao voice)
python3 scripts/tts.py "你好世界" output.wav

# Specific voice
python3 scripts/tts.py --voice zh-CN-YunxiNeural "欢迎收听今天的节目" welcome.wav

# Specific backend
python3 scripts/tts.py --platform doubao "今天天气真好" weather.wav
python3 scripts/tts.py --platform minimax "高品质语音合成" hq.wav

# Adjust speed
python3 scripts/tts.py --rate +15% "快速播报" fast.wav
python3 scripts/tts.py --rate -10% "慢速朗读" slow.wav

From File

python3 scripts/tts.py --input script.txt output.wav

Output Format

# MP3 output (compressed, smaller file)
python3 scripts/tts.py --format mp3 "你好" hello.mp3

Preview (Dry Run)

# Preview without making API call — no package installs needed
python3 scripts/tts.py --dry-run "这是一段测试文本"

List Options

python3 scripts/tts.py --list

Expressiveness Markers

Input text may contain markers on any platform — they are rendered natively where supported and stripped everywhere else (never read aloud). The chunker never splits inside a [...] marker.

python3 scripts/tts.py --platform azure \
  "大家好。[PAUSE:0.8] 今天我们聊一个新话题。" out.wav

MINIMAX_MODEL=speech-2.8-hd python3 scripts/tts.py --platform minimax \
  "这也太好笑了 (laughs) 好，我们继续。" out.wav

Pronunciation Overrides (--phonemes)

Fix polyphonic Chinese characters (多音字) with a JSON dict mapping words to space-separated pinyin — tone-numbered (hang2 zhang3) or tone-marked (háng zhǎng). Keys starting with _ are comments.

{
  "_comment": "pronunciation overrides for bank-themed script",
  "行长": "hang2 zhang3",
  "重庆": "chóng qìng"
}

python3 scripts/tts.py --platform azure --phonemes phonemes.json \
  "行长在重庆开会。" out.wav

Per-platform: azure → SSML <phoneme alphabet="sapi"> tags; minimax → inline pinyin annotations like 重(chong2)庆(qing4); all other platforms silently ignore the flag.

Requirements

# Core (always needed)
pip install edge-tts  # For Edge (default, free)

# Optional backends — install only what you use
pip install dashscope                              # CosyVoice
pip install requests                               # Doubao, MiniMax, ElevenLabs, OpenAI, Google
pip install azure-cognitiveservices-speech          # Azure
pip install tencentcloud-sdk-python-tts             # Tencent Cloud
pip install baidu-aip chardet                       # Baidu AI
pip install websocket-client                        # Xunfei

System requirement: ffmpeg

Environment Variables

# Global defaults (optional)
export TTS_BACKEND="edge"
export TTS_VOICE="zh-CN-XiaoxiaoNeural"
export TTS_RATE="+5%"

# ByteDance Volcano Ark (Doubao)
export VOLCENGINE_APPID="your_app_id"
export VOLCENGINE_ACCESS_TOKEN="your_token"

# Alibaba DashScope (CosyVoice)
export DASHSCOPE_API_KEY="your_api_key"

# Microsoft Azure
export AZURE_SPEECH_KEY="your_key"
export AZURE_SPEECH_REGION="eastasia"
export TTS_STYLE="gentle"              # optional: mstts:express-as style; unset = plain prosody

# Tencent Cloud
export TENCENT_SECRET_ID="your_secret_id"
export TENCENT_SECRET_KEY="your_secret_key"

# Baidu AI
export BAIDU_APP_ID="your_app_id"
export BAIDU_API_KEY="your_api_key"
export BAIDU_SECRET_KEY="your_secret_key"

# MiniMax
export MINIMAX_API_KEY="your_api_key"

# iFlytek Xunfei
export XUNFEI_APP_ID="your_app_id"
export XUNFEI_API_KEY="your_api_key"
export XUNFEI_API_SECRET="your_api_secret"

# ElevenLabs (international)
export ELEVENLABS_API_KEY="your_api_key"
export ELEVENLABS_MODEL="eleven_multilingual_v2"   # optional, this is the default

# OpenAI TTS (international)
export OPENAI_API_KEY="your_api_key"
export OPENAI_TTS_MODEL="tts-1-hd"                 # optional, this is the default

# Google Cloud TTS (international)
export GOOGLE_TTS_API_KEY="your_api_key"
export GOOGLE_TTS_LANGUAGE="en-US"                 # optional, auto-derived from voice name

Get API Keys:

• Volcano Ark: https://console.volcengine.com/ark/region:ark+cn-beijing/apikey
• DashScope: https://bailian.console.aliyun.com/
• Azure: https://portal.azure.com/
• Tencent Cloud: https://console.cloud.tencent.com/tts
• Baidu AI: https://console.bce.baidu.com/ai/#/ai/speech/overview
• MiniMax: https://platform.minimaxi.com
• Xunfei: https://www.xfyun.cn
• ElevenLabs: https://elevenlabs.io/app/settings/api-keys
• OpenAI: https://platform.openai.com/api-keys
• Google Cloud: https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/credentials

Config File (Optional)

Create ~/.ttsCN.json for personal defaults, or .ttsCN.json in a project directory:

{
  "backend": "minimax",
  "voice": "female-shaonv",
  "rate": "+10%"
}

Priority (highest first):

1. CLI arguments (--platform, --voice, --rate)
2. Project config (.ttsCN.json in current directory)
3. User config (~/.ttsCN.json)
4. Environment variables (TTS_BACKEND, TTS_VOICE, TTS_RATE)
5. Built-in defaults

Examples

Quick Narration (Free, Zero Setup)

python3 scripts/tts.py \
  "人工智能正在改变我们的生活方式，从智能助手到自动驾驶，技术革新无处不在。" \
  ai_narration.wav

Douyin Style Short Video Voice

python3 scripts/tts.py \
  --platform doubao --voice BV001_streaming --rate +10% \
  "家人们，今天给大家推荐一个超好用的神器！" \
  douyin_style.wav

Male Documentary Voice

python3 scripts/tts.py \
  --voice zh-CN-YunyangNeural \
  "在遥远的非洲大草原上，生命的故事每天都在上演。" \
  documentary.wav

Audiobook from Script File (CosyVoice)

python3 scripts/tts.py \
  --platform cosyvoice --voice longxiaoxia_v3 \
  --input chapter1.txt chapter1.wav

Bulk Generation at Lowest Cost (Tencent)

TENCENT_SECRET_ID="xxx" TENCENT_SECRET_KEY="xxx" \
python3 scripts/tts.py \
  --platform tencent --voice 101001 \
  --input course_script.txt course_audio.wav

Premium Quality with Emotion (MiniMax)

MINIMAX_API_KEY="xxx" \
python3 scripts/tts.py \
  --platform minimax --voice female-shaonv \
  "这是一段充满感情的语音合成演示。" premium.wav

Professional Education Voice (Xunfei)

XUNFEI_APP_ID="xxx" XUNFEI_API_KEY="xxx" XUNFEI_API_SECRET="xxx" \
python3 scripts/tts.py \
  --platform xunfei --voice xiaoyu \
  "今天我们来讲一个有趣的故事..." education.wav

Emotion Synthesis (Baidu)

BAIDU_APP_ID="xxx" BAIDU_API_KEY="xxx" BAIDU_SECRET_KEY="xxx" \
python3 scripts/tts.py \
  --platform baidu --voice 3 \
  "今天真是令人兴奋的一天！" emotion.wav

Agent-Native CLI Reference

ttsCN follows the agent-native-design contract. It serves humans (readable terminal output), AI agents (structured JSON on stdout), and orchestrators (distinct exit codes + idempotency) simultaneously.

JSON Mode

# Explicit JSON mode
tts.py --format json "你好" out.wav

# Auto-detect: pipe to jq → JSON automatically
tts.py --list | jq .data.backends[0].name

# Error envelope always structured
tts.py --format json --platform doubao "test" out.wav
# → {"ok":false, "error":{"code":"auth_missing_env","message":"...","retryable":false,...}}

Output Envelope

// Success
{"ok":true, "data":{...}, "meta":{"version":"...","schema_version":"1.2.0","timestamp":"...","ms":123}}

// Error
{"ok":false, "error":{"code":"auth_missing_env","message":"VOLCENGINE_APPID not set","retryable":false,"field":"VOLCENGINE_APPID","backend":"doubao"}, "meta":{...}}

Word Boundaries (edge / azure / doubao / minimax / cosyvoice)

For edge, azure, doubao, minimax, and cosyvoice, the success envelope includes native word-level timestamps under data.word_boundaries — absolute seconds within the output file, ascending, 3-decimal rounding. The key is absent for other platforms — and may be absent on doubao/minimax/cosyvoice too when the provider returns no timing payload (minority-language doubao voices; minimax subtitle download failure; cosyvoice-v1 or voices without timestamp support) — so consumers must treat it as optional.

{"ok":true, "data":{
  "output_file": "out.wav",
  "word_boundaries": [
    {"text": "你好", "offset_sec": 0.1,   "duration_sec": 0.45},
    {"text": "世界", "offset_sec": 0.562, "duration_sec": 0.5}
  ]
}}

Use these for subtitle/SRT generation or beat-synced animation without a separate forced-alignment pass.

Exit Codes

Schema Introspection

tts.py schema backends              # All 11 backends (compact by default)
tts.py schema backends --full       # All fields (22 per backend)
tts.py schema backends.doubao       # Single backend full detail
tts.py schema voices                # All voice presets per backend
tts.py schema tags                  # Tag definitions
tts.py schema version               # Version + providers data freshness

# Field filtering for low-token-cost queries
tts.py schema backends --fields name,cost,supports_clone,supports_ssml

Idempotency

# Orchestrators: retried calls return cached result — no double-billing
tts.py --idempotency-key "daily-podcast-2026-07-08" --input script.txt out.wav

# Cache at ~/.ttscn_idem/, 7-day TTL, SHA-256 keyed

Agent Compatibility Flags

# No-ops accepted for agent runtime compatibility (ttsCN never prompts)
tts.py --yes --no-input "text" out.wav