modbender Pixel Lobster
A transparent desktop overlay featuring a pixel art lobster that animates when your OpenClaw agent speaks. Powered by envelope data from your local TTS server — the lobster's mouth only moves during AI speech, not music or system audio.
The app is fully bundled inside this skill — no external repository clone required.
Requirements
- Node.js 18+ with
npxavailable - A running TTS server exposing
GET /audio/envelope(XTTS on port 8787, or any OpenAI-compatible TTS via the OpenClaw TTS proxy) - Windows or Linux desktop (macOS not supported)
Install
The app is included in this skill at <skill_dir>/app/. Install dependencies once:
cd <skill_dir>/app
npm install
Configure
Edit <skill_dir>/app/config.json before launching. Key settings:
| Key | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
audioMode |
"tts" |
"tts" reacts only to TTS speech; "system" captures all audio output |
ttsUrl |
"http://127.0.0.1:8787" |
Base URL of your TTS server |
monitor |
"primary" |
"primary", "secondary", "left", "right", or display index |
lobsterScale |
4 |
Sprite scale (4 = 480px tall lobster) |
clickThrough |
false |
Start with click-through mode on so the lobster doesn't block clicks |
swimEnabled |
true |
Enable swimming animation |
Launch
cd <skill_dir>/app
npx electron .
Or use the included helper script (handles first-run npm install automatically):
bash <skill_dir>/scripts/launch.sh
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| F8 | Move window to next monitor (cycles through all displays) |
| F9 | Toggle click-through mode |
| F12 | Toggle DevTools |
OpenClaw Integration
With OpenClaw and a local XTTS server, set audioMode to "tts" and point ttsUrl at your XTTS instance. The lobster polls the envelope endpoint at 45ms intervals during active speech and 500ms when idle — no perceptible CPU cost.
If you use the OpenClaw TTS proxy (port 8788), point ttsUrl at port 8787 (the XTTS server directly), not the proxy — the envelope endpoint is on the TTS server, not the proxy layer.
Lip Sync Notes
If the mouth movement is ahead of or behind the audio:
- Mouth moves too early: increase
ttsPlayStartOffsetMs(default 1100ms) - Mouth moves too late: decrease
ttsPlayStartOffsetMs
The default is tuned for PowerShell MediaPlayer on Windows. Other playback methods may need adjustment.
Mouth Shapes
Six visemes drive natural speech animation:
- A — wide open "ah"
- B — wide grin "ee"
- C — round "oh"
- D — small pucker "oo"
- E — medium "eh"
- F — teeth "ff"
Plus X (closed) for silence and pauses. Spring physics and variety enforcement prevent robotic repetition.