Tool Signature Alignment: VoiceMode Local vs VoiceMode Connect

Tool Signature Alignment: VoiceMode Local vs VoiceMode Connect

Date: 2026-02-16 Source: Voice conversation between Mike and Wimo Status: Proposed

Goal

Align the tool names and function signatures between VoiceMode (local MCP) and VoiceMode Connect (cloud MCP) so that:

1. A wake/call message to an agent can simply say "use converse to speak with Mike" and it works regardless of which MCP server handles the call
2. The agent doesn't need to know whether it's using local audio or remote WebSocket transport — same interface, different transport

Current State

VoiceMode Local (voice_mode/tools/)

Default tools exposed:

• converse(message, wait_for_response, voice, ...) — TTS + STT via local mic/speakers
• service(service_name, action, lines) — manage Whisper/Kokoro services

Additional tools:

• register_wakeable(team_name, agent_name, agent_platform) — register as wakeable via Connect
• Various admin tools (devices, providers, diagnostics, etc.)

VoiceMode Connect (mcp__claude_ai_voicemode-connect__*)

• converse(message, wait_for_response, voice, speed, ...) — TTS + STT via remote web/mobile client
• status(include_voices) — list connected devices

Proposed Direction

Review both converse signatures and align them so that:

• Core parameters match (message, wait_for_response, voice, speed)
• The wake/call message sent from the dashboard can just say "use converse to speak with [user]" without specifying which MCP server
• Either server can handle the call transparently
• Consider adding optional device parameter to local converse to route through WebSocket when a Connect device is available

Questions to Resolve

1. Should local converse gain a device parameter that routes through Connect's WebSocket?
2. Or should the message just work with whichever converse tool the agent has available?
3. How do we handle the case where an agent has both local VoiceMode and VoiceMode Connect installed?
4. Should status be unified to show both local and remote devices?

Context

This emerged from discussing how the dashboard "call" button should work. Instead of a special "wake" message type, the call button sends a regular message telling the agent to use converse to respond. If the tool signatures are aligned, the message works regardless of which MCP server the agent has.