Piper TTS

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...

bewareofddog

@bewareofddog

What This Skill Does

Generates voice messages from text using the local Piper TTS engine. Produces MP3 audio files that can be delivered as native voice messages on Telegram, Discord, or any channel supporting audio attachments.

Replaces cloud-based TTS services (Google, Amazon, Azure) by running entirely offline with no API keys, no cost, and sub-second generation speed.

When to Use It

  • Convert a text response into a voice message for accessibility or convenience
  • Deliver spoken jokes, quotes, or announcements as audio on messaging platforms
  • Provide audio feedback for users who prefer listening over reading
  • Generate voice notes for automated notifications or reminders
  • Add spoken narration to a bot's output without relying on external APIs

Install

$ openclaw skills install @bewareofddog/beware-piper-tts

Piper TTS — Local Voice Messages

Generate voice messages using Piper, a fast local TTS engine. Zero cloud calls, zero cost, zero API keys.

Setup

If Piper is not installed, run the setup script:

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:

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:

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.

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