feat(voice): Kokoro local-TTS backend as a private alternative to ElevenLabs (+ mute toggle & statusline indicator)#1465
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…ne indicator Adds a fully-local voice backend (Kokoro) as a private alternative to the cloud ElevenLabs path: no API key, and no text or audio leaves the machine. Opt-in via PAI_VOICE_BACKEND=kokoro; ElevenLabs behavior is unchanged when unset. - voice.ts: playKokoroVoice() POSTs to a warm local daemon, selected ahead of ElevenLabs. Adds a live mute gate (voice-mute.json) read per notification that silences TTS only; desktop notifications still fire; fail-open. - kokoro_server.py: warm Kokoro daemon (GET /health, POST /speak); audio player is env-configurable (PAI_KOKORO_PLAYER) for non-macOS. - TOOLS/VoiceMute.ts: on/off/toggle/status CLI, bindable to a keyboard shortcut. - LIFEOS_StatusLine.sh: mute glyph read live from the same state file. - DOCUMENTATION/Notifications/KokoroVoiceBackend.md: setup and hotkey guide.
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Thank you @HotSauceHacker — this is clean, well-scoped work and the env-gated design (ElevenLabs stays default) is exactly how a backend alternative should land. Holding it out of v7.0.0 purely on dependency footprint: the Python/ONNX runtime plus a resident LaunchAgent is a bigger product decision than this release wants to make. Not a no — a not-in-this-one. Would welcome revisiting it as a follow-up. |
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What and why
LifeOS voice (
PULSE/VoiceServer/voice.ts) currently speaks via ElevenLabs, which sends the text of every notification to a cloud API and requires an API key. This PR adds a fully-local alternative powered by Kokoro: no API key, and no text or audio ever leaves the machine. That fits the privacy posture many people want from a personal AI.It is opt-in and backward-compatible. With
LIFEOS_VOICE_BACKENDunset, the ElevenLabs path is byte-for-byte unchanged.What's included
voice.ts:playKokoroVoice()POSTs{text, voice}to a warm local daemon, selected ahead of ElevenLabs whenLIFEOS_VOICE_BACKEND=kokoro. Also adds a live mute gate read fromvoice-mute.jsonon every notification. Muting silences TTS only; desktop notifications still fire, and it fails open.kokoro_server.py: a small warm Kokoro daemon (GET /health,POST /speak) that keeps the model resident so utterances skip cold-start. The audio player is env-configurable (LIFEOS_KOKORO_PLAYER) for non-macOS.TOOLS/VoiceMute.ts: anon|off|toggle|statusCLI writing the shared state file, bindable to a keyboard shortcut for a live mute hotkey.LIFEOS_StatusLine.sh: a mute glyph (audible / muted) in the header, read live from the same state file.DOCUMENTATION/Notifications/KokoroVoiceBackend.md: setup (deps, model, daemon, env vars) plus an optional skhd keyboard-shortcut guide.Trying it
See the setup doc. In short: install
kokoro-onnxplus model files, run the daemon, and setLIFEOS_VOICE_BACKEND=kokoroin the Pulse process environment.Notes
afplay; Linux viaLIFEOS_KOKORO_PLAYER=aplay).