Edge-TTS Skill

Overview

Generate high-quality text-to-speech audio using Microsoft Edge's neural TTS service via the node-edge-tts npm package. Supports multiple languages, voices, adjustable speed/pitch, and subtitle generation.

Quick Start

When you detect TTS intent from triggers or user request:

1. Call the tts tool (Clawdbot built-in) to convert text to speech
2. The tool returns a MEDIA: path
3. Clawdbot routes the audio to the current channel

// Example: Built-in tts tool usage
tts("Your text to convert to speech")
// Returns: MEDIA: /path/to/audio.mp3

Trigger Detection

Recognize "tts" keyword as TTS requests. The skill automatically filters out TTS-related keywords from text before conversion to avoid converting the trigger words themselves to audio.

Advanced Customization

Using the Node.js Scripts

For more control, use the bundled scripts directly:

TTS Converter

cd scripts
npm install
node tts-converter.js "Your text" --voice en-US-AriaNeural --rate +10% --output output.mp3

Options:

• --voice, -v

  : Voice name (default: en-US-AriaNeural)

• --lang, -l

  : Language code (e.g., en-US, es-ES)

• --format, -o

  : Output format (default: audio-24khz-48kbitrate-mono-mp3)

• --pitch

  : Pitch adjustment (e.g., +10%, -20%, default)

• --rate, -r

  : Rate adjustment (e.g., +10%, -20%, default)

• --volume

  : Volume adjustment (e.g., +0%, -10%, default)

• --save-subtitles, -s

  : Save subtitles as JSON file

• --output, -f

  : Output file path (default: tts_output.mp3)

• --proxy, -p

  : Proxy URL (e.g., http://localhost:7890)

• --timeout

  : Request timeout in milliseconds (default: 10000)

• --list-voices, -L

  : List available voices

Configuration Manager

cd scripts
npm install
node config-manager.js --set-voice en-US-AriaNeural

node config-manager.js --set-rate +10%

node config-manager.js --get

node config-manager.js --reset

Voice Selection

Common voices (use

--list-voices

for full list):

English:

• en-US-MichelleNeural

  (female, natural, default)

• en-US-AriaNeural

  (female, natural)

• en-US-GuyNeural

  (male, natural)

• en-GB-SoniaNeural

  (female, British)

• en-GB-RyanNeural

  (male, British)

Other Languages:

• es-ES-ElviraNeural

  (Spanish, Spain)

• fr-FR-DeniseNeural

  (French)

• de-DE-KatjaNeural

  (German)

• ja-JP-NanamiNeural

  (Japanese)

• zh-CN-XiaoxiaoNeural

  (Chinese)

• ar-SA-ZariyahNeural

  (Arabic)

Rate Guidelines

Rate values use percentage format:

• "default"

  : Normal speed

• "-20%"

  to

  "-10%"

  : Slow, clear (tutorials, stories, accessibility)

• "+10%"

  to

  "+20%"

  : Slightly fast (summaries)

• "+30%"

  to

  "+50%"

  : Fast (news, efficiency)

Output Formats

Choose audio quality based on use case:

• audio-24khz-48kbitrate-mono-mp3

  : Standard quality (voice notes, messages)

• audio-24khz-96kbitrate-mono-mp3

  : High quality (presentations, content)

• audio-48khz-96kbitrate-stereo-mp3

  : Highest quality (professional audio, music)

Resources

scripts/tts-converter.js

Main TTS conversion script using node-edge-tts. Generates audio files with customizable voice, rate, volume, pitch, and format. Supports subtitle generation and voice listing.

scripts/config-manager.js

Manages persistent user preferences for TTS settings (voice, language, format, pitch, rate, volume). Stores config in

~/.tts-config.json

.

scripts/package.json

NPM package configuration with node-edge-tts dependency.

references/node_edge_tts_guide.md

Complete documentation for node-edge-tts npm package including:

• Full voice list by language
• Prosody options (rate, pitch, volume)
• Usage examples (CLI and Module)
• Subtitle generation
• Output formats
• Best practices and limitations

Voice Testing

Test different voices and preview audio quality at: https://tts.travisvn.com/

Refer to this when you need specific voice details or advanced features.

Installation

To use the bundled scripts:

cd /home/user/clawd/skills/public/tts-skill/scripts
npm install

This installs:

• node-edge-tts

  - TTS library

• commander

  - CLI argument parsing

Workflow

1. Detect intent: Check for "tts" trigger or keyword in user message
2. Choose method: Use built-in

   tts

   tool for simple requests, or

   scripts/tts-converter.js

   for customization
3. Generate audio: Convert the target text (message, search results, summary)
4. Return to user: The tts tool returns a MEDIA: path; Clawdbot handles delivery

Testing

Basic Test

Run the test script to verify TTS functionality:

cd /home/user/clawd/skills/public/edge-tts/scripts
npm test

This generates a test audio file and verifies the TTS service is working.

Voice Testing

Test different voices and preview audio quality at: https://tts.travisvn.com/

Integration Test

Use the built-in

tts

tool for quick testing:

// Example: Test TTS with default settings
tts("This is a test of the TTS functionality.")

Configuration Test

Verify configuration persistence:

cd /home/user/clawd/skills/public/edge-tts/scripts
node config-manager.js --get
node config-manager.js --set-voice en-US-GuyNeural
node config-manager.js --get

Troubleshooting

• Test connectivity: Run

  npm test

  to check if TTS service is accessible
• Check voice availability: Use

  node tts-converter.js --list-voices

  to see available voices
• Verify proxy settings: If using proxy, test with

  node tts-converter.js "test" --proxy http://localhost:7890

• Check audio output: The test should generate

  test-output.mp3

  in the scripts directory

Notes

• node-edge-tts uses Microsoft Edge's online TTS service (updated, working authentication)
• No API key needed (free service)
• Output is MP3 format by default
• Requires internet connection
• Supports subtitle generation (JSON format with word-level timing)
• Temporary File Handling: By default, audio files are saved to the system's temporary directory (

  /tmp/edge-tts-temp/

  on Unix,

  C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\Temp\edge-tts-temp\

  on Windows) with unique filenames (e.g.,

  tts_1234567890_abc123.mp3

  ). Files are not automatically deleted - the calling application (Clawdbot) should handle cleanup after use. You can specify a custom output path with the

  --output

  option if permanent storage is needed.
• TTS keyword filtering: The skill automatically filters out TTS-related keywords (tts, TTS, text-to-speech) from text before conversion to avoid converting the trigger words themselves to audio
• For repeated preferences, use

  config-manager.js

  to set defaults
• Default voice:

  en-US-MichelleNeural

  (female, natural)
• Neural voices (ending in

  Neural

  ) provide higher quality than Standard voices