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:
- Call the tts tool (Clawdbot built-in) to convert text to speech
- The tool returns a MEDIA: path
- 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
- Detect intent: Check for "tts" trigger or keyword in user message
- Choose method: Use built-in tts tool for simple requests, or scripts/tts-converter.js for customization
- Generate audio: Convert the target text (message, search results, summary)
- 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
