macbook-ai

Python interface to macOS AI capabilities — speech recognition, text-to-speech, and LLM via Apple Foundation Models.

All processing is on-device. No API keys, no network calls.

Requirements

• macOS 10.15 or later
• Python 3.10 or later
• The first time you use Speech-to-Text, macOS will prompt for access. You may need to enable it manually: System Settings > Privacy & Security > Speech Recognition > Terminal

Installation

pip install macbook-ai

With uv:

uv add macbook-ai

Note: Foundation Models require macOS 15.6+ and pyobjc-framework-FoundationModels (install separately when available on PyPI).

Features

Speech-to-Text (STT)

Powered by the macOS SFSpeechRecognizer framework.

Grant Permission

The first time you use recognition, macOS will prompt for access. You can trigger it explicitly:

from macbook_ai.stt import SpeechRecognizer

status = SpeechRecognizer.request_authorization()
# Returns: 'authorized' | 'denied' | 'restricted' | 'not_determined'

If running from Terminal, you may need to enable it manually: System Settings > Privacy & Security > Speech Recognition > Terminal

Transcribe Audio Files

from macbook_ai.stt import SpeechRecognizer

recognizer = SpeechRecognizer()  # defaults to en-US
text = recognizer.recognize_file("recording.m4a")
print(text)

Async Support

import asyncio
from macbook_ai.stt import SpeechRecognizer

async def main():
    recognizer = SpeechRecognizer()
    text = await recognizer.recognize_file_async("recording.m4a")
    print(text)

asyncio.run(main())

Multiple Languages

recognizer = SpeechRecognizer(locale="fr-FR")
recognizer = SpeechRecognizer(locale="es-ES")
recognizer = SpeechRecognizer(locale="ja-JP")

Supported Audio Formats

Any format supported by AVFoundation: WAV, M4A, MP3, AIFF, CAF, FLAC, and more.

Error Handling

from macbook_ai.stt import SpeechRecognizer
from macbook_ai._exceptions import AuthorizationError, RecognitionError

recognizer = SpeechRecognizer()

try:
    text = recognizer.recognize_file("recording.m4a")
except AuthorizationError:
    print("Grant Speech Recognition access in System Settings first.")
except RecognitionError as e:
    print(f"Recognition failed: {e}")
except TimeoutError:
    print("Recognition timed out — try a shorter clip or increase timeout.")

Text-to-Speech (TTS)

Powered by the macOS AVSpeechSynthesizer framework.

Basic Usage

from macbook_ai.tts import SpeechSynthesizer

synth = SpeechSynthesizer()
synth.speak("Hello from macbook-ai")

Async Support

import asyncio
from macbook_ai.tts import SpeechSynthesizer

async def main():
    synth = SpeechSynthesizer()
    await synth.speak_async("Hello from macbook-ai")

asyncio.run(main())

Custom Voices and Settings

# List available voices
voices = SpeechSynthesizer.available_voices(language="en")
for voice in voices:
    print(f"{voice['name']} ({voice['identifier']})")

# Use a specific voice
synth = SpeechSynthesizer(
    voice="com.apple.voice.compact.en-US.Samantha",
    rate=0.5,   # 0.0 (slowest) to 1.0 (fastest)
    volume=1.0  # 0.0 to 1.0
)
synth.speak("Hello in Samantha's voice")

Save to Audio File

synth = SpeechSynthesizer()
synth.save_to_file("Hello world", "output.caf")

Apple Foundation Models (macOS 15.6+)

On-device language model — no API keys, no network calls.

Note: Requires macOS 15.6+ and pyobjc-framework-FoundationModels (not yet on PyPI).

Basic Usage

import asyncio
from macbook_ai.foundation import LanguageModel

async def main():
    model = LanguageModel()
    
    # Get complete response
    response = await model.respond("What is the capital of France?")
    print(response)

asyncio.run(main())

Streaming Responses

import asyncio
from macbook_ai.foundation import LanguageModel

async def main():
    model = LanguageModel()
    
    async for chunk in model.stream("Write a haiku about Python"):
        print(chunk, end="", flush=True)

asyncio.run(main())

With System Instructions

model = LanguageModel(instructions="You are a helpful coding assistant.")
response = await model.respond("Explain list comprehensions")
print(response)

Development

Running Tests

uv run pytest tests/ -v

License

MIT