vocli 0.2.5

Local voice layer for AI coding tools — 100% offline voice assistant for Claude Code

Don't just type to your AI coding tool. Talk to it.

---

What is voCLI?

You speak. Claude listens. Claude responds. You hear it.

voCLI adds a voice layer to Claude Code. Everything runs locally on your machine — no audio is sent to the cloud, ever.

You speak --> Mic --> faster-whisper (STT) --> Text to Claude
Claude responds --> Kokoro TTS --> Audio plays through speakers

Highlights

• Privacy-first — all audio processing stays on your machine
• Works offline — after initial model download, no internet needed
• Personalized — set your name and the assistant's name
• High-quality voice — natural-sounding Kokoro TTS with 27 voices to choose from
• Smart performance — auto-detects Apple Silicon vs Intel for optimal speed
• Remote-ready — use voice even when Claude Code runs on a remote VM

---

Quick Start

Recommended: Claude Code Plugin Marketplace

The easiest way to install voCLI:

# Step 1: Add the marketplace
/plugin marketplace add voCLI/voCLI

# Step 2: Install the plugin
/plugin install vocli@vocli

# Step 3: Run the setup wizard
/vocli:install

# Step 4: Start talking!
/vocli:talk

The install wizard walks you through everything: dependencies, models, and configuration.

Alternative: Manual Install via UV

# Install UV package manager (if needed)
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

# Add voCLI as an MCP server
claude mcp add --scope user vocli -- uvx --refresh vocli serve

# Restart Claude Code, then run:
/vocli:install

---

Local Install

For running Claude Code and voCLI on the same machine (Mac or Linux with mic/speakers).

The /vocli:install wizard handles everything:

Step	What happens
1	Checks Python 3.10+ and ffmpeg
2	Installs faster-whisper and kokoro-onnx
3	Downloads Kokoro voice model (~325MB) and Whisper model (~500MB)
4	Detects your CPU architecture (Apple Silicon / Intel / ARM)
5	Lets you choose model size (tiny for speed, small for accuracy)
6	Asks for your name, assistant name, and preferences

Performance note: On Apple Silicon, voCLI automatically uses float16 for faster speech recognition. On Intel, it uses int8.

---

Remote Install

For running Claude Code on a remote VM while keeping voice on your local machine.

Why?

Remote VMs have no microphone or speakers. voCLI's remote mode runs the audio servers on your local machine and connects them to Claude Code on the VM via the network.

How it works

Your Mac/Linux (local)              Remote VM
+------------------+               +------------------+
|  STT Server      | <-- network   |  Claude Code     |
|  (port 2022)     | ----------->  |  + voCLI Plugin  |
|                  |               |                  |
|  TTS Server      | <-- network   |  /vocli:talk     |
|  (port 8880)     | ----------->  |  just works!     |
|                  |               |                  |
|  Mic + Speakers  |               |  No audio deps   |
+------------------+               +------------------+

Setup

Install the plugin on your remote VM, then run the remote setup wizard:

The /vocli:remote-install wizard handles everything:

From starting the servers on your local machine, entering the URLs, and configuring your preferences.

Tip: If your VM can't reach your local machine directly, use SSH port forwarding:

ssh -R 2022:localhost:2022 -R 8880:localhost:8880 your-vm

Then use http://localhost:2022 and http://localhost:8880 as the URLs.

---

Commands

Command	Description
/vocli:install	Install dependencies, download models, configure (local mode)
/vocli:remote-install	Set up remote mode with external STT/TTS servers
/vocli:config	Change assistant name, your name, preferences
/vocli:talk	Start a voice conversation

---

MCP Tools

voCLI runs as an MCP server with three tools:

Tool	What it does
talk	Speak a message and optionally listen for a reply. Auto-starts servers if needed.
status	Check health of STT/TTS servers and show current config.
service	Start, stop, or restart STT/TTS servers.

---

Requirements

Requirement	Details
Python	3.10 or higher
OS	macOS (Apple Silicon or Intel) or Linux
Disk space	~900MB for models
Audio	Microphone + speakers

---

License

MIT