tts

name: tts description: "Text-to-speech — convert text to audio using gTTS or edge-tts. Use when: user asks to read text aloud, generate an audio file from text, or create a voiceover. NOT for: speech-to-text/transcription (use Deepgram or whisper), music generation, or audio editing." dependencies: gTTS metadata: emoji: "🔊"

Text-to-Speech

Convert text to spoken audio files.

When to Use

✅ USE this skill when:

• "Read this text aloud"
• "Generate an audio file of this paragraph"
• "Create a voiceover for this script"
• "Convert this text to speech"
• "Say this in Spanish"

When NOT to Use

❌ DON'T use this skill when:

• Speech-to-text / transcription → use Deepgram or Whisper
• Music generation → use specialised music tools
• Audio editing or effects → use ffmpeg or audio editors
• Playing existing audio files → use system player

Usage

Basic TTS (using gTTS — Google Translate TTS)

python {skill_path}/speak.py "Hello, this is PythonClaw speaking." --output hello.mp3

Options

# Different language
python {skill_path}/speak.py "Bonjour le monde" --lang fr

# Slow speed
python {skill_path}/speak.py "Important message" --slow

# Custom output path
python {skill_path}/speak.py "Text here" --output ~/audio/speech.mp3

Alternative: edge-tts (higher quality, more voices)

If edge-tts is installed (pip install edge-tts):

python {skill_path}/speak.py "Hello world" --engine edge --voice en-US-AriaNeural

Available edge-tts voices (examples)

• en-US-AriaNeural — Female, US English (default)
• en-US-GuyNeural — Male, US English
• en-GB-SoniaNeural — Female, British English
• zh-CN-XiaoxiaoNeural — Female, Chinese
• ja-JP-NanamiNeural — Female, Japanese
• de-DE-KatjaNeural — Female, German

List all voices: python -m edge_tts --list-voices

Notes

• gTTS requires internet (uses Google Translate's TTS endpoint)
• edge-tts requires internet (uses Microsoft Edge's TTS service)
• Output format is MP3 by default
• For offline TTS, consider pyttsx3 (lower quality but no network needed)

Resources