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Hold-to-talk voice input for Pi CLI — Deepgram streaming STT with live transcription, voice commands, and cross-platform hold detection

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# pi-listen

**Hold-to-talk voice input for [Pi](https://github.com/mariozechner/pi-coding-agent).** Cloud streaming via Deepgram or fully offline with local models.

[![npm version](https://img.shields.io/npm/v/@codexstar/pi-listen.svg)](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@codexstar/pi-listen)
[![license](https://img.shields.io/npm/l/@codexstar/pi-listen.svg)](https://github.com/codexstar69/pi-listen/blob/main/LICENSE)
[![author](https://img.shields.io/badge/author-@baanditeagle-1DA1F2?logo=x&logoColor=white)](https://x.com/baanditeagle)

> **v7.0.0 — World-class TTS UX** — pick models from `/voice-settings` Speak
> tab (no more JSON editing), auto-download on selection with progress, voice
> picker for every backend, first-run onboarding with smart-default
> recommendation by your system locale, and `ttsAutoSpeak: true` finally
> works — auto-speaks the agent's responses with code-block stripping and
> rate limiting. Diagnostic command `/voice-speak-info` shows everything.
> Resume-on-interrupt downloads. Plus all v6 features (14 local models from
> 25 MB Kitten Nano up, Deepgram Aura cloud, region-strict language matching,
> sentence-aware chunking). [Full changelog →](CHANGELOG.md)

---

## See How It Works

<a href="https://github.com/codexstar69/pi-listen/blob/main/assets/pi-listen.mp4">
 <img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/codexstar69/pi-listen/main/assets/banner.png" alt="Watch demo video" width="600" />
 </a>
 
 Click to watch the demo video

---

## Setup (2 minutes)

### 1. Install the extension

```bash
# In a regular terminal (not inside Pi)
pi install npm:@codexstar/pi-listen
```

### 2. Choose your backend

pi-listen supports two transcription backends:

| | Deepgram (cloud) | Local models (offline) |
|---|---|---|
| **How it works** | Live streaming — text appears as you speak | Batch mode — transcribes after you finish recording |
| **Setup** | API key required | No API key, models auto-download on first use |
| **Internet** | Required | Not required after model download |
| **Latency** | Real-time interim results | 2–10 seconds after recording stops |
| **Languages** | 56+ with live streaming | Depends on model (1–57 languages) |
| **Cost** | $200 free credit (lasts 6–12 months for most developers) | Free forever |

Run `/voice-settings` inside Pi to choose your backend and configure everything from one panel.

#### Option A: Deepgram (recommended for live streaming)

```bash
export DEEPGRAM_API_KEY="your-key-here"    # add to ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc
```

#### Option B: Local models (fully offline)

No setup needed — run `/voice-settings`, switch backend to Local, and select a model. It downloads automatically.

> **Note:** Local models use batch mode — they transcribe after you finish recording, not while you speak. For live streaming as you speak, use Deepgram.

### 3. Open Pi

On first launch, pi-listen checks your setup and tells you what's ready:
- Backend configured (Deepgram key or local model)
- Audio capture tool detected (sox, ffmpeg, or arecord)
- If everything checks out, voice activates immediately

### Audio capture

pi-listen auto-detects your audio tool. No manual install needed if you already have sox or ffmpeg.

| Priority | Tool | Platforms | Install |
|----------|------|-----------|---------|
| 1 | **SoX** (`rec`) | macOS, Linux, Windows | `brew install sox` / `apt install sox` / `choco install sox` |
| 2 | **ffmpeg** | macOS, Linux, Windows | `brew install ffmpeg` / `apt install ffmpeg` |
| 3 | **arecord** | Linux only | Pre-installed (ALSA) |

---

## Settings Panel

All configuration lives in one place: `/voice-settings`. Four tabs cover everything you need.

### General — backend, language, scope

Toggle between Deepgram (cloud, live streaming) and Local (offline, batch mode). Change language, scope, and enable/disable voice — all with keyboard shortcuts.

### Models — browse, search, install

Browse 19 models from Parakeet, Whisper, Moonshine, SenseVoice, and GigaAM. Each model shows accuracy and speed ratings (●●●●○/●●●●○), fitness badges, and download status. Fuzzy search to find models fast. Press Enter to activate and download.

### Downloaded — manage installed models

See what's installed, total disk usage, and which model is active. Press Enter to activate, `x` to delete. Models from [Handy](https://github.com/cjpais/handy) are auto-detected and can be imported without re-downloading.

### Device — hardware profile and dependencies

See your hardware profile (RAM, CPU, GPU), dependency status (sherpa-onnx runtime), available disk space, and total downloaded models. Model recommendations are based on this profile.

---

## Usage

### Keybindings

| Action | Key | Notes |
|--------|-----|-------|
| **Record to editor** | Hold `SPACE` (≥1.2s) | Release to finalize. Pre-records during warmup so you don't miss words. |
| **Toggle recording** | `Ctrl+Shift+V` | Works in all terminals — press to start, press again to stop. |
| **Clear editor** | `Escape` × 2 | Double-tap within 500ms to clear all text. |

### How recording works

1. **Hold SPACE** — warmup countdown appears, audio capture starts immediately (pre-recording)
2. **Keep holding** — live transcription streams into the editor (Deepgram) or audio buffers (local)
3. **Release SPACE** — recording continues for 1.5s (tail recording) to catch your last word, then finalizes
4. Text appears in the editor, ready to send

### Commands

| Command | Description |
|---------|-------------|
| `/voice-settings` | Settings panel — backend, models, language, scope, device |
| `/voice-models` | Settings panel (Models tab) |
| `/voice-speak <text>` | Speak text out loud (TTS) |
| `/voice-speak-test` | Speak a sample sentence |
| `/voice-speak-toggle` | Enable / disable TTS |
| `/voice-autosubmit` `[on|off]` | Toggle: STT text auto-sent to the agent |
| `/voice-speak-models` | Browse / install TTS voice models |
| `/voice-speak-info` | Diagnose TTS state |
| `/voice-help` | Keyboard + command reference (or press `F1`) |
| `/voice test` | Full diagnostics — audio tool, mic, API key |
| `/voice on` / `off` | Enable or disable voice |
| `/voice dictate` | Continuous dictation (no key hold) |
| `/voice stop` | Stop active recording or dictation |
| `/voice history` | Recent transcriptions |
| `/voice` | Toggle on/off |

### v7.1 keyboard

While in the settings panel:

| Key | Action |
|-----|--------|
| `← →` | switch tab |
| `↑ ↓` | navigate row (skips group headings) |
| `↵` | select / activate |
| `esc` | back to main / close panel |
| `type` | filter (search) |
| `bksp` | clear last search char |

While an install widget or playback indicator is mounted (no overlay
in front):

| Key | Action |
|-----|--------|
| `esc` | cancel active install (most-recent first), then stop playback |
| `F1` | open help overlay (always available) |

---

## Local Models

19 models across 5 families. Sorted by quality — best models first.

### Top picks

| Model | Accuracy | Speed | Size | Languages | Notes |
|-------|----------|-------|------|-----------|-------|
| **Parakeet TDT v3** | ●●●●○ | ●●●●○ | 671 MB | 25 (auto-detect) | Best overall. WER 6.3%. |
| **Parakeet TDT v2** | ●●●●● | ●●●●○ | 661 MB | English | Best English. WER 6.0%. |
| **Whisper Turbo** | ●●●●○ | ●●○○○ | 1.0 GB | 57 | Broadest language support. |

### Fast and lightweight

| Model | Accuracy | Speed | Size | Languages | Notes |
|-------|----------|-------|------|-----------|-------|
| **Moonshine v2 Tiny** | ●●○○○ | ●●●●● | 43 MB | English | 34ms latency. Raspberry Pi friendly. |
| **Moonshine Base** | ●●●○○ | ●●●●● | 287 MB | English | Handles accents well. |
| **SenseVoice Small** | ●●●○○ | ●●●●● | 228 MB | zh/en/ja/ko/yue | Best for CJK languages. |

### Specialist

| Model | Accuracy | Speed | Size | Languages | Notes |
|-------|----------|-------|------|-----------|-------|
| **GigaAM v3** | ●●●●○ | ●●●●○ | 225 MB | Russian | 50% lower WER than Whisper on Russian. |
| **Whisper Medium** | ●●●●○ | ●●●○○ | 946 MB | 57 | Good accuracy, medium speed. |
| **Whisper Large v3** | ●●●●○ | ●○○○○ | 1.8 GB | 57 | Highest Whisper accuracy. Slow on CPU. |

Plus 8 language-specialized Moonshine v2 variants for Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Chinese, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, and Spanish.

### How local models work

```
Hold SPACE → audio captured to memory buffer
                ↓
Release SPACE → buffer sent to sherpa-onnx (in-process)
                ↓
         ONNX inference on CPU (2–10 seconds)
                ↓
         Final transcript inserted into editor
```

Models download automatically on first use. Downloads are resumable, verified after completion, and deduplicated (no double-downloads). The settings panel shows real-time download progress with speed and ETA.

Models from [Handy](https://github.com/cjpais/handy) (`~/Library/Application Support/com.pais.handy/models/`) are auto-detected and can be imported via symlink (zero disk duplication).

---

## Features

| Feature | Description |
|---------|-------------|
| **Dual backend** | Deepgram (cloud, live streaming) or local models (offline, batch) — switch in settings |
| **19 local models** | Parakeet, Whisper, Moonshine, SenseVoice, GigaAM — with accuracy/speed ratings |
| **Unified settings panel** | One overlay panel for all configuration — `/voice-settings` |
| **Device-aware recommendations** | Scores models against your hardware. Only best-in-class models get [recommended]. |
| **Enterprise download pipeline** | Pre-checks (disk, network, permissions), live progress with speed/ETA, post-verification |
| **Handy integration** | Auto-detects models from Handy app, imports via symlink |
| **Audio fallback chain** | Tries sox, ffmpeg, arecord in order |
| **Pre-recording** | Audio capture starts during warmup — you never miss the first word |
| **Tail recording** | Keeps recording 1.5s after release so your last word isn't clipped |
| **Live streaming** | Deepgram Nova 3 WebSocket — interim transcripts as you speak |
| **56+ languages** | Deepgram: 56+ with live streaming. Local: up to 57 depending on model. |
| **Continuous dictation** | `/voice dictate` for long-form input without holding keys |
| **Typing cooldown** | Space holds within 400ms of typing are ignored |
| **Sound feedback** | macOS system sounds for start, stop, and error events |
| **Cross-platform** | macOS, Windows, Linux — Kitty protocol + non-Kitty fallback |

---

## Architecture

```
extensions/voice.ts                Main extension — state machine, recording, UI, settings panel
extensions/voice/config.ts         Config loading, saving, migration
extensions/voice/onboarding.ts     First-run wizard, language picker
extensions/voice/deepgram.ts       Deepgram URL builder, API key resolver
extensions/voice/local.ts          Model catalog (19 models), in-process transcription
extensions/voice/device.ts         Device profiling — RAM, GPU, CPU, container detection
extensions/voice/model-download.ts Download manager — resume, progress, verification, Handy import
extensions/voice/sherpa-engine.ts   sherpa-onnx bindings — recognizer lifecycle, inference
extensions/voice/settings-panel.ts  Settings panel — Component interface, overlay, 4 tabs
```

---

## Configuration

Settings stored in Pi's settings files under the `voice` key:

| Scope | Path |
|-------|------|
| Global | `~/.pi/agent/settings.json` |
| Project | `<project>/.pi/settings.json` |

```json
{
  "voice": {
    "version": 2,
    "enabled": true,
    "language": "en",
    "backend": "local",
    "localModel": "parakeet-v3",
    "scope": "global",
    "onboarding": { "completed": true, "schemaVersion": 2 }
  }
}
```

`DEEPGRAM_API_KEY` from your shell is used at runtime and is not copied back
into `~/.pi/agent/settings.json`. If you paste a key during onboarding, that is
an explicit save and it still goes to `~/.env.secrets` or `~/.zshrc`.

---

## Troubleshooting

Run `/voice test` inside Pi for full diagnostics.

| Problem | Solution |
|---------|----------|
| "DEEPGRAM_API_KEY not set" | [Get a key](https://dpgr.am/pi-voice) → `export DEEPGRAM_API_KEY="..."` in `~/.zshrc` |
| "No audio capture tool found" | `brew install sox` or `brew install ffmpeg` |
| Space doesn't activate voice | Run `/voice-settings` — voice may be disabled |
| Local model not transcribing | Check `/voice-settings` → Device tab for sherpa-onnx status |
| Download failed | Partial downloads auto-resume on retry. Check disk space in Device tab. |
| `dyld: Library not loaded: libsimdjson` on macOS | Homebrew Node ABI mismatch — run `brew reinstall node` or switch to version-managed Node (`mise`, `fnm`, `nvm`) |

---

## Security

- **Cloud STT** — audio is sent to Deepgram for transcription (Deepgram backend only)
- **Local STT** — audio never leaves your machine (local backend)
- **No telemetry** — pi-listen does not collect or transmit usage data
- **API key** — stored in env var or Pi settings, never logged

See [SECURITY.md](SECURITY.md) for vulnerability reporting.

---

## License

---

Made by <a href="https://x.com/baanditeagle">@baanditeagle</a>
 
 <a href="https://abhishektiwari.co">Website</a> · <a href="https://x.com/baanditeagle">𝕏 Twitter</a> · <a href="https://github.com/codexstar69/pi-listen">GitHub</a> · <a href="https://www.npmjs.com/package/@codexstar/pi-listen">npm</a> · <a href="https://github.com/codexstar69/pi-listen/issues">Report a Bug</a> · <a href="https://github.com/mariozechner/pi-coding-agent">Pi CLI</a>

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