| name | converse |
| description | Start an ongoing voice conversation |
| argument-hint | [voice] [message] |
/voicemode:converse
Start an ongoing voice conversation with the user using the voicemode:converse MCP tool.
Implementation
Call the voicemode:converse MCP tool. Argument handling:
$1 — optional voice name (e.g. af_river, samantha, nova). If non-empty, pass it as the voice parameter to the tool. If empty, omit voice so the tool uses its default.
$2 — optional initial message. If non-empty, use it as the message to speak. If empty, let the tool / Claude choose an appropriate opener.
- To discover voices, read the
voice://voices MCP resource; to speak in character, first read the persona at ~/.voicemode/voices/<voice>/README.md (index: ~/.voicemode/voices/PERSONAS.md).
All other parameters have sensible defaults.
Multi-agent turn-taking: in a session where more than one agent shares the voice channel, pass hold_conch=true when your next converse call will continue the thread (you're asking a question you'll answer, or speaking across several turns). It keeps the floor so other agents wait instead of cutting in at the turn boundary; the default false releases it after the exchange.
Examples
/voicemode:converse — no args, default voice, Claude chooses opener
/voicemode:converse af_river — use voice af_river, Claude chooses opener
/voicemode:converse af_river "let's plan the day" — use voice af_river, open with the given message
If $1 is provided but doesn't look like a known voice name (e.g. it contains spaces or punctuation that voices don't have), assume the user meant it as a message and pass it as the message instead — don't fail silently on a typo.
If MCP Connection Fails
If the MCP server isn't connected or the tool isn't available:
-
Run the install command:
/voicemode:install
This installs VoiceMode CLI, FFmpeg, and local voice services.
-
Or install manually via CLI:
uvx voice-mode-install --yes
voicemode whisper service install
voicemode kokoro install
-
Check service status:
voicemode whisper service status
voicemode kokoro status
-
Reconnect MCP server after install:
voicemode reconnect
One Bash call drives the whole /mcp reconnect dance on your own pane —
survives the drop because Bash and tmux stay up when the MCP tools vanish.
After it prints RESULT: reconnected, run the ToolSearch select:… line it
echoes to reload the tool schema, then resume conversing. (Manual fallback:
run /mcp, select voicemode, click "Reconnect", or restart Claude Code.)
Mid-session drop (voice was working, then -32000 Connection closed): you
don't need to reinstall — just run voicemode reconnect. See the voicemode
skill's "Reconnecting after a mid-session drop" section.
For complete documentation, load the voicemode skill.