edge-tts

name	edge-tts
description	Text-to-speech using Microsoft Edge's neural TTS service (free, no API key). Supports multiple voices, languages, speed/pitch/volume adjustment, and subtitle generation. Use when user requests audio/voice output, or mentions "tts" keyword.
requires_bins	node,npm

Edge-TTS Skill

Generate high-quality text-to-speech audio using Microsoft Edge's neural TTS service via node-edge-tts. Free, no API key required.

Quick Start

When user requests TTS conversion, use shell_exec to run the converter script:

# First time: install dependencies
cd <SKILL_DIR>/scripts && npm install --production

# Convert text to speech
node <SKILL_DIR>/scripts/tts-converter.js "Your text here" --voice zh-CN-XiaoxiaoNeural --output /tmp/output.mp3

Replace <SKILL_DIR> with the actual skill directory path (use pwd or the skill's location).

Trigger Detection

Recognize these as TTS requests:

• "tts", "text to speech", "text-to-speech"
• User explicitly asks to convert text to audio/voice/speech
• User wants content read aloud

Usage

Basic Conversion

node scripts/tts-converter.js "Hello world" --output hello.mp3

With Voice and Rate

node scripts/tts-converter.js "Hello world" \
  --voice en-US-AriaNeural \
  --rate +10% \
  --output hello.mp3

List Available Voices

node scripts/tts-converter.js --list-voices

Configuration Manager

# Set default voice
node scripts/config-manager.js --set-voice zh-CN-XiaoxiaoNeural

# Set default rate
node scripts/config-manager.js --set-rate +10%

# View current settings
node scripts/config-manager.js --get

# Reset to defaults
node scripts/config-manager.js --reset

CLI Options

Option	Short	Description	Default
--voice	-v	Voice name	en-US-MichelleNeural
--lang	-l	Language code	en-US
--format	-o	Audio format	audio-24khz-48kbitrate-mono-mp3
--pitch		Pitch adjustment	default
--rate	-r	Speed adjustment	default
--volume		Volume adjustment	default
--save-subtitles	-s	Save subtitles JSON	false
--output	-f	Output file path	temp file
--proxy	-p	Proxy URL	-
--timeout		Timeout in ms	10000
--list-voices	-L	List voices	-

Common Voices

Chinese:

• zh-CN-XiaoxiaoNeural - female, natural (recommended for Chinese)
• zh-CN-YunyangNeural - male, natural

English:

• en-US-MichelleNeural - female, natural (default)
• en-US-AriaNeural - female, natural
• en-US-GuyNeural - male, natural
• en-GB-SoniaNeural - female, British
• en-GB-RyanNeural - male, British

Other:

• ja-JP-NanamiNeural - Japanese female
• ko-KR-SunHiNeural - Korean female
• fr-FR-DeniseNeural - French female
• de-DE-KatjaNeural - German female
• es-ES-ElviraNeural - Spanish female

Rate Guidelines

Value	Effect	Scenario
-20% ~ -10%	Slow	Tutorials, stories, accessibility
default	Normal	General use
+10% ~ +20%	Slightly fast	Summaries
+30% ~ +50%	Fast	News, efficiency

Output Formats

Format	Quality	Use Case
audio-24khz-48kbitrate-mono-mp3	Standard	Voice notes, messages
audio-24khz-96kbitrate-mono-mp3	High	Presentations
audio-48khz-96kbitrate-stereo-mp3	Highest	Professional audio

Workflow

1. Detect TTS intent from user message
2. Extract text to convert (filter out "tts" keywords)
3. Determine voice based on text language (auto-detect or user preference)
4. Run tts-converter.js via shell_exec
5. Use the message tool with the media parameter to send the audio file, e.g. message(content="Here is your audio", media=["/tmp/output.mp3"])

Installation

Dependencies are installed automatically on first use, or manually:

cd skills/edge-tts/scripts
npm install --production

Requires: Node.js >= 14, npm, internet connection.

Notes

• Free service, no API key needed
• Neural voices (ending in Neural) provide the best quality
• Requires internet connection (Microsoft Edge online service)
• Output is MP3 by default
• Supports subtitle generation (JSON with word-level timing)
• Test voices at: https://tts.travisvn.com/