Windows TTS Notification

Push text notifications to Windows Azure TTS service for audio broadcast via Bluetooth speakers. Perfect for family reminders, alarms, and announcements.

Windows TTS Notification Skill

Push text notifications from OpenClaw to your Windows PC's Azure TTS service for audio broadcast through Bluetooth speakers or any connected audio output.

🔥 Perfect for: Family reminders, medication alerts, homework notifications, dinner announcements, and any cross-device audio broadcast scenarios.

When to Use

✅ USE this skill when:

• "Remind my family to do homework"
• "Announce dinner time through speakers"
• "Create audio alarms and reminders"
• "Broadcast messages to specific rooms"
• "Play medication reminders"
• "Send cross-device audio notifications"

Prerequisites

• Windows PC with Azure TTS server running (e.g., play_tts Flask service)
• Network connectivity between OpenClaw host and Windows PC (same LAN)
• Server URL in format: http://<windows-ip>:5000

Quick Start

1. Install the Skill

cd /home/cmos/skills/windows-tts
npm install
npm run build

2. Configure OpenClaw

Add plugin configuration to your openclaw.json:

{
  "plugins": {
    "windows-tts": {
      "url": "http://192.168.1.60:5000",
      "defaultVoice": "zh-CN-XiaoxiaoNeural",
      "defaultVolume": 1.0,
      "timeout": 10000
    }
  }
}

3. Use in Agent Heartbeat

Edit your life agent's HEARTBEAT.md:

# Family Reminder Check (every 30 minutes)

- Check if it's homework time (19:00-21:00)
- Check if it's medication time
- Check if there are urgent announcements
- Use tts_notify to broadcast reminders

Configuration Reference

Option	Type	Required	Default	Description
url	string	Yes	-	Windows TTS server base URL (e.g., http://192.168.1.60:5000)
defaultVoice	string	No	zh-CN-XiaoxiaoNeural	Default Azure TTS voice ID
defaultVolume	number	No	1.0	Default volume level (0.0-1.0)
timeout	number	No	10000	HTTP request timeout in milliseconds

Tool Reference

tts_notify

Send text to Windows TTS for immediate audio broadcast.

Input:

{
  text: string;      // Required: Text to speak
  voice?: string;    // Optional: Override default voice
  volume?: number;   // Optional: Override default volume (0.0-1.0)
}

Example Usage:

// Basic notification
await tts_notify({
  text: "程老板，该提醒孩子写作业了！"
});

// With custom voice and volume
await tts_notify({
  text: "Attention: Meeting in 5 minutes",
  voice: "en-US-JennyNeural",
  volume: 0.8
});

Response:

{
  "status": "success",
  "message": "播报完成"
}

tts_get_status

Check Windows TTS server connection status.

Input: None

Example:

const status = await tts_get_status();
// Returns: { status: "success", connected: true, serverUrl: "http://192.168.1.60:5000" }

tts_list_voices

List available Azure TTS voices.

Input:

{
  language?: string;  // Optional: Filter by language code (e.g., "zh-CN", "en-US")
}

Example:

// List all Chinese voices
const voices = await tts_list_voices({ language: "zh-CN" });
// Returns: [{ name: "zh-CN-XiaoxiaoNeural", language: "zh-CN", gender: "Female", ... }]

tts_set_volume

Set default volume level for TTS playback.

Input:

{
  volume: number;  // Required: Volume level (0.0-1.0)
}

Example:

await tts_set_volume({ volume: 0.5 });

Usage Examples

1. Homework Reminder (Daily 19:00)

Add to life agent's heartbeat or cron:

await tts_notify({
  text: "亲爱的程老板，现在是晚上 7 点，该提醒孩子写作业了！"
});

2. Medication Reminder

await tts_notify({
  text: "温馨提示：该吃药了，请记得服用今天的维生素。",
  volume: 0.7
});

3. Dinner Announcement

await tts_notify({
  text: "晚饭准备好了，快来吃饭吧！",
  voice: "zh-CN-YunxiNeural"
});

4. Multi-Language Support

// English announcement
await tts_notify({
  text: "Good evening! Dinner is ready.",
  voice: "en-US-JennyNeural"
});

// Japanese announcement
await tts_notify({
  text: "夕ご飯の準備ができました。",
  voice: "ja-JP-NanamiNeural"
});

Error Handling

The skill throws WindowsTtsError when the server returns an error:

try {
  await tts_notify({ text: "Test message" });
} catch (error) {
  if (error instanceof WindowsTtsError) {
    console.error(`TTS Server error: ${error.status}`);
  } else if (error.message.includes("timeout")) {
    console.error("TTS request timed out - check network connection");
  }
}

Best Practices

1. Network Reliability

• Ensure Windows PC has static IP or DHCP reservation
• Test connection with tts_get_status before critical reminders
• Set appropriate timeout (10-30 seconds for TTS)

2. Voice Selection

• Use zh-CN-XiaoxiaoNeural for warm, friendly Chinese announcements
• Use zh-CN-YunxiNeural for more formal notifications
• Match voice to message tone (casual vs formal)

3. Volume Management

• Set lower volume (0.5-0.7) for frequent reminders
• Use full volume (1.0) for urgent announcements
• Avoid very low volume (<0.3) as TTS may be inaudible

4. Message Design

• Keep messages concise (10-30 seconds max)
• Use clear, natural language
• Include context (time, action needed)
• Add polite markers for family harmony

Programmatic Usage

Use as a library in your TypeScript/JavaScript code:

import { WindowsTtsClient, validateConfig } from "./index";

const config = validateConfig({
  url: "http://192.168.1.60:5000",
  defaultVoice: "zh-CN-XiaoxiaoNeural",
  defaultVolume: 0.8
});

const client = new WindowsTtsClient(config);

// Send notification
await client.notify({
  text: "Hello from OpenClaw!"
});

// Check status
const status = await client.getStatus();
console.log(`Connected: ${status.connected}`);

Troubleshooting

"Connection refused" error

• Verify Windows TTS server is running: curl http://192.168.1.60:5000/status
• Check firewall allows port 5000
• Ensure both devices are on same network

"Request timeout" error

• Increase timeout in plugin config
• Check network latency between devices
• Verify Windows PC is not in sleep mode

TTS plays but wrong voice

• Verify voice name is valid Azure TTS voice ID
• Use tts_list_voices to see available voices
• Check Windows TTS server supports voice selection

Related Skills

• openclaw-homeassistant - Control smart home devices
• proactive-agent - Build proactive reminder behaviors
• gws-calendar - Schedule reminders based on calendar events

Version History

1.0.0

• Initial release with 4 tools
• Basic HTTP client with timeout
• Voice and volume configuration
• Error handling and status checks

License

MIT