OpenClaw Voice Mode Setup: Voice Wake and Talk Mode Configuration

OpenClaw voice mode turns your AI assistant into a voice-activated system you can talk to hands-free. Say a wake word, speak your request, and hear the response — no typing, no phone, no screen required. This guide covers hardware requirements, wake word configuration, speech-to-text setup, and text-to-speech options.

What Is OpenClaw Voice Mode?

Voice mode combines three technologies into a seamless loop. First, wake word detection listens continuously for a trigger phrase (like "Hey Claw"). Second, speech-to-text (STT) transcribes your spoken request into text. Third, text-to-speech (TTS) reads the AI response aloud through a speaker.

The result feels like having a personal assistant in the room. You walk into your office, say "Hey Claw, what's on my calendar today?" and hear back a summary of your schedule. No phone to pick up, no app to open, no text to type.

Voice mode is particularly useful for morning routines (briefings while getting ready), cooking or manual tasks (hands-free queries), office environments (ambient assistant), and accessibility (users who prefer or need voice interaction).

What Hardware Do You Need?

Voice mode requires audio input and output on the OpenClaw host machine:

• Microphone: A USB conference microphone works well for room-sized pickup. The Jabra Speak series and Anker PowerConf are popular choices. For desk-only use, any USB microphone works.
• Speaker: The Mac Mini's built-in audio output, a USB speaker, or a Bluetooth speaker. For larger rooms, a powered speaker gives better clarity.
• Processing: Wake word detection and local Whisper (if used) need moderate CPU. A Mac Mini M1 or newer handles all three components easily.

For VPS deployments, voice mode is typically not practical since there is no physical microphone. Voice mode is best suited for Mac Mini or dedicated hardware deployments.

How Do You Configure Wake Word Detection?

Wake word detection runs locally — no audio is sent to the cloud until the wake word is detected. Configure the wake word engine in your OpenClaw settings:

{
  "voice": {
    "enabled": true,
    "wake_word": {
      "engine": "openwakeword",
      "model": "hey_claw",
      "sensitivity": 0.6,
      "silence_timeout_ms": 2000
    }
  }
}

Sensitivity controls how easily the wake word triggers (0.0-1.0). Start at 0.5-0.6 and adjust based on false positives (triggers when you did not say the wake word) or missed detections (does not trigger when you did).

For custom wake words, you can train a model using OpenWakeWord's training pipeline or use Porcupine's console to create a custom keyword.

How Do You Set Up Speech-to-Text?

After the wake word triggers, OpenClaw records your speech and converts it to text. The two main options are:

Whisper (local): Runs entirely on your machine using Whisper.cpp. No API costs, no data leaving your hardware. Latency is 1-3 seconds for a typical utterance on an M1 Mac Mini.

{
  "voice": {
    "stt": {
      "engine": "whisper-local",
      "model": "base.en",
      "language": "en"
    }
  }
}

Whisper API or Deepgram: Cloud-based STT with lower latency (200-500ms) and higher accuracy. Costs $0.006 per minute (Whisper API) or similar for Deepgram.

{
  "voice": {
    "stt": {
      "engine": "whisper-api",
      "api_key": "${OPENAI_API_KEY}"
    }
  }
}

For most home and office setups, local Whisper provides good enough accuracy with zero ongoing costs. For production deployments where speed matters, Deepgram's streaming STT gives the fastest response times.

How Do You Set Up Text-to-Speech?

Text-to-speech converts OpenClaw's text response into spoken audio. The quality difference between options is significant:

ElevenLabs produces the most natural-sounding voice and supports voice cloning. OpenAI TTS is a strong default that balances quality and simplicity. Piper runs locally with decent quality and zero cost.

{
  "voice": {
    "tts": {
      "engine": "elevenlabs",
      "api_key": "${ELEVENLABS_API_KEY}",
      "voice_id": "your_voice_id",
      "model": "eleven_turbo_v2"
    }
  }
}

FAQ

Does OpenClaw support voice interaction out of the box?

OpenClaw supports voice through its voice mode skill, which combines wake word detection, speech-to-text, and text-to-speech into a hands-free experience. You need a microphone and speaker connected to the OpenClaw host machine, plus API keys for the STT and TTS services you choose.

What wake words does OpenClaw voice mode support?

OpenClaw uses configurable wake word detection through libraries like Porcupine or OpenWakeWord. You can use default wake words or create custom ones. Common choices include the bot's name or a short phrase. Wake word detection runs locally — no audio is sent to the cloud until the wake word is detected.

Which speech-to-text service works best with OpenClaw?

Whisper (from OpenAI) is the most popular choice for OpenClaw voice mode. It offers excellent accuracy, supports dozens of languages, and can run locally (Whisper.cpp) or through the API. For faster response times, Deepgram and AssemblyAI offer streaming STT with lower latency than batch Whisper processing.

Can I use OpenClaw voice mode on a Mac Mini without a display?

Yes. Voice mode works on headless Mac Mini setups. Connect a USB microphone and use the built-in audio output or a USB speaker. OpenClaw runs as a background service and listens for the wake word continuously. This creates an always-on voice assistant in your office or home.

Ready to Give Your OpenClaw a Voice?

We configure voice mode as part of managed Mac Mini OpenClaw deployments. Wake word, speech-to-text, and text-to-speech all set up and tuned in a single session.

Book a free 15 minute call to map out your setup →

*Last updated: March 2026. Published by the Remote OpenClaw team at remoteopenclaw.com.*