say-mcp-server

An MCP server that provides text-to-speech functionality using macOS's built-in say command.

Requirements

macOS (uses the built-in say command)
Node.js >= 14.0.0

Configuration

Add the following to your MCP settings configuration file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "say": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/say-mcp-server/build/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Installation

npm install say-mcp-server

Tools

speak

The speak tool provides access to macOS's text-to-speech capabilities with extensive customization options.

Basic Usage

Use macOS text-to-speech to speak text aloud.

Parameters:

text (required): Text to speak. Supports:
- Plain text
- Basic punctuation for pauses
- Newlines for natural breaks
- [[slnc 500]] for 500ms silence
- [[rate 200]] for changing speed mid-text
- [[volm 0.5]] for changing volume mid-text
- [[emph +]] and [[emph -]] for emphasis
- [[pbas +10]] for pitch adjustment
voice (optional): Voice to use (default: "Alex")
rate (optional): Speaking rate in words per minute (default: 175, range: 1-500)
background (optional): Run speech in background to allow further MCP interaction (default: false)

Advanced Features

Voice Modulation:

use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "say",
  tool_name: "speak",
  arguments: {
    text: "[[volm 0.7]] This is quieter [[volm 1.0]] and this is normal [[volm 1.5]] and this is louder",
    voice: "Victoria"
  }
});

Dynamic Rate Changes:

use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "say",
  tool_name: "speak",
  arguments: {
    text: "Normal speed [[rate 300]] now speaking faster [[rate 100]] and now slower",
    voice: "Fred"
  }
});

Emphasis and Pitch:

use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "say",
  tool_name: "speak",
  arguments: {
    text: "[[emph +]] Important point! [[emph -]] [[pbas +10]] Higher pitch [[pbas -10]] Lower pitch",
    voice: "Samantha"
  }
});

Integration Examples

With Marginalia Search:

// Search for a topic and have the results read aloud
const searchResult = await use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "marginalia-mcp-server",
  tool_name: "search",
  arguments: { query: "quantum computing basics", count: 1 }
});

await use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "say",
  tool_name: "speak",
  arguments: {
    text: searchResult.results[0].description,
    voice: "Daniel",
    rate: 150
  }
});

With YouTube Transcripts:

// Read a YouTube video transcript
const transcript = await use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "youtube-transcript",
  tool_name: "get_transcript",
  arguments: {
    url: "https://youtube.com/watch?v=example",
    lang: "en"
  }
});

await use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "say",
  tool_name: "speak",
  arguments: {
    text: transcript.text,
    voice: "Samantha",
    rate: 175
  }
});

Background Speech with Multiple Actions:

// Start long speech in background
await use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "say",
  tool_name: "speak",
  arguments: {
    text: "This is a long speech that will run in the background...",
    voice: "Rocko (Italian (Italy))",
    rate: 69,
    background: true
  }
});

// Immediately perform another action while speech continues
await use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "marginalia-mcp-server",
  tool_name: "search",
  arguments: { query: "parallel processing" }
});

With Apple Notes:

// Read notes aloud
const notes = await use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "apple-notes-mcp",
  tool_name: "search-notes",
  arguments: { query: "meeting notes" }
});

if (notes.length > 0) {
  await use_mcp_tool({
    server_name: "say",
    tool_name: "speak",
    arguments: {
      text: notes[0].content,
      voice: "Karen",
      rate: 160
    }
  });
}

Example:

use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "say",
  tool_name: "speak",
  arguments: {
    text: "Hello, world!",
    voice: "Victoria",
    rate: 200
  }
});

list_voices

List all available text-to-speech voices on the system.

Example:

use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "say",
  tool_name: "list_voices",
  arguments: {}
});

Recommended Voices

Voice	Language/Region	Intellectual Figure	Haiku	CLI Specification
Anna (Premium)	German	Emmy Noether	Symmetrie haucht Leben Algebras verborgne Form Abstraktion blüht Symmetry breathes life Algebra's hidden forms Abstraction blooms	`-v "Anna (Premium)"`
Emma (Premium)	Italian	Maria Adelaide Sneider	Algoritmi in danza Macchina sussurra dolce Il codice vive Algorithms dance Machine whispers secrets soft Code becomes alive	`-v "Emma (Premium)"`
Federica (Premium)	Italian	Pia Nalli	Teoremi fluenti Numeri danzano liberi Verità emerge Flowing theorems dance Numbers move in freedom's space Truth emerges pure	`-v "Federica (Premium)"`
Serena (Premium)	English (UK)	Bertha Swirles	Quantum waves ripple Through mathematical seas deep Truth's light emerges Quantum waves ripple Through mathematical seas deep Truth's light emerges	`-v "Serena (Premium)"`
Petra (Premium)	German	Ruth Moufang	Algebra spricht In Symmetrien versteckt Wahrheit erblüht Algebra speaks soft Hidden in symmetries pure Truth blooms anew here	`-v "Petra (Premium)"`
Yuna (Premium)	Korean	Hee Oh	숨은 패턴 빛나고 마음의 방정식 핀다 지식 자라나 Hidden patterns gleam Mind's equations softly bloom Knowledge multiplies	`-v "Yuna (Premium)"`
Alva (Premium)	Swedish	Sonja Korovkin	Mönster flödar fritt Genom tankens labyrinter Visdom blomstrar här Patterns flowing free Through labyrinths of the mind Wisdom blooms right here	`-v "Alva (Premium)"`
Amélie (Premium)	French (Canada)	Sophie Germain	Nombres premiers murmurent Dansent entre les silences Symétrie s'ouvre Prime numbers whisper Dancing between the silence Symmetry unfolds	`-v "Amélie (Premium)"`
Ewa (Premium)	Polish	Maria Wielgus	Logiki korzenie Matematyczne krainy Myśl kiełkująca Logic's tender roots Mathematical landscapes Thought's seeds germinate	`-v "Ewa (Premium)"`
Kiyara (Premium)	Hindi	Shakuntala Devi	गणित की लय में अंक नृत्य करते हैं ज्ञान जगता है In rhythm of math Numbers dance their sacred steps Knowledge awakens	`-v "Kiyara (Premium)"`
Majed (Premium)	Arabic	Maha Al-Aswad	أرقام ترقص في فضاء اللانهاية الحقيقة تشرق Numbers dance freely In infinity's vast space Truth rises like dawn	`-v "Majed (Premium)"`
Tünde (Premium)	Hungarian	Julia Erdős	Számok táncolnak Végtelen térben szállnak Igazság virrad Numbers dance and soar Through infinite space they glide Truth dawns pure and bright	`-v "Tünde (Premium)"`
Fiona (Enhanced)	English (Scottish)	Mary Somerville	Highland mists reveal Mathematical mysteries Truth shines like the stars Highland mists reveal Mathematical mysteries Truth shines like the stars	`-v "Fiona (Enhanced)"`
Lesya (Enhanced)	Ukrainian	Olena Voinova	Тиша говорить Між зірками знання спить Думка проростає Silence speaks softly Knowledge sleeps among the stars Thought begins to grow	`-v "Lesya (Enhanced)"`
Carmit (Enhanced)	Hebrew	Tali Seror	מילים נושמות בשקט בין שורות של דממה שיר מתעורר Words breathe silently Between lines of deep stillness Poem awakening	`-v "Carmit (Enhanced)"`
Milena (Enhanced)	Russian	Olga Ladyzhenskaya	Память шепчет нам Уравнения текут Истина молчит Memory whispers Equations flow like rivers Truth speaks silently	`-v "Milena (Enhanced)"`
Katya (Enhanced)	Russian	Sofia Kovalevskaya	Числа танцуют В пространстве бесконечном Истина цветёт Numbers dance freely In space of infinity Truth blooms like a flower	`-v "Katya (Enhanced)"`
Damayanti (Enhanced)	Indonesian	Sri Pekerti	Angka menari Dalam ruang tak batas Kebenaran tumbuh Numbers dance gently In boundless space they flutter Truth grows like new leaves	`-v "Damayanti (Enhanced)"`
Dariush (Enhanced)	Persian	Maryam Mirzakhani	اعداد می رقصند در فضای بی پایان حقیقت می روید Numbers dance with grace In endless space they traverse Truth springs forth anew	`-v "Dariush (Enhanced)"`
Rocko (Italian)	Italian	Astro Boy (Tetsuwan Atomu) Italian dub	Robot di metallo Cuore umano batte forte Pace nel futuro Metal robot form Human heart beats strong within Peace in future dawns	`-v "Rocko (Italian (Italy))"`
Rocko (Italian)	Italian	Jeeg Robot d'Acciaio (Kōtetsu Jeeg)	Acciaio lucente Protettore dei deboli Vola nel cielo Shining steel warrior Protector of the helpless Soars through the heavens	`-v "Rocko (Italian (Italy))"`
Rocko (Italian)	Italian	Numero 5 (Short Circuit)	Input infinito La coscienza si risveglia Vita artificiale Infinite input Consciousness awakening Artificial life	`-v "Rocko (Italian (Italy))"`
Binbin (Enhanced)	Chinese (Mainland)	Li Shanlan	算术之道流数理演绎真理智慧绽放 Arithmetic flows Logic unfolds truth's pattern Wisdom blossoms bright	`-v "Binbin (Enhanced)"`
Han (Premium)	Chinese (Mainland)	Chen Jingrun	素数之舞动哥德巴赫猜想真理永恒 Prime numbers dancing Goldbach's conjecture whispers Truth eternal flows	`-v "Han (Premium)"`
Lilian (Premium)	Chinese (Mainland)	Hua Luogeng	数论之光芒解析延续美智慧升华 Number theory shines Analysis extends grace Wisdom ascends pure	`-v "Lilian (Premium)"`
Meijia	Chinese (Taiwan)	Sun-Yung Alice Chang	幾何之美現曲率流動不息空間展開 Geometry shows Curvature flows endlessly Space unfolds anew	`-v "Meijia"`
Sinji (Premium)	Chinese (Hong Kong)	Shing-Tung Yau	流形之奧秘卡拉比空間動維度交織 Manifolds reveal Calabi spaces in flow Dimensions weave truth	`-v "Sinji (Premium)"`
Tingting	Chinese (Mainland)	Wang Zhenyi	星辰轨迹明天文数学融智慧闪耀 Starlit paths shine bright Astronomy meets numbers Wisdom radiates	`-v "Tingting"`
Yue (Premium)	Chinese (Mainland)	Chern Shiing-shen	微分几何纤维丛中寻真本质显现 Differential forms In fiber bundles seek truth Essence emerges	`-v "Yue (Premium)"`

Configuration

Add the following to your MCP settings configuration file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "say": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/say-mcp-server/build/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Requirements

macOS (uses the built-in say command)
Node.js >= 14.0.0

Contributors

Barton Rhodes (@bmorphism) - barton@vibes.lol

License

MIT

License

bmorphism/say-mcp-server

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