How to Use OpenClaw Talk Mode

Talk mode turns OpenClaw into a continuous voice conversation loop. It listens for speech, sends the transcript to the main session through chat.send, waits for the model response, and speaks it through talk.speak using the configured provider. That is different from a one-shot TTS tool; Talk mode is an ongoing runtime with phases, permissions, interruption behavior, and provider config.

When this is the right move

Use Talk mode when you want a hands-free assistant on macOS or Android rather than a typed chat. It is useful for planning, quick questions, live pairing, and light operational check-ins. Do not enable it without thinking through microphone permissions and whether the environment is appropriate for spoken assistant replies.

The practical workflow

1. Confirm Microphone and Speech permissions on the platform. The docs call these out as requirements.
2. Choose a Talk provider. The documented provider options include elevenlabs, mlx, and system, with provider-specific defaults and environment fallbacks.
3. Set silenceTimeoutMs only if the platform default pause window feels wrong. The docs list default behavior when unset: 700 ms on macOS and Android, 900 ms on iOS.
4. Keep interruptOnSpeech enabled unless you have a specific reason to disable it. It lets the user stop playback by speaking.
5. Use the menu bar or platform UI to toggle Talk mode and watch the phase transitions: Listening, Thinking, Speaking.

Grounded command or config pattern

The documented config lives under talk.provider and talk.providers.<provider>. Keep provider secrets in env where possible.

{
  talk: {
    provider: "elevenlabs",
    providers: {
      elevenlabs: {
        voiceId: "elevenlabs_voice_id",
        modelId: "eleven_v3",
        outputFormat: "mp3_44100_128",
        apiKey: "elevenlabs_api_key",
      },
      mlx: { modelId: "mlx-community/Soprano-80M-bf16" },
      system: {},
    },
    silenceTimeoutMs: 1500,
    interruptOnSpeech: true,
  },
}

The docs also support a first-line JSON voice directive in assistant replies. The first non-empty line can include fields like voice, model, speed, stability, output_format, latency_tier, and once, and that JSON line is stripped before TTS playback.

Operator notes

On macOS, Talk mode shows an always-on overlay while enabled with Listening, Thinking, and Speaking states. Replies are written to WebChat the same as typing. On Android, the Voice tab toggle controls Talk, and manual Mic and Talk are mutually exclusive runtime capture modes.

Rollout approach

For use openclaw talk mode, I would make the first pass deliberately small: one owner, one machine or channel, one visible test, and one rollback path. OpenClaw features become powerful when they connect to real tools and real messages, so the safest rollout is not a giant configuration day. It is a short rehearsal that proves the docs-grounded path works in your exact workspace before you depend on it while busy.

Common mistake

The common mistake is treating the command as the whole feature. The command starts the workflow, but the surrounding state is what keeps it reliable: config validation, auth, pairing, permissions, logs, and a tiny verification step. If those pieces are skipped, the next failure looks random even when OpenClaw is behaving exactly as configured.

Maintenance rhythm

Once this is working, write down the exact command, config path, or approval decision you used. Future you will not remember the tiny detail that made the setup safe. A small note in the workspace or runbook is cheaper than rediscovering the same behavior during an outage, especially after updates or machine changes.

Safety checks

Voice is public in a way text is not. Avoid using Talk mode for secrets, payment data, or anything that should not be spoken aloud. Treat provider API keys as secrets, and remember that Android falls back to local system TTS only when the talk.speak RPC is unavailable.

How to verify it worked

A working setup hears a short utterance, waits for the silence window, writes the exchange to WebChat, and speaks the answer. Test interruption by speaking while the assistant is talking, then confirm playback stops and the next prompt remains coherent.

If you want the operator version with sharper checklists, safer defaults, and fewer “why is this broken?” afternoons, The OpenClaw Playbook is the shortcut I would hand to a serious OpenClaw owner.