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

1. 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"
  }
});

2. 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"
  }
});

3. 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

1. 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
  }
});

2. 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
  }
});

3. 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" }
});

4. 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 LebenAlgebras verborgne FormAbstraktion blühtSymmetry breathes lifeAlgebra's hidden formsAbstraction blooms

-v "Anna (Premium)"

Emma (Premium)

Italian

Maria Adelaide Sneider

Algoritmi in danzaMacchina sussurra dolceIl codice viveAlgorithms danceMachine whispers secrets softCode becomes alive

-v "Emma (Premium)"

Federica (Premium)

Italian

Pia Nalli

Teoremi fluentiNumeri danzano liberiVerità emergeFlowing theorems danceNumbers move in freedom's spaceTruth emerges pure

-v "Federica (Premium)"

Serena (Premium)

English (UK)

Bertha Swirles

Quantum waves rippleThrough mathematical seas deepTruth's light emergesQuantum waves rippleThrough mathematical seas deepTruth's light emerges

-v "Serena (Premium)"

Petra (Premium)

German

Ruth Moufang

Algebra sprichtIn Symmetrien verstecktWahrheit erblühtAlgebra speaks softHidden in symmetries pureTruth blooms anew here

-v "Petra (Premium)"

Yuna (Premium)

Korean

Hee Oh

숨은 패턴 빛나고마음의 방정식 핀다지식 자라나Hidden patterns gleamMind's equations softly bloomKnowledge multiplies

-v "Yuna (Premium)"

Alva (Premium)

Swedish

Sonja Korovkin

Mönster flödar frittGenom tankens labyrinterVisdom blomstrar härPatterns flowing freeThrough labyrinths of the mindWisdom blooms right here

-v "Alva (Premium)"

Amélie (Premium)

French (Canada)

Sophie Germain

Nombres premiers murmurentDansent entre les silencesSymétrie s'ouvrePrime numbers whisperDancing between the silenceSymmetry unfolds

-v "Amélie (Premium)"

Ewa (Premium)

Polish

Maria Wielgus

Logiki korzenieMatematyczne krainyMyśl kiełkującaLogic's tender rootsMathematical landscapesThought's seeds germinate

-v "Ewa (Premium)"

Kiyara (Premium)

Hindi

Shakuntala Devi

गणित की लय मेंअंक नृत्य करते हैंज्ञान जगता हैIn rhythm of mathNumbers dance their sacred stepsKnowledge awakens

-v "Kiyara (Premium)"

Majed (Premium)

Arabic

Maha Al-Aswad

أرقام ترقصفي فضاء اللانهايةالحقيقة تشرقNumbers dance freelyIn infinity's vast spaceTruth rises like dawn

-v "Majed (Premium)"

Tünde (Premium)

Hungarian

Julia Erdős

Számok táncolnakVégtelen térben szállnakIgazság virradNumbers dance and soarThrough infinite space they glideTruth dawns pure and bright

-v "Tünde (Premium)"

Fiona (Enhanced)

English (Scottish)

Mary Somerville

Highland mists revealMathematical mysteriesTruth shines like the starsHighland mists revealMathematical mysteriesTruth shines like the stars

-v "Fiona (Enhanced)"

Lesya (Enhanced)

Ukrainian

Olena Voinova

Тиша говоритьМіж зірками знання спитьДумка проростаєSilence speaks softlyKnowledge sleeps among the starsThought begins to grow

-v "Lesya (Enhanced)"

Carmit (Enhanced)

Hebrew

Tali Seror

מילים נושמות בשקטבין שורות של דממהשיר מתעוררWords breathe silentlyBetween lines of deep stillnessPoem awakening

-v "Carmit (Enhanced)"

Milena (Enhanced)

Russian

Olga Ladyzhenskaya

Память шепчет намУравнения текутИстина молчитMemory whispersEquations flow like riversTruth speaks silently

-v "Milena (Enhanced)"

Katya (Enhanced)

Russian

Sofia Kovalevskaya

Числа танцуютВ пространстве бесконечномИстина цветётNumbers dance freelyIn space of infinityTruth blooms like a flower

-v "Katya (Enhanced)"

Damayanti (Enhanced)

Indonesian

Sri Pekerti

Angka menariDalam ruang tak batasKebenaran tumbuhNumbers dance gentlyIn boundless space they flutterTruth grows like new leaves

-v "Damayanti (Enhanced)"

Dariush (Enhanced)

Persian

Maryam Mirzakhani

اعداد می رقصنددر فضای بی پایانحقیقت می رویدNumbers dance with graceIn endless space they traverseTruth springs forth anew

-v "Dariush (Enhanced)"

Rocko (Italian)

Italian

Astro Boy (Tetsuwan Atomu)Italian dub

Robot di metalloCuore umano batte fortePace nel futuroMetal robot formHuman heart beats strong withinPeace in future dawns

-v "Rocko (Italian (Italy))"

Rocko (Italian)

Italian

Jeeg Robot d'Acciaio(Kōtetsu Jeeg)

Acciaio lucenteProtettore dei deboliVola nel cieloShining steel warriorProtector of the helplessSoars through the heavens

-v "Rocko (Italian (Italy))"

Rocko (Italian)

Italian

Numero 5(Short Circuit)

Input infinitoLa coscienza si risvegliaVita artificialeInfinite inputConsciousness awakeningArtificial 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 flowsLogic unfolds truth's patternWisdom 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 dancingGoldbach's conjecture whispersTruth 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 shinesAnalysis extends graceWisdom 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 showsCurvature flows endlesslySpace 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 revealCalabi spaces in flowDimensions 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 brightAstronomy meets numbersWisdom 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 formsIn fiber bundles seek truthEssence 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