# DECTalk TTS Server

A standalone HTTP server that turns text into speech using authentic DECTalk
(the Moonbase Alpha voice). It exposes both a simple GET endpoint and a
MiniMax-compatible POST endpoint, so it can be used directly or as a drop-in
TTS backend.

This service was extracted from the ttstoy Discord bot cog so it can run on its
own as a system service, independent of the bot.

## Requirements

- Node.js (v16 or newer recommended)
- ffmpeg (used to encode output to mp3)
- npm dependencies: `express`, `dectalk` (installed via `npm install`)

Install ffmpeg on Debian/Ubuntu:

```bash
sudo apt install ffmpeg
```

## Running

```bash
./start.sh
```

`start.sh` runs `npm install` on first launch and then starts the server. The
listening port defaults to `33001` and can be overridden with the `PORT`
environment variable.

You can also run it directly:

```bash
npm install
PORT=33001 node server.js
```

## API

### GET /say

Generate speech and return an mp3.

```
GET /say?text=Hello%20world
```

Response: `audio/mpeg` (mp3 bytes).

Voice is controlled inline using DECTalk voice commands (see below).

### POST /v1/t2a_v2

MiniMax-compatible endpoint. Accepts JSON `{ "text": "..." }` and returns a
JSON body with the audio encoded as hex under `data.audio`.

```bash
curl -X POST http://127.0.0.1:33001/v1/t2a_v2 \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"text":"Hello from DECTalk"}'
```

### GET /voices

Returns the list of available DECTalk voices and their inline command codes.

### GET /engine

Returns engine type and version metadata.

### GET /health

Returns `{ "status": "ok" }`.

## Voice commands

Voices are selected inline by prefixing the text with a command code:

| Voice  | Command | Description             |
|--------|---------|-------------------------|
| Paul   | `[:np]` | Perfect Paul (default)  |
| Betty  | `[:nb]` | Beautiful Betty         |
| Harry  | `[:nh]` | Huge Harry (deep male)  |
| Frank  | `[:nf]` | Frail Frank (elderly)   |
| Dennis | `[:nd]` | Doctor Dennis           |
| Kit    | `[:nk]` | Kit the Kid (child)     |
| Ursula | `[:nu]` | Uppity Ursula           |
| Rita   | `[:nr]` | Rough Rita              |
| Wendy  | `[:nw]` | Whispering Wendy (soft) |

Example:

```
GET /say?text=[:nh]This is Huge Harry speaking.
```

## Running as a system service

A systemd unit file is provided (`dectalk-tts-server.service`). See INSTALL.md
for setup steps.