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name: install description: "Install Kokoro TTS engine on Apple Silicon. TRIGGERS - install kokoro, setup tts, kokoro install, tts setup." allowed-tools: Read, Bash, Glob, AskUserQuestion

Install Kokoro TTS

Install the Kokoro TTS engine: Apple Silicon verification, Python 3.13 venv, MLX-Audio dependencies, model download, and verification synthesis.

Platform: macOS Apple Silicon (M1+) only. Fails fast on Intel/Linux.

Prerequisites

| Component | Required | Check | | ------------- | -------- | -------------------- | | Apple Silicon | Yes | uname -m = arm64 | | uv | Yes | uv --version | | Python 3.13 | Yes | uv python list |

Workflow

Step 1: Preflight

# Check Apple Silicon
[[ "$(uname -m)" == "arm64" ]] && echo "OK: Apple Silicon" || echo "FAIL: Requires Apple Silicon (M1+)"

# Check uv
command -v uv && echo "OK: uv found" || echo "FAIL: Install with 'brew install uv'"

Step 2: Install

PLUGIN_DIR="${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT:-$HOME/.claude/plugins/marketplaces/cc-skills/plugins/kokoro-tts}"
bash "$PLUGIN_DIR/scripts/kokoro-install.sh" --install

This performs:

1. Verifies Apple Silicon (fails fast on Intel/Linux)
2. Creates Python 3.13 venv at ~/.local/share/kokoro/.venv via uv
3. Installs MLX-Audio dependencies (mlx-audio, soundfile, numpy)
4. Copies kokoro_common.py, tts_generate.py from plugin bundle
5. Downloads Kokoro-82M-bf16 MLX model from HuggingFace
6. Writes version.json with mlx_audio version and model ID
7. Runs verification synthesis ("Warm up.")

Step 3: Verify

PLUGIN_DIR="${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT:-$HOME/.claude/plugins/marketplaces/cc-skills/plugins/kokoro-tts}"
bash "$PLUGIN_DIR/scripts/kokoro-install.sh" --health

All 6 checks should pass. Print "Installation complete — run /kokoro-tts:health to verify".

Troubleshooting

| Issue | Cause | Solution | | ------------------- | -------------------- | ------------------------------------ | | Not Apple Silicon | Intel Mac or Linux | MLX-Audio requires M1+ Mac | | uv not found | Not installed | brew install uv | | Model download slow | Large first download | Wait for HuggingFace download | | Permission denied | Script not +x | chmod +x scripts/kokoro-install.sh | | Venv already exists | Previous install | Run --uninstall then --install |