name: sergei-mikhailov-stt description: Speech recognition from voice messages. Use when you need to convert a voice message to text. metadata: {"openclaw": {"requires": {"bins": ["ffmpeg", "python3"], "env": ["YANDEX_API_KEY", "YANDEX_FOLDER_ID"]}, "primaryEnv": "YANDEX_API_KEY"}}

Speech to Text Skill for OpenClaw

Purpose

This skill recognizes speech from voice messages sent via any messenger connected to OpenClaw, using various STT providers, including Yandex SpeechKit.

When to Activate

Use this skill when:

• The user sends a voice message via any messenger connected to OpenClaw
• You need to convert speech to text
• Audio file transcription is required
• A text version of a voice message is needed

How It Works

1. Receive the audio file from OpenClaw

• OpenClaw provides a local path to the audio file
• Verify the file exists at the given path
• Validate the file format (OGG, WAV, MP3)
• Check file size (maximum 50 MB)

Example path from OpenClaw:

/home/user_folder/.openclaw/media/inbound/file_1---9a53bac2-0392-41e7-8300-1c08e8eec027.ogg

2. Audio processing

• Validate the audio file at the local path
• Convert to a supported format if needed using ffmpeg
• Verify audio quality

3. Speech recognition

• Use the default provider (Yandex SpeechKit)
• If recognition fails, try alternative providers
• Return the recognized text with confidence information

4. Result handling

• Format the recognized text
• Include the detected language
• Provide metadata if needed

Installation

1. Install the skill

clawhub install sergei-mikhailov-stt

The skill will be placed at ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/sergei-mikhailov-stt/.

2. Install Python dependencies

Navigate to the installed skill folder and install dependencies into a virtual environment:

cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/sergei-mikhailov-stt

On Debian/Ubuntu, first install the venv package if not already present:

sudo apt install python3-venv

Then create and activate the virtual environment:

python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

On modern Debian/Ubuntu systems (Python 3.12+), installing packages system-wide is restricted. Use the virtual environment as shown above.

Configuration

1. Set API keys (recommended — via OpenClaw config)

Add credentials to ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json:

{
  "skills": {
    "entries": {
      "sergei-mikhailov-stt": {
        "env": {
          "YANDEX_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here",
          "YANDEX_FOLDER_ID": "your_folder_id_here"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

2. Alternative — via .env file

Copy and edit the example file inside the skill folder:

cp assets/.env.example .env

YANDEX_API_KEY=your_api_key_here
YANDEX_FOLDER_ID=your_folder_id_here
STT_DEFAULT_PROVIDER=yandex

3. Restart OpenClaw to apply changes

openclaw gateway stop && openclaw gateway start

4. Provider configuration (optional)

In config.json, set parameters for each provider:

{
  "default_provider": "yandex",
  "providers": {
    "yandex": {
      "api_key": "${YANDEX_API_KEY}",
      "folder_id": "${YANDEX_FOLDER_ID}",
      "lang": "ru-RU"
    }
  }
}

Adding a New STT Provider

1. Create the provider class

# scripts/providers/new_provider.py
from .base_provider import BaseSTTProvider

class NewProvider(BaseSTTProvider):
    name = "new_provider"

    def recognize(self, audio_file_path: str, language: str = 'ru-RU') -> str:
        # Recognition implementation
        pass

    def validate_config(self, config: dict) -> bool:
        # Configuration validation
        pass

    def get_supported_formats(self) -> list:
        return ['ogg', 'wav', 'mp3']

2. Register the provider

Add to scripts/stt_processor.py in the _get_provider method:

if provider_name == 'new_provider':
    return NewProvider(provider_config)

3. Update configuration

Add the new provider section to config.json:

{
  "providers": {
    "new_provider": {
      "api_key": "${NEW_PROVIDER_API_KEY}",
      "model": "latest"
    }
  }
}

Usage Examples

Basic scenario

User: [sends a voice message]
OpenClaw: Recognized text: "Hello, how are you?"

With language specified

User: Transcribe this English voice message
OpenClaw: Recognized text (en-US): "Hello, how are you today?"

With metadata

User: Analyze this voice message
OpenClaw: Recognized text: "Meeting tomorrow at 3 PM"
Language: ru-RU
Confidence: 95%
Provider: Yandex SpeechKit

Error Handling

When the skill returns an error, explain it to the user in plain language and suggest a concrete next step. Do not show raw error messages or stack traces.

| Error | Say to the user | Next step | |-------|----------------|-----------| | File too large | "The voice message is too long — maximum is about 30 seconds for now." | Ask them to send a shorter message | | Unsupported format | "This audio format is not supported." | Tell them supported formats: OGG, WAV, MP3, M4A, FLAC, AAC | | API key invalid / HTTP 401 | "There's a problem with the Yandex SpeechKit API key." | Ask owner to check YANDEX_API_KEY in openclaw.json | | Folder access denied / HTTP 403 | "Access to Yandex SpeechKit is denied." | Ask owner to verify the service account has ai.speechkit.user role | | Too many requests / HTTP 429 | "Yandex SpeechKit is rate-limiting us right now." | Try again in a few seconds | | FFmpeg not found | "Audio conversion tool (FFmpeg) is not installed on the server." | Owner needs to run brew install ffmpeg or apt install ffmpeg | | API request timed out | "Yandex SpeechKit did not respond in time." | Try again; if it repeats, the service may be down | | Missing YANDEX_API_KEY | "The skill is not configured yet — API keys are missing." | Owner needs to add keys to ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json |

Troubleshooting (for the owner)

1. Verify API key configuration in ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json
2. Ensure ffmpeg is installed: ffmpeg -version
3. Check Yandex Cloud service account has role ai.speechkit.user
4. Check gateway logs: openclaw logs

Limitations

• Maximum file size: 50 MB
• Yandex SpeechKit v1 sync API limit: 1 MB per request
• Supported formats: OGG, WAV, MP3, M4A, FLAC, AAC
• Languages: Russian (ru-RU), English (en-US)
• Processing time: up to 5 minutes
• Maximum audio duration: 30 minutes

Requirements

• Python 3.8+
• FFmpeg
• Configured API keys for STT providers

Result Metadata

On successful recognition:

{
  "text": "Recognized text",
  "language": "ru-RU",
  "confidence": 0.95,
  "provider": "yandex",
  "processing_time": 2.5
}