Diagnose Kokoro TTS Skill

Diagnose Kokoro TTS

Troubleshoot Kokoro TTS engine issues through systematic diagnostics.

Known Issues

| Issue | Likely Cause | Diagnostic | Fix | | ------------------ | ------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------- | | Import error | Venv corrupted | python -c "from mlx_audio.tts.utils import load_model" | kokoro-install.sh --uninstall && --install | | Model not found | Download incomplete | ls ~/.cache/huggingface/hub/models--mlx-community--Kokoro-82M-bf16/ | kokoro-install.sh --install to re-download | | Slow synthesis | First-run warmup | Time a test synthesis | Normal — subsequent runs use cached model | | Not Apple Silicon | Intel/Linux system | uname -m != arm64 | MLX-Audio requires Apple Silicon (M1+) | | Wrong Python | Not 3.13 | ~/.local/share/kokoro/.venv/bin/python --version | Rebuild venv with --uninstall && --install | | Server won't start | Port in use | lsof -i :8779 | Kill existing process or change port | | No audio from CLI | Empty text | Check --text argument | Provide non-empty text |

Diagnostic Workflow

Step 1: Collect symptoms

Use AskUserQuestion:

What happened? (import error, no audio, slow, server won't start)
When? (after upgrade, first time, suddenly)

Step 2: Run automated diagnostics

# Platform check
echo "Arch: $(uname -m)"
echo "macOS: $(sw_vers -productVersion)"

# Venv check
[[ -d ~/.local/share/kokoro/.venv ]] && echo "Venv: OK" || echo "Venv: MISSING"

# Python version
~/.local/share/kokoro/.venv/bin/python --version 2>/dev/null || echo "Python: NOT FOUND"

# MLX-Audio import
~/.local/share/kokoro/.venv/bin/python -c "from mlx_audio.tts.utils import load_model; print('MLX-Audio: OK')" 2>&1 || echo "MLX-Audio: FAIL"

# Scripts present
for f in kokoro_common.py tts_generate.py tts_server.py; do
  [[ -f ~/.local/share/kokoro/$f ]] && echo "$f: OK" || echo "$f: MISSING"
done

# Version info
cat ~/.local/share/kokoro/version.json 2>/dev/null || echo "version.json: MISSING"

Step 3: Map to known issue and apply fix

Use the Known Issues table above to identify the root cause and apply the targeted fix.

Step 4: Verify

# Quick synthesis test
~/.local/share/kokoro/.venv/bin/python ~/.local/share/kokoro/tts_generate.py \
  --text "Diagnostic test" --voice af_heart --lang en-us --speed 1.0 \
  --output /tmp/kokoro-diag-test.wav && echo "Synthesis: OK"

Agent Skills: Diagnose Kokoro TTS

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