Cmd. /voice
Voice conversations, enabled by default from 0.156.0, with the F8 toggle and /voice settings
Written and reviewed by Eric Han · Co-founder & CTO, reopt
Key takeaways
- Voice conversations, enabled by default from 0.156.0, with the F8 toggle and /voice settings
- On 0.155.x, enable it in
/experimentalfirst; from 0.161.0,/voice settingsalso selects the microphone, speaker, and input channel.
Purpose
Voice conversations, enabled by default from 0.156.0, with the F8 toggle and /voice settings
/voiceAvailability
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Input surface | Running CLI prompt |
| Kind | Built-in |
| Status | Release-tracked |
| Aliases | — |
| Documented minimum | Not specified |
| Reviewed against | 2026-10-23 · Codex CLI 0.163.0 |
| Release evidence | v0.156.0 |
Enabled by default from 0.156.0, with bundled audio runtimes for Linux and Windows. In 0.155.x it was an experimental feature enabled through /experimental.
Examples
/voice
/voice settings/voice starts voice conversations with live transcripts and microphone controls. It arrived as an experimental feature in 0.155.0 and is enabled by default from 0.156.0.
- Use CLI 0.156.0 or later. On 0.155.x, enable it through
/experimentalfirst. - Run
/voice, or press F8 to toggle voice conversation. - Use
/voice settingsto choose the voice for future conversations. From 0.161.0, choose the microphone and speaker there too.
0.156.0 bundles audio runtimes for Linux and Windows and fixes speech dropping during playback pauses or bursts of incoming audio. From 0.157.0, switching threads keeps an active voice conversation. The releases document no arguments other than settings and no on/off syntax, so none is assumed here.
From 0.161.0, you can choose the microphone, speaker, and microphone input channels for voice conversations, and the preferences are saved locally. According to the pull-request descriptions, input and output device pickers sit alongside voice selection with a System default option, and a selection applies from the next voice conversation. Choosing input channels keeps playback channels on a multichannel device out of the microphone capture.
Separately, 0.155.1 defaults reasoning summaries to disabled for new local TUI sessions while respecting explicit settings.
Effects and persistence
Starts live voice conversation, transcripts, and microphone controls. The voice chosen in /voice settings applies to future conversations. Per the 0.161.0 release notes you can choose the microphone, speaker, and microphone input channels, and the choice is saved locally.
From 0.163.0, voice mute is F9. Distinguish it from the F8 voice-conversation toggle and check installed bindings in /keymap.
Cautions
Enabled by default from 0.156.0, with bundled audio runtimes for Linux and Windows. In 0.155.x it was an experimental feature enabled through /experimental.
Check microphone permissions and OS or account availability in the installed build. The command is not yet in the official slash table.
Official sources
Complete command list · Verification scope · History for this command