- name
- telegram-voice-transcribe
- description
- Transcribe Telegram voice messages and audio notes into text using the OpenAI Whisper API. Use when (1) a user sends a voice message or audio note via Telegram and you need to read or understand its content, (2) you receive a message with a voice file_id in the Telegram message metadata, (3) the user explicitly asks you to transcribe an audio file. Produces the transcript as plain text so you can respond naturally. Requires OPENAI_API_KEY env var and optionally TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN for file_id mode. NOT for live audio streams, video transcription, or non-Telegram audio pipelines (though the script supports local files and URLs too).
telegram-voice-transcribe
Transcribe Telegram voice notes into text via OpenAI Whisper (whisper-1).
Quick Workflow
- Detect a voice message: look for
voice.file_idoraudio.file_idin the inbound message metadata. - Run the transcription script:
python3 ~/openclaw/skills/telegram-voice-transcribe/scripts/transcribe.py \
--file-id <file_id> --language es- Read the JSON output —
transcriptfield contains the text. - Respond to the user based on the transcript content (treat it like typed text).
Script Modes
| Mode | Flag | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Telegram file_id | --file-id <id> | Standard case — voice message in Telegram |
| Local file | --file <path> | Testing, or file already downloaded |
| URL | --url <https://...> | Audio hosted externally |
Always pass --language es for Spanish speakers to improve speed and accuracy.
Output
{"transcript": "Hola, necesito que hagas un cambio en el juego", "language": "es", "duration_s": 4.2}If error key is present, surface it to the user and check setup.
Environment Requirements
OPENAI_API_KEY— required (set viaopenclaw configure)TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN— required for--file-idmode
See references/setup.md for full setup, hooks integration, costs, and local Whisper alternative.
Error Handling
| Error | Fix |
|---|---|
OPENAI_API_KEY not set | Configure key via openclaw configure --section env |
TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN required | Add bot token to env |
openai package not installed | pip install openai |
Telegram 400 Bad Request | file_id expired — Telegram file_ids expire after ~48h |
| File too large | Whisper API limit is 25MB; split audio or use local Whisper |