Claude hooks with voice notifications using Speakeasy

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Today I learned how to create an advanced Claude notification system that not only captures events but also speaks them aloud using Speakeasy.

The Setup

Claude hooks can be configured in ~/.claude/settings.json to run custom scripts. I created a TypeScript notification handler that:

  1. Captures Claude notifications
  2. Copies the JSON payload to clipboard
  3. Speaks contextual messages using Speakeasy

The Hook Configuration

{
  "hooks": {
    "Notification": [
      {
        "matcher": "",
        "hooks": [
          {
            "type": "command",
            "command": "pnpx tsx /Users/arach/.claude/hooks/notification.ts"
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

Simple Import, Powerful Results

The beauty of Speakeasy is its simplicity. In notification.ts, it’s just:

import { speak } from 'speakeasy';

// Later in the code...
await speak(message, { 
  priority: 'high',
  provider: 'elevenlabs'  // or 'groq', 'openai', etc.
});

That’s it! Speakeasy handles all the complexity of TTS providers, voice selection, and audio playback.

The Magic: notification.ts

The TypeScript hook does three clever things:

1. JSON Capture to Clipboard

const formattedJson = JSON.stringify(notificationData, null, 2);
execSync('pbcopy', { input: formattedJson });

This is brilliant for debugging - every notification is instantly available to paste and inspect.

2. Project Context Extraction

The script intelligently extracts the project name from the transcript path:

const pathMatch = transcriptPath.match(/projects\/[^\/]*-([^\/]+)\//);
if (pathMatch) {
  projectName = pathMatch[1].replace(/-/g, ' ');
}

3. Natural Speech with Speakeasy

Instead of robotic notifications, it creates contextual messages using Speakeasy:

// Examples:
"In blink, Claude is waiting for you"
"In arach io, Claude needs your permission"
"In speech service, Claude has a request for you"

await speak(message, { 
  priority: 'high',
  provider: 'elevenlabs' 
});

Why This Is Awesome

  1. Multi-project awareness - Know which project needs attention without looking
  2. Hands-free updates - Continue coding while Claude speaks status updates
  3. Debug-friendly - Every notification payload is in your clipboard
  4. Natural language - Messages are cleaned up for better speech synthesis

Testing the Hook

echo '{"message": "Build completed successfully", "transcript_path": "/Users/arach/dev/speech-service"}' | pnpx tsx notification.ts

This setup transforms Claude from a silent assistant to a conversational coding partner that keeps you informed without breaking your flow!

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