Diagnose Kokoro TTS

Troubleshoot Kokoro TTS engine issues through systematic diagnostics.

Self-Evolving Skill: This skill improves through use. If instructions are wrong, parameters drifted, or a workaround was needed — fix this file immediately, don't defer. Only update for real, reproducible issues.

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"

Post-Execution Reflection

After this skill completes, reflect before closing the task:

Locate yourself. — Find this SKILL.md's canonical path before editing.
What failed? — Fix the instruction that caused it.
What worked better than expected? — Promote to recommended practice.
What drifted? — Fix any script, reference, or dependency that no longer matches reality.
Log it. — Evolution-log entry with trigger, fix, and evidence.

Do NOT defer. The next invocation inherits whatever you leave behind.

diagnose