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Voice Mode with CALM Copilot Chat

Voice Mode enables hands-free interaction with CALM Copilot Chat, allowing you to speak architecture queries and receive spoken responses directly in the chat interface.

Getting Started​

Prerequisites​

  • VS Code: Version 1.94 or later
  • CALM Copilot Chatmode: Configured in your repository (see CALM Copilot Chatmode)
  • GitHub Copilot Chat: Active subscription and extension installed
  • Microphone: A working microphone

Setup​

  1. Install the VS Code Speech Extension

    • Open VS Code Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X or Cmd+Shift+X)
    • Search for "VS Code Speech"
    • Click Install on the Microsoft-published extension

  2. Grant Microphone Permissions

    • First use will prompt for microphone access - click Allow
    • If prompted on macOS, grant permissions to both "Visual Studio Code" and "Code Helper", then restart VS Code
    • On Windows, ensure VS Code is enabled in Settings → Privacy → Microphone

  3. Configure VS Code Settings

    • Open VS Code Settings (Ctrl+, or Cmd+,)
    • Search for accessibility.voice and add these settings:
{
  "accessibility.voice.autoSynthesize": "on",
  "accessibility.voice.ignoreCodeBlocks": true,
  "accessibility.voice.speechTimeout": 1200,
  "accessibility.voice.keywordActivation": "chatInView"
}

Using Voice Mode​

Starting a Voice Query​

  1. Open GitHub Copilot Chat (Ctrl+Shift+I or Cmd+Shift+I)
  2. Select the CALM chatmode
  3. Click the microphone icon in the chat input field or press Ctrl+I (Windows/Linux) / Cmd+I (macOS)
  4. Speak your query clearly
  5. The response will appear as you finish speaking (auto-submit after ~1.2 seconds of silence)
  6. Your response will be read aloud automatically

Quick Voice Activation​

Say "Hey Code" to activate voice input without clicking anything (requires keywordActivation setting enabled above).

Example Queries​

Speak naturally and clearly. Here are examples of how you can use CALM Chatmode via voice:

Building Your Architecture:

  • "Create a microservices architecture with a web frontend, API gateway, and PostgreSQL database"
  • "Add a node for the authentication service with HTTPS interfaces"
  • "Create a connects-to relationship from the API gateway to the backend services"
  • "Define that the services are deployed in Kubernetes"

Defining Controls and Compliance:

  • "Add PCI-DSS compliance controls to the payment processor service"
  • "Define encryption-in-transit controls for all API connections"
  • "What security controls should apply to our database?"

Modeling Business Processes:

  • "Create a flow for the customer onboarding process"
  • "Model the trade execution flow from order placement to settlement"
  • "Show the data journey through our system"

Validation and Best Practices:

  • "Is my architecture valid?"
  • "What patterns apply to this microservices design?"
  • "What interfaces should the authentication service expose?"
  • "Why is my relationship definition failing validation?"

Documentation and Visualization:

  • "Generate documentation for my architecture"
  • "Create a visual diagram of the system"
  • "Document all the interfaces and their protocols"

Listening to Responses​

Responses will be read aloud automatically (if autoSynthesize is enabled). You can also:

  • Stop playback: Press ESC or click the speaker icon
  • Manual read-aloud: Click the speaker icon next to any response to hear it read aloud again