Voice isn't working
A checklist for when ORBIS won't hear you, won't talk back, or both. Work top to bottom — each step rules out a layer of the voice loop.
ORBIS doesn't hear me
First check the status text at the bottom of the ORBIS window. If it says voice is warming or starting, wait for it to become ready; macOS showing an active microphone only confirms device acquisition, not that the voice pipeline can respond. If voice failed, open Settings → Quick. ORBIS offers Retry voice only when startup can safely be retried in-process; otherwise use the displayed Relaunch ORBIS action.
1. Watch the level meter. Open Settings → Voice → Microphone and speak. Moving bars confirm microphone activity, but do not prove audio reaches speech recognition. Check that voice is ready and a listening turn is open. If a transcript appears but no reply follows, skip to it hears me but doesn't reply. Otherwise continue with the input checks, even if the meter moves.
2. Check mic permission. In the same panel, confirm microphone access is granted. If it shows as denied, click through to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone and enable ORBIS, then relaunch.
3. Check the input device. If a device selector is shown, make sure it's the mic you're actually speaking into (not, say, a disconnected headset). If there's no selector, ORBIS is following your macOS system input — set the right input in System Settings → Sound → Input.
4. Make sure it's listening. ORBIS only transcribes when it's in the listening state. Double-click the orb to start a turn, and watch the orb change to listening. It waits for a natural pause before it transcribes, so give it a beat after you stop talking.
ORBIS hears me but doesn't reply
If the transcript appears but the orb never speaks:
1. Check the language model. No reply usually means the LLM isn't reachable. Open Settings → Agent → LLM and confirm the endpoint and key. See the LLM reference.
2. Check the TTS backend. If you switched off the default (kokoro) to a hosted voice, a wrong URL/key produces no audio. Switch back to kokoro (local, no network) to isolate the problem — see TTS.
3. Check output volume / device. Confirm your Mac's output isn't muted and is routed to the speakers you expect.
The orb interrupts itself, or hears its own voice
This is usually echo cancellation being defeated by a loud, close speaker. Lower the output volume, move the mic away from the speakers, or use headphones.
Still stuck? Restart clean
ORBIS keeps running after its window closes, so a real restart is worth it:
- Use ⌘Q, Dock → Quit, or menu-bar orb → Quit ORBIS (this fully exits, not just hides).
- Relaunch ORBIS.
A clean restart re-acquires the mic and rebuilds the audio pipeline, which clears most transient glitches.