OpenAI TTS GUI

Easy-to-use text-to-speech with OpenAI's API. Handles long text automatically.

Features

• Generate speech with OpenAI TTS models, voices, formats, and speed controls.
• Includes gpt-4o-mini-tts instructions and reusable presets for tone and pacing.
• Paste long scripts; the app chunks, generates, and joins audio automatically with ffmpeg.
• See live character count, chunk count, worker status, and estimated cost before running.
• Keep reproducible sidecar metadata and copy OpenAI request IDs for support.
• Store API keys through OS keyring, local fallback, or environment variables.
• CLI use available.

Requirements

• Python 3.14 (download)
• ffmpeg (download) — must be on PATH
• OpenAI API key (get one)

Quick Start

Option A: Download the installer (Windows)

Download OpenAI-TTS-Setup.exe from the latest release and run it. ffmpeg is still required on PATH.

Option B: Run from source

git clone https://github.com/sm18lr88/OpenAI_TTS_GUI.git
cd OpenAI_TTS_GUI

With uv (recommended):

uv sync
uv run python -m openai_tts_gui

Or use the launch script:

# Windows
run_gui.bat

# macOS / Linux
./run_gui.sh

With pip:

pip install .
python -m openai_tts_gui

Setting Your API Key

1. Environment variable (highest priority): set OPENAI_API_KEY
2. GUI: launch the app → API Key menu → Set/Update API Key... (stored in OS keyring)
3. Custom endpoint: set OPENAI_BASE_URL for self-hosted or compatible APIs

CLI Usage

openai-tts --in input.txt --out output.mp3 --model tts-1 --voice alloy --format mp3 --speed 1.0
openai-tts --in input.txt --out output.wav --model gpt-4o-mini-tts --voice nova --format wav --speed 1.25 --instructions "speak warmly"
openai-tts --help
openai-tts --version

CLI options mirror the core TTS settings: --model, --voice, --format, --speed, --instructions, and --retain-files are available in addition to --in and --out.

Development

uv sync --extra dev         # install with dev deps
uv run ruff check           # lint
uv run ruff format --check  # format check
uv run pytest               # tests (uses .pytest_tmp for temp files)
uv run ty check             # type check

Building

uv run pyinstaller --noconfirm openai_tts.spec   # .exe in dist/
"C:\Program Files (x86)\NSIS\makensis.exe" installer.nsi   # Windows installer in dist/

The app bundle is built first into dist/OpenAI-TTS/, and the NSIS step packages that directory as dist/OpenAI-TTS-Setup.exe.

Project Structure

src/openai_tts_gui/
  config/      Settings (pure Python) + Qt theme
  core/        Text chunking, audio concat, ffmpeg, sidecar metadata
  tts/         TTS service (pure Python, no Qt dependency)
  keystore/    API key storage (keyring + encrypted file)
  presets/     Instruction preset persistence
  gui/         PyQt6 UI (main window, dialogs, worker thread, layout)
  errors.py    Domain error hierarchy
  cli.py       CLI entry point
  main.py      GUI entry point

See ARCHITECTURE.md for module boundaries and conventions.

License

This project uses a custom attribution and honor-system commercial license. If you use this code, give credit to "OpenAI TTS GUI by Leo Riera / sm18lr88".

Non-commercial use is encouraged. If the project helps you, gifts of any amount are appreciated at paypal.me/LeoRiera.

Commercial use requires buying a USD $5 honor-system commercial license at paypal.me/LeoRiera. See LICENSE for the full terms.

Support, Privacy, and Trust

Show appreciation at paypal.me/LeoRiera if this app helps you. The app does not verify PayPal donations, does not add DRM, and does not track support clicks.

Privacy and trust notes:

Text you submit for speech generation is sent to OpenAI or to the compatible endpoint configured with OPENAI_BASE_URL. API keys are read from OPENAI_API_KEY, OS keyring, or the local fallback file shown in the app data directory. Presets, settings, logs, and sidecar metadata are stored locally under the data path shown in Help -> About; delete those files to remove local app data. Sidecar files may include request IDs to help with OpenAI support.

Release artifacts include checksum files and are built from the public release workflow. The Windows installer is prepared for standard-user installation and safe uninstall checks. The project tracks Windows App Certification Kit and Microsoft Store MSI/EXE readiness, but it does not claim certification until an actual Windows SDK/App Certification Kit or Store submission report passes.

Troubleshooting

• ffmpeg not found: ensure it's on PATH. The app checks on startup.
• API key issues: try setting OPENAI_API_KEY environment variable directly.
• Logs: check the log file path shown in Help → About.

Tips

• Speed adjustments far from 1.0x may impact quality. Use gpt-4o-mini-tts with instructions like "speak slowly" for better results.
• Instruction examples at openai.fm.
• api_key.enc is obfuscated, not encrypted. Prefer OS keyring or environment variables.