Voice mode requires /voice toggle off/on each session despite voiceEnabled: true
Status Fixed / completed
Reported on v2.1.74
Maintainer reply ✓ Yes — ashwin-ant
Workaround ✓ Mentioned in thread ↓
Activity 12 comments · opened Mar 13, 2026 · closed Apr 18, 2026
💡 Likely answer: A maintainer (ashwin-ant, collaborator)
responded on this thread — see the highlighted reply below.
Description
Voice mode does not work at the start of a new session even though voiceEnabled: true is set in ~/.claude/settings.json. Holding the spacebar just types spaces instead of activating push-to-talk recording.
Steps to Reproduce
- Set
"voiceEnabled": truein~/.claude/settings.json - Start a new Claude Code session
- Hold spacebar — spaces are typed instead of recording voice
Workaround
Running /voice twice (off then on) in the session makes it work:
> /voice
Voice mode disabled.
> /voice
Voice mode enabled. Hold Space to record.After this toggle, holding spacebar correctly activates voice recording.
Expected Behavior
Voice mode should be active from the start of the session when voiceEnabled: true is configured, without needing to toggle /voice off and on.
Environment
- Claude Code version: 2.1.74
- Platform: Linux (Ubuntu, Linux 6.14.0-37-generic)
- Shell: bash
12 Comments
Additional Context
This occurs when using Claude Code via VS Code Remote SSH (Windows client → Linux server). Has not been tested in other environments (e.g., direct terminal on Linux, macOS, etc.).
This may be related to how VS Code's integrated terminal handles spacebar key events over SSH.
Found 3 possible duplicate issues:
This issue will be automatically closed as a duplicate in 3 days.
🤖 Generated with Claude Code
+1 — Experiencing the same issue on WSL2 (Linux 6.6.87.2-microsoft-standard-WSL2, Claude Code 2.1.76).
The
voiceEnabled: truesetting correctly persists the state, but the Space key listener is not initialized on startup. Requires/voiceoff/on toggle every session.This is likely a one-line fix: the startup code path reads the setting but doesn't call the same listener initialization that the
/voicetoggle command does.Experiencing the same issue on Windows 11 Pro / Windows Terminal / Claude Code CLI v2.1.76.
Regards, Grzegorz.
Adding an accessibility perspective to this bug.
I have arthritis that makes extended typing painful. Voice input isn't a convenience for me — it's an accessibility requirement. Having to manually toggle
/voiceoff and on at the start of every single session is a real barrier.The
voiceEnabled: truesetting exists in my config but doesn't actually initialize voice mode on startup. The workaround (toggle off/on) works but shouldn't be necessary.This is compounded by a second issue: there's no way to configure a custom STT endpoint for the built-in voice mode. The Anthropic cloud STT is unreliable for me, and I run a local Whisper server on my LAN that works perfectly — but the built-in voice mode can't be pointed at it. I'm filing that as a separate feature request.
For users with typing limitations, reliable voice input on session start isn't a nice-to-have. Please prioritize this.
Environment: macOS, Claude Code latest,
voiceEnabled: truein~/.claude/settings.jsonSame bug continues to exist for me.
Linux Mint 22.3 (Ubuntu 24.04), kernel 6.8.0-106-generic, bash, PipeWire 1.0.5, Claude Code v2.1.79
Same bug continues.
Claude Code v2.1.80
Okay, I’ll fix this bug by this Sunday. Please bear with me.
Confirming this on Linux 6.19.8-zen1-1-zen (Arch), Claude Code latest, zsh. Same exact behavior: spacebar types spaces on session start despite
voiceEnabled: truein settings.json. The/voiceoff/on toggle workaround works.This appears fixed for me in v2.1.81. Thanks team!
This was fixed in v2.1.79 — Voice mode now activates on startup when
voiceEnabled: trueis set, without needing to toggle /voice off and on each session. If you're still seeing this in the latest version, please comment with your version and repro and we'll reopen.This issue has been automatically locked since it was closed and has not had any activity for 7 days. If you're experiencing a similar issue, please file a new issue and reference this one if it's relevant.