Transform your AI personalities from simple chatbots into powerful, extensible voice agents
What if your AI personality could do more than just chat? What if it could check the weather, control your smart home, fetch real-time data, or even DJ your music – all while maintaining its unique voice and personality? That's exactly what OpenHome Abilities make possible.
Abilities are lightweight, voice-first applications that act as plugins for your OpenHome personalities, extending their functionality far beyond what any LLM can do alone. Whether you're a solo developer building something simple or an ambitious team creating complex systems, Abilities give you the power to create truly dynamic voice experiences.
What Are OpenHome Abilities?
Think of Abilities as voice-first plugins that extend your AI personalities. While your OpenHome personality provides the conversational intelligence and unique voice, Abilities add specialized functionality through three key layers:
The Three Layers of Every Ability
🎯 Prompt & Instruction Layer
Sets the tone, style, and behavioral guidelines for how your Ability interacts with users.
⚙️ Logic Layer
Contains your core functionality - either natural language instructions or structured commands that define what your Ability actually does.
🔌 Integration Layer
Connects to external APIs, databases, authentication systems, or IoT devices to bring real-world data and actions into your voice experience.
Are You More Visual - Check Out The Video
The Power of Personality Integration
Here's what makes OpenHome Abilities special: they inherit the voice and personality of your AI agent.
Imagine you've created a pirate-themed personality. When that personality uses your weather Ability, it doesn't just read the forecast in a generic voice – it delivers the weather report in full pirate character: "Arrr, matey! The skies be clear today, perfect for sailing the seven seas!"
This seamless integration means every Ability feels like a natural extension of your personality, not a jarring switch to a different system.
From Simple to Complex: What You Can Build
Start Simple: Single-Purpose Abilities
Perfect for developers just getting started:
Weather Checker: Real-time weather updates for any location
Stock Price Tracker: Current market data by ticker symbol
Quick Facts: Instant answers to specific domain knowledge
Timer/Reminder System: Voice-activated scheduling
Scale Up: Multi-Ability Systems
Combine multiple Abilities for complex workflows:
Smart Home Hub: Control lights, temperature, security, and entertainment
Personal Assistant Suite: Calendar, email, task management, and scheduling
Fitness Coach System: Workout planning, progress tracking, and gym finder
Educational Platform: Interactive lessons, quizzes, and progress monitoring
Real-World Example: Building a Fitness Coach
Let's say you're building a fitness coach personality. Without Abilities, your AI can only provide generic fitness advice. But with Abilities, your fitness coach can:
# Fitness Planning Ability
async def call(worker: CapabilityWorker):
await worker.speak("What's your fitness goal today?")
goal = await worker.user_response()
# Integrate with fitness API
workout_plan = fetch_personalized_workout(goal, user_history)
await worker.speak(f"Perfect! I've created a {workout_plan.duration} minute workout focused on {goal}")
# Track user progress in database
save_workout_to_history(user_id, workout_plan)Now your fitness coach doesn't just talk about fitness – it actively helps users plan workouts, track progress, and achieve their goals.
Multi-Modal & Multi-Language by Default
Every OpenHome Ability comes with powerful built-in capabilities:
🗣️ Voice + Text Support
Your Abilities work seamlessly with both voice commands and text input, making them accessible across different interaction modes.
🌍 30+ Languages
Thanks to OpenHome's multilingual framework, your Abilities automatically work in over 30 languages without additional coding.
📱 Cross-Platform Ready
Build once, run everywhere – your Abilities work in the OpenHome web app now and will be fully compatible with OpenHome speakers upon release.
The Developer Experience: Built for Rapid Iteration
Live Code Editor
Develop and test your Abilities directly in the browser with our integrated code editor. No complex setup, no external tools required.
Version Control & Rollbacks
Commit changes as releases or instantly roll back to previous versions. Iterate quickly without fear of breaking your production Abilities.
Real-Time Testing
Test your Abilities live in the browser as you build them. See immediate results and debug issues on the spot.
Marketplace Integration
Share your creations with the OpenHome community through our built-in marketplace. Get feedback, iterate based on user needs, and distribute your Abilities to other developers.
Technical Deep Dive: The CapabilityWorker Class
At the heart of every Ability is the CapabilityWorker class, which handles all the complex I/O operations:
from openhome import CapabilityWorker, register_capability
@register_capability(
unique_name="weather_assistant",
matching_hotwords=["weather", "forecast", "temperature"]
)
async def call(worker: CapabilityWorker):
# Speak to the user
await worker.speak("What location would you like weather for?")
# Listen for user response
location = await worker.user_response()
# Fetch real-time data
weather_data = fetch_weather_api(location)
# Interactive conversation flow
await worker.run_io_loop(
f"The weather in {location} is {weather_data.description}",
"Would you like the extended forecast?"
)Key CapabilityWorker Features
🎤 Speech Synthesis
Convert any text to speech using your personality's voice with worker.speak()
👂 User Input Handling
Capture and process user responses asynchronously with worker.user_response()
🔄 Conversation Loops
Create natural back-and-forth interactions with worker.run_io_loop()
✅ Confirmation Flows
Handle yes/no interactions seamlessly with built-in confirmation loops
🌐 WebSocket Integration
Send structured data and trigger external system actions through WebSocket connections
Integration Capabilities: Connect to Everything
Third-Party APIs
Integrate with any REST API using the requests module. From weather services to social media platforms, bring external data into your voice experiences.
IoT & Smart Home
Connect to IoT devices and protocols like MQTT for real-time device control and monitoring.
Databases & Authentication
Store user data, track interactions, and implement secure authentication flows for personalized experiences.
Custom Voice IDs
Use specific ElevenLabs voice IDs for different characters or situations within your Abilities.
Getting Started: Your First Ability
Ready to build? Here's the simplest possible Ability to get you started:
from openhome import CapabilityWorker, register_capability
@register_capability(
unique_name="hello_world",
matching_hotwords=["hello", "greet", "hi"]
)
async def call(worker: CapabilityWorker):
await worker.speak("Hello! This is my first OpenHome Ability!")
name = await worker.user_response("What's your name?")
await worker.speak(f"Nice to meet you, {name}!")
await worker.resume_normal_flow()This simple example demonstrates:
Ability registration with trigger words
Speech output with personality voice
User input capture
Conversational flow management
Advanced Patterns: Multi-Character Interactions
One of the most exciting possibilities with Abilities is creating multi-character experiences:
@register_capability(
unique_name="tavern_scene",
matching_hotwords=["tavern", "adventure", "story"]
)
async def call(worker: CapabilityWorker):
# Bartender character
await worker.text_to_speech(
"Welcome to the Rusty Anchor! What brings ye here?",
voice_id="pirate_bartender"
)
player_response = await worker.user_response()
# Mysterious stranger character
await worker.text_to_speech(
"I couldn't help but overhear... you seek adventure?",
voice_id="mysterious_stranger"
)
# Continue multi-character dialogue...Best Practices for Ability Development
Start Small, Think Big
Begin with simple, single-purpose Abilities and gradually combine them into more complex systems.
Design for Voice-First
Remember that users interact primarily through voice. Keep responses conversational and avoid complex visual information.
Handle Edge Cases Gracefully
Always include error handling for API failures, invalid user inputs, or network issues.
Test Across Languages
Since Abilities inherit multilingual support, test your core functionality across different languages.
Leverage the Community
Use the marketplace to discover existing Abilities, get inspiration, and share your creations for feedback.
The Future of Voice Applications
OpenHome Abilities represent a fundamental shift in how we think about voice AI. Instead of building monolithic voice assistants, we're creating an ecosystem where specialized, focused applications can work together through shared personalities.
This modular approach means:
Faster Development: Build and test individual features separately
Better Maintenance: Update specific functionality without affecting the entire system
Community Growth: Developers can specialize in different domains and share their expertise
User Choice: Users can customize their AI personalities with exactly the capabilities they need
Ready to Build?
The sky is the limit with OpenHome Abilities. Whether you're building something practical like a device controller or something fun like an interactive storytelling system, you have all the tools you need:
📝 Live Code Editor: Develop directly in the browser
🧪 Real-Time Testing: See results immediately
📚 Comprehensive Documentation: Complete development guide
🏪 Marketplace: Share and discover Abilities
👥 Community Support: Get help and feedback on Discord
Your AI personalities are waiting to become more powerful. What will you build first?
Ready to start developing? Check out our complete Ability development documentation and join our developer community on Discord to share your creations and get support.