agentvibes 5.11.2 → 5.12.0

package/src/console/app.js

@@ -22,7 +22,6 @@ import { FOOTER_CONFIG, DEFAULT_FOOTER_COLOR } from './footer-config.js';
 import { createModalOverlay } from './modals/modal-overlay.js';
 import { BRAND_PINK } from './brand-colors.js';
 import { createSettingsTab } from './tabs/settings-tab.js';
-import { createVoicesTab } from './tabs/voices-tab.js';
 import { createMusicTab } from './tabs/music-tab.js';
 import { createSetupTab } from './tabs/setup-tab.js';
 import { createHelpTab } from './tabs/help-tab.js';
@@ -728,13 +727,6 @@ export class AgentVibesConsole {
     };
     this.tabs['settings'] = createSettingsTab(this.screen, services);
 
-    // Destroy voices placeholder and mount real voices tab
-    const voicesPlaceholder = this.tabs['voices'];
-    if (voicesPlaceholder && typeof voicesPlaceholder.destroy === 'function') {
-      voicesPlaceholder.destroy();
-    }
-    this.tabs['voices'] = createVoicesTab(this.screen, services);
-
     // Destroy music placeholder and mount real music tab
     const musicPlaceholder = this.tabs['music'];
     if (musicPlaceholder && typeof musicPlaceholder.destroy === 'function') {
@@ -899,8 +891,19 @@ export class AgentVibesConsole {
   // Private: Global keyboard handlers
 
   _registerHandlers() {
-    // Q or Ctrl+C → clean exit (no zombie processes)
-    this.screen.key(['q', 'Q', 'C-c'], () => {
+    // Q or Ctrl+C → clean exit (no zombie processes).
+    // Guarded by isModalOpen(): blessed fires screen-level key handlers
+    // before focused-element handlers, so without this guard 'q' here would
+    // always win over a picker/modal's own Esc/q close binding — e.g. typing
+    // 'q' to jump to a voice named "Quinn" would kill the whole TUI instead
+    // of just being handled by the picker. Ctrl+C always force-quits (it's
+    // the universal "get me out" signal and has no in-modal meaning).
+    this.screen.key(['q', 'Q', 'C-c'], (ch, key) => {
+      const isCtrlC = key?.ctrl && key?.name === 'c';
+      if (!isCtrlC && this.navigationService?.isModalOpen()) {
+        // Let the focused modal/picker's own key handler deal with it.
+        return;
+      }
       this.screen.destroy();
       process.exit(0);
     });
@@ -912,7 +915,7 @@ export class AgentVibesConsole {
  *
  * @param {object} opts
  * @param {string} [opts.startTab='settings'] - Which tab to show on launch.
- *   Used by story 6.5 (command routing). Values: 'settings' | 'install' | 'voices' | 'music'
+ *   Used by story 6.5 (command routing). Values: 'settings' | 'setup' | 'music'
  * @param {boolean} [opts._testMode=false] - Internal: skip render in test environments.
  * @returns {Promise<AgentVibesConsole>}
  */

package/src/console/footer-config.js

@@ -19,10 +19,6 @@ export const FOOTER_CONFIG = {
     color: '#2196f3',
     text: ` ${key('↑↓')} Navigate  ${key('←→')} Same Row  ${key('Enter')} Activate  ${key('Space')} Preview  ${key('Esc')} Cancel`,
   },
-  voices: {
-    color: '#00bcd4',
-    text: ` ${key('1-6')} Sort  ${key('/')} Search  ${key('P')} Provider  ${key('F')} Favorites  ${key('Space')} Preview  ${key('*')} Fav  ${key('I')} Install`,
-  },
   music: {
     color: '#ff9800',
     text: ` ${key('Space')} Preview  ${key('Enter')} Select  ${key('M')} Toggle  ${key('*')} Fav  ${key('F')} Filter  ${key('↑↓')} Navigate`,

package/src/console/navigation.js

@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@
 /** Map of key → tab ID for global tab shortcut keys */
 const KEY_TO_TAB = {
   's': 'settings', 'S': 'settings',
-  'v': 'voices',   'V': 'voices',
   'm': 'music',    'M': 'music',
   'b': 'agents',   'B': 'agents',
   'x': 'receiver', 'X': 'receiver',

package/src/console/tabs/agents-tab.js

@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ import crypto from 'node:crypto';
 import fs from 'node:fs';
 import os from 'node:os';
 import path from 'node:path';
+import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url';
 import { spawn } from 'node:child_process';
 
 // Max pretext length to prevent excessively long TTS utterances
@@ -176,6 +177,33 @@ function createTestStub() {
 /**
  * Create the Agents tab component.
  */
+// Module-level so the process 'exit'/'SIGINT' handlers are registered EXACTLY
+// once per process, no matter how many times createAgentsTab() is called (the
+// test suite creates many). Registering them per-call leaked listeners
+// (MaxListenersExceededWarning) and left stale SIGINT handlers that each called
+// process.exit(). Each tab adds its patched-files map here; the single handler
+// restores every registered map.
+const _allPatchedConfigMaps = new Set();
+let _patchHandlersRegistered = false;
+function _restoreAllRegisteredPatchedConfigMaps() {
+  for (const map of _allPatchedConfigMaps) {
+    for (const filePath of [...map.keys()]) {
+      const original = map.get(filePath);
+      try {
+        if (original !== null) fs.writeFileSync(filePath, original);
+        else fs.unlinkSync(filePath);
+      } catch { /* best-effort restore */ }
+      map.delete(filePath);
+    }
+  }
+}
+function _ensurePatchExitHandlers() {
+  if (_patchHandlersRegistered) return;
+  _patchHandlersRegistered = true;
+  process.on('exit', _restoreAllRegisteredPatchedConfigMaps);
+  process.on('SIGINT', () => { _restoreAllRegisteredPatchedConfigMaps(); process.exit(130); });
+}
+
 export function createAgentsTab(screen, services) {
   if (IS_TEST) return createTestStub();
 
@@ -208,6 +236,48 @@ ${_tl('bmadDesc')}
   // Capture cwd once at construction (L1 fix)
   const _projectRoot = process.cwd();
 
+  // Preview hooks: prefer the CURRENT package copy over the project-local
+  // .claude/hooks, which a tarball reinstall does NOT refresh (npm updates
+  // node_modules only). A stale project hook routes previews through an outdated
+  // sender (e.g. the old agentvibes-receiver→legacy-sender path). CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR
+  // still points at _projectRoot so the hook reads the project's config/provider.
+  const _pkgClaudeDir = path.resolve(path.dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), '..', '..', '..', '.claude');
+  function _hookScript(subdir, name) {
+    const pkg = path.join(_pkgClaudeDir, subdir, name);
+    return fs.existsSync(pkg) ? pkg : path.join(_projectRoot, '.claude', subdir, name);
+  }
+
+  // Story 8.3 fix: Windows agent-preview temp-patches config files (personality.txt,
+  // reverb-level.txt) to apply per-agent settings during a preview. Track every
+  // patched file + its pre-patch content here so ALL of them can be restored —
+  // not just on normal preview completion, but also on abnormal exit (Ctrl+C,
+  // crash, or quitting mid-preview). Non-Destructive Configuration Rule: a
+  // preview must never permanently mutate the user's config.
+  const _patchedConfigFiles = new Map(); // filePath -> original content (string) | null (file did not exist)
+
+  /** Record a file's pre-patch content the first time it's touched (idempotent). */
+  function _trackPatchedConfigFile(filePath, originalContent) {
+    if (!_patchedConfigFiles.has(filePath)) _patchedConfigFiles.set(filePath, originalContent);
+  }
+
+  /** Restore a single tracked file to its pre-patch state (or remove it if it didn't exist before). */
+  function _restorePatchedConfigFile(filePath) {
+    if (!_patchedConfigFiles.has(filePath)) return;
+    const original = _patchedConfigFiles.get(filePath);
+    try {
+      if (original !== null) fs.writeFileSync(filePath, original);
+      else fs.unlinkSync(filePath);
+    } catch { /* best-effort restore */ }
+    _patchedConfigFiles.delete(filePath);
+  }
+
+  // Abnormal-exit safety net: if the process dies mid-preview (Ctrl+C, crash,
+  // or the TUI quitting before the preview process's own 'exit' handler runs),
+  // still restore any temp-patched config files. Registered once per process
+  // via a module-level registry (see top of file) to avoid listener leaks.
+  _allPatchedConfigMaps.add(_patchedConfigFiles);
+  _ensurePatchExitHandlers();
+
   let _bmadDetected = false;
   let _agents = [];
   let _playingProcess = null;
@@ -1058,7 +1128,7 @@ ${_tl('bmadDesc')}
 
       if (_isWin) {
         // Windows: route through play-tts.ps1 (same pattern as non-Windows bash route)
-        const playTtsScript = path.join(_projectRoot, '.claude', 'hooks-windows', 'play-tts.ps1');
+        const playTtsScript = _hookScript('hooks-windows', 'play-tts.ps1');
         if (!fs.existsSync(playTtsScript)) return;
         _previewVoiceId = voiceId;
         if (!_vpClosed) { vpPreviewLine.setContent(`{bright-cyan-fg}♪ Playing: ${voiceId}...{/bright-cyan-fg}`); _refreshVP(); }
@@ -1073,7 +1143,7 @@ ${_tl('bmadDesc')}
       }
 
       // Non-Windows: use bash play-tts.sh
-      const playTtsScript = path.join(_projectRoot, '.claude', 'hooks', 'play-tts.sh');
+      const playTtsScript = _hookScript('hooks', 'play-tts.sh');
       if (!fs.existsSync(playTtsScript)) return;
 
       const remoteLlm = detectRemoteLlm();
@@ -1425,10 +1495,14 @@ ${_tl('bmadDesc')}
     }
 
     try {
-      if (profile.personality && profile.personality !== 'none')
+      if (profile.personality && profile.personality !== 'none') {
+        _trackPatchedConfigFile(personalityFile, origPersonality);
         fs.writeFileSync(personalityFile, profile.personality);
-      if (profile.reverbPreset)
+      }
+      if (profile.reverbPreset) {
+        _trackPatchedConfigFile(reverbFile, origReverb);
         fs.writeFileSync(reverbFile, profile.reverbPreset);
+      }
     } catch { /* degrade gracefully */ }
 
     const voiceId = profile.voice || '';
@@ -1440,16 +1514,21 @@ ${_tl('bmadDesc')}
     });
     _playingProcess = proc;
 
+    // Restore BOTH temp-patched files (personality + reverb) — transactional:
+    // whichever files were actually patched above get restored/unlinked here.
+    // Also covered by the module-level process 'exit'/SIGINT handlers if the
+    // process dies before this fires (see the module-level exit/SIGINT handler).
     function _restore() {
-      try {
-        if (origPersonality !== null) fs.writeFileSync(personalityFile, origPersonality);
-        else try { fs.unlinkSync(personalityFile); } catch {}
-        if (origReverb !== null) fs.writeFileSync(reverbFile, origReverb);
-      } catch {}
+      _restorePatchedConfigFile(personalityFile);
+      _restorePatchedConfigFile(reverbFile);
     }
 
-    proc.on('exit', () => { if (gen === _playGeneration) { _playingProcess = null; _stopSpinner(); } _restore(); if (onComplete) onComplete(); });
-    proc.on('error', () => { if (gen === _playGeneration) { _playingProcess = null; _stopSpinner(); } _restore(); if (onComplete) onComplete(); });
+    // Gate restore + onComplete behind the generation check too: a superseded
+    // preview's late exit must NOT restore config (it would clobber the newer
+    // preview's in-flight patch and fire onComplete out of order). The current
+    // generation's process — or the module-level exit/SIGINT handler — restores.
+    proc.on('exit', () => { if (gen === _playGeneration) { _playingProcess = null; _stopSpinner(); _restore(); if (onComplete) onComplete(); } });
+    proc.on('error', () => { if (gen === _playGeneration) { _playingProcess = null; _stopSpinner(); _restore(); if (onComplete) onComplete(); } });
   }
 
   // -------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -1627,9 +1706,15 @@ ${_tl('bmadDesc')}
     function _closeMenu(callback) {
       if (_menuClosed) return;
       _menuClosed = true;
+      navigationService?.closeModal();
       destroyList(menuList, screen, callback);
     }
 
+    // Register as an open modal so the global 'q' quit guard (app.js) blocks
+    // quit while this menu is up — otherwise 'q' falls through and exits the
+    // whole TUI instead of closing the menu.
+    navigationService?.openModal(null, () => _closeMenu(() => { agentList.focus(); screen.render(); }));
+
     menuList.key(['enter'], () => {
       const action = BULK_ACTIONS[menuList.selected];
       if (!action) return;

package/src/console/tabs/music-tab.js

@@ -12,16 +12,43 @@
 import fs from 'node:fs';
 import path from 'node:path';
 import os from 'node:os';
+import { spawn } from 'node:child_process';
 import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url';
 import { buildAudioEnv, spawnMp3Player } from '../audio-env.js';
 import { t } from '../../i18n/strings.js';
 
+const _MUSIC_TAB_DIR = path.dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url));
+
 // Package-relative tracks dir — used as fallback when cwd has no .claude/audio/tracks/
 const _PKG_TRACKS_DIR = path.resolve(
-  path.dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)),
-  '..', '..', '..', '.claude', 'audio', 'tracks'
+  _MUSIC_TAB_DIR, '..', '..', '..', '.claude', 'audio', 'tracks'
 );
 
+// Transport providers route audio to a remote receiver; local MP3 playback is
+// silent on a headless/remote box, so track previews must be forwarded instead.
+const _REMOTE_PROVIDERS = ['ssh-remote', 'agentvibes-receiver'];
+
+/**
+ * Resolve the active provider and the project dir it was read from, using the
+ * same search order as the voice pickers (CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR → cwd → package →
+ * home). Returns { remote, projectDir } so a remote preview can forward the
+ * track to the receiver and tell the sender which .claude dir to resolve.
+ */
+function _resolveMusicProvider() {
+  const projectRoot = path.resolve(_MUSIC_TAB_DIR, '..', '..', '..');
+  const dirs = [process.env.CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR, process.cwd(), projectRoot, os.homedir()].filter(Boolean);
+  for (const d of dirs) {
+    const p = path.join(d, '.claude', 'tts-provider.txt');
+    try {
+      if (fs.existsSync(p)) {
+        const provider = fs.readFileSync(p, 'utf8').trim();
+        return { remote: _REMOTE_PROVIDERS.includes(provider), projectDir: d };
+      }
+    } catch { /* next */ }
+  }
+  return { remote: false, projectDir: '' };
+}
+
 const IS_TEST = process.env.AGENTVIBES_TEST_MODE === 'true';
 
 let blessed;
@@ -540,6 +567,10 @@ export function createMusicTab(screen, services) {
 
   let _playingProcess = null;
   let _playingTrackId = null;
+  // Remote playback is fire-and-forget (the local sender exits in ms while the
+  // receiver keeps playing), so the on/off toggle tracks the intended remote
+  // track here rather than relying on a live local process.
+  let _remotePlayingTrackId = null;
 
   function _killPlayingProcess() {
     if (_playingProcess) {
@@ -550,6 +581,51 @@ export function createMusicTab(screen, services) {
 
   const _spawnEnv = buildAudioEnv();
 
+  /**
+   * Spawn the SSH sender to play a music track on the receiver, or stop the
+   * current one. Fire-and-forget (the sender exits after handing the payload to
+   * SSH; the receiver plays/stops asynchronously). Returns true if the send was
+   * launched. On a play error the remote-playing state is cleared so the toggle
+   * doesn't get stuck "on".
+   * @param {{remote:boolean, projectDir:string}} mp
+   * @param {{track?:string, stop?:boolean}} opts
+   */
+  function _sendMusicRemote(mp, { track = null, stop = false } = {}) {
+    const _pkgSender = path.resolve(_MUSIC_TAB_DIR, '..', '..', '..', '.claude', 'hooks', 'play-tts-ssh-remote.sh');
+    const senderPath = fs.existsSync(_pkgSender)
+      ? _pkgSender
+      : path.join(mp.projectDir, '.claude', 'hooks', 'play-tts-ssh-remote.sh');
+    const env = { ..._spawnEnv, CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR: mp.projectDir };
+    if (stop) env.AGENTVIBES_MUSIC_STOP = '1';
+    else env.AGENTVIBES_MUSIC_ONLY = track;
+    let rproc;
+    try {
+      rproc = spawn('bash', [senderPath, '', ''], { stdio: ['ignore', 'ignore', 'pipe'], detached: true, env }); // NOSONAR
+    } catch {
+      previewLine.setContent('{red-fg}Remote music preview failed{/red-fg}');
+      screen.render();
+      setTimeout(() => { previewLine.setContent(_listFocused ? _hintText() : ''); screen.render(); }, 4000);
+      return false;
+    }
+    let _rerr = '';
+    if (rproc.stderr) rproc.stderr.on('data', d => { _rerr += d.toString(); });
+    rproc.on('exit', (code) => {
+      if (stop || code === 0) return;
+      if (_remotePlayingTrackId === track) _remotePlayingTrackId = null;
+      const msg = _rerr.trim().split('\n').pop() || 'Remote preview failed';
+      previewLine.setContent(`{red-fg}♪ ${msg}{/red-fg}`);
+      screen.render();
+      setTimeout(() => { previewLine.setContent(_listFocused ? _hintText() : ''); screen.render(); }, 4000);
+    });
+    rproc.on('error', () => {
+      if (stop) return;
+      if (_remotePlayingTrackId === track) _remotePlayingTrackId = null;
+      previewLine.setContent('{red-fg}Remote music preview failed{/red-fg}');
+      screen.render();
+    });
+    return true;
+  }
+
   process.on('exit', () => { _killPlayingProcess(); });
 
   /**
@@ -566,6 +642,29 @@ export function createMusicTab(screen, services) {
       return;
     }
 
+    // Remote provider: forward to the receiver instead of local playback (which
+    // is silent on a headless box). The receiver auto-stops any prior track when
+    // a new one arrives; pressing Space on the currently-playing track sends an
+    // explicit stop (toggle off).
+    const _mp = _resolveMusicProvider();
+    if (_mp.remote) {
+      if (_remotePlayingTrackId === trackId) {
+        _sendMusicRemote(_mp, { stop: true });
+        _remotePlayingTrackId = null;
+        previewLine.setContent(_listFocused ? _hintText() : '');
+        screen.render();
+        return;
+      }
+      const rlabel = _allTracks.find(t => t.id === trackId)?.label ?? formatTrackLabel(trackId);
+      if (_sendMusicRemote(_mp, { track: trackId })) {
+        _remotePlayingTrackId = trackId;
+        previewLine.setContent(`{${COLORS.playingFg}-fg}♪ Playing on receiver: ${rlabel}  (Space to stop){/${COLORS.playingFg}-fg}`);
+      }
+      screen.render();
+      return;
+    }
+
+    // ── Local playback ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
     // Toggle: second press on the same track → stop
     if (_playingTrackId === trackId) {
       _killPlayingProcess();
@@ -780,7 +879,13 @@ export function createMusicTab(screen, services) {
     }
 
     function _saveGlobally() {
-      configService.setGlobal('backgroundMusic', { track: trackId });
+      // Merge into the existing global backgroundMusic object — a bare
+      // setGlobal('backgroundMusic', { track }) would replace the whole
+      // object and silently drop volume/enabled (Non-Destructive Rule).
+      const currentGlobal = configService.getGlobalConfig?.().backgroundMusic ?? {};
+      // Saving a track implies enabling music (mirrors _saveLocally), while
+      // preserving any existing volume/other fields on the global object.
+      configService.setGlobal('backgroundMusic', { ...currentGlobal, track: trackId, enabled: true });
     }
 
     const okLocalBtn = _makeBtn('Save Locally', COLORS.btnDefault, 2, 5, () => {

package/src/console/tabs/placeholder-tab.js

@@ -38,7 +38,6 @@ export function createPlaceholderTab(contentArea, label) {
 /** Map of tabId → display label for all tabs */
 export const TAB_DISPLAY_LABELS = {
   settings:        'Settings',
-  voices:          'Voices',
   music:           'Music',
   agents:          'BMad',
   receiver:        'Receiver',
@@ -66,7 +65,6 @@ export function getTabLabel(id, lang = 'en') {
   const keyMap = {
     setup:           'tabSetup',
     settings:        'tabSettings',
-    voices:          'tabVoices',
     music:           'tabMusic',
     agents:          'tabBmad',
     receiver:        'tabReceiver',

package/src/console/tabs/settings-tab.js

@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import path from 'node:path';
 import os from 'node:os';
 import crypto from 'node:crypto';
 import { spawn } from 'node:child_process';
+import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url';
 import {
   scanInstalledVoices, getVoiceMeta, genderIconTag, PIPER_VOICES_DIR, SAMPLE_PHRASES, parseMultiSpeaker,
 } from './voices-tab.js';
@@ -127,6 +128,19 @@ export function createSettingsTab(screen, services) {
 
   const { configService, providerService, navigationService, focusMainTabBar, languageService } = services;
 
+  // Capture cwd once at construction (matches agents-tab.js pattern)
+  const _projectRoot = process.cwd();
+
+  // Preview hooks: prefer the CURRENT package copy over the project-local
+  // .claude/hooks (a tarball reinstall refreshes node_modules only, not the
+  // project's .claude), so previews never run a stale sender. CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR
+  // still points at _projectRoot so the hook reads the project's config/provider.
+  const _pkgClaudeDir = path.resolve(path.dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), '..', '..', '..', '.claude');
+  function _hookScript(subdir, name) {
+    const pkg = path.join(_pkgClaudeDir, subdir, name);
+    return fs.existsSync(pkg) ? pkg : path.join(_projectRoot, '.claude', subdir, name);
+  }
+
   // ── Container ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
   const box = blessed.box({
@@ -646,7 +660,32 @@ export function createSettingsTab(screen, services) {
       _killVP();
 
       const phrase = SAMPLE_PHRASES[Math.floor(Math.random() * SAMPLE_PHRASES.length)]; // NOSONAR
-      const playTtsScript = path.join(_projectRoot, '.claude', 'hooks', 'play-tts.sh');
+
+      if (_isWin) {
+        // Windows: route through play-tts.ps1 (same pattern as non-Windows bash route)
+        const playTtsScript = _hookScript('hooks-windows', 'play-tts.ps1');
+        if (!fs.existsSync(playTtsScript)) return;
+        _previewVoiceId = voiceId;
+        if (!_vpClosed) {
+          vpPreviewLine.setContent(`{cyan-fg}♪ Playing: ${voiceId}...{/cyan-fg}`);
+          _refreshVP();
+        }
+        _previewProc = spawn('powershell', [ // NOSONAR
+          '-NoProfile', '-ExecutionPolicy', 'Bypass', '-File', playTtsScript, phrase, voiceId,
+        ], { stdio: 'ignore', detached: false, windowsHide: true, env: _spawnEnv });
+        _previewProc.on('exit', () => {
+          if (_previewVoiceId === voiceId) {
+            _previewVoiceId = null;
+            _previewProc = null;
+            if (!_vpClosed) { vpPreviewLine.setContent(''); _refreshVP(); }
+          }
+        });
+        _previewProc.on('error', () => { _previewProc = null; _previewVoiceId = null; });
+        return;
+      }
+
+      // Non-Windows: use bash play-tts.sh
+      const playTtsScript = _hookScript('hooks', 'play-tts.sh');
       if (!fs.existsSync(playTtsScript)) return;
 
       const remoteLlm = detectRemoteLlm();
@@ -656,7 +695,7 @@ export function createSettingsTab(screen, services) {
       _previewProc = spawn('bash', args, { // NOSONAR
         stdio: 'ignore',
         detached: true,
-        env: _spawnEnv,
+        env: { ..._spawnEnv, CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR: _projectRoot },
         cwd: _projectRoot,
       });
       _previewVoiceId = voiceId;

package/src/console/tabs/setup-tab.js

@@ -1144,7 +1144,7 @@ export function createSetupTab(screen, services) {
       pretext:      llmConfig.pretext || '',
       reverbPreset: llmConfig.effects || 'off',
       bgTrack:      llmConfig.bgTrack || '',
-      bgVolume:     llmConfig.bgVolume || '0.15',
+      bgVolume:     llmConfig.bgVolume || '0.20',
       // Hermes SSH fields
       mode:   currentCfg.mode === 'remote' ? 'remote' : 'local',
       sshKey: currentCfg.sshKey || '',
@@ -1330,7 +1330,7 @@ export function createSetupTab(screen, services) {
     const previewBtn = _modalBtn('Preview', 4, _playPreview);
     const resetBtn   = _modalBtn('Reset',   18, () => {
       draft.ttsEngine = ''; draft.voice = ''; draft.pretext = '';
-      draft.reverbPreset = 'off'; draft.bgTrack = ''; draft.bgVolume = '0.15';
+      draft.reverbPreset = 'off'; draft.bgTrack = ''; draft.bgVolume = '0.20';
       _autoSave();
       fieldList.setItems(_fieldItems());
       fieldList.focus();
@@ -2036,7 +2036,7 @@ export function createSetupTab(screen, services) {
       pretext:      config.pretext || defaultPretext[llmKey] || '',
       reverbPreset: config.effects || 'off',
       bgTrack:      config.bgTrack || '',
-      bgVolume:     config.bgVolume || '0.15',
+      bgVolume:     config.bgVolume || '0.20',
       // SSH destination fields
       mode:   sshCfg.mode === 'remote' ? 'remote' : 'local',
       sshKey: sshCfg.sshKey || '',
@@ -2329,7 +2329,7 @@ export function createSetupTab(screen, services) {
       draft.pretext = defaultPretext[llmKey] || '';
       draft.reverbPreset = 'off';
       draft.bgTrack = '';
-      draft.bgVolume = '0.15';
+      draft.bgVolume = '0.20';
       draft.mode     = 'local';
       draft.connType = 'manual';
       draft.sshKey   = '';
@@ -2852,11 +2852,21 @@ export function createSetupTab(screen, services) {
     let _kSpinInterval = null;
     let _kSpinFrame = 0;
     let _kSpinningIdx = -1;
+    let _kSpinStartTs = 0;
+    let _kFloorTimer = null;   // pending _stopKSpinnerWithFloor timer (tracked so it can be cancelled)
+    // Remote SSH preview is fire-and-forget: play-tts-ssh-remote.sh backgrounds
+    // the ssh call and exits within milliseconds, so the row spinner would be
+    // torn down before it ever paints a frame while the receiver plays the audio
+    // a beat later — the user hears sound but never sees the spinner. Hold the
+    // spinner on-screen for this minimum window so the remote path still gives a
+    // visible "preview sent" cue (fire-and-forget has no playback signal to await).
+    const _K_MIN_SPIN_MS = 1100;
 
     function _startKSpinner(listIdx) {
       _stopKSpinner();
       _kSpinningIdx = listIdx;
       _kSpinFrame = 0;
+      _kSpinStartTs = Date.now();
       _kSpinInterval = setInterval(() => {
         if (_kClosed) { _stopKSpinner(); return; }
         const spin = `{cyan-fg}${_K_SPIN[_kSpinFrame++ % _K_SPIN.length]}{/cyan-fg}`;
@@ -2866,6 +2876,9 @@ export function createSetupTab(screen, services) {
     }
 
     function _stopKSpinner() {
+      // Cancel any pending floor timer so a stale one can't fire against a newer
+      // preview's spinner (rapid Space presses) or after the picker closes.
+      if (_kFloorTimer) { clearTimeout(_kFloorTimer); _kFloorTimer = null; }
       if (_kSpinInterval) { clearInterval(_kSpinInterval); _kSpinInterval = null; }
       if (_kSpinningIdx >= 0 && !_kClosed) {
         kPicker.setItem(_kSpinningIdx, _kokoroItem(voices[_kSpinningIdx]));
@@ -2874,6 +2887,21 @@ export function createSetupTab(screen, services) {
       _kSpinningIdx = -1;
     }
 
+    // Stop the spinner but keep it on-screen for at least _K_MIN_SPIN_MS so a
+    // fire-and-forget remote send stays visible; runs `after` once the floor is
+    // met. No-ops safely if the picker closes in the meantime (_stopKSpinner and
+    // the _kClosed guard both short-circuit). Used only by the remote path — the
+    // local synth path already spins for the whole (multi-second) synthesis.
+    function _stopKSpinnerWithFloor(after) {
+      if (_kFloorTimer) { clearTimeout(_kFloorTimer); _kFloorTimer = null; }
+      const wait = Math.max(0, _K_MIN_SPIN_MS - (Date.now() - _kSpinStartTs));
+      _kFloorTimer = setTimeout(() => {
+        _kFloorTimer = null;
+        _stopKSpinner();
+        if (!_kClosed && after) after();
+      }, wait);
+    }
+
     const LEGEND_H = 3;
     const pickerH = Math.min(voices.length + LEGEND_H + 3, 24);
 
@@ -3226,8 +3254,7 @@ export function createSetupTab(screen, services) {
         _kPreviewProc = remoteProc;
         remoteProc.on('exit', (code) => {
           _kPreviewProc = null;
-          _stopKSpinner();
-          if (_kClosed) return;
+          _stopKSpinnerWithFloor(() => {
           if (code !== 0 && _isCjkVoice(voiceId)) {
             // CJK voice failed on receiver — needs the language-specific misaki extra there.
             // Still try to download the .pt file locally so the picker shows ✓.
@@ -3272,6 +3299,7 @@ export function createSetupTab(screen, services) {
             screen.render();
             setTimeout(() => { if (!_kClosed) { kBox.setLabel(IDLE_LABEL); screen.render(); } }, 3000);
           }
+          });
         });
         remoteProc.on('error', () => {
           _kPreviewProc = null;

package/src/console/tabs/voices-tab.js

@@ -967,15 +967,23 @@ export function createVoicesTab(screen, services) {
     // NOTE: projectRoot is AgentVibes repo root (3 levels up from src/console/tabs/)
     const projectRoot = path.resolve(__dirname, '..', '..', '..');
     let activeProvider = '';
+    // Capture the dir the provider was read from so we can forward it to
+    // play-tts.sh as --project-dir. Without it the script re-resolves the
+    // provider from its OWN cwd/package .claude (which has no tts-provider.txt),
+    // falls back to piper-local, and synthesizes to a silent local device on a
+    // headless/remote box — i.e. the preview appears to do nothing. Passing the
+    // exact dir we matched keeps the JS check and the shell routing in agreement.
+    let activeProjectDir = '';
     try {
-      const providerPaths = [
-        process.env.CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR && path.join(process.env.CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR, '.claude', 'tts-provider.txt'),
-        path.join(process.cwd(), '.claude', 'tts-provider.txt'),
-        path.join(projectRoot, '.claude', 'tts-provider.txt'),
-        path.join(os.homedir(), '.claude', 'tts-provider.txt'),
+      const providerDirs = [
+        process.env.CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR,
+        process.cwd(),
+        projectRoot,
+        os.homedir(),
       ].filter(Boolean);
-      for (const p of providerPaths) {
-        if (fs.existsSync(p)) { activeProvider = fs.readFileSync(p, 'utf8').trim(); break; }
+      for (const d of providerDirs) {
+        const p = path.join(d, '.claude', 'tts-provider.txt');
+        if (fs.existsSync(p)) { activeProvider = fs.readFileSync(p, 'utf8').trim(); activeProjectDir = d; break; }
       }
     } catch {}
 
@@ -994,12 +1002,14 @@ export function createVoicesTab(screen, services) {
       let proc;
       if (isWindows) {
         const playTts = path.join(hooksBase, '.claude', 'hooks-windows', 'play-tts.ps1');
-        proc = spawn('powershell', ['-NoProfile', '-ExecutionPolicy', 'Bypass', '-File', playTts, phrase, voiceId], { // NOSONAR
+        const _pdArgs = activeProjectDir ? ['-ProjectDir', activeProjectDir] : [];
+        proc = spawn('powershell', ['-NoProfile', '-ExecutionPolicy', 'Bypass', '-File', playTts, phrase, voiceId, ..._pdArgs], { // NOSONAR
           stdio: 'ignore', detached: false, windowsHide: true, env: _spawnEnv,
         });
       } else {
         const playTts = path.join(hooksBase, '.claude', 'hooks', 'play-tts.sh');
-        proc = spawn('bash', [playTts, phrase, voiceId], { // NOSONAR
+        const _pdArgs = activeProjectDir ? ['--project-dir', activeProjectDir] : [];
+        proc = spawn('bash', [playTts, phrase, voiceId, ..._pdArgs], { // NOSONAR
           stdio: ['ignore', 'ignore', 'pipe'], detached: true, env: _spawnEnv,
           cwd: process.cwd(),
         });

package/src/console/widgets/track-picker.js

@@ -33,9 +33,9 @@ const _modalTitle = (text) => ` {${BRAND_PINK}-fg}${text}{/${BRAND_PINK}-fg} `;
  * @param {Function} [onClose]  - called when modal closes (confirm or cancel)
  */
 export function openVolumeInput(screen, currentVol, onConfirm, onClose) {
-  if (IS_TEST) { onConfirm(currentVol ?? 70); return; }
+  if (IS_TEST) { onConfirm(currentVol ?? 20); return; }
   let vol = (Number.isFinite(currentVol) && currentVol >= 0 && currentVol <= 100)
-    ? currentVol : 70;
+    ? currentVol : 20;
 
   const box = blessed.box({
     parent: screen,
@@ -141,7 +141,7 @@ const BUILT_IN_TRACKS = [
  *
  * @param {object}   screen        - blessed screen
  * @param {string}   currentTrack  - currently selected track filename
- * @param {number}   currentVolume - currently set volume (0-100, default 70)
+ * @param {number}   currentVolume - currently set volume (0-100, default 20)
  * @param {Function} onSelect      - called with (trackFile, volume)
  * @param {Function} [onClose]     - called after modal fully closes
  */