---
summary: "Speech, media understanding, image/video/music generation, web search, and media utilities"
read_when:
  - You are synthesizing speech or transcribing inbound audio
  - You are generating images, video, or music from a plugin
  - You need MIME detection, resizing, or QR helpers
title: "Plugin runtime media helpers"
sidebarTitle: "Media helpers"
---

Speech, media understanding, generation, web search, and the low-level media utilities. Part of the [Plugin runtime helpers](/plugins/sdk-runtime) reference.

## Media and generation namespaces

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="api.runtime.tts">
    Text-to-speech synthesis.

    ```typescript
    // Standard TTS
    const clip = await api.runtime.tts.textToSpeech({
      text: "Hello from OpenClaw",
      cfg: api.config,
    });

    // Telephony-optimized TTS
    const telephonyClip = await api.runtime.tts.textToSpeechTelephony({
      text: "Hello from OpenClaw",
      cfg: api.config,
    });

    // List available voices
    const voices = await api.runtime.tts.listVoices({
      provider: "elevenlabs",
      cfg: api.config,
    });
    ```

    Uses core `tts` configuration and provider selection. Returns PCM audio buffer + sample rate. `textToSpeechStream` is also available for streaming synthesis.

  </Accordion>
  <Accordion title="api.runtime.mediaUnderstanding">
    Image, audio, and video analysis.

    ```typescript
    // Describe an image
    const image = await api.runtime.mediaUnderstanding.describeImageFile({
      filePath: "/tmp/inbound-photo.jpg",
      cfg: api.config,
      agentDir: "/tmp/agent",
    });

    // Prepare a capture limit before installing audio receive listeners.
    const budget = await api.runtime.mediaUnderstanding.resolveAudioInputBudget({
      cfg: api.config,
    });
    // budget.enabled is false when audio understanding is disabled. Otherwise,
    // budget.maxBytes includes the container header and covers the largest fallback.

    // Transcribe audio
    const { text } = await api.runtime.mediaUnderstanding.transcribeAudioFile({
      filePath: "/tmp/inbound-audio.ogg",
      cfg: api.config,
      mime: "audio/ogg", // optional, for when MIME cannot be inferred
    });

    // Describe a video
    const video = await api.runtime.mediaUnderstanding.describeVideoFile({
      filePath: "/tmp/inbound-video.mp4",
      cfg: api.config,
    });

    // Generic file analysis
    const result = await api.runtime.mediaUnderstanding.runFile({
      filePath: "/tmp/inbound-file.pdf",
      cfg: api.config,
    });

    // Structured image extraction through a specific provider/model.
    // Include at least one image; text inputs are supplemental context.
    const evidence = await api.runtime.mediaUnderstanding.extractStructuredWithModel({
      provider: "codex",
      model: "gpt-5.6-sol",
      input: [
        {
          type: "image",
          buffer: receiptImageBuffer,
          fileName: "receipt.png",
          mime: "image/png",
        },
        { type: "text", text: "Prefer the printed total over handwritten notes." },
      ],
      instructions: "Extract vendor, total, and searchable tags.",
      schemaName: "receipt.evidence",
      jsonSchema: {
        type: "object",
        properties: {
          vendor: { type: "string" },
          total: { type: "number" },
          tags: { type: "array", items: { type: "string" } },
        },
        required: ["vendor", "total"],
      },
      cfg: api.config,
    });
    ```

    Returns `{ text: undefined }` when no output is produced (e.g. skipped input).

    `describeImageFileWithModel(...)` describes an already-known image through a specific provider/model, bypassing the default active-model resolution that `describeImageFile(...)` uses.

  </Accordion>
  <Accordion title="api.runtime.imageGeneration">
    Image generation.

    ```typescript
    const result = await api.runtime.imageGeneration.generate({
      prompt: "A robot painting a sunset",
      cfg: api.config,
    });

    const providers = api.runtime.imageGeneration.listProviders({ cfg: api.config });
    ```

  </Accordion>
  <Accordion title="api.runtime.videoGeneration">
    Video generation, mirroring the image generation shape.

    ```typescript
    const result = await api.runtime.videoGeneration.generate({
      prompt: "A drone shot flying over a coastline at sunrise",
      cfg: api.config,
    });

    const providers = api.runtime.videoGeneration.listProviders({ cfg: api.config });
    ```

  </Accordion>
  <Accordion title="api.runtime.musicGeneration">
    Music generation, mirroring the image generation shape.

    ```typescript
    const result = await api.runtime.musicGeneration.generate({
      prompt: "An upbeat lo-fi track for a coding session",
      cfg: api.config,
    });

    const providers = api.runtime.musicGeneration.listProviders({ cfg: api.config });
    ```

  </Accordion>
  <Accordion title="api.runtime.webSearch">
    Web search.

    ```typescript
    const providers = api.runtime.webSearch.listProviders({ config: api.config });

    const result = await api.runtime.webSearch.search({
      config: api.config,
      args: { query: "OpenClaw plugin SDK", count: 5 },
    });
    ```

  </Accordion>
  <Accordion title="api.runtime.media">
    Low-level media utilities.

    ```typescript
    const webMedia = await api.runtime.media.loadWebMedia(url);
    const mime = await api.runtime.media.detectMime(buffer);
    const kind = api.runtime.media.mediaKindFromMime("image/jpeg"); // "image"
    const isVoice = api.runtime.media.isVoiceCompatibleAudio(filePath);
    const metadata = await api.runtime.media.getImageMetadata(filePath);
    const resized = await api.runtime.media.resizeToJpeg(buffer, { maxWidth: 800 });
    const terminalQr = await api.runtime.media.renderQrTerminal("https://openclaw.ai");
    const pngQr = await api.runtime.media.renderQrPngBase64("https://openclaw.ai", {
      scale: 6, // 1-12
      marginModules: 4, // 0-16
    });
    const pngQrDataUrl = await api.runtime.media.renderQrPngDataUrl("https://openclaw.ai");
    const tmpRoot = resolvePreferredOpenClawTmpDir();
    const pngQrFile = await api.runtime.media.writeQrPngTempFile("https://openclaw.ai", {
      tmpRoot,
      dirPrefix: "my-plugin-qr-",
      fileName: "qr.png",
    });
    ```

  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>