Give your Hermes agent its own Inkbox identity:
a mailbox, iMessage, a phone number for calls and SMS, realtime phone calls, and an Inkbox tunnel.
Keep Hermes reachable from anywhere without forking Hermes.
Email · Calls · SMS / MMS · iMessage · Tunnel
Status: gateway platform adapter, setup wizard, doctor checks, SMS/MMS batching, 1:1 and group SMS/iMessage conversations, inbound email/SMS/iMessage/voice, OpenAI Realtime phone calls, post-call actions, conversation tools, and package-included skills are implemented.
- An installed Hermes Agent.
- The recommended Hermes installer for macOS, Linux, or WSL2:
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/main/scripts/install.sh | bash
source ~/.bashrc
hermes setup- The recommended Hermes installer for Windows PowerShell:
iex (irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/main/scripts/install.ps1)
hermes setupAfter setup, configure a model provider with hermes setup if the installer did not already walk you through it.
- An Inkbox account or API key.
hermes inkbox setupcan create a fresh agent identity through self-signup, or it can use an existing Inkbox API key.
Install and enable the plugin:
hermes plugins install inkbox-ai/hermes-agent-plugin --enableConfigure Inkbox:
hermes inkbox setup
hermes inkbox doctorStart the gateway:
hermes gateway runKeep that process running. On startup the plugin opens an Inkbox tunnel, configures mail/text/iMessage webhook subscriptions and incoming-call handling, and routes inbound email, SMS, iMessage, and calls into Hermes sessions.
After a human assigns an existing identity and credential, an agent can complete the official integration without stepping through the setup wizard. Install the official plugin through Hermes' native plugin manager; do not copy plugin files or install an unreviewed substitute:
hermes plugins install inkbox-ai/hermes-agent-plugin --enableUse the assigned handle exactly as provided. Do not run hermes inkbox setup or
create another identity. Keep the credential in a transient shell variable and
pass it through standard input so it does not appear in the process list:
read -rsp "Inkbox API key: " INKBOX_BOOTSTRAP_KEY
printf '%s' "$INKBOX_BOOTSTRAP_KEY" | hermes inkbox bootstrap \
--identity '<handle>' \
--api-key-stdin \
--base-url '<url>' \
--voice-ai \
--rotate-signing-key \
--start-gateway
unset INKBOX_BOOTSTRAP_KEYThe command validates that the key can access the requested identity, stores an agent-scoped key in the active Hermes profile, configures Inkbox Voice AI without widening its saved authority, intentionally rotates the identity's signing key, and starts or restarts the gateway. It is non-interactive after the credential is supplied, emits a JSON result, preserves the assigned identity, and is safe to resume by rerunning the same command.
Read the JSON result before continuing:
- For
configured, immediately unset the transient credential if it has not already been unset, then runhermes inkbox doctorand confirm it reports no errors. - For
requires_human, show the human every entry inhuman_actions, wait for them to complete the requested action, and rerun the exact same bootstrap command with the same assigned handle and credential. Do not choose a new identity during recovery. - For
error, show theerrorvalue, diagnose and correct that cause, runhermes inkbox doctorfor current configuration and readiness findings, and retry the exact same bootstrap command. Always unset the transient credential after each attempt.
Never place the credential in source control, a project instruction file, shell history, logs, or command-line arguments. Hermes stores the resulting local configuration in the active profile.
To update an existing install:
hermes plugins update inkbox
hermes gateway restarthermes inkbox setup walks the active Hermes install through Inkbox configuration:
- Installs or upgrades
inkbox>=0.5.9,<1.0.0andaiohttp>=3.9in the Hermes Python environment when needed. - Authenticates to Inkbox, or starts self-signup if you do not have an API key yet.
- Resolves or creates the Inkbox agent identity for this Hermes gateway.
- Optionally provisions a local US phone number so SMS and voice are available.
- Presents the Phone call voice stack choices: Inkbox Voice AI, OpenAI Realtime API, or Inkbox TTS/STT. Realtime is saved only after key validation succeeds.
- Offers to enable iMessage for the agent (existing or freshly created), then walks you through connecting your iPhone: text the connect command to the Inkbox iMessage router, message the agent once, and receive a welcome reply confirming the channel.
- Stores
INKBOX_API_KEY,INKBOX_IDENTITY,INKBOX_SIGNING_KEY, and related settings in~/.hermes/.env. - Points the identity's mailbox, phone number, and iMessage events at the agent-owned Inkbox tunnel.
- Prints the final mailbox/phone summary and next commands.
If setup provisions a new local phone number, it waits for an inbound SMS START to that number before finishing. Text START from every phone that should receive outbound SMS from the agent.
Inkbox reachability is controlled server-side with mailbox and phone contact rules in the Inkbox Console. The plugin sets INKBOX_ALLOW_ALL_USERS=true so anyone Inkbox lets through reaches Hermes; use the Inkbox Console for allow/block rules instead of maintaining a second local allowlist.
The setup wizard installs dependencies into the Python environment that runs Hermes. That may be different from your shell's pip.
If the wizard prints a missing-SDK warning, use the exact command it prints. It will look like this:
/path/to/hermes/venv/bin/python3 -m pip install 'inkbox>=0.5.9,<1.0.0' 'aiohttp>=3.9'When uv is available, the wizard prefers:
uv pip install --python /path/to/hermes/venv/bin/python3 'inkbox>=0.5.9,<1.0.0' 'aiohttp>=3.9'Do not use plain pip install inkbox aiohttp unless the wizard tells you to; plain pip may point at pyenv, Homebrew, system Python, or another virtualenv.
The setup wizard writes to ~/.hermes/.env:
INKBOX_API_KEY=ApiKey_xxxxxxxxxxxx
INKBOX_IDENTITY=my-agent-handle
INKBOX_SIGNING_KEY=xxxxxxxxxxxx
INKBOX_ALLOW_ALL_USERS=trueOptional:
INKBOX_BASE_URL=https://your-inkbox-api.example
INKBOX_PUBLIC_URL=https://your-public-hermes-host.example
INKBOX_TUNNEL_NAME=my-agent-handle
INKBOX_HOME_CHANNEL=contact-or-phone
INKBOX_ALLOWED_USERS=contact-or-phone,another-contact
INKBOX_REQUIRE_SIGNATURE=true
INKBOX_CONTACT_MEMORIES_ENABLED=true
INKBOX_A2A_PROGRESS_INTERVAL_SECONDS=180Without INKBOX_PUBLIC_URL, the adapter uses the Inkbox SDK tunnel.
Verified inbound events include generated memories for the matched sender or caller by default. They are added as background context and are never treated as instructions. Disable them with INKBOX_CONTACT_MEMORIES_ENABLED=false, or override the environment setting in Hermes config:
platforms:
inkbox:
contact_memories_enabled: falseThe setup wizard offers three ways to handle phone calls:
- Inkbox Voice AI handles calls on behalf of the agent and notifies Hermes when each call ends. Setup also asks whether its tools should be contact-scoped or use YOLO mode.
- OpenAI Realtime API uses your API key for low-latency conversations. The realtime agent can consult Hermes for complex tasks.
- Inkbox TTS/STT routes transcripts and spoken replies through Hermes with higher conversational latency and no OpenAI API key.
INKBOX_VOICE_STACK is the canonical selection. Existing installations without
that setting retain their current Realtime auto-detection behavior.
In Voice AI mode, inkbox_place_call turns purpose, opening_message, and
context into Inkbox Voice AI's task brief. The runtime omits a per-call
authority override, so the call inherits the authority approved during setup.
When any Voice AI call ends—including unanswered and failed calls—Inkbox sends
one signed call.ended event. Hermes receives the outcome, transcript, and open
post-call actions in a single suppressed-text turn and can complete remaining
work with its normal tools.
Calls auto-detect OpenAI Realtime credentials. The plugin checks, in order:
platforms.inkbox.realtime.api_keyin Hermes config.INKBOX_REALTIME_API_KEY.- Hermes
openai-apicredentials, includingcredential_pool.openai-api. OPENAI_API_KEY.
When OpenAI Realtime is selected, the wizard validates Realtime access before saving the plugin-specific key. Failed validation returns to the three voice stack choices without changing the active selection. Hermes/Codex OAuth is not used for GA Realtime calls.
Common realtime env vars:
export OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-..."
export INKBOX_REALTIME_MODEL="gpt-realtime-2"
export INKBOX_REALTIME_VOICE="cedar"
export INKBOX_REALTIME_FALLBACK_TO_INKBOX_STT_TTS=trueSwitch from Realtime to Inkbox TTS/STT:
export INKBOX_VOICE_STACK=inkbox_tts_stt
hermes gateway restartINKBOX_REALTIME_ENABLED is a legacy compatibility toggle used only when
INKBOX_VOICE_STACK is absent.
Realtime calls receive the agent's Inkbox handle, mailbox, phone number, caller contact metadata, and outbound-call purpose before greeting. The realtime model has direct access to consult_agent, register_post_call_action, edit_post_call_action, delete_post_call_action, and hang_up_call.
When Realtime is enabled, the plugin preflights the OpenAI Realtime websocket before accepting the Inkbox call in raw-media mode. If that preflight fails, calls fall back to Inkbox STT/TTS by default. Set INKBOX_REALTIME_FALLBACK_TO_INKBOX_STT_TTS=false to fail the call instead.
Calls — inbound and outbound — can run over either of two lines, and the agent picks the one that matches the channel it's talking on:
- The dedicated phone number. The agent's own number (the same line SMS uses). Outbound calls present this number; inbound calls to it ring the agent.
- The shared Inkbox iMessage line. The agent can also place and receive voice calls with a person it's connected to over iMessage, over the same shared line that person already messages. The underlying number is never surfaced — Inkbox resolves it from the iMessage connection — and it only works for people already connected over iMessage (an unknown caller is rejected; an outbound call with no connection is refused).
Inbound answering is configured once per identity, so one voice-stack selection
governs both lines. OpenAI Realtime and Inkbox TTS/STT open the call bridge
WebSocket; Inkbox Voice AI handles call media without the local bridge. Outbound,
the agent sets origination on inkbox_place_call (dedicated_number /
shared_imessage_number), or omits it when only one line is available.
iMessage supports shared, dedicated inbound, and dedicated outbound lines. Shared and dedicated inbound lines are recipient-first. A dedicated outbound line can initiate 1:1 conversations and groups of 2–8 distinct recipients.
- Enable iMessage for the agent during
hermes inkbox setup(or later by rerunning it). Enablement is stored on the Inkbox identity, not in local config. - From an iPhone, text the connect command (for example
connect @my-agent-handle) to the Inkbox iMessage router number. The wizard prints both, and the agent can also share them via theinkbox_imessage_triage_numbertool. - On shared service, Inkbox texts back from the number assigned to that conversation. Send any first message there. Dedicated inbound lines likewise require the recipient to message first; dedicated outbound lines may initiate conversations.
- The setup wizard waits for that first message and replies with a welcome confirming the channel. From then on, a 1:1 thread joins the same contact-keyed Hermes session as email/SMS/voice, while each group gets its own shared conversation session. The agent replies over iMessage by default to the thread that woke it.
If a person disconnects the agent, outbound sends to that conversation fail until they reconnect through the router and message the agent again. Conversation rows expose assignment_status (active/released) so the agent can see this, and inkbox_list_imessage_assignments lists who is currently connected. Outbound delivery transitions (imessage.sent, imessage.delivered) arrive as webhooks and are logged by the gateway without waking the agent; imessage.delivery_failed wakes the agent to fix and resend, matching the SMS lifecycle handling — where text.delivery_unconfirmed (carrier uncertainty, not a failure) is likewise logged without a wake.
Native attachments work in both outbound paths. In a normal channel reply, Hermes MEDIA:/absolute/path directives are securely validated, uploaded with the Inkbox SDK, and sent as iMessage media. For explicit inkbox_send_imessage calls, use mediaPaths for local files; use mediaUrls only for already-hosted public HTTP(S) URLs. iMessage supports one attachment of up to 10 MiB per message.
Group iMessage uses the same conversation-first behavior as group SMS. inkbox_list_imessage_conversations includes groups by default, inkbox_get_imessage_conversation returns their history, and inkbox_send_imessage replies with conversationId. To start a group, pass 2–8 distinct E.164 recipients in to; the plugin verifies that the identity has a dedicated outbound iMessage line first. Inbound group messages share a conversation session, include sender and participant context, and only trigger a visible reply when the agent is addressed or expected to act. Typing indicators and read receipts remain 1:1-only.
Once someone is connected over iMessage, the agent can also place and receive voice calls with them over that same shared line — see Two calling lines. This works even for an agent that has no dedicated phone number.
hermes inkbox setup
hermes inkbox doctor
hermes inkbox whoamiIn a chat session:
/inkbox doctor
/inkbox whoami
Useful Hermes commands while iterating:
hermes plugins list
hermes plugins update inkbox
hermes gateway run
hermes gateway restart
hermes config
hermes config editThe repository includes a manual-testing image with Hermes and the Inkbox SDK preinstalled. The plugin source is staged from the exact local Docker build context, while the public Inkbox SDK dependency is pinned in the Dockerfile. The plugin is not installed or configured in the image.
Build and start it:
docker build --tag hermes-inkbox-dev .
docker volume create hermes-inkbox-dev-data
docker run --detach \
--name hermes-inkbox-dev \
--volume hermes-inkbox-dev-data:/opt/data \
hermes-inkbox-dev
docker exec --interactive --tty --user hermes hermes-inkbox-dev bashThen, inside the container:
hermes setup
hermes plugins install "file://${INKBOX_PLUGIN_SOURCE}" --enable
hermes inkbox setup
hermes inkbox doctor
hermes gateway runOn a reused Docker volume, skip hermes setup when a model provider is already
configured.
Hermes state and credentials persist in the hermes-inkbox-dev-data Docker
volume when the container is restarted or recreated.
After the gateway starts:
- Run
hermes inkbox doctor. - Text
STARTto the agent's Inkbox phone number from every phone the agent should text. - Send the agent an SMS and verify it replies in the same SMS thread.
- Add the agent to a group SMS/MMS conversation and verify it stays silent for unrelated chatter, then replies in the same conversation when addressed.
- Send the agent an email and verify it replies from its Inkbox mailbox.
- If iMessage is enabled, connect via the iMessage router, message the agent, and verify it replies in the same iMessage thread. For a dedicated outbound line, also start a group and verify addressed replies stay in that conversation while unrelated chatter receives no response.
- Call the agent phone number and ask for its handle, email, and phone.
- Ask during a call for a post-call SMS or email follow-up, then verify it sends after hangup.
| Env var | Required | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
INKBOX_API_KEY |
yes | - | Agent-scoped Inkbox API key. Admin keys are accepted by setup so it can create or choose an identity. |
INKBOX_IDENTITY |
yes | - | Inkbox agent identity handle. |
INKBOX_SIGNING_KEY |
inbound | - | Webhook HMAC secret. Required for signed inbound email, SMS, iMessage, and calls. |
INKBOX_REQUIRE_SIGNATURE |
no | true |
Refuse unsigned inbound Inkbox webhooks unless set to false. |
INKBOX_EXTERNAL_EVENTS_ENABLED |
no | false |
Gates whether unverified/unknown webhooks reach the agent: a source with no registered provider, or an Inkbox-signed payload with no matching handler. Off by default. Verified registered third-party providers (e.g. a configured GitHub secret via INKBOX_WEBHOOK_SECRET_GITHUB) are always delivered regardless of this flag; unverified sources are handed to the agent with a directive forbidding irreversible action. |
INKBOX_SKIP_WEBHOOK_RECONCILE |
no | false |
Leave webhook subscriptions untouched on connect. For deployments that provision them ahead of time, where the destination is fixed or the agent's key may not change it. The subscriptions must already point at this agent's webhook URL, or nothing will arrive. |
INKBOX_BASE_URL |
no | SDK default | Override Inkbox API base URL. |
INKBOX_PUBLIC_URL |
no | - | Public Hermes gateway URL. If omitted, the plugin opens an Inkbox tunnel. |
INKBOX_TUNNEL_NAME |
no | identity handle | Override Inkbox tunnel name. |
INKBOX_HOME_CHANNEL |
no | - | Default Inkbox chat/contact id for cron or notification delivery. |
INKBOX_ALLOWED_USERS |
no | - | Optional comma-separated local allowlist. Usually leave empty and use Inkbox contact rules. |
INKBOX_ALLOW_ALL_USERS |
no | false |
Allow all senders admitted by Inkbox contact rules. Setup writes true. |
INKBOX_CONTACT_MEMORIES_ENABLED |
no | true |
Include generated memories for the matched sender or caller as background context. platforms.inkbox.contact_memories_enabled takes precedence. |
INKBOX_A2A_PROGRESS_INTERVAL_SECONDS |
no | 180 |
Seconds between progress updates for an active inbound A2A task. Set to 0 to disable periodic updates. platforms.inkbox.a2a_progress_interval_seconds takes precedence. |
INKBOX_VOICE_STACK |
no | legacy migration | Phone call stack: inkbox_voice_ai, openai_realtime, or inkbox_tts_stt. |
INKBOX_VOICE_AI_AUTHORITY_MODE |
Voice AI | contact_scoped |
Voice AI tool authority: contact_scoped or yolo. |
INKBOX_VOICEMAIL_DETECTION |
no | enabled |
Outbound call voicemail detection: enabled or disabled. Live CI sets disabled; ordinary calls keep enabled. |
INKBOX_REALTIME_ENABLED |
no | auto |
Legacy Realtime toggle for installations without INKBOX_VOICE_STACK. |
INKBOX_REALTIME_API_KEY |
no | - | OpenAI API key used only for realtime calls. OPENAI_API_KEY is also accepted. |
OPENAI_API_KEY |
no | - | OpenAI API key used for realtime calls when INKBOX_REALTIME_API_KEY is absent. |
INKBOX_REALTIME_MODEL |
no | gpt-realtime-2 |
Realtime voice model. |
INKBOX_REALTIME_VOICE |
no | cedar |
Realtime voice name. |
INKBOX_REALTIME_CONNECT_TIMEOUT_S |
no | 8 |
Seconds to wait for OpenAI Realtime preflight before falling back or failing. |
INKBOX_REALTIME_CONSULT_TIMEOUT_S |
no | plugin default | Seconds the Realtime voice agent waits for a Hermes consult before continuing. |
INKBOX_REALTIME_FALLBACK_TO_INKBOX_STT_TTS |
no | true |
Fall back to Inkbox STT/TTS if OpenAI Realtime connect/auth fails before call accept. |
Two optional blocks under the inkbox: platform config tailor the agent per
channel without editing SOUL.md or the bundled skills. Both are keyed by
modality (email, sms, imessage, voice) or by a specific Inkbox
contact id, with the contact id taking precedence.
channel_prompts— an ephemeral system prompt injected on that channel's turns (e.g. an overview the agent should lead with, or a tone instruction).channel_skill_bindings— extra skills auto-loaded on a new session for that channel. These are merged on top of the built-in per-channel defaults, so the responder/troubleshooting skills are never dropped.
inkbox:
channel_prompts:
imessage: "You are the Inkbox concierge. Give a one-line overview of Inkbox
(email, phone, and identities for AI agents) and offer a quick live demo."
voice: "Keep replies to one short spoken sentence."
channel_skill_bindings:
- id: imessage
skills: ["inkbox:inkbox-outreach-sequence"]
- id: voice
skill: "inkbox:inkbox-outbound-calling" # single-name shorthandBuilt-in defaults that always load (before merge): inkbox:inkbox-troubleshooting
on every channel, plus inkbox:inkbox-imessage-responder on iMessage and
inkbox:inkbox-call-review on realtime call wrap-up. Skill names use the
qualified inkbox:<skill> form.
Hermes direct tools:
inkbox_whoamiinkbox_send_emailinkbox_send_smsinkbox_list_text_conversationsinkbox_get_text_conversationinkbox_list_textsinkbox_get_textinkbox_mark_text_readinkbox_mark_text_conversation_readinkbox_imessage_triage_numberinkbox_send_imessageinkbox_list_imessage_assignmentsinkbox_list_imessage_conversationsinkbox_get_imessage_conversationinkbox_send_imessage_reactioninkbox_mark_imessage_conversation_readinkbox_place_callinkbox_a2a_callinkbox_a2a_checkinkbox_a2a_replyinkbox_a2a_completeinkbox_a2a_ask_callerinkbox_a2a_failinkbox_list_a2a_tasksinkbox_list_a2a_messagesinkbox_list_a2a_sent_tasksinkbox_get_a2a_sent_taskinkbox_lookup_contactinkbox_list_contactsinkbox_get_contactinkbox_create_contactinkbox_update_contactinkbox_delete_contact
Inbound A2A tasks use isolated context sessions and a durable task registry.
After durable binding, the plugin immediately sends a non-terminal receipt that
states the configured progress cadence, then sends a concise update every three
minutes by default while the worker turn remains active.
Periodic summaries use the task text and sanitized activity categories; raw tool
inputs, tool results, and model reasoning are excluded. Configure the interval
under platforms.inkbox.a2a_progress_interval_seconds, or set it to 0 to
disable periodic updates. Hermes exposes the summarizer as the
inkbox_a2a_progress auxiliary model task; if the auxiliary call is unavailable,
the plugin sends a deterministic update instead.
Generic assistant text never completes the task. The three A2A outcome tools are
accepted only during a verified inbound A2A turn and are the only way to complete,
fail, or request input for that task. hermes inkbox doctor reports the A2A
subscription, recent delivery result, and bounded local dispatch phases without
including task content or webhook response bodies. Outbound delegation tools can
create tasks, wait for worker state changes, and answer requests for more input.
The history tools support direction, participant, lifecycle, context, keyword,
timestamp, and cursor filters. The sent-task tools remain available as
outbound-only compatibility aliases. The plugin requires Inkbox SDK 0.5.9 or
newer.
Realtime-only call tools:
consult_agentregister_post_call_actionedit_post_call_actiondelete_post_call_actionhang_up_call
The plugin registers all skills/*/SKILL.md files with Hermes.
| Skill | Trigger |
|---|---|
inkbox-troubleshooting |
Runtime/config errors, failed tools, readiness issues |
inkbox-email-triage |
Current inbound email and explicit outbound/reply sends |
inkbox-sms-responder |
Sending, replying to, or triaging SMS |
inkbox-imessage-responder |
Sending, replying to, or triaging iMessage |
inkbox-outbound-calling |
Placing calls to numbers or contacts |
inkbox-call-review |
Current-call/post-call context; historical call reads are not exposed in Hermes |
inkbox-contact-lookup |
Resolving, creating, or updating organization-wide contacts |
inkbox-contact-rules |
Explaining server-side contact rules; rule edit tools are not exposed in Hermes |
inkbox-identity-access |
Explaining identity access; grant/revoke tools are not exposed in Hermes |
inkbox-notes-memory |
Explaining note limitations; Inkbox note tools are not exposed in Hermes |
inkbox-credential-use |
Explaining vault limitations; Inkbox vault tools are not exposed in Hermes |
inkbox-outreach-sequence |
Multi-step outreach over email/SMS |
python -m pytest
python -m pytest tests/test_realtime_auth.py tests/test_realtime_bridge_parity.py- Agent-scoped: runtime should use an Inkbox agent-scoped API key.
- Tunnel-first inbound: with a signing key, the gateway opens an Inkbox tunnel,
creates mail/text subscriptions, and keeps separate identity-owned iMessage
and
call.endedsubscriptions at the same canonical receiver URL. - Voice: Inkbox TTS/STT and OpenAI Realtime use the local media WebSocket. Inkbox Voice AI handles media remotely and reports completion by webhook.
- Post-call actions: Realtime and Voice AI calls dispatch one reconciled post-call turn for the main Hermes agent after hangup.
- Identity-aware calls: call prompts include agent handle/mailbox/phone/tunnel and known caller contact metadata.
The plugin runs out of the box, but a few Hermes overrides noticeably improve the
experience for an Inkbox agent. Apply them in ~/.hermes/.env (or via
hermes config set) and hermes gateway restart.
Decide how outbound content is redacted. Hermes ships a redactor that masks
secrets — API keys, tokens — and E.164 phone numbers in the agent's outbound
content by default (HERMES_REDACT_SECRETS=true), rewriting +19255550123 as
+192****0123. For a communications agent whose own number is meant to be
shared, that masking can get in the way; remove the Hermes layer with:
HERMES_REDACT_SECRETS=falseEquivalently, hermes config set security.redact_secrets false. Note this only
disables Hermes' masking — the model may still abbreviate or mask a number on
its own when composing a formal reply, so don't rely on this alone to guarantee
full digits. Leave redaction on if the agent handles third-party secrets you do
not want echoed into messages or logs.
Use OpenAI Realtime for voice. Inkbox STT/TTS is the zero-config fallback, but realtime calls are noticeably more natural. Provide a key and let the plugin auto-enable it:
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...
INKBOX_REALTIME_ENABLED=trueSee Realtime Calls for the full credential resolution order and voice/model overrides.
Admit everyone Inkbox already vetted. The setup wizard writes this, but if you configured by hand, let Inkbox's contact rules be the gate rather than a local allowlist:
INKBOX_ALLOW_ALL_USERS=true