Getting Started with Flow TTS

Getting Started with Flow TTS

Flow TTS is a Chrome extension for listening to web pages with local, browser-based text-to-speech models. To get started, install the extension, pin it to your Chrome toolbar, complete account setup, activate your license if you bought one, choose a voice model, and press play on a web page. This guide covers the shortest path from install to your first listening session.

1. Install Flow TTS in Chrome

Start by installing Flow TTS from the Chrome Web Store or from the install link you received after purchase. After installation, Chrome may place the extension under the puzzle icon instead of showing it directly in your toolbar.

Pinning the extension makes daily use much easier:

1. Click the Chrome puzzle icon near the address bar.

2. Find Flow TTS in the extensions list.

3. Click the pin icon so Flow TTS stays visible in your toolbar.

4. Open any readable web page and click the Flow TTS icon.

Once pinned, Flow TTS is easier to launch on articles, documentation, essays, newsletters, and other pages you want to hear instead of read visually.

2. Complete the quick setup tour

On first install, Flow TTS opens a short onboarding tour. The tour covers account sign-in, pinning the toolbar icon, the read player, voices, Flow Templates, and a short celebration step. Dedicated privacy and license intro screens are no longer part of the tour.

The most important setup steps are:

• Sign in with an email one-time code so playback can use a valid token. You can continue the tour without signing in, but play requires an account.
• Start with bundled Supertonic. Install other models later from Settings → Models if you want a different sound or speed.
• If you have a paid license, add the key during account setup or later in Settings → Account.

You can change most choices later from Settings. The first run is mainly about getting enough configured to start listening. Optional CPU and memory diagnostics live in Settings → Diagnostics, not in onboarding.

3. Activate your license if you purchased Flow TTS

If you bought Flow TTS through Lemon Squeezy, your payment and receipt are handled by Lemon Squeezy. Flow TTS does not process your card details. To unlock premium entitlement in the extension, activate the license with the email and license key from your purchase receipt.

Use this path inside Flow TTS:

1. Open Flow TTS from the Chrome toolbar.

2. Open Settings.

3. Go to the Account tab.

4. Enter the email address associated with your purchase.

5. Enter the license key from your Lemon Squeezy receipt.

6. Activate the license.

Use the same email that is tied to the license. Flow TTS binds a license key to its associated email, so a mismatch can prevent activation.

Premium status is checked through Flow TTS backend services. Premium users can unlock unlimited character usage when entitlement is active, plus Glass Mode visual themes.

4. Choose a voice model

Flow TTS uses local, browser-based speech synthesis for supported models. The voices step explains that a model is the engine and a voice is how it sounds:

• Supertonic: bundled and ready. Start here when you want to listen immediately.
• Other families: install Kitten, Kokoro, Piper, or Supertonic v2 from Settings → Models. Finish the install before you play that model.

The full model catalog is available from Settings. Flow TTS currently supports 27 model IDs across five families, and most artifacts need to be installed before use. If a model is not ready yet, open Settings and check the Models tab.

You can also adjust voice, speed, volume, sample-rate behavior, WebGPU settings where supported, and model-specific quality controls from Settings. For a first session, start with the default speed and change one setting at a time after you hear a few paragraphs.

5. Play your first web page

Open a page you want to hear, then click the Flow TTS toolbar icon. The in-page player appears on the current page with controls for playback.

For the first test, use a clean article or documentation page rather than a highly interactive dashboard. Then:

1. Open the page in Chrome.

2. Click the Flow TTS toolbar icon.

3. Use Auto mode to read the main readable content on the page.

4. Press play.

5. Pause, skip, or adjust playback from the in-page player.

Auto mode is the simplest starting point because it reads readable content collected from the current page. It is a good fit for articles, guides, blog posts, documentation, and other mostly text-based pages.

6. Read only selected text when you do not need the whole page

Sometimes you only want one paragraph, quote, or section. Flow TTS supports selected-text playback through Chrome's context menu.

Highlight the text you want to hear, right-click, and choose the Flow TTS read-selection action. This is useful for search results, comments, snippets, messages, or a single section inside a longer page.

Selected-text reading is often the fastest way to test whether your voice, speed, and volume settings feel right.

7. Use Flow Templates for pages you revisit

Flow Templates are for pages where you want more control over what gets read. Instead of reading everything Auto mode finds, you can save specific parts of a page as a reusable reading path.

Use Flow Templates when:

• A page has sidebars, menus, comments, or unrelated text you do not want to hear.
• You revisit the same site layout often.
• You want to read a repeated section, list, card layout, or article body.
• You want Flow mode to play a saved plan instead of using Auto mode.

Flow Templates support visual element selection, Read/Skip/Repeat, live-root methods (Normal, Dynamic extract, Read everything inside), custom selectors, per-domain grouping, enable/disable toggles, and URL scoping. For a deeper walkthrough, read how Flow Templates create custom reading paths.

8. Adjust the player and settings

After your first playback test, tune the parts that affect everyday listening:

• Voice and speed: Change model, voice, playback rate, volume, and quality-related settings from Settings.
• Player position: Move the in-page player to a corner or edge that does not cover important page content.
• Scrubbers and overlays: Enable node, audio, volume, current-node highlight, or read-target overlays if they help you navigate.
• Hover-to-play: Enable hover controls if you often want to play individual readable blocks.
• Usage meter: Show usage state in the player if you want visibility into free-tier character limits.
• Pronunciation: Add custom pronunciation rules for names, acronyms, units, or terms Flow TTS reads awkwardly.

Keep the first setup simple. Once playback works, add controls only when they solve a real annoyance.

Privacy and network caveats

Flow TTS is designed around local speech synthesis for supported installed or bundled models. That means page text used for speech generation can be synthesized in the browser instead of being sent to a cloud TTS service.

That does not mean every part of Flow TTS is fully offline. Accounts, license activation, usage checks, premium status, model downloads, and some status checks may use network or backend services. Free usage is account-based: 10,000 characters per day by default. For the precise boundary, review the Flow TTS privacy policy and the guide to local versus cloud text-to-speech.

Quick troubleshooting

If Flow TTS does not appear, check that it is installed, enabled, and pinned from Chrome's puzzle icon. If the in-page player does not show on a particular site, try a simpler article page to confirm the extension is working.

If playback does not start, check that account setup is complete, your usage state is available, and your selected model is installed or ready. If you purchased a license, verify that the email and license key match the Lemon Squeezy receipt.

If a page reads too much or skips the part you care about, try selected-text playback for a short passage or create a Flow Template for that site.

FAQ

Do I need an account to use Flow TTS?

Yes. Flow TTS onboarding starts with account setup so playback can use a signed token. Free users can access core reading features after setup, subject to usage limits.

Where do I activate a Lemon Squeezy license?

Open Flow TTS, go to Settings, then open the Account tab. Enter the email and license key from your Lemon Squeezy receipt.

Is Flow TTS fully offline?

No. Flow TTS supports local speech synthesis for supported models, but account setup, license checks, usage checks, model downloads, and some status features may require network services.

What should I try first?

Start with Auto mode on a clean article or documentation page. After that, try selected-text playback for a short passage and Flow Templates for pages you revisit often.