ai-phone runs speech recognition, a language model and speech synthesis on an Apple Silicon Mac, per its README ^[1]. Start with a local SIP call. Its README says live-carrier acceptance checks remain pending ^[1].

The repository requires macOS on Apple Silicon, Git, Homebrew and uv. It recommends 16 GB RAM for the default model, with a smaller option for 8 GB systems. Model downloads need several GB of disk space ^[1].

Clone and install ai-phone

The installer sets up Python dependencies and the native SIP library, per the README ^[1]. SIP is the protocol used to connect the call.

bash

git clone https://github.com/oxnw/ai-phone.git
cd ai-phone
./scripts/install.sh

Choose a local model and SIP address

The setup wizard chooses call directions, model, line and voice ^[1]. For the local call, enable incoming calls, select "A SIP address" and keep the name agent, as the usage guide describes ^[2]. Choose the local model option to keep the conversation processing on the Mac ^[2].

bash

uv run ai-phone setup

You should see prompts for those choices and model downloads ^[1]. The usage guide says setup saves configuration and secrets under ~/.ai-phone/ ^[2].

Start the phone agent

The usage guide requires the daemon to stay running for incoming calls. Setup does not install a background service ^[2].

bash

uv run ai-phone run

You should see the daemon state where the call's text will go when it starts, per the usage guide ^[2].

Call it from another terminal

Keep the daemon running. In a second terminal, use the repository's local-call command ^[1]^[2].

bash

pjsua --local-port 5070 sip:agent@127.0.0.1

The guide describes this as a local call without a carrier. If you chose a different SIP name, substitute that name for agent ^[2].

You can now evaluate a local call before connecting a number. Telephone calls require a SIP trunk or carrier account, with charges. Audio travels over SIP/RTP. Choosing a remote language model sends conversation text to that provider ^[2].

The published Phonon measurements cover local loopback calls with no carrier registration or external model ^[3]. Treat them as the repository's local results when deciding what to try next.