Scaffold v0.1.0: Pika-compatible CLI, drivers, event log, MCP, docs

README.md

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+# FREESTREAM
+
+**A universal, free-tier avatar-meeting skill.** Clean-room reimplementation,
+CLI-compatible with [`Pika-Labs/Pika-Skills` — pikastream-video-meeting](https://github.com/Pika-Labs/Pika-Skills)
+(Apache-2.0). Same CLI surface, same exit codes, same output JSON — any agent
+trained on the Pika skill works unchanged. The metered hosted pipeline is
+replaced by swappable local drivers.
+
+This is **v0.1.0 scaffold**: working CLI + event log + MCP protocol skeleton +
+driver interface contracts. The MVP slice (Jitsi/LiveKit, Piper TTS,
+faster-whisper ASR, viseme-animated still) lands on top of these interfaces.
+
+## The three-layer split
+
+| Layer | Job | Drivers (preference order) |
+|---|---|---|
+| Presence | Get a participant into the call, own an A/V track | `livekit` (free, low jitter) → `browser` (Playwright + virtual cam) → `sip` (audio-only) |
+| Persona | A face and a voice | Fidelity ladder: FULL_PORTRAIT → VISEME_STILL → AUDIO_REACTIVE_WAVE → STATIC_CARD; Piper TTS, local-only clones |
+| Cognition | The agent, unchanged | MCP: `session.observe` / `speak` / `listen` / `leave` |
+
+## Quick start
+
+```bash
+pip install -r requirements.txt
+
+# What can this host deliver?
+python scripts/freestream.py probe
+
+# Join (MVP slice targets Jitsi / LiveKit first)
+python scripts/freestream.py join --meet-url <url> --bot-name <name> \
+  --image identity/videomeeting-avatar.png
+
+# Drive the session as an agent
+python -m freestream.mcp_server
+```
+
+## CLI surface (Pika-compatible)
+
+```
+freestream join  --meet-url <url> --bot-name <name> --image <path>
+                 [--voice-id <id>] [--system-prompt-file <path>]
+                 [--system-prompt <text>] [--meeting-password <pw>]
+                 [--platform jitsi|livekit|google_meet|zoom] [--timeout-sec 90]
+freestream leave --session-id <id>
+freestream generate-avatar --output <path> [--prompt <text>]
+freestream clone-voice --audio <file> --name <name> [--noise-reduction]
+freestream probe                              # FREESTREAM addition: capability negotiation
+```
+
+**Exit codes** — preserved from Pika, one repurposed:
+
+- `0` ok · `1` configuration (FREESTREAM addition) · `2` validation ·
+  `3` transport · `4` session · `5` timeout
+- `6` **capability shortfall** (was Pika's *funding*). Stdout JSON carries
+  `capability` + `remediation` instead of `checkout_url`.
+
+`join` emits `{"session_id", "platform", "status": "created"}` immediately,
+then status-change lines, exactly like the Pika CLI — agents that parse that
+stream keep working.
+
+## Latency trade-off
+
+~2.5–4.5s perceived turn on CPU vs. Pika's ~1.5s hosted (~1.2–2.0s with
+GPU). Mitigated by 600ms speculative dispatch, sentence-level pre-roll, and
+avatar motion starting ~150ms before audio. See `docs/LATENCY.md`.
+
+## Privacy
+
+Face and voice clones never leave the device. Hosted clones (Pika/MiniMax)
+expire after 7 days of non-use; FREESTREAM clones are local files. Consent
+and disclosure defaults: `docs/CONSENT.md`.
+
+## Attribution & license
+
+Apache-2.0. Clean-room reimplementation of the CLI contract of
+[pikastream-video-meeting](https://github.com/Pika-Labs/Pika-Skills/tree/main/pikastream-video-meeting)
+by Pika Labs — no source code ported; the interface (CLI flags, exit codes,
+output JSON, SKILL.md agent flow, `life/` identity-file conventions) is
+preserved for agent compatibility. The hosted PikaStreaming service is
+replaced, not reimplemented.