diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/app/chat/composer/hooks/use-voice-conversation.test.tsx b/apps/desktop/src/app/chat/composer/hooks/use-voice-conversation.test.tsx
index 1e43ef8b18..446b603ac1 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/app/chat/composer/hooks/use-voice-conversation.test.tsx
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/app/chat/composer/hooks/use-voice-conversation.test.tsx
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import { act, cleanup, renderHook, waitFor } from '@testing-library/react'
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
 
 import type { BargeMonitorCallbacks } from '@/lib/voice-barge-in'
+import { $autoSpeakReplies } from '@/store/voice-prefs'
 
 import type { MicRecording } from './use-mic-recorder'
 import { useVoiceConversation } from './use-voice-conversation'
@@ -27,10 +28,13 @@ vi.mock('@/lib/voice-barge-in', () => ({
 const markVoicePlaybackInterrupted = vi.fn()
 const stopVoicePlayback = vi.fn()
 
+const playSpeechTextMock = vi.fn(async () => true)
+const startSpeechStreamMock = vi.fn(async () => null)
+
 vi.mock('@/lib/voice-playback', () => ({
   markVoicePlaybackInterrupted: () => markVoicePlaybackInterrupted(),
-  playSpeechText: vi.fn(async () => true),
-  startSpeechStream: vi.fn(async () => null),
+  playSpeechText: (...args: unknown[]) => playSpeechTextMock(...(args as [])),
+  startSpeechStream: (...args: unknown[]) => startSpeechStreamMock(...(args as [])),
   stopVoicePlayback: () => stopVoicePlayback()
 }))
 
@@ -75,7 +79,11 @@ interface HookProps {
   busy: boolean
 }
 
-function renderConversation(overrides: { onInterrupt?: () => void; transcript?: string } = {}) {
+function renderConversation(overrides: {
+  onInterrupt?: () => void
+  pendingResponse?: () => { id: string; pending: boolean; text: string } | null
+  transcript?: string
+} = {}) {
   const onInterrupt = overrides.onInterrupt ?? vi.fn()
 
   // Mirrors the real app: submitting a turn makes the agent busy.
@@ -95,6 +103,9 @@ function renderConversation(overrides: { onInterrupt?: () => void; transcript?:
     transcriptions++ === 0 ? 'kick off the task' : (overrides.transcript ?? 'and another thing')
   )
 
+  const pendingResponse = overrides.pendingResponse ?? (() => null)
+  const reply = { id: 'reply-1', pending: false, text: 'Here is the answer.' }
+
   const hook = renderHook(
     ({ busy }: HookProps) =>
       useVoiceConversation({
@@ -105,14 +116,14 @@ function renderConversation(overrides: { onInterrupt?: () => void; transcript?:
         onStopWord,
         onSubmit,
         onTranscribeAudio,
-        pendingResponse: () => null
+        pendingResponse
       }),
     { initialProps: { busy: false } }
   )
 
   onBusyChange.current = busy => hook.rerender({ busy })
 
-  return { hook, onInterrupt, onStopWord, onSubmit, onTranscribeAudio }
+  return { hook, onInterrupt, onBusyChange, onStopWord, onSubmit, onTranscribeAudio, reply }
 }
 
 /** Drive the hook into the generation phase (turn submitted, model working). */
@@ -264,3 +275,69 @@ describe('useVoiceConversation full-duplex barge-in', () => {
     expect(monitorCalls.length).toBe(armed)
   })
 })
+
+// #44263 — the "Read replies aloud" toggle ($autoSpeakReplies, the store the
+// settings toggle writes, seeded once from voice.auto_tts) must govern the
+// voice-conversation loop too: with it off, Voice Chat runs STT-only and the
+// reply stays text on screen — no TTS stream or sentence playback is started
+// for it, and the loop re-arms the mic for the next turn.
+describe('useVoiceConversation honors the read-aloud toggle (#44263)', () => {
+  let replyReady: boolean
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    replyReady = false
+    vi.clearAllMocks()
+    micHandle.start.mockResolvedValue(undefined)
+    micHandle.stop.mockResolvedValue(null)
+  })
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    $autoSpeakReplies.set(false)
+    cleanup()
+  })
+
+  const driveOneTurn = async () => {
+    const { hook, onSubmit, onBusyChange, reply } = renderConversation({
+      pendingResponse: () => (replyReady ? reply : null)
+    })
+
+    await act(async () => {
+      await hook.result.current.start()
+    })
+    await enterThinking(hook)
+
+    // The reply lands (still busy), then the turn completes — the order the
+    // real app produces: streaming reply text arrives before busy clears.
+    replyReady = true
+    onBusyChange.current(false)
+
+    await waitFor(() => expect(onSubmit).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1))
+
+    return { hook }
+  }
+
+  it('does not start TTS for the reply when read-aloud is off', async () => {
+    $autoSpeakReplies.set(false)
+
+    await driveOneTurn()
+
+    // The loop settles back into listening (mic re-armed for the next turn)
+    // without ever opening TTS for the reply.
+    await waitFor(() => expect(monitorCalls.length).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(0))
+
+    expect(startSpeechStreamMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+    expect(playSpeechTextMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+  })
+
+  it('opens the live speech stream when read-aloud is on', async () => {
+    $autoSpeakReplies.set(true)
+
+    await driveOneTurn()
+
+    await waitFor(() => expect(startSpeechStreamMock).toHaveBeenCalled())
+
+    // The mocked stream session resolves null, so the loop falls back to
+    // per-sentence playback — that too is TTS for the reply.
+    await waitFor(() => expect(playSpeechTextMock).toHaveBeenCalled())
+  })
+})
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/app/chat/composer/hooks/use-voice-conversation.ts b/apps/desktop/src/app/chat/composer/hooks/use-voice-conversation.ts
index dab7405e9c..6deab067fc 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/app/chat/composer/hooks/use-voice-conversation.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/app/chat/composer/hooks/use-voice-conversation.ts
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ import {
 import { isVoiceStopCommand } from '@/lib/voice-stop-word'
 import { notify, notifyError } from '@/store/notifications'
 import { $voicePlayback } from '@/store/voice-playback'
-import { $bargeInThresholdMultiplier } from '@/store/voice-prefs'
+import { $autoSpeakReplies, $bargeInThresholdMultiplier } from '@/store/voice-prefs'
 
 import { useComposerScope } from '../scope'
 
@@ -856,6 +856,19 @@ export function useVoiceConversation({
 
       const response = pendingResponse()
 
+      // "Read replies aloud" off (#44263): Voice Chat is STT-only — the reply
+      // stays text on screen, the loop consumes it and re-arms the mic for
+      // the next turn without ever starting TTS.
+      if (response && !$autoSpeakReplies.get()) {
+        awaitingSpokenResponseRef.current = false
+        dropSpeechSession()
+        consumePendingResponse()
+        pendingStartRef.current = true
+        setStatus('idle')
+
+        return
+      }
+
       if (response) {
         openLiveSpeech(response.id)