diff --git a/db/connectors/audio-generate b/db/connectors/audio-generate
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..9e85b8b7c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/db/connectors/audio-generate
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Generate audio via Stable Audio Open. Whitelistable command.
+# Usage: audio-generate "prompt text" [--duration N] [--steps N] [--cfg N] [--output file.wav] [--timeout N]
+exec python3 "$(dirname "$0")/audio_connector.py" generate "$@"
diff --git a/db/connectors/audio-health b/db/connectors/audio-health
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..112affff7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/db/connectors/audio-health
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Check if the Stable Audio Open API is reachable. Whitelistable command.
+# Usage: audio-health
+exec python3 "$(dirname "$0")/audio_connector.py" health
diff --git a/db/connectors/audio-post b/db/connectors/audio-post
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..3131fcfd5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/db/connectors/audio-post
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Audio post-processing (ffmpeg wrapper). Whitelistable command.
+# Usage: audio-post convert input.wav [--output output.ogg]
+#        audio-post normalize input.wav [--lufs -16]
+#        audio-post trim input.wav [--threshold -50]
+#        audio-post pipeline input.wav [--output output.ogg]
+exec python3 "$(dirname "$0")/audio_post.py" "$@"
diff --git a/db/connectors/audio_connector.py b/db/connectors/audio_connector.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1323a8e70
--- /dev/null
+++ b/db/connectors/audio_connector.py
@@ -0,0 +1,290 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""
+Stable Audio Open connector — Gradio API wrapper.
+
+Talks to the Stable Audio Open Gradio app at tower-of-joy:11500.
+Uses the async Gradio API pattern: POST to submit, SSE stream for results.
+
+Usage:
+    python3 audio_connector.py generate "prompt text" [--duration 10] [--steps 100] [--cfg 7] [--output file.wav]
+    python3 audio_connector.py health
+"""
+
+import json
+import os
+import sys
+import time
+import urllib.error
+import urllib.request
+import shutil
+
+CONFIG_PATH = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), "config.json")
+
+def load_config():
+    with open(CONFIG_PATH) as f:
+        return json.load(f)
+
+def get_base_url():
+    config = load_config()
+    return config.get("stable_audio_url", "http://tower-of-joy:11500")
+
+def health():
+    """Check if the Stable Audio API is reachable."""
+    base = get_base_url()
+    try:
+        req = urllib.request.Request(f"{base}/config", method="GET")
+        with urllib.request.urlopen(req, timeout=10) as resp:
+            data = json.loads(resp.read())
+            version = data.get("version", "unknown")
+            # Extract component info for the generate endpoint
+            api_names = []
+            for dep in data.get("dependencies", []):
+                name = dep.get("api_name", "")
+                if name and not name.startswith("js_"):
+                    api_names.append(name)
+            print(json.dumps({
+                "ok": True,
+                "url": base,
+                "gradio_version": version,
+                "api_endpoints": api_names
+            }, indent=2))
+    except Exception as e:
+        print(json.dumps({
+            "ok": False,
+            "url": base,
+            "error": str(e)
+        }, indent=2))
+        sys.exit(1)
+
+def generate(prompt, duration=10.0, steps=100, cfg=7.0, output=None, timeout=600):
+    """
+    Generate audio from a text prompt.
+
+    Args:
+        prompt: Text description of the audio to generate
+        duration: Duration in seconds (0-47, default 10)
+        steps: Number of diffusion steps (default 100, lower = faster but lower quality)
+        cfg: Classifier-free guidance scale (default 7)
+        output: Output file path (default: auto-named in current directory)
+        timeout: Maximum wait time in seconds (default 600 = 10 minutes)
+    """
+    base = get_base_url()
+    api_url = f"{base}/gradio_api/call/generate_audio"
+
+    if output is None:
+        # Auto-name: sanitize prompt to a filename
+        safe = "".join(c if c.isalnum() or c in "-_ " else "" for c in prompt[:40])
+        safe = safe.strip().replace(" ", "_").lower()
+        output = f"{safe}_{int(duration)}s.wav"
+
+    # Step 1: Submit the generation request
+    payload = json.dumps({"data": [prompt, duration, steps, cfg]})
+    req = urllib.request.Request(
+        api_url,
+        data=payload.encode(),
+        headers={"Content-Type": "application/json"},
+        method="POST"
+    )
+
+    print(f"Submitting generation request...", file=sys.stderr)
+    print(f"  Prompt: {prompt}", file=sys.stderr)
+    print(f"  Duration: {duration}s, Steps: {steps}, CFG: {cfg}", file=sys.stderr)
+
+    try:
+        with urllib.request.urlopen(req, timeout=30) as resp:
+            result = json.loads(resp.read())
+            event_id = result.get("event_id")
+            if not event_id:
+                print(json.dumps({"ok": False, "error": "No event_id returned", "response": result}, indent=2))
+                sys.exit(1)
+    except Exception as e:
+        print(json.dumps({"ok": False, "error": f"Submit failed: {e}"}, indent=2))
+        sys.exit(1)
+
+    print(f"  Event ID: {event_id}", file=sys.stderr)
+    print(f"  Waiting for generation (timeout: {timeout}s)...", file=sys.stderr)
+
+    # Step 2: Poll the SSE stream for results
+    stream_url = f"{api_url}/{event_id}"
+    start_time = time.time()
+    result_data = None
+    last_status = None
+
+    while time.time() - start_time < timeout:
+        try:
+            req = urllib.request.Request(stream_url, method="GET")
+            with urllib.request.urlopen(req, timeout=timeout) as resp:
+                # Read SSE events
+                current_event = None
+                for line_bytes in resp:
+                    line = line_bytes.decode("utf-8").strip()
+
+                    if line.startswith("event: "):
+                        current_event = line[7:]
+                    elif line.startswith("data: ") and current_event:
+                        data_str = line[6:]
+
+                        if current_event == "heartbeat":
+                            elapsed = int(time.time() - start_time)
+                            if elapsed % 30 == 0 and elapsed > 0:
+                                print(f"  Still generating... ({elapsed}s elapsed)", file=sys.stderr)
+                            continue
+
+                        if current_event == "error":
+                            error_msg = data_str
+                            try:
+                                error_msg = json.loads(data_str)
+                            except (json.JSONDecodeError, TypeError):
+                                pass
+                            print(json.dumps({"ok": False, "error": "Generation failed", "details": error_msg}, indent=2))
+                            sys.exit(1)
+
+                        if current_event == "complete":
+                            try:
+                                result_data = json.loads(data_str)
+                            except json.JSONDecodeError:
+                                result_data = data_str
+                            break
+
+                        if current_event == "progress":
+                            try:
+                                progress = json.loads(data_str)
+                                # Gradio progress events vary; log what we get
+                                status = str(progress)[:80]
+                                if status != last_status:
+                                    print(f"  Progress: {status}", file=sys.stderr)
+                                    last_status = status
+                            except (json.JSONDecodeError, TypeError):
+                                pass
+                            continue
+
+                if result_data is not None:
+                    break
+
+        except urllib.error.URLError as e:
+            # Connection dropped — retry after brief pause
+            time.sleep(2)
+            continue
+        except Exception as e:
+            print(json.dumps({"ok": False, "error": f"Stream error: {e}"}, indent=2))
+            sys.exit(1)
+
+    if result_data is None:
+        print(json.dumps({"ok": False, "error": f"Generation timed out after {timeout}s"}, indent=2))
+        sys.exit(1)
+
+    # Step 3: Download the audio file
+    # Gradio returns file info in the data array
+    elapsed = round(time.time() - start_time, 1)
+    print(f"  Generation complete ({elapsed}s)", file=sys.stderr)
+
+    try:
+        # result_data is typically [{"path": "...", "url": "...", ...}] or similar
+        if isinstance(result_data, list) and len(result_data) > 0:
+            audio_info = result_data[0]
+        elif isinstance(result_data, dict) and "data" in result_data:
+            audio_info = result_data["data"][0] if result_data["data"] else None
+        else:
+            audio_info = result_data
+
+        # Extract the file URL
+        file_url = None
+        if isinstance(audio_info, dict):
+            file_url = audio_info.get("url") or audio_info.get("path")
+        elif isinstance(audio_info, str):
+            file_url = audio_info
+
+        if not file_url:
+            print(json.dumps({
+                "ok": False,
+                "error": "Could not extract audio URL from response",
+                "response": result_data
+            }, indent=2))
+            sys.exit(1)
+
+        # Handle relative URLs
+        if file_url.startswith("/"):
+            file_url = f"{base}{file_url}"
+        elif not file_url.startswith("http"):
+            file_url = f"{base}/file={file_url}"
+
+        # Download the file
+        print(f"  Downloading to {output}...", file=sys.stderr)
+        req = urllib.request.Request(file_url, method="GET")
+        with urllib.request.urlopen(req, timeout=60) as resp:
+            with open(output, "wb") as f:
+                shutil.copyfileobj(resp, f)
+
+        file_size = os.path.getsize(output)
+        print(json.dumps({
+            "ok": True,
+            "file": output,
+            "size_bytes": file_size,
+            "duration_requested": duration,
+            "steps": steps,
+            "cfg": cfg,
+            "prompt": prompt,
+            "generation_time_s": elapsed
+        }, indent=2))
+
+    except Exception as e:
+        print(json.dumps({
+            "ok": False,
+            "error": f"Download failed: {e}",
+            "response": result_data
+        }, indent=2))
+        sys.exit(1)
+
+def main():
+    if len(sys.argv) < 2:
+        print("Usage:")
+        print("  audio_connector.py health")
+        print("  audio_connector.py generate 'prompt' [--duration N] [--steps N] [--cfg N] [--output file.wav] [--timeout N]")
+        sys.exit(1)
+
+    cmd = sys.argv[1]
+
+    if cmd == "health":
+        health()
+    elif cmd == "generate":
+        if len(sys.argv) < 3:
+            print("Error: prompt required", file=sys.stderr)
+            print("Usage: audio_connector.py generate 'prompt' [--duration N] [--steps N] [--cfg N] [--output file.wav]", file=sys.stderr)
+            sys.exit(1)
+
+        prompt = sys.argv[2]
+        duration = 10.0
+        steps = 100
+        cfg = 7.0
+        output = None
+        timeout = 600
+
+        # Parse optional args
+        i = 3
+        while i < len(sys.argv):
+            if sys.argv[i] == "--duration" and i + 1 < len(sys.argv):
+                duration = float(sys.argv[i + 1])
+                i += 2
+            elif sys.argv[i] == "--steps" and i + 1 < len(sys.argv):
+                steps = int(sys.argv[i + 1])
+                i += 2
+            elif sys.argv[i] == "--cfg" and i + 1 < len(sys.argv):
+                cfg = float(sys.argv[i + 1])
+                i += 2
+            elif sys.argv[i] == "--output" and i + 1 < len(sys.argv):
+                output = sys.argv[i + 1]
+                i += 2
+            elif sys.argv[i] == "--timeout" and i + 1 < len(sys.argv):
+                timeout = int(sys.argv[i + 1])
+                i += 2
+            else:
+                print(f"Unknown argument: {sys.argv[i]}", file=sys.stderr)
+                sys.exit(1)
+
+        generate(prompt, duration=duration, steps=steps, cfg=cfg, output=output, timeout=timeout)
+    else:
+        print(f"Unknown command: {cmd}", file=sys.stderr)
+        sys.exit(1)
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    main()
diff --git a/db/connectors/audio_post.py b/db/connectors/audio_post.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..dcee95c62
--- /dev/null
+++ b/db/connectors/audio_post.py
@@ -0,0 +1,171 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""Audio post-processing wrapper around ffmpeg.
+
+Subcommands:
+  convert   — WAV to OGG (libvorbis, quality 6)
+  normalize — LUFS normalize to -16 LUFS (broadcast standard)
+  trim      — Remove leading/trailing silence
+  pipeline  — trim + normalize + convert (full post-processing chain)
+
+All operations write to a new file (never overwrites input).
+"""
+
+import argparse
+import os
+import subprocess
+import sys
+import shutil
+import json
+
+
+def check_ffmpeg():
+    if not shutil.which("ffmpeg"):
+        print(json.dumps({"ok": False, "error": "ffmpeg not found in PATH"}))
+        sys.exit(1)
+
+
+def run_ffmpeg(args, description):
+    """Run ffmpeg, capture output, return success."""
+    cmd = ["ffmpeg", "-y", "-hide_banner", "-loglevel", "error"] + args
+    print(f"  {description}", file=sys.stderr)
+    result = subprocess.run(cmd, capture_output=True, text=True)
+    if result.returncode != 0:
+        print(json.dumps({
+            "ok": False,
+            "error": f"ffmpeg failed: {result.stderr.strip()}",
+            "command": " ".join(cmd)
+        }))
+        sys.exit(1)
+    return True
+
+
+def cmd_convert(args):
+    """Convert WAV to OGG (libvorbis)."""
+    output = args.output or args.input.rsplit(".", 1)[0] + ".ogg"
+    run_ffmpeg(
+        ["-i", args.input, "-c:a", "libvorbis", "-q:a", str(args.quality), output],
+        f"converting {os.path.basename(args.input)} → {os.path.basename(output)}"
+    )
+    size = os.path.getsize(output)
+    print(json.dumps({"ok": True, "output": output, "size_bytes": size}))
+
+
+def cmd_normalize(args):
+    """LUFS normalize audio file."""
+    output = args.output or _suffixed(args.input, "_norm")
+    run_ffmpeg(
+        ["-i", args.input, "-af",
+         f"loudnorm=I={args.lufs}:LRA=11:TP=-1",
+         output],
+        f"normalizing to {args.lufs} LUFS"
+    )
+    print(json.dumps({"ok": True, "output": output}))
+
+
+def cmd_trim(args):
+    """Trim leading/trailing silence."""
+    output = args.output or _suffixed(args.input, "_trimmed")
+    af = (
+        "silenceremove=start_periods=1:start_silence=0.05"
+        f":start_threshold={args.threshold}dB,"
+        "areverse,"
+        "silenceremove=start_periods=1:start_silence=0.05"
+        f":start_threshold={args.threshold}dB,"
+        "areverse"
+    )
+    run_ffmpeg(
+        ["-i", args.input, "-af", af, output],
+        f"trimming silence (threshold: {args.threshold}dB)"
+    )
+    print(json.dumps({"ok": True, "output": output}))
+
+
+def cmd_pipeline(args):
+    """Full post-processing: trim → normalize → convert to OGG."""
+    base = args.input.rsplit(".", 1)[0]
+    trimmed = base + "_trimmed.wav"
+    normalized = base + "_norm.wav"
+    output = args.output or base + ".ogg"
+
+    # Step 1: trim
+    af_trim = (
+        "silenceremove=start_periods=1:start_silence=0.05"
+        f":start_threshold={args.threshold}dB,"
+        "areverse,"
+        "silenceremove=start_periods=1:start_silence=0.05"
+        f":start_threshold={args.threshold}dB,"
+        "areverse"
+    )
+    run_ffmpeg(
+        ["-i", args.input, "-af", af_trim, trimmed],
+        "step 1/3: trimming silence"
+    )
+
+    # Step 2: normalize
+    run_ffmpeg(
+        ["-i", trimmed, "-af",
+         f"loudnorm=I={args.lufs}:LRA=11:TP=-1",
+         normalized],
+        f"step 2/3: normalizing to {args.lufs} LUFS"
+    )
+
+    # Step 3: convert
+    run_ffmpeg(
+        ["-i", normalized, "-c:a", "libvorbis", "-q:a", str(args.quality), output],
+        f"step 3/3: converting to OGG"
+    )
+
+    # Clean up intermediates
+    os.remove(trimmed)
+    os.remove(normalized)
+
+    size = os.path.getsize(output)
+    print(json.dumps({"ok": True, "output": output, "size_bytes": size}))
+
+
+def _suffixed(path, suffix):
+    base, ext = os.path.splitext(path)
+    return base + suffix + ext
+
+
+def main():
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="Audio post-processing (ffmpeg wrapper)")
+    sub = parser.add_subparsers(dest="command", required=True)
+
+    # convert
+    p = sub.add_parser("convert", help="WAV → OGG")
+    p.add_argument("input", help="Input WAV file")
+    p.add_argument("--output", "-o", help="Output file (default: same name .ogg)")
+    p.add_argument("--quality", "-q", type=int, default=6, help="Vorbis quality 0-10 (default: 6)")
+    p.set_defaults(func=cmd_convert)
+
+    # normalize
+    p = sub.add_parser("normalize", help="LUFS normalize")
+    p.add_argument("input", help="Input audio file")
+    p.add_argument("--output", "-o", help="Output file")
+    p.add_argument("--lufs", type=float, default=-16, help="Target LUFS (default: -16)")
+    p.set_defaults(func=cmd_normalize)
+
+    # trim
+    p = sub.add_parser("trim", help="Trim silence")
+    p.add_argument("input", help="Input audio file")
+    p.add_argument("--output", "-o", help="Output file")
+    p.add_argument("--threshold", type=int, default=-50, help="Silence threshold in dB (default: -50)")
+    p.set_defaults(func=cmd_trim)
+
+    # pipeline
+    p = sub.add_parser("pipeline", help="Full post-processing: trim + normalize + convert")
+    p.add_argument("input", help="Input WAV file")
+    p.add_argument("--output", "-o", help="Output OGG file")
+    p.add_argument("--quality", "-q", type=int, default=6, help="Vorbis quality 0-10 (default: 6)")
+    p.add_argument("--lufs", type=float, default=-16, help="Target LUFS (default: -16)")
+    p.add_argument("--threshold", type=int, default=-50, help="Silence threshold in dB (default: -50)")
+    p.set_defaults(func=cmd_pipeline)
+
+    args = parser.parse_args()
+    check_ffmpeg()
+    args.func(args)
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    main()
diff --git a/db/connectors/config.json b/db/connectors/config.json
index d8386e4c2..1b69b0a7b 100644
--- a/db/connectors/config.json
+++ b/db/connectors/config.json
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
-
   "qdrant_url": "http://tower-of-joy:6333",
   "ollama_url": "http://tower-of-joy:11434",
+  "stable_audio_url": "http://tower-of-joy:11500",
   "collection": "commonwealth",
   "embed_model": "nomic-embed-text",
   "embed_dimensions": 768