M5 Stack Atom Echo - No Wake Word - Use Button to Activate

atomecho-noww-button-only.md

How to disable wake word and instead use button to activate voice assistant on M5Stack Atom Echo

Start from known firmware state

Install the latest stock ESPHome firmware for the voice assistant on the atom echo

Plug the device into PC and visit this website - https://esphome.io/projects/ select voice assistant and the atom echo device connect and install firmware and configure to wifi credentials

Adopt the device into the ESPHome Builder Tool on home assistant

Go through the process of adopting and setting encryption key

Modify the yaml to remvoe wake word and add button to activate

Change the firmware package

in the packages section you will see this line:

m5stack.atom-echo-wake-word-voice-assistant: github://esphome/wake-word-voice-assistants/m5stack-atom-echo/m5stack-atom-echo.yaml@main

change this to:

m5stack.atom-echo-wake-word-voice-assistant: github://MichaelMKKelly/wake-word-voice-assistants/m5stack-atom-echo/m5stack-atom-echo.yaml@no-ww-button-only

Compile and Flash

Press Save - Press Install - Select "Wirelessly"

Note: ESPHome 2025.5 update

I updated this to support preannounce media and continued conversation using the new components released with 2025.5

Disclaimer

You are switching your device to install a firmware package from my fork repo instead of an official esphome repo. my repo may not be as quick to update as official repos in terms of bugfixes etc... and there is always a risk when installing firmware from an unofficial source so you use at your own risk.

If you are uncomfortable using this firmware config then you should reflash back to stock firmware from the link in the first section of this guide.