diff --git a/config/config.example.json b/config/config.example.json
index 49658b9f2b..3754c6814c 100644
--- a/config/config.example.json
+++ b/config/config.example.json
@@ -477,6 +477,9 @@
     "enabled": false,
     "monitor_usb": true
   },
+  "voice": {
+    "echo_transcription": false
+  },
   "gateway": {
     "host": "127.0.0.1",
     "port": 18790
diff --git a/pkg/agent/loop.go b/pkg/agent/loop.go
index 235d42fcc0..bee8d91a7f 100644
--- a/pkg/agent/loop.go
+++ b/pkg/agent/loop.go
@@ -467,9 +467,10 @@ var audioAnnotationRe = regexp.MustCompile(`\[(voice|audio)(?::[^\]]*)?\]`)
 
 // transcribeAudioInMessage resolves audio media refs, transcribes them, and
 // replaces audio annotations in msg.Content with the transcribed text.
-func (al *AgentLoop) transcribeAudioInMessage(ctx context.Context, msg bus.InboundMessage) bus.InboundMessage {
+// Returns the (possibly modified) message and true if audio was transcribed.
+func (al *AgentLoop) transcribeAudioInMessage(ctx context.Context, msg bus.InboundMessage) (bus.InboundMessage, bool) {
 	if al.transcriber == nil || al.mediaStore == nil || len(msg.Media) == 0 {
-		return msg
+		return msg, false
 	}
 
 	// Transcribe each audio media ref in order.
@@ -493,9 +494,11 @@ func (al *AgentLoop) transcribeAudioInMessage(ctx context.Context, msg bus.Inbou
 	}
 
 	if len(transcriptions) == 0 {
-		return msg
+		return msg, false
 	}
 
+	al.sendTranscriptionFeedback(ctx, msg.Channel, msg.ChatID, msg.MessageID, transcriptions)
+
 	// Replace audio annotations sequentially with transcriptions.
 	idx := 0
 	newContent := audioAnnotationRe.ReplaceAllStringFunc(msg.Content, func(match string) string {
@@ -513,7 +516,48 @@ func (al *AgentLoop) transcribeAudioInMessage(ctx context.Context, msg bus.Inbou
 	}
 
 	msg.Content = newContent
-	return msg
+	return msg, true
+}
+
+// sendTranscriptionFeedback sends feedback to the user with the result of
+// audio transcription if the option is enabled. It uses Manager.SendMessage
+// which executes synchronously (rate limiting, splitting, retry) so that
+// ordering with the subsequent placeholder is guaranteed.
+func (al *AgentLoop) sendTranscriptionFeedback(
+	ctx context.Context,
+	channel, chatID, messageID string,
+	validTexts []string,
+) {
+	if !al.cfg.Voice.EchoTranscription {
+		return
+	}
+	if al.channelManager == nil {
+		return
+	}
+
+	var nonEmpty []string
+	for _, t := range validTexts {
+		if t != "" {
+			nonEmpty = append(nonEmpty, t)
+		}
+	}
+
+	var feedbackMsg string
+	if len(nonEmpty) > 0 {
+		feedbackMsg = "Transcript: " + strings.Join(nonEmpty, "\n")
+	} else {
+		feedbackMsg = "No voice detected in the audio"
+	}
+
+	err := al.channelManager.SendMessage(ctx, bus.OutboundMessage{
+		Channel:          channel,
+		ChatID:           chatID,
+		Content:          feedbackMsg,
+		ReplyToMessageID: messageID,
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		logger.WarnCF("voice", "Failed to send transcription feedback", map[string]any{"error": err.Error()})
+	}
 }
 
 // inferMediaType determines the media type ("image", "audio", "video", "file")
@@ -627,7 +671,14 @@ func (al *AgentLoop) processMessage(ctx context.Context, msg bus.InboundMessage)
 		},
 	)
 
-	msg = al.transcribeAudioInMessage(ctx, msg)
+	var hadAudio bool
+	msg, hadAudio = al.transcribeAudioInMessage(ctx, msg)
+
+	// For audio messages the placeholder was deferred by the channel.
+	// Now that transcription (and optional feedback) is done, send it.
+	if hadAudio && al.channelManager != nil {
+		al.channelManager.SendPlaceholder(ctx, msg.Channel, msg.ChatID)
+	}
 
 	// Route system messages to processSystemMessage
 	if msg.Channel == "system" {
diff --git a/pkg/bus/types.go b/pkg/bus/types.go
index 7ad8f04179..12da3f1dd0 100644
--- a/pkg/bus/types.go
+++ b/pkg/bus/types.go
@@ -30,9 +30,10 @@ type InboundMessage struct {
 }
 
 type OutboundMessage struct {
-	Channel string `json:"channel"`
-	ChatID  string `json:"chat_id"`
-	Content string `json:"content"`
+	Channel          string `json:"channel"`
+	ChatID           string `json:"chat_id"`
+	Content          string `json:"content"`
+	ReplyToMessageID string `json:"reply_to_message_id,omitempty"`
 }
 
 // MediaPart describes a single media attachment to send.
diff --git a/pkg/channels/base.go b/pkg/channels/base.go
index 063a66523d..edb5b6f08a 100644
--- a/pkg/channels/base.go
+++ b/pkg/channels/base.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"crypto/rand"
 	"encoding/binary"
 	"encoding/hex"
+	"regexp"
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 	"sync/atomic"
@@ -32,6 +33,9 @@ func init() {
 	uniqueIDPrefix = hex.EncodeToString(b[:])
 }
 
+// audioAnnotationRe matches audio/voice annotations injected by channels (e.g. [voice], [audio: file.ogg]).
+var audioAnnotationRe = regexp.MustCompile(`\[(voice|audio)(?::[^\]]*)?\]`)
+
 // uniqueID generates a process-unique ID using a random prefix and an atomic counter.
 // This ID is intended for internal correlation (e.g. media scope keys) and is NOT
 // cryptographically secure — it must not be used in contexts where unpredictability matters.
@@ -284,10 +288,15 @@ func (c *BaseChannel) HandleMessage(
 				c.placeholderRecorder.RecordReactionUndo(c.name, chatID, undo)
 			}
 		}
-		// Placeholder — independent pipeline
-		if pc, ok := c.owner.(PlaceholderCapable); ok {
-			if phID, err := pc.SendPlaceholder(ctx, chatID); err == nil && phID != "" {
-				c.placeholderRecorder.RecordPlaceholder(c.name, chatID, phID)
+		// Placeholder — independent pipeline.
+		// Skip when the message contains audio: the agent will send the
+		// placeholder after transcription completes, so the user sees
+		// "Thinking…" only once the voice has been processed.
+		if !audioAnnotationRe.MatchString(content) {
+			if pc, ok := c.owner.(PlaceholderCapable); ok {
+				if phID, err := pc.SendPlaceholder(ctx, chatID); err == nil && phID != "" {
+					c.placeholderRecorder.RecordPlaceholder(c.name, chatID, phID)
+				}
 			}
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/channels/discord/discord.go b/pkg/channels/discord/discord.go
index c3bcbff8de..fbfcad1513 100644
--- a/pkg/channels/discord/discord.go
+++ b/pkg/channels/discord/discord.go
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ func (c *DiscordChannel) Send(ctx context.Context, msg bus.OutboundMessage) erro
 		return nil
 	}
 
-	return c.sendChunk(ctx, channelID, msg.Content)
+	return c.sendChunk(ctx, channelID, msg.Content, msg.ReplyToMessageID)
 }
 
 // SendMedia implements the channels.MediaSender interface.
@@ -259,14 +259,29 @@ func (c *DiscordChannel) SendPlaceholder(ctx context.Context, chatID string) (st
 	return msg.ID, nil
 }
 
-func (c *DiscordChannel) sendChunk(ctx context.Context, channelID, content string) error {
+func (c *DiscordChannel) sendChunk(ctx context.Context, channelID, content, replyToID string) error {
 	// Use the passed ctx for timeout control
 	sendCtx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, sendTimeout)
 	defer cancel()
 
 	done := make(chan error, 1)
 	go func() {
-		_, err := c.session.ChannelMessageSend(channelID, content)
+		var err error
+
+		// If we have an ID, we send the message as "Reply"
+		if replyToID != "" {
+			_, err = c.session.ChannelMessageSendComplex(channelID, &discordgo.MessageSend{
+				Content: content,
+				Reference: &discordgo.MessageReference{
+					MessageID: replyToID,
+					ChannelID: channelID,
+				},
+			})
+		} else {
+			// Otherwise, we send a normal message
+			_, err = c.session.ChannelMessageSend(channelID, content)
+		}
+
 		done <- err
 	}()
 
diff --git a/pkg/channels/manager.go b/pkg/channels/manager.go
index 1a24bb980f..472895a7a1 100644
--- a/pkg/channels/manager.go
+++ b/pkg/channels/manager.go
@@ -102,6 +102,27 @@ func (m *Manager) RecordPlaceholder(channel, chatID, placeholderID string) {
 	m.placeholders.Store(key, placeholderEntry{id: placeholderID, createdAt: time.Now()})
 }
 
+// SendPlaceholder sends a "Thinking…" placeholder for the given channel/chatID
+// and records it for later editing. Returns true if a placeholder was sent.
+func (m *Manager) SendPlaceholder(ctx context.Context, channel, chatID string) bool {
+	m.mu.RLock()
+	ch, ok := m.channels[channel]
+	m.mu.RUnlock()
+	if !ok {
+		return false
+	}
+	pc, ok := ch.(PlaceholderCapable)
+	if !ok {
+		return false
+	}
+	phID, err := pc.SendPlaceholder(ctx, chatID)
+	if err != nil || phID == "" {
+		return false
+	}
+	m.RecordPlaceholder(channel, chatID, phID)
+	return true
+}
+
 // RecordTypingStop registers a typing stop function for later invocation.
 // Implements PlaceholderRecorder.
 func (m *Manager) RecordTypingStop(channel, chatID string, stop func()) {
@@ -813,6 +834,39 @@ func (m *Manager) UnregisterChannel(name string) {
 	delete(m.channels, name)
 }
 
+// SendMessage sends an outbound message synchronously through the channel
+// worker's rate limiter and retry logic. It blocks until the message is
+// delivered (or all retries are exhausted), which preserves ordering when
+// a subsequent operation depends on the message having been sent.
+func (m *Manager) SendMessage(ctx context.Context, msg bus.OutboundMessage) error {
+	m.mu.RLock()
+	_, exists := m.channels[msg.Channel]
+	w, wExists := m.workers[msg.Channel]
+	m.mu.RUnlock()
+
+	if !exists {
+		return fmt.Errorf("channel %s not found", msg.Channel)
+	}
+	if !wExists || w == nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("channel %s has no active worker", msg.Channel)
+	}
+
+	maxLen := 0
+	if mlp, ok := w.ch.(MessageLengthProvider); ok {
+		maxLen = mlp.MaxMessageLength()
+	}
+	if maxLen > 0 && len([]rune(msg.Content)) > maxLen {
+		for _, chunk := range SplitMessage(msg.Content, maxLen) {
+			chunkMsg := msg
+			chunkMsg.Content = chunk
+			m.sendWithRetry(ctx, msg.Channel, w, chunkMsg)
+		}
+	} else {
+		m.sendWithRetry(ctx, msg.Channel, w, msg)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (m *Manager) SendToChannel(ctx context.Context, channelName, chatID, content string) error {
 	m.mu.RLock()
 	_, exists := m.channels[channelName]
diff --git a/pkg/channels/manager_test.go b/pkg/channels/manager_test.go
index f09ecfe2fc..1f3a628c29 100644
--- a/pkg/channels/manager_test.go
+++ b/pkg/channels/manager_test.go
@@ -17,16 +17,32 @@ import (
 // mockChannel is a test double that delegates Send to a configurable function.
 type mockChannel struct {
 	BaseChannel
-	sendFn func(ctx context.Context, msg bus.OutboundMessage) error
+	sendFn            func(ctx context.Context, msg bus.OutboundMessage) error
+	sentMessages      []bus.OutboundMessage
+	placeholdersSent  int
+	editedMessages    int
+	lastPlaceholderID string
 }
 
 func (m *mockChannel) Send(ctx context.Context, msg bus.OutboundMessage) error {
+	m.sentMessages = append(m.sentMessages, msg)
 	return m.sendFn(ctx, msg)
 }
 
 func (m *mockChannel) Start(ctx context.Context) error { return nil }
 func (m *mockChannel) Stop(ctx context.Context) error  { return nil }
 
+func (m *mockChannel) SendPlaceholder(ctx context.Context, chatID string) (string, error) {
+	m.placeholdersSent++
+	m.lastPlaceholderID = "mock-ph-123"
+	return m.lastPlaceholderID, nil
+}
+
+func (m *mockChannel) EditMessage(ctx context.Context, chatID, messageID, content string) error {
+	m.editedMessages++
+	return nil
+}
+
 // newTestManager creates a minimal Manager suitable for unit tests.
 func newTestManager() *Manager {
 	return &Manager{
@@ -860,3 +876,286 @@ func TestBuildMediaScope_WithMessageID(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("expected %s, got %s", expected, scope)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestManager_PlaceholderConsumedByResponse(t *testing.T) {
+	mgr := &Manager{
+		channels:     make(map[string]Channel),
+		workers:      make(map[string]*channelWorker),
+		placeholders: sync.Map{},
+	}
+
+	mockCh := &mockChannel{
+		sendFn: func(ctx context.Context, msg bus.OutboundMessage) error {
+			return nil
+		},
+	}
+	worker := newChannelWorker("mock", mockCh)
+	mgr.channels["mock"] = mockCh
+	mgr.workers["mock"] = worker
+
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	key := "mock:chat-1"
+
+	// Simulate a placeholder recorded by base.go HandleMessage
+	mgr.RecordPlaceholder("mock", "chat-1", "ph-123")
+
+	if _, ok := mgr.placeholders.Load(key); !ok {
+		t.Fatal("expected placeholder to be recorded")
+	}
+
+	// Transcription feedback arrives first — it should consume the placeholder
+	// and be delivered via EditMessage, not Send.
+	msgTranscript := bus.OutboundMessage{
+		Channel: "mock",
+		ChatID:  "chat-1",
+		Content: "Transcript: hello",
+	}
+	mgr.sendWithRetry(ctx, "mock", worker, msgTranscript)
+
+	if mockCh.editedMessages != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("expected 1 edited message (placeholder consumed by transcript), got %d", mockCh.editedMessages)
+	}
+	if len(mockCh.sentMessages) != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("expected 0 normal messages (transcript used edit), got %d", len(mockCh.sentMessages))
+	}
+
+	// Placeholder should be gone now
+	if _, ok := mgr.placeholders.Load(key); ok {
+		t.Error("expected placeholder to be removed after being consumed")
+	}
+
+	// Final LLM response arrives — no placeholder left, so it goes through Send
+	msgFinal := bus.OutboundMessage{
+		Channel: "mock",
+		ChatID:  "chat-1",
+		Content: "Final Answer",
+	}
+	mgr.sendWithRetry(ctx, "mock", worker, msgFinal)
+
+	if len(mockCh.sentMessages) != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("expected 1 normal message sent, got %d", len(mockCh.sentMessages))
+	}
+}
+
+func TestSendMessage_Synchronous(t *testing.T) {
+	m := newTestManager()
+
+	var received []bus.OutboundMessage
+	ch := &mockChannel{
+		sendFn: func(_ context.Context, msg bus.OutboundMessage) error {
+			received = append(received, msg)
+			return nil
+		},
+	}
+
+	w := &channelWorker{
+		ch:      ch,
+		limiter: rate.NewLimiter(rate.Inf, 1),
+	}
+	m.channels["test"] = ch
+	m.workers["test"] = w
+
+	msg := bus.OutboundMessage{
+		Channel:          "test",
+		ChatID:           "123",
+		Content:          "hello world",
+		ReplyToMessageID: "msg-456",
+	}
+
+	err := m.SendMessage(context.Background(), msg)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("expected no error, got %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// SendMessage is synchronous — message should already be delivered
+	if len(received) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected 1 message sent, got %d", len(received))
+	}
+	if received[0].ReplyToMessageID != "msg-456" {
+		t.Fatalf("expected ReplyToMessageID msg-456, got %s", received[0].ReplyToMessageID)
+	}
+	if received[0].Content != "hello world" {
+		t.Fatalf("expected content 'hello world', got %s", received[0].Content)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestSendMessage_UnknownChannel(t *testing.T) {
+	m := newTestManager()
+
+	msg := bus.OutboundMessage{
+		Channel: "nonexistent",
+		ChatID:  "123",
+		Content: "hello",
+	}
+
+	err := m.SendMessage(context.Background(), msg)
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected error for unknown channel")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestSendMessage_NoWorker(t *testing.T) {
+	m := newTestManager()
+
+	ch := &mockChannel{
+		sendFn: func(_ context.Context, _ bus.OutboundMessage) error { return nil },
+	}
+	m.channels["test"] = ch
+	// No worker registered
+
+	msg := bus.OutboundMessage{
+		Channel: "test",
+		ChatID:  "123",
+		Content: "hello",
+	}
+
+	err := m.SendMessage(context.Background(), msg)
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected error when no worker exists")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestSendMessage_WithRetry(t *testing.T) {
+	m := newTestManager()
+
+	var callCount int
+	ch := &mockChannel{
+		sendFn: func(_ context.Context, _ bus.OutboundMessage) error {
+			callCount++
+			if callCount == 1 {
+				return fmt.Errorf("transient: %w", ErrTemporary)
+			}
+			return nil
+		},
+	}
+
+	w := &channelWorker{
+		ch:      ch,
+		limiter: rate.NewLimiter(rate.Inf, 1),
+	}
+	m.channels["test"] = ch
+	m.workers["test"] = w
+
+	msg := bus.OutboundMessage{
+		Channel: "test",
+		ChatID:  "123",
+		Content: "retry me",
+	}
+
+	err := m.SendMessage(context.Background(), msg)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("expected no error, got %v", err)
+	}
+
+	if callCount != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected 2 Send calls (1 failure + 1 success), got %d", callCount)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestSendMessage_WithSplitting(t *testing.T) {
+	m := newTestManager()
+
+	var received []string
+	ch := &mockChannelWithLength{
+		mockChannel: mockChannel{
+			sendFn: func(_ context.Context, msg bus.OutboundMessage) error {
+				received = append(received, msg.Content)
+				return nil
+			},
+		},
+		maxLen: 5,
+	}
+
+	w := &channelWorker{
+		ch:      ch,
+		limiter: rate.NewLimiter(rate.Inf, 1),
+	}
+	m.channels["test"] = ch
+	m.workers["test"] = w
+
+	msg := bus.OutboundMessage{
+		Channel: "test",
+		ChatID:  "123",
+		Content: "hello world",
+	}
+
+	err := m.SendMessage(context.Background(), msg)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("expected no error, got %v", err)
+	}
+
+	if len(received) < 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected message to be split into at least 2 chunks, got %d", len(received))
+	}
+}
+
+func TestSendMessage_PreservesOrdering(t *testing.T) {
+	m := newTestManager()
+
+	var order []string
+	ch := &mockChannel{
+		sendFn: func(_ context.Context, msg bus.OutboundMessage) error {
+			order = append(order, msg.Content)
+			return nil
+		},
+	}
+
+	w := &channelWorker{
+		ch:      ch,
+		limiter: rate.NewLimiter(rate.Inf, 1),
+	}
+	m.channels["test"] = ch
+	m.workers["test"] = w
+
+	// Send two messages sequentially — they must arrive in order
+	_ = m.SendMessage(context.Background(), bus.OutboundMessage{
+		Channel: "test", ChatID: "1", Content: "first",
+	})
+	_ = m.SendMessage(context.Background(), bus.OutboundMessage{
+		Channel: "test", ChatID: "1", Content: "second",
+	})
+
+	if len(order) != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected 2 messages, got %d", len(order))
+	}
+	if order[0] != "first" || order[1] != "second" {
+		t.Fatalf("expected [first, second], got %v", order)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestManager_SendPlaceholder(t *testing.T) {
+	mgr := &Manager{
+		channels:     make(map[string]Channel),
+		workers:      make(map[string]*channelWorker),
+		placeholders: sync.Map{},
+	}
+
+	mockCh := &mockChannel{
+		sendFn: func(ctx context.Context, msg bus.OutboundMessage) error {
+			return nil
+		},
+	}
+	mgr.channels["mock"] = mockCh
+
+	ctx := context.Background()
+
+	// SendPlaceholder should send a placeholder and record it
+	ok := mgr.SendPlaceholder(ctx, "mock", "chat-1")
+	if !ok {
+		t.Fatal("expected SendPlaceholder to succeed")
+	}
+	if mockCh.placeholdersSent != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("expected 1 placeholder sent, got %d", mockCh.placeholdersSent)
+	}
+
+	key := "mock:chat-1"
+	if _, loaded := mgr.placeholders.Load(key); !loaded {
+		t.Error("expected placeholder to be recorded in manager")
+	}
+
+	// SendPlaceholder on unknown channel should return false
+	ok = mgr.SendPlaceholder(ctx, "unknown", "chat-1")
+	if ok {
+		t.Error("expected SendPlaceholder to fail for unknown channel")
+	}
+}
diff --git a/pkg/channels/slack/slack.go b/pkg/channels/slack/slack.go
index 024b1b0237..3ee8496213 100644
--- a/pkg/channels/slack/slack.go
+++ b/pkg/channels/slack/slack.go
@@ -122,7 +122,11 @@ func (c *SlackChannel) Send(ctx context.Context, msg bus.OutboundMessage) error
 		slack.MsgOptionText(msg.Content, false),
 	}
 
-	if threadTS != "" {
+	if msg.ReplyToMessageID != "" && threadTS == "" {
+		// Answer to the message by creating a Thread under it
+		opts = append(opts, slack.MsgOptionTS(msg.ReplyToMessageID))
+	} else if threadTS != "" {
+		// If we are already in a thread, continue in the thread
 		opts = append(opts, slack.MsgOptionTS(threadTS))
 	}
 
diff --git a/pkg/channels/telegram/telegram.go b/pkg/channels/telegram/telegram.go
index b04beeb6ed..4a8d34a9fe 100644
--- a/pkg/channels/telegram/telegram.go
+++ b/pkg/channels/telegram/telegram.go
@@ -180,6 +180,7 @@ func (c *TelegramChannel) Send(ctx context.Context, msg bus.OutboundMessage) err
 	// The Manager already splits messages to ≤4000 chars (WithMaxMessageLength),
 	// so msg.Content is guaranteed to be within that limit. We still need to
 	// check if HTML expansion pushes it beyond Telegram's 4096-char API limit.
+	replyToID := msg.ReplyToMessageID
 	queue := []string{msg.Content}
 	for len(queue) > 0 {
 		chunk := queue[0]
@@ -200,9 +201,11 @@ func (c *TelegramChannel) Send(ctx context.Context, msg bus.OutboundMessage) err
 			continue
 		}
 
-		if err := c.sendHTMLChunk(ctx, chatID, threadID, htmlContent, chunk); err != nil {
+		if err := c.sendHTMLChunk(ctx, chatID, threadID, htmlContent, chunk, replyToID); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
+		// Only the first chunk should be a reply; subsequent chunks are normal messages.
+		replyToID = ""
 	}
 
 	return nil
@@ -211,12 +214,20 @@ func (c *TelegramChannel) Send(ctx context.Context, msg bus.OutboundMessage) err
 // sendHTMLChunk sends a single HTML message, falling back to the original
 // markdown as plain text on parse failure so users never see raw HTML tags.
 func (c *TelegramChannel) sendHTMLChunk(
-	ctx context.Context, chatID int64, threadID int, htmlContent, mdFallback string,
+	ctx context.Context, chatID int64, threadID int, htmlContent, mdFallback string, replyToID string,
 ) error {
 	tgMsg := tu.Message(tu.ID(chatID), htmlContent)
 	tgMsg.ParseMode = telego.ModeHTML
 	tgMsg.MessageThreadID = threadID
 
+	if replyToID != "" {
+		if mid, parseErr := strconv.Atoi(replyToID); parseErr == nil {
+			tgMsg.ReplyParameters = &telego.ReplyParameters{
+				MessageID: mid,
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
 	if _, err := c.bot.SendMessage(ctx, tgMsg); err != nil {
 		logger.ErrorCF("telegram", "HTML parse failed, falling back to plain text", map[string]any{
 			"error": err.Error(),
diff --git a/pkg/config/config.go b/pkg/config/config.go
index 13d5a7306a..7a806c1e1d 100644
--- a/pkg/config/config.go
+++ b/pkg/config/config.go
@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@ type Config struct {
 	Tools     ToolsConfig     `json:"tools"`
 	Heartbeat HeartbeatConfig `json:"heartbeat"`
 	Devices   DevicesConfig   `json:"devices"`
+	Voice     VoiceConfig     `json:"voice"`
 	// BuildInfo contains build-time version information
 	BuildInfo BuildInfo `json:"build_info,omitempty"`
 }
@@ -472,6 +473,10 @@ type DevicesConfig struct {
 	MonitorUSB bool `json:"monitor_usb" env:"PICOCLAW_DEVICES_MONITOR_USB"`
 }
 
+type VoiceConfig struct {
+	EchoTranscription bool `json:"echo_transcription" env:"PICOCLAW_VOICE_ECHO_TRANSCRIPTION"`
+}
+
 type ProvidersConfig struct {
 	Anthropic     ProviderConfig       `json:"anthropic"`
 	OpenAI        OpenAIProviderConfig `json:"openai"`
diff --git a/pkg/config/defaults.go b/pkg/config/defaults.go
index 5bb3bd1d69..3b1bb1aefc 100644
--- a/pkg/config/defaults.go
+++ b/pkg/config/defaults.go
@@ -510,6 +510,9 @@ func DefaultConfig() *Config {
 			Enabled:    false,
 			MonitorUSB: true,
 		},
+		Voice: VoiceConfig{
+			EchoTranscription: false,
+		},
 		BuildInfo: BuildInfo{
 			Version:   Version,
 			GitCommit: GitCommit,