Add README, faster-whisper backend, and session fixes

- README explaining experimental/transparency purpose
- faster-whisper STT backend (fw-stt.mjs, faster-whisper-server.py, install-faster-whisper.sh)
- Bug fixes: Buffer alignment in on_audio, --debug-waveform URL parsing, silent fetch errors, instant dispatch timer leak
- Global uncaughtException/unhandledRejection handlers in query-demo.mjs
- Design docs: CHANGELOG, COMMAND-DISPATCH, INTERFACE-THEORY, VOICE-POLICY
- Systemd service unit templates

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

README.md

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+# Voice Pipeline Experiment
+
+This repository is an active experiment. It is published for **transparency and reference** — not as a finished or production-ready project. Expect rough edges, dead ends, work-in-progress notes, and design docs that describe things not yet built.
+
+## What this is
+
+A local voice interface for [Claude Code](https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code): speak a query, it transcribes, classifies intent, and dispatches to Claude. The stack runs entirely on local hardware — no cloud STT/TTS.
+
+Core components:
+
+| File | Role |
+|------|------|
+| `query-demo.mjs` | Main entry point — mic → STT → query state machine → dispatch |
+| `lib/pending-query.mjs` | Query state machine: wake word, silence timer, send/cancel/pause |
+| `lib/stt.mjs` | Silero VAD + Whisper STT (sherpa-onnx backend) |
+| `lib/fw-stt.mjs` | faster-whisper STT backend with word-level timestamps |
+| `tts-server.mjs` | TTS HTTP server (Chatterbox model, voice switching) |
+| `lib/tts-client.mjs` | HTTP client for the TTS server |
+| `voices.yaml` | Named voice configuration |
+| `faster-whisper-server.py` | Python subprocess for faster-whisper transcription |
+| `install-faster-whisper.sh` | Builds ctranslate2 from source for CUDA 13 compatibility |
+| `download-models.sh` | Downloads Whisper and VAD models |
+| `query-demo.service` / `tts-server.service` | Systemd unit templates |
+
+## Status
+
+Working but experimental. The design docs (`CLEANUP-PLAN.md`, `COMMAND-DISPATCH.md`, etc.) describe architectural directions not yet implemented. The project will eventually split into separate focused repositories.
+
+## Offshoots
+
+Links to derived, cleaner projects will be added here as they become ready.
+
+## Requirements
+
+- Node.js (ESM)
+- Python 3 with a venv (`setup-venv.sh` or `install-faster-whisper.sh`)
+- CUDA GPU (for faster-whisper backend)
+- PulseAudio or ALSA for mic capture
+- `sherpa-onnx-node` npm package
+- Chatterbox TTS model