diff --git a/gateway/config.py b/gateway/config.py
index 47c739e9..2b187c52 100644
--- a/gateway/config.py
+++ b/gateway/config.py
@@ -21,6 +21,17 @@ from hermes_cli.config import get_hermes_home
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 
+def _coerce_bool(value: Any, default: bool = True) -> bool:
+    """Coerce bool-ish config values, preserving a caller-provided default."""
+    if value is None:
+        return default
+    if isinstance(value, bool):
+        return value
+    if isinstance(value, str):
+        return value.strip().lower() in ("true", "1", "yes", "on")
+    return bool(value)
+
+
 class Platform(Enum):
     """Supported messaging platforms."""
     LOCAL = "local"
@@ -160,6 +171,9 @@ class GatewayConfig:
     
     # Delivery settings
     always_log_local: bool = True  # Always save cron outputs to local files
+
+    # STT settings
+    stt_enabled: bool = True  # Whether to auto-transcribe inbound voice messages
     
     def get_connected_platforms(self) -> List[Platform]:
         """Return list of platforms that are enabled and configured."""
@@ -224,6 +238,7 @@ class GatewayConfig:
             "quick_commands": self.quick_commands,
             "sessions_dir": str(self.sessions_dir),
             "always_log_local": self.always_log_local,
+            "stt_enabled": self.stt_enabled,
         }
     
     @classmethod
@@ -260,6 +275,10 @@ class GatewayConfig:
         if not isinstance(quick_commands, dict):
             quick_commands = {}
 
+        stt_enabled = data.get("stt_enabled")
+        if stt_enabled is None:
+            stt_enabled = data.get("stt", {}).get("enabled") if isinstance(data.get("stt"), dict) else None
+
         return cls(
             platforms=platforms,
             default_reset_policy=default_policy,
@@ -269,6 +288,7 @@ class GatewayConfig:
             quick_commands=quick_commands,
             sessions_dir=sessions_dir,
             always_log_local=data.get("always_log_local", True),
+            stt_enabled=_coerce_bool(stt_enabled, True),
         )
 
 
@@ -318,6 +338,12 @@ def load_gateway_config() -> GatewayConfig:
                 else:
                     logger.warning("Ignoring invalid quick_commands in config.yaml (expected mapping, got %s)", type(qc).__name__)
 
+            # Bridge STT enable/disable from config.yaml into gateway runtime.
+            # This keeps the gateway aligned with the user-facing config source.
+            stt_cfg = yaml_cfg.get("stt")
+            if isinstance(stt_cfg, dict) and "enabled" in stt_cfg:
+                config.stt_enabled = _coerce_bool(stt_cfg.get("enabled"), True)
+
             # Bridge discord settings from config.yaml to env vars
             # (env vars take precedence — only set if not already defined)
             discord_cfg = yaml_cfg.get("discord", {})
diff --git a/gateway/run.py b/gateway/run.py
index e973852b..f955573c 100644
--- a/gateway/run.py
+++ b/gateway/run.py
@@ -3512,7 +3512,7 @@ class GatewayRunner:
         audio_paths: List[str],
     ) -> str:
         """
-        Auto-transcribe user voice/audio messages using OpenAI Whisper API
+        Auto-transcribe user voice/audio messages using the configured STT provider
         and prepend the transcript to the message text.
 
         Args:
@@ -3522,6 +3522,12 @@ class GatewayRunner:
         Returns:
             The enriched message string with transcriptions prepended.
         """
+        if not getattr(self.config, "stt_enabled", True):
+            disabled_note = "[The user sent voice message(s), but transcription is disabled in config.]"
+            if user_text:
+                return f"{disabled_note}\n\n{user_text}"
+            return disabled_note
+
         from tools.transcription_tools import transcribe_audio, get_stt_model_from_config
         import asyncio
 
diff --git a/tests/gateway/test_stt_config.py b/tests/gateway/test_stt_config.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d5a9fc55
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/gateway/test_stt_config.py
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+"""Gateway STT config tests — honor stt.enabled: false from config.yaml."""
+
+from pathlib import Path
+from unittest.mock import AsyncMock, patch
+
+import pytest
+import yaml
+
+from gateway.config import GatewayConfig, load_gateway_config
+
+
+def test_gateway_config_stt_disabled_from_dict_nested():
+    config = GatewayConfig.from_dict({"stt": {"enabled": False}})
+    assert config.stt_enabled is False
+
+
+def test_load_gateway_config_bridges_stt_enabled_from_config_yaml(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    hermes_home = tmp_path / ".hermes"
+    hermes_home.mkdir()
+    (hermes_home / "config.yaml").write_text(
+        yaml.dump({"stt": {"enabled": False}}),
+        encoding="utf-8",
+    )
+
+    monkeypatch.setenv("HERMES_HOME", str(hermes_home))
+    monkeypatch.setattr(Path, "home", lambda: tmp_path)
+
+    config = load_gateway_config()
+
+    assert config.stt_enabled is False
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_enrich_message_with_transcription_skips_when_stt_disabled():
+    from gateway.run import GatewayRunner
+
+    runner = GatewayRunner.__new__(GatewayRunner)
+    runner.config = GatewayConfig(stt_enabled=False)
+
+    with patch(
+        "tools.transcription_tools.transcribe_audio",
+        side_effect=AssertionError("transcribe_audio should not be called when STT is disabled"),
+    ), patch(
+        "tools.transcription_tools.get_stt_model_from_config",
+        return_value=None,
+    ):
+        result = await runner._enrich_message_with_transcription(
+            "caption",
+            ["/tmp/voice.ogg"],
+        )
+
+    assert "transcription is disabled" in result.lower()
+    assert "caption" in result