Whisper-to-Me

A real-time voice transcription tool that converts speech to text using FasterWhisper and types the result directly into any application via simulated keystrokes.

Features

• Push-to-talk and tap-to-start recording modes with configurable hotkeys
• Local speech recognition (no internet required)
• Global hotkey support across all applications
• Multiple language support with auto-detection
• Multiple audio device support
• System tray integration with visual recording indicator
• Single instance protection - prevents multiple instances
• Recording discard option in tap mode (press Esc to cancel)
• Debug mode for troubleshooting
• High-accuracy transcription using FasterWhisper
• Real-time performance optimized for responsiveness

Requirements

• Python 3.12+
• CUDA-capable GPU (optional, CPU mode available)
• Audio input device (microphone)
• Linux operating system

Installation

From PyPI (Recommended)

# Install using pip
pip install whisper-to-me

# Or using uv (faster)
uv tool install whisper-to-me

From Source

1. Install system dependencies:

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install portaudio19-dev libsndfile1-dev

# Fedora
sudo dnf install portaudio-devel libsndfile-devel

# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S portaudio libsndfile

1. Clone and install:

git clone https://github.com/marnunez/whisper-to-me.git
cd whisper-to-me
uv tool install .

Usage

Basic Usage

Simply run the command after installation:

whisper-to-me

The application will:

1. Load the Whisper model (first run may take a moment)
2. Show a system tray icon (microphone)
3. Listen for the trigger key (Scroll Lock by default)

Push-to-talk mode (default): 4. Press and hold the trigger key to record 5. Release to transcribe and type the text

Tap mode (--tap-mode): 4. Tap the trigger key to start recording 5. Tap again to stop and transcribe, or press Esc to discard

Command Line Options

whisper-to-me [options]

Options:
  --model MODEL         Whisper model size (tiny, base, small, medium, large-v3)
  --device DEVICE       Processing device (cpu, cuda)
  --key KEY            Trigger key (single key or combination, e.g., <scroll_lock>, <ctrl>+<shift>+r)
  --language LANG      Target language (auto, en, es, fr, etc.)
  --list-devices       List available audio input devices
  --audio-device ID    Audio device ID to use
  --debug             Save recorded audio files for debugging
  --no-tray           Disable system tray icon
  --tap-mode          Use tap-to-start/tap-to-stop instead of push-to-talk
  --discard-key KEY   Key to discard recording in tap mode (default: esc)
  --help              Show help message

Examples

# Use default settings (large-v3 model, CUDA, scroll lock key, auto language)
whisper-to-me

# Use smaller model on CPU with caps lock trigger
whisper-to-me --model base --device cpu --key "<caps_lock>"

# Use key combination as trigger (Ctrl+Shift+R)
whisper-to-me --key "<ctrl>+<shift>+r"

# Use Ctrl+- (minus) as trigger
whisper-to-me --key "<ctrl>+-"

# Spanish transcription with debug mode
whisper-to-me --language es --debug --audio-device 2

# Run without system tray (terminal only)
whisper-to-me --no-tray

# List available audio devices
whisper-to-me --list-devices

# Use tap-to-start/tap-to-stop mode
whisper-to-me --tap-mode

# Tap mode with delete key to discard recordings
whisper-to-me --tap-mode --discard-key "<delete>"

Configuration

Whisper-to-Me supports persistent configuration through a TOML config file and multiple profiles for different use cases.

Configuration File

Location: ~/.config/whisper-to-me/config.toml

View the config file location:

whisper-to-me --config-path

Configuration Sections

General Settings ([general])

• model: Whisper model size

  • Options: "tiny", "base", "small", "medium", "large-v3" (default)
  • Affects: Transcription accuracy vs speed trade-off

• device: Processing device

  • Options: "cpu", "cuda" (default)
  • Affects: Transcription speed (GPU acceleration)

• language: Target language

  • Options: "auto" (default), "en", "es", "fr", etc.
  • Affects: Transcription accuracy for specific languages

• debug: Debug mode

  • Options: true, false (default)
  • Affects: Saves audio files for troubleshooting

Recording Settings ([recording])

• mode: Recording mode

  • Options: "push-to-talk" (default), "tap-mode"
  • Affects: How recording is triggered

• trigger_key: Key combination to trigger recording

  • Default: "<scroll_lock>"
  • Examples: "<caps_lock>", "<ctrl>+<shift>+r", "<alt>+<space>"

• discard_key: Key to discard recording in tap mode

  • Default: "<esc>"
  • Options: Single keys like "<delete>", "<backspace>"

• audio_device: Audio input device ID

  • Default: "" (system default)
  • Use --list-devices to see available devices

UI Settings ([ui])

• use_tray: System tray integration
  • Options: true (default), false
  • Affects: Shows microphone icon in system tray

Advanced Settings ([advanced])

• sample_rate: Audio sample rate

  • Default: 16000 Hz
  • Affects: Audio quality and processing speed

• chunk_size: Audio processing chunk size

  • Default: 512
  • Affects: Real-time processing performance

• vad_filter: Voice Activity Detection filter

  • Default: true
  • Affects: Noise filtering during recording

Configuration Profiles

Create and manage multiple configuration profiles for different use cases:

Profile Management

# List available profiles
whisper-to-me --list-profiles

# Use specific profile
whisper-to-me --profile work

# Create new profile from current settings
whisper-to-me --model tiny --device cpu --create-profile quick

Example Profile Configuration

[general]
model = "large-v3"
device = "cuda"
language = "auto"
debug = false
last_profile = "default"

[recording]
mode = "push-to-talk"
trigger_key = "<scroll_lock>"
discard_key = "<esc>"
audio_device = ""

[ui]
use_tray = true

[advanced]
sample_rate = 16000
chunk_size = 512
vad_filter = true

# Work profile - English only, medium model, caps lock trigger
[profiles.work]
[profiles.work.general]
language = "en"
model = "medium"
[profiles.work.recording]
trigger_key = "<caps_lock>"

# Spanish profile - Spanish language, large model
[profiles.spanish]
[profiles.spanish.general]
language = "es"
model = "large-v3"

# Quick profile - Fast transcription, CPU only
[profiles.quick]
[profiles.quick.general]
model = "tiny"
device = "cpu"
[profiles.quick.recording]
mode = "tap-mode"

Configuration Priority

Settings are applied in this order (highest to lowest priority):

1. Command line arguments
2. Profile settings
3. Base configuration file
4. Default values

System Tray

The system tray icon shows:

• Gray microphone: Ready to record
• Red microphone: Currently recording
• Right-click menu: View status and quit

How It Works

1. Single Instance Protection: Ensures only one instance runs at a time
2. Global Hotkey Detection: Monitors for configured trigger key across all applications
3. Audio Recording: Captures microphone input while key is held
4. Speech Processing: Uses FasterWhisper for local speech-to-text conversion
5. Keystroke Simulation: Types the transcribed text directly into the active application
6. System Integration: Shows status in system tray with visual feedback

Performance Notes

• First Run: May take longer as the Whisper model downloads (~1-3GB)
• GPU Acceleration: CUDA significantly improves transcription speed
• Model Sizes:
  • tiny: Fastest, least accurate (~39MB)
  • base: Good balance (~74MB)
  • small: Better accuracy (~244MB)
  • medium: High accuracy (~769MB)
  • large-v3: Best accuracy (~1550MB, default)
• Audio Quality: Better microphone input improves transcription accuracy

Key Combinations

You can use key combinations as trigger keys:

# Single keys
whisper-to-me --key "<scroll_lock>"
whisper-to-me --key "<caps_lock>"
whisper-to-me --key "a"           # Single character

# Key combinations  
whisper-to-me --key "<ctrl>+<shift>+r"
whisper-to-me --key "<alt>+<space>"
whisper-to-me --key "<ctrl>+-"    # Ctrl + minus
whisper-to-me --key "<shift>+1"   # Shift + 1

Uses standard pynput format:

• Named keys: Wrap in angle brackets <ctrl>, <alt>, <shift>, <esc>, <tab>, etc.
• Single characters: Use directly a, 1, -, +, etc.
• Combinations: Join with + symbol

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. "Already running" error: Only one instance allowed - check system tray or use pkill whisper-to-me
2. Permission errors: May need permissions for global key capture and microphone access
3. Audio issues: Check microphone permissions with --list-devices
4. CUDA errors: Install CUDA drivers or use --device cpu
5. Trigger key not working: Try different keys like --key "<caps_lock>"

Debug Mode

Use --debug to save recorded audio files for troubleshooting:

whisper-to-me --debug

System Requirements Check

# Check audio devices
whisper-to-me --list-devices

# Test with smaller model
whisper-to-me --model tiny --device cpu

Uninstallation

# If installed with pip
pip uninstall whisper-to-me

# If installed with uv tool
uv tool uninstall whisper-to-me

Development

Setup Development Environment

git clone https://github.com/marnunez/whisper-to-me.git
cd whisper-to-me
uv sync --all-extras --dev

Run Tests

uv run pytest

Code Quality

uv run ruff check
uv run ruff format

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Make your changes
4. Add tests if applicable
5. Ensure code quality (uv run ruff check && uv run pytest)
6. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
7. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
8. Open a Pull Request

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

• FasterWhisper for fast speech recognition
• OpenAI Whisper for the underlying model
• PyNput for cross-platform input control