WhisperDictate

A simple menu bar app for voice dictation using OpenAI Whisper (local, offline).

Platforms

Platform	Language	Status
macOS	Swift	✅ Ready
Linux	Rust	🔜 Planned
Windows	C#	🔜 Planned

macOS

Features

• 🎤 Global hotkey (⌃⌥D) to start/stop recording
• 🔒 Fully offline - uses local Whisper model
• ⚡ Automatic paste into any focused app
• 📋 Clipboard preservation - your copied content is restored after paste
• ⚙️ Settings window with model selection dropdown
• 📥 Built-in model downloader with progress indicator
• 🚀 Launch at login support
• 🔊 Sound feedback (optional)
• 📦 Self-contained - whisper-cli bundled in app

Requirements

• macOS 13.0+
• Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3) or Intel Mac

Quick Install (Download)

1. Download the latest DMG from Releases
2. Open the DMG and drag WhisperDictate to Applications
3. Launch WhisperDictate
4. On first run, select and download a Whisper model
5. Grant permissions (Microphone + Accessibility)

Build from Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/hariel1985/WhisperDictate.git
cd WhisperDictate/macos

# Install whisper-cpp (required for bundling)
brew install whisper-cpp

# Build and install to /Applications
make install

Build Commands

Command	Description
make build	Compile the app and bundle whisper-cli
make install	Build and install to /Applications
make run	Build and run
make dmg	Create distributable DMG
make clean	Remove build artifacts

Usage

1. Launch WhisperDictate from Applications
2. Look for the 🎤 icon in your menu bar
3. Press ⌃⌥D (Control + Option + D) to start recording
4. Speak (icon changes to 🔴)
5. Press ⌃⌥D again to stop and transcribe
6. Text is automatically pasted where your cursor is

Settings

Click the menu bar icon → Settings to configure:

• Language: Auto-detect or 31 supported languages
• Model: Select from installed models or download new ones
• Sound feedback: Toggle audio feedback on/off
• Launch at login: Start automatically when you log in

Whisper Models

Download models directly from the app or manually:

Model	Size	Speed	Accuracy	Best For
Tiny	75 MB	~1 sec	Basic	Quick tests, simple phrases
Base	142 MB	~2 sec	Good	Clear speech, quiet environment
Small	466 MB	~3 sec	Better	General use, some accents
Medium	1.5 GB	~5 sec	Great	Accents, noisy audio
Large v3 Turbo	1.6 GB	~4 sec	Best	Recommended - fast like Medium, accurate like Large
Large v3	3.1 GB	~8 sec	Maximum	Difficult audio, max accuracy

Models are stored in ~/.whisper-models/

Audio Feedback

• 🔔 Tink - Recording started
• 🔔 Pop - Recording stopped, processing
• 🔔 Glass - Success, text pasted
• 🔔 Basso - Error

Permissions

Grant these in System Settings → Privacy & Security:

Permission	Why it's needed
Microphone	To record your voice for transcription
Accessibility	To simulate ⌘V keystroke and paste text into any app. macOS requires this permission for apps that send keyboard events to other applications.

Note

: After reinstalling or updating, you may need to remove and re-add the app in Accessibility settings.

Security

• All processing is done locally - no data leaves your device
• Audio files are stored in private temp directory and deleted after transcription
• Clipboard is cleared after paste (transcript doesn't remain accessible)
• Original clipboard content is preserved and restored after paste
• Input validation prevents command injection
• No network access except for optional model downloads from Hugging Face

License

MIT License