Wisper

February 14, 2026 · View on GitHub

Wisper is a WisprFlow-like voice dictation application for Linux. It provides seamless voice-to-text integration using AI transcription, allowing you to dictate anywhere and have text typed directly at your cursor.

Features

Global Hotkey - Press Shift+Space to start/stop recording from anywhere
Direct Text Input - Transcribed text is typed directly at your cursor (no copy-paste needed)
AI Transcription - Transcribe audio using OpenAI Whisper via Groq or OpenAI APIs
Multilingual - Supports 99+ languages with automatic detection
Minimal UI - Slim, transparent recording bar with real-time audio waveform
System Tray - Quick access to settings and app controls
Compact Settings - Configure API keys in a dedicated window
Wayland & X11 Support - Works on both display servers
Privacy First - Records locally before sending to API

Requirements

Linux (Debian/Ubuntu 22.04+)
Microphone access
Internet connection (for API calls)
ydotool - Required for direct text input (install via your package manager)
Wayland users: Need to set up custom keyboard shortcut (see Wayland Setup below)

Installation

From Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/taraksh01/wisper.git
cd wisper

# Install dependencies
pnpm install

# Run in development
pnpm run electron:dev

# Build for production
pnpm run build
pnpm run package

Install ydotool

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install ydotool

# Fedora
sudo dnf install ydotool

# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S ydotool

From Release

Download the latest .AppImage or .deb package from the Releases page.

Usage

First Time Setup

Right-click the system tray icon and select Settings
Choose your API provider:
- Groq: Free, fast Whisper models (recommended)
- OpenAI: Official Whisper API
Enter your API key
Click Save

Recording

Press Shift+Space to start recording (bar appears)
Speak into your microphone
Press Shift+Space again to stop
Text is transcribed and typed directly at your cursor

System Tray

Left-click: Toggle recording
Right-click: Open menu (Settings, Quit)

Wayland Setup (GNOME/Debian)

On Wayland, global shortcuts must be configured through your desktop environment.

Set Up Keyboard Shortcut

Open Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts → View and Customize Shortcuts
Scroll to bottom and click Custom Shortcuts
Click Add Shortcut (+)
Configure:
- Name: Wisper Toggle
- Command: wisper (or path to AppImage)
- Shortcut: Press Shift+Space
Click Add

Note: Running Wisper while it's already running will toggle recording (single-instance behavior).

For AppImage:

/path/to/Wisper.AppImage --no-sandbox

For development:

/usr/bin/electron /path/to/wisper --no-sandbox

Configuration

API Keys

Wisper supports two transcription providers:

Provider	Model	Cost	Get API Key
Groq (Recommended)	`whisper-large-v3-turbo`	Free	console.groq.com
OpenAI	`whisper-1`	Paid	platform.openai.com

Settings

Access settings via system tray → Settings

Option	Description
Provider	Choose between Groq and OpenAI
API Key	Your provider's API key

Building

# Development
pnpm run dev              # Start Vite dev server only
pnpm run electron:dev     # Start Electron with hot reload

# Production
pnpm run build            # Build React app
pnpm run package          # Create distributables (.AppImage, .deb)

Troubleshooting

ydotool not working

Ensure ydotool is installed
Check permissions: sudo chmod 666 /dev/uinput
For Wayland, ydotool may require additional setup

Global shortcut not working on Wayland

Set up a custom keyboard shortcut in GNOME Settings (see Wayland Setup above)
The app uses single-instance lock, so running it again toggles recording

Microphone access denied

Grant microphone permission in system settings
Check if another app is using the microphone exclusively

Transcription failing

Verify your API key is correct in Settings
Check your internet connection
Groq has rate limits on free tier - wait and retry

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details

Author

Tarak Shaw - @taraksh01

Acknowledgments

Inspired by WisprFlow