# 
Vocalinux
#### Voice-to-text for Linux, finally done right!
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Linux has always punched above its weight, except when it comes to voice typing. Vocalinux fixes that.
It's a free, GPLv3-licensed desktop app that lets you dictate text into *any* application, on X11 or Wayland, using fully offline speech recognition. Pick from three engines (whisper.cpp, OpenAI Whisper, or VOSK), get automatic GPU acceleration via Vulkan, and control it all with customizable keyboard shortcuts: toggle or push-to-talk.
No internet required. No data leaves your machine. Just speak and type.
## ๐ What's New in v0.10.0-beta
> ๐ **Release: reliability hardening across keyboard/audio/tray handling, stronger IBus activation, and better CI/testing quality.**
### ๐ Highlights (v0.9.0 โ v0.10.0)
| Feature | Description |
|---------|-------------|
| **โจ๏ธ Keyboard Robustness** | Better modifier alias matching across layouts and SYN_DROPPED recovery in evdev |
| **๐๏ธ Audio Compatibility** | Device channel probing now validates supported sample rates for safer defaults |
| **๐ฅ๏ธ IBus + Tray Stability** | IBus activation uses `register_component`; tray updates use icon names reliably |
| **๐งช Quality & CI Upgrades** | Test coverage rose to 80%+, with Node 24 and path-filtered CI pipelines |
### โจ New in v0.10.0-beta
- **IBus registration flow improvements** - Text injection now uses explicit component registration for more reliable engine activation
- **Expanded IBus test coverage** - Launch mode and main entrypoint paths are now covered in tests
- **Improved project defaults** - Minimum supported Python version is now 3.9+
### ๐ Bug Fixes (v0.10.0)
- **#342**: Generalized pynput modifier alias matching across keyboard layouts
- **#341**: Channel probing now verifies sample-rate support for selected audio devices
- **#339**: evdev backend now handles `SYN_DROPPED` to avoid stale modifier state
- **#333**: Settings dialog now forces window decorations to fix missing-titlebar scenarios
- **#330**: Tray icon updates now use icon names for AppIndicator compatibility
- **#304**: IBus activation now uses `register_component` for more reliable startup behavior
### ๐ง Improvements
- **Installation fallback hardening** - Installer now resolves latest tag via GitHub API and improves piped-shell behavior
- **CI runtime modernization** - Deploy workflow upgraded to Node.js 24 with smarter path-based workflow filtering
- **Repo cleanup** - Removed stale `setup.py` and legacy website build script
---
## โจ Features
- ๐ค **Toggle or Push-to-Talk** activation modes
- โก **Real-time transcription** with minimal latency
- ๐ **Universal compatibility** across all Linux applications
- ๐ **100% Offline operation** for privacy and reliability
- ๐ค **whisper.cpp by default** - High-performance C++ speech recognition
- ๐ฎ **Universal GPU support** - Vulkan acceleration for AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA
- ๐จ **System tray integration** with visual status indicators
- ๐ **Start on login support** via XDG autostart (desktop-session startup)
- ๐ **Pleasant audio feedback** - smooth gliding tones, headphone-friendly
- โ๏ธ **Graphical settings** dialog for easy configuration
- ๐ฆ **3 engine choices** - whisper.cpp (default), OpenAI Whisper, or VOSK
## ๐ธ Screenshots
Here are some screenshots showcasing Vocalinux in action:
Real-time voice-to-text transcription
|
System tray with listening indicator
|
About view with version info
|
Log viewer for debugging
|
Overview of key features and configuration options with annotations
|
## ๐ Quick Install
### Interactive Install (Recommended)
Our new interactive installer guides you through setup with intelligent hardware detection:
```bash
curl -fsSL raw.githubusercontent.com/jatinkrmalik/vocalinux/main/install.sh -o /tmp/vl.sh && bash /tmp/vl.sh
```
**Choose your engine:**
1. **whisper.cpp** โญ (Recommended) - Fast, works with any GPU via Vulkan
2. **Whisper** (OpenAI) - PyTorch-based, NVIDIA GPU only
3. **VOSK** - Lightweight, works on older systems
The installer will:
- **Auto-detect your hardware** (GPU, RAM, Vulkan support)
- **Recommend the best engine** for your system
- **Download the appropriate model** (~39MB for whisper.cpp tiny)
- **Install in ~1-2 minutes** (vs 5-10 min with old Whisper)
> **Note**: Always installs the latest release. For a specific version, check [GitHub Releases](https://github.com/jatinkrmalik/vocalinux/releases).
### Installation Options
**Default (whisper.cpp - recommended):**
```bash
curl -fsSL raw.githubusercontent.com/jatinkrmalik/vocalinux/main/install.sh -o /tmp/vl.sh && bash /tmp/vl.sh
```
Fastest installation (~1-2 min), universal GPU support via Vulkan.
**Whisper (OpenAI) - if you prefer PyTorch:**
```bash
curl -fsSL raw.githubusercontent.com/jatinkrmalik/vocalinux/main/install.sh -o /tmp/vl.sh && bash /tmp/vl.sh --engine=whisper
```
NVIDIA GPU only (~5-10 min, downloads PyTorch + CUDA).
**VOSK only - for low-RAM systems:**
```bash
curl -fsSL raw.githubusercontent.com/jatinkrmalik/vocalinux/main/install.sh -o /tmp/vl.sh && bash /tmp/vl.sh --engine=vosk
```
Lightweight option (~40MB), works on systems with 4GB RAM.
### Alternative: Install from Source
```bash
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/jatinkrmalik/vocalinux.git
cd vocalinux
# Run the installer (will prompt for Whisper)
./install.sh
# Or with Whisper support
./install.sh --with-whisper
```
The installer handles everything: system dependencies, Python environment, speech models, and desktop integration.
### ๐ Nightly Releases (Bleeding Edge)
For developers and early adopters who want to test the latest features, check out our [GitHub Releases page](https://github.com/jatinkrmalik/vocalinux/releases) which includes both beta and nightly builds.
> **โ ๏ธ Warning**: Nightly releases contain the absolute latest code and may be unstable. For production use, we recommend using the latest beta release.
Nightly builds are automatically generated from the `main` branch every day. They include all merged changes but haven't undergone the same testing as beta releases.
**Release Channels:**
- **Beta** (Recommended) - Tested pre-releases with known features
- **Nightly** - Untested bleeding edge with latest commits
### After Installation
```bash
# If ~/.local/bin is in your PATH (recommended):
vocalinux
# Or activate the virtual environment first:
source ~/.local/bin/activate-vocalinux.sh
vocalinux
# Or run directly:
~/.local/share/vocalinux/venv/bin/vocalinux
```
Or launch it from your application menu!
## ๐ Requirements
- **OS**: Linux (tested on Ubuntu 22.04+, Debian 11+, Fedora 39+, Arch Linux, openSUSE Tumbleweed)
- **Python**: 3.9 or newer
- **Display**: X11 or Wayland
- **Hardware**: Microphone for voice input
**Note:** See [Distribution Compatibility](docs/DISTRO_COMPATIBILITY.md) for distribution-specific information and experimental support for Gentoo, Alpine, Void, Solus, and more.
## ๐๏ธ Usage
### Voice Dictation
1. **Toggle mode**: Double-tap the shortcut key (default Ctrl) to start recording
2. Speak clearly into your microphone
3. **Toggle mode**: Double-tap again (or pause speaking) to stop, or **Push-to-Talk mode**: release the key to stop
### Voice Commands
| Command | Action |
|---------|--------|
| "new line" | Inserts a line break |
| "period" / "full stop" | Types a period (.) |
| "comma" | Types a comma (,) |
| "question mark" | Types a question mark (?) |
| "exclamation mark" | Types an exclamation mark (!) |
| "delete that" | Deletes the last sentence |
| "capitalize" | Capitalizes the next word |
### Command Line Options
```bash
vocalinux --help # Show all options
vocalinux --debug # Enable debug logging
vocalinux --engine whisper_cpp # Use whisper.cpp engine (default)
vocalinux --engine whisper # Use OpenAI Whisper engine
vocalinux --engine vosk # Use VOSK engine
vocalinux --model medium # Use medium-sized model
vocalinux --wayland # Force Wayland mode
vocalinux --start-minimized # Start without first-run modal prompts
```
### Autostart on Login
Vocalinux uses the Linux desktop standard for autostart:
- **Mechanism**: XDG autostart desktop entry (`vocalinux.desktop`)
- **Path**: `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/autostart/` or `~/.config/autostart/` (fallback)
- **Launch mode**: Starts as a regular **user desktop app** in your graphical session
- **Not used**: No `systemd` unit/service is created by Vocalinux for autostart
How to enable/disable:
- First-run welcome dialog
- Tray menu: **Start on Login**
- Settings dialog: **Start on Login**
Compatibility notes:
- Works on mainstream desktop environments (GNOME, KDE, Xfce, Cinnamon, MATE, LXQt)
- On minimal/custom window-manager sessions, an autostart handler may be required
(for example DE-specific startup hooks or tools like `dex`)
## โ๏ธ Configuration
Configuration is stored in `~/.config/vocalinux/config.json`:
```json
{
"speech_recognition": {
"engine": "whisper_cpp",
"model_size": "tiny",
"vad_sensitivity": 3,
"silence_timeout": 2.0
}
}
```
You can also configure settings through the graphical Settings dialog (right-click the tray icon).
## ๐ง Development Setup
```bash
# Clone and install in dev mode
git clone https://github.com/jatinkrmalik/vocalinux.git
cd vocalinux
./install.sh --dev
# Activate environment
source venv/bin/activate
# Run tests
pytest
# Run from source with debug
python -m vocalinux.main --debug
```
## ๐ Project Structure
```
vocalinux/
โโโ src/vocalinux/ # Main application code
โ โโโ speech_recognition/ # Speech recognition engines (VOSK, Whisper, whisper.cpp)
โ โ โโโ recognition_manager.py # Unified engine interface
โ โโโ text_injection/ # Text injection (X11/Wayland)
โ โโโ ui/ # GTK UI components
โ โโโ utils/ # Utility functions
โ โโโ whispercpp_model_info.py # whisper.cpp model metadata & hardware detection
โ โโโ vosk_model_info.py # VOSK model metadata
โโโ tests/ # Test suite
โโโ scripts/ # Development utilities
โ โโโ generate_sounds.py # Sound generation script
โโโ resources/ # Icons and sounds
โโโ docs/ # Documentation
โโโ web/ # Website source
```
## ๐ Documentation
- [Installation Guide](docs/INSTALL.md) - Detailed installation instructions
- [Update Guide](docs/UPDATE.md) - How to update Vocalinux
- [User Guide](docs/USER_GUIDE.md) - Complete user documentation
- [Distribution Compatibility](docs/DISTRO_COMPATIBILITY.md) - Distro/session behavior and caveats
- [Contributing](CONTRIBUTING.md) - Development setup and contribution guidelines
## ๐ Sound Customization
Vocalinux uses smooth, pleasant gliding tones for audio feedback:
- **Start**: Ascending F4โA4 (0.6s) - positive, uplifting
- **Stop**: Descending A4โF4 (0.6s) - resolves completion
- **Error**: Lower descending E4โC4 (0.7s) - gentle but noticeable
All sounds use pure sine waves with smoothstep interpolation for buttery smooth pitch transitions - perfect for headphone use!
### Regenerate Sounds
To modify or regenerate the notification sounds:
```bash
python scripts/generate_sounds.py
```
This script generates all three sounds using the same smooth glide algorithm. You can edit the frequencies, durations, and amplitudes in the script to customize the sounds to your preference.
## ๐บ๏ธ Roadmap
- [x] ~~Custom icon design~~ โ
- [x] ~~Graphical settings dialog~~ โ
- [x] ~~Whisper AI support~~ โ
- [x] ~~Multi-language support (FR, DE, RU)~~ โ
- [x] ~~whisper.cpp integration (default engine)~~ โ
- [x] ~~Vulkan GPU support~~ โ
- [ ] In-app update mechanism
- [ ] Application-specific commands
- [ ] Debian/Ubuntu package (.deb)
- [x] ~~Wayland support via IBus~~ โ
- [ ] Voice command customization
## ๐ The Voca Ecosystem
Vocalinux is part of a family of privacy-first, offline voice dictation tools. Same mission, every operating system.
| Platform | Project | Website | GitHub | Status |
|----------|---------|---------|--------|--------|
| ๐ง Linux | **VocaLinux** | [vocalinux.com](https://vocalinux.com) | [jatinkrmalik/vocalinux](https://github.com/jatinkrmalik/vocalinux) | โ
Beta v0.10.0 |
| ๐ macOS | **VocaMac** | [vocamac.com](https://vocamac.com) | [jatinkrmalik/vocamac](https://github.com/jatinkrmalik/vocamac) | ๐ Beta |
| ๐ช Windows | **VocaWin** | [vocawin.com](https://vocawin.com) | [jatinkrmalik/vocawin](https://github.com/jatinkrmalik/vocawin) | ๐ Planned |
> Each platform uses native technologies for the best possible integration, while sharing the same privacy-first philosophy and offline-only architecture.
## ๐ค Contributing
We welcome contributions! Whether it's bug reports, feature requests, or code contributions, please check out our [Contributing Guide](CONTRIBUTING.md).
### Contributors
Thanks to everyone who has contributed to Vocalinux! ๐
### Quick Links
- ๐ [Report a Bug](https://github.com/jatinkrmalik/vocalinux/issues/new?template=bug_report.md)
- ๐ก [Request a Feature](https://github.com/jatinkrmalik/vocalinux/issues/new?template=feature_request.md)
- ๐ฌ [Discussions](https://github.com/jatinkrmalik/vocalinux/discussions)
## โญ Support
If you find Vocalinux useful, please consider:
- โญ Starring this repository
- ๐ Reporting bugs you encounter
- ๐ Improving documentation
- ๐ Contributing code
## ๐ License
This project is licensed under the **GNU General Public License v3.0** - see the [LICENSE](LICENSE) file for details.
## Star Chart
[](https://star-history.com/#jatinkrmalik/vocalinux&Date)
---
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