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voculinux/docs/INSTALL.md
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Jatin K MalikandGitHub a33c0d1b4c Simplify Keyboard Shortcuts to Exclusive Double-tap Ctrl Implementation (#9)
* Implement double-tap Ctrl keyboard shortcut feature

* Simplify keyboard shortcuts to only use double-tap Ctrl

* Update docs

* Fix syntax

* Fix CI build by adding portaudio19-dev dependency
2025-04-18 23:36:49 -05:00

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Installation Guide

This guide provides instructions for installing and setting up Vocalinux.

Requirements

  • Ubuntu 22.04 or newer
  • Python 3.6 or newer
  • Dependencies for speech recognition and text injection

Basic Installation

1. Install System Dependencies

# Required system dependencies for PyAudio and PyGObject
sudo apt install portaudio19-dev libgirepository1.0-dev libcairo2-dev pkg-config python3-dev

# For X11 environments
sudo apt install xdotool python3-pip python3-gi gir1.2-appindicator3-0.1

# For Wayland environments
sudo apt install wtype python3-pip python3-gi gir1.2-appindicator3-0.1
# OR alternatively for Wayland
sudo apt install ydotool python3-pip python3-gi gir1.2-appindicator3-0.1

2. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/jatinkrmalik/vocalinux.git
cd vocalinux

3. Install Python Dependencies

# Create a virtual environment (recommended)
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate

# Basic installation
pip install --upgrade pip
pip install .

# With Whisper support (requires more resources)
pip install ".[whisper]"

# For development
pip install ".[dev]"

4. Run the Application

# If using virtual environment, make sure it's activated
source venv/bin/activate

# Basic usage
vocalinux

# With debug logging
vocalinux --debug

# With Whisper instead of VOSK
vocalinux --engine whisper

# Force Wayland mode
vocalinux --wayland

Advanced Installation

Custom Model Sizes

By default, a small model will be downloaded and used. You can use larger models for improved accuracy:

vocalinux --model medium
# or
vocalinux --model large

Note that larger models require more RAM and may have longer initialization times, but provide better recognition accuracy.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter errors like portaudio.h: No such file or directory or issues with GTK/GObject, make sure you've installed all the required system dependencies:

sudo apt install portaudio19-dev libgirepository1.0-dev libcairo2-dev pkg-config python3-dev

No audio input detected

  • Check that your microphone is connected and working
  • Verify your system audio settings
  • Run with --debug flag to see detailed logs

Text injection not working

  • For X11: Ensure xdotool is installed
  • For Wayland: Ensure wtype or ydotool is installed
  • Some applications may have security measures that prevent text injection

Recognition is inaccurate

  • Try a larger model size (--model medium or --model large)
  • Ensure your microphone is positioned correctly
  • Speak clearly and at a moderate pace