voculinux/docs/INSTALL.md

Installation guide

How to install Vocalinux on Linux. Short overview: project README.

Path	When to use
Recommended installer	Most users
AppImage	Portable binary; no system package install
AUR	Arch / Manjaro
Flatpak	Release .flatpak or local build
Snap	Ubuntu Snap Store (--edge) or GitHub .snap
From source	Contributors or custom trees
Manual / PyPI	Full control or pip-only workflows
Troubleshooting	Tray, audio, injection, models

Recommended installer

Download, review if you like, then run:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/VocaHQ/vocalinux/main/install.sh -o /tmp/vl.sh
bash /tmp/vl.sh

Installs the latest release with whisper.cpp by default. For a pinned version, see GitHub Releases or pass --tag=....

The installer:

• Installs whisper.cpp (typically ~1-2 minutes; no full PyTorch stack)
• Detects GPU / Vulkan (AMD, Intel, NVIDIA)
• Installs neural VAD when ONNX Runtime is available
• Downloads the default whisper.cpp tiny model (~74MB), verified against pinned checksums
• Sets up desktop integration and launch wrappers

The source installer uses committed, hash-verified Python dependency exports, including its pip and source-build tools. GTK/PyGObject still comes from your distribution, and the venv retains access to system packages. A missing export or unavailable pinned package causes that installation step to fail; the existing optional-engine and VAD fallbacks still apply.

Remote installs run the installer from the selected release tag. Older tags therefore retain their original dependency-install behavior; downloading a new bootstrap script does not change an older release's pins.

Installer modes

./install.sh                              # Interactive (recommended)
./install.sh --auto                       # Defaults: whisper.cpp
./install.sh --auto --engine=whisper      # OpenAI Whisper
./install.sh --auto --engine=faster_whisper  # Faster Whisper (CPU)
./install.sh --auto --engine=vosk         # VOSK only
./install.sh --auto --engine=parakeet     # Parakeet (CPU)
./install.sh --auto --engine=remote_api   # Remote HTTP API
./install.sh --dev                        # Editable install + test tools
./install.sh --help                       # Full flag list

Engine	When to use	Typical install
whisper.cpp (default)	Best default; Vulkan GPU	~1-2 min, ~74MB model
Whisper (OpenAI)	PyTorch / CUDA	~5-10 min, large download
Faster Whisper	CPU Whisper via CTranslate2 / INT8	Model sizes like OpenAI Whisper
VOSK	Low RAM / minimal	~30 sec, ~40MB
Parakeet	CPU; 25 European languages	Model ~639MB
Remote API	User-configured HTTP server	No local model

Useful flags: --tag=TAG, --skip-models, --rebuild-whispercpp, --no-rebuild-whispercpp, --venv-dir=PATH, --test.

--engine=NAME accepts whisper_cpp (default), whisper, faster_whisper, vosk, parakeet, remote_api.

What the installer does

1. Detects the distribution and installs system packages
2. Creates a Python venv from the system interpreter with --system-site-packages (for distro GTK / PyGObject)
3. Installs Vocalinux and the chosen speech engine
4. Optionally installs neural VAD (onnxruntime)
5. Downloads a default speech model (checksum-verified)
6. Installs icons, desktop entry, and ~/.local/bin wrappers

AppImage

From GitHub Releases:

chmod +x Vocalinux-*-x86_64.AppImage   # or aarch64
./Vocalinux-*-x86_64.AppImage

Built against glibc 2.35, so it starts on Debian 12+, Ubuntu 22.04+, Fedora 36+, Arch, and Tumbleweed. Older bases (RHEL 9, Debian 11, Ubuntu 20.04) are below that AppImage floor. The installer and PyPI package still require a distro that ships Python 3.11+, so they are not a workaround for Debian 11 or Ubuntu 20.04.

Still needs host text-injection tools (xdotool on X11; wtype / ydotool / clipboard tools on Wayland). Current AppImages rebuild whisper.cpp with Vulkan and use the host GPU driver (vulkaninfo --summary). Prefer the installer when you want system deps, a CUDA build, and models set up automatically.

Arch Linux (AUR)

yay -S vocalinux

See AUR.md.

Flatpak

Install and auto-update via the self-hosted VocaHQ remote (flatpak update picks up each release):

flatpak install https://vocahq.github.io/vocalinux-flatpak/com.vocalinux.Vocalinux.flatpakref

The .flatpakref adds the vocahq remote and resolves the GNOME runtime through Flathub. Manually instead:

flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists vocahq https://vocahq.github.io/vocalinux-flatpak/vocahq.flatpakrepo
flatpak install vocahq com.vocalinux.Vocalinux

Or sideload a GitHub Release bundle (Vocalinux-<version>-x86_64.flatpak or -aarch64.flatpak) after the Flathub GNOME runtime is present — bundles do not auto-update:

flatpak install --user ./Vocalinux-<version>-x86_64.flatpak

Local build (contributors):

flatpak install flathub org.gnome.Platform//50 org.gnome.Sdk//50
flatpak-builder --user --install --force-clean build-dir \
  packaging/flatpak/com.vocalinux.Vocalinux.yml
flatpak run com.vocalinux.Vocalinux

Whisper.cpp + Vulkan. It is not on Flathub (submission flathub#9368 closed 2026-07-23 on policy grounds). Details: packaging/flatpak/README.md.

Snap (Ubuntu Snap Store)

Listing: snapcraft.io/vocalinux (issue #48). Recipe: snap/snapcraft.yaml. Tagged v* releases attach vocalinux_<version>_amd64.snap to the GitHub Release and try Snap Store edge and candidate when credentials are set. stable is promoted from candidate after QA.

Store install, once Canonical lists the revision:

sudo snap install vocalinux --edge
sudo snap connect vocalinux:audio-record   # if mic is not auto-connected
sudo snap connect vocalinux:raw-input      # global keyboard shortcuts (evdev)
sudo snap connect vocalinux:hardware-observe  # list keyboards (/proc/bus/input/devices)
sudo snap connect vocalinux:uinput         # native Wayland typing (ydotool)

v0.18.0 ships ydotool and the uinput plug. That plug is super-privileged, so the Store held 0.18.0 for human review (allow-installation). Until a 0.18.0+ revision is listed, snap info vocalinux still shows v0.16.2 (rev 7) on edge. That revision has no uinput plug; sudo snap connect vocalinux:uinput fails.

Sideload the GitHub .snap (amd64) while the Store is waiting:

sudo snap install --dangerous ./vocalinux_0.18.0_amd64.snap
sudo snap connect vocalinux:audio-record
sudo snap connect vocalinux:raw-input
sudo snap connect vocalinux:hardware-observe
sudo snap connect vocalinux:uinput

--dangerous is required because this file is not a Store revision. It will not refresh from the Store. After Canonical grants uinput, switch to sudo snap install vocalinux --edge (or snap refresh).

From source

git clone https://github.com/VocaHQ/vocalinux.git
cd vocalinux
./install.sh

System requirements

Requirement	Details
OS	Ubuntu 24.04+, Debian 12+, Fedora 42+, Arch, openSUSE Tumbleweed
Python	3.11 or newer
Display	X11 or Wayland
Hardware	Microphone; GPU optional (Vulkan)
Disk	~200MB with default whisper.cpp model
RAM	4GB minimum; 8GB comfortable

The distro must ship Python 3.11+ because Vocalinux uses distro PyGObject (python3-gi). Ubuntu 22.04 (Python 3.10) and Debian 11 (3.9) are below that floor. Distro matrix: DISTRO_COMPATIBILITY.md.

GPU (optional)

whisper.cpp uses Vulkan when available (AMD, Intel, NVIDIA). Check with vulkaninfo --summary.

Running Vocalinux

vocalinux                                          # if ~/.local/bin is on PATH
~/.local/share/vocalinux/venv/bin/vocalinux        # direct
source venv/bin/activate && vocalinux              # source checkout

Or launch from the application menu.

CLI

vocalinux --help
vocalinux --version
vocalinux --debug
vocalinux --engine whisper_cpp
vocalinux --engine whisper
vocalinux --engine vosk
vocalinux --engine parakeet
vocalinux --engine remote_api
vocalinux --model tiny
vocalinux --model medium.en-q5_0
vocalinux --model large-v3-turbo
vocalinux --wayland
vocalinux --start-minimized

Autostart

Start on Login writes an XDG autostart desktop entry (~/.config/autostart/). It does not install a systemd unit. Enable from the first-run dialog, tray menu, or Settings.

Data locations (XDG)

Directory	Purpose
~/.config/vocalinux/	Configuration
~/.local/share/vocalinux/	Data and speech models
~/.local/share/applications/	Desktop entry
~/.local/share/icons/hicolor/scalable/apps/	Icons

whisper.cpp (default engine)

Default engine: C++ Whisper port with Vulkan GPU support and lower install cost than the PyTorch Whisper stack.

Size	Approx.	Use
tiny	~74MB	Fast dictation (default)
base	~141MB	Balance
small	~465MB	Better accuracy
medium	~1.5GB	High accuracy
large	~3.0GB	Best accuracy

In Settings → Speech Model, simple setup steers language and speed/accuracy. Expand Advanced for engine, Model Size, and Specialization (multilingual, English-only, quantized, Turbo, legacy large). More detail: USER_GUIDE.md.

Reuse an existing pywhispercpp build:

./install.sh --auto                         # reuse if present
./install.sh --auto --rebuild-whispercpp    # force rebuild

Switch engines in Settings → Speech Model (Advanced), or edit ~/.config/vocalinux/config.json (engine: whisper_cpp | whisper | vosk | parakeet | remote_api).

Uninstall

./uninstall.sh
./uninstall.sh --keep-config
./uninstall.sh --keep-data

Manual cleanup:

rm -rf venv ~/.config/vocalinux ~/.local/share/vocalinux
rm -f activate-vocalinux.sh
rm -f ~/.local/share/applications/vocalinux.desktop
rm -f ~/.local/share/icons/hicolor/scalable/apps/vocalinux*.svg
gtk-update-icon-cache -f -t ~/.local/share/icons/hicolor

Update

See UPDATE.md.

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/VocaHQ/vocalinux/main/install.sh -o /tmp/vl.sh
bash /tmp/vl.sh

More documentation

Doc	Contents
INSTALL_MANUAL.md	Manual install, PyPI/pipx, per-distro packages
TROUBLESHOOTING.md	Common failures and fixes
DISTRO_COMPATIBILITY.md	Support matrix
USER_GUIDE.md	Day-to-day use
SUPPORT.md	Where to get help
Documentation index	Full list