Jatin K MalikandGitHub
c2654609ac
* feat(ui): add floating glowing dictation overlay Show a bottom-center non-focus overlay while recognition is LISTENING or PROCESSING so users get a clear visual cue beyond the tray icon. Optional GtkLayerShell on Wayland; plain always-on-top GTK fallback elsewhere. Configurable via ui.show_overlay (default on) and Settings. * fix(test): isolate dictation overlay tests from GTK pollution Overlay unit tests no longer construct real GTK windows or import tray_indicator, which was loading gi.repository early and breaking later tests that mock GI (single-instance and suspend GLib checks). * docs: add dictation overlay screenshots Capture the floating glowing orb in listening (green) and processing (amber) states for the PR and README screenshots section. * test(ui): raise dictation overlay coverage for Codecov patch gate Exercise GTK init, draw/animation, positioning, layer-shell fallbacks, tray overlay wiring, settings toggle, and config edge cases so patch coverage on the floating overlay clears the 80% Codecov target. * test(tray): call overlay helpers via unbound methods Avoid instance-level MagicMock shadowing of set_overlay_enabled under some import/mock orderings (seen on CI Python 3.10). * test(tray): inject explicit config mock for overlay helpers Assign a MagicMock config_manager on the instance so assertions do not depend on the constructor patch (which can leave a real ConfigManager under some Python versions / import orders). * refactor(ui): ponytail pass on dictation overlay Drop the hand-drawn mic glyph, simplify the Cairo clear/pulse path, reuse ConfigManager get_bool/set, tighten tray overlay helpers, and delete string-grep structural tests that proved nothing. * fix(ui): pin overlay to bottom strip and stop stealing focus Use a full-width bottom strip (layer-shell left/right/bottom anchors, or resize+move fallback) so the orb is bottom-center on Wayland. Map the window once and toggle opacity instead of hide/show so compositors do not re-activate it and yank focus out of the editor (which broke IBus inject). * fix(appimage): seed GtkLayerShell typelib for dictation overlay * fix(ui): address greptile findings on dictation overlay * fix(appimage): keep layer-shell typelib optional for direct builds
Vocalinux turns speech into typed text in whatever app has focus. It is a free, AGPL-3.0-licensed desktop app for X11 and Wayland. After you download a model, local engines (whisper.cpp by default, plus OpenAI Whisper, Faster Whisper, VOSK, and Parakeet) run speech-to-text on your machine. An optional remote HTTP API is off unless you configure it.
No Voca account is required. Models download once. After that, speech-to-text stays on your machine.
Current release: v0.17.0. Minor: Faster Whisper and Parakeet engines, Speech Model simple setup, first-run system language, Snap with native Wayland typing, Flatpak bundles on the GitHub Release. Details: docs/UPDATE.md.
Features
- On-device after model download: Local engines; speech-to-text stays on your machine
- X11 and Wayland: Text injection via xdotool, IBus, wtype, ydotool, or clipboard fallback
- Several engines: whisper.cpp (default), OpenAI Whisper, Faster Whisper, VOSK, Parakeet, plus optional remote HTTP API
- GPU acceleration: Vulkan for AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA with whisper.cpp
- Toggle or push-to-talk: New installs default to hold Right Alt; existing configs keep their shortcut
- System tray + settings: Searchable sidebar, Speech Model simple setup with Advanced as an island, status icons, audio feedback
- Start on login: XDG autostart (desktop session, not a systemd service)
- Packaging: install script, AppImage, AUR, PyPI, Snap (
--edge), Flatpak (release bundles and local build; not on Flathub)
Screenshots
Vocalinux in action. Full gallery on the website screenshots page.
Product
 Real-time voice-to-text transcription |
 System tray with listening indicator |
 About & Updates in Settings |
 Log viewer for debugging |
Settings
 Speech Engine |
 Recognition |
 Audio |
 Performance |
 General |
 Advanced |
 Floating overlay while listening (green) |
 Floating overlay while processing (amber) |
Install
Recommended (interactive installer)
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/VocaHQ/vocalinux/main/install.sh -o /tmp/vl.sh
bash /tmp/vl.sh
Prefer to review the script first: open /tmp/vl.sh before running it, or clone the repo and run ./install.sh locally.
The installer detects hardware, recommends an engine, downloads a default model (~74MB for whisper.cpp tiny), installs neural VAD when ONNX Runtime is available, and sets up desktop integration. Typical install time with whisper.cpp is about 1-2 minutes.
| Engine | When to use |
|---|---|
| whisper.cpp (default) | Best default; Vulkan GPU on AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA |
| Whisper (OpenAI) | PyTorch path; NVIDIA/CUDA |
| Faster Whisper | CPU-friendly Whisper via CTranslate2 / INT8 |
| VOSK | Low RAM / minimal footprint |
| Parakeet | CPU; NVIDIA NeMo ASR via sherpa-onnx; 25 European languages |
| Remote API | Offload to a server you configure |
Non-interactive options:
bash /tmp/vl.sh --auto # whisper.cpp defaults
bash /tmp/vl.sh --auto --engine=whisper # OpenAI Whisper
bash /tmp/vl.sh --auto --engine=faster_whisper # Faster Whisper (CPU)
bash /tmp/vl.sh --auto --engine=vosk # VOSK only
bash /tmp/vl.sh --auto --engine=parakeet # Parakeet (CPU)
For a specific release tag, see GitHub Releases or ./install.sh --tag=v0.17.0.
Arch Linux (AUR)
yay -S vocalinux
See docs/AUR.md.
AppImage
Download the x86_64 or aarch64 AppImage from Releases, mark it executable, and run it. Built against glibc 2.35 (Debian 12+, Ubuntu 22.04+, Fedora 36+, Arch, Tumbleweed). Host text-injection tools (xdotool on X11; wtype / ydotool / clipboard tools on Wayland) are still required. Current AppImages rebuild whisper.cpp with Vulkan and use the host GPU driver. Prefer the installer when you want system deps, a CUDA build, and models set up automatically.
Flatpak (any distro)
GitHub Releases attach Vocalinux-<version>-x86_64.flatpak and Vocalinux-<version>-aarch64.flatpak. After the Flathub GNOME runtime is present:
flatpak install --user ./Vocalinux-<version>-x86_64.flatpak
Bundles do not auto-update. Local build:
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
Ships whisper.cpp with 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. stable is still a manual promote after QA. Tagged releases also attach vocalinux_<version>_amd64.snap on GitHub.
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)
v0.17.0 includes ydotool and the uinput plug. The Store still has to finish review of that plug, so snap info vocalinux may still show v0.16.2 (rev 7) on edge. That revision has no uinput plug; snap connect vocalinux:uinput fails until a 0.17.0+ revision is listed.
Until then, sideload the GitHub file:
sudo snap install --dangerous ./vocalinux_0.17.0_amd64.snap
sudo snap connect vocalinux:uinput
From source
git clone https://github.com/VocaHQ/vocalinux.git
cd vocalinux
./install.sh
# or pick the engine up front
./install.sh --engine=whisper_cpp
./install.sh --engine=vosk
./install.sh --engine=parakeet --auto
After installation
vocalinux # if ~/.local/bin is on PATH
# or
~/.local/share/vocalinux/venv/bin/vocalinux
You can also launch Vocalinux from your application menu.
Nightly builds
Daily builds from main appear on Releases. Use the latest stable or beta release for production; nightlies are untested.
Requirements
| OS | Linux (Ubuntu 24.04+, Debian 12+, Fedora 42+, Arch, openSUSE Tumbleweed) |
| Python | 3.11 or newer |
| Display | X11 or Wayland |
| Hardware | Microphone; GPU optional (Vulkan) |
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. Distribution notes: docs/DISTRO_COMPATIBILITY.md.
Usage
Dictation
- Push-to-talk (default on new installs): hold Right Alt (Option on Mac-layout keyboards) and speak
- Speak into the microphone
- Release to stop, or switch to Toggle mode in Settings (double-tap a key to start/stop)
Existing configs keep their saved shortcut.
Voice commands
English phrases always work. With a non-English recognition language, matching punctuation / line-break phrases in that language are also recognized (Italian virgola / punto, French virgule / point, etc.).
| Command | Action |
|---|---|
| "new line" | Line break |
| "period" / "full stop" / "dot" | . |
| "comma" | , |
| "question mark" | ? |
| "exclamation mark" | ! |
| "delete that" | Delete last sentence |
| "capitalize" | Capitalize next word |
CLI
vocalinux --help
vocalinux --version
vocalinux --debug
vocalinux --engine whisper_cpp # default
vocalinux --engine whisper
vocalinux --engine faster_whisper
vocalinux --engine vosk
vocalinux --engine parakeet
vocalinux --engine remote_api
vocalinux --model medium
vocalinux --model medium.en-q5_0 # exact whisper.cpp variant
vocalinux --model large-v3-turbo
vocalinux --wayland
vocalinux --start-minimized
Autostart
Start on Login creates an XDG autostart desktop entry (~/.config/autostart/). It does not install a systemd unit. Enable from the first-run dialog, tray menu, or Settings.
Configuration
Stored at ~/.config/vocalinux/config.json. Prefer the Settings dialog for day-to-day changes. Settings → Speech Model starts with a simple setup; expand Advanced for engine, size, and specialization.
Neural VAD (Silero) is used when onnxruntime is available; install via pip install "vocalinux[vad]" for manual/PyPI installs. The installer attempts this automatically.
Documentation
| Document | Description |
|---|---|
| Installation | Installer, AppImage, AUR, Flatpak, Snap, running |
| Manual / PyPI install | Package lists and pip workflows |
| Troubleshooting | Common failures |
| User guide | Dictation, engines, models, tips |
| Update guide | Upgrade steps and release notes |
| Changelog | Release history pointers |
| Support | Where to get help |
| Distribution compatibility | Distro matrix and session notes |
| Remote HTTP API | Offload transcription to a server |
| Contributing | Dev setup, style, PR process |
| Security | Supported versions and vulnerability reporting |
| Docs index | Full documentation map |
Privacy and security
- Local engines process audio on-device after you download a model; no Voca account required
- Optional remote API is off by default and only used when you configure a server
- Model downloads are checked against pinned checksums
Report vulnerabilities privately per SECURITY.md.
Development
git clone https://github.com/VocaHQ/vocalinux.git
cd vocalinux
./install.sh --dev
source venv/bin/activate
pytest
python -m vocalinux.main --debug
See CONTRIBUTING.md for the two-venv layout, just recipes, and PR guidelines.
Roadmap
Shipped: graphical settings, multi-language support, whisper.cpp default, Vulkan GPU, Wayland/IBus, Flatpak packaging, AppImage, in-app update checker, Parakeet and Faster Whisper engines, Snap recipe.
Planned:
- Application-specific voice commands
- Debian/Ubuntu package (
.deb) - User-customizable voice command map
- Flathub publication (not currently listed; see #167)
Voca ecosystem
Vocalinux is part of VocaHQ. On-device speech-to-text first, one app per platform. Optional VocaGateway is self-hosted and not on-device.
| Platform | Project | Website | GitHub |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | VocaLinux | vocalinux.com | VocaHQ/vocalinux |
| macOS | VocaMac | vocamac.com | VocaHQ/vocamac |
| Windows | VocaWin | vocawin.com | VocaHQ/vocawin |
| Phone | VocaPhone | vocaphone.vocahq.com | VocaHQ/vocaphone |
| Gateway | VocaGateway | vocagateway.vocahq.com | VocaHQ/vocagateway |
Talk to us: Discord · X @vocahq · hello@vocahq.com
Contributing
Bug reports, docs, and code are welcome. Start with CONTRIBUTING.md and good first issues.
Contributors
Thanks to everyone who has contributed code, docs, or fixes:
Repository mirrors
GitHub is the primary forge for issues, PRs, CI, and releases.
| Role | URL |
|---|---|
| Primary | https://github.com/VocaHQ/vocalinux |
| Read-only mirror (Codeberg) | https://codeberg.org/jatinkrmalik/vocalinux |
Open issues and pull requests on GitHub only.
License
This project is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 (AGPL-3.0), aligning with the other VocaHQ distribution projects.
You may use, study, modify, and redistribute the software under AGPL-3.0. If you run a modified version as a network service, AGPL also requires that you make the corresponding source available.
Star Chart
Optional Orukeet model
With the Parakeet engine installed, Settings → Speech Model → Parakeet also
offers orukeet-v0.1.0. It uses the existing local sherpa-onnx recognizer for
25 European languages; the recommended Parakeet model and default whisper.cpp
engine stay unchanged.
The download comes from a pinned revision of oruk/orukeet on Hugging Face. Vocalinux checks every file against its bundled SHA-256 pins and checks the publisher's release manifest against those same pins. The manifest download participates in Hugging Face's normal model-download accounting. Cached recognition works offline and does not send audio or usage events. The model occupies about 641 MiB; its CC BY-SA 4.0 weights license and NVIDIA attribution are included.