A lightweight macOS menu bar app for quick audio transcription using OpenAI Whisper, Google Gemini, Local WhisperKit, or Parakeet‑MLX. Press a hotkey, record your thoughts, and get instant text that's automatically copied to your clipboard.

• Global hotkey + push‑to‑talk: Default ⌘⇧Space, optional press‑and‑hold on a modifier key, and an Express Mode that starts/stops with a single hotkey press
• Multiple engines: OpenAI Whisper, Google Gemini, offline WhisperKit (CoreML), and Parakeet‑MLX (Apple Silicon, multilingual) with built-in model download/verify tools
• Semantic clean‑up: Optional post-processing with local MLX (Apple Silicon) or the same cloud provider to fix typos, punctuation, and filler words — with app-aware categories (Terminal/Coding/Email/etc.)
• Transcribe files: Menu bar → “Transcribe Audio File...” to convert existing audio without recording
• History & insights: Opt‑in transcription history with search/clear/retention plus a Usage Dashboard (sessions, words, WPM, time/keystrokes saved, rebuild from history)
• Smart paste & focus: Clipboard copy plus optional auto‑⌘V; restores focus to the app you were in; plays gentle completion chime
• Performance helpers: Auto‑boost mic input while recording, live level meter, start-at-login toggle
• Secure by default: API keys in macOS Keychain, local modes keep audio on‑device, no analytics

• Dashboard window for providers, preferences, permissions, history, categories, and usage stats (Menu bar → Dashboard...)
• On-device Parakeet‑MLX with one-click dependency setup + model verification (no manual Python path setup)
• Semantic Correction (optional): local MLX or cloud, with per-app categories and editable prompts
• New hotkey modes: Press & Hold (push-to-talk) and Express Mode (tap to start/stop + paste)
• Transcribe existing audio files from the menu bar
• History + Usage Dashboard (optional): searchable transcripts, retention policies, and productivity insights

• macOS 14.0 (Sonoma) or later
• Apple Silicon strongly recommended; required for Parakeet and local MLX semantic correction (local Whisper works on Intel but is slower)
• Disk space: up to ~1.5 GB for Whisper large‑turbo, ~2.5 GB for Parakeet model cache if enabled
• API keys: OpenAI or Google Gemini for cloud; none needed for Local Whisper/Parakeet/local MLX correction
• Swift 5.9+ (if building from source)

# Tap the repository (one-time setup)
brew tap mazdak/tap

# Install AudioWhisper
brew install audiowhisper

# Launch the app
open -a AudioWhisper

To update:

brew upgrade audiowhisper

Note: The mazdak/tap repository also includes other tools like LazyRedis

1. Download the latest release from Releases
2. Drag AudioWhisper.app to your Applications folder
3. Launch and configure your API key through the Dashboard

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/mazdak/AudioWhisper.git
cd AudioWhisper

# Build the app
make build

# Copy to Applications
cp -r AudioWhisper.app /Applications/

Local WhisperKit (Offline CoreML)

• No API key; audio stays on-device
• Four models: Tiny (39 MB), Base (142 MB), Small (466 MB), Large Turbo (1.5 GB)
• Downloads in Dashboard → Providers; uses Neural Engine; storage cap slider + per-model verify/delete

Parakeet‑MLX (Offline, very fast, multilingual)

• Apple Silicon only; no API key; audio stays local
• Choose v2 English or v3 Multilingual (~2.5 GB)
• Click “Install Dependencies” to bootstrap the bundled uv/MLX environment, then “Verify Parakeet Model”
• Models cache under ~/.cache/huggingface/hub

OpenAI (Cloud)

1. Get an API key: https://platform.openai.com/api-keys (starts with sk-)
2. Optional: set a custom endpoint (Azure/OpenAI-compatible proxy) in Dashboard → Providers → Advanced

Google Gemini (Cloud)

1. Get an API key: https://makersuite.google.com/app/apikey (starts with AIza)
2. Optional: override the base URL for proxies/self-hosted gateways
3. Large files automatically use the Gemini Files API

Semantic Correction (Optional)

• Modes: Off, Local MLX, or Cloud (uses the active provider)
• Local MLX runs fully offline on Apple Silicon; choose a correction model in the Dashboard (models cache under ~/.cache/huggingface/hub)
• App-aware categories (Terminal/Coding/Chat/Writing/Email/General) can be edited in Dashboard → Categories
• You can override prompts by placing *_prompt.txt files in ~/Library/Application Support/AudioWhisper/prompts/ (e.g. terminal_prompt.txt)

History & Usage Stats (Optional)

• Enable “Save Transcription History” in Dashboard → Preferences; pick retention: 1 week / 1 month / 3 months / forever
• “View History” offers search, expand, delete, or clear-all (all stored locally)
• Usage Dashboard shows sessions, words, WPM, time saved, keystrokes saved; rebuild counters from history or reset with one click

Productivity Toggles

• Express Mode: the hotkey starts/stops recording and pastes without opening the window
• Press & Hold: choose a modifier key (⌘/⌥/⌃/Fn) and hold to record; requires Accessibility permission
• Smart Paste: auto ⌘V after transcription; requires Input Monitoring permission
• Auto-boost microphone input while recording, start at login, completion sound toggle

1. Launch AudioWhisper from Applications

2. The app will detect no API keys and show a welcome dialog

3. Click OK to open the Dashboard

4. Choose your provider:

   • Local WhisperKit: pick a model; download starts automatically
   • OpenAI or Gemini: paste your key, optionally set a custom endpoint/base URL
   • Parakeet‑MLX: click Install Dependencies → Verify Parakeet Model (Apple Silicon)
   • Semantic Correction: pick Off / Local MLX / Cloud

5. (Optional) Enable History + retention, Usage stats, Smart Paste, Express Mode, or Press & Hold

6. Toggle "Start at Login" if you want the app to launch automatically

1. Quick or Express: Press ⌘⇧Space. If Express Mode is on, the first press starts recording and the next press stops and pastes without showing the window.
2. Start Recording: Click the mic or press Space. If Press & Hold is enabled, hold your chosen modifier key to record.
3. Stop Recording: Click/Space again (or release the modifier in Press & Hold). Press ESC anytime to cancel.
4. Paste: Text is copied to the clipboard; if Smart Paste is on we auto‑⌘V into the last app and then return focus.
5. Transcribe a file: Menu bar → Transcribe Audio File... and pick any audio file.

The app lives in your menu bar - click the microphone icon for quick access to recording or the Dashboard.

The recording window shows helpful instructions at the bottom:

• Ready: "Press Space to record • Escape to close"
• Recording: "Press Space to stop • Escape to cancel"
• Processing: "Processing audio..."
• Success: "Text copied to clipboard"

• Turn on Save Transcription History in the Dashboard to store transcripts locally with retention options (1 week, 1 month, 3 months, forever).
• Open History from the menu bar or the Dashboard to search, expand details, delete individual entries, or clear all.
• The Usage Dashboard aggregates sessions, words, words per minute, estimated time saved, and keystrokes saved; you can rebuild stats from history or reset counters anytime.

• Xcode 15.0 or later
• Swift 5.9 or later

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/mazdak/AudioWhisper.git
cd AudioWhisper

# Run in development mode
swift run

# Build for release
swift build -c release

# Create full app bundle with icon
make build

• Local Transcription: Choose Local WhisperKit to keep audio completely on your device
• Third Party Processing: OpenAI/Google options transmit audio for transcription
• Keychain Storage: API keys are securely stored in macOS Keychain
• History: If enabled, transcripts stay local and respect your chosen retention window
• Permissions: Smart Paste needs Input Monitoring; Press & Hold needs Accessibility; both are only used for the stated features
• No Tracking: We don't collect any usage data or analytics
• Microphone Permission: You'll be prompted once on first use
• Open Source: Audit the code yourself for peace of mind

"Unidentified Developer" warning

• Right‑click the app → Open → confirm the dialog once

Smart Paste or Press & Hold not working

• Grant permissions in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Input Monitoring (Smart Paste) and Accessibility (Press & Hold)

Microphone not detected

• System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone → enable AudioWhisper

API key problems

• Re‑enter the key in the Dashboard; check quota; verify any custom base URL/endpoint is correct

Local models missing or failing

• Dashboard → Providers → Local Whisper: download/verify the selected model; ensure storage cap isn’t too low

Parakeet/MLX not ready

• Apple Silicon only; open Dashboard → Providers → Parakeet → Install Dependencies → Verify Parakeet Model

Semantic correction issues

• For Local MLX, click Install Dependencies then Verify MLX Model; for Cloud, ensure the same provider has a valid API key

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

• Alamofire - MIT License
• HotKey - MIT License
• WhisperKit - MIT License
• MLX & parakeet-mlx (Python, bundled) - MIT License

• Built with SwiftUI and AppKit
• Uses OpenAI Whisper API for cloud transcription
• Supports Google Gemini as an alternative
• Local transcription powered by WhisperKit with CoreML acceleration
• Parakeet-MLX library for providing an easy accelerated Python interface
• MLX LLM stack for optional on-device semantic correction

Made with ❤️ for the macOS community. If you find this useful, please consider starring the repository!