OpenWispr

OpenWispr is a local-first desktop dictation app built with Tauri (Rust backend + React frontend).

Features

• Local transcription with Whisper-compatible models
• Floating dictation pill UI
• Menu bar (macOS) / system tray (Windows) app behavior
• Model Manager window for downloading and selecting models
• Personal clipboard preservation while auto-pasting transcription

Platform Support

• macOS (primary)
• Windows

Repository Structure

• apps/desktop - Tauri desktop app (frontend + native runtime)
• apps/desktop/src - React UI
• apps/desktop/src-tauri - Rust runtime, hotkey listeners, audio capture, paste pipeline
• crates/stt - STT adapter abstraction and Whisper backend
• docs - additional project docs

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+ (Node 20 LTS recommended)
• pnpm
• Rust stable toolchain (rustup, cargo)
• Platform toolchain:
  • macOS: Xcode Command Line Tools
  • Windows: Visual Studio Build Tools (MSVC) + Windows SDK

Install

cd apps/desktop
pnpm install

Run (Development)

cd apps/desktop
pnpm tauri dev

What to expect:

• No main dashboard window opens on launch
• App runs in menu bar (macOS) or system tray (Windows)
• Hold Fn to start dictation

Build (Production)

cd apps/desktop
pnpm tauri build

Verification Commands

Frontend:

cd apps/desktop
pnpm build

Backend:

cd apps/desktop/src-tauri
cargo check
cargo test

First-Run Permissions

macOS

Grant these permissions to OpenWispr/Terminal while developing:

• Microphone
• Accessibility (for global key events and key injection)
• Automation (if prompted, for System Events focus restore)

Windows

• Microphone access
• Accessibility/input permissions as required by your security policy

Models

• Models are downloaded automatically when selected/downloaded in Model Manager.
• Default local model cache:
  • macOS: ~/.cache/openwispr/models
  • Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\\OpenWispr\\models

Helpful Environment Variables

• OPENWISPR_MODEL_DIR - custom model directory
• OPENWISPR_INPUT_DEVICE - force a specific input device name match
• OPENWISPR_FFMPEG_BIN - custom ffmpeg binary path
• OPENWISPR_RAWINPUT_DEBUG=1 (Windows) - log raw keyboard input
• OPENWISPR_FN_VKEY / OPENWISPR_FN_MAKECODE (Windows) - override Fn mapping

Troubleshooting

• App seems duplicated or stale in dev:
  • pkill -f "openwispr-desktop-tauri|vite|pnpm tauri dev" || true
  • then re-run pnpm tauri dev
• Tray/menu icon appears but no window:
  • click tray/menu icon to open Model Manager
• No transcription text:
  • verify microphone permissions and selected model download
• Not pasting into target app:
  • verify Accessibility/Automation permissions and keep target text field focused before dictation

License

Licensed under the Apache License 2.0. See LICENSE.