Whisper Push-to-Talk for macOS

After installing

Grant permissions
On first launch, macOS will prompt for Accessibility and Microphone access. Click Allow for both.

Permissions persist across updates — no need to re-grant after updating.

Configure Karabiner Elements
Add your key bindings to the complex_modifications.rules array in ~/.config/karabiner/karabiner.json

Show example JSON

The example uses F12, but you can change "key_code" to any key you prefer (e.g. "right_option", "f15").

{
  "manipulators": [
    {
      "description": "F12 push-to-talk: hold to record, release to transcribe",
      "from": { "key_code": "f12" },
      "to": [
        { "shell_command": "~/.config/whisper-ptt/start-recording.sh" }
      ],
      "to_after_key_up": [
        { "shell_command": "~/.config/whisper-ptt/stop-and-transcribe.sh" }
      ],
      "type": "basic"
    }
  ]
}

Paste into profiles[0].complex_modifications.rules in ~/.config/karabiner/karabiner.json

Karabiner picks up changes automatically — no restart needed.

Manage

Update

~/.config/whisper-ptt/update.sh

Re-runs the installer to fetch the latest release

Switch model

~/.config/whisper-ptt/switch-model.sh

Interactively switch between Whisper models (tiny, base, small, medium, large-v3)

Uninstall

~/.config/whisper-ptt/uninstall.sh

Removes all installed files, LaunchAgents, and ~/.config/whisper-ptt

Features

🔒

100% Local & Free

No cloud, no API keys, no subscriptions. Works offline too.

⚡

GPU Accelerated

whisper.cpp with Metal. Transcription in under a second.

🎯

Paste Anywhere

Text appears at your cursor in any app.

🌍

Multilingual

Auto-detects or select a language from the menu bar. 20+ languages supported.

✨

Grammar Correction

Toggle LLM-powered grammar fix via Ollama from the menu bar.

🔊

Audio Feedback

Sound cues when recording starts and stops. Always know the state.

📦

One-Line Install

Single curl command. Up and running in seconds.

🪶

Lightweight

Background daemons with minimal footprint. No Electron app.

Local push-to-talk for macOS

Install

Requirements