TL;DR
Handy is a free, open-source desktop app that transcribes speech locally and pastes results into any text field. It runs on macOS, Windows (x64) and Linux (x64), uses Whisper and Parakeet models, and is designed for privacy and extensibility.
What happened
A new desktop application called Handy provides an offline, privacy-focused speech-to-text workflow that runs entirely on users' machines. Built with Tauri (a Rust backend and React/TypeScript frontend), the app captures audio via a configurable global shortcut, applies voice-activity detection (Silero), and feeds audio to local ASR models. Users can choose Whisper models (Small, Medium, Turbo, Large) with GPU acceleration where available, or the CPU-optimized Parakeet V3 model, which includes automatic language detection. Handy supports macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon), x64 Windows and x64 Linux. The project documents a manual model-install path for environments that block automatic downloads, exposes a developer-focused debug mode, and publishes known limitations — including Whisper crashes on some Windows/Linux setups and limited Wayland support on Linux. The codebase is MIT-licensed and the team invites contributions via GitHub.
Why it matters
- Local processing keeps audio on-device, reducing reliance on cloud services and potential privacy exposure.
- Open-source licensing and an extensible design let developers fork or extend the tool for specialized workflows.
- Offline operation makes speech-to-text available in restricted or network-constrained environments.
- Cross-platform support broadens accessibility for users on macOS, Windows and Linux desktops.
Key facts
- Architecture: Tauri app with Rust backend and React + TypeScript frontend (Tailwind CSS for settings UI).
- Voice activity detection uses Silero to trim silences before transcription.
- Transcription engines: Whisper models (Small/Medium/Turbo/Large) and Parakeet (V2/V3); Parakeet V3 is CPU-optimized.
- Platform support: macOS (Intel & Apple Silicon), x64 Windows, and x64 Linux.
- Debug mode shortcuts: macOS Cmd+Shift+D; Windows/Linux Ctrl+Shift+D.
- Known issues: Whisper model crashes on some Windows/Linux configurations; Wayland support is limited and may require external tools.
- Linux text-input helper tools: xdotool (X11), wtype (Wayland), dotool (both); install commands provided in project docs.
- Manual model installation is supported; downloadable model files and exact filenames are listed (e.g., ggml-small.bin, ggml-large-v3-turbo.bin, parakeet-v3-int8 archives).
- System recommendations: Parakeet V3 runs CPU-only and requires roughly Intel Skylake-era or equivalent processors for acceptable performance; Whisper models benefit from GPU acceleration.
- License: Project is published under the MIT License; source and contribution guidance are on GitHub.
What to watch next
- Debug logging to a file (in-progress work to improve diagnostics).
- macOS keyboard improvements, including support for the Globe key and a rewrite of global shortcut handling.
- Settings refactor, opt-in anonymous analytics, and cleanup of Tauri command patterns as part of active development.
Quick glossary
- Tauri: A framework for building desktop applications that pairs a Rust-based backend with a web frontend.
- Whisper: A family of speech-to-text models originally developed by OpenAI; often used locally in trimmed or quantized formats for offline transcription.
- Voice Activity Detection (VAD): A preprocessing step that detects and trims silence or non-speech segments from audio before transcription.
- Parakeet: A set of speech recognition models optimized for CPU inference and, in some releases, automatic language detection.
- GPU acceleration: Using a graphics processor to speed up computation-heavy tasks like neural network inference.
Reader FAQ
Is Handy free to use?
Yes. The project is distributed under the MIT License and is free to download and use.
Does Handy send audio to the cloud for transcription?
No. Handy performs transcription locally on the user's machine and does not require cloud uploads.
Which desktop platforms does Handy support?
The project supports macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon), x64 Windows, and x64 Linux.
How can I contribute or report issues?
Contributions and issues are handled via the project's GitHub repository; the source also lists an email contact (contact@handy.computer).
Does Handy detect languages automatically?
Parakeet V3 includes automatic language detection; automatic detection behavior for Whisper models is not confirmed in the source.
Handy A free, open source, and extensible speech-to-text application that works completely offline. Handy is a cross-platform desktop application built with Tauri (Rust + React/TypeScript) that provides simple, privacy-focused speech…
Sources
- Handy – Free open source speech-to-text app
- Is there any decent free Speech-To-Text software for Linux?
- Is there any decent speech recognition software for Linux?
- Handy
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