Local Whisper

# Local Whisper

**Transcribe voice messages for free on Telegram and WhatsApp.** No API keys. No costs. Runs on your Mac.

## The Problem

Voice transcription APIs cost money: - OpenAI Whisper: **$0.006/minute** - Groq: **$0.001/minute** - AssemblyAI: **$0.01/minute**

If you transcribe a lot of Telegram voice messages, it adds up.

## The Solution

This skill runs Whisper **locally on your Mac**. Same quality, **zero cost**.

- ✅ Free forever - ✅ Private (audio never leaves your Mac) - ✅ Fast (~1 second per message) - ✅ Works offline

## ⚠️ Important Notes

- **First run downloads ~1.5GB model** — be patient, this only happens once - **First transcription is slow** — model loads into memory (~10-30 seconds), then it's instant - **Already using OpenAI API for transcription?** Replace your existing `tools.media.audio` config with the one below

## Quick Start

### 1. Install dependencies ```bash pip3 install -r requirements.txt ```

### 2. Start the daemon ```bash python3 scripts/daemon.py ``` First run will download the Whisper model (~1.5GB). Wait for "Ready" message.

### 3. Add to OpenClaw config

Add this to your `~/.openclaw/openclaw.json`:

```json { "tools": { "media": { "audio": { "enabled": true, "models": [ { "type": "cli", "command": "~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/local-whisper/scripts/transcribe.sh", "args": ["{{MediaPath}}"], "timeoutSeconds": 60 } ] } } } } ```

### 4. Restart gateway ```bash openclaw gateway restart ```

Now voice messages from Telegram, WhatsApp, etc. will be transcribed locally for free!

### Manual test ```bash ./scripts/transcribe.sh voice_message.ogg ```

## Use Case: Telegram Voice Messages

Instead of paying for OpenAI API to transcribe incoming voice messages, point OpenClaw to this local daemon. Free transcription forever.

## Auto-Start on Login

```bash cp com.local-whisper.plist ~/Library/LaunchAgents/ launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.local-whisper.plist ```

## API

Daemon runs at `localhost:8787`:

```bash curl -X POST http://localhost:8787/transcribe -F "[email protected]" # {"text": "Hello world", "language": "en"} ```

## Translation

Any language → English:

```bash ./scripts/transcribe.sh spanish_audio.ogg --translate ```

## Requirements

- macOS with Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) - Python 3.9+

## License

MIT