Handy README

The project's README from github.com/cjpais/Handy. As one markdown file: README.md.

Handy

Discord

A free, open source, and extensible speech-to-text application that works completely offline.

Handy is a cross-platform desktop application that provides simple, privacy-focused speech transcription. Press a shortcut, speak, and have your words appear in any text field. This happens on your own computer without sending any information to the cloud.

Why Handy?

Handy was created to fill the gap for a truly open source, extensible speech-to-text tool. As stated on handy.computer:

How It Works

  1. Press a configurable keyboard shortcut: hold it to record and release to stop, or tap it to toggle recording on and off (Hold-only and Toggle-only modes are also available)
  2. Speak your words while the shortcut is active
  3. Release and Handy processes your speech using Whisper
  4. Get your transcribed text pasted directly into whatever app you're using

The process is entirely local:

Quick Start

Installation

  1. Download the latest release from the releases page or the website
    • macOS: Also available via Homebrew cask: brew install --cask handy
    • Windows: Also available via winget: winget install cjpais.Handy
      Note: The Homebrew cask and winget package are not maintained by the Handy developers.
    • Debian/Ubuntu: Install the downloaded .deb with APT so required dependencies are installed automatically:
      sudo apt install ./Handy_*.deb
      Do not use dpkg -i unless the dependencies are already installed. If you already used it, run sudo apt --fix-broken install.
  2. Install the application
  3. Launch Handy and grant necessary system permissions (microphone, accessibility)
  4. Configure your preferred keyboard shortcuts in Settings
  5. Start transcribing!

Development Setup

For detailed build instructions including platform-specific requirements, see BUILD.md.

Sponsors

We're grateful for the support of our sponsors who help make Handy possible:

Wordcab        Epicenter        Bolt AI        Canty Digital

Integrations

Install handy Raycast Extension

Control Handy from Raycast — start/stop recording, browse transcript history, manage dictionary, switch models and languages.

Source · by @mattiacolombomc

Debug Mode

Handy includes an advanced debug mode for development and troubleshooting. Access it by pressing:

CLI Parameters

Handy supports command-line flags for controlling a running instance and customizing startup behavior. These work on all platforms (macOS, Windows, Linux). Largely this is a beta feature.

Remote control flags (sent to an already-running instance via the single-instance plugin):

handy --toggle-transcription    # Toggle recording on/off
handy --toggle-post-process     # Toggle recording with post-processing on/off
handy --cancel                  # Cancel the current operation

Startup flags:

handy --start-hidden            # Start without showing the main window
handy --no-tray                 # Start without the system tray icon
handy --debug                   # Enable debug mode with verbose logging
handy --help                    # Show all available flags

Flags can be combined for autostart scenarios:

handy --start-hidden --no-tray

macOS tip: When Handy is installed as an app bundle, invoke the binary directly:

/Applications/Handy.app/Contents/MacOS/Handy --toggle-transcription

Known Issues & Current Limitations

This project is actively being developed and has some known issues. We believe in transparency about the current state:

Bluetooth Headset Microphones (macOS)

Using a Bluetooth headset microphone on macOS may temporarily reduce playback quality or volume while recording because Bluetooth switches to bidirectional audio. Keep your headphones as the output device and select your Mac's built-in or an external microphone in Handy to avoid this.

fn and Globe Key Shortcuts (macOS)

Shortcuts that include the fn (Globe) key only work on Apple keyboards — your Mac's built-in keyboard or an Apple external keyboard. They will never trigger on a third-party keyboard, even while it is connected to the same Mac.

This is a hardware limitation rather than a Handy bug. fn is not part of the standard USB HID keyboard specification: Apple reports it through a vendor-specific usage that macOS honors only from Apple devices, while third-party keyboards handle their Fn key entirely in firmware and send nothing to the computer. There is no event for Handy to listen for.

If you switch between a MacBook keyboard and an external one, pick a shortcut built from standard modifiers (ctrl, option, shift, command) or a regular key instead.

Linux Notes

Text Input Tools:

For reliable text input on Linux, install the appropriate tool for your display server:

Display Server Recommended Tool Install Command
X11 xdotool sudo apt install xdotool
Wayland wtype sudo apt install wtype
Both dotool sudo apt install dotool (requires input group)

Without these tools, Handy falls back to enigo which may have limited compatibility, especially on Wayland.

Wayland Support (Linux):

Other Notes:

Overlay & Pasting Issues (Linux):

Verify Release Signatures

Handy release artifacts are signed with Tauri's updater signature format. The public key is stored in src-tauri/tauri.conf.json under plugins.updater.pubkey.

To verify a release manually, set ARTIFACT to the filename you downloaded, save the pubkey value from src-tauri/tauri.conf.json to handy.pub.b64, then decode the public key and matching .sig file from base64 and verify the artifact with minisign:

# Replace with the file you downloaded
ARTIFACT="Handy_0.8.1_amd64.AppImage"

python3 - "$ARTIFACT" <<'PY'
import base64, pathlib, sys

artifact = sys.argv[1]

pub = pathlib.Path("handy.pub.b64").read_text().strip()
pathlib.Path("handy.pub").write_bytes(base64.b64decode(pub))

sig = pathlib.Path(f"{artifact}.sig").read_text().strip()
pathlib.Path(f"{artifact}.minisig").write_bytes(base64.b64decode(sig))
PY

minisign -Vm "$ARTIFACT" \
  -p handy.pub \
  -x "$ARTIFACT.minisig"

On success, minisign prints:

Signature and comment signature verified

Do not use gpg for these .sig files.

Troubleshooting

Previous Clipboard Content Is Pasted Instead of the Transcription

If the transcription is correct in History but Handy inserts text you copied earlier, see issue #502. With the standard clipboard paste method, Handy restores your previous clipboard after a fixed delay. Under load, the receiving application may read the clipboard only after that restoration.

  1. Open Handy's settings window and press Cmd+Shift+D (macOS) or Ctrl+Shift+D (Windows/Linux) to reveal Debug.
  2. On macOS and Windows, try Reliable Paste (Beta) in Debug with a clipboard paste method selected. It uses clipboard read notifications to delay restoration instead of relying on the standard fixed delay. Test it in the application where the problem occurs; it is still experimental.
  3. If Reliable Paste is disabled or unavailable, increase Paste Delay (After) in Debug and test again. This controls the wait before restoring your previous clipboard. Paste Delay (Before) controls the wait before sending the paste keystroke and addresses a different part of the operation. These delay settings apply to the standard paste path, not Reliable Paste.

If the problem persists, add your Handy version, operating system, receiving application, paste method, Reliable Paste setting, and before/after delays to the existing issue. Redact private dictated text before sharing logs.

Manual Model Installation (For Proxy Users or Network Restrictions)

If you're behind a proxy, firewall, or in a restricted network environment where Handy cannot download models automatically, you can manually download and install them. The URLs are publicly accessible from any browser.

Step 1: Find Your App Data Directory

  1. Open Handy settings
  2. Navigate to the About section
  3. Copy the "App Data Directory" path shown there, or use the shortcuts:
    • macOS: Cmd+Shift+D to open debug menu
    • Windows/Linux: Ctrl+Shift+D to open debug menu

The typical paths are:

Step 2: Create Models Directory

Inside your app data directory, create a models folder if it doesn't already exist:

# macOS/Linux
mkdir -p ~/Library/Application\ Support/com.pais.handy/models

# Windows (PowerShell)
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path "$env:APPDATA\com.pais.handy\models"

Step 3: Download Model Files

Download the models you want from below

Whisper Models (single .bin files):

Parakeet Unified EN 0.6B (single .gguf file, recommended):

Step 4: Install Models

For Whisper Models (.bin files):

Simply place the .bin file directly into the models directory:

{app_data_dir}/models/
├── ggml-small.bin
├── whisper-medium-q4_1.bin
├── ggml-large-v3-turbo.bin
└── ggml-large-v3-q5_0.bin

For GGUF Models (.gguf files):

Place the .gguf file directly into the models directory, exactly like the Whisper .bin files above. Handy also picks up models already present in the shared Hugging Face cache (~/.cache/huggingface/hub), so a copy downloaded by another tool works without being moved.

Important Notes:

Step 5: Verify Installation

  1. Restart Handy
  2. Open Settings → Models
  3. Your manually installed models should now appear as "Downloaded"
  4. Select the model you want to use and test transcription

Custom Whisper Models

Handy can auto-discover custom Whisper GGML models placed in the models directory. This is useful for users who want to use fine-tuned or community models not included in the default model list.

How to use:

  1. Obtain a Whisper model in GGML .bin format (e.g., from Hugging Face)
  2. Place the .bin file in your models directory (see paths above)
  3. Restart Handy to discover the new model
  4. The model will appear in the "Custom Models" section of the Models settings page

Important:

Linux Startup Crashes or Instability

If Handy fails to start reliably on Linux — for example, it crashes shortly after launch, never shows its window, or reports a Wayland protocol error — try the steps below in order.

1. Install (or reinstall) gtk-layer-shell

Handy uses gtk-layer-shell for its recording overlay and links against it at runtime. A missing or broken installation is the most common cause of startup failures and can manifest as a crash or a hang well before any window is shown. Make sure the runtime package is installed for your distro:

Distro Package to install Example command
Ubuntu/Debian libgtk-layer-shell0 sudo apt install libgtk-layer-shell0
Fedora/RHEL gtk-layer-shell sudo dnf install gtk-layer-shell
Arch Linux gtk-layer-shell sudo pacman -S gtk-layer-shell

If it is already installed and you still see startup problems, try reinstalling it (e.g. sudo pacman -S gtk-layer-shell again) in case the library files were corrupted by a partial upgrade.

2. Disable the GTK layer shell overlay (HANDY_NO_GTK_LAYER_SHELL)

If installing the library does not help, you can skip gtk-layer-shell initialization entirely as a workaround. On some compositors (notably KDE Plasma under Wayland) it has been reported to interact poorly with the recording overlay. With this variable set, the overlay falls back to a regular always-on-top window:

HANDY_NO_GTK_LAYER_SHELL=1 handy

3. Disable WebKit DMA-BUF renderer (WEBKIT_DISABLE_DMABUF_RENDERER)

On some GPU/driver combinations the WebKitGTK DMA-BUF renderer can cause the window to fail to render or to crash. Try:

WEBKIT_DISABLE_DMABUF_RENDERER=1 handy

Making a workaround permanent

Once you've found a flag that helps, export it from your shell profile (~/.bashrc, ~/.zshenv, …) or from the desktop autostart entry that launches Handy. If you launch Handy from a .desktop file, you can prefix the Exec= line, e.g.:

Exec=env HANDY_NO_GTK_LAYER_SHELL=1 handy

If a workaround helps you, please open an issue describing your distro, desktop environment, and session type — that information helps us narrow down the underlying bug.

Empty recording overlay on Hyprland / Omarchy

If the recording overlay is empty or bordered, fully quit Handy and launch a native installation with Wayland enabled:

env -u HANDY_NO_GTK_LAYER_SHELL GDK_BACKEND=wayland handy

If this works, apply GDK_BACKEND=wayland only to Handy's launcher. This workaround does not work with the 0.9.6 AppImage, which forces X11.

Vulkan Overlays and Capture Tools on Windows (HANDY_KEEP_VULKAN_IMPLICIT_LAYERS)

On Windows, Handy asks the Vulkan loader to skip implicit layers to avoid crashes caused by overlay and capture hooks (#2049). GPU acceleration remains enabled; this does not change system-wide settings.

To opt out for GPU selection or debugging tools, fully quit Handy (including the tray icon), then run both commands in the same PowerShell window:

$env:HANDY_KEEP_VULKAN_IMPLICIT_LAYERS = "1"
& "$env:ProgramFiles\Handy\handy.exe"

Adjust the executable path if needed. This override only applies to apps launched from that PowerShell session, not the Start menu. Handy also preserves any existing VK_LOADER_LAYERS_DISABLE value.

How to Contribute

  1. Check existing issues at github.com/cjpais/Handy/issues
  2. Fork the repository and create a feature branch
  3. Test thoroughly on your target platform
  4. Submit a pull request with clear description of changes
  5. Join the discussion - reach out at [email protected]

The goal is to create both a useful tool and a foundation for others to build upon—a well-patterned, simple codebase that serves the community.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

Handy is open-source software, but the Handy name, logo, icon, and brand assets are not open-source. Unofficial forks, rewrites, and redistributions must use their own branding and must not imply endorsement or affiliation.

Acknowledgments

Handy (cjpais/Handy)

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34K ·GitHub
Handy
What is this?Handy is a free, open source speech-to-text app: press a keyboard shortcut, speak, and your transcribed words are pasted into whatever app you are typing in. It runs entirely offline on your own computer.
So is this a desktop app I install, or some online service?A cross-platform desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux, built with Tauri and Rust. Install it once, grant microphone and accessibility permissions, and it works system-wide in any text field.
How do I get it installed and running?Download an installer from the releases page, or use 'brew install --cask handy' (macOS) or 'winget install cjpais.Handy' (Windows); on Debian/Ubuntu install the .deb with APT so dependencies resolve. Then launch it, grant permissions, and set your shortcut in Settings.
Do I need an API key, an account, or a beefy GPU for the transcription?No account or API key — everything runs locally. Whisper models (Small/Medium/Turbo/Large) use GPU acceleration when available, and Parakeet V3 is a CPU-optimized model with automatic language detection. Models download automatically, with a manual-install path if you are behind a proxy.
Any known rough edges I should know about before installing?A few: on macOS, Bluetooth headset mics can degrade audio and fn/Globe-key shortcuts only trigger on Apple keyboards; on Linux you need xdotool (X11) or wtype/dotool (Wayland) for text input, Wayland support is limited, and the recording overlay can interfere with pasting.
Does my voice ever leave my computer?No. The whole pipeline is local: Silero voice activity detection filters out silence, then Whisper or Parakeet transcribes the remaining audio on your machine.
Which transcription models can I choose from?Whisper in Small, Medium, Turbo and Large, with GPU acceleration when available, plus Parakeet V3 — a CPU-optimized model with excellent performance and automatic language detection. Silero VAD trims silence before anything is transcribed.
Why did the author build this instead of using existing dictation tools?To fill the gap for a truly open source, extensible speech-to-text tool. The stated principles: free (accessibility tooling belongs in everyone's hands, not behind a paywall), open source so people can extend it, private (your voice stays on your computer), and simple — one tool that puts words in a text box.
Can I control it from other apps or scripts?Yes. A Raycast integration can start/stop recording, browse transcript history, manage the dictionary and switch models. There are also beta CLI flags on all platforms, e.g. 'handy --toggle-transcription', which is the recommended way to bind global shortcuts on Wayland.
Can I verify that a downloaded release is authentic?Yes. Release artifacts are signed in Tauri's updater signature format, and the README walks through verifying them with minisign using the public key from src-tauri/tauri.conf.json — use minisign, not gpg.
What are similar projects?meetily, parrot, voicebox, pyvideotrans, phorminx, murmur-youtube, omarchy-meeting-recorder, course2md
Which topics is it in?stt, winget, on-device-ai, voice, local-ai, whisper, speech-to-text, offline-first, speech-recognition, tauri, accessibility, homebrew
Creator
cjpais
Size
16.8 MB
Stars
34K
Updated
CommitOct 15Releasev0.9.8Oct 03
Age
1y
Commits · 90 Days