cjpais/Handy
The speech-to-text tool that wants to be forked, not famous
Handy is an offline, open-source dictation app that pastes your words into any text field—built to be extended, not monetized.
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What it does
Handy is a cross-platform desktop app that transcribes your speech locally and pastes the result into whatever text field you’re typing in. Press a shortcut, speak, release. No cloud, no subscription, no data leaving your machine. It runs on macOS, Windows, and Linux using either Whisper models (with GPU acceleration when available) or a CPU-optimized Parakeet V3 model.
The interesting bit
The README explicitly states the goal: “Handy isn’t trying to be the best speech-to-text app—it’s trying to be the most forkable one.” That’s a refreshingly honest positioning in a space crowded with VC-backed, API-tethered alternatives. The architecture backs this up: a Tauri shell with Rust handling audio processing and ML inference, React for the settings UI, and clean CLI hooks for scripting and window-manager integration.
Key highlights
- Entirely offline transcription using Whisper or Parakeet V3 models
- Push-to-talk or toggle recording via configurable global shortcuts
- CLI remote control (
--toggle-transcription,--cancel, etc.) and Unix signal support for Wayland-friendly hotkey setups - Raycast extension for start/stop, history, and model switching
- Voice Activity Detection via Silero to strip silence before processing
- Parakeet V3 offers ~5x real-time speed on mid-range CPUs with automatic language detection
Caveats
- Whisper models crash on certain Windows and Linux configurations; the maintainers are actively seeking debug help
- Wayland support is limited: requires
wtypeordotoolfor text input, and global shortcuts must be configured through your desktop environment or window manager using CLI flags - Linux overlay is disabled by default because it can steal focus and break pasting
- No ARM Linux support listed; platform coverage is macOS (Intel/Apple Silicon), x64 Windows, x64 Linux
Verdict
Worth a look if you want hackable, private dictation and don’t mind some Linux rough edges. If you need polished, zero-config cross-platform consistency—or you’re on Wayland without patience for manual shortcut setup—maybe wait a release or two.