WaveType is a local dictation app for Windows 10 and 11. A floating pill and a Ctrl+Win shortcut turn speech into text with Parakeet Redux; optional Qwen Smart cleanup can polish the result before insertion. After the first model downloads, inference runs offline.
Download the Windows preview · See how it works · Contribute
Note
The current Windows x64 release is 0.1.0-beta1.02. The installer is unsigned and has not yet been validated on a clean Windows installation or with Microsoft Defender. SmartScreen warnings may occur. GitHub's Verified badge on the release commit confirms its source signature; it does not sign the Windows installer. Keep Windows security protections enabled; see release status.
| Local transcription | Parakeet Redux transcribes on your machine. Speech is not uploaded by WaveType; the app downloads verified model and runtime files after installation. |
| Dictate into other apps | Hold Ctrl+Win to record and release to insert text into the focused text box. A quick tap locks recording for hands-free speech. |
| Optional Smart cleanup | Qwen3 4B can improve punctuation and grammar, resolve spoken corrections, or format requested JSON. It runs locally and is off by default. |
| Personal vocabulary | Add recognition aliases and deliberate snippets for names, addresses, and phrases. |
| A small desktop companion | Use the floating pill, tray menu, History, Dictionary, Settings, or the terminal client. |
Performance snapshot: On one GTX 1650 / Ryzen 7 4800H development machine, a seven-second replay reached final text in 1.69 s p50 with GPU cleanup or 3.76 s p50 with CPU-only cleanup, measured after recording release and excluding model startup. See the full benchmarks and limitations.
Floating pill
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- Download
WaveType-0.1.0-beta1.02-Setup-x64.exefrom the beta 1.02 release. The release also provides SHA-256 checksums. - Run the installer on Intel/AMD x64 Windows 10 or 11. Python is included; no separate Python or CUDA Toolkit install is needed.
- Choose your installation folder and shortcuts. Startup on sign-in is off by default.
- Launch WaveType to download Parakeet; manage optional Qwen in Settings.
Installation finishes before model downloads. On first launch, WaveType downloads Parakeet; Qwen remains optional. Settings shows Download, Pause / Resume, Cancel, Verify / repair and Delete model controls when relevant, with progress and per-model disk usage.
Installed builds that include the updater can check for app updates in Settings. Automatic checking and downloading are off by default; an update always asks before installation. Manual checks are rate limited, and installer downloads can be paused, resumed, or canceled. WaveType verifies the release checksum, then closes, updates, and reopens after approval. See app update details.
The current preview is 0.1.0-beta1.02. See the short release notes for the updater and sleep fix. Exit WaveType from the tray before running a downloaded installer manually or uninstalling. In-app updates close the app after approval. Setup checks for files still in use and offers Retry or Cancel; it never force-closes the app.
Deleting a model removes its downloaded weights, runtimes, cached archives, partial files and verification records. Qwen deletion includes both CPU and GPU runtimes and turns off Smart cleanup. Parakeet deletion makes dictation unavailable until you download it again. Pause, Cancel and intentional deletion are remembered across restarts. The other model and your history, settings and dictionary are preserved. Progress bars appear only while downloading, paused, verifying, deleting, or completing a pause/cancel request.
History stores the final text, date/time, and foreground app name as readable local JSON. Installed-app models, settings, dictionaries, history, and logs live under %LOCALAPPDATA%\STTCore. Uninstall keeps them by default so reinstall restores your setup. Select Also delete all local data for a fresh start; this also removes partial downloads. Custom data locations are not removed. Read the full privacy notes.
| Action | What happens |
|---|---|
| Hold Ctrl+Win, then release | Record while held; insert the final text on release. |
| Tap Ctrl+Win quickly | Lock recording; press Ctrl+Win again to send. |
| Click the floating pill | Start locked recording; click again to send. Right-click to cancel. |
| Right-click the tray icon → WaveType | Open History, Dictionary, Settings, and About. Choose Exit to stop the app and engine. |
Smart cleanup can be enabled in the tray or Settings. Downloading its model in Settings does not enable it. Windows may block text insertion into elevated apps; if that happens, the final text remains in History. The clipboard is untouched by hotkey insertion.
Requirements: Windows 10/11, Python 3.12, and internet access for first-run model/runtime downloads.
git clone https://github.com/ABhattacharya-dev/WaveType.git
cd WaveType
py -3.12 -m venv .venv
.\.venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1
python -m pip install -r requirements.txt
python desktop.pyThe first desktop launch downloads and verifies Parakeet. Later launches show the pill and tray icon; the main window opens from the tray. For the terminal client, run python stt.py and press Enter to start and stop a recording. It asks whether to enable Smart cleanup; the default is No. Run python stt.py --show-raw to see the raw transcript alongside the final text.
For the standalone pill, run python pill.py; use --smart for optional cleanup or --tap-threshold-ms 300 to adjust the quick-tap threshold. For a standalone engine, run python engine.py serve --hotkey. The terminal client leaves its resident engine running after exit; the desktop app owns and stops its engine when you choose Exit.
Personal terms and vocabulary in source runs
Create personal_terms.json beside stt.py for deliberate snippets:
{"name":"Your Full Name","second email":"you@example.com"}Say “insert my” followed by a key. Ordinary mentions are unchanged. Create personal_vocabulary.json for exact recognition aliases:
{"Parakeet Redux":["parakeet redox"]}Aliases correct known misrecognitions after transcription; they do not change Parakeet decoding. Keep them specific. Both files are ignored by Git. In the installed app, edit them through Dictionary instead.
WaveType has no telemetry or speech-upload path in the reviewed application source. Parakeet runs locally; optional Qwen cleanup and the engine's authenticated IPC bind to 127.0.0.1. Setup fetches missing models and runtimes over HTTPS and checks pinned SHA-256 hashes. An app receiving inserted text may independently sync it.
History stores the final text, date/time, and foreground app name as readable local JSON. Installed-app models, settings, dictionaries, history, and logs live under %LOCALAPPDATA%\STTCore and are kept by default during uninstall. Select Also delete all local data to remove them for a fresh installation. Read the full privacy notes.
WaveType is still being checked for keyboard, screen reader, contrast, and text scaling support. The Accessibility page lists current input paths, known limits, and how to report a barrier.
| Area | Start here |
|---|---|
| Desktop UI and pill | desktop.py, pill.py, UI architecture |
| Engine, audio, hotkeys, insertion | engine.py, windows_support.py, architecture |
| Local client protocol | client.py, ipc_protocol.py, IPC API |
| Models, cleanup, personal data | model_manager.py, smart.py, vocabulary.py, user_data.py |
| Packaging and release | build.ps1, installer.nsi, release notes |
Run the regression suite before opening a pull request:
python -m unittest discoverFor replay and evaluation, use python demo_engine.py path\to\clip.wav or python evaluate.py path\to\clip.wav --smart --tier auto --warmup. A manifest can contain one {"wav":"clip1.wav","reference":"the exact words you spoke"} object per line; run it with python evaluate.py --manifest recordings.jsonl. Replay expects mono 16-bit PCM WAV. The report includes stage latency and word error rate against raw ASR. See the architecture notes for the resident engine design.
Please read the Code of Conduct and Contributing guide before participating.
For suspected vulnerabilities, use the Security Policy instead of a public issue.
Bug reports, Windows 10/11 installation results, accessibility feedback, documentation fixes, and reproducible performance measurements are useful. Open an issue with your Windows version, CPU/GPU, WaveType version, steps to reproduce, and relevant logs with personal dictation removed. For code or docs, fork the repo, make a focused change, run python -m unittest discover when applicable, and open a pull request using the pull request template to explain what changed and how you checked it.
If WaveType helps you, star the repository so other Windows dictation users can find it.
These documents and templates are available to contributors:
| Item | Document or path | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Code of conduct | Read the Code of Conduct | Added |
| Contribution guide | Read the Contributing guide | Added |
| Project-code license | MIT License | Added |
| Security policy | Read the Security Policy | Added |
| Issue templates | Bug report · Feature request | Added |
| Pull request template | Read the pull request template | Added |
| Accessibility | Read the Accessibility page | Added |
WaveType project code is licensed under the MIT License. Third-party models, runtimes, fonts, and artwork retain their own terms; see third-party notices. The original beta 1 installer predates this licence update; beta 1.01 includes the project licence text.