# Whisper Voice Transcription

> Build and use whisper.cpp for local speech-to-text workflows, with optional cloud fallback when local transcription is not practical.

- Skill: `lord1egypt/whisper-voice-transcription` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add lord1egypt/whisper-voice-transcription`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/lord1egypt/whisper-voice-transcription/raw
- Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: DevOps & Infra
- Author: Lord1Egypt (https://skillmd.com/u/lord1egypt)
- Updated: 2026-09-08
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/lord1egypt/whisper-voice-transcription

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# Whisper Voice Transcription with whisper.cpp

## When to use

- You want local speech-to-text without sending audio to a third party.
- You need a fallback workflow when a built-in transcription tool fails.
- You want an operator guide for compiling and running `whisper.cpp`.

## Prerequisites

- `git`
- `cmake`
- a C or C++ compiler
- `ffmpeg`

## Build steps

```bash
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/ggerganov/whisper.cpp.git ~/whisper.cpp
cd ~/whisper.cpp
cmake -B build -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
cmake --build build -j4
```

Download a model from the official `ggerganov/whisper.cpp` releases or Hugging Face repository and place it under `~/whisper.cpp/models/`.

## Standard transcription flow

```bash
ffmpeg -y -i input_audio.ogg -ar 16000 -ac 1 -f wav /tmp/voice.wav
~/whisper.cpp/build/bin/whisper-cli \
  -m ~/whisper.cpp/models/ggml-large-v3.bin \
  -f /tmp/voice.wav \
  -l auto \
  --no-timestamps
```

## Fallback workflow

If a higher-level tool fails, first locate the exact cache or upload path used by that tool. Search only within the expected application cache directory instead of scanning the entire home directory.

## Cloud fallback

If local transcription is too slow or unavailable, use an approved speech API and tell the user that audio will leave the machine.

## Guardrails

- Download binaries and models only from official sources.
- Verify hashes when possible.
- Do not search unrelated directories for audio files.
- Be explicit when using a cloud provider because that changes the privacy model.