Dettatura

AI-powered voice dictation desktop app — local, free, cross-platform.

Speak. It types. No cloud. No API key. No subscription.

Built with Electron + React + Vite and OpenAI Whisper running entirely on your machine via Transformers.js.

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Features

• Local AI transcription — Whisper base model runs in-process, no data leaves your machine
• Multilingual — Whisper auto-detects the spoken language (100+ languages)
• Beautiful editor — warm parchment theme, Lora serif font, distraction-free writing
• Microphone toggle — click the mic button or press Space to start/stop
• Live waveform — animated bars while recording
• Open & save .txt / .md files via native OS dialogs
• Keyboard shortcuts: Ctrl/Cmd+S save · Ctrl/Cmd+O open · Space toggle mic

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Requirements

• Node.js 18 or newer
• A working microphone
• ~145 MB disk space for the Whisper model (downloaded once on first run)

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Getting Started

# 1. Clone
git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/dettatura.git
cd dettatura

# 2. Install dependencies
npm install

# 3. Launch in development mode
npm run dev

The app opens automatically. On first launch it downloads the Whisper base model (~145 MB) — subsequent launches are instant.

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Build a distributable

npm run electron:build

Outputs in dist-app/:

• macOS → .dmg
• Windows → .exe installer
• Linux → .AppImage

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Whisper Model Options

Edit MODEL in src/workers/whisper.worker.js:

Model ID	Size	Speed	Notes
Xenova/whisper-tiny	~75 MB	Fastest	Good for single language
Xenova/whisper-base	~145 MB	Fast	Default — best balance
Xenova/whisper-small	~465 MB	Moderate	Higher accuracy

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Tech Stack

Layer	Technology
Desktop shell	Electron
UI	React 19 + Vite
AI / ASR	Transformers.js — Whisper
Styling	Custom CSS (no framework)

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Project Structure

dettatura/
├── electron/
│   ├── main.cjs        # Electron main process
│   └── preload.cjs     # Secure IPC bridge
├── src/
│   ├── components/     # Editor, Toolbar, StatusBar, MicButton, Waveform
│   ├── hooks/          # useWhisper, useFileOps
│   ├── workers/        # whisper.worker.js (Whisper runs off main thread)
│   ├── App.jsx
│   └── App.css
├── vite.config.js
└── package.json

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License

MIT — free to use, modify, and distribute.