sttapp

System-wide speech-to-text desktop app built with Flutter and rust pluggins. (Currently only tested in Fedora)

sttapp records audio, transcribes it with an OpenAI-compatible API, copies the transcript to the clipboard, and can paste it into the active application. The app supports global shortcuts, tray controls, and local settings storage.

Recommendation to use Groq's Whisper 3 large turbo for the best experience.

Pre-built Binaries

Take a look here

Building from source

• Flutter stable
• Dart SDK from Flutter
• Rust stable
• Platform desktop build tools:
  • Linux: clang, cmake, ninja-build, pkg-config, libgtk-3-dev, libayatana-appindicator3-dev, libkeybinder-3.0-dev, libasound2-dev, cargo
  • macOS: Xcode command line tools
  • Windows: Visual Studio C++ build tools
• Linux runtime secret storage requires an available and unlocked Secret Service provider such as GNOME Keyring or KWallet.

Development

Install dependencies:

flutter pub get

Run the desktop app:

flutter run -d linux
flutter run -d macos
flutter run -d windows

Released builds embed tags in the form v<year>.<major>.<mmdd>.<unix-seconds>. To exercise the update UI without a published release, provide both the current and fake latest tags in a debug build:

flutter run -d linux \
  --dart-define=STTAPP_RELEASE_TAG=v2026.1.0713.1783900800 \
  --dart-define=STTAPP_FAKE_LATEST_TAG=v2026.1.0713.1783904400

The fake tag is ignored in release builds. Give both defines the same value to test the “latest version” status; open Settings from the tray because an up-to-date app remains hidden at startup. Replace linux with macos or windows to test another desktop target.

Build a release:

flutter build linux --release
flutter build macos --release
flutter build windows --release

Installing on Windows

Download and run sttapp-windows-x64-<version>-setup.exe. The installer copies the complete application bundle and installs the required Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable. Administrator approval is required because both are installed for all users under Program Files.

If the app does not open, its early native and Dart startup diagnostics are in %LOCALAPPDATA%\sttapp\startup.log. Installer diagnostics can be captured by running the setup executable with /LOG="sttapp-installer.log".

Troubleshooting global shortcuts

The app verifies both global shortcuts whenever it starts. If the operating system rejects either shortcut, the settings window stays open with the failed combination and a Retry registration action. Release the shortcut in the other application, or select another function key on macOS and Windows, then retry. Registration attempts and shortcut activation events are written to the startup log (%LOCALAPPDATA%\sttapp\startup.log on Windows and $TMPDIR/sttapp/startup.log on Linux and macOS).

Installing on macOS

macOS releases are distributed as a single universal DMG that runs natively on both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs. Open the DMG and drag sttapp.app into the Applications folder.

The current DMG is not Developer ID signed or notarized. On first launch, Control-click sttapp.app in Finder, choose Open, and confirm that you want to run it. On macOS versions that do not offer that confirmation immediately, attempt to open the app once and then use **System Settings > Privacy & Security

Open Anyway**.

sttapp needs both of these permissions before capture is enabled:

• Microphone records audio only after you start a transcription.
• Accessibility sends the paste shortcut to the application that was active when transcription started.

The first-run setup window explains and requests both permissions. If access is denied or later revoked, open System Settings > Privacy & Security, select Microphone or Accessibility, enable sttapp, and return to the app. The status refreshes when the setup window regains focus.

Because the app is unsigned, replacing it with a new downloaded build may cause macOS to request approval or privacy permissions again. A Developer ID signing and notarization step can be added to the release workflow later without changing the universal build or DMG layout.

Project Layout

• lib/ contains the Flutter app.
• packages/sttapp_audio/ contains the native audio and FLAC package.
• packages/sttapp_input/ contains native input and paste helpers.
• • packages/sttapp_secret_store/ contains native secret store implementation helpers.
• linux/, macos/, and windows/ contain desktop platform runners.
• .github/workflows/ contains CI and release publishing workflows.