QuillScribe

A voice-powered transcription desktop app with local and cloud speech-to-text support.

Features

• Voice Recording — Real-time audio capture with live level monitoring and device selection
• Local Transcription — Offline speech-to-text via Whisper models (Tiny through Large, including distilled variants)
• Cloud Transcription — OpenAI and Groq API support for fast cloud-based transcription
• Flexible Output — Copy to clipboard, simulate typing into the active window, or both
• Global Hotkey — Start and stop recording from any application
• 12 Themes — 6 light and 6 dark themes with instant switching
• Floating Overlay — Recording timer that stays visible over other windows
• System Tray — Minimize to tray with quick-access context menu
• Transcription History — Browse and search past sessions (30-day window)
• Auto-Updates — Built-in OTA update mechanism via GitHub Releases
• Cross-Platform — Windows and Linux (deb, AppImage)

Tech Stack

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v22 recommended)
• Rust (MSRV 1.77.2)
• Tauri 2 system dependencies — see the Tauri prerequisites guide

Install & Run

# Install frontend dependencies
npm install

# Run the full desktop app (Vite dev server + Tauri)
npx tauri dev

# Or run frontend only (no Rust backend)
npm run dev

Build

# Production frontend build
npm run build

# Desktop installer (NSIS on Windows, deb/AppImage on Linux)
npx tauri build

Rust Checks

cargo fmt --check --manifest-path src-tauri/Cargo.toml
cargo clippy --manifest-path src-tauri/Cargo.toml -- -D warnings
cargo check --manifest-path src-tauri/Cargo.toml

Architecture

QuillScribe uses Tauri's two-process model:

• Frontend process — Svelte 5 app rendered in a WebView
• Backend process — Rust binary handling audio, transcription, and system integration
• IPC — Frontend calls Rust via invoke() commands; backend pushes updates via Tauri events

Windows

Backend Modules

Transcription Engines

Local (Whisper)

Models are downloaded on demand and cached locally. Available sizes range from Tiny (~75 MB) to Large, plus distilled variants for faster inference.

Cloud

API keys are configured in the settings dialog and validated before use.

Themes

6 light themes: White, Warm Gray, Soft Beige, Blue Gray, Warm Taupe, Soft Sage

6 dark themes: Dark Charcoal, Dark Blue, Dark Purple, Dark Forest, Dark Burgundy, Obsidian

Themes are applied via CSS custom properties and synchronized across both windows.

Project Structure

quillscribe-frontend/
├── src/
│   ├── App.svelte              # Root component
│   ├── app.css                 # Global styles and CSS custom properties
│   ├── main.js                 # Main window entry
│   ├── overlay.js              # Overlay window entry
│   └── lib/
│       ├── RecordPanel.svelte
│       ├── TranscriptionPanel.svelte
│       ├── HistoryPanel.svelte
│       ├── SettingsDialog.svelte
│       ├── Sidebar.svelte
│       ├── TitleBar.svelte
│       ├── RecordingOverlay.svelte
│       ├── Toast.svelte
│       ├── QuillIcon.svelte
│       ├── themes.js           # Theme definitions
│       └── overlayStyles.js
├── src-tauri/
│   ├── Cargo.toml
│   ├── tauri.conf.json
│   └── src/                    # Rust backend modules
├── public/                     # Logos, favicon, icons
└── .github/workflows/          # CI and release pipelines

Branding