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feat: right Option key (optional), handsfree mode, UI upgrades#6

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nicremo wants to merge 8 commits into
giusmarci:mainfrom
nicremo:feat/option-key-handsfree-ui
Open

feat: right Option key (optional), handsfree mode, UI upgrades#6
nicremo wants to merge 8 commits into
giusmarci:mainfrom
nicremo:feat/option-key-handsfree-ui

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@nicremo nicremo commented Apr 13, 2026

Summary

Switches the dictation hotkey to right Option key, adds a handsfree (continuous) dictation mode with double-click activation, improves the idle overlay with a minimal dot indicator, and adds several other enhancements.

Depends on: #5 (dictionary & corrections) and #4 (cloud transcription)

Right Option Key

  • Replaces the Fn key with the right Option key (keyCode 61) as the dictation trigger
  • The right Option key is rarely used in daily workflows, making it a better default
  • Swift helper updated to listen for flagsChanged events on keyCode 61

Handsfree Mode

  • Double-click the right Option key to enter handsfree (continuous) dictation mode
  • Recording continues until you press the key again
  • Visual indicator in the overlay shows when handsfree mode is active
  • Clean state management with proper cleanup on mode exit

UI Upgrades

  • Idle indicator: Minimal 5-dot animation replaces the previous idle state, looks much cleaner
  • App-aware auto style switching: Define per-app rules (e.g., "VS Code" -> Vibe Coding style, "Slack" -> Conversation style)
  • App rules persisted to JSON with full CRUD operations
  • Credits section added to preferences

Cloud LLM Rewrite

  • Optional cloud-based text rewriting via Groq or any OpenAI-compatible provider
  • Uses chat completions API (e.g., llama-3.3-70b-versatile at 1000 tokens/sec)
  • Automatic fallback to local Ollama if cloud rewrite fails
  • Configurable on the Models page with model selector

Build Fixes

  • App icon (icon.icns) included for packaged builds
  • Tray icon path resolution fixed for both dev and packaged mode
  • entitlements.mac.plist with audio-input entitlement for microphone access
  • Microphone permission flow improved (fresh state detection)

Test plan

  • Right Option key: hold to dictate, release to process
  • Double-click right Option: enters handsfree mode, key press exits it
  • Handsfree indicator: overlay shows active handsfree state
  • Idle state: 5-dot animation displays in overlay
  • App rules: add a rule (e.g., VS Code -> Vibe Coding), verify style switches automatically
  • App rules: edit and remove rules
  • Cloud rewrite: enable on Models page, verify text is polished via cloud LLM
  • Cloud rewrite fallback: disconnect internet, verify fallback to Ollama
  • Packaged build: npm run package produces working .dmg with correct icon
  • Microphone permission: fresh install prompts for mic access correctly

nicremo added 8 commits April 13, 2026 12:24
@nicremo
feat: add cloud transcription, smaller LLM, German optimization
4bd781f 
- Cloud transcription via Groq/OpenAI-compatible APIs (whisper-large-v3)
- Auto/Cloud/Local transcription mode with automatic offline fallback
- API key encrypted via macOS Keychain (Electron safeStorage)
- Default text model changed from gemma4:e4b (9.6GB) to qwen3.5:2b (2.7GB)
- Configurable API base URL (Groq, OpenAI, Lemonfox, any compatible provider)
- Language selector (German default, 11 languages available)
- Stronger same-language prompt to prevent LLM translation
- Built-in microphone preferred over external devices (AirPods fix)
- New TranscriptionCard UI with source selector, API key management
- Setup wizard with cloud/local transcription choice
- Relaxed hotkey validation: Ollama not required when enhancement is off
@nicremo
docs: rewrite README in English
e7f09de
@nicremo
feat: add dictionary, corrections, disable LLM thinking mode
f608446 
Dictionary & Corrections:
- Custom vocabulary tab with words and misspelling corrections
- Words sent as Whisper prompt hints for better transcription
- Corrections injected into LLM system prompt for auto-replacement
- Two-column layout: Words (left) + Misspellings (right)
- Async file lock prevents race conditions on concurrent writes
- Whisper prompt truncated at ~800 chars (224 token limit)
- IPC handlers with runtime input validation

LLM Performance:
- Disable thinking mode (think: false) for qwen3.5 models
- Reduces rewrite time from ~14s to ~0.3s
- Strip <think> tags from output as safety fallback

Pipeline logging:
- Log transcription settings, raw text, and final text for debugging
@nicremo
feat: add app-aware auto style switching and credits
36b4979 
App Rules:
- Auto-detect active app and switch style/enhancement level
- 31 pre-configured dev tools (Ghostty, VS Code, Cursor, Zed, JetBrains, etc.)
- All terminals, IDEs, git clients, API/DB tools default to Vibe Coding High
- Non-dev apps use the user's manual default setting
- Editable per-app style and level on the Style page
- Rules stored in app-rules.json, add/remove/update via UI

Credits:
- Sidebar footer shows "Original by @giusmarci" and "Enhanced by Fabian Bitz"
@nicremo
feat: right Option key, handsfree mode, idle indicator, language fix
4219fc7 
Hotkey:
- Switched from Fn to right Option key (keyCode 61)
- Hold to record (release to transcribe)
- Double-press for Handsfree mode (records until next single press)

Handsfree Mode:
- Debounced double-click detection (300ms window)
- Red pulsing dot indicator in overlay when active
- Red border around overlay bar during handsfree recording
- Label shows "Handsfree" to distinguish from hold mode
- Single press while handsfree stops recording and transcribes

Idle Overlay:
- Minimal 5-dot indicator always visible at bottom of screen
- Shows app is ready without being intrusive
- Same border-radius (14px) as active overlay
- Semi-transparent with backdrop blur

German Language Fix:
- Language-specific reinforcement prompts written in target language
- German prompt instructs LLM in German to output German
- Preserves English technical terms when present in input
- Dynamic prompt generation based on cloudLanguage setting

Build:
- Moved electron/electron-builder to devDependencies for packaging
@nicremo
fix: app icon, tray icon in packaged build, mic permission flow
4536a9e 
App Icon:
- Generated .icns from OpenWhisp logo (339px PNG -> all icon sizes)
- Placed in build/icon.icns for electron-builder to pick up

Tray Icon:
- Added build/icons to extraResources so tray icons are bundled
- Fixes missing menubar icon in packaged app

Microphone Permission:
- Check current status before requesting
- If already denied, open System Settings directly (askForMediaAccess
  shows no dialog when previously denied)
- Extended wait timeout to 15 attempts for manual permission grant
@nicremo
fix: add audio-input entitlement for microphone access in packaged app
cf3e7b3 
Root cause: Hardened Runtime blocks microphone access without explicit
com.apple.security.device.audio-input entitlement. The app never appeared
in macOS Microphone privacy list because the OS silently denied the request.

- Added build/entitlements.mac.plist with audio-input entitlement
- Configured electron-builder to use entitlements for both main and child processes
- Improved mic permission flow: opens System Settings when previously denied
@nicremo
feat: cloud LLM rewrite via Groq (GPT-OSS 20B at 1000 t/s)
e63f7fa 
- Cloud rewrite as primary, Ollama as fallback (same pattern as transcription)
- Default model: openai/gpt-oss-20b (1000 tokens/sec, practically free)
- 5 cloud models available: GPT-OSS 20B/120B, Qwen3 32B, Llama 3.3 70B, Llama 3.1 8B
- Cloud/Local toggle on Models page under Text Enhancement
- Auto-fallback to local Ollama when cloud is unavailable
- Ollama no longer required when rewrite mode is Cloud
- Same API key and base URL as transcription (Groq)
@nicremo nicremo mentioned this pull request Apr 13, 2026
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@nicremo