dictation

Transcribes recorded audio or video dictations into cleaned, structured Markdown transcript files.

Updated Nov 17, 2025
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/vzakharov/vovazakharov.com --skill dictation-vzakharov
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: dictation
Source: https://github.com/vzakharov/vovazakharov.com/tree/main/.claude/skills/dictation
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/vzakharov/vovazakharov.com --skill dictation-vzakharov

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill includes scripts (resource) components.

What problem does it solve? Turning a raw voice or video recording into a usable written transcript requires more than speech recognition: the recognizer's output contains mis-hearings, filler, and tangles that need human-level judgement to clean without rewriting the speaker's voice. This Skill bridges that gap by combining a deterministic transcription script with editorial rules for producing a faithful, readable transcript file. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Deterministic transcription pipeline: Runs scripts/transcribe.py to extract audio, call Deepgram, and save a timecoded transcript plus the raw API response for later correction. - Three output modes: verbatim (subtitle-ready, speaker's exact words), retake (a cleaned script to re-record from, with footnoted edits), and prose (connected text for repo context). - Accountability for guesses: Every uncertain recognition is marked with a timecode and listed in a shrinking table so the operator can verify corrections against the recording. - Use Case: You record a six-minute video diary on your phone, commit it to the repo, and ask for a transcript. The Skill produces writing/<project>/dictations/<slug>.md with a summary, the cleaned transcript, marked guesses with timecodes, and an afterword — ready for subtitling or turning into a post. ## Quick Start Transcribe the attached recording into a dictation file using the dictation skill, in retake mode, with the slug "launch-thoughts".

Frequently Asked Questions about dictation

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I transcribe a video recording into a Markdown file?▼

Run the dictation workflow on the media file: it extracts audio, calls Deepgram via scripts/transcribe.py, and produces a timecoded transcript. The transcript is then cleaned into a structured Markdown file under writing/<project>/dictations/ with a summary and marked uncertainties.

What is the difference between verbatim, retake, and prose transcription modes?▼

Verbatim keeps the speaker's exact words for subtitles, allowing only filler removal and mis-hearing fixes. Retake removes stumbles so the text can be re-recorded cleanly, with edits footnoted. Prose rewrites the content as connected text for internal context only.

How are transcription errors and uncertain words handled?▼

Every place the recognizer was unclear gets a timecoded mark like [?04:12] in the text and a row in a table at the foot of the file. The operator corrects these against the recording, and resolved rows are removed until the table disappears.

Can I re-run the transcription script to get a better result?▼

No. Once a transcript is committed, re-running the script is not allowed except to fetch per-word timings for subtitling. Corrections are made by editing the transcript file, not by regenerating it.

What happens to the original media file after transcription?▼

The media is committed to the branch under docs/remove-before-merging/ and swept before merging to main. The branch is kept after the merge so the recording behind a published piece remains reachable.