openai-whisper

Transcribe audio files to text locally using the Whisper CLI.

Updated Mar 7, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/shalevamin/Tau_agent --skill openai-whisper-shalevamin
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: openai-whisper
Source: https://github.com/shalevamin/Tau_agent/tree/main/tau-agent-main/skills/openai-whisper
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/shalevamin/Tau_agent --skill openai-whisper-shalevamin

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve? Converting audio recordings into text usually requires cloud APIs, API keys, and per-minute costs. This Skill runs OpenAI's Whisper model locally via its CLI, so you can transcribe or translate audio files offline with no API key. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Local Transcription: Convert audio files like MP3 and M4A into plain text or subtitle files entirely on your machine. - Translation Mode: Use the --task translate option to translate non-English audio into English subtitles (SRT). - Flexible Model Sizes: Choose smaller models for speed or larger ones for accuracy; models download once to ~/.cache/whisper. - Use Case: You recorded a one-hour meeting as an M4A file. Run Whisper with the medium model to produce a searchable text transcript without uploading anything to the cloud. ## Quick Start Transcribe the attached audio file meeting.m4a into a text file using Whisper with the medium model.

Frequently Asked Questions about openai-whisper

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

FAQPage Schema
How do I transcribe an audio file with Whisper CLI?▼

Run whisper followed by the audio file path, for example: whisper /path/audio.mp3 --model medium --output_format txt --output_dir . The transcript is written as a text file to the output directory.

How to translate audio to English subtitles with Whisper?▼

Use the --task translate flag with SRT output: whisper /path/audio.m4a --task translate --output_format srt. Whisper translates non-English speech into English subtitle files.

Does Whisper CLI require an OpenAI API key?▼

No, the Whisper CLI runs models locally on your machine and does not need an API key. Models are downloaded once to ~/.cache/whisper on first run and reused afterward.

Which Whisper model size should I use for transcription?▼

Use smaller models for faster transcription and larger models for better accuracy. On this install the default model is turbo, and you can override it with the --model flag, such as --model medium.

Why is the first Whisper transcription run slow?▼

The first run downloads the selected model weights to ~/.cache/whisper, which can take time depending on model size and network speed. Subsequent runs load the cached model directly.