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.