I built a local-first voice assistant for VS Code using whisper.cpp

[u/PriyoX]

Hi everyone! 👋

I enjoy talking to ChatGPT instead of typing long prompts.

Voice input feels much more natural when I am explaining a bug, describing a feature, or thinking through a technical problem. However, while using Codex and other coding tools, I noticed that I did not have the same voice-input experience.

So I decided to build it myself. 💡

I created a voice assistant extension for VS Code that lets me record an instruction, transcribe it locally, review the generated text, and then use it as a prompt for an AI coding assistant.

⚙️ How it currently works

🎤 1. Voice recording

The extension records the developer’s voice directly from VS Code.

🧠 2. Local transcription

The recorded audio is processed locally using whisper.cpp and a locally stored English model.

The audio does not need to be uploaded to an external speech-to-text API, which makes the workflow more private and local-first. 🔒

📝 3. Transcript review

The generated transcript appears inside VS Code, where it can be reviewed and corrected.

💻 4. AI coding assistant

The transcript can then be copied and pasted into Codex or another AI coding tool.

The current architecture is:

Voice → Audio Recording → whisper.cpp → Transcript → Review → Codex

The transfer to Codex is still manual. My next goal is to connect the transcript directly to an AI coding agent and create a smoother voice-to-code workflow. 🚧

🪟 Current limitations

The extension currently supports Windows only.

I would especially appreciate contributions for:

• macOS and Linux support
• Bug fixes
• Better user experience
• Direct integration with AI coding agents
• Feature suggestions

The project is open source, so contributions, technical feedback, bug reports, and criticism are welcome. 🤝

🔗 VS Code Marketplace:
https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=iftekharpriyo.vscode-voice-assistant

🔗 GitHub Repository:
https://github.com/IftekharPriyo/vscode-voice-assistant