Log inSubmit server
Whisper MCP logo

Whisper MCP

Local audio transcription using whisper.cpp. Transcribe with OpenAI Whisper models.

InstallRepository
Full README Compare alternatives Embed widget Claim this listing

Install Whisper MCP

Pick your client, then add it in one click or paste the config.

STDIONode.js
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "whisper-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "whisper-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Settings → Developer → Edit Config, merge this into mcpServers, then fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop.

Automated check passed— started and listed 3 tools correctly (6d ago).

Overview

Tools3

What Whisper MCP lets your agent do. Expand a tool for its parameters.

Verified live~295 tokens of context

Security & health

What it can reach and how reliably it runs — from our own checks, not the maintainer’s claims.

ActiveLast checked 2d ago

Recent health check succeeded.

5/5 checks healthy over the last 40d

What it can do

From the 3 tools this server returned when we ran it.

Makes network requests · 2Read-only tools · 3
Network at startup3 connections
Files written at startupNone
Install scriptsprepare
npm provenanceNot published
Package age277 days
Maintainers1

Observed 2026-10-16 in an isolated sandbox. A description of reach, not a security audit.

Supply-chain signal

No high-severity advisories surfaced by our automated scan.

Critical 0High 0Medium 0Low 0

Scanned 12d ago via OSV.dev · whisper-mcp (npm)

Adoption & maintenance

Factual signals from GitHub, npm, and our automated checks — not a rating.

GitHub stars3Stargazers on the source repository.
npm downloads1.5kPackage downloads in the last 30 days.
Last commit2d agoMost recent push to the default branch.
Availability100%Our rolling endpoint + install checks that succeeded.
Install checkPassedOur sandbox started it and listed its tools.
Tools exposed3Callable tools this server registers over MCP.
Directory activity4 viewsConfig copies, upvotes, and views on AllMCPs.

From the project README

Whisper MCP Server

A lightweight MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for local audio transcription using whisper.cpp. There are several Whisper MCP implementations out there. This one is minimal and pairs with apple-voice-memo-mcp for a complete voice memo workflow.

Features

  • Local transcription - All processing happens on your machine
  • Multiple models - Choose from tiny, base, small, medium, or large models
  • Various formats - Supports wav, mp3, m4a, and other audio formats
  • Timestamps - Get transcriptions with or without timestamps

Requirements

  • macOS (tested on Apple Silicon)
  • Node.js 18+
  • whisper-cpp: brew install whisper-cpp
  • ffmpeg: brew install ffmpeg

Installation

Terminal
npm install -g whisper-mcp

Or run directly:

Terminal
npx whisper-mcp

Configuration

Claude Desktop

Add to your Claude Desktop config file:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "whisper-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "whisper-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

After editing, restart Claude Desktop.

Claude Code (CLI)

For Claude Code, add to your project's .mcp.json file:

config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "whisper-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "whisper-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Or for user-wide configuration, add to ~/.claude/settings.json:

config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "whisper-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "whisper-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Tip: Use /mcp in Claude Code to verify the server is connected.

Local Development Setup

If running from source instead of npm:

config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "whisper-mcp": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/whisper-mcp/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

With Apple Voice Memos MCP

For a complete voice memo workflow, use alongside apple-voice-memo-mcp:

config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apple-voice-memo-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "apple-voice-memo-mcp"]
    },
    "whisper-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "whisper-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

MCP Tools

transcribe_audio

Transcribe an audio file using Whisper.

Parameters:

  • file_path (required): Absolute path to the audio file
  • model (optional): Model to use (tiny.en, base.en, small.en, medium.en, large). Default: base.en
  • language (optional): Language code. Default: en
  • output_format (optional): text, timestamps, or json. Default: text

Example:

config.json
{
  "file_path": "/path/to/audio.m4a",
  "model": "medium.en",
  "output_format": "timestamps"
}

list_whisper_models

List available Whisper models and their download status.

Returns:

config.json
{
  "models": [
    {
      "name": "base.en",
      "size": "142 MB",
      "downloaded": true,
      "path": "/Users/you/.whisper/ggml-base.en.bin"
    }
  ]
}

download_whisper_model

Download a Whisper model for local use.

Parameters:

  • model (required): Model to download (tiny.en, base.en, small.en, medium.en, large)

Models

ModelSizeSpeedQuality
tiny.en75 MBFastestBasic
base.en142 MBFastGood
small.en466 MBMediumBetter
medium.en1.5 GBSlowGreat
large2.9 GBSlowestBest

Models are stored in ~/.whisper/.

Workflow Example

  1. List your voice memos: list_voice_memos
  2. Get audio path: get_audio with memo ID
  3. Transcribe: transcribe_audio with the file path
  4. Save to your vault

Development

bash
# Clone and install
git clone https://github.com/jwulff/whisper-mcp.git
cd whisper-mcp
npm install

# Build
npm run build

# Test with MCP inspector
npm run inspector

License

MIT

Read the full README View source on GitHub

Reviews

No reviews yet — be the first to share how it worked for you.

Frequently Asked Questions about Whisper MCP

whisper-mcp is an MCP server that provides local audio transcription through whisper.cpp. It runs Whisper models on your machine, supports audio formats including WAV, MP3, and M4A, and offers text, timestamped, or JSON output. It includes tools to transcribe audio, list available models, and download models for local use.

Install whisper-mcp globally with `npm install -g whisper-mcp`, or run it directly with `npx whisper-mcp`. The documented requirements are macOS, Node.js 18 or later, whisper-cpp installed with Homebrew, and ffmpeg installed with Homebrew.

whisper-mcp supports WAV, MP3, M4A, and other audio formats handled by its workflow. The `transcribe_audio` tool can return plain text, timestamps, or JSON through its `output_format` parameter.

whisper-mcp supports the tiny.en, base.en, small.en, medium.en, and large Whisper models. The default transcription model is base.en, and the server provides `list_whisper_models` and `download_whisper_model` tools for checking and downloading models stored in `~/.whisper/`.

Related MCP servers

All in Speech-to-Text All alternatives
Add a badge to your READMEShow it’s listed — live SVG, Markdown or HTML.

AllMCPs Directory Badge

Full Badge Customizer

Showcase your server listing on GitHub or your project documentation. Embed this dynamic SVG badge to highlight official listing status and live engagement.

Badge Style:
Live Dynamic SVG PreviewWhisper MCP AllMCPs Directory Badge
Markdown (GitHub README)
[![AllMCPs](https://allmcps.com/api/badge/whisper-mcp?style=directory)](https://allmcps.com/mcp/whisper-mcp)
HTML Embed
<a href="https://allmcps.com/mcp/whisper-mcp"><img src="https://allmcps.com/api/badge/whisper-mcp?style=directory" alt="Whisper MCP on AllMCPs" /></a>