GNOME Setup ​

GNOME can launch OSTT from a built-in custom keyboard shortcut. No third-party hotkey tool is required.

Install OSTT ​

curl -fsSL https://ostt.ai/install | bash
ostt auth

Prefer a native .deb or .rpm package? See Installation. The install script detects your distribution and CPU architecture automatically, so it is the simplest option for most users.

Bind a Hotkey ​

1. Open Settings > Keyboard > View and Customize Shortcuts.
2. Scroll to the bottom and open Custom Shortcuts.
3. Click +.
4. Use name OSTT.
5. Use the full path to the OSTT binary. First find it with which ostt, then enter the path followed by launch --paste:

# Example -- run this in a terminal to get your path:
which ostt
# Then enter the full path in the command field, for example:
/home/you/.local/bin/ostt launch --paste

Desktop environments do not always include ~/.local/bin in the PATH used for hotkey commands, so the full path is required for reliable operation.

6. Click Set Shortcut and press your preferred key combination, such as Alt+Space.
7. Click Add.

Usage ​

1. Press your hotkey to open the popup and start recording.
2. Speak.
3. Press the same hotkey again to stop recording and transcribe.
4. With --paste, OSTT inserts the text into the app that regains focus after the popup closes.

Multiple Hotkeys ​

Create multiple GNOME custom shortcuts for common workflows:

Replace /path/to/ostt with the output of which ostt.

Terminal Selection ​

ostt launch auto-detects a terminal emulator. On stock GNOME it may use GNOME Terminal, which works but shows a titlebar.

For a cleaner borderless popup, install one of the preferred terminals:

sudo apt install -y kitty
sudo apt install -y alacritty

If Ghostty is available in your distribution repositories, it is also recommended.

Set a terminal explicitly:

[popup]
terminal = "kitty"

Popup Behavior ​

GNOME Wayland ignores client-side window positioning. OSTT popup size works as expected, but GNOME decides where the window appears.

Troubleshooting ​

Verify OSTT is installed:

which ostt

Test the launch command directly:

ostt launch -c

Test paste output directly:

ostt launch --paste

On GNOME, OSTT defaults to ctrl+v for paste. If your target app is a terminal that requires another shortcut, set [output.paste].paste_key in ~/.config/ostt/ostt.toml.

If clipboard output does not work, install the right clipboard tool:

echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE
sudo apt install -y wl-clipboard   # Wayland
sudo apt install -y xclip          # X11

GNOME custom shortcuts sometimes need a logout/login before they take effect.