OSTT

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KDE Plasma Setup ​

KDE Plasma can launch OSTT from built-in Custom Shortcuts. No third-party hotkey tool is required.

Install OSTT ​

bash
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 System Settings > Shortcuts > Custom Shortcuts.
  2. Click Edit > New > Global Shortcut > Command/URL.
  3. Name it OSTT.
  4. In the Trigger tab, press your preferred key combination, such as Alt+Space.
  5. In the Action tab, enter the full path to the OSTT binary followed by launch --paste. Find your path with:
bash
which ostt

For example:

bash
/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.

  1. Click Apply.

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 additional Custom Shortcuts for common workflows:

NameCommandExample hotkey
OSTT/path/to/ostt launch --pasteAlt+Space
OSTT Process/path/to/ostt launch --paste -pAlt+Ctrl+Space
OSTT Copy/path/to/ostt launch -cCtrl+Alt+T

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

Terminal Selection ​

ostt launch auto-detects a terminal emulator. On stock KDE it may use Konsole, which works well but normally shows a titlebar.

For a borderless popup, install a preferred terminal:

bash
sudo apt install -y kitty

Then optionally set it in ~/.config/ostt/ostt.toml:

toml
[popup]
terminal = "kitty"

Optional Window Rules ​

KDE supports window rules for fine-grained control over popup appearance. If you use kitty, Alacritty, or foot, which set window class ostt-popup, create a KDE window rule:

  1. Open System Settings > Window Management > Window Rules.
  2. Click Add New.
  3. Set Window class to ostt-popup.
  4. Add rules for position, size, no titlebar, and keep above.
  5. Click Apply.

Troubleshooting ​

Check your session type and install the right clipboard tool:

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

Verify the command works from a terminal:

bash
ostt launch -c

Test paste output directly:

bash
ostt launch --paste

On KDE, 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 the shortcut cannot find OSTT, use the absolute path from which ostt in the Custom Shortcut action.