Troubleshooting local Whisper AI install after it stops working.
Occasionally, Whisper AI stops transcribing, and this post just serves to remind me how to quickly get it back up and running again, as it is only one small piece of code to change once, then change back immediately after it starts working again. Less than a five-minute fix now that I have it documented.
Troubleshooting: Whisper Local Stops Transcribing
TL;DR - Quick Fix
If you hear the beeps but no text appears:
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nano ~/Scripts/stop_whisper_simple.sh
Comment out line 3: # export HF_HUB_OFFLINE=1
Save, run one transcription (takes 1-2 minutes), then uncomment line 3 and save again.
Common Cause
BleachBit or similar cleanup tools delete Whisper model files from ~/.cache/huggingface/. With offline mode enabled, Whisper can’t re-download the model and hangs silently during transcription.
Step-by-Step Fix
Step 1: Verify the problem
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~/Scripts/start_whisper_simple.sh
Speak for 5 seconds, then:
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~/Scripts/stop_whisper_simple.sh
If it shows “Transcribing…” and hangs (nothing happens), continue to Step 2.
Step 2: Temporarily allow online access
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nano ~/Scripts/stop_whisper_simple.sh
Find line 3:
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export HF_HUB_OFFLINE=1
Add # at the beginning:
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# export HF_HUB_OFFLINE=1
Save (Ctrl+X, Y, Enter).
Step 3: Re-download the model
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~/Scripts/start_whisper_simple.sh
Speak for 5 seconds, then:
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~/Scripts/stop_whisper_simple.sh
This will download the base model (~150 MB). Takes 1-2 minutes. Wait for transcription to complete.
Step 4: Re-enable offline mode
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nano ~/Scripts/stop_whisper_simple.sh
Remove the # from line 3:
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export HF_HUB_OFFLINE=1
Save (Ctrl+X, Y, Enter).
Step 5: Test
Press Ctrl+Alt+Q, speak, press Ctrl+Alt+Z. Transcription should be fast (2-3 seconds).
Prevention
Configure BleachBit to exclude: ~/.cache/huggingface/ from cleaning
OR
Accept: Re-downloading model (~150 MB) after each BleachBit run using steps above.