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Installing SigmaShake Voice

SigmaShake Voice is a free, offline voice-to-text app. It ships as a native binary (~600 MB including the bundled Whisper AI model) with no account or internet connection required.

Download​

Go to voice.sigmashake.com and click the download button for your platform, or download directly from the GitHub Releases page.

PlatformFileNotes
Linuxsigmashake-voice_*.AppImageNo install needed
Linuxsigmashake-voice_*.debUbuntu / Debian / Pop!_OS
macOSsigmashake-voice_*.dmgDrag to Applications
Windowssigmashake-voice_*.msiRun installer
Windowssigmashake-voice_*_x64-setup.exeAlternative NSIS installer

Linux​

AppImage (recommended — no install required)​

chmod +x sigmashake-voice_*.AppImage
./sigmashake-voice_*.AppImage

The tray icon appears immediately. No install, no root access needed.

.deb package​

sudo dpkg -i sigmashake-voice_*.deb
sigmashake-voice

macOS​

  1. Open the .dmg file.
  2. Drag SigmaShake Voice to your Applications folder.
  3. Double-click to launch.

"App can't be opened" warning — This appears because the app is not distributed through the Mac App Store. Right-click the app → Open → Open. You only need to do this once.

Required permissions on macOS​

Microphone — macOS prompts automatically the first time you start a recording. Click Allow.

If you accidentally clicked Deny, re-grant it:

  1. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone
  2. Enable the toggle next to SigmaShake Voice

Accessibility (for auto-paste) — The app simulates Ctrl+V to paste at your cursor. macOS requires Accessibility access for this.

If not prompted automatically:

  1. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility
  2. Click + and add SigmaShake Voice from your Applications folder

Windows​

Run the .msi or _setup.exe installer and follow the prompts. The app starts automatically after installation.

SmartScreen warning — Click More info → Run anyway. This appears because the installer is not yet code-signed; it is safe to run.

Required permissions on Windows​

Microphone — Windows prompts automatically on first use. Click Allow.

To re-grant if needed:

  1. Open Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone
  2. Enable Let apps access your microphone and find SigmaShake Voice in the list

Linux — Wayland and COSMIC​

Wayland compositors require one extra setup step for the hotkey to work.

Grant input device access​

The app reads keyboard events directly from /dev/input — the same mechanism that lets gaming peripherals work without X11. You need to be in the input group:

sudo usermod -aG input $USER

Log out and back in — group membership changes only take effect after a new login session.

You only need to do this once. After that, the hotkey works across all Wayland compositors (COSMIC, GNOME, KDE Plasma, etc.).

Hotkey format on Wayland​

On Wayland, use a single bare key — not a modifier combo:

Works on WaylandDoes NOT work on Wayland
F9Ctrl+F9
PauseCtrl+Shift+Space
ScrollLockSuper+F9

Supported keys: F1–F20, Pause, ScrollLock, PrintScreen, Insert, Home, End, PageUp, PageDown, Delete.

Using a modifier combo on Wayland — bind your OS shortcut to call sigmashake-voice --toggle instead:

  • COSMIC: Settings → Keyboard Shortcuts → Custom → Add → set command to /full/path/to/sigmashake-voice --toggle
  • GNOME: Settings → Keyboard → Custom Shortcuts
  • KDE: System Settings → Shortcuts → Custom Shortcuts

Use the full absolute path to the binary (e.g. /home/yourname/Applications/sigmashake-voice.AppImage --toggle).

First-run setup​

After launch, a tray icon appears (no main window). Right-click the tray icon → Settings.

  1. Set your hotkey — click the Hotkey field, press your preferred key, and the hotkey saves automatically.
  2. Choose your microphone — select from the Input Device dropdown if you have multiple mics.
  3. Auto-paste — leave this on (default) to have text pasted automatically after transcription.
  4. Click Save Settings.

See Usage for a full walkthrough.