whisper-transcription
About
This skill transcribes audio and video files to text using OpenAI's Whisper model. It's ideal for developers needing to generate subtitles, convert podcasts to text, or build searchable audio archives. Key capabilities include extracting quotes from interviews and repurposing multimedia content into written formats.
Quick Install
Claude Code
Recommendednpx skills add guia-matthieu/clawfu-skills -a claude-code/plugin add https://github.com/guia-matthieu/clawfu-skillsgit clone https://github.com/guia-matthieu/clawfu-skills.git ~/.claude/skills/whisper-transcriptionCopy and paste this command in Claude Code to install this skill
Documentation
Whisper Transcription
Transcribe any audio or video to text using OpenAI's Whisper model - the same technology powering ChatGPT voice features.
When to Use This Skill
- Podcast repurposing - Convert episodes to blog posts, show notes, social snippets
- Video subtitles - Generate SRT/VTT files for YouTube, social media
- Interview extraction - Pull quotes and insights from recorded calls
- Content audit - Make audio/video libraries searchable
- Translation - Transcribe and translate foreign language content
What Claude Does vs What You Decide
| Claude Does | You Decide |
|---|---|
| Structures production workflow | Final creative direction |
| Suggests technical approaches | Equipment and tool choices |
| Creates templates and checklists | Quality standards |
| Identifies best practices | Brand/voice decisions |
| Generates script outlines | Final script approval |
Dependencies
pip install openai-whisper torch ffmpeg-python click
# Also requires ffmpeg installed on system
# macOS: brew install ffmpeg
# Ubuntu: sudo apt install ffmpeg
Commands
Transcribe Single File
python scripts/main.py transcribe audio.mp3 --model medium --output transcript.txt
python scripts/main.py transcribe video.mp4 --format srt --output subtitles.srt
Batch Transcription
python scripts/main.py batch ./recordings/ --format txt --output ./transcripts/
Transcribe + Translate
python scripts/main.py translate foreign-audio.mp3 --to en
Extract Timestamps
python scripts/main.py timestamps podcast.mp3 --format json
Examples
Example 1: Podcast to Blog Post
# Transcribe 1-hour podcast
python scripts/main.py transcribe episode-42.mp3 --model medium
# Output: episode-42.txt (full transcript with timestamps)
# Processing time: ~5 min for 1 hour audio on M1 Mac
Example 2: YouTube Subtitles
# Generate SRT for video upload
python scripts/main.py transcribe marketing-video.mp4 --format srt
# Output: marketing-video.srt
# Upload directly to YouTube/Vimeo
Example 3: Batch Process Interview Library
# Transcribe all recordings in folder
python scripts/main.py batch ./customer-interviews/ --model small --format txt
# Output: ./customer-interviews/*.txt (one per audio file)
Model Selection Guide
| Model | Speed | Accuracy | VRAM | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
tiny | Fastest | ~70% | 1GB | Quick drafts, short clips |
base | Fast | ~80% | 1GB | Social media clips |
small | Medium | ~85% | 2GB | Podcasts, interviews |
medium | Slow | ~90% | 5GB | Professional transcripts |
large | Slowest | ~95% | 10GB | Critical accuracy needs |
Recommendation: Start with small for most marketing content. Use medium for client deliverables.
Output Formats
| Format | Extension | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
txt | .txt | Blog posts, analysis |
srt | .srt | Video subtitles (YouTube) |
vtt | .vtt | Web video subtitles |
json | .json | Programmatic access |
tsv | .tsv | Spreadsheet analysis |
Performance Tips
- GPU acceleration - 10x faster with CUDA GPU
- Audio extraction - Script auto-extracts audio from video
- Chunking - Long files auto-split for memory efficiency
- Language detection - Automatic, or specify with
--language
Skill Boundaries
What This Skill Does Well
- Structuring audio production workflows
- Providing technical guidance
- Creating quality checklists
- Suggesting creative approaches
What This Skill Cannot Do
- Replace audio engineering expertise
- Make subjective creative decisions
- Access or edit audio files directly
- Guarantee commercial success
Related Skills
- video-processing - Extract audio from video
- youtube-downloader - Download videos to transcribe
- content-repurposer - Transform transcripts to content
- podcast-production - Create podcasts
Skill Metadata
- Mode: cyborg
category: automation
subcategory: audio-processing
dependencies: [openai-whisper, torch, ffmpeg-python]
difficulty: beginner
time_saved: 10+ hours/week
GitHub Repository
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