Install once.
Dictate anywhere.

Install the .deb package.

1. Download viska_0.7.1_amd64.deb.
2. Verify the SHA256 checksum. It must equal 842f9adc9e9e3cc9459ff45be5eb060d12dcc0b65cbebcb59870a3988302007c.
3. Install with apt. Do not use dpkg -i alone; apt resolves the declared system dependencies.

cd ~/Downloads
sha256sum viska_0.7.1_amd64.deb
sudo apt install ./viska_0.7.1_amd64.deb

On a first installation, the package creates a private environment under /opt/viska and downloads Qt/Python dependencies from PyPI. This can take several minutes and a few hundred MB. Upgrades reuse that environment when compatible. The release already carries the matching Vulkan whisper.cpp wheels, so the target computer does not compile them.

Install the native Arch package.

1. Use the Download Arch package button on the download page. The site restores the byte-identical package from four edge-safe parts.
2. Verify the SHA256 checksum. It must equal 117d9e09b0e6e652b06000edf681c417569ed002c78a7a65dbc396bab08774ca.
3. Install with pacman -U. Pacman resolves normal Arch system libraries; Viska's Python, Qt and CPU whisper.cpp runtime are already inside the package.

cd ~/Downloads
sha256sum viska-0.7.1-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst
sudo pacman -U ./viska-0.7.1-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst

This package is built against Arch's current Python 3.14 ABI. It must be rebuilt when Arch moves to Python 3.15; do not bypass pacman's Python-version constraint. Version 0.7.1 uses a portable CPU whisper.cpp runtime on Arch. CUDA and Vulkan acceleration are not claimed for this Arch package.

Enable shortcuts, clipboard and insertion.

KDE Plasma

Modern Plasma exposes the XDG GlobalShortcuts portal used by Viska. Keep xdg-desktop-portal and the KDE portal backend installed. wl-clipboard gives Viska a verifiable Wayland clipboard path; terminal applications normally paste with Ctrl + Shift + V.

GNOME

GNOME 48 and later expose the same XDG GlobalShortcuts portal; approve the shortcut when GNOME asks. If the portal does not respond, or on older GNOME, open Settings → Keyboard → Custom Shortcuts and bind a key to viska --toggle. The command talks to the running app. GNOME does not accept wtype, so Viska inserts text through ydotool or IBus where available and otherwise keeps the verified clipboard plus a notification.

Omarchy / Hyprland

Omarchy is Arch-based and uses Hyprland. Install the Hyprland portal plus the preferred clipboard and text-input helpers:

sudo pacman -S xdg-desktop-portal xdg-desktop-portal-hyprland \
  wl-clipboard wtype

Log out and back in after changing portal backends. Viska uses XDG GlobalShortcuts when the compositor exposes it, prefers wtype where Hyprland permits synthetic input, and retains the verified clipboard plus a notification when direct insertion is unavailable. ydotool is an additional optional fallback and may require its system service.

Know which accelerator your package supports.

• Debian/Ubuntu + AMD: the .deb carries a Vulkan-enabled GGML runtime for compatible Radeon and integrated Ryzen graphics. Mesa/RADV must expose a working Vulkan compute device. Hardware detection alone is not shown as active acceleration.
• Debian/Ubuntu + NVIDIA: install a distribution-supported NVIDIA driver first, then run sudo viska-gpu-setup install and viska-gpu-setup status. Viska installs its optional CUDA Python components, never the graphics driver.
• Arch/Omarchy 0.7.1: CPU whisper.cpp is the supported runtime. GPU acceleration will be added only after a separate native Arch build is verified.

In Menu → Models, green means the matching native backend is both verified and active. A detected GPU with a CPU fallback must not appear as GPU-active.

Download a model and test another application.

1. Start Viska from the application menu. Open Menu → Models, download a model and select it for your language.
2. Use the language and engine filters to find a compatible model. One installed multilingual model can cover several of the nine dictation languages or automatic detection; add the languages you use to Favourites and cycle usable installed favourites with the configurable Ctrl + Alt + Shift + L shortcut.
3. Open Menu → Settings → System-wide dictation. Enable automatic paste after background dictation and check the shortcut/clipboard diagnostics.
4. Switch to a plain text field in another application. Start recording with your configured global shortcut, speak one sentence and stop without changing focus.
5. The final text should be copied to the system clipboard and inserted once. Repeat with a second sentence. Viska's editor should remain unchanged during background delivery.

If the target is a terminal, automatic Ctrl + V may be rejected even though the clipboard is correct. Use the terminal's normal Ctrl + Shift + V. Recent segments keeps a session-only recovery copy when enabled.

Optional: share this computer's GPU.

Viska 0.7.1 can serve its Whisper models to your other devices over Tailscale: open Menu → Settings → Host mode – share GPU. To keep the host running without the Viska window, use viska --host or switch on Run as a background service, which installs a systemd user unit; loginctl enable-linger $USER lets it run without an open session. How host mode works, and Viska Voice for Android.