Troubleshooting
Common issues, where the logs live, and how to wipe state when nothing else works.
"Nothing happens when I hold Right-Option"
The most likely cause is missing Input Monitoring permission. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Input Monitoring and confirm Fluister is in the list and toggled on.
If it is and dictation still doesn't trigger, try:
- Settings → Hotkeys → re-record the hotkey.
- Quit and relaunch Fluister.
- Check the log at
~/Library/Logs/Fluister/fluister.log.
"The transcript is all garbled"
- Fluister uses your system's default input device. Switch it in macOS: System Settings → Sound → Input, and pick the mic you want active.
- The default Whisper model is small for speed. Bigger models are more accurate. Settings → Models → download medium or large-v3.
- For non-English speech, set Settings → Recording → Spoken language to your primary language. Multilingual transcription needs a multilingual Whisper model (Settings → Models).
"Cleanup model is not downloaded yet"
The bundled llama-server needs a model file. Settings → Cleanup → download the bundled cleanup model.
"App is damaged and can't be opened"
This is a macOS quarantine warning that fires for un-notarized apps after they cross a security boundary (download, drag from DMG). Two fixes:
- Run the one-line installer (which strips the quarantine attribute).
- Or manually:
xattr -d com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Fluister.app.
"TCC permissions keep resetting"
When the app's binary hash changes (every release), macOS sometimes invalidates the existing TCC grants. You'll be prompted to re-grant Accessibility / Input Monitoring after an update.
To pre-empt: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility → remove Fluister with the − button, then re-add it via +. Same for Input Monitoring.
This will be permanently fixed once Fluister is notarized via the Apple Developer Program.
Logs
~/Library/Logs/Fluister/fluister.log captures everything. If something is wrong and you want to file an issue, include the last 50 to 100 lines.
Resetting
To wipe all state and start fresh:
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Fluister
rm -rf ~/Library/Logs/FluisterThis deletes dictations, profiles, vocabulary, settings, and the cleanup model. It does not delete the vault folder (that's yours).