OpenAI Whisper
Local speech-to-text with the Whisper CLI (no API key).
Details
OpenAI Whisper provides local speech-to-text using the Whisper CLI. No API key required; run transcription locally for privacy and cost savings.
When to use
Use when the agent should transcribe audio or video locally. No API key; good for meetings, voice notes, and content you don’t want to send to the cloud.
How OpenAI Whisper fits into your OpenClaw setup
Media skills extend OpenClaw beyond text — generating, converting, and managing images, audio, and video from the same conversational interface you use for everything else. OpenAI Whisper is part of this group, and it turns requests that would normally mean opening a separate app into a single message.
What working with it looks like
Working with OpenAI Whisper feels like briefing a colleague: describe what you want, attach or reference the source material, and the assistant returns the result in the channel. Iteration is fast because feedback is conversational — say what to change and the next version arrives in the same thread.
Installing OpenAI Whisper
Setup takes a few minutes. Open a terminal in your OpenClaw directory, run the command below, and restart the assistant so it picks up the new capability. Check the skill's README before first use — if it needs an API key or account access, you want that configured up front.
When the assistant comes back online, give it one easy request that only this skill can handle. If it responds correctly, you are done. If not, you have caught the problem while the install is still fresh in your mind — far better than discovering it mid-task next week.
clawhub install openai-whisperGetting the most out of it
The value of OpenAI Whisper grows with what surrounds it. An assistant with one skill performs a trick; an assistant with a curated dozen runs workflows. As your setup matures, revisit the catalogue with your actual week in mind — the gaps you notice while working are the best installation guide there is.
Setting this up well takes judgment as much as effort — which skills, in what configuration, integrated with which of your tools. That is the work we do for clients: full OpenClaw setup, skills like OpenAI Whisper tuned to your workflow, and custom development where nothing off the shelf fits.