Plugin: Audio Transcriber

Joplin Audio Transcriber Plugin v1.0.0 Released

Hi everyone,

A few days ago I started a discussion about bringing audio transcription directly into Joplin. Today I’m happy to announce that v1.0.0 of the Joplin Audio Transcription Plugin is now available.

Repository:


What This Plugin Does

The plugin allows you to:

  • Select an audio file
  • Transcribe it directly inside Joplin
  • Insert the transcription into your note

No more switching between Joplin and external transcription tools.

Demo video: YouTube


Why I built this

I use Joplin mainly for jotting down meeting notes. My current workflow is as follows.

  1. I go to a meeting. I make quick notes and I turn on a voice recorder.
  2. After the meeting I put the audio file in an audio transcriber (I've been using turboscribe).
  3. The transcriber returns a big piece of text with timestamps and distinction between people.
  4. I paste the text and my notes in joplin along with my note template and tell the LLM plugin it to put it into the template.
  5. I fact check it.

This process worked, but the part of uploading the audio file to the transcriber feels cumbersome. Since I just want to record the audio and paste it into my Joplin notes with the transcribed audio under it I don't want to go to an external application and upload it there to get the transcription.


Key Features (v1.0.0)

  • :studio_microphone: Audio Transcription - Transcribe attached audio files directly from your Joplin notes
  • :robot: Multiple AI Providers - Support for OpenAI Whisper and Google Gemini transcription APIs
  • :gear: Customizable Settings:
    • Select from multiple transcription providers
    • Configure API keys securely
    • Optional: specify a custom model
    • Optional: set language for transcription
    • Optional: add custom instructions via prompt
  • :wrench: Extensible Architecture - Easy to add new transcription providers
  • :memo: Seamless Integration - Transcribed text is appended directly to your notes

Intended Use Case

This plugin is especially useful if you:

  • Record meetings or lectures
  • Store audio files in Joplin
  • Use transcripts for:
    • Searchability
    • Summarization with LLM plugins
    • Structured documentation
    • Archiving conversations

Feedback Welcome

This is the first stable release (v1.0.0), and I’d appreciate feedback on:

  • Performance
  • Accuracy
  • Language support
  • UX improvements
  • Feature ideas

If you'd like to contribute or open an issue, feel free to do so on GitHub.


What’s Next

Some ideas for future versions:

  • Speaker distinction improvements
  • Better progress feedback
  • More language optimizations
  • Deeper integration possibilities
  • ~~ More plans can be found in the GitHub issues ~~

Discussion topics

I'm curious if other people have a similar workflow.

  • Do you use AI to transcribe recordings of your meetings?
  • Or if not, do you think this plugin will get you started with AI audio transcription?
2 Likes

That's great, thanks for sharing this! I think some support for local AI would make sense here since transcribing audio doesn't require too much power. Maybe support for any generic MCP server would be enough?

Yeah for sure. I'll add it to the issues. APIs were easier to implement for me right now, but local models would be a good addition.

1 Like