Installation

Install whisp on your system using the automated install script or build from source.

Quick Install

The fastest way to get started:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/N-F9/whisp
cd whisp

# Run the install script
./install.sh

The install script will:

1. Build whisp from source using Cargo
2. Install the binary to ~/.local/bin
3. Add shell integration to your shell rc file
4. Create the config directory at ~/.config/whisp

Manual Installation

If you prefer to install manually:

1. Build from Source

Requires Rust 1.70 or later.

git clone https://github.com/N-F9/whisp
cd whisp
cargo build --release

2. Install the Binary

# Copy to your PATH
cp target/release/whisp ~/.local/bin/

# Or install system-wide
sudo cp target/release/whisp /usr/local/bin/

3. Add Shell Integration

Add one of these to your shell rc file:

Bash (~/.bashrc):

source /path/to/whisp/shell/whisp.bash

Zsh (~/.zshrc):

source /path/to/whisp/shell/whisp.zsh

Fish (~/.config/fish/config.fish):

source /path/to/whisp/shell/whisp.fish

Then reload your shell:

source ~/.bashrc  # or ~/.zshrc

Set Up Your Provider

Whisp supports multiple AI providers. The easiest way to configure is using the setup wizard:

whisp init

This guides you through:

• Selecting a provider (OpenAI, Anthropic, Ollama, Gemini, Cerebras)
• Entering your API key
• Starting the daemon

Manual Provider Setup

Alternatively, set environment variables directly:

OpenAI (default):

export OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-your-api-key-here"

Anthropic Claude:

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-your-key-here"
export WHISP_PROVIDER="anthropic"

Ollama (local, no API key):

export WHISP_PROVIDER="ollama"
# Make sure Ollama is running: ollama serve

Google Gemini:

export GOOGLE_API_KEY="your-key-here"
export WHISP_PROVIDER="gemini"

Cerebras:

export CEREBRAS_API_KEY="csk-your-key-here"
export WHISP_PROVIDER="cerebras"

Add these to your shell rc file to make them permanent.

Verify Installation

Check that whisp is installed correctly:

# Check version
whisp --version

# Check status
whisp status
# Daemon is not running

# Run diagnostics
whisp doctor

Start the Daemon

whisp start

Test with a query:

, list files

Optional: Auto-Start

Install as a system service to start automatically on login:

whisp install

This creates:

• Linux: systemd user service at ~/.config/systemd/user/whisp.service
• macOS: launchd plist at ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.whisp.daemon.plist

Next Steps

Now that whisp is installed:

• Quick Start — Run your first command
• Setup Wizard — Configure your provider
• Providers & Models — Learn about available providers