Command line
The warble command for scripting and quick changes.
scripts/install.sh links warble into ~/.local/bin. The command talks to the same config file as the app.
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
warble start | Start the dictation app (what opening Warble.app does). |
warble status | Show hotkey, language, audio input, mode and autostart. |
warble set-hotkey <key> | Set the hotkey, for example globe, rightoption, f5 or ctrl+space. |
warble get-hotkey | Print the current hotkey. |
warble set-language <code> | Set the language, for example pl, en or auto. |
warble transcribe-file <path> | Transcribe an audio file with Parakeet and print the text. |
warble enable-autostart | Start Warble at login. |
warble disable-autostart | Stop starting Warble at login. |
Dictionary, history and machine-readable output
warble dictionary words list
warble dictionary words add 'Łukasz'
warble dictionary replacements add 'my email' 'test@example.invalid'
warble dictionary replacements list
warble dictionary words remove '<UUID>'
warble history list --query 'Notes' --limit 20
warble history show '<UUID>'
warble history export > history-export.json
warble settings show
warble --json statusThese commands return JSON on stdout, ISO-8601 dates, and exit 0. Failures return a JSON error on stderr and exit 1. Global --json and --data-dir <directory> go before the command. Data commands always return JSON; status --json is also accepted. Structured status reports paths and record counts, not daemon health.
Quit Warble before dictionary writes. The CLI holds the daemon lock, rejects duplicate spoken text within a category, saves atomically and reads back the result. Remove entries by UUID, then add a new rule to replace one. Restart the app after changes. Reads never create, migrate or quarantine data; corrupt files fail rather than being overwritten. History and settings are read-only. Export writes JSON to stdout, not audio; do not redirect over application files.
For isolated fixtures, use warble --data-dir "$FIXTURE_DIR" dictionary words list. This keeps dictionary, history, configuration and lock files in one directory. The option is not supported for daemon startup, transcription or legacy config mutations. Without it, the usual application data and config paths are used.
Settings changed from the command line are picked up the next time Warble starts.
warble set-hotkey rightoption
warble set-language pl
warble transcribe-file ~/Downloads/voice-memo.m4a
Warble