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Contributing to Echo

Thanks for your interest in improving Echo! This project is a free, fully local, open-source voice keyboard for macOS, and contributions of every size are welcome — from typo fixes to new transcription engines.

Before you start

  • Be respectful. This project follows the Code of Conduct.
  • Search first. Check existing issues and pull requests before opening a new one.
  • Open an issue for big changes. For anything beyond a small fix, file an issue to discuss the approach before investing a lot of time.

The dual implementation — read this first

Echo exists twice, and the two copies mirror each other module-for-module:

  • src/main/ — TypeScript / Electron. What npm start runs today (primary dev loop).
  • src-tauri/src/ — Rust / Tauri. A port of the same logic; the production build target.

The module layout is intentionally parallel (src/main/pipeline.ts ↔ run_pipeline in src-tauri/src/lib.rs, etc.). When you change pipeline logic, a provider, a settings key, or the IPC surface, change it in BOTH trees or they drift. If your PR only targets one runtime, say so explicitly in the description.

The renderer (src/renderer/*.html + settings.js) is shared and backend-agnostic — it only ever calls window.echo.*. Adding a renderer-facing capability means touching all of: preload.ts, tauri-bridge.js, the Electron IPC handler (src/main/ipc.ts), and the Tauri #[tauri::command] + invoke_handler! registration in src-tauri/src/lib.rs.

See CLAUDE.md for a deeper architectural tour.

Development setup

brew install sox            # required: audio capture
npm install                 # install JS deps
npm start                   # build TS + launch Electron (primary dev loop)

Optional, for local Whisper:

npm run setup               # build whisper.cpp + download the model

Before you open a PR

Run the same checks CI runs, in order:

npx tsc --noEmit            # type-check
npm run lint                # eslint
npm test                    # vitest (TypeScript side)

For Rust changes, also verify the Tauri build manually (cargo tauri build) — there is no Rust test suite in CI, so the JS tests won't catch Rust regressions.

Pull request guidelines

  • Keep PRs focused — one logical change per PR.
  • Write a clear description: what changed, why, and which tree(s) you touched.
  • Match the surrounding code's style. ESLint and strict TypeScript are enforced.
  • Add or update tests in tests/ for behavior changes on the TypeScript side.
  • Update docs (README.md, docs/) when you change user-facing behavior.

Adding a provider

To add a new STT or LLM provider:

  1. Implement the transcriber/refiner in both trees.
  2. Register it in the factory switch (transcribeAudio() / createRefiner() in pipeline.ts; transcription::transcribe_audio / refinement::refine in Rust).
  3. Add its settings keys to the settings schema in both trees.
  4. Document it in docs/PRIVACY.md (what data leaves the machine).

Product scope

Echo is intentionally free, fully local, and desktop-only — no accounts/login, no plans/billing, no team features, and no mobile app. Please keep proposals within that scope.

License

By contributing, you agree that your contributions will be licensed under the MIT License.