Fix whisper.cpp on Linux failing to start with missing libwhisper.so.1 - #13689
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The Linux whisper.cpp archives shipped whisper-cli without the
libwhisper.so.1 and libggml.so.0 it links against, so speech to text died
immediately on every Linux install since whispercpp-184:
whisper-cli: error while loading shared libraries: libwhisper.so.1:
cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory
The archives are rebuilt in support-files as whispercpp-191-r2 (same
whisper.cpp v1.9.1, repackaged with the libraries under their SONAMEs and
$ORIGIN RPATHs), so point the two Linux download URLs at the new tag.
Windows and macOS were unaffected and stay on whispercpp-191 - macOS ships
a self-contained universal binary, and Windows resolves DLLs from the
executable's directory.
Also harden the launch path: on Linux/macOS put the engine folder on
LD_LIBRARY_PATH / DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH. Setting WorkingDirectory was not
enough, because the loader does not search the working directory - the
Windows branch already appends the engine folder to Path, and this is the
missing counterpart.
Finally, stop telling users to install a bundled library with their package
manager. No distro packages libwhisper or libggml, so the advice was a dead
end; for engine-owned libraries the message now says the install is
incomplete and to re-download the engine.
Fixes #13680
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 <[email protected]>
SHA-256 of the rebuilt whisper-vulkan-linux64.zip and whisper-cuda-linux64.zip that WhisperDownloadService now points at. The superseded hashes stay listed so an existing install is still identified by version rather than reported as unknown, annotated with which ones ship the broken library set. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 <[email protected]>
Without a .installed.sha256 sidecar - installs from older SE builds - the Linux whisper.cpp engines fell back to nothing and reported Unknown, so the engine dot never went amber and the update prompt never fired. That matters now: every Linux build from v1.8.4 to v1.9.1 is broken (#13680), and the prompt is how an affected user learns to re-download. The fallback was Windows + Mac only because the v1.8.4 Vulkan and CUDA archives shipped a byte-identical whisper-cli. That stopped being true in v1.8.5, and it would not have blocked the lookup anyway - the key comes from the engine choice being asked about, and each backend has its own install folder, so a hash shared by both releases is simply listed twice. whisper-cli hashes for both Linux backends across v1.8.4 to v1.9.1-r2, extracted from the published archives. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 <[email protected]>
This was referenced Aug 16, 2026
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Fixes #13680.
whisper.cpp speech to text has been dead on Linux since
whispercpp-184(2026-03-25):Root cause
The packaging bug was in support-files, not here. Checked against the published archives:
whisper-cliDT_NEEDEDwhisper-vulkan-linux64.zipcontainedlibwhisper.so.1libggml*.so, which never matched itlibggml.so.0libggml.so(its SONAME sayslibggml.so.0)libggml-base.so.0libggml-base.socpdereferenced cmake'slibggml.so -> libggml.so.0 -> libggml.so.0.9.4symlink chain, so each library landed under its unversioned alias while the loader looks it up by SONAME. On top of that the binaries carriedRUNPATH=/home/runner/work/support-files/support-files/build/bin.v1.8.3 and earlier shipped a statically linked
whisper-cli, which is why nothing broke until the build moved toBUILD_SHARED_LIBS=ON.whispercpp-184,-185,-186and-191are all affected. Windows and macOS were never affected — macOS ships a self-contained universal binary, and Windows resolves DLLs from the executable's directory.Fixed in SubtitleEdit/support-files#8 and released as
whispercpp-191-r2(same whisper.cpp v1.9.1, repackaged). Verified against the published archives — every filename matches its SONAME, every RUNPATH is$ORIGIN, and all 20 edges of the bundled dependency closure resolve.Changes here
WhisperDownloadService— the two Linux URLs point atwhispercpp-191-r2. Windows and macOS stay onwhispercpp-191.DownloadHashManager— hashes for the rebuilt archives. Superseded hashes stay listed so an existing install is still identified by version, annotated with which ones ship the broken library set.SpeechToTextViewModel— put the engine folder onLD_LIBRARY_PATH/DYLD_LIBRARY_PATHwhen launching.WorkingDirectorywas already the engine folder, but the loader does not search the working directory. The Windows branch already appends the engine folder toPath; this is the missing Linux/macOS counterpart, and belt-and-braces on top of the$ORIGINRPATH.MissingSharedLibrary— newIsBundledWithEngine. The dialog told this user to "Install it with your package manager", which is a dead end forlibwhisper— no distro packages it. For engine-owned libraries the message now says the install is incomplete and to re-download the engine.Testing
Full suite green (2828 passed). New cases cover the exact stderr line from the issue and both sides of the bundled/system library split.
Recovery for existing broken installs
A user sitting on a broken engine folder has the
whispercpp-191hash in their.installed.sha256sidecar. That hash is still listed, just no longer first, soGetStatusreturnsUpdateAvailable— which means the engine dot goes amber andCheckWhisperCppForUpdateAsyncprompts them to update on opening the speech-to-text window. No manual cleanup needed.An install with no sidecar (from an older SE build) used to fall back to nothing on Linux, because the executable-hash fallback was Windows + Mac only — so those users got
Unknown, no amber dot and no prompt. That is now closed:ResolveWhisperCppExecutableKeyresolves both Linux backends, withwhisper-clihashes for v1.8.4 through v1.9.1-r2 extracted from the published archives.The original restriction was justified by the Vulkan and CUDA archives shipping an identical
whisper-cli. That was true of v1.8.4 (same hash, both archives — it is listed under both keys on purpose) but stopped being true in v1.8.5, and it would not have blocked the lookup anyway: the key comes from the engine choice being asked about, and each backend has its own install folder.Still sidecar-only: the engine dot in the main window, which reads
GetSidecarStatusand is deliberately cheap — it does not hash a 1 MB executable on every combo render. The update prompt is the path that reaches users without a sidecar.🤖 Generated with Claude Code