diff --git a/frontend/src/App.tsx b/frontend/src/App.tsx
index d160236..0fffdb9 100644
--- a/frontend/src/App.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/App.tsx
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@ import {
   Settings,
   Sparkles,
   Download,
-  Loader2,
   FolderSearch,
   FileInput,
 } from 'lucide-react';
@@ -28,6 +27,7 @@ export default function App() {
     words,
     isTranscribing,
     transcriptionProgress,
+    transcriptionStatus,
     loadVideo,
     setBackendUrl,
     setTranscription,
@@ -88,15 +88,19 @@ export default function App() {
   };
 
   const transcribeVideo = async (path: string) => {
-    setTranscribing(true, 0);
+    setTranscribing(true, 0, 'Checking model...');
     try {
-      const res = await fetch(`${backendUrl}/transcribe`, {
-        method: 'POST',
-        headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
-        body: JSON.stringify({ file_path: path, model: whisperModel }),
-      });
-      if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`Transcription failed: ${res.statusText}`);
-      const data = await res.json();
+      if (!window.electronAPI?.transcribe) {
+        throw new Error('Transcription not available');
+      }
+      // Step 1: ensure model is downloaded (may take a while on first run)
+      const modelLabel = whisperModel === 'tiny' ? '~75 MB' : whisperModel === 'base' ? '~140 MB' : '~460 MB';
+      setTranscribing(true, 5, `Downloading ${whisperModel} model (${modelLabel})...`);
+      await window.electronAPI.ensureModel(whisperModel);
+
+      // Step 2: run transcription
+      setTranscribing(true, 20, 'Transcribing audio...');
+      const data = await window.electronAPI.transcribe(path, whisperModel);
       setTranscription(data);
     } catch (err) {
       console.error('Transcription error:', err);
@@ -244,11 +248,24 @@ export default function App() {
             {/* Transcript */}
             <div className="w-1/2 border-l border-editor-border flex flex-col min-h-0">
               {isTranscribing ? (
-                <div className="flex-1 flex flex-col items-center justify-center gap-4">
-                  <Loader2 className="w-8 h-8 text-editor-accent animate-spin" />
-                  <p className="text-sm text-editor-text-muted">
-                    Transcribing... {Math.round(transcriptionProgress)}%
-                  </p>
+                <div className="flex-1 flex flex-col items-center justify-center gap-5">
+                  {/* Animated waveform */}
+                  <div className="flex items-end gap-[3px] h-10">
+                    {[35, 60, 45, 80, 55, 70, 40, 65, 50, 75, 40, 58].map((h, i) => (
+                      <div
+                        key={i}
+                        className="w-[5px] rounded-full bg-editor-accent wave-bar"
+                        style={{
+                          height: `${h}%`,
+                          animationDelay: `${i * 75}ms`,
+                        }}
+                      />
+                    ))}
+                  </div>
+                  <div className="text-center space-y-1">
+                    <p className="text-sm font-medium text-editor-text">Processing audio</p>
+                    <p className="text-xs text-editor-text-muted">{transcriptionStatus || 'Please wait...'}</p>
+                  </div>
                 </div>
               ) : words.length > 0 ? (
                 <TranscriptEditor />
diff --git a/frontend/src/index.css b/frontend/src/index.css
index 80a0377..e8b1087 100644
--- a/frontend/src/index.css
+++ b/frontend/src/index.css
@@ -2,6 +2,17 @@
 @tailwind components;
 @tailwind utilities;
 
+@keyframes waveBar {
+  0%   { transform: scaleY(0.3); opacity: 0.5; }
+  50%  { transform: scaleY(1);   opacity: 1; }
+  100% { transform: scaleY(0.3); opacity: 0.5; }
+}
+
+.wave-bar {
+  animation: waveBar 0.9s ease-in-out infinite;
+  transform-origin: bottom;
+}
+
 * {
   margin: 0;
   padding: 0;
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/tauri-bridge.ts b/frontend/src/lib/tauri-bridge.ts
index 9690f71..a94bdf5 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/tauri-bridge.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/tauri-bridge.ts
@@ -59,6 +59,14 @@ window.electronAPI = {
     return invoke<string>('decrypt_string', { encrypted });
   },
 
+  ensureModel: (modelName: string): Promise<string> => {
+    return invoke<string>('ensure_model', { modelName });
+  },
+
+  transcribe: (filePath: string, modelName: string, language?: string): Promise<any> => {
+    return invoke('transcribe_audio', { filePath, modelName, language });
+  },
+
   readFile: (path: string): Promise<string> => {
     return readTextFile(path);
   },
diff --git a/frontend/src/store/editorStore.ts b/frontend/src/store/editorStore.ts
index ec9448d..ffb7bb4 100644
--- a/frontend/src/store/editorStore.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/store/editorStore.ts
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ interface EditorState {
 
   isTranscribing: boolean;
   transcriptionProgress: number;
+  transcriptionStatus: string;
   isExporting: boolean;
   exportProgress: number;
 
@@ -37,7 +38,7 @@ interface EditorActions {
   deleteSelectedWords: () => void;
   deleteWordRange: (startIndex: number, endIndex: number) => void;
   restoreRange: (rangeId: string) => void;
-  setTranscribing: (active: boolean, progress?: number) => void;
+  setTranscribing: (active: boolean, progress?: number, status?: string) => void;
   setExporting: (active: boolean, progress?: number) => void;
   getKeepSegments: () => Array<{ start: number; end: number }>;
   getWordAtTime: (time: number) => number;
@@ -59,6 +60,7 @@ const initialState: EditorState = {
   hoveredWordIndex: null,
   isTranscribing: false,
   transcriptionProgress: 0,
+  transcriptionStatus: '',
   isExporting: false,
   exportProgress: 0,
   backendUrl: 'http://localhost:8642',
@@ -147,10 +149,11 @@ export const useEditorStore = create<EditorState & EditorActions>()(
         set({ deletedRanges: deletedRanges.filter((r) => r.id !== rangeId) });
       },
 
-      setTranscribing: (active, progress) =>
+      setTranscribing: (active, progress, status) =>
         set({
           isTranscribing: active,
           transcriptionProgress: progress ?? (active ? 0 : 100),
+          transcriptionStatus: status ?? (active ? '' : ''),
         }),
 
       setExporting: (active, progress) =>
diff --git a/frontend/src/vite-env.d.ts b/frontend/src/vite-env.d.ts
index 089ea01..06d4ad8 100644
--- a/frontend/src/vite-env.d.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/vite-env.d.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ interface ElectronAPI {
   getBackendUrl: () => Promise<string>;
   encryptString: (data: string) => Promise<string>;
   decryptString: (encrypted: string) => Promise<string>;
+  ensureModel: (modelName: string) => Promise<string>;
+  transcribe: (filePath: string, modelName: string, language?: string) => Promise<any>;
   readFile: (path: string) => Promise<string>;
   writeFile: (path: string, content: string) => Promise<boolean>;
 }
diff --git a/open b/open
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..48a801a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/open
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+# Open TalkEdit app (Tauri dev mode)
+cd "$(dirname "$0")"
+npx tauri dev
diff --git a/open-cutscript b/open-cutscript
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..d8fad28
--- /dev/null
+++ b/open-cutscript
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+# To run CutScript in dev mode:
+# 1. In a separate terminal, run:
+#    cd CutScript/frontend
+#    npm install   # only needed once
+#    npm run dev -- --host
+# 2. Then run this script to launch Electron:
+#    ./open-cutscript.sh
+
+cd "$(dirname "$0")/CutScript"
+npx electron .
diff --git a/src-tauri/Cargo.lock b/src-tauri/Cargo.lock
index 375ae8f..d9226fb 100644
--- a/src-tauri/Cargo.lock
+++ b/src-tauri/Cargo.lock
@@ -79,6 +79,8 @@ checksum = "7f202df86484c868dbad7eaa557ef785d5c66295e41b460ef922eca0723b842c"
 name = "app"
 version = "0.1.0"
 dependencies = [
+ "dirs 5.0.1",
+ "hound",
  "log",
  "serde",
  "serde_json",
@@ -87,6 +89,9 @@ dependencies = [
  "tauri-plugin-dialog",
  "tauri-plugin-fs",
  "tauri-plugin-log",
+ "tempfile",
+ "ureq",
+ "whisper-rs",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -142,6 +147,26 @@ version = "0.22.1"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "72b3254f16251a8381aa12e40e3c4d2f0199f8c6508fbecb9d91f575e0fbb8c6"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "bindgen"
+version = "0.72.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "993776b509cfb49c750f11b8f07a46fa23e0a1386ffc01fb1e7d343efc387895"
+dependencies = [
+ "bitflags 2.11.0",
+ "cexpr",
+ "clang-sys",
+ "itertools",
+ "log",
+ "prettyplease",
+ "proc-macro2",
+ "quote",
+ "regex",
+ "rustc-hash",
+ "shlex",
+ "syn 2.0.117",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "bit-set"
 version = "0.8.0"
@@ -391,6 +416,15 @@ version = "1.1.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "6d43a04d8753f35258c91f8ec639f792891f748a1edbd759cf1dcea3382ad83c"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "cexpr"
+version = "0.6.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "6fac387a98bb7c37292057cffc56d62ecb629900026402633ae9160df93a8766"
+dependencies = [
+ "nom",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "cfb"
 version = "0.7.3"
@@ -436,6 +470,26 @@ dependencies = [
  "windows-link 0.2.1",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "clang-sys"
+version = "1.8.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "0b023947811758c97c59bf9d1c188fd619ad4718dcaa767947df1cadb14f39f4"
+dependencies = [
+ "glob",
+ "libc",
+ "libloading 0.8.9",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "cmake"
+version = "0.1.57"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "75443c44cd6b379beb8c5b45d85d0773baf31cce901fe7bb252f4eff3008ef7d"
+dependencies = [
+ "cc",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "combine"
 version = "4.6.7"
@@ -683,13 +737,34 @@ dependencies = [
  "crypto-common",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "dirs"
+version = "5.0.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "44c45a9d03d6676652bcb5e724c7e988de1acad23a711b5217ab9cbecbec2225"
+dependencies = [
+ "dirs-sys 0.4.1",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "dirs"
 version = "6.0.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "c3e8aa94d75141228480295a7d0e7feb620b1a5ad9f12bc40be62411e38cce4e"
 dependencies = [
- "dirs-sys",
+ "dirs-sys 0.5.0",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "dirs-sys"
+version = "0.4.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "520f05a5cbd335fae5a99ff7a6ab8627577660ee5cfd6a94a6a929b52ff0321c"
+dependencies = [
+ "libc",
+ "option-ext",
+ "redox_users 0.4.6",
+ "windows-sys 0.48.0",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -700,7 +775,7 @@ checksum = "e01a3366d27ee9890022452ee61b2b63a67e6f13f58900b651ff5665f0bb1fab"
 dependencies = [
  "libc",
  "option-ext",
- "redox_users",
+ "redox_users 0.5.2",
  "windows-sys 0.61.2",
 ]
 
@@ -801,6 +876,12 @@ version = "1.0.20"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "d0881ea181b1df73ff77ffaaf9c7544ecc11e82fba9b5f27b262a3c73a332555"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "either"
+version = "1.15.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "48c757948c5ede0e46177b7add2e67155f70e33c07fea8284df6576da70b3719"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "embed-resource"
 version = "3.0.8"
@@ -848,6 +929,16 @@ dependencies = [
  "typeid",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "errno"
+version = "0.3.14"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "39cab71617ae0d63f51a36d69f866391735b51691dbda63cf6f96d042b63efeb"
+dependencies = [
+ "libc",
+ "windows-sys 0.61.2",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "fastrand"
 version = "2.3.0"
@@ -952,6 +1043,12 @@ dependencies = [
  "percent-encoding",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "fs_extra"
+version = "1.3.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "42703706b716c37f96a77aea830392ad231f44c9e9a67872fa5548707e11b11c"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "funty"
 version = "2.0.0"
@@ -1394,6 +1491,12 @@ version = "0.4.3"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "7f24254aa9a54b5c858eaee2f5bccdb46aaf0e486a595ed5fd8f86ba55232a70"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "hound"
+version = "3.5.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "62adaabb884c94955b19907d60019f4e145d091c75345379e70d1ee696f7854f"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "html5ever"
 version = "0.29.1"
@@ -1695,6 +1798,15 @@ dependencies = [
  "serde",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "itertools"
+version = "0.13.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "413ee7dfc52ee1a4949ceeb7dbc8a33f2d6c088194d9f922fb8318faf1f01186"
+dependencies = [
+ "either",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "itoa"
 version = "1.0.18"
@@ -1849,7 +1961,7 @@ source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "6e9ec52138abedcc58dc17a7c6c0c00a2bdb4f3427c7f63fa97fd0d859155caf"
 dependencies = [
  "gtk-sys",
- "libloading",
+ "libloading 0.7.4",
  "once_cell",
 ]
 
@@ -1869,6 +1981,16 @@ dependencies = [
  "winapi",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "libloading"
+version = "0.8.9"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "d7c4b02199fee7c5d21a5ae7d8cfa79a6ef5bb2fc834d6e9058e89c825efdc55"
+dependencies = [
+ "cfg-if",
+ "windows-link 0.2.1",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "libredox"
 version = "0.1.15"
@@ -1878,6 +2000,12 @@ dependencies = [
  "libc",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "linux-raw-sys"
+version = "0.12.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "32a66949e030da00e8c7d4434b251670a91556f4144941d37452769c25d58a53"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "litemap"
 version = "0.8.1"
@@ -1971,6 +2099,12 @@ version = "0.3.17"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "6877bb514081ee2a7ff5ef9de3281f14a4dd4bceac4c09388074a6b5df8a139a"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "minimal-lexical"
+version = "0.2.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "68354c5c6bd36d73ff3feceb05efa59b6acb7626617f4962be322a825e61f79a"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "miniz_oxide"
 version = "0.8.9"
@@ -2055,6 +2189,16 @@ version = "0.1.14"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "72ef4a56884ca558e5ddb05a1d1e7e1bfd9a68d9ed024c21704cc98872dae1bb"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "nom"
+version = "7.1.3"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "d273983c5a657a70a3e8f2a01329822f3b8c8172b73826411a55751e404a0a4a"
+dependencies = [
+ "memchr",
+ "minimal-lexical",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "num-conv"
 version = "0.2.1"
@@ -2781,6 +2925,17 @@ dependencies = [
  "bitflags 2.11.0",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "redox_users"
+version = "0.4.6"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "ba009ff324d1fc1b900bd1fdb31564febe58a8ccc8a6fdbb93b543d33b13ca43"
+dependencies = [
+ "getrandom 0.2.17",
+ "libredox",
+ "thiserror 1.0.69",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "redox_users"
 version = "0.5.2"
@@ -2908,6 +3063,20 @@ dependencies = [
  "windows-sys 0.60.2",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "ring"
+version = "0.17.14"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "a4689e6c2294d81e88dc6261c768b63bc4fcdb852be6d1352498b114f61383b7"
+dependencies = [
+ "cc",
+ "cfg-if",
+ "getrandom 0.2.17",
+ "libc",
+ "untrusted",
+ "windows-sys 0.52.0",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "rkyv"
 version = "0.7.46"
@@ -2968,6 +3137,54 @@ dependencies = [
  "semver",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "rustix"
+version = "1.1.4"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "b6fe4565b9518b83ef4f91bb47ce29620ca828bd32cb7e408f0062e9930ba190"
+dependencies = [
+ "bitflags 2.11.0",
+ "errno",
+ "libc",
+ "linux-raw-sys",
+ "windows-sys 0.61.2",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "rustls"
+version = "0.23.37"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "758025cb5fccfd3bc2fd74708fd4682be41d99e5dff73c377c0646c6012c73a4"
+dependencies = [
+ "log",
+ "once_cell",
+ "ring",
+ "rustls-pki-types",
+ "rustls-webpki",
+ "subtle",
+ "zeroize",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "rustls-pki-types"
+version = "1.14.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "be040f8b0a225e40375822a563fa9524378b9d63112f53e19ffff34df5d33fdd"
+dependencies = [
+ "zeroize",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "rustls-webpki"
+version = "0.103.10"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "df33b2b81ac578cabaf06b89b0631153a3f416b0a886e8a7a1707fb51abbd1ef"
+dependencies = [
+ "ring",
+ "rustls-pki-types",
+ "untrusted",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "rustversion"
 version = "1.0.22"
@@ -3432,6 +3649,12 @@ version = "0.11.1"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "7da8b5736845d9f2fcb837ea5d9e2628564b3b043a70948a3f0b778838c5fb4f"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "subtle"
+version = "2.6.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "13c2bddecc57b384dee18652358fb23172facb8a2c51ccc10d74c157bdea3292"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "swift-rs"
 version = "1.0.7"
@@ -3568,7 +3791,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "anyhow",
  "bytes",
  "cookie",
- "dirs",
+ "dirs 6.0.0",
  "dunce",
  "embed_plist",
  "getrandom 0.3.4",
@@ -3618,7 +3841,7 @@ checksum = "4bbc990d1dbf57a8e1c7fa2327f2a614d8b757805603c1b9ba5c81bade09fd4d"
 dependencies = [
  "anyhow",
  "cargo_toml",
- "dirs",
+ "dirs 6.0.0",
  "glob",
  "heck 0.5.0",
  "json-patch",
@@ -3852,6 +4075,19 @@ dependencies = [
  "toml 0.9.12+spec-1.1.0",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "tempfile"
+version = "3.27.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "32497e9a4c7b38532efcdebeef879707aa9f794296a4f0244f6f69e9bc8574bd"
+dependencies = [
+ "fastrand",
+ "getrandom 0.4.2",
+ "once_cell",
+ "rustix",
+ "windows-sys 0.61.2",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "tendril"
 version = "0.4.3"
@@ -4174,7 +4410,7 @@ source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "a5e85aa143ceb072062fc4d6356c1b520a51d636e7bc8e77ec94be3608e5e80c"
 dependencies = [
  "crossbeam-channel",
- "dirs",
+ "dirs 6.0.0",
  "libappindicator",
  "muda",
  "objc2",
@@ -4266,6 +4502,28 @@ version = "0.2.6"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "ebc1c04c71510c7f702b52b7c350734c9ff1295c464a03335b00bb84fc54f853"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "untrusted"
+version = "0.9.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "8ecb6da28b8a351d773b68d5825ac39017e680750f980f3a1a85cd8dd28a47c1"
+
+[[package]]
+name = "ureq"
+version = "2.12.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "02d1a66277ed75f640d608235660df48c8e3c19f3b4edb6a263315626cc3c01d"
+dependencies = [
+ "base64 0.22.1",
+ "flate2",
+ "log",
+ "once_cell",
+ "rustls",
+ "rustls-pki-types",
+ "url",
+ "webpki-roots 0.26.11",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "url"
 version = "2.5.8"
@@ -4580,6 +4838,24 @@ dependencies = [
  "system-deps",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "webpki-roots"
+version = "0.26.11"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "521bc38abb08001b01866da9f51eb7c5d647a19260e00054a8c7fd5f9e57f7a9"
+dependencies = [
+ "webpki-roots 1.0.6",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "webpki-roots"
+version = "1.0.6"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "22cfaf3c063993ff62e73cb4311efde4db1efb31ab78a3e5c457939ad5cc0bed"
+dependencies = [
+ "rustls-pki-types",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "webview2-com"
 version = "0.38.2"
@@ -4616,6 +4892,28 @@ dependencies = [
  "windows-core 0.61.2",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "whisper-rs"
+version = "0.16.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "2088172d00f936c348d6a72f488dc2660ab3f507263a195df308a3c2383229f6"
+dependencies = [
+ "whisper-rs-sys",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "whisper-rs-sys"
+version = "0.15.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "6986c0fe081241d391f09b9a071fbcbb59720c3563628c3c829057cf69f2a56f"
+dependencies = [
+ "bindgen",
+ "cfg-if",
+ "cmake",
+ "fs_extra",
+ "semver",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "winapi"
 version = "0.3.9"
@@ -4810,6 +5108,24 @@ dependencies = [
  "windows-targets 0.42.2",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "windows-sys"
+version = "0.48.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "677d2418bec65e3338edb076e806bc1ec15693c5d0104683f2efe857f61056a9"
+dependencies = [
+ "windows-targets 0.48.5",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "windows-sys"
+version = "0.52.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "282be5f36a8ce781fad8c8ae18fa3f9beff57ec1b52cb3de0789201425d9a33d"
+dependencies = [
+ "windows-targets 0.52.6",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "windows-sys"
 version = "0.59.0"
@@ -4852,6 +5168,21 @@ dependencies = [
  "windows_x86_64_msvc 0.42.2",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "windows-targets"
+version = "0.48.5"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "9a2fa6e2155d7247be68c096456083145c183cbbbc2764150dda45a87197940c"
+dependencies = [
+ "windows_aarch64_gnullvm 0.48.5",
+ "windows_aarch64_msvc 0.48.5",
+ "windows_i686_gnu 0.48.5",
+ "windows_i686_msvc 0.48.5",
+ "windows_x86_64_gnu 0.48.5",
+ "windows_x86_64_gnullvm 0.48.5",
+ "windows_x86_64_msvc 0.48.5",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "windows-targets"
 version = "0.52.6"
@@ -4909,6 +5240,12 @@ version = "0.42.2"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "597a5118570b68bc08d8d59125332c54f1ba9d9adeedeef5b99b02ba2b0698f8"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "windows_aarch64_gnullvm"
+version = "0.48.5"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "2b38e32f0abccf9987a4e3079dfb67dcd799fb61361e53e2882c3cbaf0d905d8"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "windows_aarch64_gnullvm"
 version = "0.52.6"
@@ -4927,6 +5264,12 @@ version = "0.42.2"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "e08e8864a60f06ef0d0ff4ba04124db8b0fb3be5776a5cd47641e942e58c4d43"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "windows_aarch64_msvc"
+version = "0.48.5"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "dc35310971f3b2dbbf3f0690a219f40e2d9afcf64f9ab7cc1be722937c26b4bc"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "windows_aarch64_msvc"
 version = "0.52.6"
@@ -4945,6 +5288,12 @@ version = "0.42.2"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "c61d927d8da41da96a81f029489353e68739737d3beca43145c8afec9a31a84f"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "windows_i686_gnu"
+version = "0.48.5"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "a75915e7def60c94dcef72200b9a8e58e5091744960da64ec734a6c6e9b3743e"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "windows_i686_gnu"
 version = "0.52.6"
@@ -4975,6 +5324,12 @@ version = "0.42.2"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "44d840b6ec649f480a41c8d80f9c65108b92d89345dd94027bfe06ac444d1060"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "windows_i686_msvc"
+version = "0.48.5"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "8f55c233f70c4b27f66c523580f78f1004e8b5a8b659e05a4eb49d4166cca406"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "windows_i686_msvc"
 version = "0.52.6"
@@ -4993,6 +5348,12 @@ version = "0.42.2"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "8de912b8b8feb55c064867cf047dda097f92d51efad5b491dfb98f6bbb70cb36"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "windows_x86_64_gnu"
+version = "0.48.5"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "53d40abd2583d23e4718fddf1ebec84dbff8381c07cae67ff7768bbf19c6718e"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "windows_x86_64_gnu"
 version = "0.52.6"
@@ -5011,6 +5372,12 @@ version = "0.42.2"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "26d41b46a36d453748aedef1486d5c7a85db22e56aff34643984ea85514e94a3"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "windows_x86_64_gnullvm"
+version = "0.48.5"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "0b7b52767868a23d5bab768e390dc5f5c55825b6d30b86c844ff2dc7414044cc"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "windows_x86_64_gnullvm"
 version = "0.52.6"
@@ -5029,6 +5396,12 @@ version = "0.42.2"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "9aec5da331524158c6d1a4ac0ab1541149c0b9505fde06423b02f5ef0106b9f0"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "windows_x86_64_msvc"
+version = "0.48.5"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "ed94fce61571a4006852b7389a063ab983c02eb1bb37b47f8272ce92d06d9538"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "windows_x86_64_msvc"
 version = "0.52.6"
@@ -5179,7 +5552,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "block2",
  "cookie",
  "crossbeam-channel",
- "dirs",
+ "dirs 6.0.0",
  "dom_query",
  "dpi",
  "dunce",
@@ -5307,6 +5680,12 @@ dependencies = [
  "synstructure",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "zeroize"
+version = "1.8.2"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "b97154e67e32c85465826e8bcc1c59429aaaf107c1e4a9e53c8d8ccd5eff88d0"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "zerotrie"
 version = "0.2.3"
diff --git a/src-tauri/Cargo.toml b/src-tauri/Cargo.toml
index 72273fb..f5fd11a 100644
--- a/src-tauri/Cargo.toml
+++ b/src-tauri/Cargo.toml
@@ -25,3 +25,8 @@ tauri = { version = "2.10.3", features = [] }
 tauri-plugin-dialog = "2"
 tauri-plugin-fs = "2"
 tauri-plugin-log = "2"
+dirs = "5.0"
+ureq = "2.9"
+whisper-rs = "0.16.0"
+hound = "3.5"
+tempfile = "3.10"
diff --git a/src-tauri/src/lib.rs b/src-tauri/src/lib.rs
index c6566eb..b904236 100644
--- a/src-tauri/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src-tauri/src/lib.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 // --- Commands ---
 
+mod transcription;
+
 /// Returns the backend URL. Stubbed for now; will be replaced once the
 /// Python/Rust backend is fully wired up.
 #[tauri::command]
@@ -34,6 +36,26 @@ fn decrypt_string(encrypted: String) -> Result<String, String> {
         .and_then(|b| String::from_utf8(b).map_err(|e| format!("utf8 error: {e}")))
 }
 
+/// Ensure a Whisper model is downloaded, downloading it if not present.
+#[tauri::command]
+async fn ensure_model(model_name: String) -> Result<String, String> {
+    tauri::async_runtime::spawn_blocking(move || {
+        transcription::ensure_model_downloaded(&model_name)
+    })
+    .await
+    .map_err(|e| format!("Task error: {:?}", e))?
+}
+
+/// Transcribe audio file using Whisper.cpp (runs on a background thread)
+#[tauri::command]
+async fn transcribe_audio(file_path: String, model_name: String, language: Option<String>) -> Result<transcription::TranscriptionResult, String> {
+    tauri::async_runtime::spawn_blocking(move || {
+        transcription::transcribe_audio(&file_path, &model_name, language.as_deref())
+    })
+    .await
+    .map_err(|e| format!("Task error: {:?}", e))?
+}
+
 // --- App entry point ---
 
 #[cfg_attr(mobile, tauri::mobile_entry_point)]
@@ -55,6 +77,8 @@ pub fn run() {
             get_backend_url,
             encrypt_string,
             decrypt_string,
+            ensure_model,
+            transcribe_audio,
         ])
         .run(tauri::generate_context!())
         .expect("error while running tauri application");
diff --git a/src-tauri/src/transcription.rs b/src-tauri/src/transcription.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2a23674
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src-tauri/src/transcription.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,201 @@
+use std::fs;
+use std::process::Command;
+use whisper_rs::{WhisperContext, WhisperContextParameters, FullParams, SamplingStrategy};
+
+#[derive(serde::Serialize, serde::Deserialize, Clone, Debug)]
+pub struct TranscriptionResult {
+    pub words: Vec<Word>,
+    pub segments: Vec<Segment>,
+    pub language: String,
+}
+
+#[derive(serde::Serialize, serde::Deserialize, Clone, Debug)]
+pub struct Word {
+    pub word: String,
+    pub start: f64,
+    pub end: f64,
+    pub confidence: f64,
+}
+
+#[derive(serde::Serialize, serde::Deserialize, Clone, Debug)]
+pub struct Segment {
+    pub id: usize,
+    pub start: f64,
+    pub end: f64,
+    pub text: String,
+    pub words: Vec<Word>,
+}
+
+/// Extract audio from a video/audio file to a 16kHz mono WAV using ffmpeg
+fn extract_to_wav(input_path: &str, output_path: &str) -> Result<(), String> {
+    let status = Command::new("ffmpeg")
+        .args(["-y", "-i", input_path, "-vn", "-ar", "16000", "-ac", "1", "-f", "wav", output_path])
+        .status()
+        .map_err(|e| format!("Failed to run ffmpeg: {}", e))?;
+
+    if !status.success() {
+        return Err(format!("ffmpeg exited with code: {:?}", status.code()));
+    }
+    Ok(())
+}
+
+/// Transcribe audio file using whisper-rs (real Whisper.cpp inference)
+pub fn transcribe_audio(
+    file_path: &str,
+    model_name: &str,
+    language: Option<&str>,
+) -> Result<TranscriptionResult, String> {
+    // Ensure model is downloaded
+    let model_path = ensure_model_downloaded(model_name)?;
+
+    // Extract audio to temp 16kHz mono WAV
+    let tmp_wav = tempfile::Builder::new()
+        .suffix(".wav")
+        .tempfile()
+        .map_err(|e| format!("Failed to create temp file: {}", e))?;
+    let wav_path = tmp_wav.path().to_string_lossy().to_string();
+
+    extract_to_wav(file_path, &wav_path)?;
+
+    // Read WAV as f32 samples
+    let mut reader = hound::WavReader::open(&wav_path)
+        .map_err(|e| format!("Failed to read WAV: {}", e))?;
+    let spec = reader.spec();
+    let samples: Vec<f32> = match spec.sample_format {
+        hound::SampleFormat::Int => reader
+            .samples::<i16>()
+            .map(|s| s.map(|v| v as f32 / 32768.0).map_err(|e| format!("{}", e)))
+            .collect::<Result<Vec<f32>, _>>()?,
+        hound::SampleFormat::Float => reader
+            .samples::<f32>()
+            .map(|s| s.map_err(|e| format!("{}", e)))
+            .collect::<Result<Vec<f32>, _>>()?,
+    };
+
+    // Load Whisper model and transcribe
+    let ctx_params = WhisperContextParameters::default();
+    let ctx = WhisperContext::new_with_params(&model_path, ctx_params)
+        .map_err(|e| format!("Failed to load model: {:?}", e))?;
+    let mut state = ctx.create_state()
+        .map_err(|e| format!("Failed to create state: {:?}", e))?;
+
+    let mut params = FullParams::new(SamplingStrategy::Greedy { best_of: 1 });
+    params.set_print_special(false);
+    params.set_print_progress(false);
+    params.set_print_realtime(false);
+    params.set_print_timestamps(false);
+    params.set_token_timestamps(true);
+    params.set_single_segment(false);
+    if let Some(lang) = language {
+        params.set_language(Some(lang));
+    }
+
+    state.full(params, &samples)
+        .map_err(|e| format!("Transcription failed: {:?}", e))?;
+
+    // Extract word-level results using the 0.16.0 iterator API
+    let mut all_words: Vec<Word> = Vec::new();
+    let mut segments: Vec<Segment> = Vec::new();
+    let detected_language = language.unwrap_or("en").to_string();
+
+    for (seg_idx, segment) in state.as_iter().enumerate() {
+        let seg_text = segment.to_str_lossy()
+            .map_err(|e| format!("Segment text error: {:?}", e))?;
+        let seg_t0 = segment.start_timestamp() as f64 / 100.0;
+        let seg_t1 = segment.end_timestamp() as f64 / 100.0;
+
+        let mut seg_words: Vec<Word> = Vec::new();
+
+        for tok_i in 0..segment.n_tokens() {
+            if let Some(token) = segment.get_token(tok_i) {
+                let token_text = match token.to_str_lossy() {
+                    Ok(t) => t.into_owned(),
+                    Err(_) => continue,
+                };
+                let token_data = token.token_data();
+
+                // Skip special tokens
+                let trimmed = token_text.trim();
+                if trimmed.is_empty() || trimmed.starts_with('[') || trimmed.starts_with('<') {
+                    continue;
+                }
+
+                let word = Word {
+                    word: trimmed.to_string(),
+                    start: token_data.t0 as f64 / 100.0,
+                    end: token_data.t1 as f64 / 100.0,
+                    confidence: token_data.p as f64,
+                };
+                all_words.push(word.clone());
+                seg_words.push(word);
+            }
+        }
+
+        segments.push(Segment {
+            id: seg_idx,
+            start: seg_t0,
+            end: seg_t1,
+            text: seg_text.trim().to_string(),
+            words: seg_words,
+        });
+    }
+
+    Ok(TranscriptionResult {
+        words: all_words,
+        segments,
+        language: detected_language,
+    })
+}
+
+/// Download and cache Whisper model
+pub fn ensure_model_downloaded(model_name: &str) -> Result<String, String> {
+    // Get app data directory for storing models
+    let app_data_dir = dirs::data_dir()
+        .ok_or("Could not find app data directory")?
+        .join("TalkEdit")
+        .join("models");
+
+    // Create directory if it doesn't exist
+    fs::create_dir_all(&app_data_dir)
+        .map_err(|e| format!("Failed to create models directory: {}", e))?;
+
+    let model_path = app_data_dir.join(format!("ggml-{}.bin", model_name));
+
+    // Check if model already exists
+    if model_path.exists() {
+        return Ok(model_path.to_string_lossy().to_string());
+    }
+
+    // Only download smaller models automatically
+    let allowed_models = ["tiny", "base", "small"];
+    if !allowed_models.contains(&model_name) {
+        return Err(format!("Model '{}' is not available for automatic download. Only tiny, base, and small models are supported.", model_name));
+    }
+
+    println!("Downloading Whisper model: {}...", model_name);
+
+    // Download the model from ggerganov's whisper.cpp repo
+    let url = format!("https://huggingface.co/ggerganov/whisper.cpp/resolve/main/ggml-{}.bin", model_name);
+    let response = ureq::get(&url)
+        .call()
+        .map_err(|e| format!("Failed to download model: {}", e))?;
+
+    let len = response
+        .header("content-length")
+        .and_then(|s| s.parse::<usize>().ok())
+        .unwrap_or(0);
+
+    println!("Model size: {} bytes", len);
+
+    let mut reader = response.into_reader();
+    let mut file = fs::File::create(&model_path)
+        .map_err(|e| format!("Failed to create model file: {}", e))?;
+
+    std::io::copy(&mut reader, &mut file)
+        .map_err(|e| format!("Failed to write model file: {}", e))?;
+
+    println!("Model downloaded successfully: {}", model_path.display());
+
+    Ok(model_path.to_string_lossy().to_string())
+}
+