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Install in OpenClaw
/install telegram-whisper-transcribe
Description
Standalone Telegram bot for voice message transcription via OpenAI Whisper API. No LLM overhead — audio goes directly to Whisper and text comes back in 2-5 s...
Usage Guidance
What to check before installing:
- Confirm TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN and OPENAI_API_KEY are provided; the registry metadata omits them but SKILL.md and scripts require them. Do not reuse an existing bot token used elsewhere (SKILL.md warns about single poller per bot).
- Be aware audio payloads are sent to OpenAI's Whisper API — this transmits users' audio to OpenAI. If that is a privacy concern, do not install or host in a controlled environment.
- The installer creates ~/transcribe-bot, a venv, and a user-level systemd service; review the files (bot.py, install.sh) and the .env handling. The .env file is written with chmod 600 but still resides on disk — consider alternative secret storage if needed.
- The install script installs dependencies from PyPI without pinned versions or hashes. Prefer pinning or reviewing latest package releases before running pip.
- This skill assumes a Unix-like system with Python 3 and systemd user services; it will not work as-is on Windows.
- If you want higher assurance: run the bot in an isolated user account or container, or inspect/modify the code to add explicit logging controls, dependency pins, and stricter temp-file handling.
Why I flagged this as suspicious: the functionality is coherent and the code is straightforward, but the registry metadata failing to declare required environment variables and runtime assumptions is an avoidable inconsistency that could cause accidental misconfiguration or concealment of required secrets. Fixing those metadata omissions or providing explicit package/version verification would raise my confidence to benign.
Capability Analysis
Type: OpenClaw Skill
Name: telegram-whisper-transcribe
Version: 1.0.1
The skill installs a standalone Telegram bot for audio transcription using OpenAI Whisper. It establishes persistence on the host by creating and enabling a systemd user service (transcribe-bot.service) and manages sensitive credentials (TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN and OPENAI_API_KEY) by writing them to a local .env file. While the logic in scripts/bot.py and scripts/install.sh appears aligned with the stated purpose, the automated setup of a background service and the handling of secrets via command-line arguments in the installation script are high-risk behaviors.
Capability Assessment
Purpose & Capability
Name and description (Telegram bot that forwards audio to OpenAI Whisper) align with the included code and instructions. However registry metadata claims no required env vars/binaries while SKILL.md and the scripts require TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN, OPENAI_API_KEY, Python, and systemd — an inconsistency that should be corrected.
Instruction Scope
SKILL.md and install.sh contain explicit, narrow instructions: copy files to ~/transcribe-bot, create a venv, pip install dependencies, write a .env containing the two keys, and create a systemd user service. The runtime code only downloads Telegram audio, sends it to OpenAI Whisper, returns the transcript, and cleans up temp files. It does not read unrelated system files or exfiltrate data to unexpected endpoints.
Install Mechanism
No opaque remote downloads; install.sh creates a venv and installs packages from PyPI (python-telegram-bot, openai). That is a standard approach, but the script does not pin package versions or verify hashes — consider pinning versions or reviewing dependency versions before install.
Credentials
The bot legitimately needs TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN and OPENAI_API_KEY (both used in code). Those environment variables are declared in SKILL.md but were not listed in the registry metadata; this mismatch could mislead users or automated checks. The bot will transmit audio to OpenAI (privacy implication) — users should consent to sending audio to Whisper.
Persistence & Privilege
The skill creates files under the installing user's home (~/transcribe-bot, a .env with 600 perms) and installs a systemd user service (systemctl --user). This is appropriate for a long-running user bot, but it does persist on the host and will auto-restart; ensure you want a persistent service and review the .env storage of secrets.
How to Use
- Make sure OpenClaw is installed (local or Docker)
- Run the install command in chat:
/install telegram-whisper-transcribe - After installation, invoke the skill by name or use
/telegram-whisper-transcribe - Provide required inputs per the skill's parameter spec and get structured output
Version History
v1.0.1
Fix suspicious flag: declare env_vars (TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN, OPENAI_API_KEY) in SKILL.md frontmatter; use EnvironmentFile with chmod 600 instead of plaintext secrets in systemd service
v1.0.0
Initial release
Metadata
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Telegram Whisper Transcribe?
Standalone Telegram bot for voice message transcription via OpenAI Whisper API. No LLM overhead — audio goes directly to Whisper and text comes back in 2-5 s... It is an AI Agent Skill for Claude Code / OpenClaw, with 218 downloads so far.
How do I install Telegram Whisper Transcribe?
Run "/install telegram-whisper-transcribe" in the OpenClaw or Claude Code chat to install it in one step — no extra setup required.
Is Telegram Whisper Transcribe free?
Yes, Telegram Whisper Transcribe is completely free, licensed under MIT-0. You can download, install and use it at no cost.
Which platforms does Telegram Whisper Transcribe support?
Telegram Whisper Transcribe is cross-platform and runs anywhere OpenClaw / Claude Code is available (cross-platform).
Who created Telegram Whisper Transcribe?
It is built and maintained by Xela (@xela-io); the current version is v1.0.1.
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