Merge pull request #59 from cjpais/recording-pill

Add Recording Overlay

package.json

@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
     "@tauri-apps/api": "^2.6.0",
     "@tauri-apps/plugin-autostart": "~2",
     "@tauri-apps/plugin-clipboard-manager": "~2",
+    "@tauri-apps/plugin-fs": "~2",
     "@tauri-apps/plugin-global-shortcut": "~2",
     "@tauri-apps/plugin-opener": "^2",
     "@tauri-apps/plugin-os": "~2",

src-tauri/Cargo.lock

@@ -2018,12 +2018,14 @@ dependencies = [
  "reqwest 0.11.27",
  "rodio",
  "rubato",
+ "rustfft",
  "serde",
  "serde_json",
  "tauri",
  "tauri-build",
  "tauri-plugin-autostart",
  "tauri-plugin-clipboard-manager",
+ "tauri-plugin-fs",
  "tauri-plugin-global-shortcut",
  "tauri-plugin-macos-permissions",
  "tauri-plugin-opener",
@@ -4403,9 +4405,9 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "rustfft"
-version = "6.2.0"
+version = "6.4.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "43806561bc506d0c5d160643ad742e3161049ac01027b5e6d7524091fd401d86"
+checksum = "c6f140db74548f7c9d7cce60912c9ac414e74df5e718dc947d514b051b42f3f4"
 dependencies = [
  "num-complex",
  "num-integer",
@@ -4413,7 +4415,6 @@ dependencies = [
  "primal-check",
  "strength_reduce",
  "transpose",
- "version_check",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -5450,6 +5451,28 @@ dependencies = [
  "thiserror 2.0.11",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "tauri-plugin-fs"
+version = "2.4.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "8c6ef84ee2f2094ce093e55106d90d763ba343fad57566992962e8f76d113f99"
+dependencies = [
+ "anyhow",
+ "dunce",
+ "glob",
+ "percent-encoding",
+ "schemars",
+ "serde",
+ "serde_json",
+ "serde_repr",
+ "tauri",
+ "tauri-plugin",
+ "tauri-utils",
+ "thiserror 2.0.11",
+ "toml",
+ "url",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "tauri-plugin-global-shortcut"
 version = "2.2.0"

src-tauri/Cargo.toml

@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ tauri-build = { version = "2", features = [] }
 
 [dependencies]
 once_cell = "1"
-tauri = { version = "2", features = ["tray-icon", 'image-png'] }
+tauri = { version = "2", features = [ "macos-private-api", "tray-icon", 'image-png'] }
 tauri-plugin-opener = "2"
 serde = { version = "1", features = ["derive"] }
 serde_json = "1"
@@ -51,6 +51,8 @@ tauri-plugin-process = "2"
 rodio = { git = "https://github.com/cjpais/rodio.git" }
 reqwest = { version = "0.11", features = ["json", "stream"] }
 futures-util = "0.3"
+tauri-plugin-fs = "2"
+rustfft = "6.4.0"
 
 [dependencies.ort-sys]
 version = "=2.0.0-rc.9"

src-tauri/capabilities/default.json

@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 {
   "$schema": "../gen/schemas/desktop-schema.json",
   "identifier": "default",
-  "description": "Capability for the main window",
-  "windows": ["main"],
+  "description": "Capabilities for the app",
+  "windows": ["main", "recording_overlay"],
   "permissions": [
     "core:default",
     "opener:default",
@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@
     "global-shortcut:allow-register",
     "global-shortcut:allow-unregister",
     "global-shortcut:allow-unregister-all",
-    "macos-permissions:default"
+    "macos-permissions:default",
+    "fs:read-files",
+    "fs:allow-resource-read-recursive"
   ]
 }

src-tauri/gen/apple/PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy

@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
+<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
+<plist version="1.0">
+  <dict>
+    <key>NSPrivacyAccessedAPITypes</key>
+    <array>
+      <dict>
+        <key>NSPrivacyAccessedAPIType</key>
+        <string>NSPrivacyAccessedAPICategoryFileTimestamp</string>
+        <key>NSPrivacyAccessedAPITypeReasons</key>
+        <array>
+          <string>C617.1</string>
+        </array>
+      </dict>
+    </array>
+  </dict>
+</plist>

src-tauri/src/actions.rs

@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ use crate::utils;
 use crate::utils::change_tray_icon;
 use crate::utils::play_recording_start_sound;
 use crate::utils::play_recording_stop_sound;
+use crate::utils::show_recording_overlay;
+use crate::utils::show_transcribing_overlay;
 use crate::utils::TrayIconState;
 use log::debug;
 use once_cell::sync::Lazy;
@@ -30,6 +32,7 @@ impl ShortcutAction for TranscribeAction {
 
         let binding_id = binding_id.to_string();
         change_tray_icon(app, TrayIconState::Recording);
+        show_recording_overlay(app);
 
         let rm = app.state::<Arc<AudioRecordingManager>>();
 
@@ -78,6 +81,7 @@ impl ShortcutAction for TranscribeAction {
         let tm = Arc::clone(&app.state::<Arc<TranscriptionManager>>());
 
         change_tray_icon(app, TrayIconState::Transcribing);
+        show_transcribing_overlay(app);
 
         // Play audio feedback for recording stop
         play_recording_stop_sound(app);
@@ -119,23 +123,29 @@ impl ShortcutAction for TranscribeAction {
                                     ),
                                     Err(e) => eprintln!("Failed to paste transcription: {}", e),
                                 }
+                                // Hide the overlay after transcription is complete
+                                utils::hide_recording_overlay(&ah_clone);
                                 change_tray_icon(&ah_clone, TrayIconState::Idle);
                             })
                             .unwrap_or_else(|e| {
                                 eprintln!("Failed to run paste on main thread: {:?}", e);
+                                utils::hide_recording_overlay(&ah);
                                 change_tray_icon(&ah, TrayIconState::Idle);
                             });
                         } else {
+                            utils::hide_recording_overlay(&ah);
                             change_tray_icon(&ah, TrayIconState::Idle);
                         }
                     }
                     Err(err) => {
                         debug!("Global Shortcut Transcription error: {}", err);
+                        utils::hide_recording_overlay(&ah);
                         change_tray_icon(&ah, TrayIconState::Idle);
-                    },
+                    }
                 }
             } else {
                 debug!("No samples retrieved from recording stop");
+                utils::hide_recording_overlay(&ah);
                 change_tray_icon(&ah, TrayIconState::Idle);
             }
         });

src-tauri/src/audio_toolkit/audio/mod.rs

@@ -2,7 +2,9 @@
 mod device;
 mod recorder;
 mod resampler;
+mod visualizer;
 
 pub use device::{list_input_devices, list_output_devices, CpalDeviceInfo};
 pub use recorder::AudioRecorder;
 pub use resampler::FrameResampler;
+pub use visualizer::AudioVisualiser;

src-tauri/src/audio_toolkit/audio/recorder.rs

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ use cpal::{
 };
 
 use crate::audio_toolkit::{
-    audio::FrameResampler,
+    audio::{AudioVisualiser, FrameResampler},
     constants,
     vad::{self, VadFrame},
     VoiceActivityDetector,
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ pub struct AudioRecorder {
     cmd_tx: Option<mpsc::Sender<Cmd>>,
     worker_handle: Option<std::thread::JoinHandle<()>>,
     vad: Option<Arc<Mutex<Box<dyn vad::VoiceActivityDetector>>>>,
+    level_cb: Option<Arc<dyn Fn(Vec<f32>) + Send + Sync + 'static>>,
 }
 
 impl AudioRecorder {
@@ -36,6 +37,7 @@ impl AudioRecorder {
             cmd_tx: None,
             worker_handle: None,
             vad: None,
+            level_cb: None,
         })
     }
 
@@ -44,6 +46,14 @@ impl AudioRecorder {
         self
     }
 
+    pub fn with_level_callback<F>(mut self, cb: F) -> Self
+    where
+        F: Fn(Vec<f32>) + Send + Sync + 'static,
+    {
+        self.level_cb = Some(Arc::new(cb));
+        self
+    }
+
     pub fn open(&mut self, device: Option<Device>) -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
         if self.worker_handle.is_some() {
             return Ok(()); // already open
@@ -62,6 +72,8 @@ impl AudioRecorder {
 
         let thread_device = device.clone();
         let vad = self.vad.clone();
+        // Move the optional level callback into the worker thread
+        let level_cb = self.level_cb.clone();
 
         let worker = std::thread::spawn(move || {
             let config = AudioRecorder::get_preferred_config(&thread_device)
@@ -105,7 +117,7 @@ impl AudioRecorder {
             stream.play().expect("failed to start stream");
 
             // keep the stream alive while we process samples
-            run_consumer(sample_rate, vad, sample_rx, cmd_rx);
+            run_consumer(sample_rate, vad, sample_rx, cmd_rx, level_cb);
             // stream is dropped here, after run_consumer returns
         });
 
@@ -215,6 +227,7 @@ fn run_consumer(
     vad: Option<Arc<Mutex<Box<dyn vad::VoiceActivityDetector>>>>,
     sample_rx: mpsc::Receiver<Vec<f32>>,
     cmd_rx: mpsc::Receiver<Cmd>,
+    level_cb: Option<Arc<dyn Fn(Vec<f32>) + Send + Sync + 'static>>,
 ) {
     let mut frame_resampler = FrameResampler::new(
         in_sample_rate as usize,
@@ -225,6 +238,17 @@ fn run_consumer(
     let mut processed_samples = Vec::<f32>::new();
     let mut recording = false;
 
+    // ---------- spectrum visualisation setup ---------------------------- //
+    const BUCKETS: usize = 16;
+    const WINDOW_SIZE: usize = 512;
+    let mut visualizer = AudioVisualiser::new(
+        in_sample_rate,
+        WINDOW_SIZE,
+        BUCKETS,
+        80.0,   // vocal_min_hz
+        4000.0, // vocal_max_hz
+    );
+
     fn handle_frame(
         samples: &[f32],
         recording: bool,
@@ -252,6 +276,14 @@ fn run_consumer(
             Err(_) => break, // stream closed
         };
 
+        // ---------- spectrum processing ---------------------------------- //
+        if let Some(buckets) = visualizer.feed(&raw) {
+            if let Some(cb) = &level_cb {
+                cb(buckets);
+            }
+        }
+
+        // ---------- existing pipeline ------------------------------------ //
         frame_resampler.push(&raw, &mut |frame: &[f32]| {
             handle_frame(frame, recording, &vad, &mut processed_samples)
         });
@@ -262,6 +294,7 @@ fn run_consumer(
                 Cmd::Start => {
                     processed_samples.clear();
                     recording = true;
+                    visualizer.reset(); // Reset visualization buffer
                     if let Some(v) = &vad {
                         v.lock().unwrap().reset();
                     }

src-tauri/src/audio_toolkit/audio/visualizer.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,156 @@
+use rustfft::{num_complex::Complex32, Fft, FftPlanner};
+use std::sync::Arc;
+
+const DB_MIN: f32 = -55.0;
+const DB_MAX: f32 = -8.0;
+const GAIN: f32 = 1.3;
+const CURVE_POWER: f32 = 0.7;
+
+pub struct AudioVisualiser {
+    fft: Arc<dyn Fft<f32>>,
+    window: Vec<f32>,
+    bucket_ranges: Vec<(usize, usize)>,
+    fft_input: Vec<Complex32>,
+    noise_floor: Vec<f32>,
+    buffer: Vec<f32>,
+    window_size: usize,
+    buckets: usize,
+}
+
+impl AudioVisualiser {
+    pub fn new(
+        sample_rate: u32,
+        window_size: usize,
+        buckets: usize,
+        freq_min: f32,
+        freq_max: f32,
+    ) -> Self {
+        let mut planner = FftPlanner::<f32>::new();
+        let fft = planner.plan_fft_forward(window_size);
+
+        // Pre-compute Hann window
+        let window: Vec<f32> = (0..window_size)
+            .map(|i| {
+                0.5 * (1.0 - (2.0 * std::f32::consts::PI * i as f32 / window_size as f32).cos())
+            })
+            .collect();
+
+        // Pre-compute bucket frequency ranges
+        let nyquist = sample_rate as f32 / 2.0;
+        let freq_min = freq_min.min(nyquist);
+        let freq_max = freq_max.min(nyquist);
+
+        let mut bucket_ranges = Vec::with_capacity(buckets);
+
+        for b in 0..buckets {
+            // Use logarithmic spacing for better perceptual representation
+            let log_start = (b as f32 / buckets as f32).powi(2);
+            let log_end = ((b + 1) as f32 / buckets as f32).powi(2);
+
+            let start_hz = freq_min + (freq_max - freq_min) * log_start;
+            let end_hz = freq_min + (freq_max - freq_min) * log_end;
+
+            let start_bin = ((start_hz * window_size as f32) / sample_rate as f32) as usize;
+            let mut end_bin = ((end_hz * window_size as f32) / sample_rate as f32) as usize;
+
+            // Ensure each bucket has at least one bin
+            if end_bin <= start_bin {
+                end_bin = start_bin + 1;
+            }
+
+            // Clamp to valid range
+            let start_bin = start_bin.min(window_size / 2);
+            let end_bin = end_bin.min(window_size / 2);
+
+            bucket_ranges.push((start_bin, end_bin));
+        }
+
+        Self {
+            fft,
+            window,
+            bucket_ranges,
+            fft_input: vec![Complex32::new(0.0, 0.0); window_size],
+            noise_floor: vec![-40.0; buckets], // Initialize to reasonable noise floor
+            buffer: Vec::with_capacity(window_size * 2),
+            window_size,
+            buckets,
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub fn feed(&mut self, samples: &[f32]) -> Option<Vec<f32>> {
+        // Add new samples to buffer
+        self.buffer.extend_from_slice(samples);
+
+        // Only process if we have enough samples
+        if self.buffer.len() < self.window_size {
+            return None;
+        }
+
+        // Take the required window of samples
+        let window_samples = &self.buffer[..self.window_size];
+
+        // Remove DC component
+        let mean = window_samples.iter().sum::<f32>() / self.window_size as f32;
+
+        // Apply window function and prepare FFT input
+        for (i, &sample) in window_samples.iter().enumerate() {
+            let windowed_sample = (sample - mean) * self.window[i];
+            self.fft_input[i] = Complex32::new(windowed_sample, 0.0);
+        }
+
+        // Perform FFT
+        self.fft.process(&mut self.fft_input);
+
+        // Compute power spectrum and bucket levels
+        let mut buckets = vec![0.0; self.buckets];
+
+        for (bucket_idx, &(start_bin, end_bin)) in self.bucket_ranges.iter().enumerate() {
+            if start_bin >= end_bin || end_bin > self.fft_input.len() / 2 {
+                continue;
+            }
+
+            // Calculate average power in this frequency range
+            let mut power_sum = 0.0;
+            for bin_idx in start_bin..end_bin {
+                let magnitude = self.fft_input[bin_idx].norm();
+                power_sum += magnitude * magnitude;
+            }
+
+            let avg_power = power_sum / (end_bin - start_bin) as f32;
+
+            // Convert to dB with proper scaling
+            let db = if avg_power > 1e-12 {
+                20.0 * (avg_power.sqrt() / self.window_size as f32).log10()
+            } else {
+                -80.0 // Very low floor for zero power
+            };
+
+            // Only update noise floor when signal is quiet (below current floor + 10dB)
+            if db < self.noise_floor[bucket_idx] + 10.0 {
+                const NOISE_ALPHA: f32 = 0.001; // Very slow adaptation
+                self.noise_floor[bucket_idx] =
+                    NOISE_ALPHA * db + (1.0 - NOISE_ALPHA) * self.noise_floor[bucket_idx];
+            }
+
+            // Map configurable dB range to 0-1 with gain and curve shaping
+            let normalized = ((db - DB_MIN) / (DB_MAX - DB_MIN)).clamp(0.0, 1.0);
+            buckets[bucket_idx] = (normalized * GAIN).powf(CURVE_POWER).clamp(0.0, 1.0);
+        }
+
+        // Apply light smoothing to reduce jitter
+        for i in 1..buckets.len() - 1 {
+            buckets[i] = buckets[i] * 0.7 + buckets[i - 1] * 0.15 + buckets[i + 1] * 0.15;
+        }
+
+        // Clear processed samples from buffer
+        self.buffer.clear();
+
+        Some(buckets)
+    }
+
+    pub fn reset(&mut self) {
+        self.buffer.clear();
+        // Reset noise floor to initial values
+        self.noise_floor.fill(-40.0);
+    }
+}

src-tauri/src/lib.rs

@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ pub fn run() {
     env_logger::init();
 
     tauri::Builder::default()
+        .plugin(tauri_plugin_fs::init())
         .plugin(tauri_plugin_process::init())
         .plugin(tauri_plugin_updater::Builder::new().build())
         .plugin(tauri_plugin_os::init())
@@ -126,6 +127,9 @@ pub fn run() {
             app.manage(model_manager.clone());
             app.manage(transcription_manager.clone());
 
+            // Create the recording overlay window (hidden by default)
+            utils::create_recording_overlay(&app.handle());
+
             shortcut::init_shortcuts(app);
 
             Ok(())
@@ -153,6 +157,7 @@ pub fn run() {
             shortcut::change_audio_feedback_setting,
             shortcut::change_translate_to_english_setting,
             shortcut::change_selected_language_setting,
+            shortcut::change_show_overlay_setting,
             trigger_update_check,
             commands::cancel_operation,
             commands::models::get_available_models,

src-tauri/src/managers/audio.rs

@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 use crate::audio_toolkit::{list_input_devices, vad::SmoothedVad, AudioRecorder, SileroVad};
 use crate::settings::get_settings;
+use crate::utils;
 use log::{debug, info};
 use std::sync::{Arc, Mutex};
 use std::time::Instant;
@@ -23,13 +24,26 @@ pub enum MicrophoneMode {
 
 /* ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── */
 
-fn create_audio_recorder(vad_path: &str) -> Result<AudioRecorder, anyhow::Error> {
+fn create_audio_recorder(
+    vad_path: &str,
+    app_handle: &tauri::AppHandle,
+) -> Result<AudioRecorder, anyhow::Error> {
     let silero = SileroVad::new(vad_path, 0.3)
         .map_err(|e| anyhow::anyhow!("Failed to create SileroVad: {}", e))?;
     let smoothed_vad = SmoothedVad::new(Box::new(silero), 15, 15, 2);
+
+    // Recorder with VAD plus a spectrum-level callback that forwards updates to
+    // the frontend.
     let recorder = AudioRecorder::new()
         .map_err(|e| anyhow::anyhow!("Failed to create AudioRecorder: {}", e))?
-        .with_vad(Box::new(smoothed_vad));
+        .with_vad(Box::new(smoothed_vad))
+        .with_level_callback({
+            let app_handle = app_handle.clone();
+            move |levels| {
+                utils::emit_levels(&app_handle, &levels);
+            }
+        });
+
     Ok(recorder)
 }
 
@@ -97,7 +111,10 @@ impl AudioRecordingManager {
         let mut recorder_opt = self.recorder.lock().unwrap();
 
         if recorder_opt.is_none() {
-            *recorder_opt = Some(create_audio_recorder(vad_path.to_str().unwrap())?);
+            *recorder_opt = Some(create_audio_recorder(
+                vad_path.to_str().unwrap(),
+                &self.app_handle,
+            )?);
         }
 
         // Get the selected device from settings

src-tauri/src/settings.rs

@@ -30,6 +30,8 @@ pub struct AppSettings {
     pub translate_to_english: bool,
     #[serde(default = "default_selected_language")]
     pub selected_language: String,
+    #[serde(default = "default_show_overlay")]
+    pub show_overlay: bool,
 }
 
 fn default_model() -> String {
@@ -54,6 +56,11 @@ fn default_selected_language() -> String {
     "auto".to_string()
 }
 
+fn default_show_overlay() -> bool {
+    // Default to true - users expect visual feedback by default
+    true
+}
+
 pub const SETTINGS_STORE_PATH: &str = "settings_store.json";
 
 pub fn get_default_settings() -> AppSettings {
@@ -99,6 +106,7 @@ pub fn get_default_settings() -> AppSettings {
         selected_output_device: None,
         translate_to_english: false,
         selected_language: "auto".to_string(),
+        show_overlay: true,
     }
 }
 

src-tauri/src/shortcut.rs

@@ -127,6 +127,14 @@ pub fn change_selected_language_setting(app: AppHandle, language: String) -> Res
     Ok(())
 }
 
+#[tauri::command]
+pub fn change_show_overlay_setting(app: AppHandle, enabled: bool) -> Result<(), String> {
+    let mut settings = settings::get_settings(&app);
+    settings.show_overlay = enabled;
+    settings::write_settings(&app, settings);
+    Ok(())
+}
+
 fn _register_shortcut(app: &AppHandle, binding: ShortcutBinding) -> Result<(), String> {
     // Parse shortcut and return error if it fails
     let shortcut = match binding.current_binding.parse::<Shortcut>() {

src-tauri/src/utils.rs

@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ use enigo::Keyboard;
 use enigo::Settings;
 
 use cpal::traits::{DeviceTrait, HostTrait};
+use log::debug;
 use rodio::OutputStreamBuilder;
 use std::fs::File;
 use std::io::BufReader;
@@ -13,8 +14,7 @@ use std::thread;
 use tauri::image::Image;
 use tauri::menu::{Menu, MenuItem, PredefinedMenuItem};
 use tauri::tray::TrayIcon;
-use tauri::AppHandle;
-use tauri::Manager;
+use tauri::{AppHandle, Emitter, Manager, WebviewWindowBuilder};
 use tauri_plugin_clipboard_manager::ClipboardExt;
 
 fn send_paste() -> Result<(), String> {
@@ -310,3 +310,107 @@ fn play_audio_file(
 
     Ok(())
 }
+
+/* ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── */
+/*                           OVERLAY MANAGEMENT                      */
+/* ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── */
+
+/// Creates the recording overlay window and keeps it hidden by default
+pub fn create_recording_overlay(app_handle: &AppHandle) {
+    // Get screen dimensions for positioning
+    if let Ok(monitors) = app_handle.primary_monitor() {
+        if let Some(monitor) = monitors {
+            let size = monitor.size();
+            let scale = monitor.scale_factor();
+            let screen_width = (size.width as f64 / scale) as i32;
+            let screen_height = (size.height as f64 / scale) as i32;
+
+            // Position at bottom center, 30px from bottom
+            let x = (screen_width - 150) / 2;
+            let y = screen_height - 30 - 30;
+
+            match WebviewWindowBuilder::new(
+                app_handle,
+                "recording_overlay",
+                tauri::WebviewUrl::App("src/overlay/index.html".into()),
+            )
+            .title("Recording")
+            .position(x as f64, y as f64)
+            .resizable(false)
+            .maximizable(false)
+            .minimizable(false)
+            .closable(false)
+            .decorations(false)
+            .always_on_top(true)
+            .skip_taskbar(true)
+            .transparent(true)
+            .focused(false)
+            .visible(false) // Start hidden
+            .build()
+            {
+                Ok(_window) => {
+                    debug!("Recording overlay window created successfully (hidden)");
+                }
+                Err(e) => {
+                    debug!("Failed to create recording overlay window: {}", e);
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+/// Shows the recording overlay window with fade-in animation
+pub fn show_recording_overlay(app_handle: &AppHandle) {
+    // Check if show_overlay is enabled in settings
+    let settings = settings::get_settings(app_handle);
+    if !settings.show_overlay {
+        return;
+    }
+
+    if let Some(overlay_window) = app_handle.get_webview_window("recording_overlay") {
+        let _ = overlay_window.show();
+        // Emit event to trigger fade-in animation with recording state
+        let _ = overlay_window.emit("show-overlay", "recording");
+    }
+}
+
+/// Shows the transcribing overlay window
+pub fn show_transcribing_overlay(app_handle: &AppHandle) {
+    // Check if show_overlay is enabled in settings
+    let settings = settings::get_settings(app_handle);
+    if !settings.show_overlay {
+        return;
+    }
+
+    if let Some(overlay_window) = app_handle.get_webview_window("recording_overlay") {
+        let _ = overlay_window.show();
+        // Emit event to switch to transcribing state
+        let _ = overlay_window.emit("show-overlay", "transcribing");
+    }
+}
+
+/// Hides the recording overlay window with fade-out animation
+pub fn hide_recording_overlay(app_handle: &AppHandle) {
+    // Check if show_overlay is enabled in settings - if disabled, the overlay shouldn't be shown anyway
+    // but we still want to hide it in case the setting was changed while recording
+    if let Some(overlay_window) = app_handle.get_webview_window("recording_overlay") {
+        // Emit event to trigger fade-out animation
+        let _ = overlay_window.emit("hide-overlay", ());
+        // Hide the window after a short delay to allow animation to complete
+        let window_clone = overlay_window.clone();
+        std::thread::spawn(move || {
+            std::thread::sleep(std::time::Duration::from_millis(300));
+            let _ = window_clone.hide();
+        });
+    }
+}
+
+pub fn emit_levels(app_handle: &AppHandle, levels: &Vec<f32>) {
+    // emit levels to main app
+    let _ = app_handle.emit("mic-level", levels);
+
+    // also emit to the recording overlay if it's open
+    if let Some(overlay_window) = app_handle.get_webview_window("recording_overlay") {
+        let _ = overlay_window.emit("mic-level", levels);
+    }
+}

src-tauri/tauri.conf.json

@@ -10,13 +10,14 @@
     "frontendDist": "../dist"
   },
   "app": {
+    "macOSPrivateApi": true,
     "windows": [
       {
         "title": "Handy",
         "width": 540,
-        "height": 680,
+        "height": 720,
         "minWidth": 540,
-        "minHeight": 680,
+        "minHeight": 720,
         "resizable": true,
         "maximizable": false
       }

src/assets/react.svg

@@ -1 +0,0 @@
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src/components/settings/Settings.tsx

@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import { AlwaysOnMicrophone } from "./AlwaysOnMicrophone";
 import { PushToTalk } from "./PushToTalk";
 import { AudioFeedback } from "./AudioFeedback";
 import { OutputDeviceSelector } from "./OutputDeviceSelector";
+import { ShowOverlay } from "./ShowOverlay";
 import { HandyShortcut } from "./HandyShortcut";
 import { TranslateToEnglish } from "./TranslateToEnglish";
 import { LanguageSelector } from "./LanguageSelector";
@@ -22,6 +23,7 @@ export const Settings: React.FC = () => {
         <PushToTalk descriptionMode="tooltip" grouped={true} />
         <AudioFeedback descriptionMode="tooltip" grouped={true} />
         <OutputDeviceSelector descriptionMode="tooltip" grouped={true} />
+        <ShowOverlay descriptionMode="tooltip" grouped={true} />
         <TranslateToEnglish descriptionMode="tooltip" grouped={true} />
         <AlwaysOnMicrophone descriptionMode="tooltip" grouped={true} />
       </SettingsGroup>

src/components/settings/ShowOverlay.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+import React from "react";
+import { ToggleSwitch } from "../ui/ToggleSwitch";
+import { useSettings } from "../../hooks/useSettings";
+
+interface ShowOverlayProps {
+  descriptionMode?: "inline" | "tooltip";
+  grouped?: boolean;
+}
+
+export const ShowOverlay: React.FC<ShowOverlayProps> = ({
+  descriptionMode = "tooltip",
+  grouped = false,
+}) => {
+  const { getSetting, updateSetting, isUpdating } = useSettings();
+
+  const showOverlayEnabled = getSetting("show_overlay") ?? true;
+
+  return (
+    <ToggleSwitch
+      checked={showOverlayEnabled}
+      onChange={(enabled) => updateSetting("show_overlay", enabled)}
+      isUpdating={isUpdating("show_overlay")}
+      label="Show Overlay"
+      description="Display visual feedback overlay during recording and transcription"
+      descriptionMode={descriptionMode}
+      grouped={grouped}
+    />
+  );
+};

src/components/settings/index.ts

@@ -4,5 +4,6 @@ export { OutputDeviceSelector } from "./OutputDeviceSelector";
 export { AlwaysOnMicrophone } from "./AlwaysOnMicrophone";
 export { PushToTalk } from "./PushToTalk";
 export { AudioFeedback } from "./AudioFeedback";
+export { ShowOverlay } from "./ShowOverlay";
 export { HandyShortcut } from "./HandyShortcut";
 export { TranslateToEnglish } from "./TranslateToEnglish";

src/hooks/useSettings.ts

@@ -199,6 +199,9 @@ export const useSettings = (): UseSettingsReturn => {
               language: value,
             });
             break;
+          case "show_overlay":
+            await invoke("change_show_overlay_setting", { enabled: value });
+            break;
           case "bindings":
             // Handle bindings separately - they use their own invoke methods
             break;
@@ -243,6 +246,7 @@ export const useSettings = (): UseSettingsReturn => {
         selected_output_device: "Default",
         translate_to_english: false,
         selected_language: "auto",
+        show_overlay: true,
       };
 
       const defaultValue = defaults[key];

src/lib/types.ts

@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ export const SettingsSchema = z.object({
   selected_output_device: z.string().nullable().optional(),
   translate_to_english: z.boolean(),
   selected_language: z.string(),
+  show_overlay: z.boolean(),
 });
 
 export const BindingResponseSchema = z.object({

src/overlay/RecordingOverlay.css

@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+.recording-overlay {
+    height: 40px;
+    /*width: min-content;*/
+    width: 120px;
+    display: flex;
+    gap: 12px;
+    align-items: center;
+    padding-left: 6px;
+    padding-right: 24px;
+    background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6);
+    border-radius: 24px;
+    opacity: 0;
+    transition: opacity 300ms ease-out;
+}
+
+.bars-container {
+    display: flex;
+    align-items: end;
+    justify-content: center;
+    gap: 3px;
+    padding-bottom: 0px;
+    height: 28px;
+}
+
+.bar {
+    width: 6px;
+    background: linear-gradient(to top, #faa2ca, #f28cbb);
+    max-height: 28px;
+    border-radius: 4px;
+    transition: height 80ms linear;
+    min-height: 4px;
+}
+
+.recording-overlay.fade-in {
+    opacity: 1;
+}
+
+.transcribing-text {
+    color: #faa2ca;
+    font-size: 12px;
+    font-weight: 600;
+    font-family:
+        -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, sans-serif;
+    animation: transcribing-pulse 1.5s infinite ease-in-out;
+}
+
+@keyframes transcribing-pulse {
+    0%,
+    100% {
+        opacity: 0.6;
+    }
+    50% {
+        opacity: 1;
+    }
+}

src/overlay/RecordingOverlay.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,94 @@
+import React, { useEffect, useState, useRef } from "react";
+import "./RecordingOverlay.css";
+import { listen } from "@tauri-apps/api/event";
+
+type OverlayState = "recording" | "transcribing";
+
+const RecordingOverlay: React.FC = () => {
+  const [isVisible, setIsVisible] = useState(false);
+  const [state, setState] = useState<OverlayState>("recording");
+  const [levels, setLevels] = useState<number[]>(Array(16).fill(0));
+  const smoothedLevelsRef = useRef<number[]>(Array(16).fill(0));
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const setupEventListeners = async () => {
+      // Listen for show-overlay event from Rust
+      const unlistenShow = await listen("show-overlay", (event) => {
+        const overlayState = event.payload as OverlayState;
+        setState(overlayState);
+        setIsVisible(true);
+      });
+
+      // Listen for hide-overlay event from Rust
+      const unlistenHide = await listen("hide-overlay", () => {
+        setIsVisible(false);
+      });
+
+      // Listen for mic-level updates
+      const unlistenLevel = await listen<number[]>("mic-level", (event) => {
+        const newLevels = event.payload as number[];
+
+        // Apply smoothing to reduce jitter
+        const smoothed = smoothedLevelsRef.current.map((prev, i) => {
+          const target = newLevels[i] || 0;
+          return prev * 0.7 + target * 0.3; // Smooth transition
+        });
+
+        smoothedLevelsRef.current = smoothed;
+        console.log(smoothed.length);
+        setLevels(smoothed.slice(0, 10));
+      });
+
+      // Cleanup function
+      return () => {
+        unlistenShow();
+        unlistenHide();
+        unlistenLevel();
+      };
+    };
+
+    setupEventListeners();
+  }, []);
+
+  const getIconPath = () => {
+    return state === "recording"
+      ? "/icon/recording.png"
+      : "/icon/transcribing.png";
+  };
+
+  const getIconAlt = () => {
+    return state === "recording" ? "Recording Icon" : "Transcribing Icon";
+  };
+
+  return (
+    <div className={`recording-overlay ${isVisible ? "fade-in" : ""}`}>
+      <img
+        width="28"
+        height="28"
+        src={getIconPath()}
+        alt={getIconAlt()}
+        style={{}}
+      />
+      {state === "recording" && (
+        <div className="bars-container">
+          {levels.map((v, i) => (
+            <div
+              key={i}
+              className="bar"
+              style={{
+                height: `${4 + Math.pow(v, 0.7) * 32}px`, // Slight curve for better visual
+                transition: "height 60ms ease-out",
+                opacity: Math.max(0.4, v * 1.7), // Minimum opacity for visibility
+              }}
+            />
+          ))}
+        </div>
+      )}
+      {state === "transcribing" && (
+        <div className="transcribing-text">Transcribing...</div>
+      )}
+    </div>
+  );
+};
+
+export default RecordingOverlay;

src/overlay/index.html

@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+<!doctype html>
+<html lang="en">
+    <head>
+        <meta charset="utf-8" />
+        <title>Recording Overlay</title>
+        <style>
+            html,
+            body {
+                margin: 0;
+                padding: 0;
+                background: transparent;
+            }
+        </style>
+    </head>
+    <body>
+        <div id="root"></div>
+        <script type="module" src="/src/overlay/main.tsx"></script>
+    </body>
+</html>

src/overlay/main.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+import React from "react";
+import ReactDOM from "react-dom/client";
+import RecordingOverlay from "./RecordingOverlay";
+
+ReactDOM.createRoot(document.getElementById("root") as HTMLElement).render(
+  <React.StrictMode>
+    <RecordingOverlay />
+  </React.StrictMode>,
+);

vite.config.ts

@@ -1,14 +1,24 @@
 import { defineConfig } from "vite";
 import react from "@vitejs/plugin-react";
 import tailwindcss from "@tailwindcss/vite";
+import { resolve } from "path";
 
-// @ts-expect-error process is a nodejs global
 const host = process.env.TAURI_DEV_HOST;
 
 // https://vitejs.dev/config/
 export default defineConfig(async () => ({
   plugins: [react(), tailwindcss()],
 
+  // Multiple entry points for main app and overlay
+  build: {
+    rollupOptions: {
+      input: {
+        main: resolve(__dirname, "index.html"),
+        overlay: resolve(__dirname, "src/overlay/index.html"),
+      },
+    },
+  },
+
   // Vite options tailored for Tauri development and only applied in `tauri dev` or `tauri build`
   //
   // 1. prevent vite from obscuring rust errors