[Bug] Local Whisper fails to download/load models if Windows Username contains spaces (e.g., "HAL 9000") #24

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opened 2026-05-18 18:38:07 +00:00 by Razimar · 0 comments

Razimar commented

2026-05-18 18:38:07 +00:00

(Migrated from codeberg.org)

When trying to use local Whisper transcription,
it immediately fails with 'local whisper rejected the request. The selected model may be unavailable'.
The logs show it cannot find the path.

The issue is that the application does not wrap the Windows folder paths in quotes (" "),
breaking execution when the username contains spaces (e.g., C:\Users\HAL 9000...).
Manually placing the model in the folder
doesn't fix it as the backend engine crashes trying to read the unquoted path.

When trying to use local Whisper transcription, it immediately fails with 'local whisper rejected the request. The selected model may be unavailable'. The logs show it cannot find the path. The issue is that the application does not wrap the Windows folder paths in quotes (" "), breaking execution when the username contains spaces (e.g., C:\Users\HAL 9000\...). Manually placing the model in the folder doesn't fix it as the backend engine crashes trying to read the unquoted path.