assistant: a mic button asks by voice

Each recording is a pw-record Process of its own, made from a Component
like the Do row's runs, so a stopped recording's late exit cannot be
read as the next one's. Stopping sets running to false (SIGTERM), which
lets pw-record write the WAV header; the audio ask goes out from the
process's exit, not from the click.

Recording stops itself at 59 s: the daemon refuses over 60 s by file
size, and the stop lands a little after the tick. Escape cancels a
recording before it does anything else, and closing the card or losing
the daemon cancels it too. A pw-record that ends on its own says
"recording failed".

Checked: a scratch harness saw transcribing, thinking, idle for a 2 s
recording; by hand, every case in the spec passed with no pw-record
left behind, a desktop shell reload mid-recording included.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

3 files changed, 93 insertions, 6 deletions

diff --git a/desktop/assistant/Assistant.qml b/desktop/assistant/Assistant.qml
index 340c0cf..865f157 100644
--- a/desktop/assistant/Assistant.qml
+++ b/desktop/assistant/Assistant.qml
@@ -79,6 +79,7 @@ Scope {
     onConnectedChanged: if (!root.connected) {
         root.state = "idle";
         root.runningTool = "";
+        root.endRecording(false);
         if (root.opRunning && root.opDaemon) { root.opRunning = false; root.opError = "assistant gone"; }
     }
 
@@ -107,10 +108,14 @@ Scope {
         root.open = true;
     }
 
-    function close() { root.open = false; root.historyOpen = false; root.pickerOpen = false; }
-    // Escape: the picker, then the history panel, then the card.
+    function close() {
+        root.endRecording(false);
+        root.open = false; root.historyOpen = false; root.pickerOpen = false;
+    }
+    // Escape: a recording, the picker, then the history panel, then the card.
     function back() {
-        if (root.pickerOpen) root.pickerOpen = false;
+        if (root.recording) root.endRecording(false);
+        else if (root.pickerOpen) root.pickerOpen = false;
         else if (root.historyOpen) root.historyOpen = false;
         else root.close();
     }
@@ -200,6 +205,61 @@ Scope {
         }
     }
 
+    // The mic: pw-record into one file, overwritten by each recording and
+    // never deleted (the runtime dir goes at logout). The daemon has the
+    // model transcribe it. Spec: docs/superpowers/specs/2026-10-19-assistant-mic-design.md.
+    readonly property string micPath: `${Quickshell.env("XDG_RUNTIME_DIR") || "/tmp"}/assistant-mic.wav`
+    property var mic: null                // the recording's Process, null when not recording
+    property int micSecs: 0
+    readonly property bool recording: root.mic !== null
+
+    function record() {
+        if (root.recording || !root.connected || root.busy || root.opRunning || root.blocked) return;
+        root.notice = "";
+        root.micSecs = 0;
+        root.mic = micRun.createObject(root);
+    }
+
+    // SIGTERM: pw-record finishes the header, then exited sends the ask.
+    // ponytail: a recording started before the last one's exit shares the
+    // file; pw-record exits within milliseconds of the signal.
+    function endRecording(send) {
+        if (!root.mic) return;
+        root.mic.send = send;
+        root.mic.running = false;
+        root.mic = null;
+    }
+
+    // 59, not 60: the daemon refuses over 60 s by file size, and the stop
+    // lands a little after the tick.
+    Timer {
+        running: root.recording
+        interval: 1000
+        repeat: true
+        onTriggered: if (++root.micSecs >= 59) root.endRecording(true);
+    }
+
+    Component {
+        id: micRun
+        Process {
+            id: rec
+            property bool send: false
+            running: true
+            command: ["pw-record", "--rate", "16000", "--channels", "1", "--format", "s16", root.micPath]
+            onExited: {
+                if (root.mic === rec) {           // ended on its own: no mic, PipeWire down
+                    root.mic = null;
+                    root.notice = "recording failed";
+                } else if (rec.send && root.connected) {
+                    root.chatting = true;
+                    root.send({ type: "ask", text: "", audio: root.micPath,
+                                files: root.staged.map(f => f.path) });
+                }
+                rec.destroy();
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
     Process {
         running: true
         command: ["xdg-user-dir", "DOCUMENTS"]
diff --git a/desktop/assistant/Card.qml b/desktop/assistant/Card.qml
index 4c76e64..d8826fa 100644
--- a/desktop/assistant/Card.qml
+++ b/desktop/assistant/Card.qml
@@ -431,10 +431,30 @@ Rectangle {
             }
         }
 
+        // nf-fa-microphone, checked in Inconsolata Nerd Font. Every state,
+        // entry included: SUPER+Home opens the card and the mic is one click away.
+        Button {
+            id: mic
+            anchors { bottom: parent.bottom; left: attach.right; leftMargin: attach.visible ? 8 : 0 }
+            height: box.height
+            icon: ""
+            text: card.canvas.recording
+                ? `${Math.floor(card.canvas.micSecs / 60)}:${String(card.canvas.micSecs % 60).padStart(2, "0")}`
+                : ""
+            danger: card.canvas.recording
+            enabled: card.canvas.connected && (card.canvas.recording
+                || (!card.canvas.busy && !card.canvas.opRunning && !card.canvas.blocked))
+            onClicked: {
+                if (card.canvas.recording) card.canvas.endRecording(true);
+                else card.canvas.record();
+                input.forceActiveFocus();
+            }
+        }
+
         Rectangle {
             id: box
             anchors {
-                bottom: parent.bottom; left: attach.right; leftMargin: attach.visible ? 8 : 0
+                bottom: parent.bottom; left: mic.right; leftMargin: 8
                 right: history.left; rightMargin: 8
             }
             // Grows with the text up to six lines, then scrolls.
@@ -483,6 +503,8 @@ Rectangle {
                 visible: input.text === ""
                 elide: Text.ElideRight
                 text: !card.canvas.connected ? "assistant not running"
+                    : card.canvas.recording ? "Listening… click the mic to send"
+                    : card.canvas.state === "transcribing" ? "Transcribing…"
                     : card.mode === "entry" ? "How can I help you?"
                     : card.canvas.staged.length ? `Ask about ${card.canvas.staged[0].name}…`
                     : "Message the assistant"
diff --git a/desktop/assistant/README.md b/desktop/assistant/README.md
index 41c01b3..bd61cb4 100644
--- a/desktop/assistant/README.md
+++ b/desktop/assistant/README.md
@@ -32,8 +32,13 @@ dropped on the island (`../island/`) starts a new one in the file state.
 The paperclip opens a picker drawn in the card: a system dialog would open
 beneath the overlay that holds the keyboard.
 
-Keys: Enter sends, Shift+Enter is a newline, Escape closes the picker, then
-the history panel, then the card. Stop replaces Send while a reply streams.
+The mic records with `pw-record` into `$XDG_RUNTIME_DIR/assistant-mic.wav`
+until clicked again (at most 59 s), then asks with it: the daemon has the
+model transcribe it and answers the words.
+
+Keys: Enter sends, Shift+Enter is a newline, Escape cancels a recording,
+then closes the picker, the history panel, then the card. Stop replaces
+Send while a reply streams.
 
 Notes: