Prepis - Video Transcription CLI

Sometimes you just need to have a transcription of video and audio files, very very fast. Well, now you don't need to leave the command line for this.

Features

• 🎥 Multiple Format Support - MP4, MOV, AVI, FLV, MP3, WAV, FLAC, M4A, WebM, MKV
• ☁️ AWS Integration - Uses Amazon Transcribe for high-quality transcription
• 📊 Progress Tracking - Real-time status updates with visual indicators
• 🛡️ Error Handling - Comprehensive error messages with helpful guidance
• 🧹 Auto Cleanup - Automatically removes temporary S3 files
• 😎 Emojis - I like to have my CLI output feature a lot of emojis, you've been warned

Prerequisites

• Rust (latest stable version)
• AWS Account with appropriate permissions
• AWS CLI configured or environment variables set
• S3 Bucket for temporary file storage

Required AWS Permissions

Your AWS credentials need the following permissions:

• s3:PutObject - Upload files to S3
• s3:DeleteObject - Clean up temporary files
• s3:ListBuckets - Validate credentials
• transcribe:StartTranscriptionJob - Start transcription jobs
• transcribe:GetTranscriptionJob - Check job status

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

git clone <repository-url>
cd prepis

2. Build the project:

cargo build --release

3. (Optional) Install globally:

cargo install --path .

Usage

Basic Usage

cargo run -- <VIDEO_FILE> <S3_BUCKET>

Examples

# Transcribe a local MP4 file
cargo run -- my-video.mp4 my-transcription-bucket

# Transcribe an audio file
cargo run -- podcast.mp3 my-transcription-bucket

# Using the installed binary
prepis presentation.mov company-transcripts

Help

cargo run -- --help

Configuration

AWS Credentials

The application uses the standard AWS credential chain:

1. Environment Variables:

   export AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=your-access-key
   export AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=your-secret-key
   export AWS_DEFAULT_REGION=us-east-1
   

2. AWS CLI Configuration:

   aws configure
   

3. IAM Roles (when running on EC2)

4. AWS Profiles:

   export AWS_PROFILE=your-profile
   

S3 Bucket Setup

Create an S3 bucket for temporary file storage, or you can use your existing one - just be mindful of the implications:

aws s3 mb s3://your-transcription-bucket

Note: Files are automatically deleted after transcription completes.

How It Works

1. Validation - Checks file format, size (max 2GB), and existence
2. Upload - Securely uploads file to your S3 bucket with unique naming
3. Transcription - Starts Amazon Transcribe job with English language detection
4. Polling - Monitors job status with exponential backoff (5s → 30s intervals)
5. Retrieval - Downloads and parses transcription results
6. Display - Shows formatted transcription text
7. Cleanup - Removes temporary S3 files

Project Structure

The codebase is organized into the following modules:

src/
├── main.rs              # Entry point, CLI handling and workflow orchestration
├── progress.rs          # Handles displaying the upload progress bar
├── error.rs             # Error types and user-friendly error display
├── models.rs            # Data structures and enums
├── utils.rs             # Utility functions for generating keys and job names
├── aws/
│   ├── mod.rs           # AWS module exports
│   ├── client.rs        # AWS client initialization and configuration
│   ├── s3.rs            # S3 operations for file upload and cleanup
│   └── transcribe.rs    # Transcribe job management and result processing
└── file/
    ├── mod.rs           # File module exports
    └── validation.rs    # File validation and transcription saving

Supported File Formats

Error Handling

The application provides helpful error messages for common issues:

• File not found: Checks file path and permissions
• Unsupported format: Lists supported file formats
• AWS credential issues: Guides through credential setup
• S3 access problems: Verifies bucket permissions
• Transcription failures: Shows detailed error reasons

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. "AWS credentials not found"

   • Configure AWS CLI: aws configure
   • Set environment variables
   • Check IAM permissions

2. "S3 bucket access denied"

   • Verify bucket exists: aws s3 ls s3://your-bucket
   • Check bucket permissions
   • Ensure correct region

3. "File format not supported"

   • Check supported formats list
   • Verify file extension
   • Try converting file format

4. "Transcription job failed"

   • Check file isn't corrupted
   • Verify audio quality
   • Ensure file size < 2GB

Getting Help

• Check AWS CloudTrail for detailed error logs
• Verify IAM permissions in AWS Console
• Test AWS credentials: aws sts get-caller-identity

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Add tests if applicable
5. Submit a pull request

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

• Built with the AWS SDK for Rust
• Uses Amazon Transcribe for speech-to-text conversion
• Inspired by the need for simple, reliable transcription tools