Set up Blip AI on Linux

What you need: a 64-bit (x86_64) Linux desktop. Blip AI ships as an AppImage and works on Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora and Arch, on both Wayland and X11.

1. Download and run the AppImage

Run these four commands in a terminal. They put Blip AI in ~/.local/bin, make it executable and start it:

mkdir -p ~/.local/bin
curl -L -o ~/.local/bin/BlipAI.AppImage "https://www.blipai.app/download/linux"
chmod +x ~/.local/bin/BlipAI.AppImage
~/.local/bin/BlipAI.AppImage

The link always points to the latest release. You can also download the AppImage from the download page, then run chmod +x on the file and start it from the folder you saved it in.

2. Check whether you're on Wayland or X11

echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE

• If it prints x11, you're done with setup. Skip to step 4.
• If it prints wayland, do step 3 so Blip can type into other windows. It takes about two minutes.

3. Wayland setup

Install the tools

sudo apt update
sudo apt install wtype wl-clipboard ydotool

sudo dnf install wtype wl-clipboard ydotool

sudo pacman -Syu wtype wl-clipboard ydotool

Join the input group

This gives Blip true push-to-talk and lets ydotool type for you.

sudo groupadd -f input
sudo usermod -aG input $USER

Then fully log out and log back in, or reboot. The group change doesn't apply to the session you're in. To check it worked after logging back in:

groups | grep input

Start the ydotool daemon (GNOME and KDE)

systemctl --user enable --now ydotool
systemctl --user status ydotool

On wlroots compositors such as Hyprland and Sway, wtype works without ydotool, so you can skip this part.

Add ~/.local/bin to your PATH

echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc   # or ~/.zshrc

If you ever move the AppImage somewhere else, run this step again with the new location.

4. Sign in and dictate

1. Sign in with your Blip account, or create one. The free plan includes 2,000 words a month, and you don't need a card.
2. Click into any text box: a browser, your editor, a terminal or a chat app.
3. Hold Ctrl + Super, say a sentence, and let go. The cleaned-up text appears where your cursor is.

Add Space to the hotkey for hands-free dictation. You can change the hotkey in Blip's settings.

FAQ

The AppImage says it needs FUSE. How do I fix it? On Ubuntu and Debian, install it with sudo apt install libfuse2. Or start the AppImage with --appimage-extract-and-run, which doesn't need FUSE.

ydotoold says it can't open /dev/uinput. What's wrong? You haven't logged out and back in since joining the input group. Log out fully (or reboot), then run groups | grep input to confirm.

Do I need the Wayland steps on X11? No. On an X11 session Blip AI works after step 1. The extra tools are only needed on Wayland.

Does Blip AI work on Hyprland and Sway? Yes. Install the tools and join the input group; wtype handles typing on wlroots compositors, so the ydotool daemon is optional there.

Does Blip AI type into the terminal on Linux? Yes. Blip types into any focused text field, including terminals and SSH sessions in your local terminal window.