Use local faster-whisper only for transcription.

Drop cloud and Ollama engine choices so audio stays on-machine via Docker Whisper, and tighten orphan detection plus UI around a single local flow.

.env.example

@@ -64,13 +64,10 @@ AWS_USE_PATH_STYLE_ENDPOINT=false
 
 VITE_APP_NAME="${APP_NAME}"
 
-# AndyTranscribe / Laravel AI
+# AndyTranscribe / local faster-whisper
-OPENAI_API_KEY=
-OPENAI_URL=https://api.openai.com/v1
 LOCAL_WHISPER_URL=http://127.0.0.1:8090/v1
 LOCAL_WHISPER_API_KEY=not-needed
 LOCAL_WHISPER_MODEL=Systran/faster-whisper-base
-REMOTE_WHISPER_MODEL=Systran/faster-whisper-base
 TRANSCRIPTION_TIMEOUT=600
 # Must be greater than TRANSCRIPTION_TIMEOUT so long Whisper jobs are not re-queued mid-run
 DB_QUEUE_RETRY_AFTER=660

README.md

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # AndyTranscribe
 
-Upload pocket-recorder audio (MP3, WAV, OGG, and more), extract embedded metadata, and transcribe with OpenAI Whisper, a local faster-whisper server, or a remote OpenAI-compatible endpoint.
+Upload pocket-recorder audio (MP3, WAV, OGG, and more), extract embedded metadata, and transcribe locally with [faster-whisper-server](https://github.com/fedirz/faster-whisper-server) via Docker. Audio never leaves your machine.
 
 Built with Laravel 13, Blade, Tailwind CSS 4, and [Laravel AI](https://github.com/laravel/ai).
 
@@ -9,11 +9,9 @@ Built with Laravel 13, Blade, Tailwind CSS 4, and [Laravel AI](https://github.co
 - Upload common audio formats (MP3, WAV, OGG, FLAC, M4A, AAC, WebM, WMA, AIFF — up to 100 MB)
 - Automatic metadata extraction when tags are present (title, artist, album, duration, recorded date)
 - Search recordings by title, artist, or transcript
-- Queued transcription with three engines:
+- Queued local transcription (faster-whisper in Docker)
-  - **Cloud** — OpenAI Whisper (`whisper-1`)
-  - **Local** — confidential; OpenAI-compatible [faster-whisper-server](https://github.com/fedirz/faster-whisper-server) via Docker
-  - **Ollama host** — user-supplied host URL exposing `/v1/audio/transcriptions`
 - Live transcription progress (stage, %, elapsed time)
+- Stop or restart a run anytime
 - Copy finished transcripts from the recording detail page
 
 ## Requirements
@@ -22,9 +20,7 @@ Built with Laravel 13, Blade, Tailwind CSS 4, and [Laravel AI](https://github.co
 - Composer
 - Node.js & npm
 - SQLite (default) or another supported database
-- For **cloud** transcription: an OpenAI API key
+- [Docker](https://docs.docker.com/get-docker/) for the Whisper container
-- For **local** transcription: [Docker](https://docs.docker.com/get-docker/) (runs Whisper in a container)
-- For **remote** transcription: a host with an OpenAI-compatible transcription API
 
 ## Setup
 
@@ -48,7 +44,7 @@ npm run build
 
 ## Local Whisper (Docker)
 
-The **Local** engine does not run Whisper inside PHP. It calls an OpenAI-compatible HTTP API. This project ships Compose for that:
+Transcription calls an OpenAI-compatible HTTP API. This project ships Compose for that:
 
 ```bash
 # CPU (works everywhere; slower on long files)
@@ -74,20 +70,15 @@ Stop:
 docker compose down
 ```
 
-Without this container, **Cloud** and **Ollama host** still work; only **Local** needs Docker.
-
 ## Configuration
 
 Copy values from `.env.example`. The transcription-related settings are:
 
 | Variable | Purpose |
 | --- | --- |
-| `OPENAI_API_KEY` | Required for cloud Whisper |
-| `OPENAI_URL` | OpenAI API base URL (default `https://api.openai.com/v1`) |
 | `LOCAL_WHISPER_URL` | Local faster-whisper base URL (default `http://127.0.0.1:8090/v1`) |
 | `LOCAL_WHISPER_API_KEY` | API key for local server (often unused) |
 | `LOCAL_WHISPER_MODEL` | Model name for local transcription |
-| `REMOTE_WHISPER_MODEL` | Model name for Ollama-host transcription |
 | `WHISPER_HOST_PORT` | Host port published by Compose (default `8090`) |
 | `TRANSCRIPTION_TIMEOUT` | Job/HTTP timeout in seconds (default `600`) |
 | `DB_QUEUE_RETRY_AFTER` | Database queue retry window; must exceed `TRANSCRIPTION_TIMEOUT` (default `660`) |
@@ -99,21 +90,17 @@ Ensure `APP_URL` matches how you access the app (default `http://localhost:8000`
 
 ## Running locally
 
-Start the app, queue worker, and Vite together:
+Start Whisper, then the app stack:
-
-```bash
-composer run dev
-```
-
-For confidential local transcription, also start Whisper:
 
 ```bash
 docker compose up -d whisper
+composer run dev
 ```
 
 Or separately:
 
 ```bash
+docker compose up -d whisper
 php artisan serve
 php artisan queue:work
 npm run dev
@@ -126,18 +113,10 @@ Transcription jobs are queued — keep a queue worker running or jobs will stay
 ## Usage
 
 1. **Upload** audio from Recordings → Upload (optional title override).
-2. Open the recording and choose a transcription engine.
+2. Open the recording and start transcription.
-3. Watch live progress on the recording page until the transcript appears.
+3. Watch live progress until the transcript appears (or stop and restart).
 4. Search the list by title, artist, or transcript text.
 
-## Transcription engines
-
-| Driver | When to use | Needs |
-| --- | --- | --- |
-| `cloud` | Fastest path; audio leaves your machine | `OPENAI_API_KEY` |
-| `local` | Confidential; audio stays on this machine | `docker compose up -d whisper` |
-| `ollama` | Another machine on your network | Host URL + OpenAI-compatible `/v1/audio/transcriptions` |
-
 ## Tests
 
 ```bash

app/Http/Controllers/TranscribeController.php

@@ -10,9 +10,9 @@ use Illuminate\Http\RedirectResponse;
 class TranscribeController extends Controller
 {
     /**
-     * Queue transcription for the recording with the chosen engine.
+     * Queue local faster-whisper transcription for the recording.
      *
-     * Always allowed: stops any current run first, then starts the new engine.
+     * Always allowed: stops any current run first, then starts a new one.
      */
     public function __invoke(TranscribeRecordingRequest $request, Recording $recording): RedirectResponse
     {
@@ -21,11 +21,9 @@ class TranscribeController extends Controller
             $recording->refresh();
         }
 
-        $driver = $request->validated('driver');
-
         $recording->update([
-            'transcription_driver' => $driver,
+            'transcription_driver' => 'local',
-            'ollama_url' => $driver === 'ollama' ? rtrim($request->validated('ollama_url'), '/') : null,
+            'ollama_url' => null,
             'transcription_status' => 'pending',
             'transcription_progress' => 'Queued — waiting to start…',
             'transcription_percent' => 5,

app/Http/Requests/TranscribeRecordingRequest.php

@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@
 namespace App\Http\Requests;
 
 use Illuminate\Foundation\Http\FormRequest;
-use Illuminate\Validation\Rule;
 
 class TranscribeRecordingRequest extends FormRequest
 {
@@ -17,27 +16,6 @@ class TranscribeRecordingRequest extends FormRequest
      */
     public function rules(): array
     {
-        return [
+        return [];
-            'driver' => ['required', Rule::in(['cloud', 'local', 'ollama'])],
-            'ollama_url' => [
-                Rule::requiredIf(fn () => $this->input('driver') === 'ollama'),
-                'nullable',
-                'url',
-                'regex:/^https?:\/\//i',
-            ],
-        ];
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * @return array<string, string>
-     */
-    public function messages(): array
-    {
-        return [
-            'driver.required' => 'Choose a transcription engine.',
-            'ollama_url.required' => 'Enter the URL of the Ollama host (OpenAI-compatible Whisper endpoint).',
-            'ollama_url.url' => 'Enter a valid URL, e.g. http://192.168.1.50:8000',
-            'ollama_url.regex' => 'The host URL must start with http:// or https://',
-        ];
     }
 }

app/Models/Recording.php

@@ -78,10 +78,8 @@ class Recording extends Model
     {
         return Attribute::get(function (): ?string {
             return match ($this->transcription_driver) {
-                'cloud' => 'Cloud (OpenAI Whisper)',
                 'local' => 'Local (faster-whisper)',
-                'ollama' => 'Ollama host',
+                default => $this->transcription_driver ?: 'Local (faster-whisper)',
-                default => $this->transcription_driver,
             };
         });
     }
@@ -160,7 +158,7 @@ class Recording extends Model
                 try {
                     $job = unserialize($command);
                 } catch (Throwable) {
-                    return (bool) preg_match('/id";i:'.$this->id.';/', $payload);
+                    return $this->payloadMentionsRecording($payload);
                 }
 
                 return $job instanceof TranscribeRecording
@@ -168,6 +166,15 @@ class Recording extends Model
             });
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Fallback payload match when unserialize is unavailable.
+     */
+    private function payloadMentionsRecording(string $payload): bool
+    {
+        return (bool) preg_match('/id";i:'.$this->id.';/', $payload)
+            || str_contains($payload, 'id";s:'.strlen((string) $this->id).':"'.$this->id.'"');
+    }
+
     /**
      * Processing/pending with no worker job left (crashed worker, bad retry_after, etc.).
      */
@@ -183,12 +190,27 @@ class Recording extends Model
 
         $reference = $this->transcription_started_at ?? $this->updated_at;
 
-        // Allow a short window after dispatch before the row appears / worker claims it.
+        if ($reference === null) {
-        if ($reference !== null && $reference->gt(now()->subSeconds(15))) {
+            return true;
+        }
+
+        // Only treat as orphaned after the job could not possibly still be running.
+        // (A short grace caused false failures while Whisper was still working.)
+        $orphanAfterSeconds = max(120, (int) config('ai.transcription_timeout', 600) + 60);
+
+        return $reference->lte(now()->subSeconds($orphanAfterSeconds));
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Whether a payload/job belongs to this recording's transcription run start time.
+     */
+    public function matchesTranscriptionRun(?string $runStartedAt): bool
+    {
+        if ($runStartedAt === null || $this->transcription_started_at === null) {
             return false;
         }
 
-        return true;
+        return $this->transcription_started_at->getTimestamp() === Carbon::parse($runStartedAt)->getTimestamp();
     }
 
     /**
@@ -202,11 +224,7 @@ class Recording extends Model
             return false;
         }
 
-        if ($runStartedAt === null || $this->transcription_started_at === null) {
+        return $this->matchesTranscriptionRun($runStartedAt);
-            return false;
-        }
-
-        return $this->transcription_started_at->getTimestamp() === Carbon::parse($runStartedAt)->getTimestamp();
     }
 
     /**
@@ -360,7 +378,7 @@ class Recording extends Model
     public function transcriptionStatusPayload(): array
     {
         $startedAt = $this->transcription_started_at;
-        $elapsed = $startedAt ? $startedAt->diffInSeconds(now()) : null;
+        $elapsed = $startedAt ? (int) round($startedAt->diffInSeconds(now())) : null;
 
         return [
             'id' => $this->id,

app/Services/TranscriptionService.php

@@ -4,52 +4,18 @@ namespace App\Services;
 
 use App\Models\Recording;
 use Closure;
-use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Http;
-use Illuminate\Support\Str;
 use Laravel\Ai\Transcription;
-use RuntimeException;
 
 class TranscriptionService
 {
     /**
-     * Run transcription for a recording using the selected driver.
+     * Transcribe a recording with the local faster-whisper server.
      *
      * @param  (Closure(string, int): void)|null  $onProgress
      */
     public function transcribe(Recording $recording, ?Closure $onProgress = null): string
     {
         $report = $onProgress ?? static fn (string $message, int $percent) => null;
-
-        return match ($recording->transcription_driver) {
-            'cloud' => $this->viaCloud($recording, $report),
-            'local' => $this->viaLocal($recording, $report),
-            'ollama' => $this->viaRemoteCompatible($recording, $report),
-            default => throw new RuntimeException('Unknown transcription driver: '.$recording->transcription_driver),
-        };
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * @param  Closure(string, int): void  $report
-     */
-    private function viaCloud(Recording $recording, Closure $report): string
-    {
-        $report('Sending audio to OpenAI Whisper…', 35);
-        $report('Waiting for cloud transcript (this can take a while for long recordings)…', 55);
-
-        $transcript = Transcription::fromStorage($recording->file_path)
-            ->timeout((int) config('ai.transcription_timeout', 600))
-            ->generate('openai', 'whisper-1');
-
-        $report('Received transcript from OpenAI…', 85);
-
-        return (string) $transcript;
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * @param  Closure(string, int): void  $report
-     */
-    private function viaLocal(Recording $recording, Closure $report): string
-    {
         $model = config('ai.local_whisper_model', 'Systran/faster-whisper-base');
 
         $report('Connecting to local faster-whisper server…', 30);
@@ -63,68 +29,4 @@ class TranscriptionService
 
         return (string) $transcript;
     }
-
-    /**
-     * Call an OpenAI-compatible /v1/audio/transcriptions endpoint at a user-supplied host URL.
-     *
-     * @param  Closure(string, int): void  $report
-     */
-    private function viaRemoteCompatible(Recording $recording, Closure $report): string
-    {
-        if (! filled($recording->ollama_url)) {
-            throw new RuntimeException('Ollama host URL is required for remote transcription.');
-        }
-
-        $base = $this->normalizeBaseUrl($recording->ollama_url);
-        $model = config('ai.remote_whisper_model', config('ai.local_whisper_model', 'Systran/faster-whisper-base'));
-        $path = $recording->absolutePath();
-
-        if (! is_readable($path)) {
-            throw new RuntimeException('Recording audio file is not readable.');
-        }
-
-        $report('Connecting to remote host '.$recording->ollama_url.'…', 30);
-        $report("Uploading audio and waiting for transcript ({$model})…", 50);
-
-        $response = Http::timeout((int) config('ai.transcription_timeout', 600))
-            ->attach(
-                'file',
-                fopen($path, 'r'),
-                $recording->original_filename ?: basename($path),
-            )
-            ->post($base.'/audio/transcriptions', [
-                'model' => $model,
-                'response_format' => 'json',
-            ]);
-
-        if (! $response->successful()) {
-            throw new RuntimeException(
-                'Remote transcription failed (HTTP '.$response->status().'): '.$response->body()
-            );
-        }
-
-        $text = $response->json('text');
-
-        if (! is_string($text) || $text === '') {
-            throw new RuntimeException('Remote transcription returned an empty transcript. Ensure the host exposes OpenAI-compatible /v1/audio/transcriptions.');
-        }
-
-        $report('Received transcript from remote host…', 85);
-
-        return $text;
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * Normalize a user URL to an OpenAI-style base ending in /v1.
-     */
-    private function normalizeBaseUrl(string $url): string
-    {
-        $url = rtrim(trim($url), '/');
-
-        if (Str::endsWith($url, '/v1')) {
-            return $url;
-        }
-
-        return $url.'/v1';
-    }
 }

config/ai.php

@@ -28,7 +28,6 @@ return [
 
     'transcription_timeout' => (int) env('TRANSCRIPTION_TIMEOUT', 600),
     'local_whisper_model' => env('LOCAL_WHISPER_MODEL', 'Systran/faster-whisper-base'),
-    'remote_whisper_model' => env('REMOTE_WHISPER_MODEL', env('LOCAL_WHISPER_MODEL', 'Systran/faster-whisper-base')),
 
     /*
     |--------------------------------------------------------------------------

resources/views/recordings/index.blade.php

@@ -37,7 +37,6 @@
                         <th class="px-4 py-3">Title</th>
                         <th class="px-4 py-3">Duration</th>
                         <th class="px-4 py-3">Status</th>
-                        <th class="px-4 py-3">Engine</th>
                         <th class="px-4 py-3">Uploaded</th>
                     </tr>
                 </thead>
@@ -66,13 +65,6 @@
                                     </div>
                                 @endif
                             </td>
-                            <td class="px-4 py-3 text-stone-600">
-                                @if ($recording->transcription_driver)
-                                    <span class="uppercase tracking-wide text-xs">{{ $recording->transcription_driver }}</span>
-                                @else
-                                    —
-                                @endif
-                            </td>
                             <td class="px-4 py-3 text-stone-600">{{ $recording->created_at?->format('Y-m-d H:i') }}</td>
                         </tr>
                     @endforeach

resources/views/recordings/show.blade.php

@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@
         x-data="transcriptionMonitor(@js([
             'statusUrl' => route('recordings.transcription-status', $recording),
             'initial' => $recording->transcriptionStatusPayload(),
-            'driver' => old('driver', $recording->transcription_driver ?: 'cloud'),
         ]))"
         x-init="start()"
     >
@@ -67,68 +66,25 @@
                         <dt class="text-stone-500">Uploaded</dt>
                         <dd class="font-medium">{{ $recording->created_at?->format('Y-m-d H:i') }}</dd>
                     </div>
-                    @if ($recording->ollama_url)
-                        <div class="flex justify-between gap-4">
-                            <dt class="text-stone-500">Ollama host</dt>
-                            <dd class="max-w-[60%] break-all text-right font-medium">{{ $recording->ollama_url }}</dd>
-                        </div>
-                    @endif
                 </dl>
             </section>
 
             <section class="rounded border border-stone-200 bg-white p-6 shadow-sm">
                 <h2 class="text-sm font-semibold uppercase tracking-wide text-stone-500">Transcribe</h2>
-                <p class="mt-2 text-sm text-stone-600">Choose an engine anytime — starting a new run stops the current one.</p>
+                <p class="mt-2 text-sm text-stone-600">
+                    Audio stays on this machine. Requires
+                    <code class="text-[11px]">docker compose up -d whisper</code>
+                    (port 8090).
+                </p>
 
-                <form method="POST" action="{{ route('recordings.transcribe', $recording) }}" class="mt-4 space-y-4">
+                <form method="POST" action="{{ route('recordings.transcribe', $recording) }}" class="mt-4">
                     @csrf
-
-                    <label class="flex cursor-pointer gap-3 rounded border border-stone-200 p-3 hover:bg-stone-50">
-                        <input type="radio" name="driver" value="cloud" x-model="driver" class="mt-1 text-teal-700 focus:ring-teal-600">
-                        <span>
-                            <span class="block text-sm font-medium">Cloud (OpenAI Whisper)</span>
-                            <span class="block text-xs text-stone-500">Fast; audio is sent to OpenAI.</span>
-                        </span>
-                    </label>
-
-                    <label class="flex cursor-pointer gap-3 rounded border border-stone-200 p-3 hover:bg-stone-50">
-                        <input type="radio" name="driver" value="local" x-model="driver" class="mt-1 text-teal-700 focus:ring-teal-600">
-                        <span>
-                            <span class="block text-sm font-medium">Local — confidential (faster-whisper)</span>
-                            <span class="block text-xs text-stone-500">Runs via Docker Compose (<code class="text-[11px]">docker compose up -d whisper</code>) on port 8090.</span>
-                        </span>
-                    </label>
-
-                    <label class="flex cursor-pointer gap-3 rounded border border-stone-200 p-3 hover:bg-stone-50">
-                        <input type="radio" name="driver" value="ollama" x-model="driver" class="mt-1 text-teal-700 focus:ring-teal-600">
-                        <span>
-                            <span class="block text-sm font-medium">Ollama host</span>
-                            <span class="block text-xs text-stone-500">
-                                Remote host URL. Must expose OpenAI-compatible <code class="text-[11px]">/v1/audio/transcriptions</code>.
-                            </span>
-                        </span>
-                    </label>
-
-                    <div x-show="driver === 'ollama'" x-cloak class="space-y-2">
-                        <label for="ollama_url" class="block text-sm font-medium text-stone-700">Host URL</label>
-                        <input
-                            id="ollama_url"
-                            type="url"
-                            name="ollama_url"
-                            value="{{ old('ollama_url', $recording->ollama_url) }}"
-                            placeholder="http://192.168.1.50:8000"
-                            class="w-full rounded border border-stone-300 px-3 py-2 text-sm shadow-sm focus:border-teal-600 focus:outline-none focus:ring-1 focus:ring-teal-600"
-                        >
-                    </div>
-
-                    <div class="flex flex-wrap items-center gap-3">
                     <button
                         type="submit"
                         class="rounded bg-teal-700 px-4 py-2 text-sm font-medium text-white hover:bg-teal-800"
                     >
                         <span x-text="startButtonLabel"></span>
                     </button>
-                    </div>
                 </form>
 
                 <form
@@ -227,11 +183,10 @@
     <script defer src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/alpinejs@3.x.x/dist/cdn.min.js"></script>
     <style>[x-cloak]{display:none!important}</style>
     <script>
-        function transcriptionMonitor({ statusUrl, initial, driver }) {
+        function transcriptionMonitor({ statusUrl, initial }) {
             return {
                 statusUrl,
                 status: initial,
-                driver: driver || 'cloud',
                 pollError: null,
                 timer: null,
                 tickTimer: null,
@@ -250,7 +205,7 @@
 
                 get startButtonLabel() {
                     if (this.status.is_active) {
-                        return 'Switch engine / restart';
+                        return 'Restart transcription';
                     }
 
                     return this.status.has_transcript ? 'Re-transcribe' : 'Start transcription';
@@ -313,15 +268,17 @@
                 },
 
                 formatElapsed(seconds) {
-                    const minutes = Math.floor(seconds / 60);
+                    const total = Math.max(0, Math.round(Number(seconds) || 0));
-                    const remain = seconds % 60;
+                    const minutes = Math.floor(total / 60);
+                    const remain = total % 60;
                     if (minutes === 0) return remain + 's';
                     return minutes + 'm ' + String(remain).padStart(2, '0') + 's';
                 },
 
                 formatDuration(seconds) {
-                    const minutes = Math.floor(seconds / 60);
+                    const total = Math.max(0, Math.round(Number(seconds) || 0));
-                    const remain = seconds % 60;
+                    const minutes = Math.floor(total / 60);
+                    const remain = total % 60;
                     return minutes + ':' + String(remain).padStart(2, '0');
                 },
 

tests/Feature/RecordingUploadTest.php

@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ class RecordingUploadTest extends TestCase
             ->assertSessionHasErrors('audio');
     }
 
-    public function test_user_can_queue_cloud_transcription(): void
+    public function test_user_can_queue_local_transcription(): void
     {
         $recording = Recording::query()->create([
             'title' => 'Dictation',
@@ -97,34 +97,16 @@ class RecordingUploadTest extends TestCase
         // Fake AI so the afterResponse job (sync) does not call a real provider.
         Transcription::fake(['Queued transcription text.']);
 
-        $this->post(route('recordings.transcribe', $recording), [
+        $this->post(route('recordings.transcribe', $recording))
-            'driver' => 'cloud',
+            ->assertRedirect();
-        ])->assertRedirect();
 
         $recording->refresh();
-        $this->assertSame('cloud', $recording->transcription_driver);
+        $this->assertSame('local', $recording->transcription_driver);
         $this->assertContains($recording->transcription_status, ['pending', 'processing', 'done']);
         $this->assertNotNull($recording->transcription_started_at);
         $this->assertNotNull($recording->transcription_progress);
     }
 
-    public function test_ollama_driver_requires_url(): void
-    {
-        $recording = Recording::query()->create([
-            'title' => 'Secret call',
-            'original_filename' => 'call.mp3',
-            'file_path' => 'recordings/call.mp3',
-            'file_size_bytes' => 2048,
-            'transcription_status' => 'pending',
-        ]);
-
-        $this->from(route('recordings.show', $recording))
-            ->post(route('recordings.transcribe', $recording), [
-                'driver' => 'ollama',
-            ])
-            ->assertSessionHasErrors('ollama_url');
-    }
-
     public function test_transcription_status_endpoint_returns_progress(): void
     {
         $recording = Recording::query()->create([
@@ -133,19 +115,19 @@ class RecordingUploadTest extends TestCase
             'file_path' => 'recordings/live.mp3',
             'file_size_bytes' => 100,
             'transcription_status' => 'processing',
-            'transcription_progress' => 'Waiting for cloud transcript…',
+            'transcription_progress' => 'Transcribing locally…',
             'transcription_percent' => 55,
-            'transcription_driver' => 'cloud',
+            'transcription_driver' => 'local',
             'transcription_started_at' => now()->subSeconds(12),
         ]);
 
         $this->getJson(route('recordings.transcription-status', $recording))
             ->assertOk()
             ->assertJsonPath('status', 'processing')
-            ->assertJsonPath('progress', 'Waiting for cloud transcript…')
+            ->assertJsonPath('progress', 'Transcribing locally…')
             ->assertJsonPath('percent', 55)
             ->assertJsonPath('is_active', true)
-            ->assertJsonPath('driver_label', 'Cloud (OpenAI Whisper)');
+            ->assertJsonPath('driver_label', 'Local (faster-whisper)');
     }
 
     public function test_transcription_job_stores_transcript(): void
@@ -161,7 +143,7 @@ class RecordingUploadTest extends TestCase
             'file_path' => 'recordings/sample.mp3',
             'file_size_bytes' => 12,
             'transcription_status' => 'pending',
-            'transcription_driver' => 'cloud',
+            'transcription_driver' => 'local',
         ]);
 
         (new TranscribeRecording($recording))->handle(app(TranscriptionService::class));
@@ -189,7 +171,7 @@ class RecordingUploadTest extends TestCase
             'file_path' => 'recordings/bad.mp3',
             'file_size_bytes' => 12,
             'transcription_status' => 'pending',
-            'transcription_driver' => 'cloud',
+            'transcription_driver' => 'local',
         ]);
 
         try {
@@ -215,8 +197,8 @@ class RecordingUploadTest extends TestCase
             'transcription_progress' => 'Transcribing locally…',
             'transcription_percent' => 50,
             'transcription_driver' => 'local',
-            'transcription_started_at' => now()->subMinutes(5),
+            'transcription_started_at' => now()->subMinutes(20),
-            'updated_at' => now()->subMinutes(5),
+            'updated_at' => now()->subMinutes(20),
         ]);
 
         $this->getJson(route('recordings.transcription-status', $recording))
@@ -229,6 +211,30 @@ class RecordingUploadTest extends TestCase
         $this->assertStringContainsString('worker stopped', $recording->transcription_error);
     }
 
+    public function test_recent_processing_is_not_marked_orphaned(): void
+    {
+        $recording = Recording::query()->create([
+            'title' => 'Still working',
+            'original_filename' => 'working.mp3',
+            'file_path' => 'recordings/working.mp3',
+            'file_size_bytes' => 100,
+            'transcription_status' => 'processing',
+            'transcription_progress' => 'Transcribing locally…',
+            'transcription_percent' => 50,
+            'transcription_driver' => 'local',
+            'transcription_started_at' => now()->subMinutes(2),
+            'updated_at' => now()->subMinutes(2),
+        ]);
+
+        $this->getJson(route('recordings.transcription-status', $recording))
+            ->assertOk()
+            ->assertJsonPath('status', 'processing')
+            ->assertJsonPath('is_active', true);
+
+        $recording->refresh();
+        $this->assertSame('processing', $recording->transcription_status);
+    }
+
     public function test_orphaned_processing_can_be_restarted(): void
     {
         Transcription::fake(['Recovered transcript.']);
@@ -244,12 +250,11 @@ class RecordingUploadTest extends TestCase
             'updated_at' => now()->subMinutes(10),
         ]);
 
-        $this->post(route('recordings.transcribe', $recording), [
+        $this->post(route('recordings.transcribe', $recording))
-            'driver' => 'cloud',
+            ->assertRedirect();
-        ])->assertRedirect();
 
         $recording->refresh();
-        $this->assertSame('cloud', $recording->transcription_driver);
+        $this->assertSame('local', $recording->transcription_driver);
         $this->assertContains($recording->transcription_status, ['pending', 'processing', 'done']);
     }
 
@@ -277,12 +282,12 @@ class RecordingUploadTest extends TestCase
         $this->assertFalse($recording->isTranscribing());
     }
 
-    public function test_user_can_start_a_different_engine_while_processing(): void
+    public function test_user_can_restart_transcription_while_processing(): void
     {
-        Transcription::fake(['Switched engine transcript.']);
+        Transcription::fake(['Restarted transcript.']);
 
         $recording = Recording::query()->create([
-            'title' => 'Switch me',
+            'title' => 'Restart me while busy',
             'original_filename' => 'switch.mp3',
             'file_path' => 'recordings/switch.mp3',
             'file_size_bytes' => 100,
@@ -291,14 +296,12 @@ class RecordingUploadTest extends TestCase
             'transcription_started_at' => now()->subMinute(),
         ]);
 
-        $this->post(route('recordings.transcribe', $recording), [
+        $this->post(route('recordings.transcribe', $recording))
-            'driver' => 'cloud',
-        ])
             ->assertRedirect()
             ->assertSessionHas('success');
 
         $recording->refresh();
-        $this->assertSame('cloud', $recording->transcription_driver);
+        $this->assertSame('local', $recording->transcription_driver);
         $this->assertContains($recording->transcription_status, ['pending', 'processing', 'done']);
         $this->assertNull($recording->transcription_error);
     }
@@ -316,7 +319,7 @@ class RecordingUploadTest extends TestCase
             'file_path' => 'recordings/ignore.mp3',
             'file_size_bytes' => 12,
             'transcription_status' => 'processing',
-            'transcription_driver' => 'cloud',
+            'transcription_driver' => 'local',
             'transcription_started_at' => now()->subMinute(),
             'transcript' => 'Previous transcript stays.',
         ]);
@@ -368,14 +371,13 @@ class RecordingUploadTest extends TestCase
             'file_path' => 'recordings/keep.mp3',
             'file_size_bytes' => 100,
             'transcription_status' => 'done',
-            'transcription_driver' => 'cloud',
+            'transcription_driver' => 'local',
             'transcript' => 'Old transcript text.',
             'transcribed_at' => now()->subHour(),
         ]);
 
-        $this->post(route('recordings.transcribe', $recording), [
+        $this->post(route('recordings.transcribe', $recording))
-            'driver' => 'local',
+            ->assertRedirect();
-        ])->assertRedirect();
 
         $recording->refresh();
         $this->assertSame('Old transcript text.', $recording->transcript);