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pot-app/pot-desktop

A cross-platform desktop application for Windows, macOS, and Linux that provides text translation, OCR, and TTS around configurable shortcuts and clipboard monitoring. It supports parallel translation across multiple external services and local providers, and can be extended through external plugins.

Project overview

It aggregates multiple local and external translation and OCR services into a single desktop workflow, with support for parallel translation queries and an external HTTP API for automation.

Project type: Workflow · Document Processing
Use cases: Documents & Office · Translation & Subtitles · Audio & Speech
Deployment: Refer to project documentation
License: GPL-3.0

Best for

General users and creators on Windows, macOS, or Linux who need a desktop interface for text translation, OCR, and TTS.
Users who want to compare results by running parallel translations across multiple configured services.

Key capabilities

Translates text selected by the mouse via a configurable keyboard shortcut.
Translates text typed into an input window.
Performs optical character recognition on a selected screen region.
Captures a screen region and translates the recognized text.
Automatically translates text when it is copied to the clipboard.
Provides speech synthesis for translated text.
Allows users to install external .potext plugins to extend software functionality.
Allows other software to trigger functionality by sending HTTP requests to its local server.

Limitations and risks

Application shortcuts do not work on Wayland desktops.
Built-in screenshot functionality fails on pure Wayland environments such as Hyprland.
The Flatpak version lacks a tray icon.
The application crashes on Linux with Nvidia proprietary drivers due to Webkit2Gtk DMABUF issues unless disabled.
The Windows version requires WebView2 to be installed and enabled.

Getting started

Install the application via package managers such as winget or brew, or by using a manual installer. After installation, launch the application to begin configuration.

Alternatives and comparisons

A local file translation tool offering multi-format support such as PDF and DOCX, asynchronous processing, and a Web UI, which may be more appropriate for full document translation workflows than desktop screen capture.
An open platform for building and deploying enterprise-grade LLM applications with visual workflow orchestration, high-precision document parsing, and agents.
Automates extraction, categorization, and storage of financial data from receipts and invoices with multi-currency conversion.

Project comparisons

Evidence and sources

GitHub project description
README
README
README
README

Reviewed at: 2026-07-17T13:57:55Z

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