SubtitleEdit/subtitleedit · critical · FileNotFoundException

CrispASR executable not found. Install CrispASR via Video →

Error message

CrispASR executable not found. Install CrispASR via Video → Audio to text first.

What it means

FileNotFoundException thrown by EnsureServerRunningAsync when GetCrispAsrExecutable() resolves to a path that does not exist. The message points the user at the install route ('Video → Audio to text') because CrispASR is shared with the transcription feature and is installed through that workflow, not bundled with the TTS engine.

Source

Thrown at src/ui/Features/Video/TextToSpeech/Engines/Qwen3TtsCrispAsr.cs:937

        }

        await ServerLock.WaitAsync(ct);
        try
        {
            if (_serverProcess is { HasExited: false } && _serverPort != 0 && _serverModelKey == modelKey)
            {
                return;
            }

            if (_serverProcess != null)
            {
                StopServerInternal();
            }

            var exe = GetCrispAsrExecutable();
            if (!File.Exists(exe))
            {
                throw new FileNotFoundException(
                    "CrispASR executable not found. Install CrispASR via Video → Audio to text first.", exe);
            }

            // Talker and codec GGUFs: if locally staged, use directly; otherwise hand off to
            // crispasr's --auto-download to fetch them into ~/.cache/crispasr/ on first run.
            // Slower the first time, instant after. A proper SE-side download service is a
            // follow-up; this keeps the engine usable without manual file placement.
            var talker = GetTalkerPath(modelKey);
            var hasLocalTalker = IsValidLocalModelFile(talker, GetTalkerFileName(modelKey));
            var codec = GetCodecPath();
            var hasLocalCodec = IsValidLocalModelFile(codec, CodecFileName);

            var port = FindFreeLoopbackPort();
            var psi = new ProcessStartInfo
            {
                WorkingDirectory = Path.GetDirectoryName(exe) ?? GetSetFolder(),
                FileName = exe,
                UseShellExecute = false,

View on GitHub (pinned to 17a9f07487)

Solutions

Install CrispASR via Video → Audio to text first, as the message instructs.
Check the FileName in the exception for the exact resolved path that's missing.
Re-stage the CrispASR binary at the path GetCrispAsrExecutable() returns for your OS.
If antivirus quarantined it, restore/whitelist the binary and reinstall.

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

var exe = GetCrispAsrExecutable();
if (!File.Exists(exe))
    throw new FileNotFoundException("CrispASR executable not found. Install CrispASR via Video → Audio to text first.", exe);

Try / catch

try { await EnsureServerRunningAsync(modelKey, ct); }
catch (FileNotFoundException ex) when (ex.FileName == GetCrispAsrExecutable())
{ await OfferInstallCrispAsrAsync(); throw; }

Prevention

Surface an 'install CrispASR' prompt when the engine is selected, not only at Speak time.
Run the Audio-to-text install flow as part of TTS engine setup.
Whitelist the binary in antivirus to prevent quarantine.

When it happens

Trigger: CrispASR was never installed (the user went straight to TTS without running Audio-to-text); the executable was deleted or quarantined; the install path in settings points at the wrong location; a portable/moved install lost the binary.

Common situations: Fresh install where only the TTS engine was added; antivirus flagged and removed the binary; OS update cleared a temp install location; settings migrated to a new machine without reinstalling CrispASR.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of SubtitleEdit/subtitleedit@17a9f07487 (2026-08-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/e43ab4890ec38df3. Report an issue: GitHub.