SubtitleEdit/subtitleedit · error · 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

GetCrispAsrExecutable() returned a path that does not exist on disk; the engine refuses to spawn a missing server. Thrown as FileNotFoundException with the resolved exe path as the fileName. The message points the user at the install action.

Source

Thrown at src/ui/Features/Video/TextToSpeech/Engines/ChatterboxTtsCpp.cs:548

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

            // Server not running — or running with a different model variant. (Re)start.
            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);
            }

            var port = FindFreeLoopbackPort();
            var psi = new ProcessStartInfo
            {
                // Run in the voices folder: the chatterbox backend opens the `voice` of a
                // /v1/audio/speech request relative to its working directory. It does not resolve it
                // against --voice-dir (that only backs the /v1/voices endpoints), and the server
                // rejects a `voice` containing path separators, so this is what lets an imported
                // reference WAV be found at all. Every path passed below is absolute, so nothing
                // else depends on the working directory.
                WorkingDirectory = GetSetVoicesFolder(),
                FileName = exe,
                UseShellExecute = false,
                CreateNoWindow = true,
                RedirectStandardError = true,
                RedirectStandardOutput = true,

View on GitHub (pinned to 17a9f07487)

Solutions

Install CrispASR via Video -> Audio to text as the message instructs.
Verify the path returned by GetCrispAsrExecutable() exists.
Restore the exe from AV quarantine if it was removed.
Re-run the install with adequate disk space and network.

Example fix

// before: assume CrispASR is installed
EnsureServerRunningAsync(modelKey, ct);
// after: pre-check and guide the user
if (!File.Exists(GetCrispAsrExecutable()))
    return RequestUserInstallCrispAsr();

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

var exe = GetCrispAsrExecutable();
if (!File.Exists(exe)) return NeedInstall("CrispASR", exe);

Try / catch

try { EnsureServerRunningAsync(modelKey, ct).Wait(); }
catch (FileNotFoundException ex) when (ex.Message.Contains("CrispASR executable not found"))
{ /* prompt user to install via Video -> Audio to text */ }

Prevention

Check File.Exists(GetCrispAsrExecutable()) at engine init, not only at server start.
Guide the user to the install action before any synthesis is attempted.
Restore the exe from AV quarantine if it goes missing.

When it happens

Trigger: EnsureServerRunningAsync decides to (re)start the server; _serverProcess is null/different-model; File.Exists(exe) is false.

Common situations: Fresh install where CrispASR was never downloaded; user deleted the tools folder; antivirus quarantined the exe; the install step was interrupted.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of SubtitleEdit/subtitleedit@17a9f07487 (2026-08-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/fb4688e68fdd9e0e. Report an issue: GitHub.