SubtitleEdit/subtitleedit · error · Exception

CrispASR MADLAD model not found - please use the 'Download'

Error message

CrispASR MADLAD model not found - please use the 'Download' button to install it. Path: {_modelPath}

What it means

Thrown by CrispAsrMadladTranslate.Translate when the MADLAD model path (_modelPath) is empty or the model file does not exist. The path comes from Configuration.Settings.Tools.AutoTranslateCrispAsrModel. The executable can be present but without the downloaded MADLAD-400 model the tool cannot translate.

Source

Thrown at src/libuilogic/AutoTranslate/CrispAsrMadladTranslate.cs:56

        }

        public List<TranslationPair> GetSupportedTargetLanguages()
        {
            return ListLanguages();
        }

        public async Task<string> Translate(string text, string sourceLanguageCode, string targetLanguageCode, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
        {
            if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(_executablePath) || !File.Exists(_executablePath))
            {
                Error = "CrispASR executable not found - please use the 'Download' button to install it. Path: " + _executablePath;
                throw new Exception(Error);
            }

            if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(_modelPath) || !File.Exists(_modelPath))
            {
                Error = "CrispASR MADLAD model not found - please use the 'Download' button to install it. Path: " + _modelPath;
                throw new Exception(Error);
            }

            var startInfo = new ProcessStartInfo
            {
                FileName = _executablePath,
                UseShellExecute = false,
                RedirectStandardOutput = true,
                RedirectStandardError = true,
                CreateNoWindow = true,
                StandardOutputEncoding = Encoding.UTF8,
                StandardErrorEncoding = Encoding.UTF8,
                WorkingDirectory = Path.GetDirectoryName(_executablePath) ?? string.Empty,
            };
            startInfo.ArgumentList.Add("--backend");
            startInfo.ArgumentList.Add("madlad");
            startInfo.ArgumentList.Add("-m");
            startInfo.ArgumentList.Add(_modelPath);
            startInfo.ArgumentList.Add("--text");

View on GitHub (pinned to 17a9f07487)

Solutions

Use the 'Download' button for the CrispASR provider to fetch the MADLAD model.
Verify AutoTranslateCrispAsrModel points to an existing model file.
Re-download the MADLAD-400 model if the file is missing or truncated.
Ensure sufficient disk space for the model before downloading.

Example fix

// before
Configuration.Settings.Tools.AutoTranslateCrispAsrModel = "";
// after
Configuration.Settings.Tools.AutoTranslateCrispAsrModel = @"C:\Tools\CrispASR\madlad-400.bin";

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

// Verify the MADLAD model exists before calling Translate
var model = Configuration.Settings.Tools.AutoTranslateCrispAsrModel;
if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(model) || !File.Exists(model))
{
    Console.WriteLine("MADLAD model missing. Use the Download button or set AutoTranslateCrispAsrModel.");
    return;
}

Try / catch

try
{
    var result = await translator.Translate(text, src, tgt, ct);
}
catch (Exception ex) when (ex.Message.Contains("MADLAD model not found"))
{
    // prompt user to download the model
    logger.Error(ex.Message);
}

Prevention

Download the MADLAD model via the Download button after installing the binary.
Keep the model in a stable path with enough disk space.
Validate File.Exists(model) before enabling the provider.
Re-download if the model file size looks truncated.

When it happens

Trigger: CrispASR executable is installed but the MADLAD model was never downloaded, was deleted, or AutoTranslateCrispAsrModel points to the wrong location. This check runs after the executable check passes.

Common situations: Partial install (binary downloaded, model not); model file moved or deleted; fresh machine with settings copied but model left behind; large model download interrupted.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of SubtitleEdit/subtitleedit@17a9f07487 (2026-08-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/970246728d854e25. Report an issue: GitHub.