feat(transcription): add Chat Completions API provider for audio transcription (#1130)

* feat(transcription): add Chat Completions API provider for audio transcription

The existing transcription pipeline only supports the OpenAI Whisper API
(/v1/audio/transcriptions with multipart upload). Providers like OpenRouter
expose audio transcription through the Chat Completions API instead, using
base64-encoded audio in the `input_audio` content type.

Add `ChatCompletionsTranscriptionProvider` that sends audio as base64 in
a chat completion request and extracts the transcript from the response.
Compatible with OpenRouter, OpenAI GPT-4o-audio, and any provider that
supports audio input via Chat Completions.

Config changes:
- TRANSCRIPTION_PROVIDER=chat_completions selects the new provider
- TRANSCRIPTION_API_KEY overrides provider-specific keys
- LLM_API_KEY used as fallback for chat_completions provider
- Default model per provider (whisper-1 for openai, gemini-2.0-flash for
  chat_completions)

* style: address review feedback — formatting, idiomatic patterns

- Fix rustfmt formatting for provider constructor chain
- Use or_else for resolve_api_key priority chain (Gemini review)
- Use trim_end_matches('/') instead of while loop (Gemini review)

---------

Co-authored-by: SMKRV <[email protected]>

src/config/transcription.rs

@@ -9,11 +9,15 @@ use crate::settings::Settings;
 pub struct TranscriptionConfig {
     /// Whether audio transcription is enabled.
     pub enabled: bool,
-    /// Provider: "openai" (default).
+    /// Provider: "openai" (default) or "chat_completions".
     pub provider: String,
     /// OpenAI API key (reuses OPENAI_API_KEY).
     pub openai_api_key: Option<SecretString>,
-    /// Model to use (default: "whisper-1").
+    /// Explicit transcription API key (overrides provider-specific keys).
+    pub api_key: Option<SecretString>,
+    /// LLM API key (reuses LLM_API_KEY, used as fallback for chat_completions).
+    pub llm_api_key: Option<SecretString>,
+    /// Model to use (default depends on provider).
     pub model: String,
     /// Base URL override for the transcription API.
     pub base_url: Option<String>,
@@ -25,6 +29,8 @@ impl Default for TranscriptionConfig {
             enabled: false,
             provider: "openai".to_string(),
             openai_api_key: None,
+            api_key: None,
+            llm_api_key: None,
             model: "whisper-1".to_string(),
             base_url: None,
         }
@@ -42,8 +48,15 @@ impl TranscriptionConfig {
             optional_env("TRANSCRIPTION_PROVIDER")?.unwrap_or_else(|| "openai".to_string());
 
         let openai_api_key = optional_env("OPENAI_API_KEY")?.map(SecretString::from);
+        let api_key = optional_env("TRANSCRIPTION_API_KEY")?.map(SecretString::from);
+        let llm_api_key = optional_env("LLM_API_KEY")?.map(SecretString::from);
 
-        let model = optional_env("TRANSCRIPTION_MODEL")?.unwrap_or_else(|| "whisper-1".to_string());
+        let default_model = match provider.as_str() {
+            "chat_completions" => "google/gemini-2.0-flash-001",
+            _ => "whisper-1",
+        };
+        let model =
+            optional_env("TRANSCRIPTION_MODEL")?.unwrap_or_else(|| default_model.to_string());
 
         let base_url = optional_env("TRANSCRIPTION_BASE_URL")?;
 
@@ -51,29 +64,67 @@ impl TranscriptionConfig {
             enabled,
             provider,
             openai_api_key,
+            api_key,
+            llm_api_key,
             model,
             base_url,
         })
     }
 
+    /// Resolve the API key for the configured provider.
+    ///
+    /// Priority: `TRANSCRIPTION_API_KEY` > provider-specific key.
+    fn resolve_api_key(&self) -> Option<&SecretString> {
+        self.api_key
+            .as_ref()
+            .or_else(|| match self.provider.as_str() {
+                "chat_completions" => self.llm_api_key.as_ref().or(self.openai_api_key.as_ref()),
+                _ => self.openai_api_key.as_ref(),
+            })
+    }
+
     /// Create the transcription provider if enabled and configured.
     pub fn create_provider(&self) -> Option<Box<dyn crate::transcription::TranscriptionProvider>> {
         if !self.enabled {
             return None;
         }
 
-        // Currently only OpenAI Whisper is supported; more providers can be
+        let api_key = self.resolve_api_key()?;
-        // added here with a match on self.provider.
-        let api_key = self.openai_api_key.as_ref()?;
-        tracing::info!(model = %self.model, "Audio transcription enabled via OpenAI Whisper");
 
-        let mut provider = crate::transcription::OpenAiWhisperProvider::new(api_key.clone())
+        match self.provider.as_str() {
-            .with_model(&self.model);
+            "chat_completions" => {
+                tracing::info!(
+                    model = %self.model,
+                    "Audio transcription enabled via Chat Completions API"
+                );
 
-        if let Some(ref base_url) = self.base_url {
+                let mut provider = crate::transcription::ChatCompletionsTranscriptionProvider::new(
-            provider = provider.with_base_url(base_url);
+                    api_key.clone(),
+                )
+                .with_model(&self.model);
+
+                if let Some(ref base_url) = self.base_url {
+                    provider = provider.with_base_url(base_url);
+                }
+
+                Some(Box::new(provider))
+            }
+            _ => {
+                tracing::info!(
+                    model = %self.model,
+                    "Audio transcription enabled via OpenAI Whisper"
+                );
+
+                let mut provider =
+                    crate::transcription::OpenAiWhisperProvider::new(api_key.clone())
+                        .with_model(&self.model);
+
+                if let Some(ref base_url) = self.base_url {
+                    provider = provider.with_base_url(base_url);
+                }
+
+                Some(Box::new(provider))
+            }
         }
-
-        Some(Box::new(provider))
     }
 }

src/transcription/chat_completions.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,179 @@
+//! Chat Completions-based transcription provider.
+//!
+//! Uses the `/v1/chat/completions` endpoint with `input_audio` content type
+//! to transcribe audio. Compatible with OpenRouter, OpenAI GPT-4o-audio, and
+//! any provider that supports audio input via the Chat Completions API.
+
+use async_trait::async_trait;
+use base64::Engine;
+use secrecy::{ExposeSecret, SecretString};
+
+use super::{AudioFormat, TranscriptionError, TranscriptionProvider};
+
+/// Transcription provider that sends audio via the Chat Completions API.
+///
+/// Unlike the Whisper provider (which uses `/v1/audio/transcriptions` with
+/// multipart upload), this provider sends base64-encoded audio as an
+/// `input_audio` content part in a chat message, enabling use with
+/// OpenRouter and other providers that only expose audio through the
+/// Chat Completions API.
+pub struct ChatCompletionsTranscriptionProvider {
+    client: reqwest::Client,
+    api_key: SecretString,
+    model: String,
+    base_url: String,
+}
+
+impl ChatCompletionsTranscriptionProvider {
+    /// Create a new provider with the given API key.
+    pub fn new(api_key: SecretString) -> Self {
+        Self {
+            client: match reqwest::Client::builder()
+                .timeout(std::time::Duration::from_secs(120))
+                .build()
+            {
+                Ok(c) => c,
+                Err(e) => {
+                    tracing::error!(
+                        "Failed to build HTTP client with timeout, falling back to default: {e}"
+                    );
+                    reqwest::Client::default()
+                }
+            },
+            api_key,
+            model: "google/gemini-2.0-flash-001".to_string(),
+            base_url: "https://openrouter.ai/api".to_string(),
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Override the base URL.
+    pub fn with_base_url(mut self, base_url: impl Into<String>) -> Self {
+        self.base_url = base_url.into().trim_end_matches('/').to_string();
+        self
+    }
+
+    /// Override the model name.
+    pub fn with_model(mut self, model: impl Into<String>) -> Self {
+        self.model = model.into();
+        self
+    }
+}
+
+/// Map [`AudioFormat`] to the format string expected by the Chat Completions API.
+fn audio_format_str(format: AudioFormat) -> &'static str {
+    match format {
+        AudioFormat::Ogg => "ogg",
+        AudioFormat::Mp3 => "mp3",
+        AudioFormat::Mp4 => "mp4",
+        AudioFormat::Wav => "wav",
+        AudioFormat::Webm => "webm",
+        AudioFormat::Flac => "flac",
+        AudioFormat::M4a => "m4a",
+    }
+}
+
+#[async_trait]
+impl TranscriptionProvider for ChatCompletionsTranscriptionProvider {
+    async fn transcribe(
+        &self,
+        audio_data: &[u8],
+        format: AudioFormat,
+    ) -> Result<String, TranscriptionError> {
+        if audio_data.is_empty() {
+            return Err(TranscriptionError::EmptyAudio);
+        }
+
+        let b64 = base64::engine::general_purpose::STANDARD.encode(audio_data);
+
+        let body = serde_json::json!({
+            "model": self.model,
+            "messages": [{
+                "role": "user",
+                "content": [
+                    {
+                        "type": "text",
+                        "text": "Transcribe this audio. Return only the transcript text, nothing else."
+                    },
+                    {
+                        "type": "input_audio",
+                        "input_audio": {
+                            "data": b64,
+                            "format": audio_format_str(format)
+                        }
+                    }
+                ]
+            }]
+        });
+
+        let url = format!("{}/v1/chat/completions", self.base_url);
+
+        let response = self
+            .client
+            .post(&url)
+            .header(
+                "Authorization",
+                format!("Bearer {}", self.api_key.expose_secret()),
+            )
+            .json(&body)
+            .send()
+            .await
+            .map_err(|e| TranscriptionError::RequestFailed(e.to_string()))?;
+
+        let status = response.status();
+        if !status.is_success() {
+            let body = response
+                .text()
+                .await
+                .unwrap_or_else(|_| "unknown error".to_string());
+            return Err(TranscriptionError::RequestFailed(format!(
+                "HTTP {}: {}",
+                status, body
+            )));
+        }
+
+        let json: serde_json::Value = response
+            .json()
+            .await
+            .map_err(|e| TranscriptionError::RequestFailed(e.to_string()))?;
+
+        // Extract text from the standard Chat Completions response format:
+        // { "choices": [{ "message": { "content": "..." } }] }
+        let text = json
+            .get("choices")
+            .and_then(|c| c.get(0))
+            .and_then(|c| c.get("message"))
+            .and_then(|m| m.get("content"))
+            .and_then(|c| c.as_str())
+            .ok_or_else(|| {
+                TranscriptionError::RequestFailed(
+                    "unexpected response format: missing choices[0].message.content".to_string(),
+                )
+            })?;
+
+        Ok(text.trim().to_string())
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn audio_format_str_maps_all_variants() {
+        assert_eq!(audio_format_str(AudioFormat::Ogg), "ogg");
+        assert_eq!(audio_format_str(AudioFormat::Mp3), "mp3");
+        assert_eq!(audio_format_str(AudioFormat::Mp4), "mp4");
+        assert_eq!(audio_format_str(AudioFormat::Wav), "wav");
+        assert_eq!(audio_format_str(AudioFormat::Webm), "webm");
+        assert_eq!(audio_format_str(AudioFormat::Flac), "flac");
+        assert_eq!(audio_format_str(AudioFormat::M4a), "m4a");
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn rejects_empty_audio() {
+        let provider =
+            ChatCompletionsTranscriptionProvider::new(SecretString::from("test-key".to_string()));
+        let result = provider.transcribe(&[], AudioFormat::Ogg).await;
+        assert!(matches!(result, Err(TranscriptionError::EmptyAudio)));
+    }
+}

src/transcription/mod.rs

@@ -4,8 +4,10 @@
 //! backends and a [`TranscriptionMiddleware`] that detects audio attachments
 //! on incoming messages and replaces them with transcribed text.
 
+mod chat_completions;
 mod openai;
 
+pub use self::chat_completions::ChatCompletionsTranscriptionProvider;
 pub use self::openai::OpenAiWhisperProvider;
 
 use async_trait::async_trait;