Lumotia/docs/architecture-map/05-core-storage-hotkey-build/static-assets.md

name, type, slice, last_verified

name	type	slice	last_verified
Static assets and pcm-processor.js worklet	architecture-map-page	05-core-storage-hotkey-build	2026/05/09

Static assets and pcm-processor.js worklet

Where you are: Architecture map → Core, Storage, Hotkey, Build → Static assets and pcm-processor.js worklet

Plain English summary. The static/ folder ships verbatim with the app. Most files are obvious assets (favicon, fonts, a single texture). The interesting one is pcm-processor.js, an AudioWorkletProcessor that downsamples microphone audio to the 16 kHz mono PCM that whisper.cpp / Parakeet expect. It runs in the browser's audio worklet thread, not the main JS thread.

At a glance

• Folder: static/ at the repo root.
• Files: favicon.png, svelte.svg, tauri.svg, vite.svg, pcm-processor.js, fonts/, textures/.
• Total: ~250 KB (mostly the woff2 font files).
• Consumers: Vite copies the directory into the build output; the SvelteKit static adapter serves the result; the in-browser webview hosted by Tauri loads from there.

pcm-processor.js — the audio worklet

class PcmProcessor extends AudioWorkletProcessor {
  constructor() {
    super();
    this.buffer = [];
    this.ratio = sampleRate / 16000;
    this.needsResample = Math.abs(this.ratio - 1.0) > 0.01;
    this.resamplePos = 0;
  }

  process(inputs) {
    const input = inputs[0];
    if (!input || input.length === 0) return true;

    const samples = input[0];  // mono channel
    if (!samples) return true;

    if (this.needsResample) {
      // Simple downsampling to 16kHz
      for (let i = 0; i < samples.length; i++) {
        this.resamplePos += 1;
        if (this.resamplePos >= this.ratio) {
          this.buffer.push(samples[i]);
          this.resamplePos -= this.ratio;
        }
      }
    } else {
      for (let i = 0; i < samples.length; i++) {
        this.buffer.push(samples[i]);
      }
    }

    // Send every ~0.5 seconds at 16 kHz = 8000 samples
    if (this.buffer.length >= 8000) {
      this.port.postMessage({ type: "pcm", samples: this.buffer });
      this.buffer = [];
    }

    return true;
  }
}

registerProcessor("pcm-processor", PcmProcessor);

What it does

1. Picks up the device-native sample rate (e.g. 48 kHz) from the sampleRate global available inside an AudioWorkletGlobalScope.
2. Computes a downsampling ratio against 16 kHz. If the device is already 16 kHz (rare), passes samples through.
3. The downsampler is dropwise: it accumulates a fractional position and emits a sample whenever the position crosses an integer step. No anti-aliasing filter. Acceptable for speech; subtly hurts on music or fast transients but Magnotia is a speech app.
4. Buffers up to 8 000 samples (≈ 0.5 s at 16 kHz).
5. Posts { type: "pcm", samples: [...] } to the AudioWorklet's port. The main thread bridges this onward to the Rust live-session command.

Why this lives in static/ not src/

Audio worklets must be loaded via audioContext.audioWorklet.addModule(url) and resolved as a URL, not as a JS module imported into the bundle. SvelteKit's static adapter serves static/pcm-processor.js at /pcm-processor.js, which the worklet loader can fetch.

If we moved this into src/, Vite would bundle it and break the worklet load.

Cross-link

The 16 kHz target rate is also the value of magnotia_core::constants::WHISPER_SAMPLE_RATE. The worklet hard-codes the literal 16000 rather than importing the Rust constant because audio worklets cannot import from the bundle. A coordinated change requires editing both places. See core-constants.md for the Rust side.

The 8 000-sample emit threshold is also the value of magnotia_core::constants::MIN_CHUNK_SAMPLES. Same hard-coding issue.

Fonts

static/fonts/:

• atkinson-hyperlegible-next.woff2 — primary text font; designed for accessibility and dyslexia.
• instrument-serif-italic.woff2 — display italic.
• jetbrains-mono.woff2 — monospace, used in code blocks and the diagnostic-report bundle.
• lexend-variable.woff2 — UI alternative.
• opendyslexic.woff2 — accessibility font, opt-in via preferences.

Loaded via @font-face in src/app.css (slice 1). Local-first; no Google Fonts CDN.

Textures

static/textures/grain.png — the subtle film-grain overlay used on the home page hero. Slice 1 territory.

Watch-outs

• pcm-processor.js literally hard-codes 16000 and 8000. Two magic numbers that must move in lock-step with the Rust constants. If Magnotia ever supports a different speech-model sample rate, this file is one of the touch points. Worth a build-time substitution mechanism (Vite plugin) to inject the constants from a single source.
• The downsampler does no anti-aliasing. A device sampling at 48 kHz has frequency content above 8 kHz that should be filtered out before decimation. The current dropwise downsampler aliases that content into the 0-8 kHz band. Whisper handles the artefacts well in practice but a one-pole lowpass would be a cheap accuracy gain. Tracked verbally; no doc yet.
• Bypasses Vite optimisation. Files in static/ are not minified or fingerprinted. Acceptable for a worklet (load is once per session); cache invalidation is a non-issue because Tauri loads from local disk.
• Browser permission gate. AudioWorklets require a MediaStream and run inside the audio context. Tauri's webview honours getUserMedia so the mic permission UI just works on Linux / Windows / macOS.

See also

• Frontend build config — static/ is served by the static adapter.
• Constants module — WHISPER_SAMPLE_RATE, MIN_CHUNK_SAMPLES.
• Slice 3 audio + transcription — Rust side of the worklet bridge.