diff --git a/packages/core/src/content/transcript/providers/transcription-start.ts b/packages/core/src/content/transcript/providers/transcription-start.ts
index d9004228..6d34fb59 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/content/transcript/providers/transcription-start.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/content/transcript/providers/transcription-start.ts
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ export type TranscriptionAvailability = {
   hasFal: boolean;
   hasAnyProvider: boolean;
   geminiModelId: string;
+  effectiveEnv: Env;
 };
 
 export async function resolveTranscriptionAvailability({
@@ -58,7 +59,7 @@ export async function resolveTranscriptionAvailability({
     ? isOnnxCliConfigured(preferredOnnxModel, effectiveEnv)
     : false;
 
-  const hasLocalWhisper = await isWhisperCppReady();
+  const hasLocalWhisper = await isWhisperCppReady(effectiveEnv);
   const hasGroq = Boolean(effective.groqApiKey);
   const hasAssemblyAi = Boolean(effective.assemblyaiApiKey);
   const hasGemini = Boolean(effective.geminiApiKey);
@@ -78,6 +79,7 @@ export async function resolveTranscriptionAvailability({
     hasFal,
     hasAnyProvider,
     geminiModelId: effective.geminiModel ?? resolveGeminiTranscriptionModel(effectiveEnv),
+    effectiveEnv,
   };
 }
 
@@ -124,7 +126,7 @@ export async function resolveTranscriptionStartInfo({
         ? `onnx/${availability.preferredOnnxModel}`
         : "onnx"
       : providerHint === "cpp"
-        ? ((await resolveWhisperCppModelNameForDisplay()) ?? "whisper.cpp")
+        ? ((await resolveWhisperCppModelNameForDisplay(availability.effectiveEnv)) ?? "whisper.cpp")
         : resolveCloudModelId(availability);
 
   return { availability, providerHint, modelId };
diff --git a/packages/core/src/transcription/whisper/core.ts b/packages/core/src/transcription/whisper/core.ts
index 9bf7a985..e51bc143 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/transcription/whisper/core.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/transcription/whisper/core.ts
@@ -92,6 +92,7 @@ export async function transcribeMediaWithWhisper({
     filename,
     totalDurationSeconds,
     onProgress,
+    env,
     notes,
   });
   if (local) return local;
@@ -192,6 +193,7 @@ export async function transcribeMediaFileWithWhisper({
     mediaType,
     totalDurationSeconds,
     onProgress,
+    env,
     notes,
   });
   if (local) return local;
@@ -470,6 +472,7 @@ async function transcribeWithLocalWhisperBytes({
   filename,
   totalDurationSeconds,
   onProgress,
+  env,
   notes,
 }: {
   bytes: Uint8Array;
@@ -477,9 +480,10 @@ async function transcribeWithLocalWhisperBytes({
   filename: string | null;
   totalDurationSeconds: number | null;
   onProgress?: ((event: WhisperProgressEvent) => void) | null;
+  env: Env;
   notes: string[];
 }): Promise<WhisperTranscriptionResult | null> {
-  const localReady = await isWhisperCppReady();
+  const localReady = await isWhisperCppReady(env);
   if (!localReady) return null;
   const nameHint = filename?.trim() ? basename(filename.trim()) : "media";
   const tempFile = join(
@@ -493,6 +497,7 @@ async function transcribeWithLocalWhisperBytes({
       mediaType,
       totalDurationSeconds,
       onProgress,
+      env,
     });
     if (result.text) {
       if (result.notes.length > 0) notes.push(...result.notes);
@@ -513,15 +518,17 @@ async function transcribeWithLocalWhisperFile({
   mediaType,
   totalDurationSeconds,
   onProgress,
+  env,
   notes,
 }: {
   filePath: string;
   mediaType: string;
   totalDurationSeconds: number | null;
   onProgress?: ((event: WhisperProgressEvent) => void) | null;
+  env: Env;
   notes: string[];
 }): Promise<WhisperTranscriptionResult | null> {
-  const localReady = await isWhisperCppReady();
+  const localReady = await isWhisperCppReady(env);
   if (!localReady) return null;
   onProgress?.({
     partIndex: null,
@@ -534,6 +541,7 @@ async function transcribeWithLocalWhisperFile({
     mediaType,
     totalDurationSeconds,
     onProgress,
+    env,
   });
   if (result.text) {
     if (result.notes.length > 0) notes.push(...result.notes);
@@ -551,6 +559,7 @@ async function safeTranscribeWithWhisperCppFile(args: {
   mediaType: string;
   totalDurationSeconds: number | null;
   onProgress?: ((event: WhisperProgressEvent) => void) | null;
+  env: Env;
 }): Promise<WhisperTranscriptionResult> {
   try {
     return await transcribeWithWhisperCppFile(args);
diff --git a/packages/core/src/transcription/whisper/whisper-cpp.ts b/packages/core/src/transcription/whisper/whisper-cpp.ts
index e92c356a..93ce2322 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/transcription/whisper/whisper-cpp.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/transcription/whisper/whisper-cpp.ts
@@ -16,15 +16,17 @@ import {
 import type { WhisperProgressEvent, WhisperTranscriptionResult } from "./types.js";
 import { wrapError } from "./utils.js";
 
-export async function isWhisperCppReady(): Promise<boolean> {
-  if (!isWhisperCppEnabled()) return false;
-  if (!(await isWhisperCliAvailable())) return false;
-  const model = await resolveWhisperCppModelPath();
+export async function isWhisperCppReady(env?: Record<string, string | undefined>): Promise<boolean> {
+  if (!isWhisperCppEnabled(env)) return false;
+  if (!(await isWhisperCliAvailable(env))) return false;
+  const model = await resolveWhisperCppModelPath(env);
   return Boolean(model);
 }
 
-export async function resolveWhisperCppModelNameForDisplay(): Promise<string | null> {
-  const modelPath = await resolveWhisperCppModelPath();
+export async function resolveWhisperCppModelNameForDisplay(
+  env?: Record<string, string | undefined>,
+): Promise<string | null> {
+  const modelPath = await resolveWhisperCppModelPath(env);
   return modelPath ? resolveWhisperCppModelLabelFromPath(modelPath) : null;
 }
 
@@ -33,14 +35,16 @@ export async function transcribeWithWhisperCppFile({
   mediaType,
   totalDurationSeconds,
   onProgress,
+  env,
 }: {
   filePath: string;
   mediaType: string;
   totalDurationSeconds: number | null;
   onProgress?: ((event: WhisperProgressEvent) => void) | null;
+  env?: Record<string, string | undefined>;
 }): Promise<WhisperTranscriptionResult> {
   const notes: string[] = [];
-  const modelPath = await resolveWhisperCppModelPath();
+  const modelPath = await resolveWhisperCppModelPath(env);
   if (!modelPath) {
     return {
       text: null,
@@ -116,7 +120,7 @@ export async function transcribeWithWhisperCppFile({
 
     try {
       await new Promise<void>((resolve, reject) => {
-        const { proc, handle } = spawnTracked(resolveWhisperCppBinary(), args, {
+        const { proc, handle } = spawnTracked(resolveWhisperCppBinary(env), args, {
           stdio: ["ignore", "ignore", "pipe"],
           label: "whisper.cpp",
           kind: "whisper.cpp",
@@ -189,12 +193,13 @@ export async function transcribeWithWhisperCppFile({
   }
 }
 
-function isWhisperCppEnabled(): boolean {
-  return (process.env[DISABLE_LOCAL_WHISPER_CPP_ENV] ?? "").trim() !== "1";
+function isWhisperCppEnabled(env?: Record<string, string | undefined>): boolean {
+  const source = env ?? process.env;
+  return (source[DISABLE_LOCAL_WHISPER_CPP_ENV] ?? "").trim() !== "1";
 }
 
-async function isWhisperCliAvailable(): Promise<boolean> {
-  const bin = resolveWhisperCppBinary();
+async function isWhisperCliAvailable(env?: Record<string, string | undefined>): Promise<boolean> {
+  const bin = resolveWhisperCppBinary(env);
   return new Promise((resolve) => {
     const { proc } = spawnTracked(bin, ["--help"], {
       stdio: ["ignore", "ignore", "ignore"],
@@ -207,13 +212,17 @@ async function isWhisperCliAvailable(): Promise<boolean> {
   });
 }
 
-function resolveWhisperCppBinary(): string {
-  const override = (process.env[WHISPER_CPP_BINARY_ENV] ?? "").trim();
+function resolveWhisperCppBinary(env?: Record<string, string | undefined>): string {
+  const source = env ?? process.env;
+  const override = (source[WHISPER_CPP_BINARY_ENV] ?? "").trim();
   return override.length > 0 ? override : "whisper-cli";
 }
 
-async function resolveWhisperCppModelPath(): Promise<string | null> {
-  const override = (process.env[WHISPER_CPP_MODEL_PATH_ENV] ?? "").trim();
+async function resolveWhisperCppModelPath(
+  env?: Record<string, string | undefined>,
+): Promise<string | null> {
+  const source = env ?? process.env;
+  const override = (source[WHISPER_CPP_MODEL_PATH_ENV] ?? "").trim();
   if (override) {
     try {
       const stat = await fs.stat(override);
@@ -223,7 +232,7 @@ async function resolveWhisperCppModelPath(): Promise<string | null> {
     }
   }
 
-  const home = (process.env.HOME ?? process.env.USERPROFILE ?? "").trim();
+  const home = (source.HOME ?? source.USERPROFILE ?? "").trim();
   const cacheCandidate = home
     ? join(home, ".summarize", "cache", "whisper-cpp", "models", "ggml-base.bin")
     : null;