hushboard

Hushboard is a small background utility for Linux desktops that mutes the system microphone while you are typing and unmutes it once you stop. It sits idle until keyboard activity begins, so the intended use is to leave it running during voice or video calls rather than to operate it manually. The result is that keystroke noise from a mechanical or laptop keyboard is not transmitted to the other participants, while ordinary speech passes through as usual.

The program is written and published by Stuart Langridge and distributed under the MIT license, so the source can be inspected, modified and redistributed under permissive terms. Its scope is deliberately narrow: it toggles the microphone mute state and does nothing else, with no audio filtering, noise suppression or recording features.

Distribution is limited to Linux, and the tool depends on the desktop session's audio system to apply the mute, so it is relevant to users running conferencing software on a Linux workstation rather than on other operating systems.