For · Developers
Dictate is not for code syntax. Keep brackets, casing, and operators on the keyboard.
Use voice for agent prompts, commit messages, PR descriptions, bug reports, and Slack: the parts humans read.
Hold a key, speak, and release to insert text at the cursor. There is no separate transcript window.
App-specific walkthroughs: voice dictation for Cursor, for VS Code, and for the terminal.
09:14 · Agent chat
Say what to build, which files matter, what to preserve, and what success looks like.
Use Cursor chat or Claude Code. Release, review, then press Enter.
"Add retry with backoff to the sync client. Don't touch the auth module. Done means the existing tests pass, plus one new test covering the retry path."
11:32 · Commit box
Write the commit message while the diff is fresh. Say what changed and why.
The same hotkey works in VS Code's commit box.
"Cache the entitlement ticket at launch. A dropped connection was signing users out mid session."
14:05 · Pull request
Give reviewers the context they need before opening the diff.
Say what changed, why, and where to look first. Dictate works in GitHub’s browser form.
Fix entitlement cache on flaky networks
"Moves the ticket check to launch and caches the signed result. Start with EntitlementStore, the rest is plumbing. The retry test is the one worth reading."
16:48 · Issue tracker
File the bug while it is visible: what you did, what you expected, and what happened.
Paste the stack trace. Dictate the explanation.
"Sign in loops back to the login screen when the network drops mid handshake. Expected an error banner. Repro: toggle wifi off right after submitting. Trace below."
18:02 · Terminal
Dictate uses the macOS Accessibility API and falls back to paste. It covers Terminal, iTerm2, Warp, VS Code, Cursor, and browsers.
The loop is hold, speak, release, and review.
$ claude
> Rename the ticket cache module and update every call site, then run the tests.
Transcription needs a connection. Audio travels over TLS, is transcribed, then discarded. Dictate costs $8 a month, one plan.
The AI heavy dev · Cursor and Claude Code all day
Prompts and review feedback are writing. Dictation covers that prose.
Keep diffs, code selection, and syntax on the keyboard.
The other end of the spectrum
Talon is built for hands-free coding, navigation, and syntax. Use it when you need voice control of the whole development environment.
Dictate covers the prose half of the job. See dictation vs Voice Control on Mac.
What programmers ask before pointing a dictation app at an editor.
Not with Dictate. Use Talon if you need hands-free coding with a command grammar for syntax. Dictate covers prompts, commit messages, comments, and reports.
Yes, for prompts, commits, PR descriptions, reviews, bug reports, and Slack. Keep syntax on the keyboard.
Yes. Dictate works in Terminal, iTerm2, and Warp, including Claude Code prompts.
Yes. Dictate uses the macOS Accessibility API and falls back to paste in chat, commit boxes, and integrated terminals.
Transcription needs a connection. Audio travels over TLS, is transcribed, then discarded. The subscription check works offline.
$8 a month, with one plan. Unused subscriptions are refunded in full; after any transcription, the month is non-refundable.
$8/month flat. Cancel any time; unused subscriptions refunded in full.
