Open Dictation

A lightweight, notch-integrated dictation utility for macOS.

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Open Dictation Demo showing Notch UI and instant text insertion
--- ## Why Open Dictation? Native macOS dictation is unreliable—it frequently times out, fails to start, and struggles with technical jargon. Existing AI alternatives often demand $10+/month subscriptions just to use your own Mac's hardware. Open Dictation is a **headless utility** designed to fix this. - **Zero Subscriptions:** Run Whisper models locally on your Neural Engine or use your own API keys for cloud processing. - **Notch Integration:** Visual feedback lives in the "Dynamic Island" area. No floating windows blocking your code. - **Developer Ready:** Doesn't time out while you're thinking. Handles camelCase, file paths, and technical terms natively. - **No Bloat:** 100% focused on getting text to your cursor. No sidebars, no proprietary "clouds," no nonsense. --- ## Installation ### Requirements - macOS 14+ (Sonoma or later) - Apple Silicon Mac (M1, M2, M3, M4) - **MacBook with notch** for the integrated UI (Dictation still works on non-notch Macs via audio cues). ### Quick Start 1. **[Download the latest DMG](https://github.com/kdcokenny/OpenDictation/releases/latest/download/OpenDictation.dmg)** 2. Drag to Applications. 3. Open Terminal and run this to bypass the quarantine flag (required for non-signed builds): ```bash xattr -rd com.apple.quarantine /Applications/OpenDictation.app ``` 4. Launch and grant **Accessibility** and **Microphone** permissions. --- ## Usage * **Option + Space**: Start recording. * **Speak**: The Notch will provide visual feedback while you talk. * **Option + Space**: Stop recording. The transcribed text is inserted at your cursor instantly. * **Escape**: Cancel the current recording. --- ## Configuration | Feature | Description | | --- | --- | | **Local Mode** | Uses Whisper models on-device. No data leaves your Mac. | | **Cloud Mode** | Connect to OpenAI, Groq, or any OpenAI-compatible API. | | **BYOK** | "Bring Your Own Key"—pay the raw API cost ($0.003) instead of a platform markup. | | **Auto-Paste** | Directly inserts text into the active field (IDE, Slack, Browser). | --- ## Model Support The app automatically manages Whisper models stored in: `~/Library/Application Support/com.opendictation/Models/` --- ## License [MIT](LICENSE)