TalkDo local voice dictation shown on a Mac, with iPhone support planned

TalkDo for Mac - local-first

TalkDo turns speech into finished work.

Hold one shortcut in the Mac app you are already using, speak naturally, and get clean dictation or a structured prompt without sending your voice to a TalkDo server.

The feeling

You say the messy version. TalkDo types the useful one.

It does not behave like a transcript tool. It understands dictation, cleanup, tone, snippets, code terms, and where you are typing, including safe outer spacing when you continue existing prose.

You say

okay so can you like review AppState dot swift and uh only fix the recording race, and yeah make sure you do not change the public API

TalkDo types

Review AppState.swift and only fix the recording race. Do not change the public API.

Where it works

Mac first. Mobile next.

The product available now is TalkDo for Mac. iPhone and iPad are a planned second release and are not included in the current Mac product.

Mac computer

  • Current release
  • Global push-to-talk shortcut and private local Hub with daily history, usage, and Raw vs Final review
  • Paste polished text into any focused app
  • Command Mode for selected text
  • Terminal, email, documents, MAX, browsers

iPhone

  • Planned, not currently available
  • Fast recording and polished copy are being explored
  • Share Sheet and Shortcuts are being evaluated
  • No mobile purchase is offered yet

iPad

  • Planned, not currently available
  • Long-form notes and drafts are being explored
  • Document sharing is being evaluated
  • No tablet purchase is offered yet

Mac computer use cases

This is the desktop power mode.

On Mac, press a shortcut anywhere, speak, release, and polished text appears inside the currently focused app.

1

Hold

Press Space in any Mac app. A small desktop listening pill appears.

2

Speak

Talk naturally. Live words confirm that TalkDo is listening while local context helps recognize nearby names, filenames, and identifiers.

3

Release

TalkDo cleans the text and pastes it into Mail, Terminal, documents, MAX, or wherever your cursor is.

Terminal and codingDictate shell commands, comments, prompts, file paths, flags, and developer notes. TalkDo uses nearby local terms to improve recognition without retaining the document.
Email and documentsTurn rough speech into client-ready paragraphs, structured notes, and polished replies.
MAX and business toolsFill fields, write updates, capture decisions, and paste reusable snippets into operational apps.
Selected-text commandsSelect text anywhere, speak “make this shorter” or “turn this into bullets,” and replace it in place.
Local-first promptsUse guarded on-device Prompt restructuring on supported Macs with Apple Intelligence; otherwise TalkDo safely returns Clean Dictation.
Snippets and correction learningSpeak a saved trigger naturally inside a sentence to insert its exact expansion. Undo, replace, or reprocess the last unchanged dictation and teach TalkDo the spelling you accepted.

The system

Not ten utilities. One app with modules.

Each working module has its own permissions, shortcuts, and settings inside one calm surface.

VoiceDictation, snippets, modes, developer-safe text.
CommandSelect text anywhere and rewrite it in place.
ClipboardSearch, pin, clean, and reuse copied work.
CaptureQuick inbox for notes, links, voice, and tasks.

Product roadmap

iPhone and iPad come after the Mac release.

Mobile work is deliberately parked while the Mac dictate, clean, and insert loop is hardened. The ideas below describe direction, not currently available features.

Phone capturePlanned: record a thought, message, or note, then polish, copy, or share it.
iPad draftingPlanned: longer meeting notes, document drafts, planning, and review workflows.
Mobile insertionUnder evaluation: copy/share, Shortcuts, and an iOS keyboard bridge.
Two lightweight mobile devices showing a TalkDo voice workflow for iPhone and iPad use

Mac controls

Standard Mac keys for every module. Custom keys for every user.

These are the shipping Mac controls. Every shortcut can be changed in TalkDo Settings.

Mac moduleActionStandard settingCustom setting
VoiceDictate anywhereSpaceUser editable
CommandRewrite selectionSpaceUser editable
ClipboardOpen memoryVUser editable
CaptureSave to inboxCUser editable
All modulesReset controlsRestore standard mapClear custom overrides

Trust

Private by architecture, not just by promise.

Each module asks only for the permissions it needs. The app should feel powerful without feeling hungry.

Local-first

Audio, recognition, Clean Dictation, and available Apple Intelligence Prompt restructuring stay on your Mac. The production build contains no cloud processor.

Visible listening

The Mac recording pill shows live partial words and input level. Place it at any top or bottom Left, Center, or Right anchor directly from the menu; the choice persists. TalkDo warns at 19 minutes, completes safely at 20, and always exposes a stop control.

Permission center

Voice, Command, Clipboard, and Capture each expose only the access and settings they use.

Reference

The guide is still here. It just no longer has to be the first impression.

Open the details when you need exact commands, modules, engines, or troubleshooting.

Spoken commands
SayGet
period, comma, question mark, colon. , ? :
new line / next line / line breakLine break
new paragraph / skip a line / start a new paragraphParagraph break
copyright symbol / degree symbol / degrees Celsius or F© / ° / °C or °F
bullet point apples bullet point bananas- Apples and - Bananas
scratch thatDeletes the previous clause where safe
developer mode: dash dash force, underscore, dot swift--force _ .swift
Engines and languages

Apple Speech works instantly and on-device. WhisperKit gives better accuracy after a one-time model download, then runs offline. English is easiest; non-English works best on WhisperKit. TalkDo combines personal dictionary terms, app-aware vocabulary, and a bounded local excerpt near the cursor for recognition only; source text is not retained. Search intended spellings or heard-as variants locally, then star critical terms to place them first in the recognition prompt. On Mac, rank a primary microphone and fallbacks once; TalkDo selects the highest connected choice and keeps System Default last.

Processing and corrections

Local Machine is the only production path. Clean Dictation uses deterministic local cleanup. Prompt uses Apple Intelligence to produce a direct actionable request when available, rejects changed meaning or invented meta-prompts, and falls back safely to Clean Dictation. The menu and Hub identify which route actually produced the last result without exposing transcript text. Changed History rows open a local Raw vs Final comparison with separate copy actions; raw recognition is not described as human-verified audio. After a confirmed insertion, the menu can undo it, replace a word or phrase, or reprocess it as Clean Dictation or Prompt. Correction stops if the original editor changed.

Module permissions
ModuleLikely permission
VoiceMicrophone; Accessibility for paste; optional on-device Speech Recognition for live words
CommandAccessibility and clipboard for selected text replacement
ClipboardClipboard observation with password-manager exclusions
CaptureMicrophone for voice capture
Troubleshooting
SymptomFix
Dictation inserts nothingCheck Microphone permission in Settings - Permissions.
Text lands on clipboard onlyGrant Accessibility in macOS Privacy and Security.
Shortcut does not fireAnother app owns it. Pick a custom shortcut in Settings - Shortcuts.
Prompt restructuring unavailableEnable Apple Intelligence on a supported Mac. Clean Dictation still works without it.
Need to verify the whole pathRun Settings - Advanced - App - Run Setup Check. It requires real hotkey dictation and Voice Command insertion; typed text cannot pass.