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localtalk
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LocalTalk
A minimal macOS menubar app for local, private speech-to-text dictation.
Hold a key, speak, release — your words appear wherever the cursor is. No cloud, no subscription, no data leaving your machine.
How it works
Hold trigger key → microphone starts recording (in memory, no files written to disk)
Release → WhisperKit transcribes on-device
Transcribed text is typed at your cursor via the clipboard
The Whisper small.en model (~150 MB) downloads automatically on first launch and is cached locally.
Quick start (pre-built)
Download LocalTalk.dmg from the releases page
Open the DMG, drag LocalTalk into Applications
Launch it from Applications
Grant Accessibility and Microphone permissions when prompted
The mic icon appears in your menubar — you're ready
The app is signed with a Developer ID and notarized by Apple, so it should open without Gatekeeper warnings. Updates install automatically through Sparkle (verified with an EdDSA signature) — when a new version is available, you'll see a prompt with a "Install and Relaunch" button.
Build from source
Requirements: macOS 14+, Xcode command line tools, Swift 5.9+
git clone https://github.com/rusackas/localtalk<br>cd localtalk<br>make run # builds, bundles, and launches
Or build a distributable DMG:
make dmg # produces LocalTalk.dmg
Settings
Click the menubar icon → Settings… (or press ⌘,) to:
Change trigger key — default is fn/Globe; also supports Right Option (⌥) or Right Control (⌃)
View usage stats — total time recorded and characters typed
Reset stats — clears the counters
Permissions
Permission<br>Why
Accessibility<br>Detect the trigger key and type text at the cursor
Microphone<br>Record your voice while the trigger key is held
Both are requested on first launch. If you accidentally deny one, open System Settings → Privacy & Security to re-enable.
Menubar icons
Icon<br>State
Spinner<br>Loading / downloading Whisper model
Mic<br>Ready
Mic (red, filled)<br>Recording
Waveform (orange)<br>Transcribing
Warning triangle<br>Error — check Accessibility/Mic permissions
Notes
Suppresses the trigger key so macOS Dictation / Globe menu doesn't interfere
Audio is captured in memory — no temporary files are written to disk
Clipboard is saved and restored after each injection
Works in any app that supports paste (text editors, terminals, browsers, messaging apps, etc.)
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MIT license
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Releases<br>11
v1.3.5
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May 5, 2026
+ 10 releases
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Swift<br>78.6%
Makefile<br>12.0%
Python<br>8.0%
Shell<br>1.4%
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