🎙️ Dictate

Desktop dictation that types into the focused app.

dictate runs as a small tray app. Press your configured push-to-talk shortcut, speak, and it transcribes into whatever app you are already using.

Current status: early desktop app. Linux and Windows 11 installs, tray controls, startup integration, recent history, model selection, API key storage, update, and uninstall paths are implemented. Signed Windows installer packaging is still future work.

Install

Windows 11 normal install:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command "iwr -useb https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/@arcforgelabs/dictate@latest/install.ps1 | iex"

Open Dictate from the Start Menu after install.

Ubuntu/Debian source install:

./install-ubuntu.sh

Generic Linux source install:

./install.sh

Open Dictate from the app launcher after install.

Windows source install, from the repo/source directory:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\install-windows-wizard.ps1

The local .ps1 installer scripts must be run from a checkout or extracted source directory. They will not work from C:\Windows\System32.

Node/npm users can also run:

npx @arcforgelabs/dictate install

Workflow

Open Dictate
Select Model
Set API key if using a hosted model
Set push-to-talk shortcut if desired
Hold shortcut, speak, release
Review Recent History when needed

By default, Dictate installs a normal app launcher entry and starts on sign-in. Startup can be changed from Settings.

Update And Uninstall

Windows installed from the hosted installer:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command "iwr -useb https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/@arcforgelabs/dictate@latest/update.ps1 | iex"
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command "iwr -useb https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/@arcforgelabs/dictate@latest/uninstall.ps1 | iex"

Windows from source:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\update-windows.ps1
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\uninstall-windows.ps1

Linux:

./update.sh
./uninstall.sh

Use -RemoveUserData on Windows or --remove-user-data on Linux only when you also want to remove config, logs, history, and downloaded model data.

What It Does Today

• Starts from the Windows Start Menu or Linux app launcher
• Runs as a tray app
• Types dictated text into the focused app
• Supports configurable push-to-talk
• Shows selected model/status in the app UI
• Supports launch on startup
• Stores hosted-provider API keys in the OS secret store
• Keeps a small Recent History for copy/paste recovery
• Provides installer, updater, uninstaller, and doctor paths

Models

Supported provider defaults:

• faster-whisper/turbo for local transcription
• openai/gpt-4o-mini-transcribe
• xai/grok-speech-to-text
• gemini/gemini-3-flash-preview

Local transcription can use CPU or GPU where supported. Hosted providers require an API key before they can be selected.

Commands

dictate
dictate --no-tray
dictate --once
dictate --once --copy
dictate doctor --quick
dictate doctor --quick --fix
dictate doctor --check-model-load

Hotword and model options are available from Settings. CLI flags still exist for automation and testing:

dictate --stt-backend faster-whisper --model turbo
dictate --stt-backend openai --model gpt-4o-mini-transcribe
dictate --stt-backend xai --model grok-speech-to-text
dictate --stt-backend gemini --model gemini-3-flash-preview
dictate --add-hotword AcmeWidget
dictate --list-hotwords

State

User state is local:

Linux:
  ~/.config/dictate/config.yaml
  ~/.local/share/dictate/

Windows:
  %APPDATA%\dictate\config.yaml
  %LOCALAPPDATA%\dictate\

Repo defaults intentionally ship with hotwords: []. Hotwords are user-specific and should not be packaged into the public repo default config.

Safety

• Dictate does not intentionally write raw API keys to config.yaml.
• API keys configured in the app use the OS secret store.
• Dictation text can be sensitive; check logs and issue reports before sharing.
• Important transcriptions should be verified before relying on them.
• Support and maintenance are best-effort.

Docs

• Windows 11 support
• Recent History spec
• Release/versioning
• Development streams
• Security policy

License

MIT. See LICENSE.