This project is free and open source under GPLv3. If FluidVoice is useful to you, please star the repository — it helps visibility and keeps development going.
Support FluidVoice
If FluidVoice makes your day a little easier, you can support its continued development on GitHub Sponsors.
What's New in 1.6.0
Insanely fast Parakeet — rebuilt Parakeet implementation with pretty much zero delay between speaking and seeing words on screen
Fluid Intelligence — fully local AI model for on-device dictation enhancement. No cloud, no API keys, no data leaving your Mac
Better Theming — adaptive light/dark theme with a compact toolbar switcher
Refreshed Onboarding — language-first voice engine setup, real dictation tryout, and AI enhancement setup in one clean pass
Warning
Based on early feedback, Fluid Intelligence may cause you to unsubscribe from other dictation apps and save money. You've been warned.
Fluid Intelligence
FluidVoice is fully open source under GPLv3. Fluid Intelligence is a separate, privately maintained local AI runtime that powers advanced on-device dictation enhancement — smart formatting, context-aware capitalization, and post-processing — all running locally on your Mac.
The app works great on its own with any supported speech model and optional cloud AI providers. Fluid Intelligence adds a fully local, private AI layer for users who want on-device enhancement without sending data anywhere.
We're keeping Fluid Intelligence private for now so we can sustainably offer the core dictation experience for free. This may change in the future.
Star History
Fluid Intelligence Sneak Peek
Email Template
Flowers
change_time_name.mp4
Email_template.mp4
Change Time & Name
Emoji
emoji.mp4
flowers.mp4
Hyphens & Numbers
hyphen123.mp4
Demo
Command Mode — Take any action on your Mac using FluidVoice
FluidVoice_1.5_cmd_mode.mp4
Write Mode — Write or rewrite text in any text box in any app
writemode_FluidVoice_1.5.mp4
Screenshots
Command Mode
History & Stats
Features
Fluid Intelligence — on-device AI enhancement for smart formatting, context-aware capitalization, and post-processing, all running locally on your Mac with zero data leaving your machine
Command Mode — control your Mac by voice: launch apps, run shortcuts, trigger system actions, and automate workflows without touching the keyboard
Write Mode — write or rewrite text directly in any text field across any app. Select text and rewrite it, or dictate new content inline
Live Preview — real-time transcription overlay with notch support, so you see words appear as you speak
Multiple Speech Models — Nemotron Speech 3.5, Parakeet Flash, Parakeet TDT v3 & v2, Cohere Transcribe, Apple Speech, and Whisper. Pick the model that fits your language and latency needs
AI Enhancement — optional post-processing via OpenAI, Groq, custom providers, or local Fluid Intelligence for cleaner, more accurate transcripts
Audio History — optional local recording history with budget controls and ZIP export, so you can review past dictations without cloud storage
Today-Usage Stats — daily usage tracking at a glance with a stats header card and toolbar pill
Adaptive Theming — light/dark theme that follows your system, with a compact toolbar switcher
Global Hotkey — instant voice capture from anywhere, no app switching needed
Smart Typing — direct insertion into any app via accessibility APIs for reliable, app-independent text entry
Menu Bar Integration — quick access, status, and settings from the menu bar
Auto-Updates — seamless updates with an optional beta channel for early previews
Per-App Configuration — assign different prompt sets to different apps, so your dictation adapts to whatever you're working in. Fully optional
Notch-Aware Overlay — transcription overlay that fits cleanly around the MacBook notch, or use a standard overlay if your Mac doesn't have one
Local-First — your voice and text never leave your machine unless you opt in to a cloud AI provider
Fastest Parakeet on Mac — one of the fastest native implementations of Parakeet on macOS, with near-instant transcription and minimal latency
Configurable Overlay — choose from pill-shaped to large overlay sizes to show live preview, or keep it minimal. Everything is optional
Everything is Optional — AI enhancement, Fluid Intelligence, audio history, analytics, and beta builds are all opt-in. The core dictation experience works out of the box with zero configuration beyond permissions and a hotkey
Grant permissions — FluidVoice will ask for microphone and accessibility access. Both are required for dictation and typing into other apps.
Set your hotkey — pick a global hotkey in settings that triggers voice capture from anywhere.
Go through onboarding — choose your voice model based on your language and latency needs. Models range from zero-download Apple Speech to high-accuracy Nemotron and Whisper.
(Optional) Enable Fluid Intelligence — download the local AI model during onboarding for on-device dictation enhancement. Everything runs locally, no data leaves your Mac.
(Optional) Bring your own AI provider — add an OpenAI, Groq, or custom provider API key for cloud-based enhancement. Keys are stored securely in macOS Keychain. Select "Always allow" for key access.
(Optional) Opt in to beta builds — Settings → Automatic Updates → Beta Releases for early access to new features.
Requirements
macOS 15.0 (Sequoia) or later
Apple Silicon Mac for all models
Intel Macs supported via Whisper models (from 1.5.1+)
~1 GB disk space for a voice model
~3.5 GB disk space for the Fluid Intelligence model (optional)
Microphone access
Accessibility permissions for typing
Building from Source
git clone https://github.com/altic-dev/FluidVoice.git
cd FluidVoice
open Fluid.xcodeproj
Build and run in Xcode. All dependencies are managed via Swift Package Manager.
Contributions are welcome! Please create an issue first to discuss major changes before submitting a pull request.
Development Setup
Clone and open in Xcode as above.
Signing:FluidVoice → Signing & Capabilities → Automatically manage signing → pick your Team (Personal Team is fine). Stored in xcuserdata/ (gitignored).
Build and run — SPM handles dependencies.
(Optional) Pre-commit hook to prevent accidental team ID commits:
One feature or fix per PR — keep changes focused and atomic
Create an issue first so work is trackable before review
Discuss non-trivial changes before opening a PR
Follow the PR template
Test thoroughly on your machine
Never commit personal team IDs or API keys
Check git diff before committing
Run Integration Tests
xcodebuild test -project Fluid.xcodeproj -scheme Fluid -destination 'platform=macOS'
CI uses unsigned builds:
xcodebuild test -project Fluid.xcodeproj -scheme Fluid -destination 'platform=macOS' CODE_SIGNING_REQUIRED=NO CODE_SIGNING_ALLOWED=NO
Privacy & Analytics
FluidVoice is local-first. Your voice, audio, and transcribed text never leave your machine unless you explicitly opt in to a cloud AI provider.
What's Collected (Opt-In)
Anonymous analytics are enabled by default to track app health and feature usage. You can disable at any time from Settings → Share Anonymous Analytics.
Collected:
App version, build, macOS version
Low-cardinality feature/config flags (e.g. app mode, major settings)
Approximate usage ranges (not exact values)
High-level success/error outcomes
Not Collected:
Voice, raw audio, or transcribed text
Selected text, prompts, or AI responses
Terminal commands, window titles, file paths, clipboard, or typed content
