Guide
Dictate to Claude Code on Mac
Claude Code has a voice mode of its own, with two catches. Here is how it compares with dictating from your Mac, and how to talk a prompt that's ready to send.
Short answer: Claude Code's built-in /voice sends your audio to Anthropic and needs a claude.ai sign-in, so it doesn't work with an API key, Bedrock or Vertex. Precis types into any app on your Mac, audio stays local, and in Claude Code, ChatGPT and Cursor it puts the ask first with details as bullets.
| Feature | Precis | Claude Code /voice |
|---|---|---|
| Where speech becomes text | On your Mac | On Anthropic's servers. Claude Code's docs say audio is streamed there and is not processed locally. |
| What you need | Nothing extra. It works whichever way you run Claude Code. | A claude.ai sign-in. It isn't available when Claude Code uses an API key, Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud or Microsoft Foundry. |
| Where it works | In any Mac app, including the terminal where Claude Code runs | Inside Claude Code: the terminal and the VS Code extension, but not VS Code remote sessions |
| When the words appear | When you let go of the key | Live in the prompt, as you speak |
| Code vocabulary | Spells common tech names right (Supabase, Vercel, SwiftUI) and has a dictionary for yours | Tuned for coding terms, says Anthropic |
| Sending the prompt | Never. You press Return yourself. | You press Return, unless you turn on automatic sending |
Claude Code details from Anthropic's voice dictation documentation, read on 5 October 2026. Anthropic updates it often; check it for the current wording. Product names belong to their owners.
Claude Code has its own voice mode
Claude Code can take dictation itself: you turn it on with /voice, hold a key, and your words appear in the prompt as you speak. It's good, and for many people it's all they need. Two things are worth knowing before you choose, both from Anthropic's own docs.
- The audio goes to Anthropic. The docs say voice dictation streams your recorded audio to Anthropic's servers for transcription and that audio is not processed locally.
- It needs a claude.ai sign-in. It isn't available when Claude Code runs on an API key, Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud or Microsoft Foundry. If you work that way, the built-in mode isn't an option.
A system-wide dictation app sidesteps both, because it types into whatever app has focus and doesn't care how Claude Code is signed in.
How to dictate to Claude Code with Precis
- Click into the Claude Code prompt in your terminal or in the VS Code panel.
- Hold ⌥ Space and talk, the way you'd explain it to a colleague. Let go when you're done.
- Precis types the prompt at your cursor. Read it, then press Return yourself.
The same steps work in the ChatGPT app, in Claude in a browser, in Cursor and in Perplexity. Precis never presses Return for you, so you always see the text first.
What the prompt layout does
Precis treats ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, VS Code, Terminal and Perplexity as "AI and coding" apps and uses the Prompt Style there. Spoken thoughts ramble. The Prompt Style puts the ask first and turns the details into bullets, using only the words you said. A real example from Precis's own test set:
okay so i want you to write a swift function that groups dictation entries by day uh it should use the user's calendar not utc and the newest day should come first oh and don't use any third party libraries
Write a Swift function that groups dictation entries by day.
- It should use the user's calendar, not UTC.
- The newest day should come first.
- Don't use any third-party libraries.
Longer prompts: say "master prompt"
Start a dictation with "master prompt" (or "detailed prompt") and Precis builds sections from your own sentences. The words "master prompt" are not typed. Another real example:
master prompt, act as a senior ios engineer i'm building a dictation app for mac review my onboarding flow focus on the permissions step keep it under 300 words
Role: Act as a senior iOS engineer.
Context: I'm building a dictation app for Mac.
Task: Review my onboarding flow.
Focus: The permissions step.
Constraints: Keep it under 300 words.
If anything is unclear, ask me before you answer.
The last line is a standing footer set in the Master prompt Style. You can edit or remove it in the Styles pane.
It won't invent requirements
A rewriting model's instinct is to add things. Every Precis result passes a guard that rejects a result that adds a number, name, date, time or link you didn't say, or that answers your question instead of typing it. If the guard rejects the result, you get your own words with the ums removed. How that is tested.
Limits
- Precis treats Terminal as one app. A Claude Code session and a plain shell get the same Prompt layout. To change it, set the Style for "AI and coding" in the Styles pane, or choose "As spoken" there for no rewriting.
- The words don't appear live as you speak. They are typed when you let go of the key. Claude Code's own voice mode shows them live.
- Styles need Apple Intelligence turned on, on a Mac with Apple silicon and macOS 26.5 or later. Without it, Precis still types clean text.
- Precis picks the Style by app. It can't tell what you're asking the AI to do, so say "master prompt" when you want the sections.
Questions
Does Claude Code have built-in voice dictation?
Yes. You turn it on with /voice, then hold or tap a key and your speech is transcribed into the prompt. Anthropic's docs say the audio is streamed to Anthropic's servers for transcription, and that it needs a claude.ai sign-in.
Can I use voice with Claude Code if I use an API key, Bedrock or Vertex?
Not with the built-in mode: Anthropic's docs say it isn't available when Claude Code is configured with an API key, Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud or Microsoft Foundry. A system-wide dictation app such as Precis works regardless, because it types into whichever app has focus.
Does Claude Code's voice mode send my audio to the cloud?
Yes, according to Anthropic's docs: audio is streamed to Anthropic's servers for transcription and is not processed locally. Precis does speech recognition on your Mac and deletes the audio once the words are typed.
How do I get Role, Context and Task sections?
Begin the dictation with "master prompt" or "detailed prompt". Precis uses the Master prompt Style, which lays your own sentences out as Role, Context, Task, Focus and Constraints.
Will Precis answer my question instead of typing it?
No. Every rewrite passes a guard that rejects a result that answers what you said instead of writing it, and falls back to your own words, cleaned up.
Can I turn the rewriting off for coding apps?
Yes. In the Styles pane, choose "As spoken" for the AI and coding group. Precis then only removes ums and fixes punctuation.
Try Precis free for 7 days
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