I loved using AI dictation to work 4x faster... but the problem was that I sucked at speaking outloud, and was much better at typing out my thoughts!
Swiftly focuses more on structuring the output of what you're saying so that it's well thought out, while still keeping the tone and meaning of what you intended.
(Inspired by Willow Voice they're awesome)
Swiftly lives in your menu bar. You press and hold a key, speak naturally, then release, and your words appear in the currently focused app.
A small indicator near the top of your screen shows when Swiftly is listening.
Privacy-first by default: transcription happens on your Mac. No audio is sent to the internet unless you choose to enable optional “cleaner text” using your own API key.
- Hold the key — Press and hold Right Option (or Right Command) to start recording.
- Speak — Say what you want typed. The on-screen indicator confirms Swiftly is listening.
- Release — Let go of the key. Swiftly transcribes and types the result into the active app.
No app switching, no copy/paste, no “dictation mode.” Just speak where you’re already working.
Swiftly follows a simple chain:
Voice → OpenAI Whisper transcription → (optional) quick LLM rewrite → typed output
- Raw transcription: Swiftly runs the Whisper model locally to convert audio into text.
- Optional cleanup (recommended): if you add an API key, Swiftly sends only the text (not audio) to a fast LLM to:
- remove filler (“um”, “uh”)
- fix punctuation + casing
- reword for clarity while keeping meaning
- Typing into the active app: Swiftly then “types” the final text into whatever has focus using macOS Accessibility.
If you don’t enable cleanup, Swiftly simply types the raw transcription.
- Mac running macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later (Apple Silicon or Intel).
- Permissions (required):
- Accessibility — so the hotkey + typing works
- Microphone — so Swiftly can record audio
- Install
- Download the latest release from the Releases page: https://github.com/luanmdang/swiftly/releases
- Or open the project in Xcode and run it (Product → Run).
- This is because I don't have a developer license so the app isn't verified. Just click the "?" top right and follow the instructions.
- It goes without saying proceed at your own discretion!
-
First launch
- Swiftly appears as a menu bar icon.
- When macOS prompts for permissions, click Open System Settings and enable:
- Privacy & Security → Accessibility
- Privacy & Security → Microphone
- If you’re running from Xcode, grant permissions to Xcode instead.
-
Try it
- Click into any text field (Notes, Mail, Messages, etc.)
- Hold Right Option, say a sentence, release
- Your text should appear instantly
API keys are never stored in the repo. If you add a key, it’s saved only in your Mac’s Keychain.
By default, Swiftly types exactly what Whisper transcribes.
If you add an API key, Swiftly can “polish” your text: remove filler, fix punctuation, and reword for clarity—without changing meaning.
- Get a key (Gemini): https://aistudio.google.com/app/apikey
- Add it in Swiftly: Menu bar icon → Settings → paste key → Save
You can also use other providers (e.g., OpenAI, Claude) if you prefer.
What I use: Gemini 2.5 Flash Lite — fast + cheap.
-
The hotkey does nothing
- Swiftly needs Accessibility permission.
- Check: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility
- Ensure Swiftly (or Xcode if running from Xcode) is enabled.
- If it’s already enabled: toggle it off/on, then quit and reopen Swiftly.
-
Nothing is typed / microphone doesn’t work
- Check: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone
- Ensure Swiftly (or Xcode) is allowed.
- Restart the app after changing the setting.
-
Something else?
- Open an issue on GitHub and include what you expected vs what happened: https://github.com/luanmdang/swiftly/issues
Disclaimer: The cute emoji logo is not mine
This project is open source. See the repository for license terms.
If a LICENSE file is included, that file applies.