01
Hold Control + Option
HeyVedu listens only while you hold the shortcut.
Private dictation for Mac
Speak freely.
Nothing leaves
your Mac.
Free, open-source dictation that turns natural speech into polished text anywhere on macOS—on your device, even when you’re offline.
Free foreverNo accountNo historyOn-device
Local processing
One shortcut. Any text field.
Hold. Speak. Done.
HeyVedu stays out of your way and does one focused job clearly.
02
Speak naturally
Pause, use filler words, or correct yourself mid-sentence.
03
Keep typing
Clean text appears wherever your cursor is.
Privacy, by architecture
Your voice doesn’t
need a round trip.
HeyVedu’s default dictation path runs on your Mac. There is no HeyVedu cloud, account, or transcript archive.
MicrophonePush to talk
MemoryTemporary audio
Local transcriptionOn-device Parakeet
Local cleanupOn-device S1-mini
CursorPaste into your app
✓ Audio held in memory✓ Never written to disk✓ No dictation history✓ No HeyVedu server✓ Offline after setup
Typical cloud dictationA longer journey
VoiceInternetProviderText
HeyVeduThe local path
VoiceYour MacText
Clean, not rewritten
Say it naturally.
Send it clearly.
HeyVedu removes the verbal clutter while preserving what you meant, how you meant it.
What you say
“Let’s meet Friday—actually, Monday afternoon.”
What gets typed
Let’s meet Monday afternoon.
Meaning preservedWhat you say
“Hey, um, could you send me the, uh, revised proposal?”
What gets typed
Hey, could you send me the revised proposal?
Fillers removedWhat you say
“Three things for tomorrow: finish the brief, email Sam, and book the room.”
What gets typed
- Finish the brief
- Email Sam
- Book the room
Small app. Clear principles.
Made to earn its place
in your menu bar.
Local by default
Speech recognition and standard cleanup happen on-device.
Private by design
No history, no audio files, and no HeyVedu account.
Free and open
GPLv3 source that people can inspect, modify, and contribute to.
Works where you work
Messages, notes, email, editors, terminals, and most other text fields.
Transparent optional modes
You choose the boundary.
Standard transcription and cleanup stay local. Advanced users can optionally choose a locally installed and authenticated Claude Code or Codex CLI for cleanup.
When selected, transcript text and your configured vocabulary are sent through your existing provider account. Audio and speech recognition remain on-device. These modes are not offline.
DefaultYour MacClean textLOCAL
OptionalYour MacYour CLI providerONLINE
Changed anytime from the menu bar.
Open, all the way down
Software you can
actually inspect.
HeyVedu is GPLv3-licensed and built as a focused native macOS menu-bar utility. Its privacy model isn’t a promise hidden in a policy—it’s visible in the source.
TextInserter.swiftGPL-3.0
// Keep the clipboard exactly as we found it.
let saved = snapshot(pasteboard)
item.setString(text, forType: .string)
item.setData(Data(), forType:
transientType)
postPaste()
// Restore it after the text is inserted. Native SwiftInspect every line
Before you begin
A Mac, Xcode,
and one command.
HeyVedu is currently installed from source. There is no signed binary release yet—we’d rather say that plainly.
- ✓Apple-silicon Mac
- ✓macOS 26.4 or later
- ✓Xcode with the macOS 26.4 SDK
- ✓About 2.1 GB for local models, plus build data
- ✓Internet for the initial build and first model downloads
- ✓Microphone and Accessibility permissions
Terminal
~
./scripts/run.sh1 Clone or download the repository
2 Run the command from the project folder
3 Grant Microphone and Accessibility access
Source builds are ad-hoc signed, so macOS may ask for Accessibility access again after rebuilding.
Good to know
Questions, answered.
Is HeyVedu really free?
Yes. HeyVedu is free and open source under the GNU GPLv3. There is no HeyVedu account or subscription.
Does it work without internet?
Yes, after the initial build and model downloads. The default speech recognition and cleanup pipeline runs entirely on your Mac. Optional Claude Code and Codex CLI cleanup modes require their corresponding online provider.
Does my audio leave my Mac?
No. Recorded audio stays in memory, is never written to disk, and is transcribed on-device—even if you choose an optional advanced cleanup engine.
Does HeyVedu save a dictation history?
No. HeyVedu does not store a dictation history. Debug builds log timing and errors, but not audio, transcripts, vocabulary, or typed keys.
Why does it need Accessibility permission?
Accessibility access lets HeyVedu observe the Control + Option push-to-talk shortcut and paste the finished text at your current cursor.
Which Macs are supported?
HeyVedu requires an Apple-silicon Mac running macOS 26.4 or later. Dictation is currently English-only.
How do I install it?
Clone or download the GitHub repository, then run ./scripts/run.sh. You’ll need Xcode with the macOS 26.4 SDK. There is no signed binary release yet.
What are advanced cleanup engines?
They are optional cleanup modes that use your locally installed and authenticated Claude Code or Codex CLI. Transcript text and configured vocabulary may be sent to Anthropic or OpenAI through your existing account; audio stays local.
Dictate on your terms
Less typing.
More privacy.
Turn your voice into polished text without turning it into someone else’s data.