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anomalyco/hex

Local-first voice dictation for macOS, Windows and Linux: hold a shortcut, speak, and the transcript is pasted into the current app.

Open-source alternative to:Apple DictationOtter.ai

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What is it?

HEX is a voice dictation app written in Rust. You hold a shortcut, speak, and release; speech is transcribed on your own machine with a downloaded local model and the text is pasted into whatever app has focus. Ordinary dictation does not need a cloud transcription service. The macOS app targets Apple silicon Macs on macOS 15 or newer, while Windows (x64 and ARM64) and Linux (x86_64 on X11 and wlroots Wayland compositors) are offered as beta builds.

Modes let you define corrections for names and preferred spellings, apply per-application or per-website behavior in Brave, and run optional text transformations. Optional features such as Voice Action, post-processing through OpenCode, and experimental local voice commands are off by default, and the ones that rely on a model provider send the relevant transcript and context to that provider.

The project also includes a read-only CLI for querying transcript history and meetings, a TypeScript SDK for adding local transcription to other applications, and it is released under the MIT license.

Key features

  • 01Hold-to-talk dictation that pastes text into the focused app
  • 02On-device speech recognition with downloadable local models
  • 03Modes for custom corrections, per-app behavior and text transformations
  • 04Optional Voice Action and experimental local voice commands, off by default
  • 05Read-only CLI for querying transcript history and meetings
  • 06TypeScript SDK for local transcription in other applications

Use cases

  • Dictating emails, notes or messages into any macOS app without sending audio to the cloud
  • Writing with correct names and preferred spellings through custom correction rules
  • Adding local speech-to-text to a desktop application via the TypeScript SDK
  • Searching past dictations from the terminal for personal records

Quick start

  1. 1

    Install the macOS app with Homebrew

    brew install --cask anomalyco/tap/hex
  2. 2

    Or download the latest signed DMG from the HEX download page and drag Hex.app into Applications

  3. 3

    Launch HEX and complete setup: microphone, Input Monitoring, Accessibility, and the transcription model

Things to know

  • The main app requires an Apple silicon Mac running macOS 15 or newer.
  • Windows and Linux support is in beta, and the Windows installer is not code-signed yet.
  • Voice commands and meetings are not included on Windows or Linux.
  • Local model setup needs network access to model hosts, and optional OpenCode features send data to a model provider.

In collections

Open-source Mac appsPrivacy & local-first toolsAI video & audio tools

Topics

#speech-to-text#dictation#local-first#speech-recognition#macos#rust#voice-control#linux

FAQ

What is hex?
Local-first voice dictation for macOS, Windows and Linux: hold a shortcut, speak, and the transcript is pasted into the current app. HEX is a voice dictation app written in Rust. You hold a shortcut, speak, and release; speech is transcribed on your own machine with a downloaded local model and the text is pasted into whatever app has focus. Ordinary dictation does not need a cloud transcription service. The macOS app targets Apple silicon Macs on macOS 15 or newer, while Windows (x64 and ARM64) and Linux (x86_64 on X11 and wlroots Wayland compositors) are offered as beta builds.
Is hex free to use? What license does it have?
hex is open source under the MIT license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is hex still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to hex was on Nov 7, 2026.
What can I use hex for?
Dictating emails, notes or messages into any macOS app without sending audio to the cloud Writing with correct names and preferred spellings through custom correction rules Adding local speech-to-text to a desktop application via the TypeScript SDK Searching past dictations from the terminal for personal records
How do I install hex?
Install the macOS app with Homebrew: brew install --cask anomalyco/tap/hex Or download the latest signed DMG from the HEX download page and drag Hex.app into Applications Launch HEX and complete setup: microphone, Input Monitoring, Accessibility, and the transcription model
Where can I get hex?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/anomalyco/hex

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