Talk Dat!
Open source local dictation overlay

Talk Dat!

A trigger-only speech-to-text pill for Windows. It waits quietly, records only when you activate it, cleans up what you said, and pastes the finished text into the app you were already using.

Download for Windows Try the browser demo View source
No trigger, no recording Bring your own API key Local history and scratchpad GPL-3.0 open source

Download by device.

Windows is the active build. macOS and Linux are planned as real native packages, not pretend links. Each platform lane stays honest about what works today.

MAC

macOS

Planned. Needs signed and notarized packaging plus native verification for menu bar, accessibility paste, global hotkeys, and overlay behavior.

Read macOS plan No Mac build yet
LIN

Linux

Planned. AppImage comes first, then deeper X11 and Wayland testing for hotkeys, transparent overlay, tray, and simulated input.

Read Linux plan No Linux build yet

Checking latest public release...

Built around the moment you press the trigger.

Talk Dat! is not a web recorder and not a chatbot. It is a small desktop surface for repeated writing, fast corrections, and private local notes.

Activation

Idle until you mean it.

The pill can sit on screen while the microphone and provider connection stay off. Click the pill, hold the trigger, or use hands-free when you choose.

Providers

Cloud or local speech models.

Use Deepgram, OpenAI-compatible batch transcription, ElevenLabs, AssemblyAI, Gemini, or local on-device models without an API key.

Writing

Clean text, not raw speech.

Smart leading spaces, cleanup transforms, dictionary words, snippets, history search, and local scratchpad tabs keep dictation usable after the transcript lands.

Test the feel on site.

This section runs in the browser. It demonstrates the pill interaction, local mic level reading, and text cleanup. Install the desktop app for global hotkeys, overlay windows, provider transcription, and paste into other apps.

Mic off Browser mic not requested

Mic meter audio stays inside your browser tab. The installed app is still required for the real trigger-only recording flow.

Cleanup playground

Paste rough dictated text or use the sample. This is a lightweight browser simulation, not the full Talk Dat! formatter.

Your cleaned text will appear here.

Brand pieces.

The visual system has two core pieces: Talk Stone, the matte black app mark, and The Pill, the animated dictation surface.

Talk Dat! social card with the animated pill
The Pill is the first thing users meet: small at rest, larger when active.
Talk Dat! social card explaining no trigger no recording
No trigger, no recording is the product rule and the privacy promise.
Talk Dat! social card showing local history and scratchpad flow
Local history, scratchpad, and cleanup tools keep the transcript recoverable.

Mac and Linux path.

Cross-platform support is a build program, not a label. Each OS needs native verification before the page shows a download button.

  • macOS: package a signed and notarized app, replace Windows-only hotkeys and paste behavior, test menu bar and accessibility permissions, then publish a `.dmg` or `.pkg` release asset.
  • Linux: ship AppImage first, verify X11 and Wayland separately, support AppIndicator where possible, and document any desktop-environment limits honestly.
  • Updater: extend the in-app updater so each platform downloads only its matching signed release artifact with checksum verification.
Read full platform plan Request a platform