*Press "Control + ~" → Speak → Text appears instantly at your cursor*
🚀 Lightning-fast AI transcription directly at your cursor - The fastest way from voice to text
MLX-Transcribe is a NATIVE SIGNED privacy-first, lightning-fast transcription app for macOS that transforms your voice into text instantly at your cursor position. Built with Apple Silicon optimization and seamless integration with MLX-GUI, it's the perfect tool for developers, writers, and anyone who values speed and privacy.
- ⚡ Instant Transcription - Press
Control + `and speak - text appears instantly at your cursor - 🤖 Local AI First - Seamless MLX-GUI integration with automatic model management
- 🛡️ Privacy Focused - Your voice never leaves your machine with local processing
- 🎛️ Multi-API Support - Works with Local MLX, OpenAI, and Groq endpoints
- ⌨️ Customizable Hotkeys - Configure any key combination that works for you
- 🎯 Universal Cursor - Works in any app - text editors, browsers, chat apps, terminals
- 🚀 Menu Bar Native - Lightweight, always-accessible menu bar app
- 🔄 Auto-Install Models - Automatically downloads and loads Parakeet models via MLX-GUI
- 🏃♂️ Startup Ready - Optional login item for seamless workflow integration
- Download the latest release from Releases
- Open the
.zipfile and drag MLX-Transcribe to Applications - Launch and grant accessibility permissions when prompted
MLX-Transcribe will automatically request microphone access on first launch.
For text insertion at cursor:
- Click "Grant Accessibility" in the menu bar popup
- Add MLX-Transcribe to Privacy & Security → Accessibility
- Restart the app after granting permission
- Local MLX (Default): Integrates with MLX-GUI - models auto-install
- OpenAI: Add your API key in settings
- Groq: Add your Groq API key for fast cloud transcription
- Press
Control + ~(or your custom hotkey) - Speak clearly while you see the red recording indicator
- Press
Control + ~to stop recording, orControl + ~again - Text appears instantly at your cursor position
Click the 🎤 icon in your menu bar to:
- View transcription status
- Configure hotkeys and API settings
- Enable "Start on Login"
- Check permissions and connection status
- Best Results: Speak clearly and pause briefly between sentences
- Quick Stop: Press
Control + ~while recording to stop immediately - Works Everywhere: Terminal, VS Code, Slack, browsers, documents
- Privacy Mode: Use local MLX processing to keep everything offline
Endpoint: http://127.0.0.1:8000/v1/audio/transcriptions
Model: parakeet-tdt-0-6b-v2 (auto-installed)
API Key: Not required
Endpoint: https://api.openai.com/v1/audio/transcriptions
Model: whisper-1
API Key: Required (sk-...)
Endpoint: https://api.groq.com/openai/v1/audio/transcriptions
Model: whisper-large-v3-turbo
API Key: Required (gsk_...)
- macOS: 12.0 (Monterey) or later
- Architecture: Intel x86_64 or Apple Silicon (arm64)
- Memory: 4GB RAM minimum, 8GB recommended
- Storage: 50MB for app, additional space for local models
- For Local MLX: MLX-GUI installed and running
Popular combinations:
Control + ~(Default) - Great for developersShift + Tab- Alternative optionOption + Space- Quick accessF5- Function key option
- Start/Stop Recording: Your configured hotkey (default:
Control + ~) - Force Stop:
Control + ~(while recording) - Open Menu: Click menu bar icon
We welcome contributions! Here's how you can help:
- 🐛 Report Issues: Found a bug? Open an issue
- 💡 Feature Requests: Have an idea? We'd love to hear it!
- 🔧 Code Contributions: Fork, branch, commit, and PR
- 📖 Documentation: Help improve our docs and examples
- ⭐ Star the Repo: Show your support!
| Metric | Local MLX | OpenAI | Groq |
|---|---|---|---|
| Latency | 🟢 ~2-4s | 🟡 ~3-8s | 🟢 ~1-3s |
| Privacy | 🟢 100% Local | 🔴 Cloud | 🔴 Cloud |
| Accuracy | 🟢 Excellent | 🟢 Excellent | 🟢 Excellent |
| Cost | 🟢 Free | 🟡 $0.006/min | 🟡 $0.00011/min |
- MLX-GUI - The powerful MLX interface that powers local transcription
- matthewrogers.org - Creator's website and blog
Freeware License - see LICENSE file for details.
- Built with ❤️ by Matthew Rogers
- Powered by MLX-GUI for local AI processing
- Uses Apple's Speech Recognition framework
- Inspired by the need for privacy-first transcription tools
Made with 🎤 and ⚡ for the developer community
MLX-Transcribe - Where voice meets code at the speed of thought


