# Get started

Install the Mac app, allow the microphone, and dictate into the app you already have open. Most of the setup time is the speech model downloading.

Source: https://www.talkie.to/docs/start

## What you need

A Mac with Apple silicon on macOS 26 or later. The iPhone app pairs with the Mac later; you don’t need it to start.

## Install

With Homebrew:

```sh
brew install --cask arach/talkie/talkie
```

Or install the `talkie` command and the app together:

```sh
curl -fsSL go.usetalkie.com/install | bash
```

Or [download the app](https://www.talkie.to/download) and drag it to Applications.

## Allow the microphone

Setup asks for one permission, the microphone. The rest wait until a feature needs them. Dictating into other apps asks for TalkieAgent’s microphone and Accessibility the first time you use it. Screen capture asks when you take your first screenshot or run a workflow that reads the screen.

## The speech model

Setup downloads Parakeet v3, a speech model that runs on your Mac. From then on, transcription happens locally, with no account and no key. Parakeet v3 understands 25 languages. You can switch models in Settings › Models.

## Dictate into any app

Put the cursor where you want the words, press `⌥⌘T` and talk, then press it again. The text lands in that field, whether it’s Claude Code, Slack, or Mail.

To hold a key instead, turn on push-to-talk in Settings › Dictation and hold `Right ⌃` while you talk. [Say](https://www.talkie.to/docs/say) covers the rest.

## Record a memo

In Talkie, click Record or press `R`. The memo lands in the Library already transcribed, beside your dictations, where you can search it or hand it to an agent.

## Default shortcuts

| | |
|---|---|
| `⌥⌘T` | Start dictating; press again to transcribe and paste |
| `Right ⌃` | Hold to dictate, once push-to-talk is on |
| `Right ⌃` `Right ⌃` | Double-tap to keep dictating hands-free; tap again to stop |
| `⌘` `⌘` | Double-tap left ⌘ to open the capture HUD on screenshots |
| `⌥` `⌥` | Double-tap left ⌥ to open the agent voice panel |
| `⌥⌘V` | Paste a queued transcription |
| `⌥⌘E` | Send the selected text to Compose |
| `⌥⌘Y` | Read the selected text aloud |

Change any of them in Talkie’s settings.

## Check your setup

If something doesn’t work, the `talkie` command can tell you what’s missing: the app, a permission, or a service that isn’t running.

```sh
talkie doctor
```