Universal voice-to-anything hotkey. VoxCore captures once and pastes anywhere—ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, Slack, email—while saving every recording so you never lose work. One hotkey. Zero tokens. Sub-second, on-device, private by default.
Built for AI prompt workflows and cross-app dictation: fast local transcription, WAV backups for reliability, and optional VoxCompose plugin for adaptive refinement when you want LLM polish.
Hold ⌘+⌥+⌃+Space anywhere → speak → instant transcription at your cursor. Works in every app.
- Sub-second transcription - 8-second recording: VoxCore <1s, ChatGPT 4-5s
- No network latency - Local processing, instant results
- Critical for AI workflows - When prompting 20-50x/day, seconds add up
- Consistent performance - No API overhead, no rate limiting, no cloud delays
- Always saves WAV - Even if transcription fails, audio is saved
- Your recordings, forever - No cloud dependency, no single point of failure
- Real story: You spoke a 5-minute explanation. Cloud error. Recording lost forever. With VoxCore, the WAV is saved. Retry transcription or listen to the original audio.
- Reliability + Privacy - Stored locally = private + reliable
- Zero tokens for transcription - Save tokens for AI inference
- No subscriptions - Open source, free forever
- No rate limits - Transcribe 1000x/day if you want
- Real savings: 1,500 transcriptions/month = $15/month saved (at $0.01/transcription)
- VoxCompose plugin - LLM layer that learns your speech patterns
- More plugins coming - Journal mode, email mode, meeting notes
- Extensible architecture - Community plugins welcome
- Your choice: Fast-only (VoxCore) or Fast + Smart (VoxCore + VoxCompose)
- Works everywhere - ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, Slack, email, any app
- One universal hotkey - Same workflow, every app, every time
- 3-4x faster than typing - Speak 150-200 words/min vs type 40-60 words/min
- Better AI results - Verbal explanations include nuance and context
- Voice never uploaded - All processing on-device
- HIPAA/GDPR compliant - By design, not by policy
- Open source - Audit the code, verify the claims
- Your data, your control - No company has access
- Universal paste - Any app where you can type
- Offline capable - Planes, trains, anywhere (no internet needed)
- Configurable - Customize hotkey, behavior, output
- Simple by default - Works out of the box, customize if you want
# Install via Homebrew (recommended)
brew tap cliffmin/tap
brew install --cask hammerspoon
brew install voxcore
voxcore-install
# Grant permissions, then reload Hammerspoon (⌘+⌥+⌃+R)Use anywhere:
- Hold
Cmd+Alt+Ctrl+Space→ Speak → Release - Text pastes at cursor in any app
- Recording saved to
~/Documents/VoiceNotes/
Alternative: Install from source
brew install --cask hammerspoon
brew install ffmpeg whisper-cpp openjdk@17
git clone https://github.com/cliffmin/voxcore.git
cd voxcore && ./scripts/setup/install.shbrew update
brew upgrade voxcore
voxcore-install # Updates Hammerspoon integrationAfter upgrading, reload Hammerspoon (⌘+⌥+⌃+R). Your config and recordings are preserved.
AI tools are exploding. You're using 3-5 AI apps daily (ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, Perplexity). Each has different or missing voice input. Some burn API tokens. Some require internet. None save your recordings.
You've lost recordings to cloud failures. You spoke a 5-minute explanation. Cloud error. Recording gone forever. Under deadline. Can't recreate it.
You need voice input that:
- Works the same everywhere
- Doesn't cost tokens
- Works offline
- Never loses your recordings
- Keeps your voice private
VoxCore provides universal transcription infrastructure - one hotkey that works everywhere, with your voice and recordings staying on your Mac.
Developer: Prompting ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor 50x/day
Problem:
- Cursor/Warp voice burns API tokens (monthly limit forces rationing)
- Different voice input in each app (or missing entirely)
- Can't use voice freely because it costs money
VoxCore:
- Same hotkey everywhere (ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, any app)
- Zero tokens for transcription (save tokens for AI inference)
- 1,500 transcriptions/month = $15/month saved
You: Spoke 5-minute explanation to ChatGPT
ChatGPT: Sends to cloud → Error → Recording lost forever
You: Panic. Under deadline. Can't recreate it.
With VoxCore: WAV always saved. Retry transcription or listen to original audio.
Your work is never lost, even if transcription fails.
Healthcare: Doctor dictating patient notes
Legal: Lawyer recording case strategy
Business: Executive discussing confidential plans
Concern: HIPAA/confidentiality/trade secrets
VoxCore: Voice never uploaded, fully compliant
Plane WiFi: Not working
You: Still need to prompt AI
VoxCore: Transcribes locally, works perfectly
| Feature | VoxCore | ChatGPT Voice | Cursor | macOS Dictation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speed | ✅ <1s (4-5x faster) | ❌ 3-5s | ||
| Privacy | ✅ Never uploaded | ❌ Cloud | ❌ API | |
| Works Everywhere | ✅ Any app | ❌ ChatGPT only | ❌ Cursor only | ✅ Any app |
| Saves Recording | ✅ WAV backup | ❌ Transient | ❌ Transient | ❌ No |
| Offline | ✅ Yes | ❌ Cloud required | ❌ API required | ❌ Cloud required |
| Cost | ✅ $0 | ❌ Burns tokens | ✅ Free | |
| Rate Limits | ✅ None | ❌ Token limits |
- Better sentence boundaries - No more "the. Project. Vox. Core"
- Improved proper noun handling - CamelCase compounds preserved correctly
- ~+2% accuracy vs 0.4.3 with no added cost
- Sub-second performance - End-to-end <1s for short clips
- Works in every app where you can type
- Same hotkey, same workflow, consistent results
- Paste at cursor (ChatGPT, Slack, email, code, anywhere)
- 100% on-device processing (verify with Little Snitch)
- Voice never uploaded to any server
- No telemetry or tracking
- Open source - audit the code
- HIPAA/GDPR-friendly by design
- WAV files always saved (
~/Documents/VoiceNotes/) - Can retry transcription if it fails
- Original audio preserved for quality verification
- Never lose work to cloud errors
- Sub-second transcription for typical prompts
- Automatic model selection (speed/accuracy balance)
- Smart post-processing (removes "um", "uh", fixes punctuation)
- Often faster than cloud (no network latency)
- VoxCore - Fast, stateless, algorithmic core
- VoxCompose - Optional LLM layer that adapts to you
- More plugins coming - Journal mode, email mode, meeting notes
- Extensible - Community plugins welcome
- Zero API tokens consumed
- No rate limits or usage caps
- No subscriptions or hidden fees
- Free, unlimited, forever
~/Documents/VoiceNotes/
├── 2025-Nov-15_09.30.00_AM/
│ ├── .version ← Version metadata
│ ├── 2025-Nov-15_09.30.00_AM.wav ← Your recording (yours forever)
│ ├── 2025-Nov-15_09.30.00_AM.txt ← Transcription
│ └── 2025-Nov-15_09.30.00_AM.json ← Whisper metadata
└── tx_logs/
└── tx-2025-11-15.jsonl ← Performance tracking
You own these files:
- No company has access
- Move/delete/backup as you wish
- Not dependent on any service
- Standard formats (WAV, TXT, JSON)
# Install network monitor
brew install --cask little-snitch
# Or use tcpdump
sudo tcpdump -i any
# Use VoxCore and verify: zero network traffic during transcriptionIt's open source - audit the code, verify the claims.
VoxCore is designed for extensibility. The core stays lightweight, fast, and stateless. Advanced features come via opt-in plugins.
VoxCompose is the official plugin for ML-based refinement (completely optional):
- Adaptive learning - Learns from your corrections
- Context-aware casing - Technical terms, proper nouns
- LLM refinement - Optional AI-powered cleanup (local Ollama)
- Stateful processing - Builds user profile over time
Install or not? Your choice. VoxCore works perfectly standalone.
See also: VoxCompose Integration Guide for setup instructions.
Note: This feature is completely optional and only activates when VoxCompose is installed. VoxCore works perfectly standalone without any vocabulary file.
If you have VoxCompose installed, accuracy improves automatically through vocabulary sharing:
- VoxCompose learns - As you correct transcriptions, VoxCompose learns your technical terms, proper nouns, and speech patterns
- Automatic export - VoxCompose exports learned vocabulary to
~/.config/voxcompose/vocabulary.txt - VoxCore detects - VoxCore automatically detects and reads this file (no configuration needed)
- Better accuracy - Whisper transcribes technical terms more accurately with vocabulary hints
Example improvement (VoxCompose users only):
- Without vocabulary: "vox core" → "box core" or "vox court"
- With vocabulary: "vox core" → "VoxCore" ✓
If vocabulary file is missing (VoxCore standalone users): No problem! VoxCore gracefully falls back to default behavior.
Advanced: Manual vocabulary export & configuration
Export vocabulary manually:
voxcompose --export-vocabularyCustomize vocabulary file location (optional):
Edit ~/.config/voxcore/config.json:
{
"vocabulary_file": "~/custom/path/vocabulary.txt",
"enable_dynamic_vocab": true
}Disable vocabulary (even if file exists):
{
"enable_dynamic_vocab": false
}Inspired by VS Code's extension marketplace, VoxCore is designed to support community-built plugins:
- Journal mode - Transform speech into journal entries
- Meeting notes - Structure as meeting minutes
- Code comments - Format for inline documentation
- Custom workflows - Build your own refinement logic
Coming soon: Plugin API and extension marketplace. Stay tuned.
- Setup Guide - Installation and configuration
- Usage Guide - How to use VoxCore
- Performance - Benchmarks and speed improvements
- Configuration - Customize behavior
- Troubleshooting - Common issues
- Contributing - Development guidelines
- Architecture - System design
- Versioning - Releases and version management
- Release Guide - Complete release process
Q: Is my voice really never uploaded?
A: Correct. All processing is local. Verify with Little Snitch or tcpdump.
Q: How's the accuracy?
A: Whisper-level (~95%+) with smart post-processing for cleanup.
Q: Does it work offline?
A: Yes, 100%. Perfect for planes, trains, anywhere without internet.
Q: What if transcription fails?
A: The WAV file is saved. Retry transcription or listen to the original audio.
Q: Does it cost anything?
A: No. Zero tokens, zero subscriptions. MIT licensed, free forever.
Q: Will it burn my API tokens?
A: No. VoxCore transcribes locally. Save tokens for actual AI inference.
Q: What about HIPAA/GDPR?
A: Compliant by design (voice never leaves your device), but consult your legal team.
Q: Can I customize the hotkey?
A: Yes. Edit ~/.hammerspoon/ptt_config.lua.
Current (v0.5.0):
- Fast offline transcription (whisper-cpp)
- Universal paste (works everywhere)
- 100% private (never uploads)
- WAV backup (always saved)
- Smart post-processing
- Custom dictionaries
- Version tracking
- Plugin architecture (VoxCompose)
Planned:
- Multi-mode plugins (journal, email, meeting modes)
- Quick-switch keybinds for different contexts
- Enhanced privacy tools (audio encryption)
- Multi-language optimization
- Plugin marketplace
MIT — see LICENSE
Fast. Private. Secure. Yours.
Your voice never leaves your Mac. Your recordings are yours forever.
Built for people who value speed, privacy, and control.