Dictate into Terminal on Mac

We make Sorimac, so read us as an interested party. Terminal facts below come from its official pages, checked .

Terminal has no voice input of its own, so you use macOS Dictation or a dictation app. Apple Dictation stops after 30 seconds of silence (Apple support, checked October 21, 2026). Sorimac keeps listening, types into Terminal or iTerm, and can press Return for you, which suits AI coding CLIs. It is $9.99 once.

How do you set it up?

  1. Install and allow access. Download Sorimac and allow Microphone and Accessibility so it can paste into the terminal window.
  2. Decide on Auto Return. For prompts to AI command line tools, leave Auto Return on so each prompt is sent. If you type shell commands in the same window, turn Auto Return Off so nothing runs until you press Return yourself.
  3. Name your tabs. Say "Computer, register this window as tests" in a tab. Later, "Computer, go to tests" brings it back.

What do people say into Terminal?

What to watch for in Terminal

Auto Return runs what you said

In a shell, Return executes the line. Sorimac's Auto Return is on by default and presses Return about a second after the text lands. That is useful for chat-style AI tools and risky for shell commands, so turn it Off in settings if you dictate commands.

Switching tabs by voice

Registering a window remembers it by name; in iTerm2 it remembers the tab's session, and a registered tmux window is selected too. "Computer, go to tests and run them again" jumps there and types the rest.

Paste, not keystrokes

Sorimac pastes each phrase at once with Cmd+V and then restores your clipboard (text only) about a second later.

macOS Dictation in Terminal vs Sorimac

Apple's guide says to start Dictation with the Microphone key, your Dictation shortcut, or Edit > Start Dictation, and that it ends after 30 seconds of silence. On Apple silicon you can keep typing while it listens. It is free and built in.

Sorimac differs in three ways that matter at a terminal: it can stay on for a whole session, it can press Return for you, and it can move between named tabs by voice. Recognition runs on the Mac.

Sources, checked October 21, 2026: Apple: Dictate messages and documents on Mac.

FAQ

Can I dictate shell commands safely?

Yes, with Auto Return set to Off. Then nothing runs until you check the line and press Return.

Does it work in iTerm2 and tmux?

Yes. Dictation pastes into any terminal. Voice navigation remembers iTerm2 tabs by session and can also select a registered tmux window.

Where is the Claude Code guide?

See our Claude Code by voice page, which covers prompts, Auto Return and window names for that tool.

Talk to your terminal

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