Vibe coding changed how developers build software. Instead of writing every line by hand, you describe what you want in natural language and let an AI coding assistant handle the implementation. Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot Chat — they all work this way.
But here's the irony: vibe coding is all about expressing intent in natural language, and most developers are still typing those prompts. You're describing what you want in English, one keystroke at a time, when you could just... say it.
Why voice + AI coding is a natural fit
Think about how you use an AI coding tool. You write prompts like:
- "Add a new API endpoint that accepts a POST request with a JSON body containing email and password, validates both fields, hashes the password with bcrypt, creates a user record in the database, and returns a JWT token"
- "Refactor this component to use React hooks instead of class lifecycle methods, and add error boundary handling"
- "Write tests for the payment processing module, covering the happy path, insufficient funds, expired card, and network timeout scenarios"
These are paragraphs of natural language. You can speak 150 words per minute. You can type maybe 80. That's nearly 2x faster input just by talking instead of typing.
And the prompts end up better. When you type, you abbreviate. You skip context because it's tedious to write out. When you speak, you naturally include more detail, more context, more nuance — exactly what AI coding tools need to produce good results.
How it works with Voiced
Voiced is a local voice-to-text app for Mac that works in any text field — including your terminal, VS Code, Cursor, and any other editor. Here's the workflow:
- Put your cursor in the prompt field — Claude Code's terminal input, Cursor's chat box, Copilot's inline prompt, wherever.
- Hold your hotkey and speak. Describe what you want naturally: "Create a React component called UserProfile that fetches user data from the API on mount, shows a loading spinner while it's fetching, displays the user's name and email, and has an edit button that toggles an inline form."
- Release the key. Voiced transcribes your speech in under a second, cleans up filler words, and pastes the text right into the prompt field.
- Hit enter. Your AI assistant takes it from there.
That's it. No copy-paste, no switching apps. You speak directly into whatever tool you're using.
Tools it works with
Voiced works anywhere there's a text cursor. That includes:
- Claude Code — Anthropic's terminal-based AI coding tool. Hold your key, describe what you want built, release. Voiced pastes the prompt directly into the terminal.
- Cursor — The AI-first code editor. Dictate into the chat panel, inline edit prompts, or the composer.
- GitHub Copilot Chat — Works in VS Code's Copilot chat sidebar. Speak your prompt, let Copilot generate the code.
- Windsurf, Aider, and others — Any tool that accepts text input works with Voiced. If you can type in it, you can talk to it.
Tips for better voice prompts
Be specific. The same advice that makes good typed prompts applies to spoken ones. Instead of "make a login page," say "create a login page with email and password fields, a remember me checkbox, and a forgot password link that opens a modal."
Don't worry about filler words. Voiced's Smart Cleanup automatically strips "um," "uh," "like," and other verbal tics. Speak naturally — the output will read clean.
Think out loud. One of the best things about voice input is you can ramble a bit. Explain the context, the constraints, what you tried before. AI tools work better with more context, and speaking makes it effortless to provide it.
Use it for commit messages too. Describing what you changed is faster by voice than typing git commit -m "..." and trying to be concise. Just talk through the change and let Voiced handle the text.
Why local matters for developers
Some voice-to-text tools send your audio to the cloud for processing. For casual use, maybe that's fine. But when you're dictating prompts that describe your codebase, your architecture, your business logic — that's sensitive information. You probably don't want it passing through someone else's servers.
Voiced processes everything on your Mac. Your audio never leaves the device. No cloud, no account, no telemetry. For developers working on proprietary code, that's not a nice-to-have — it's a requirement.
Getting started
If you're already vibe coding, adding voice takes about 60 seconds:
- Download Voiced and drop it in Applications
- Grant microphone and accessibility permissions
- Wait for the model to download (~1 minute on first launch)
- Open your AI coding tool, hold the hotkey, and start talking
It's a $40 one-time purchase with a 10-day free trial. No subscription, no account, no API keys. Just voice-to-text that works everywhere on your Mac.