Claude Code voice mode, explained. And the offline alternative.
Claude Code ships built-in voice dictation. It’s free, it’s zero-install, and per Anthropic’s own docs it streams your audio to their servers. Here’s exactly how it works, and what a local alternative changes.
Claude Code’s built-in /voice dictation streams recorded audio to Anthropic’s servers; per Anthropic’s documentation, "Audio is not processed locally." It requires a Claude.ai account and is unavailable with API key, Bedrock, or Vertex authentication, and over SSH.
Edict is a $29 one-time macOS dictation app that processes speech entirely on-device. It types into any app, including Claude Code in any terminal, works with every auth mode, works over SSH sessions, and works offline.
Last verified 2026-07-11
What /voice is
Since v2.1.69, Claude Code has voice dictation built in: run /voice, then hold a key while you speak, or tap once to start and again to send (from v2.1.116). Your words stream into the prompt input, you can mix voice and typing in the same message, and transcription doesn’t consume your Claude messages or tokens. It supports around 20 languages and handles technical vocabulary well.
For a lot of people that’s the right tool: nothing to install, nothing to pay, deeply integrated. If you’re on a Claude.ai plan and you’re comfortable with where the audio goes, you can stop reading here.
What the docs say about your audio
Anthropic is straightforward about the architecture. From the official voice dictation docs: "Voice dictation streams your recorded audio to Anthropic’s servers for transcription. Audio is not processed locally."
The same page lists the practical boundaries: /voice needs a Claude.ai account, so it isn’t available when you authenticate with an API key, Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud’s Agent Platform (formerly Vertex AI), or Microsoft Foundry. It doesn’t work in remote environments, including SSH sessions. And it can be disabled by organization policy.
Side by side
Verified against Anthropic’s documentation and Edict’s shipping build on the date stamped at the top of this page.
| Claude Code /voice | Edict | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free with a Claude.ai account | $29 one-time |
| Where speech is processed | Anthropic’s servers ("Audio is not processed locally") | On this Mac. No cloud path exists in the app |
| Works offline | No | Yes, models ship inside the app |
| Auth modes | Claude.ai account only; not API key, Bedrock, Google Cloud (formerly Vertex), or Foundry | Independent of Claude Code auth: it types text like a keyboard |
| Over SSH / remote | Not supported | Yes. Edict types into your local terminal, so the remote session receives it |
| Works outside Claude Code | No, Claude Code only | Any app with a text field |
| Custom vocabulary | No | Yes, a plain CSV word list you or your agent can edit |
| Setup | None, built in | 500 MB download, drag to Applications |
Where Edict fits
Edict is one-key dictation for macOS: tap or hold Right Command, talk, and the text pastes where your cursor is. The speech models (NVIDIA Parakeet v3) ship inside the app and run on the Neural Engine, so nothing you say leaves the machine, with wifi off if you like. It’s verbatim by design: your exact words plus your own spelling fixes, never a rewrite.
For agent work specifically: a wrong-window guard keeps your prompt off the wrong app if focus moved while you talked, auto-send can submit a finished dictation to allowlisted agents, and a local MCP server lets the agent itself search your transcripts or send in files to transcribe. See the full walkthrough for Claude Code.
Common questions
Is Claude Code’s voice mode processed locally?
No. Anthropic’s documentation states: "Voice dictation streams your recorded audio to Anthropic’s servers for transcription. Audio is not processed locally."
Does /voice work with an API key, Bedrock, or Vertex?
No. Per Anthropic’s docs it requires a Claude.ai account and is unavailable with API key, Bedrock, Google Cloud (formerly Vertex), or Foundry authentication. Edict is independent of auth mode because it types text like a keyboard.
Does /voice work over SSH?
No, Anthropic’s docs list remote environments including SSH as unsupported. Edict works over SSH because it types into your local terminal and the remote session receives the text as ordinary input.
How do I dictate to Claude Code fully offline?
Use an on-device dictation app. Edict bundles its speech models inside the app, so dictation works with networking off, and the text lands in Claude Code’s prompt like typed input.
Is /voice free?
Yes, transcription doesn’t consume Claude messages or tokens. If it fits your privacy requirements and auth setup, it’s a good default.
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