Clabrate is a voice workspace for your Mac. Dictate finished text at the cursor, talk through an idea with the assistant, or turn on optional Cloud Voice for speech-to-speech conversation with the tools you enable.
The core loop: Hold → Talk → Insert
- Hold the dictation key — by default that’s the right ⌥ Option key, on the right side of your space bar.
- Talk normally while you hold it. A small floating HUD shows that Clabrate is listening.
- Insert — release the key. A moment later your words are typed in at the cursor, in whatever app you’re using: Notes, Slack, Mail, your code editor, a browser text box.
That’s the dictation loop. The assistant, Cloud Voice and workspace tools offer other ways to work through an idea.
The whole app, free with a verified email
Clabrate is free. Verify your email address the first time you open it on a Mac, before permission and model setup. After that, the on-device features keep working on that Mac when you are offline, signed out, or your sign-in session has expired. There are no paid tiers, no trial period and no license key. You must be 16 or older to create an account and use Clabrate.
Dictation is transcribed on your Mac, and enhancement and assistant model profiles run there by default. Boards, sticky pads, terminal and browser panes, shortcuts and settings are part of the same app. Spot is optional customization, not a requirement for any voice workflow.
A conversation that can act
Cloud Voice is optional and off until you set it up. It runs on your Clabrate account, with no Gemini API key of your own, and connects your Mac to Google. Hear replies, ask follow-ups and work with the tools you enable, including Herdr coding agents and app settings. Google receives your audio, the conversation, enabled tool results and anything you attach. Cloud Voice uses credits, and the starting credits are free. Clabrate does not sell voice credits, and nothing is sold in the Mac app.
Where to go next
- New here? Start with Install & permissions, then Your first dictation.
- Want to understand the keys and modes? Read Dictation basics.
- Want a conversation? See the assistant and Models & providers.
- Care about what stays on your Mac? See Privacy & your data.
Common questions
Does it work in every app? Anywhere you can type, Clabrate can insert text, once you grant the Accessibility permission.
Do I have to use AI or the cloud? No. During setup you can choose to have your words pasted exactly as you say them, with no model to download. Cloud AI features are off until you set them up.
Is it always listening? No. Dictation captures audio while you hold the key or have toggled recording on. A Cloud Voice conversation you start keeps the microphone active while that conversation runs; end it when you are finished. An idle app is not listening.