Hex

Overview

Hex is a local-first voice dictation application built in Rust. It lets users hold a shortcut, speak, and paste transcribed text into the foreground app. The macOS app is available now, with Windows and Linux betas. Ordinary dictation uses on-device speech recognition; optional OpenCode-backed features can rewrite or process transcripts when an OpenCode service is already running.

Key Features

• On-device speech transcription using downloadable local models; ordinary dictation does not require OpenCode or a cloud transcription service.
• Configurable shortcut, microphone, language, local model, recording behavior, feedback volume, launch-at-login behavior, and Dock visibility.
• Modes provide corrections, application-specific behavior, and optional text processing or rewriting.
• Annotate records screen drawing and speech, then offers paste or send-to-OpenCode actions on macOS and Linux, not Windows.
• CLI queries expose dictation history and meeting transcripts, while custom TypeScript or JavaScript transformations run in an embedded engine.
• The TypeScript SDK lets other applications use Hex for local transcription when supplied a compatible Hex executable.

Use Cases

• Dictating text into any focused application with a hold-to-talk shortcut.
• Fixing names and preferred spellings before paste with Modes corrections.
• Capturing annotated screen recordings with voice explanation for review or sending to an agent.
• Reading recent dictation history or meeting transcripts from the terminal on supported builds.

Getting Started

• macOS: install with Homebrew using brew install --cask anomalyco/tap/hex, or download the signed DMG, drag Hex.app into Applications, launch it, and complete microphone, Accessibility, and transcription model setup.
• Windows: download the x64 or ARM64 installer and run it; it installs for the current user without administrator rights.
• Linux: use the Linux install script, Debian or Fedora packages, or a binary, then follow the Linux guide for shortcuts and compositor setup.
• Optional OpenCode features require an OpenCode service that is already running and a configured model provider.

Deployment & Requirements

• macOS requires Apple silicon and macOS 15 or later.
• Windows beta runs on Windows 10 or 11 on x64 or ARM64; x64 needs a 2013 or newer processor with AVX2 (Intel Haswell / AMD Excavator or later).
• Linux beta targets x86_64 Linux on i3/X11 and compatible wlroots Wayland compositors; x86_64 needs a 2013 or newer processor with AVX2.
• Native Wayland requires compositor support for clipboard and layer-shell protocols; paste uses wtype with the virtual keyboard protocol or the desktop's RemoteDesktop portal.
• Network access is required for model installation and software updates; local model setup also needs huggingface.co and its model download CDN.

Before You Adopt

• License: MIT. Review its terms before using, modifying, or distributing the project.
• Windows support is a beta and runs on Windows 10 and 11 for x64 and ARM64.
• Linux support is a beta with processor and compositor requirements.
• History retention stores pasted dictation text and limited metadata for seven days by default, but does not store audio, full browser URLs, or window titles.
• Model installation and software updates require network access.