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Getting Started

Callipso is a voice-first terminal automation system for macOS. It sits as a transparent overlay on your screen, captures voice input via speech-to-text, and routes the transcribed text directly to terminal instances inside your IDE.

What makes Callipso different?

Unlike general-purpose voice assistants, Callipso is purpose-built for developers. It understands terminal context, routes to the right pane, and integrates deeply with VS Code, Cursor, and Windsurf.

How it works

  1. Speak — Callipso listens via a local STT engine (Parakeet or SuperWhisper). No audio leaves your machine.
  2. Press a hotkey — A configurable keyboard shortcut triggers the voice route.
  3. Execute — The transcribed text is sent to your active (or pinned) terminal in your IDE.

The entire loop takes under a second. There is no cloud round-trip for speech recognition when using the local STT engine.

System requirements

| Requirement | Minimum | |---|---| | Operating system | macOS 13 (Ventura) or later | | RAM | 8 GB (16 GB recommended for local STT) | | Disk | 500 MB for the app, 2 GB for the Parakeet STT model | | IDE | VS Code, Cursor, or Windsurf |

Quick start

bash
# 1. Download and install the Callipso app
# Visit https://callipso.dev or install via Homebrew (coming soon)

# 2. Install the IDE extension
# Open VS Code/Cursor command palette (Cmd+Shift+P)
# Search for "Callipso" and install the extension

# 3. Launch Callipso
# The overlay appears. Grant microphone permissions when prompted.

# 4. Speak a command and press your hotkey
# Your voice is transcribed and sent to the active terminal.

Microphone permissions

macOS requires explicit microphone access. Callipso will prompt you on first launch. If you accidentally deny it, go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone and enable Callipso.

Next steps

  • Installation — Detailed setup guide for the Electron app and IDE extension
  • Configuration — Customize hotkeys, STT engine, and routing behavior
  • Voice Routing — Understand how Callipso decides where to send your voice
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Installation