Installation

Callipso has two components: the Electron overlay app (runs as a floating panel on your screen) and the IDE extension (discovers terminals inside your editor). Both are required.

Step 1: Install the Callipso app

Download the latest release from callipso.dev/download.

bash

# Open the downloaded .dmg file
# Drag Callipso to your Applications folder
# Launch from Applications or Spotlight

On first launch, macOS may show a Gatekeeper warning because the app is not yet notarized. To open it:

Right-click the app in Finder
Select Open
Click Open in the dialog

Apple Silicon only

Callipso currently supports Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) Macs. Intel support is planned but not yet available due to the local STT engine requirements.

Step 2: Grant permissions

Callipso needs two macOS permissions:

Microphone access — Required for voice input. macOS will prompt you automatically on first use.

Accessibility access — Required to detect which terminal is focused and to simulate keyboard input. Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Accessibility and add Callipso.

Step 3: Install the IDE extension

Open your IDE (VS Code, Cursor, or Windsurf) and install the Callipso extension:

bash

# Via the command palette (Cmd+Shift+P):
# Type "Extensions: Install Extensions"
# Search for "Callipso"
# Click Install

# Or via the CLI:
code --install-extension colinmignot.callipso

The extension communicates with the Callipso overlay over a local HTTP connection (ports 3001-3003). No internet access is needed for this communication.

Step 4: Install the STT engine

Callipso supports two local speech-to-text engines:

Parakeet (recommended)

Parakeet is a fast, accurate STT engine that runs locally on Apple Silicon using the MLX framework. It is bundled with Callipso and starts automatically.

bash

# Parakeet runs on port 5001
# No additional installation needed — it ships with the app

SuperWhisper (alternative)

If you already use SuperWhisper, Callipso can read its transcription output directly. Install SuperWhisper from superwhisper.com and enable the clipboard integration.

Step 5: Verify the setup

Once everything is installed:

Open your IDE with a terminal pane visible
Launch Callipso — the overlay should appear and detect your terminals
Look at the terminal list in the overlay — your IDE terminals should be listed
Speak a test command and press the routing hotkey (default: Ctrl+Shift+Space)

Troubleshooting

If terminals do not appear in the overlay, make sure the IDE extension is installed and the extension host has reloaded. Try running Developer: Reload Window from the command palette.

Updating

Callipso checks for updates on launch. When a new version is available, a notification appears in the overlay. Click it to download and install the update.

The IDE extension updates automatically through your editor's extension marketplace.

Introduction

Configuration