Voice Commands
Callipso is not a command-based voice assistant — it is a voice-to-text router. Whatever you say is transcribed and sent directly to the terminal as typed text. There are no predefined "commands" to memorize.
That said, there are patterns that work particularly well with voice coding.
Natural language to terminal
Since Callipso routes to terminals running Claude Code (or any CLI), you can speak naturally:
# What you say:
"Fix the authentication bug in the login handler"
# What gets typed into the terminal:
Fix the authentication bug in the login handler
The transcription is literal. Callipso does not interpret or transform your speech — it transcribes and delivers.
Tips for effective voice coding
Be specific
The STT engine works best with clear, specific instructions. Instead of "fix that thing", say "fix the null pointer exception in the user service getUserById method".
Spell out technical terms
For unusual identifiers, spell them out: "the function get user by I-D" will transcribe more accurately than "getUserById" spoken as one word.
Use pauses
The STT engine uses silence detection to determine when you have finished speaking. A brief pause (0.5-1 second) signals the end of your input.
Punctuation
Parakeet handles punctuation automatically based on context. Commas, periods, and question marks are inserted where natural. For explicit punctuation, say the word: "comma", "period", "question mark".
Overlay voice commands
While general voice input is routed to terminals, a few phrases are intercepted by Callipso itself when the overlay is focused:
| Phrase | Action | |---|---| | "switch to terminal [name]" | Changes the active terminal target | | "pin this terminal" | Pins the currently selected terminal | | "unpin" | Removes the terminal pin | | "show terminals" | Expands the terminal list in the overlay |
These overlay commands only trigger when the Callipso overlay has focus. When the overlay is not focused, all speech goes to the target terminal.
Working with Claude Code
The most common use case for Callipso is dictating prompts to Claude Code sessions. Here are some patterns:
Starting a task
"Create a new React component called UserProfile that displays
the user's avatar, name, and bio. Use Tailwind for styling."
Debugging
"The build is failing with a type error in stateManager.ts
on line 142. The property sessions does not exist on type
OverlayState. Can you investigate?"
Follow-up instructions
"That looks good but change the font size to 14 pixels
and add a hover state to the button."
File operations
"Read the contents of lib/utils.ts and explain what
the cn function does."
STT accuracy tips
The Parakeet model is tuned for developer vocabulary, but you can improve accuracy:
- Speak at a normal pace — rushing causes the model to merge words
- Use a decent microphone — the built-in Mac microphone works, but a headset or desk mic produces better results
- Reduce background noise — the model handles moderate noise but struggles with loud environments
- Enunciate file paths — say "src slash utils dot ts" rather than running it together
Callipso logs all transcriptions to the app log. If you notice consistent misrecognitions, check the logs to identify patterns and consider adjusting your microphone setup.