---
title: How do I set up SuperWhisper to dictate to codus instead of typing?
question: set up voice dictation with superwhisper
area: dictation
order: 1
surface: desktop
audience: beginner
keywords: [dictation, voice, speech to text, superwhisper, super whisper, microphone, § key, section key, faster than typing, talk to the agent, voice typing, accessibility permission, local model, push to talk]
related: [how-do-i-dictate-to-codus-instead-of-typing, i-dictated-but-nothing-appeared-in-the-terminal, how-do-i-answer-the-agent-in-the-terminal]
updated: 2026-07-21
---

# How do I set up SuperWhisper to dictate to codus instead of typing?

Download SuperWhisper, a free third-party Mac app, from [superwhisper.com](https://superwhisper.com), allow it microphone and accessibility access, pick a free local model, and set its record shortcut to the **§** key below Escape. After that you press **§** anywhere, speak, and your words are typed for you. It is not part of codus, but it is the add-on codus users reach for most, because talking to your agents is several times faster than typing every prompt. You only set it up once.

## Before you start

SuperWhisper is a separate app made by another company, not by codus. It listens to your microphone, turns your speech into text on your own Mac, and pastes that text into whatever you are typing into, including the codus terminal. codus has no dictation of its own, so this app is what people use for it.

It is free to use with a local model. There is a paid version too, but you do not need it for any of this.

Set aside a few minutes, because the model downloads the first time and that part is not instant.

## Steps

1. Go to [superwhisper.com](https://superwhisper.com) and download the Mac app.
2. Open the file you downloaded and drag **SuperWhisper** into your **Applications** folder.
3. Open **SuperWhisper** from Applications.
4. When it asks for **microphone** access, click **Allow**. It cannot hear you without this.
5. When it asks for **accessibility** access, click **Allow** as well. This is the permission that lets it paste the transcribed text into whatever field you are in, so it matters as much as the microphone one. macOS may open System Settings for this. If it does, switch **SuperWhisper** on under **Privacy & Security**, then **Accessibility**.
6. If it offers you a licence or a subscription, choose **Maybe later**. You do not need to pay to dictate.
7. Pick a **local model**. A local model runs on your Mac, keeps your dictation private, and is free. It downloads once and can take a few minutes, so let it finish.
8. Set the record shortcut to **§**. Open SuperWhisper's **Configuration**, find the **record shortcut**, and set it to the **§** key. That is the key directly below Escape at the top-left of the keyboard, showing a **§** symbol (and **±** when you hold Shift). Nothing else on the Mac uses this key, which makes it a safe key to hold for talking.

## How do I know it worked?

Open any text box, even a fresh Notes window. Click into it, press **§**, say a sentence out loud, then press **§** again to stop. Your spoken words appear as typed text. If they do, dictation is working and you are ready to point it at codus. See [How do I dictate to codus instead of typing?](how-do-i-dictate-to-codus-instead-of-typing.md).

## Do I have to do this again?

No. SuperWhisper keeps its permissions, its model and your **§** shortcut, and reopens ready to use. You can add it to your login items so it starts with your Mac, but that is a preference, not a requirement.

## Common problems

**It records me but no text ever appears.** The accessibility permission was skipped. That one is what lets SuperWhisper type into other apps, so without it you get a recording and nothing else. Turn it on in **System Settings**, then **Privacy & Security**, then **Accessibility**, and switch **SuperWhisper** on. Full walkthrough: [I dictated but nothing appeared in the terminal](i-dictated-but-nothing-appeared-in-the-terminal.md).

**My keyboard has no § key.** Some Macs, US layouts especially, do not have one. Set the record shortcut to any other key you never press instead, and use that as your talk key.

**The model is taking a long time.** The first download is the slow part and it only happens once. Leave it running and it finishes in the background.