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abgcto/hey-claude

Analysis updated 2026-05-18

62SwiftAudience · developerComplexity · 2/5LicenseSetup · easy

TLDR

A macOS app that lets you open and prompt Claude Code by voice, with wake-word and speech-to-text running entirely on your Mac.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((Hey Claude))
    What it does
      Voice launcher for Claude Code
      Wake word or push-to-talk
      Carries speech as prompt
    Tech stack
      Swift
      macOS notch UI
      On-device speech models
    Use cases
      Hands-free coding sessions
      Quick prompt dictation
      Editor and terminal launch
    Audience
      Claude Code users
      macOS developers
    Status
      Notarized dmg
      GPL-3.0 licensed
      Unofficial community project

Code map

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What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Open a Claude Code session hands-free by saying a wake phrase.

USE CASE 2

Speak a question or instruction and have it carried straight into Claude Code as the starting prompt.

USE CASE 3

Use push-to-talk with a held key instead of a wake word when you want more control.

What is it built with?

SwiftmacOSon-device speech-to-text

How does it compare?

abgcto/hey-claudethanhng8/supertonic-tooliliyami/macclean
Stars626164
LanguageSwiftSwiftSwift
Setup difficultyeasymoderateeasy
Complexity2/53/52/5
Audiencedeveloperdevelopergeneral

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Requires an Apple Silicon Mac on macOS 14.4+ with the Claude Code CLI already installed.

You can use and modify it, but if you distribute a modified version you must release your changes under the same GPL-3.0 license.

In plain English

Hey Claude is a macOS app that lets you open or talk to Claude Code using your voice instead of typing. Say "Hey Claude" out loud and the app opens a Claude Code session in your editor or terminal. If you follow the wake phrase with a question or instruction, that text is carried in as the starting prompt. It is an unofficial community project, not made by or affiliated with Anthropic. The app lives in the notch area at the top of your screen on MacBooks and shows a small animated mascot that changes state while it listens, processes your speech, and waits. You can choose a different face and color for the mascot in settings. As an alternative to the wake word, you can hold a key (default is the right Option key) to trigger push-to-talk, speak, then release. Pressing Escape cancels either mode. All audio processing happens on your device. The wake word detection and speech-to-text transcription run locally using on-device AI models and nothing is uploaded to a server. The app itself has no telemetry or cloud connection. The only data that leaves your Mac is whatever you send through Claude Code once it opens, which talks to Anthropic as it normally would. Installation requires an Apple Silicon Mac running macOS 14.4 or later, with the Claude Code command-line tool already installed and available in your terminal. A pre-built installer file is available from the releases page, so no programming knowledge is required to use it. On first launch, macOS will ask for microphone access and, depending on which terminal or editor you use, a few other permissions. The app can open Claude Code inside VS Code, Cursor, iTerm2, Ghostty, and macOS Terminal. The project is released under the GPL-3.0 license, meaning anyone who modifies and distributes it must share their changes under the same terms.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Walk me through installing Hey Claude on my Mac and granting it the permissions it needs.
Prompt 2
Explain how Hey Claude keeps my voice data on-device instead of uploading it anywhere.
Prompt 3
Show me how to switch which editor or terminal Hey Claude opens Claude Code in.
Prompt 4
How do I build Hey Claude from source and set up the dev loop for contributing?

Frequently asked questions

What is hey-claude?

A macOS app that lets you open and prompt Claude Code by voice, with wake-word and speech-to-text running entirely on your Mac.

What language is hey-claude written in?

Mainly Swift. The stack also includes Swift, macOS, on-device speech-to-text.

What license does hey-claude use?

You can use and modify it, but if you distribute a modified version you must release your changes under the same GPL-3.0 license.

How hard is hey-claude to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is hey-claude for?

Mainly developer.

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