Dictate to ChatGPT, Claude and other AI tools on Mac
Updated 12 October 2026
You can dictate prompts to ChatGPT, Claude or any AI chat box on a Mac by speaking instead of typing: click into the box, hold your dictation shortcut, talk, and let go. Kords types the text at your cursor in the browser or desktop app, and can press Return for you if you choose.
Why dictate prompts
Good prompts are long: background, the thing you want, the format you want it in. Most people talk much faster than they type, so speaking a prompt gets more context in with less effort, and it reads more naturally to the model.
How to dictate a prompt on a Mac
- Click into the message box of your AI tool. It can be in a browser tab or a desktop app.
- Hold your Kords shortcut (Right ⌥ by default) and say the prompt in full sentences.
- Let go. Your words appear at the cursor, usually within two seconds.
- Read it over, edit if you like, then send it.
Tips for better dictated prompts
- Lock it on for long prompts. Double-tap your shortcut to keep recording hands-free, and press once when you are done.
- Add your terms to the dictionary. Names, products and technical words such as Kubernetes or Supabase are written the way you spell them.
- Use Word for word when exact text matters. It gives you exactly what the speech engine heard, with no tidy-up.
- Say the structure. “New line” and “new paragraph” start new lines, which helps with lists and sections.
- Do not dictate secrets. Kords does not work in password fields, and you should never read keys or passwords aloud.
Press Return for you
There is a setting called Press Return after inserting, off by default. Turn it on and Kords sends the message the moment your words land, which suits chat boxes. It only presses Return if the app you were writing in is still in front.
Dictating into a terminal or an AI coding tool
A line break typed into a terminal runs whatever came before it, so Kords takes care here. In terminal apps such as Terminal, iTerm2, Warp, Ghostty and kitty it turns line breaks and tabs into spaces and never presses Return, so a spoken “new line” cannot run a command by accident. You press Return yourself.
Questions people ask
Can I dictate into ChatGPT on a Mac?
Yes. Click into the message box, hold your Kords shortcut, talk, and let go. The text appears at your cursor in the browser or the desktop app.
Can I dictate into Claude?
Yes, in the same way. Kords types into most text boxes, in any app or website.
Can Kords press Enter to send the message?
Yes. Turn on Press Return after inserting in Settings. It is off by default, and Kords never presses Return in a terminal.
Is it safe to dictate into a terminal?
Kords turns line breaks and tabs into spaces in terminal apps and never presses Return there, so nothing runs until you press Return yourself.