Control Your Mac with Voice: Agent Commands, Not Dictation
macOS already has dictation and Siri. Dictation types. Siri runs a closed Apple command set. Neither one finishes “move today’s screenshots into a folder” from a sentence.
Dottie is the other job: control your Mac with voice that calls 134 system tools. Three modes. Apple Silicon and macOS 15.4+. First 10 minutes: Getting Started with Dottie on Mac. The replacement map for Spotlight, Alfred, and Siri is this essay.
TL;DR
| Mode | How you start it | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Push-to-talk | Hold Option+Space (configurable), speak, release | Words land at the cursor, or the utterance becomes a tool call |
| Chat mic | Mic in the Dottie window | A full agent turn with whatever tools you enabled |
| Wake word | Say Hey Dottie | Floating overlay: Send, Edit, or Dismiss. Hands-free |
Setting Up Voice
Voice is on by default after install. Permissions are not. Enable the one tool category you will actually speak (Files, Calendar, Mail, or Apps) and leave the rest off.
Three modes:
- Push-to-talk. Hold Option+Space, speak, release. Words appear at your cursor in any app, or Dottie treats the line as an agent request. The binding is in Settings if you want a different key.
- Chat mic. Click the mic in Dottie’s window. Your voice becomes a message with access to the tools you enabled.
- Wake word. Say “Hey Dottie” from anywhere. On-device phrase detection. A floating overlay shows live transcription.
The older “Fn” default in some docs is stale. Landing copy and Settings document Option+Space. Remap if that chord fights another app.
Everyday Commands
Voice shines for tasks that would normally require multiple clicks or keystrokes. Dottie supports 134 tools across email, calendar, files, apps, and system control:
File Management
- “Move all screenshots from today to a folder called March Screenshots”
- “Find PDFs I downloaded this week”
- “Rename this file to quarterly-report-final”
App Control
- “Open Safari and go to GitHub”
- “Switch to Slack and message the engineering channel”
- “Close all Finder windows”
System Tasks
- “What’s using the most CPU right now?”
- “Empty the trash”
- “Turn on Do Not Disturb for two hours”
Communication
- “Send an email to John saying I’ll be late to the meeting”
- “Text my wife that I’m leaving work now”
- “Summarize my unread emails”
Fifty more, grouped by files, calendar, Mail, Safari, Photos, and Terminal: 50 things to ask Dottie on your Mac.
Tips for Better Recognition
- Speak naturally. Dottie understands conversational language, not rigid commands.
- Be specific about targets. “the file on my Desktop” is better than “that file”.
- Chain requests. “Open Terminal, navigate to my projects folder, and list what’s there”
When to Use Voice vs. Text
| Scenario | Best Input | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quick single tasks | Voice | Fastest: no typing, no window switching |
| Multi-step with review | Text | See output between steps, adjust as needed |
| Hands busy (cooking, exercising) | Voice (Wake Word) | Completely hands-free with “Hey Dottie” |
| Noisy environment | Text | More reliable than voice in loud settings |
| Dictation into apps | Voice (Push-to-Talk) | Words appear at cursor, works in any app |
Dottie supports voice and text at the same time. Switch freely. Command lists that go past these examples: automate your Mac with AI.
Three model paths
Voice is not locked to the cloud.
| Path | Voice stays | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Local (MLX / Ollama) | On the Mac. STT + model + TTS can run offline | Hardware time only |
| BYOK (xAI, OpenAI, Anthropic, Cerebras) | Audio goes to the provider you already pay | Existing API bill |
| Dottie Pro ($20/mo) | Managed models, no key plumbing | Optional. Does not unlock the 134 tools |
Verify the local path with Wi-Fi off. If it still transcribes and acts, nothing left the machine. Architecture: What Is Dottie Desktop. Siri comparison: Siri alternative for Mac.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Dottie's voice control work offline on a Mac?
Yes on the local path (MLX or Ollama). Speech-to-text, the model, and text-to-speech can all run on Apple Silicon with no network. BYOK and Dottie Pro need a connection.
What is the Dottie wake word?
Hey Dottie. Phrase detection is on-device via Apple's Speech framework. You can turn wake word off and use push-to-talk (Option+Space by default) or the in-window mic instead.
Is this the same as macOS dictation?
No. Dictation types at the cursor. Dottie can type at the cursor too (push-to-talk), or turn the same utterance into a tool call: move files, create events, draft mail. Dictation never calls Finder APIs.
Can Dottie replace Siri voice control on Mac?
Not for HomeKit, calls, timers, or Apple Watch. Yes for open-ended Mac work Siri still refuses. Keep both. Hey Siri and Hey Dottie do not collide.
How accurate is Dottie's voice recognition on Mac?
Accuracy follows the model path. Cloud STT is usually sharper in noise. Local models on Apple Silicon are faster, private, and good enough for commands. Speak the target (this file on my Desktop) instead of that file.
Can I remap the Dottie push-to-talk hotkey?
Yes. The current default is Option+Space. Remap in Settings to a function key, media key, or another modifier chord if that shortcut is taken.
What Mac do I need for voice control?
Apple Silicon (M1 or later) and macOS 15.4 or newer. Intel Macs are not supported. First launch downloads on-device models for speech and local chat (about 2 GB).