Private dictation
Voice typing that
stays on your computer.
If you would rather not send the audio of your thoughts to a hosted AI service, Scribulate turns your words into text right where you are writing. After the initial model setup, speech recognition and text cleanup run locally. Model downloads, and any update check or download you trigger, still need the network.
How a dictation works
Three steps, all on your keyboard.
Keep your usual writing app in focus. Hold your shortcut, speak, release. Scribulate handles the rest without sending the audio out for processing.
- 01
Hold your shortcut.
Choose the keys that feel natural to you in Settings. The default is Ctrl+Win; F8 is a common alternative. Keep your writing app in focus the whole time.
- 02
Speak naturally.
An email, a reply, the idea you do not want to lose. Speak at your own pace. The audio is processed on your computer after model setup.
- 03
Release. Review. Carry on.
Wait for local processing, review the cleaned text, and keep writing. The dictation is saved to a local history with the original alongside the cleaned version.
What stays on your computer
A quieter way to put a thought on a page.
The same machine that heard you speak is the one that writes the text. The two processing steps that touch your audio run locally after setup.
Speak into any focused app.Hold your shortcut while your email, message, or document is in focus. Speak at your own pace. When you release, Scribulate writes the cleaned text to your clipboard and tries to paste it where you are typing.
Transcription and cleanup run locally.After the one-time model setup, both the speech recognition and the text cleanup run on your computer. Your audio is not sent to a hosted AI service for those steps. Model downloads and user-requested update checks and downloads still need the network, and any export or integration you choose can move it further on purpose.
Saved dictations stay on your device.Each finished dictation is saved to a local history with the original and the cleaned text side by side. You can search, copy, or revisit them. Raw audio is removed after normal processing unless you opt to retain it in Settings. Interrupted processing can leave audio files behind; you can remove them manually.
A few good questions
Before you start dictating.
Does my audio go to the cloud when I dictate?
The two processing steps that touch your audio — speech recognition and text cleanup — run locally on your computer after the initial model setup. The only network uses are the model downloads, and the update checks and downloads you choose to run from inside the app. Exports and any third-party integrations you set up can move text further on your instructions; the local-by-default behaviour covers the dictate-into-another-app path.
Does it work offline?
Once the local models are installed, dictation and text processing run without a network connection. Model downloads, and any update check or download you trigger, do need the network.
Do I need an account, an API key, or Ollama?
No. Scribulate works without an account, without an API key, and without Ollama or a separate server. Accounts and optional paid features are planned for a later version.
Where do my saved dictations live?
Saved dictations live in a local history on your computer. You can search, copy, or open them from inside Scribulate. They are not encrypted by the app, so the usual device-level protections apply.
What happens to the raw audio?
Raw audio is deleted after normal processing by default. You can opt to retain it in Settings if you want a permanent record. Saved dictations remain on your computer until you delete them. Interrupted processing can leave audio files behind.
Can I use it for meeting recordings too?
Yes, but meetings are a separate flow. Choose Start meeting to capture your microphone and your computer’s default audio output, with Me and Them labels on each line. Visit the local meeting notes page for the meeting-specific walkthrough.
Ready when you are
Say it. Scribulate it.
Get ScribulateRead the privacy policy for the full picture, see how local meeting notes handle recordings, or return home for the rest of the story.