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Yap

Yap is an open-source macOS menu-bar dictation app that transcribes speech on the device and pastes the result into the active text field.

Explore the practical guide ↓

Independent OpenViST project profile, based on linked sources.

Yap — OpenViST project profile in Audio & Voice AI.
OpenViST project illustration. See the linked sources for product details.
Understand the project

Practical overview

When it fits

Use Yap when speaking is quicker than typing and you want speech transcribed on-device into the text field you are already using.

Who it is for

  • Mac users who want to dictate into text fields across their apps.
  • People who prefer local speech processing and want audio to remain on their Mac.

Documented uses

  • Dictate messages, notes, prompts, and other text into the app currently in use.
  • Review and copy or delete locally saved transcripts.
  • Start and stop dictation with a configurable keyboard shortcut.
Before you choose

Requirements & limits

Requires macOS 26 or later on an Apple Silicon Mac. The project describes the app as free and open source under the MIT license. No account or API key is required. First launch requests microphone, speech-recognition, accessibility, and automation permissions; Accessibility must be enabled manually in System Settings.

  • Yap supports Apple Silicon Macs only; Intel Macs are not supported.
  • If the on-device speech system cannot handle the language, dictation stops instead of sending audio to a server.
  • Pasting into other apps depends on Accessibility and Automation permissions.
  • The project is written in Swift and uses Apple's Speech framework; building from source requires Xcode 26.

Check current requirements in the official documentation. Source-based guidance does not mean OpenViST has run or independently tested this project.

Source-based practical guide

Dictate into the active text field

Use Yap’s keyboard shortcut to dictate speech into the text field you are working in.

Before you start

  • Yap installed on macOS 26 or later on Apple Silicon
  • Microphone, Speech Recognition, Accessibility, and Automation permissions granted as needed

Steps

  1. Focus the text field where you want the words inserted.

  2. Press the default shortcut, ⌘⇧D, to start dictation.

  3. Speak, then press the shortcut again to stop and paste the recognized text into the field.

Expected outcome

Yap transcribes speech on-device and pastes the text into the active app’s text field.

Guide limitations

  • Yap requires Apple’s on-device speech models; if SpeechAnalyzer cannot handle the language on-device, dictation stops rather than sending audio elsewhere.
  • Accessibility must be enabled manually in System Settings for Yap to type on your behalf.
  • Intel Macs are not supported.
Documentation 1 ↗
Evidence and transparency

Sources & review

Official repository ↗
Source record details
Source availability
Active
Sources checked
14 October 2026
Original website title
FrigadeHQ/yap · Official homepage title · retained in its source language
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