Talon Voice Control

Talon Voice Control Setup

Custom voice control configuration for macOS using Talon.

Source code: github.com/ejfox/dotfiles/talon-overrides

Overview

Voice-driven workflow for terminal (Ghostty + tmux), macOS app switching, and window management. All config lives in ~/.dotfiles/talon-overrides/ (symlinked to ~/.talon/user/ejfox-overrides/).

The TTS feedback script (claude-say) lives at github.com/ejfox/dotfiles/bin/claude-say and the symlink setup is in sync-dotfiles.sh.

Architecture

• Community scripts: ~/.talon/user/community/ (talonhub/community clone)
• Custom overrides: ~/.talon/user/ejfox-overrides/ (dotfiles-tracked)
• Speech engine: Conformer (Talon's built-in, downloaded via Talon menu)

Files

File	Purpose	Source
settings.talon	Global settings (tmux prefix, subtitle config)	github
custom_keys.talon	Mode switching (cmd/talk) and Enter aliases	github
tmux.talon	~30 tmux voice commands (windows, panes, sessions)	github
terminal_commands.talon	Ghostty-specific: line editing, nav, git, launchers	github
macos_nav.talon	App switching, Rectangle Pro, Spaces, general macOS	github
ghostty.talon	Ghostty terminal detection (too new for community)	github
cursor.talon	Cursor IDE detection	github
apps.py	App definitions for newer apps not in community	github
nato_alphabet.py	NATO phonetic alphabet override (Python Context)	github
mode_line.py	2px colored bar at screen bottom showing current mode	github
ejfox_subtitles.py	Right-aligned subtitles below sketchybar	github
vocabulary.talon-list	~250 custom vocabulary terms	github

Key Design Decisions

NATO Alphabet via Python Override

The community .talon-list file takes priority over user overrides. The only reliable way to replace the letter list is a Python Context override.

tmux Prefix Timing

tmux needs sleep(100ms) between the prefix key and the command key. Without it, the command fires before tmux registers the prefix.

Anchored Rules for Dictation Mode

Commands must use ^...$ anchors to work in dictation mode. Without anchors, the prose capture engine swallows the command and types it as text.

Custom Subtitles

Community subtitles plugin is center-aligned with no horizontal position setting. Custom ejfox_subtitles.py renders right-aligned text below sketchybar (38px from top).

Mode Line

2px colored line at screen bottom replacing default circle indicator:

• Pink (#e60067): Command mode
• Teal (#6eedf7): Dictation mode
• Muted (#735865): Sleep mode

Complete Voice Command Reference

Mode Switching

Source: custom_keys.talon

Say	Does
cmd	Switch to command mode
talk	Switch to dictation mode
go ahead / go head / send it	Press Enter

tmux Windows

Source: tmux.talon

Say	Does
mux one thru mux nine	Jump to window N
mux next / mux previous	Next/prev window
mux last	Last used window
mux new	New window
mux rename	Rename window
mux close	Close window
mux alert / mux newest	Jump to window with bell
mux workspace	Session/window picker

tmux Panes

Source: tmux.talon

Say	Does
mux left / right / up / down	Navigate panes
mux move left / right / up / down	Move pane in direction
mux next pane	Cycle panes
mux split right / down	Split pane
mux pane right / down / left / up	Split + auto-focus new pane
mux close pane	Close current pane
mux zoom	Toggle pane fullscreen
mux sessions	Session picker
mux scroll	Enter scroll mode
mux detach	Detach from session

Terminal Launchers

Source: terminal_commands.talon

Say	Does
clear	Clear terminal
edit / run neovim	Open nvim
lazy / run lazygit	Open lazygit
files / run yazi	Open yazi file manager
run btop	Open btop system monitor
run claude	Launch Claude Code
run claude skip	Launch Claude Code (skip hooks)
run codex	Launch Codex CLI
tips	Search tips with fzf
refresh	Source .zshrc

Terminal Line Editing

Source: terminal_commands.talon

Say	Does
wipe	Clear line (ctrl-u)
wipe word	Delete last word (ctrl-w)
cancel / nope / bail	Ctrl-C
again	Re-run last command (up + enter)

Directory Navigation

Source: terminal_commands.talon

Say	Does
go home	cd ~
go code	cd ~/code
go smallweb	cd ~/smallweb
go clients	cd ~/clients
go dotfiles	cd ~/.dotfiles
go back	cd -
go up	cd ..
go paperclip	cd ~/code/paperclip
go website	cd ~/code/website
go coach	cd ~/code/coach
go connectology	cd ~/code/connectology
go vulpes	cd ~/code/vulpes-theme-lab
go subway	cd ~/code/subway-builder
go newswell	cd ~/code/newswell
go gem	cd ~/code/gem
go ddhq	cd ~/code/ddhq
list files	ls
list all	ls -la

Git Commands

Source: terminal_commands.talon

Say	Does
git status	git status
git push	git push
git pull	git pull
git log	git log --oneline
git diff	git diff
git add all	git add -A
git stash	git stash
git pop	git stash pop

Dev Commands

Source: terminal_commands.talon

Say	Does
dev server	npm run dev
yarn dev	yarn dev
install	npm install
connect VPS / connect	SSH to VPS
note <text>	Quick note to Obsidian daily

App Switching

Source: macos_nav.talon

open ghosty, open chrome, open safari, open messages, open slack, open discord, open signal, open obsidian, open claude, open figma, open finder, open music, open OBS

Window Management (Rectangle Pro)

Source: macos_nav.talon

Say	Does
snap left / snap right	Half screen left/right
snap half left / snap half right	Half screen (alias)
snap up / snap full	Fullscreen
snap down / snap bottom	Bottom half
window bigger	Grow window (cmd-ctrl-=)
window smaller	Shrink window (cmd-ctrl--)
window grid	Grid overlay (F1)
window cascade	Cascade windows (F12)

Spaces

Source: macos_nav.talon

Say	Does
space left	Switch to left Space (cmd-ctrl-left)
space right	Switch to right Space (cmd-ctrl-right)

General macOS

Source: macos_nav.talon

Say	Does
hide this	Hide current app (cmd-h)
hide others	Hide other apps (cmd-alt-h)
quit this	Quit app (cmd-q)
close window	Close window (cmd-w)
close tab	Close tab (cmd-w)
new tab	New tab (cmd-t)
new window	New window (cmd-n)
next tab / previous tab	Switch tabs (cmd-shift-]/[)
spotlight	Spotlight search (cmd-space)
undo / redo	Undo/redo (cmd-z / cmd-shift-z)
save	Save (cmd-s)
select all	Select all (cmd-a)
copy / paste / cut	Clipboard (cmd-c/v/x)
find	Find (cmd-f)
screenshot	Screenshot region (cmd-shift-4)
screen record	Screen recording (cmd-shift-5)

claude-say (TTS)

Script at ~/bin/claude-say lets Claude Code speak responses aloud:

• Mutes mic input before speaking (prevents Talon feedback loop)
• Restores mic volume after speaking
• Prefixes with tmux window number for voice navigation
• Uses macOS say -v Samantha

Lessons Learned

1. .talon-list overrides don't reliably replace community lists — use Python Context overrides
2. Ghostty is too new for community scripts — need custom app detection
3. sleep(100ms) between tmux prefix and command key is essential
4. ^...$ anchors required for commands to work in dictation mode
5. Built-in Talon subtitle controlled by speech._subtitles setting (undocumented)
6. Community subtitles are a separate plugin with their own settings
7. macOS say triggers Talon — must mute mic first via claude-say wrapper

See Also

• Dotfiles — full dotfiles setup
• CLI — terminal workflow
• Nvim — editor configuration
• tmux — multiplexer setup