> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.kombify.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Install SpeechKit on macOS

> Install the Apple Silicon Dictation beta and understand its limits

SpeechKit for macOS is an early beta that does Dictation only. It runs on
macOS 14 or newer on Apple Silicon. Intel Macs are not supported.

The current public release is [v0.70.3](https://github.com/kombifyio/SpeechKit/releases/tag/v0.70.3), published 2026-09-15.

<Warning>
  The macOS bundle is signed ad-hoc, without an Apple Developer ID and without
  notarization. macOS quarantines it and may claim the app is damaged. It is not.
  Removing the quarantine label takes one documented command, described below.
</Warning>

## Download

<Card title="macOS bundle (Apple Silicon)" icon="download" href="https://github.com/kombifyio/SpeechKit/releases/latest/download/SpeechKit-macOS-arm64.zip">
  Download `SpeechKit-macOS-arm64.zip` from the newest published release.
</Card>

Verify the download against
[SHA256SUMS.txt](https://github.com/kombifyio/SpeechKit/releases/latest/download/SHA256SUMS.txt)
before opening it. That file lists the Windows assets too, so check only the
line for the macOS archive:

```bash theme={null}
grep SpeechKit-macOS-arm64.zip SHA256SUMS.txt | shasum -a 256 -c
```

## Install

1. Unzip the download and drag `SpeechKit.app` into your Applications folder.
   Move it before the next step: macOS runs an app left in Downloads from a
   hidden read-only copy, and SpeechKit cannot update itself from there.
2. Remove the quarantine label in Terminal:

   ```bash theme={null}
   xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/SpeechKit.app
   ```

   Nothing is printed when it works. The command needs no password and affects
   only this app.
3. Open SpeechKit from Applications and grant **Microphone** and
   **Accessibility** when asked.

Read the full
[unsigned-release notice](https://github.com/kombifyio/SpeechKit/releases/latest/download/UNSIGNED-MACOS-RELEASE.txt)
for the reasoning behind each step. Nothing in the procedure asks you to
disable Gatekeeper system-wide or to run anything as root.

## What works, and what does not

| Capability                                                           | macOS beta                                                              |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Dictation with the bundled local model                               | Available                                                               |
| Dictation with cloud speech-to-text providers                        | Available                                                               |
| Microphone capture, text injection, menu-bar item                    | Available                                                               |
| Global hotkeys and hold-to-talk                                      | Not working in this build                                               |
| Assist and Voice Agent                                               | Not verified on macOS                                                   |
| Meeting system-audio capture, screen snapshots, wake word, local LLM | Not ported; each refuses with a typed error and its controls are hidden |

The hotkey listener installs but receives no key events, so the menu-bar item
is the way to start a dictation until that is fixed. Use the
[Windows client](/speechkit/install-windows) when you need the complete
feature set.

## Permissions after an update

macOS remembers permission grants against an app's exact signature. Every
ad-hoc signed build has a different signature, so macOS asks for Microphone
and Accessibility again after each update, and sometimes for keychain access.
That is expected for an unsigned beta.

If an update leaves dictation unresponsive, open **System Settings → Privacy &
Security → Accessibility** and switch SpeechKit back on. It picks the
permission up while running; no restart is needed.