The fastest way to drive Cursor isn't typing a prompt — it's telling it what you want out loud. Set Clavio's wake word to “Cursor” and just say “Cursor, add optimistic updates and roll back on error.” The instruction lands in the agent pane and sends itself — nothing to press, hold, or click. Keep cleanup off and Cursor gets exactly what you said, the instant you finish, so your intent isn't quietly reworded. The same voice writes the commit, the pull request, and your Slack reply — the whole build loop becomes something you say, not type.
Talk to your editor by name: make the wake word “Cursor”
Clavio lets you pick a wake word for each app, so for the editor you set it to its own name — “Cursor.” Now you're not launching a dictation tool; you're addressing the editor. You say “Cursor, extract this into a custom hook,” it answers to its name, drops the instruction into the Agent pane, and — with auto-send on — fires it off the moment you stop talking. No key to hold, no button, no reaching for the trackpad — you describe the change out loud and Cursor starts working on it.
Fast mode: your exact intent, not a reworded version
A build instruction isn't prose — it shouldn't be smoothed, softened, or second-guessed. So for Cursor, keep Clavio on Fast: it types your words the way you said them, with no rewriting and no processing pause, the second you stop. When you say “use a map here, not a nested loop,” that's what Cursor reads — not a politer paraphrase that loses the point. At the speed of speech the agent gets your literal intent and can act on it straight away.
Keep symbol and API names exact — and go verbatim for literal code
Cursor lives on precise names — components, hooks, types, the API you're wiring up. Add them to Clavio's dictionary and “useMutation,” “SwiftData,” “getServerSideProps,” and your own service and repo names come through clean every time, instead of the phonetic guess a general dictation engine would make. And when you want to speak literal code — an inline ⌘K edit, an exact identifier, a snippet — switch to a verbatim profile so Clavio transcribes character for character with no polish at all. Describe-the-change on Fast, dictate-the-code on verbatim: two ways to speak into Cursor, each tuned to what you're actually saying.
One voice for the whole loop — commits, PRs, Slack
The agent pane is only the start. When Cursor applies a change, dictate the commit message straight into your git tool or Cursor's own source-control panel. Speak the pull request — what changed, why, how to test — and here you may want it polished, so Clavio switches to a natural tone for that window while Cursor stays on Fast. A reviewer pings you on Slack; you switch over and reply in a casual voice. Clavio remembers the tone for each app, so one wake word carries you from prompt to commit to review — and since it only answers to your voice, a teammate talking nearby never sets it off. That's what hands-free building actually feels like: you talk, and it all gets written.
Recommended Clavio settings for Cursor
| Setting | Recommended | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Wake word (per app) | Make it “Cursor” | Address the editor by name — “Cursor, refactor this” — instead of a generic trigger, with no key to hold. |
| Polish level | Fast (off) | Types your words instantly, exactly as said. No rewriting, no processing pause — the agent gets your literal intent. |
| Auto-send | On | Fully hands-free: the moment you stop talking, the instruction drops into the Agent pane and sends. You just speak. |
| Personal dictionary | Add your symbols and APIs | Keeps component, hook, and API names — useMutation, SwiftData, your repo names — coming through clean. |
| Verbatim profile (inline code) | Switch on for ⌘K | When you're dictating literal code or an exact identifier, verbatim transcribes character for character with no polish. |
Build hands-free with Clavio
Clavio is an AI dictation app for Mac. It sits in your menu bar and types finished text wherever your cursor is — Cursor's agent pane, an inline ⌘K edit, your git tool, GitHub, Slack, the browser. You set a wake word per app (say “Cursor” to talk to the editor), and choose the polish per app too: Fast with no cleanup so your intent reaches the agent exactly, or a verbatim profile when you're speaking literal code. A personal dictionary keeps your symbols and API names intact, and an on-device voiceprint means only your voice sets it off. Free to try: 3,000 words a month, no card, macOS 14+ on Apple Silicon. Pro is £12/month for unlimited.
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Common questions
Doesn't Cursor already handle voice, or macOS dictation?
Cursor has no built-in voice, and macOS dictation just types raw words into whatever field has focus — it can't send your prompt for you, keep your API names straight, or switch tone per app. Clavio is built for exactly this: you give the editor the wake word “Cursor,” it drops your instruction into the agent pane and sends it, keeps your symbols exact, and follows you into commits, PRs, and Slack. That's why people reach for it over the built-in option.
Can I dictate into Cursor fully hands-free?
Yes. Give Cursor the wake word “Cursor,” turn auto-send on, and just say “Cursor, do this” — the instruction is typed into the agent pane and sent the moment you stop talking. No key, no button — just your voice.
Will it reword my prompts or mangle technical terms?
Not on Fast — it types your intent exactly, with no rewriting. To keep component, hook, and API names precise, add them to the dictionary. And when you need to speak literal code, switch to a verbatim profile so every character lands as spoken.
Can I dictate both agent prompts and literal inline code?
Yes. For a plain-English instruction, stay on Fast and talk to the Agent pane — “Cursor, add pagination.” For literal code or an exact identifier in an inline ⌘K edit, switch to a verbatim profile so Clavio transcribes character for character. Same voice, two profiles, each tuned to what you're saying.
Can I use the same voice for commits, PRs, and Slack?
Yes — that's the main reason to use a system-wide app instead of one editor's own field. Clavio types into your git tool, GitHub, and Slack the same way it types into Cursor's agent pane, and remembers the tone per app: exact for the prompt, tidy for a PR description, casual for a chat reply. One wake word covers the whole loop.