Potok transcribes Russian speech; this site has been translated into English for convenience.
Claude Code has built-in dictation: the /voice command turns on a mode where you hold Space while speaking or tap twice, to start and to send the recording. It works when you sign in with a claude.ai account, not with an API key, and it needs a local microphone: dictation is not available in cloud and SSH sessions. For other programs on the computer, Potok (potok.now) fits, with a response time of about 0.4 seconds.
Claude Code is a console tool for writing and editing code that accepts voice commands right in the terminal instead of typed text. The same feature exists in the VS Code extension, except in remote development sessions. Dictation in the ordinary chat interface has a separate article: voice input in Claude.
What you need before the first dictation in Claude Code
- Sign in to Claude Code with a claude.ai account: with an API key, Bedrock, Vertex or Foundry, voice input will not turn on.
- Check that the microphone is connected to the same device where Claude Code is running: dictation is not available in cloud and SSH sessions.
- Set the recognition language in the language parameter: 20 languages are supported, including Russian.
- Turn the mode on with the /voice command. By default it is hold mode: hold Space while you speak and release when you finish the phrase.
- If you like, switch to tap mode with the /voice tap command: one tap starts the recording, the second sends it.
- Note that recognition is tuned to the development vocabulary: words like regex, OAuth, JSON and localhost are recognized correctly, and the name of the current project and the git branch are automatically mixed into the hints. Dictation also works in agent view, for a background session.
| What is available | |
|---|---|
| Built-in dictation | yes: The /voice command turns on dictation in the CLI. By default it is 'hold' mode: hold Space while speaking, release and the text is inserted into the prompt. There is a 'tap' mode (/voice tap): a tap starts recording, a second tap sends it. A claude.ai account is needed (it does not work with an API key, Bedrock, Vertex or Foundry) and a local microphone (it does not work in cloud or SSH sessions). The language is taken from the language setting, Russian is available ('ru'); it also works in the VS Code extension (except for remote sessions). |
| Text insertion | yes |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Potok | hold the key, speak, release: the text lands in the field under the cursor |
Why voice input in Claude Code may not work
If the /voice command does not respond, most often the cause is the type of sign-in: with an Anthropic API key, Bedrock, Vertex or Foundry the built-in dictation is not available at all, and you need a claude.ai account. The second common reason is a session without a local microphone: in cloud environments and over SSH there is nothing to record the voice with, and the microphone must be on the same computer where the dialogue with Claude Code is going on. In the VS Code extension the same limitation applies to remote sessions. For dictation in other programs on the same computer, for example in a browser or a document editor, you can install a separate voice input program like Potok: it does not depend on the Claude Code account type and inserts text into any active field. Dictation in other AI tools, for example in ChatGPT, is covered separately.
Where Potok will not help in Claude Code
Potok is a cloud service: speech recognition runs on servers in Russia, and without an internet connection it does not work. It has no voice commands for editing text that has already been inserted, and no mobile apps either, and the free plan is limited to 2500 words per week on one device. For someone who dictates code all working day, this limit may not be enough.
Frequently asked questions
No: you need to sign in with a claude.ai account. With an API key, Bedrock, Vertex or Foundry the /voice command is not available.
20 languages are supported, including Russian; the language is chosen in the language parameter.
Potok states about 900 characters per minute by voice versus about 200 when typing, roughly 4 times faster. This is the product's own estimate, not an independent measurement.
Any microphone the system sees as a recording device will do. In Potok you choose it in the app settings or in the tray icon menu; system access to the microphone is required.
Built-in system tools (Win+H in Windows, Dictation in macOS, Voice Typing in Google Docs, Gboard on Android), voice browser extensions, and specialized desktop and web services (Potok and similar) that work on top of any app via a hotkey.
By a model estimate, the average dictation speed with Potok is about 900 characters per minute versus about 200 characters per minute with ordinary typing, so speech is noticeably faster than the keyboard.
If you want to compare for yourself
Take one of your own tasks and dictate it in Potok. The first 14 days have no limits and need no card. Potok is a cloud service: speech is recognized on servers in Russia, and it does not work without the internet.
Download PotokYou dictate in the app, and recordings and voice messages are transcribed by @potok_now_bot in Telegram. 60 minutes per month are free; the Potok subscription removes the limit in the bot and in the app.
Built-in dictation and Potok
| Tool | Where it works | Russian language | Where speech is recognized |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows voice typing (Win+H) | Windows 10 and 11 | Windows 11 only | Microsoft cloud, does not work offline |
| macOS Dictation | macOS | yes | on the device or on Apple servers |
| Potok | Windows, macOS, Linux | primary language | cloud, servers in Russia, does not work offline |
Primary sources: claude.com · code.claude.com