VS Code & Cursor

TalkWriter works with VS Code and Cursor for dictating code comments, documentation, commit messages, and even code itself. Combined with TalkTone's Technical mode, it is a powerful tool for developers.

Developer Workflow

Dictating Code Comments

1. Place your cursor on the line where you want a comment
2. Type // or # (depending on your language)
3. Hold Fn and describe what the code does
4. Release Fn — TalkWriter pastes your comment

Dictating Documentation

1. Open a markdown file or docstring
2. Place your cursor in the documentation block
3. Hold Fn and explain the function, class, or module
4. Use TalkTone "Technical" for clean, structured output

Dictating Commit Messages

1. Open the Source Control panel (Cmd+Shift+G)
2. Click the commit message input box
3. Hold Fn and describe your changes
4. Use TalkTone "Concise" for short, clear commit messages

Code Mode Examples

What You Say	TalkTone	Output
"add a function called get user by ID that takes an integer and returns a user object"	Technical	Clean function signature description
"this function validates the email format and returns true if valid"	Technical	Structured comment text
"fix the off by one error in the loop counter"	Concise	Short commit message
"import react and use state from react"	None (raw)	Literal transcription

Best Practices for Code Dictation

• Use Technical TalkTone for documentation and comments — it formats output cleanly
• Use Concise TalkTone for commit messages — keeps them short
• Disable TalkTone for literal code — say exactly what you want typed
• Speak punctuation — Say "open parenthesis," "close bracket," "semicolon" for symbols
• Spell out variable names — Say "get user by ID, camel case" or spell it letter by letter

VS Code-Specific Tips

Tip	Description
Integrated terminal	Click the terminal pane, then dictate commands
Search boxes	Dictate into Find (Cmd+F) or Search (Cmd+Shift+F)
Settings JSON	Dictate key-value pairs into settings.json
Extensions sidebar	Dictate extension names into the search box

Cursor-Specific Tips

Tip	Description
AI chat	Dictate prompts into Cursor's AI chat panel
Inline edit	Trigger Cmd+K, then dictate your edit instruction
Terminal	Same as VS Code — click the terminal and dictate

Known Limitations

Issue	Workaround
Code snippets may include natural language artifacts	Review and edit after dictating
Special characters may be spelled out ("ampersand" instead of "&")	Edit manually or say the symbol name
Multi-line code blocks require separate dictations per line	Dictate one line at a time for precision

FAQ

Can TalkWriter write entire functions? TalkWriter transcribes what you say. For generating code from descriptions, use Cursor's AI features after dictating your prompt.

Does it work with Vim or Neovim in the terminal? TalkWriter can paste into the terminal, but Vim's modal editing may interfere. Use Insert mode before dictating.

What programming languages work best? TalkWriter is language-agnostic. It works equally well for Python, JavaScript, Go, Rust, or any other language.