With hands-free mode on, InkSpoke listens for a short name and opens dictation when it hears it. Detection runs entirely on your machine using a local Vosk model — audio is never uploaded for wake-word detection, including on the free tier.
Choosing a name
You pick from ten curated names rather than typing any phrase. They were chosen because the offline model recognises them reliably:
Annika · Athena · Cassandra · Miranda · Rebecca · Samantha · Serena · Stella · Victoria · Zeno
The default is Annika. You can optionally add a greeting prefix — hey or hi — so the trigger becomes "hey Annika" rather than a bare name. A prefix noticeably reduces accidental triggers in conversation.
Picking a name derives the other two phrases automatically:
| Phrase | Does what |
|---|---|
{name} (with optional hey/hi) | Opens dictation |
thank you {name} | Finishes and injects the text |
cancel {name} | Throws the recording away |
Sensitivity
Four levels — Low, Normal, High, and Very High (the default). The setting does one specific thing: High and Very High act on partial results from the recogniser, so they respond sooner but misfire more. Low and Normal wait for the recogniser to finalise a phrase.
hey prefix — those are the two levers that actually help.Keeping it quiet
Several defences are on by default and need no configuration:
- Speech detection gates the recogniser, so silence and room noise cost almost nothing
- A steady-noise rejector ignores fans and air conditioning
- Playback from your own speakers auto-pauses listening, so a podcast saying a similar name will not trigger it
- After a wake match, a second verification pass re-checks the audio; a failed check shows a "Didn't catch that" notice rather than opening dictation
Turning itself off
Listening stops automatically when your machine sleeps or the screen locks. You can also set an idle timeout (10 minutes if enabled) and a schedule, so it is not live overnight.