Chris Towles's Blog
AI Tools·

Voice to Text

Exploring voice-to-text development workflows with VS Code Speech extension
Chris Towles Chris Towles
A cinematic professional photograph showing a developer at a modern workstation, speaking into a high-quality microphone while code appears on multiple monitors in real-time as sound waves transform into visible text. The scene features warm golden light illuminating the speaker contrasted with cool blue screen glow, creating a contemplative mood about the evolution from traditional typing to voice-driven development workflows."

Installation

ext install ms-vscode.vscode-speech

Or install from the VS Code Marketplace.

Background

As part of using more AI tooling while writing and editing code, I am looking to use voice-to-text. I used to use it to write my papers in college using Dragon NaturallySpeaking, but it was a pain to set up and use.

While I don't like the idea of only "vibe coding," I do like voice as a faster medium to get my thoughts out and refine them afterwards.

I am looking to use this in conjunction with the AI tools I have been using to help me write and edit code.

Keyboard Shortcuts

I'm on Linux while writing this, so the shortcuts may be different on Mac or Windows.

There are two input modes:

  • Copilot Command: Ctrl+i opens the Copilot command palette, then press Ctrl+i again to start recording. Hitting Ctrl+i again stops the recording.
  • Dictation: Ctrl+Alt+V opens the microphone for long-term dictation recording. Hit Escape to stop. This is where I'm not giving Copilot commands, but just recording what I say as text on the page.

This is a great way to get my thoughts out and then refine them afterwards. I can also use this to write blog posts, which is what I'm doing now. I can also use this to write code, but I find it easier to just use the Copilot command.

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