Install

Install Parakey

The canonical install path is the notarised Homebrew Cask. The app then guides model loading, macOS privacy grants, and hotkey readiness from Setup Checklist.

brew install --cask rcourtman/parakey/parakey
Before you start

Requirements

Apple SiliconM1 or newer. Intel Macs are not supported.
macOS 26+Tahoe or later.
HomebrewUsed for install and updates. Parakey has no Homebrew runtime dependency after installation.
Network onceFirst launch downloads the Parakeet TDT v3 model, about 600 MB, into the FluidAudio support cache.
Two commands

Install and launch

brew install --cask rcourtman/parakey/parakey
open /Applications/Parakey.app

The Parakey icon appears in the menu bar. On first launch, allow 1-5 minutes for the model download before trying the hotkey. If setup is not complete, Parakey opens Setup Checklist; you can reopen it from the menu at any time.

Three grants

Permissions

Parakey needs Microphone, Accessibility, and Input Monitoring. Setup Checklist shows each grant, explains why it is needed, and opens the relevant macOS prompt or Settings pane.

Permission Why it is needed
Microphone Capture audio only while the dictation hotkey is active.
Accessibility Paste the transcript at the current cursor location with a synthetic ⌘ V event.
Input Monitoring Observe the chosen global hotkey from the menu-bar app.

Use the Grant buttons in Setup Checklist. The main menu also shows clickable permission rows while anything is missing, so setup can continue even after the checklist window is closed.

From zero to dictation

Step-by-step

  1. Confirm the hardware

    Run uname -m. It must print arm64.

  2. Confirm macOS version

    Run sw_vers -productVersion. It should report 26 or later.

  3. Install with Homebrew

    brew install --cask rcourtman/parakey/parakey

  4. Launch the app

    open /Applications/Parakey.app. First launch downloads the speech model (~600 MB, 1-5 minutes).

  5. Finish Setup Checklist

    Open the Parakey menu and choose Setup Checklist…. Use it to finish the speech model, permissions, and hotkey check.

  6. Hold Right Option, speak, release

    The transcript pastes at the cursor in about 100 ms.

For shell-capable assistants

Agent install prompt

Use this when asking a shell-capable assistant to install Parakey on the target Mac.

Install Parakey from https://github.com/rcourtman/parakey on this Mac.

Parakey is distributed as a notarised Homebrew Cask. Use the Cask path, not a source build.

Run:
  uname -m
  sw_vers -productVersion
  brew install --cask rcourtman/parakey/parakey
  open /Applications/Parakey.app

Stop if the Mac is not Apple Silicon (arm64) or macOS is older than 26. If Homebrew is missing, install it first or tell the user.

After launch, explain that Parakey downloads a one-time ~600 MB local speech model. Open Setup Checklist from the Parakey menu bar item and use it to finish the model, permissions, and hotkey readiness. The default dictation key is Right Option.

Plain Markdown version: install/agents.md.

Maintenance

Update and uninstall

brew upgrade --cask parakey
brew uninstall --zap --cask parakey

The in-app update menu also appears when Parakey finds a newer GitHub release. The automatic update check can be disabled from Settings.