# Controlling your computer by voice

**Short answer:** the same key that types your words also runs commands. Say *"the
quick brown fox"* and it is typed; say *"go to line 42"* and it jumps there
instead. The decision is made by a fast regex grammar running on your machine —
there is no assistant, no wake word and no network call.

## Dictation and commands from one key

Most tools make you choose: a dictation tool that only types, or a voice-control
platform you have to program. YazSes classifies each utterance as you release the
key:

```
hold → speak → release → classify → DICTATE: type the text
                                  → COMMAND: send the key sequence
```

| Say something like… | What happens |
|---|---|
| *"the quick brown fox"* | Typed at the cursor |
| *"undo that"* / *"undo five times"* | Sends undo |
| *"delete the last three words"* | Deletes the last 3 words |
| *"save file"* · *"copy"* · *"paste"* | Save / copy / paste |
| *"select all"* · *"select to end"* | Selection commands |
| *"comment this line"* | Toggles a comment |
| *"go to line 42"* | Jumps to line 42 |
| *"go to function parse_config"* | Jumps to the symbol (via LSP, opt-in) |
| *"run the tests"* / *"run the build"* | Runs the editor/terminal action |
| *"rename this to user_id"* | Renames the symbol |

Commands are **on by default** — you do not need to enable anything.

## How the classification works

Two tiers, and the second one is optional:

- **Tier 1 — regex grammar.** Fast, deterministic and offline. It handles the
  phrasings above with no model inference at all, which is why commands feel
  instant.
- **Tier 2 — optional SLM router.** When Tier 1's confidence falls below a
  threshold, a small (~0.5B) language model can be consulted to catch phrasings
  the grammar did not anticipate. Dormant unless you point
  `[commands] slm_model_path` at weights.

```toml
[commands]
slm_model_path = ""            # empty = Tier 2 disabled
slm_confidence_threshold = 0.6 # below this, ask the router
```

### When you want to be certain it types, not acts

Ordinary speech sometimes collides with command phrasing. Two escape hatches:

- **A dedicated command key.** Bind a second hotkey that *forces* command mode, so
  your main key never does anything but type:

  ```sh
  yazses hotkey command <key>     # 'off' disables it
  ```

- **The text-target guard**, on by default, means that if no editable field has
  focus your words are copied to the clipboard rather than being interpreted as
  keystrokes by whatever window is in front.

## Macros — multi-step actions from one phrase

When a single key sequence is not enough, define a macro:

```sh
yazses features enable macros
```

A macro binds a spoken phrase to a sequence of steps, so *"start my review"* can
run several actions in order. See
[macros & snippets](../how-to/macros-and-snippets.md) for the format.

Related capabilities worth knowing about:

| Capability | Enable with | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Chorded Shortcut Synthesis | `yazses features enable chords` | Speak a modifier chord instead of contorting your hand |
| Voice Snippets | `yazses features enable snippets` | Expand a spoken trigger into boilerplate |
| Voice Git Choreographer | `yazses features enable gitvoice` | Drive git by voice, with a spoken confirm before anything destructive |
| Spoken Shell Pipeline Builder | `yazses features enable shellpipe` | Compose a shell pipeline by speaking it |
| Terminal Command Safety Gate | `yazses features enable cmdsafety` | Catch destructive commands before they run |
| Voice Window Management | `yazses features enable windowctl` | Move and switch windows by voice |
| Voice Mouse Grid | `yazses features enable mousegrid` | Move the pointer and click by voice |
| Voice Fuzzy File Open | `yazses features enable fileopen` | Open a file by speaking part of its name |

Browse everything with `yazses features`, and see what any single capability does
— with a worked example — using `yazses features info <name>`.

## Per-application behaviour

Different apps want different commands. Editor profiles let the grammar map the
same spoken phrase to whatever that application actually binds, so *"save file"*
works in your editor and in your browser without you re-learning phrasing.

## Honest limits

- **This is not an assistant.** YazSes types text and sends key sequences. It does
  not browse, reason about your files, hold a conversation, or take open-ended
  instructions. If that is what you want, this is the wrong tool.
- **It is not a voice-scripting platform.** Talon is far more powerful for
  programming your desktop by voice, with a large community grammar ecosystem.
  YazSes aims at dictation-first with commands as a built-in extra — see the
  [comparison](../comparison.md).
- **Command phrasing is finite.** Tier 1 recognises the patterns it was written
  for. The optional SLM router widens that, and macros let you add your own, but
  there is no open-ended natural-language understanding.
- **Some capabilities in the table are `optional` rather than `recommended`**, and
  a few desktop-control ones need X11. `yazses features` always states the tier.

## Related

- [Coding by voice](voice-coding.md) — spoken symbols, identifiers, LaTeX, git
- [Macros & snippets](../how-to/macros-and-snippets.md)
- [Accessibility & hands-free use](accessibility-rsi-hands-free.md)
- [Change the hotkey](../how-to/change-hotkey.md)
- [CLI reference](../cli-reference.md)
- [Research: voice control](../research/voice-control.md) — the measured accuracy
  and latency behind the engines, and why whispering can be a command channel