Cline lets you transcribe speech to text in an easy, built-in service

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Get Started

  1. Enable Dictation in Feature Settings.
  2. Click the microphone in the chat input area.
  3. Speak - the button turns red while recording.
  4. Click Stop Recording when done.
  5. Wait for transcription - “[Transcribing…]” will appear and then the finished transcription will appear.

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Settings

Enable or disable dictation in Feature Settings by toggling “Enable Dictation.” You can also change the transcription language to one of the supported languages.

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Requirements

Cline uses FFmpeg to capture your voice across all platforms:
  • macOS: FFmpeg (via Homebrew: brew install ffmpeg)
  • Linux: FFmpeg (via apt: sudo apt-get install ffmpeg)
  • Windows: FFmpeg (via winget: winget install Gyan.FFmpeg)
If you don’t have FFmpeg installed, Cline will automatically detect this and prompt you to install it with a single click.

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Technical Details

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Independent from Chat Provider

The voice transcription feature works completely independently from whatever chat provider you’re using. You can use Claude, GPT-4, or any other model for your conversations, and voice transcription will always use Cline’s own transcription service. As long as you have a valid Cline account with enough credits, dictation will work regardless of your chat model choice.

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Audio Format

Voice recordings are captured in WebM format using the Opus codec for optimal compression. The system records in mono (single channel) at a 16kHz sample rate, which is specifically optimized for voice recognition. The bitrate is set to 32kbps to keep file sizes efficient while maintaining good audio quality.

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Privacy & Security

Your audio is recorded locally on your machine and only the audio file itself is sent to Cline’s transcription service for processing. No audio is stored anywhere after transcription is complete, and all temporary files are automatically cleaned up to protect your privacy.

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Troubleshooting

Failed to start recording - Audio recording tools aren’t installed. Cline will prompt you to install FFmpeg - just follow the chat instructions. Invalid audio format or request data - Usually an audio recording issue. Make sure FFmpeg is properly installed and working. Authentication failed - You need to reauthenticate your Cline account. Sign out and back in, then check your internet connection. Insufficient credits for transcription service - Your Cline account doesn’t have enough credits. Check your balance and purchase more if needed. Cannot connect to transcription service - Connection issue. Check your internet connection and firewall settings aren’t blocking Cline’s servers.

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API Usage

Voice transcription uses Cline’s transcription service, which requires credits from your Cline account. Currently, voice transcription is billed at $0.006 per minute of audio. Note: We are still experimenting with this feature and pricing may change in the future.