Claude Code voice mode: what /voice does, and how to hear the replies
Claude Code has a voice input, not a voice output. Type /voice to turn on dictation, then hold Space while you speak: your words become the prompt. Claude Code doesn't read its replies aloud, and the voice mode of the Claude apps, where Claude talks back, isn't available in Claude Code. To hear each reply and answer it by voice, run Claude Code in the Claude desktop app with SpeakApp. It reads your agents' replies aloud one after another, as soon as they are ready, and you say “ok” to answer the session that spoke.
How /voice works in Claude Code
Voice dictation is built into Claude Code. Its documentation describes it this way:
- Turn it on: type
/voice. The setting stays on from one session to the next, and/voice offturns it off. - Hold to talk, the default: recording runs while you hold the dictation key,
Spaceunless you change it, and stops when you release it. - Tap to talk: after
/voice tap, one press starts recording and the next one sends the prompt. - Send on release: with
"autoSubmit": truein thevoicesettings, the prompt goes out as soon as you release the key, if the transcript has at least three words. - Limits: recording stops after 15 seconds of silence or two minutes in total.
- Account: speech-to-text needs a Claude.ai login. It isn't available when Claude Code runs on an Anthropic API key, Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud or Microsoft Foundry.
- Where it doesn't work: cloud sessions and SSH sessions. Under WSL, it needs WSLg (WSL2).
- Audio and usage: your audio is streamed to Anthropic's servers for transcription instead of being processed on your computer. Transcription doesn't count against your Claude messages or tokens.
- Languages: dictation follows Claude Code's
languagesetting, which supports 20 dictation languages, and uses English when that setting is empty.
The Claude Code extension for VS Code offers the same dictation, with the same Claude.ai account requirement.
Does Claude Code read its replies aloud?
No. None of the Claude Code documentation pages we read describes speech output or a read-aloud setting. Two features come close, and neither speaks the reply for you:
- A screen reader such as NVDA or VoiceOver can read Claude Code's labeled output lines in order. The voice you hear is the screen reader's.
- In screen reader mode, Claude Code rings the terminal bell when it needs your attention, for example when Claude finishes a reply.
The Claude apps on the web, desktop and mobile have a voice mode in beta: a two-way spoken conversation in which Claude answers out loud. Anthropic's help page is explicit about Claude Code: “In Claude Cowork and Claude Code, dictation is available but voice mode isn't.”
Hear Claude Code's replies and answer by voice
Dictation saves you typing the prompt. The rest of the loop still happens on the screen: you watch for the reply, read it, find the right window and type the next instruction. SpeakApp handles that part. It reads each finished reply aloud, one after another, as soon as it is ready. You say “ok”, speak your answer, then say “enter”, and your message goes straight into the session that spoke, without hunting for its window, touching the keyboard or looking at the screen.
With several sessions running, replies wait their turn. Each conversation gets its card in the reading toast, the panel SpeakApp shows above your windows, with read, skip, later, reply and open, and the widget's circle counts what is still waiting. A Claude Code session, a Codex task and a ChatGPT chat can be followed side by side this way, all by voice. How the reading loop works.
Where it works today: Claude Code in the Claude desktop app (Code tab), the Codex app for Windows, and ChatGPT on the web in Chrome or Edge with the SpeakApp extension. SpeakApp doesn't read a Claude Code session running in a terminal, nor sessions that run in the cloud. The full list, app by app, is on the features page.
Which one to use
| What you need | /voice in Claude Code | Voice mode in the Claude apps | SpeakApp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speak instead of typing | Yes, hold Space | Yes | Yes, wherever your cursor is |
| Hear the reply | No | Yes, Claude talks back | Yes, each reply is read aloud |
| Use it with Claude Code | Yes, in the terminal and in VS Code | No, according to Anthropic | Yes, in the Claude desktop app (Code tab) |
| Answer the right session by voice | You pick the window | One conversation at a time | Yes, you say “ok”, speak, then “enter” |
| Follow several sessions | One prompt at a time | One conversation at a time | Replies queue up, one card each |
Frequently asked questions
Does Claude Code have a voice mode?
It has voice dictation, not a spoken conversation. The /voice command lets you speak your prompt, but Claude Code doesn't read its replies aloud. Anthropic's help page says voice mode, the two-way spoken chat of the Claude apps, isn't available in Claude Code.
How do I turn on voice dictation in Claude Code?
Type /voice, then hold Space while you speak and release it when you are done. /voice tap switches to one press to start and one to send, and /voice off turns dictation off. You need to be logged in with a Claude.ai account.
Can Claude Code read its answers out loud?
Not on its own. A screen reader can read its output, and in screen reader mode it rings the terminal bell when it needs you. With SpeakApp, when you run Claude Code in the Claude desktop app, each finished reply is read aloud and you answer by voice.
Why doesn't /voice work in my session?
Dictation needs a Claude.ai login: it isn't available with an Anthropic API key, Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud or Microsoft Foundry. It also doesn't work in cloud sessions or over SSH, and under WSL it needs WSLg.
Does SpeakApp work with Claude Code in a terminal?
Not today. SpeakApp follows Claude Code in the Claude desktop app, in the Code tab, for sessions running on your computer. It doesn't read sessions that run in the cloud.
Is SpeakApp free?
SpeakApp has a free plan with every feature, within volume limits. Paid plans are on the pricing page.
Try SpeakApp
SpeakApp runs on Windows today, and the Mac beta has a waiting list. Download SpeakApp or join the Mac waiting list. To see the whole product first: What is SpeakApp? On the same topic: get a notification when Claude Code is done and an alternative to Claude's voice mode.
Sources
Claude Code documentation, read on 1 November 2026: Voice dictation, Accessibility and the settings reference. Claude Help Center, read the same day: Use voice mode. What SpeakApp reads, app by app: the features page.