VS Code read aloud: hear AI replies while you keep coding
SpeakApp reads your AI agents' replies aloud, one after another, and that includes the AI conversations in VS Code: you do not go back to their window to read each one. In VS Code, you answer by dictating into its text field. Dictation types wherever your text cursor is, in any text field, and it is a separate function from the reading loop. The sequence “ok”, your answer, “enter” sends your message into the session that spoke. It works in Claude Desktop (the Code tab and local Cowork), the Codex app for Windows and ChatGPT in Chrome, not in VS Code. VS Code has voice features of its own, described in its documentation. Keep reviewing code and diffs on screen: hearing a reply does not replace inspecting a change.
How does SpeakApp read VS Code's replies?
When an AI conversation in VS Code finishes a reply, SpeakApp reads it to you in turn, without sending you back to its window. If several replies arrive, they wait in a queue and play one after the other, VS Code's alongside those of your other agents.
Each waiting conversation gets its card in the reading toast, the panel SpeakApp shows above your windows. You can read it, skip it or put it off until later, and the widget's circle counts what is still waiting.
Suppose an agent in VS Code finishes an explanation while you are working on a function. Its reply joins the queue and is read in turn, and your eyes stay on the code. You decide then whether to hear it, skip it or open the conversation and inspect the change.
How do you answer in VS Code?
Click into the text field of the AI conversation in VS Code and dictate. Dictation types wherever your text cursor is, in any text field, so it works in VS Code like anywhere else. Read the text, then send it the way you usually do.
The spoken sequence “ok”, your answer, “enter” does not work in VS Code. It sends your answer into the session that spoke in the apps listed in the table below.
What does VS Code do on its own?
VS Code documents voice features of its own: built-in dictation, an experimental Voice Mode that also reads the agent's responses aloud and listens for follow-up requests, and the VS Code Speech extension, which provides text-to-speech for chat responses. The documentation says Voice Mode is experimental and might change or be removed.
SpeakApp is for the case where several conversations, in VS Code and in other apps, finish at different times: it reads their replies in one queue, and you decide what to handle first.
Where can you listen, and where can you answer by voice?
Listening and answering are two separate lists. Do not infer reply support from the listening list.
| App | Listen | Answer in the session by voice |
|---|---|---|
| VS Code | Yes | No, dictate into its field |
| Claude Desktop (the Code tab and local Cowork) | Yes | Yes |
| The Codex app for Windows | Yes | Yes |
| ChatGPT on the web, in Chrome with the SpeakApp extension | Yes | Yes |
| Cursor | Yes | No, dictate into its field |
| Claude.ai on the web, with the SpeakApp extension | Yes | No, dictate into its field |
The features page lists the status of each app. A conversation that runs remotely in the cloud leaves no trace on your disk, so SpeakApp can neither read it nor reply to it.
Should you still review the code on screen?
Yes. Hearing a reply tells you what the agent said, not whether the change is right. Open VS Code for diffs, file names and exact identifiers, and keep the reading loop for the explanations around them.
This page covers what SpeakApp adds around VS Code. The voice features of VS Code itself are described in its documentation.
Related guides
Sources
Visual Studio Code documentation, read on 1 November 2026: voice and dictation. What SpeakApp reads, app by app: the features page.
Frequently asked questions
Can SpeakApp read AI replies aloud in VS Code?
Yes. SpeakApp reads each finished reply of the AI conversations in VS Code aloud, one after another, together with the replies of your other agents.
Can I answer a VS Code session by saying “ok”?
No. The sequence “ok”, your answer, “enter” sends a message into the session that spoke in Claude Desktop (the Code tab and local Cowork), the Codex app for Windows and ChatGPT in Chrome. In VS Code, you click into the text field and dictate.
Can I dictate into VS Code?
Yes. Dictation types wherever your text cursor is, in any text field. It is a separate function from the reading loop.
Does VS Code have voice features of its own?
Yes, according to its documentation: built-in dictation, an experimental Voice Mode that also reads the agent's responses aloud, and the VS Code Speech extension, which provides text-to-speech for chat responses. SpeakApp is a separate tool: it reads your agents' replies in one queue, in VS Code and in other apps.
What happens when several replies arrive together?
They wait in a queue and play one after the other. Each conversation gets a card in the reading toast, and the widget's circle counts what is still waiting.
Can I listen to a session that runs in the cloud?
No. A conversation that runs remotely in the cloud leaves no trace on your disk, so SpeakApp can neither read it nor reply to it.
Does listening replace reviewing code on screen?
No. Keep visual review for code, diffs and other details that need exact inspection. Voice changes how you receive answers, not whether you verify the work.
How do I turn on speech to text?
VS Code documents a built-in dictation, and Windows has voice typing that opens with the Windows logo key + H in any text field. SpeakApp's dictation also types at the cursor in any text field, VS Code included, and its dictionary learns your words.
Try SpeakApp
SpeakApp is available on Windows, coming soon to Mac. Download SpeakApp or join the Mac waiting list. To see the whole product first: What is SpeakApp?