Command-line flags

SpeakoFlow accepts command-line flags on all platforms. Use them for scripts, window managers, stream decks, and autostart setups.

Flags

Flag	What it does
`--start-hidden`	Launch without showing the main window. The tray icon stays visible.
`--no-tray`	Launch without a system tray icon. Closing the window then quits the app.
`--debug`	Raise logging to Trace for this run only. See Debug & advanced.
`--toggle-transcription`	Start recording, or stop and type out the current recording.
`--toggle-post-process`	Same as above, but runs AI cleanup before the text is typed.
`--toggle-assistant`	Start or stop the assistant (the quick ask).
`--cancel`	Cancel the current recording, or stop an assistant reply that is still streaming.
`--list-devices`	Print the compute devices and available GPU backends, then exit without opening a window.

Flags are runtime-only overrides. They do not modify your saved settings. The next launch without the flag returns to whatever is configured in Settings.

How remote-control flags reach the running instance

SpeakoFlow enforces a single instance. The --toggle-transcription, --toggle-post-process, --toggle-assistant, and --cancel flags work by launching a second process. That process hands its arguments to the already-running instance through Tauri’s single-instance plugin, then exits immediately. No second window or tray icon appears, and the command returns right away. If SpeakoFlow is not already running, the new process becomes the primary instance and starts normally. The toggle/cancel flags have nothing to act on in that case. Launching a second instance with no recognized flag brings the existing window to the front.

Environment variables

Variable	Effect
`RUST_LOG`	Filters console output independently of the log level in Settings. `RUST_LOG=trace` gives a live firehose in a terminal.
`SPEAKOFLOW_ALLOW_WAYLAND`	Linux. Keep a native Wayland session instead of falling back to XWayland on GNOME. The recording overlay may not stay on top.
`SPEAKOFLOW_NO_GTK_LAYER_SHELL`	Linux. Skip GTK layer-shell initialization for the overlay. Try this if the overlay misbehaves under a layer-shell compositor.

Examples

Windows: toggle dictation from a script

& "C:\Program Files\SpeakoFlow\SpeakoFlow.exe" --toggle-transcription

macOS: toggle dictation from a script

/Applications/SpeakoFlow.app/Contents/MacOS/SpeakoFlow --toggle-transcription

Linux: Sway or Hyprland shortcut

In your Sway config:

bindsym Ctrl+Space exec speakoflow --toggle-transcription
bindsym Ctrl+Shift+Space exec speakoflow --toggle-post-process
bindsym Ctrl+Alt+Space exec speakoflow --toggle-assistant

For Hyprland, the same idea in hyprland.conf:

bind = CTRL, space, exec, speakoflow --toggle-transcription
bind = CTRL SHIFT, space, exec, speakoflow --toggle-post-process
bind = CTRL ALT, space, exec, speakoflow --toggle-assistant

For an AppImage, use the full path:

bindsym Ctrl+Space exec ~/Applications/SpeakoFlow.AppImage --toggle-transcription

Linux: GNOME or KDE custom shortcut

In GNOME Settings → Keyboard → Custom Shortcuts, add a shortcut with the command:

speakoflow --toggle-transcription

In KDE System Settings → Shortcuts → Custom Shortcuts, create a new entry with the same command. On Wayland, compositor-owned shortcuts are the most reliable way to trigger SpeakoFlow, since the app’s built-in shortcut engine may only hear keypresses while one of its own windows has focus.

How --start-hidden and --no-tray interact

Without a tray icon there would be no way to reach the window, so combining --start-hidden with --no-tray still shows the window on launch. The same applies if you pass --start-hidden while “Show tray icon” is off in Settings.

What --list-devices shows

It brings the native speech engine up, lists every compute device it found with its index and memory, and reports whether the Vulkan, Metal, and CPU backends loaded. Useful for verifying your GPU is visible to SpeakoFlow before filing a bug. There is also a hidden --probe-devices flag used internally on Linux for crash-isolated device probing.

GDK_BACKEND on GNOME Wayland

On GNOME under Wayland, SpeakoFlow sets GDK_BACKEND=x11 for itself so the overlay can float above other windows. If you have already set GDK_BACKEND yourself, your choice is respected.

Accuracy

Models

Settings

Help

Flags

How remote-control flags reach the running instance

Environment variables

Examples

Windows: toggle dictation from a script

macOS: toggle dictation from a script

Linux: Sway or Hyprland shortcut

Linux: GNOME or KDE custom shortcut

​Flags

​How remote-control flags reach the running instance

​Environment variables

​Examples

​Windows: toggle dictation from a script

​macOS: toggle dictation from a script

​Linux: Sway or Hyprland shortcut

​Linux: GNOME or KDE custom shortcut

Flags

How remote-control flags reach the running instance

Environment variables

Examples

Windows: toggle dictation from a script

macOS: toggle dictation from a script

Linux: Sway or Hyprland shortcut

Linux: GNOME or KDE custom shortcut