Release notes

The work behind a better voice tool.

A concise record of what changed, why it matters, and the releases that shaped MacParakeet.

Latest release September 27, 2026

MacParakeet 0.8.9

A small follow-up to 0.8.8: keep saved API keys when turning AI off, use Apple Intelligence just for cleanup, and see which AI tasks are configured. All of 0.8.8's dictation, editing, and Library improvements are included.

Download 0.8.9 View on GitHub

Keep saved API keys

Clearing AI routes or setting Default AI to None keeps your saved keys. Use Remove saved key to delete an unused key. Unsaved key edits survive provider changes and are discarded when all AI is turned off.

#1190

Apple Intelligence for cleanup

Choose Apple Intelligence under Dictation & cleanup with Default AI set to None. Summaries, chat, and Transforms use another provider because Apple's model has a small context window. Requires macOS 26+ with Apple Intelligence enabled.

#1190

See what each task uses

AI Setup names inherited providers and shows each task's provider or Off. Prompt settings follow the right provider, including Transforms. The bundled CLI 5.0.0 enforces the same cleanup-only Apple Intelligence policy.

#1190

Updating from Apple Intelligence in 0.8.8?

Check Settings → AI Setup after updating. An old Apple default is cleared; an old Apple analysis override falls back to Default AI. Saved keys remain. Select Apple Intelligence under Dictation & cleanup to keep using it there.

#1190

Release history

The major releases that expanded what MacParakeet can capture, understand, and keep useful.

Browse every release on GitHub

0.8.8

September 27, 2026

Recover dictations. Edit what you keep.

Retry failed dictations, edit transcripts and saved AI results, and browse a faster Library. Separate AI task routes, more output languages, optional Orukeet, Nemotron speaker detection, and dictation practice round out the update. Included in 0.8.9.

0.8.7

September 18, 2026

Hold-to-talk restored

Restored hold-to-talk when microphone access is already granted, allowed Fn with Caps Lock on, and corrected dictation pill spacing.

0.8.6

September 18, 2026

Skip the mic for files

First-run can skip the microphone if you only transcribe files. AI Formatter stays off on new installs. Optional streaming cursor types finished dictation at the caret.

0.8.5

September 17, 2026

Wrapping up was only a label

The Transcribe tile no longer stays on Wrapping up after stop. Capture and transcription were already finished. Start-meetings-muted, Clean English “um,” and optional preserved discarded dictations remain.

0.8.4

September 16, 2026

Start muted, drop English “um,” keep cancelled dictations

Begin meetings with the microphone off, strip English um in Clean with a Portuguese/German opt-out, and optionally keep cancelled dictations in History.

0.8.3

September 16, 2026

A shared Seed of Life when artwork is missing

Library recordings without a thumbnail now share one night-field cover. Each meeting still looks a little different, and real YouTube or video thumbnails still win.

0.8.2

September 15, 2026

Keep recording when a source is slow

Skip auto-record for one calendar meeting, turn off live transcription while you record, keep capture moving when a microphone is slow, and clean up isolated speaker bubbles.

0.8.1

September 14, 2026

Import, split, and correct saved meetings

Import recordings into Meetings, split long recordings, correct timed transcripts, connect Microsoft 365 calendars, and keep Bluetooth capture through silence.

0.8.0

September 9, 2026

Richer transcripts and a more useful Library

Improved recording recovery, transcript presentation and exports, Library organization, prompt management, and per-model AI controls.

0.7.3

July 16, 2026

Faster starts and safer meetings

Restored reliable system-default microphone routing, prepared speech models while idle, strengthened meeting recovery, and clarified speech-engine choices.

0.7.0

July 9, 2026

More local engines, cleaner meeting audio

Added Cohere Transcribe for local batch work, improved cleaned microphone tracks, and made interrupted meeting processing easier to recover.

0.6.24

June 21, 2026

Flexible recording and media imports

Expanded meeting source modes and audio retention, supported back-to-back recording, and brought podcast and broader media-link transcription into everyday use.

0.6.22

June 9, 2026

Transcribe from almost anywhere

Extended URL transcription beyond YouTube to media supported by yt-dlp and added more local speech-model choices, including Parakeet Unified and Nemotron preview.

0.6.0

May 3, 2026

Meetings became a first-class workspace

Introduced bot-free system-audio and microphone recording, live notes, a live transcript, Live Ask, and optional multilingual WhisperKit transcription.

0.5.3

April 4, 2026

A reusable prompt library

Added custom transcript prompts and multiple saved results so the same recording could become a recap, an action list, or a focused set of notes.

Where it began

The early decisions that still define the product: local speech, useful transcripts, and an open codebase.

April 2026

The work behind a better voice tool.

MacParakeet 0.8.9

Keep saved API keys

Apple Intelligence for cleanup

See what each task uses

Updating from Apple Intelligence in 0.8.8?

Release history

Recover dictations. Edit what you keep.

Hold-to-talk restored

Skip the mic for files

Wrapping up was only a label

Start muted, drop English “um,” keep cancelled dictations

A shared Seed of Life when artwork is missing

Keep recording when a source is slow

Import, split, and correct saved meetings

Richer transcripts and a more useful Library

Faster starts and safer meetings

More local engines, cleaner meeting audio

Flexible recording and media imports

Transcribe from almost anywhere

Meetings became a first-class workspace

A reusable prompt library

Where it began

MacParakeet became open source

Transcripts gained speakers and AI workflows

The first public release