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Halopen for Continue

The best Mac dictation tool for Continue

Continue is the open-source AI code assistant that runs inside VS Code and JetBrains. Halopen lets you direct it by voice — verbatim, hold-to-talk.

Download Halopen See pricing

Free forever for the first 8,000 words a month · macOS 14.0+ · Apple Silicon & Intel

Why this fits

Halopen, paired with Continue.

Halopen is a native macOS dictation app that lands voice-typed Continue prompts in VS Code, Cursor, IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, WebStorm, GoLand, RustRover, and every JetBrains IDE the Continue extension supports. Hold the function key, speak the Cmd+L chat prompt or the Cmd+I inline edit instruction, release; the verbatim text appears at the Continue input through the macOS Accessibility API. No editor-side configuration required — Halopen lives in the macOS menu bar.

Continue brings AI-assisted editing into the editor you already use. The chat panel, the inline edit surface, the autocomplete configuration — all driven by natural-language prompts you type.

Halopen is the Mac dictation tool that lets you speak those prompts. Hold the function key, articulate what you want, release. The instruction lands in Continue’s input verbatim, and Continue acts.

About Continue

What is Continue?

Continue is an open-source AI code assistant by Continue.dev. It runs as a VS Code extension and a JetBrains plugin. It supports any model — Claude, GPT, open-source via Ollama, or remote APIs — and provides chat, inline edit, and autocomplete inside the editor.

The workflow

How to use Halopen with Continue.

  1. 1

    Open Continue’s chat or inline edit panel

    Cmd+L (chat) or Cmd+I (inline edit) in VS Code; equivalent shortcuts in JetBrains.

  2. 2

    Hold the function key on Halopen

    Recording indicator appears in your menu bar corner.

  3. 3

    Speak your instruction

    "Refactor the selection so the loading state is managed by react-query instead of useState plus useEffect. Keep the loading and error UI exactly as it is."

  4. 4

    Release

    Text lands in Continue’s input. Submit; review the proposed edit; accept or refine.

  5. 5

    Iterate by voice

    Continue’s loop is fast; voice keeps the pace.

What matters for Continue

The Halopen features that earn their place.

  • Works in VS Code and JetBrains

    Halopen is system-wide; the same hotkey works in any IDE Continue runs in. No plugin to install on Halopen’s side.

  • Verbatim technical prompts

    Library names, hook names, file paths, architectural constraints — captured as spoken.

  • Live preview for unusual identifiers

    Misreads of project-specific symbols show in the live partial; spell out the correction.

  • Native Swift, idles light

    Halopen idles in tens of megabytes with near-zero CPU. The dictation layer stays out of the way of your editor and language servers.

  • Multilingual + code-switching

    Comments and docstrings dictated in any language Continue’s model supports.

  • Free for 8,000 words a month

    Pro is $19/mo or $179/yr for unlimited.

A real Halopen session

Continue chat-panel prompt for a hook refactor:

Halopen output

“"Take the useUserData custom hook and split its responsibilities. Move all the data-fetching into a useFetchUser hook that just exposes the query state, and move the derived values — full name, initials, avatar URL — into a useUserDisplay hook that takes the user object as input. Keep the public API of any component that consumes useUserData unchanged."”

  • · Hook names captured exactly (camelCase + leading "use")
  • · Derived-value list captured verbatim
  • · Public-API constraint preserved
  • · Refactor pattern (split-by-responsibility) articulated naturally

Why Halopen

The dictation tool that earns its place.

Continue’s strength is that it lives inside the editor you already use. Halopen amplifies that strength by letting you direct Continue without leaving the keyboard for the mouse — voice-input is faster than typing for the kind of architectural prompts Continue handles best.

No editor plugin to install on Halopen’s side. Halopen runs in the menu bar and lands text wherever your cursor is. Whether Continue is in VS Code, Cursor (which forks VS Code), or a JetBrains IDE, Halopen behaves identically.

The editorial deep-dive

Voice typing for Claude Code on Mac.

The cost-of-articulation thesis, the verbatim wedge applied to AI coding, and how Halopen + Claude Code works under the hood — with two real prompt walkthroughs (M-E-R-I-A schema migration, Postgres EXPLAIN ANALYZE refactor).

Read the long-form essay →

Halopen for Continue — FAQ

Questions worth answering.

How do I voice type into Continue on Mac?

Open VS Code or JetBrains with the Continue extension, place the cursor in Continue's chat panel or inline edit input, hold the function key, speak the prompt, release. The full prompt lands at the cursor verbatim. Halopen is system-wide, so the same hotkey works whether Continue is running inside VS Code, Cursor, IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm, or GoLand.

What dictation app works in Continue inside VS Code and JetBrains on Mac?

Halopen. Continue's prompt surfaces are standard editor text inputs, and Halopen lands voice-typed text in any Mac text input. Editor-agnostic; nothing to install on the Continue side. The same hotkey works in every IDE you use.

Do I need a Continue plugin for Halopen?

No. Halopen has no plugin or extension on the editor side. It's a standalone Mac app that runs from the menu bar; the macOS Accessibility API delivers text to whatever cursor is active.

What's the fastest way to write code by voice on Mac with Continue?

Don't dictate code — dictate the prompt and let Continue produce the diff. For natural-language prompts, Halopen is precise and fast. For code itself (function definitions, type signatures), the live preview + spelling-correction loop catches misreads, but most users find it more comfortable to dictate prompts and let Continue write the code.

How much does Halopen cost?

Halopen Free is 8,000 words a month, forever. Pro is $19/mo or $179/yr for unlimited words.

More Halopen pairings

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Power-user cheat sheet

Take Halopen with you when you work with Continue.

One short email, then the Halopen power-user cheat sheet — hotkeys, best-fit apps, custom vocabulary tips, voice patterns for prompt engineering. No spam. Unsubscribe in one click.

 

Try Halopen with Continue

Hold the function key. Speak.

Halopen Free is 8,000 words a month, forever. Open Halopen, hold the function key, and listen for what you sound like.

Download Halopen See pricing