Cliptate
English

User guide

From installation to your first captions.

Download the free Mac app, prepare local models, and bring Cliptate into your workflow. Installation steps, CLI examples, and common questions in one place.

Download and install

Choose your Mac build.

Requires Apple Silicon (M1 or newer) and macOS 15 or later. Model downloads and memory requirements vary; allow enough storage for your selections.

Free stable release

All models and features are free, with no subscription or purchase. Includes the native CLI and in-app updates, plus Accessibility-backed text insertion and global shortcuts with permission. Online AI providers charge separately.

Open GitHub Releases

Nightly preview builds

Nightly builds track main periodically and may contain unreleased changes. Check each build’s notes for included features.

Nightly preview builds
  1. Download Cliptate.dmg from a Release and drag the app into Applications. Use its SHA-256 file to verify the download.
  2. Open the app and download selected models. Allow microphone access for dictation and Accessibility permission if you want automatic text insertion.
  3. Import media to start transcribing. Install the CLI before using it, and restart Cliptate after replacing the app during an upgrade.

Models and everyday use

Choose models for the task. Keep your workflow.

Manage models in the app

Browse ASR, TTS, VAD, diarization, and alignment models, with download status and storage usage. Language coverage, memory needs, and speed vary by model.

Reuse cached model weights

GitHub builds reuse compatible Hugging Face caches without downloading or copying weights again. Prepare selected models once, then use local speech features offline.

Vocabulary, history, and presets

Maintain brand names and specialist terms, manage transcript and synthesis history, and save configuration presets. Enable launch at login in Settings.

Native CLI · GitHub build

Put your Mac’s models to work in scripts and AI agents.

The CLI shares the app’s models, language, and vocabulary, starting Cliptate in the background when needed. Copy the install command from Settings → Command Line and add ~/.local/bin to PATH.

Batch transcription and structured results 

cliptate transcribe interview.mp4 --format json
cliptate transcribe a.wav b.mp4 --format vtt --output-dir subtitles

Generate local WAV speech 

cliptate tts --text-file narration.txt -o narration.wav --download

Maintain recognition vocabulary 

cliptate dictionary add "Cliptate"
cliptate dictionary import words.txt

Transcription accepts local files and outputs text, JSON, Markdown, SRT, or VTT. CLI requests create no projects or history; one transcription or speech request runs at a time. TTS is in the latest source: use a build containing this feature. Check cliptate --help for commands in older builds.

Full CLI guide ↗

Before you get started.

How do I transcribe audio or video into text and SRT captions on Mac?

Download and select a transcription model in Cliptate, import local audio or video, and transcribe. Review the text and segments, then export TXT or SRT from AI Cut. The GitHub build also supports the CLI: cliptate transcribe interview.mp4 --format srt --output interview.srt.

How do I remove pauses from a spoken video, podcast or interview?

Import media into Cliptate AI Cut, detect silent segments, and trim unwanted pauses in bulk. Review segment boundaries and captions, then export video, audio or an FCPXML timeline. Silence detection runs locally on Mac; optional online AI correction and highlight extraction use your configured service.

Is Cliptate free?

All models and features are free, with no subscription or purchase. Includes the native CLI and in-app updates, plus Accessibility-backed text insertion and global shortcuts with permission. Online AI providers charge separately.

Can I work offline?

After caching models, local transcription, silence detection, diarization, and TTS work offline. Prepare Apple Translation packs for supported language pairs; online AI, model downloads, and updates need internet access.

Where is VTT export?

AI Cut provides SRT, ASS, and TXT. VTT is a CLI transcription format: use --format vtt and specify --output-dir for multiple inputs.

Why is dictated text not inserted into another app?

Cliptate needs Accessibility permission to insert text into the focused field. Without permission it falls back to copy and paste. Grant access manually in System Settings.