Kivo is a quiet background utility for system-wide dictation and focused writing assistance. Hold a key, speak anywhere, release to insert — then proofread, rewrite, or summarize without leaving your flow.
The Flow Bar listens. Writing Tools polishes. Both vanish when you’re done.
How it works
Kivo lives in the background and appears only the moment you need it — next to your cursor, under your selection, exactly where you’re working.
Hold Fn (Mac) or your chosen shortcut anywhere — email, docs, code, chat. The Flow Bar appears and listens. Release to insert.
Highlight any text and hit your Writing Tools shortcut. Proofread, rewrite, shorten, or change tone — then Replace or Copy.
Paste a link to a public article or YouTube video — or paste the text itself — and get a short overview in seconds.
Features
Native speech recognition, careful text insertion, and one optional AI step — only ever when you ask for it.
Speak in any application. Kivo uses your operating system’s own speech engine — on-device where the OS supports it — and inserts the transcript at your cursor. Optional AI cleanup fixes punctuation and filler without changing your meaning.
A compact popup for selected text. Eight focused actions, custom instructions, and Quick chat when nothing is selected.
Drop in a public webpage or YouTube URL. Kivo retrieves it through Gemini’s URL context and returns a tight summary — with its source attached.
Nothing selected? The same popup becomes a minimal ask box. Ask anything; the answer stays put until you copy it.
Microphone audio never leaves the OS speech engine. Text reaches Gemini only for the action you invoke, with retention off. API keys live in Keychain / Credential Manager.
Privacy
No hosted backend, no provider abstraction, no analytics. The table shows exactly where each kind of data goes.
store: false.| Data | Destination |
|---|---|
| Voice audio | OS only macOS SpeechAnalyzer · WinRT speech |
| Dictated transcript | Local insert Optional Gemini cleanup if you enable it |
| Writing action text | Gemini, on invoke Direct HTTPS, retention off |
| API key | OS vault Keychain · Credential Manager |
Platforms
Real native integration — Accessibility on macOS, UI Automation on Windows — not a browser extension or overlay hack.
Signed & notarized app + DMG. Direct distribution — the App Sandbox is intentionally off so system-wide Accessibility can work.
SpeechAnalyzer · DictationTranscriber · Keychain
MSIX package with identity (required for native speech). UI Automation + Win32 input, Credential Manager for keys.
WinRT speech · UI Automation · MSIX
Docs
The user guide covers setup, dictation, Writing Tools, and troubleshooting. The developer guide explains the codebase and the reasoning behind it.
Kivo runs quietly in your menu bar / tray until a shortcut calls it. Set it up once — permissions, shortcut, optional API key — and forget it’s there.
macOS 26+ · Windows 11 24H2+ · Bring your own Gemini API key for writing actions