When it comes to dictation and transcription, speed is everything. You shouldn’t have to break your flow, switch contexts, tab over to a heavy browser application, and then copy-paste your text back to where you were actually working.
That friction is exactly why I’m building Minerva: an ultra-lightweight, native speech-to-text desktop application built in Rust.
Turn your voice into text. Instantly.
Why build another dictation tool?
Most speech-to-text solutions today are either sluggish web apps that drain memory or expensive subscriptions that hold your data hostage in the cloud. We believe your developer tools should respect your local environment.
I designed Minerva to run effortlessly in the background, drawing heavily on the lessons learned from building native apps like ToolGrid. Because of the strict performance guarantees of Rust, it uses minimal memory and features near-zero latency. You simply press a custom global hotkey, speak your thoughts, and watch the text appear directly at your cursor—whether you’re in an email client, a code editor, or a messaging app.
AI-Powered Audio Transcription
Minerva isn’t just a basic dictation tool. It ships with powerful, built-in AI modes designed to enhance workplace productivity:
- Email Mode: Automatically formats your rapid-fire speech into professional, ready-to-send correspondence.
- Casual Mode: Rewrites your thoughts in a friendly, conversational tone perfect for Slack.
- Custom Mode: Bring your own prompts and tailor the text output exactly how you need it.
Best of all, you have ultimate flexibility over your AI backend. Minerva supports bringing your own API keys for Groq, Fireworks AI, OpenAI, and you can even run entirely local models via Ollama for maximum offline privacy. If you’re interested in building similar local-first software, check out my Rust + Freya GUI tutorial series.
Join the Waitlist for a Massive Discount
Minerva is currently in active development, but I am opening up the waitlist today.
When Minerva launches, it will be a paid application with a retail price of $15.
However, as a special introductory offer, anyone who signs up for the waitlist will secure a $5 Perpetual License. No subscriptions, no recurring fees. Just a one-time payment for the lifetime of the major version.
Perpetual license.
Sign up for the waitlist to secure this discounted rate when we launch.
Ready to dictate faster?
Head over to the Minerva product page to see the full feature set, including dark mode and cross-platform support. Drop your email to claim your spot on the waitlist. I’ll only email you the moment the desktop build for your specific operating system is compiled and ready to install.