Commands
Speak an instruction instead of dictating text. Glaido rewrites, translates, summarizes, answers, or runs a tool for you.
Dictation writes down what you said. A command does something with it.
Hold the commands hotkey, say "translate this to French" or "what's 17.5% of 849", and Glaido works out what you meant, does it, and shows you the result. Nothing is pasted until you press Enter.
Prefer to watch? The Commands video shows the built-in commands and a custom tool in three minutes.
How it works
- Select text in any app, if you want the command to work on it. That's what "this" means in "make this shorter". With nothing selected, ask a question and read the answer.
- Hold the commands hotkey and speak.
- Release. The command window opens and the answer streams in.
- Press Enter to paste it where your cursor is, or Esc to close the window and paste nothing.
Two ways to record
Commands has the same pair of recording styles as dictation.
Hold the commands hotkey, speak, release.
Best when you already know the sentence you're going to say.
| Action | What happens |
|---|---|
| Select text (optional) | Goes along as context |
| Hold the commands hotkey | Recording starts |
| Speak | Audio is captured |
| Release | The command runs, the answer streams in |
Default: Right ⌥ on macOS, Left Ctrl + Left Alt on Windows.
Press once to start, press again to run it.
Better for a long instruction, or when you want to think mid-sentence.
| Action | What happens |
|---|---|
| Select text (optional) | Goes along as context |
| Press the hands-free commands hotkey | Recording starts |
| Speak | Audio is captured |
| Press it again | The command runs |
| Press Esc | Cancels it |
Default: Right ⌥ + Space on macOS, Left Ctrl + Left Alt + Shift on Windows.
Enter does nothing here unless you ask for it. Turn on Enter to stop and paste in Settings > Hotkeys, and Enter then stops a hands-free session the way a second press does.
Both hotkeys live in Settings > Hotkeys, under Commands. See Hotkeys.
The command window
The window opens at the bottom of your screen while the command runs. It:
- Streams the answer as it arrives, with markdown formatting
- Shows what went along with your request: the text you'd selected, inside your request bubble, with the app it came from
- Stays on top without taking focus from the app you were in
- Can be dragged somewhere else by its header
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| Enter | Paste the answer at your cursor and close the window |
| ⌘ + C (macOS) | Copy the phrase you've highlighted, or the whole answer if you haven't highlighted anything |
| Hold the commands hotkey | Refine the answer |
| Esc | Close the window |
Drag across a finished answer to highlight part of it. The copy button under the answer always copies all of it, works on both platforms, and doesn't move focus out of the app you were in. On Windows, use that button to copy.
Refining an answer
The window stays open after the answer arrives, and its footer shows your commands hotkey next to Refine. Hold that hotkey and say what to change. Glaido keeps the previous exchange in mind.
- Select a paragraph and say "summarize this"
- Read it, hold the hotkey, say "make it shorter"
- Read that, hold the hotkey, say "and drop the last sentence"
Closing while it's still working
Esc closes the window. It doesn't cancel the command. The run carries on in the background, writes its result to the same history entry, and sends you a notification when it lands. Click the notification to open that record.
Use this for slow commands. Ask for deep research, close the window, keep working, and read the write-up when the notification arrives.
What to say
| You say | What you get |
|---|---|
| "Translate this to Spanish" | The selection in Spanish |
| "Make this more formal" | The same text, rewritten |
| "Fix the grammar" | Spelling and grammar corrected |
| "Summarize this" | A short version |
| "Convert to bullet points" | The selection restructured as a list |
| "Write a reply to this email" | A draft based on what you selected |
| "Explain this code" | An explanation of the selection |
Asking about a copied picture
Copy a screenshot or an image, then ask about it, like "what's in the screenshot I just copied?" or "explain this chart". Glaido shows you the picture and waits for your OK before it uses it. Once you approve, the picture sits under your request, and you can ask follow-up questions about it. See Analyze image.
Commands that reach outside the model
Built-in commands go further. They search the web, read the page you're looking at, find a file, check the date, find something you copied earlier, or search your dictation history. Each is on by default with its own switch, and you can add your own for any service you use.
Starting a command mid-dictation
You don't have to reach for a second hotkey. Start an ordinary dictation, open with "Glaido," and the rest of the sentence runs as a command. "Hey Glaido" works too. The name has to be one of your first two words. See Voice Activation.