# NovaHUD — complete documentation # What is NovaHUD? > NovaHUD is a Mac, iPhone and Apple Watch app that lets you talk to your Claude Code sessions, dictate into any app, record meetings, and control your Mac from a notch — with speech and AI running on your own devices. Source: https://novahud.app/docs/what-is-novahud NovaHUD is a voice assistant for people who work with AI coding agents. On the Mac it listens for your voice, tells you what your **Claude Code** and **Codex** sessions are doing, and sends them instructions you speak or type. It also gives you **dictation into any app**, **meeting recording with automatic notes**, and a customizable **notch** at the top of your screen for music, shortcuts, files and sessions. The iPhone app, **Nova**, records meetings and voice notes, imports call recordings, writes notes, and includes the **Nova keyboard**. The **Apple Watch** app is a portal onto your meetings, to-dos and Claude instructions. ## Who is NovaHUD for? - Developers who run one or more Claude Code or Codex sessions and want to keep them moving without switching windows. - Anyone who wants fast, private dictation on a Mac — an alternative to Wispr Flow, Superwhisper or macOS Dictation. - People who want meeting notes without sending audio to a cloud service. ## What makes NovaHUD different? - **Local by design.** Speech recognition (whisper.cpp), the voice (Kokoro on the Apple Neural Engine) and the model that summarises and routes (Llama 3.2 3B via Ollama) run on your Mac. On iPhone, transcription uses Apple's on-device SpeechAnalyzer and notes use Apple's on-device Foundation Models. Your audio is not sent to a server. - **It acts, not just listens.** "Tell Claude to keep working on Life OS" reads the instruction back and delivers it to that session unless you say "stop". - **One system across devices.** Mac, iPhone and Apple Watch share meetings and Claude instructions through iCloud, and the iPhone can use your Mac as its AI engine on the same Wi-Fi. ## What does NovaHUD cost? - **$5 a month**, or **$3 a month** with a referral code. - It starts with a **3-day free trial**, no card required. - There are no API bills: the AI runs on your devices. ## What do I need? - A Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or later) running macOS 14 or later. - For voice answers and summaries: [Ollama](https://ollama.com) with `llama3.2:3b`. - For sending instructions to sessions: the Claude Code CLI, signed in. - For the iPhone app: iOS 26 or later. For the Watch app: watchOS 26 or later. --- # How do I install and set up NovaHUD? > Step-by-step setup for NovaHUD on Mac — download, permissions (microphone, Accessibility, Automation), Ollama, and connecting Claude Code. Source: https://novahud.app/docs/install ## Steps 1. **Download** NovaHUD from https://novahud.app/download and drag it to Applications. 2. **Open it.** The main window opens with Home, Sessions and Meetings, and the notch appears at the top of the screen under your pointer. 3. **Allow the microphone** when macOS asks. NovaHUD transcribes on your Mac. 4. **Allow Accessibility** (System Settings › Privacy & Security › Accessibility › NovaHUD). Dictation needs it to type into other apps, and meeting detection uses it to read meeting window titles. 5. **Install Ollama** from https://ollama.com and run `ollama pull llama3.2:3b` in Terminal. Nova uses it to answer questions and summarise what your sessions do. 6. **Connect Claude Code.** If the CLI is not signed in, NovaHUD shows a banner; press **Connect Claude** and finish in the browser. Under the hood this runs `claude auth login --claudeai`. 7. **Allow Automation for Spotify or Music** the first time the notch shows what's playing, so it can read the track and control playback. ## Which Macs does NovaHUD support? Apple silicon Macs (M1, M2, M3, M4 and later) on macOS 14 Sonoma or newer. Intel Macs are not supported, because the voice runs on the Apple Neural Engine. ## Does NovaHUD need an internet connection? Not for its voice features. Speech recognition, the voice and the local model all run offline. Signing in, licence checks, and delivering prompts to Claude Code (which itself uses Anthropic's service) need a connection. ## Why does macOS ask to allow incoming network connections? That prompt appears the first time you pair the iPhone app with your Mac. NovaHUD's engine listens on your local network (port 5175) so Nova on iPhone can reach it. Choose **Allow**. Nothing on it works without pairing — see [Use your Mac as the iPhone's engine](mac-engine). --- # How do I control Claude Code with my voice? > Voice commands for Claude Code and Codex with NovaHUD — addressing sessions by name, "tell Claude to…", read-back and stop, status questions, and follow-ups. Source: https://novahud.app/docs/talk-to-claude-code NovaHUD finds every Claude Code session running on your Mac (and Codex sessions active in the last 30 minutes) and listens for you to address one. ## What can I say? - **"Nova, what is Life OS working on?"** — answered instantly from what the session last did, no model call. - **"Tell Claude to keep working on Life OS."** — delivered to the Life OS session. - **"Tell Fade to run the tests."** — addressed by name. - **"Everyone, pull the latest."** — sent to every running session. - **"Ask Life OS what it's blocked on."** — a question, answered out loud. ## Does Nova announce everything my sessions do? Not by default. Nova keeps track and reports when you ask: **"Nova, catch me up"**, **"any updates?"** or **"report"**. To hear updates as they happen, turn on Settings › Notch › Speak session updates as they happen. ## Can Nova answer questions about what's on my screen? Yes. Ask **"Nova, what's this error?"**, **"explain this"** or **"what am I looking at?"**. NovaHUD captures the display you're on, reads its text on your Mac with Apple's Vision, and Nova answers from that text. The screenshot never leaves the app. macOS asks for Screen Recording permission the first time. ## Can Nova keep a to-do list? Yes. Say **"Nova, remind me to send the invoice"** or **"add call the bank to my to-do list"**, and it appears in the To do tab. ## How does NovaHUD know which session I mean? It matches the session's nickname, its **project folder name** (so "LifeOS" matches a folder called LIFE OS even without the space, and worktree sessions are matched by their project, not the worktree's random name), the session's title, and distinctive words from the title. If you name a project that has no running session, Nova tells you what is running instead of guessing. If you say "tell Claude to…" without naming a project, it goes to the session you last talked to or the one in focus. ## Does NovaHUD send instructions without asking? By default Nova reads the instruction back — "Sending to Life OS: keep working. Say stop to cancel." — and sends it after seven seconds unless you say **stop**, **no** or **cancel**. Saying **yes** sends it immediately. You can turn the read-back off in Settings. ## Why does Nova answer some things and send others? Questions ("what's it doing?", "is the build passing?") are answered by Nova. Instructions ("fix", "run", "add", "keep working") are delivered to the session. "Tell/ask/have Claude to…" is always treated as an instruction. ## Do I have to say "Nova" every time? No. For 20 seconds after Nova answers you, anything you say counts as a reply. After an update Nova volunteered on her own, that window is 8 seconds, so conversation in the room is not mistaken for instructions. ## How do I know Nova heard me? The notch shows an ear with a spinner the moment she recognises you addressed her, and animated bars with a glow the whole time she is speaking. ## Can I type instead of talking? Yes. On Home, pick a session and type into the message field; typed messages are sent without a read-back. You can also search for any session from Home's search bar or with ⌘K. --- # How do I dictate into any app on my Mac with NovaHUD? > NovaHUD dictation for Mac — the shortcut, hold-to-talk on right Option or fn, tap to keep dictating, the dictation bar in the notch, and fixes when text doesn't appear. Source: https://novahud.app/docs/dictation ## Three ways to start 1. **Press the dictation shortcut** — ⇧⌘D by default — to start, and again to stop. You can change it in Settings › Dictation. 2. **Hold the talk key** — right ⌥ by default (fn/Globe, right ⌘ or right ⌃ are options). Speak while holding, let go when done. 3. **Tap the talk key** once quickly to keep dictating hands-free; tap it again to stop. While dictating, the notch turns into a **dictation bar** at the top of your screen: a live level meter, your words as they land, and a stop button. ## Where does the text go? Into the app you were typing in. If you start dictation from NovaHUD's own window, the text goes to the app you used just before, not into NovaHUD. ## Is NovaHUD a Wispr Flow alternative? Yes. It dictates into any app with a global shortcut or a hold-to-talk key. Unlike cloud dictation services, speech is transcribed on your Mac with whisper.cpp, and nothing is uploaded. ## Why isn't my dictated text appearing? - **Accessibility isn't allowed.** NovaHUD pastes with a synthesised ⌘V, which macOS blocks without System Settings › Privacy & Security › Accessibility › NovaHUD. Your words are left on the clipboard instead, so ⌘V still recovers them. - **The text field isn't focused.** Click into the field first. - **The talk key was only tapped briefly while typing.** Any other key pressed while holding the talk key cancels, so ⌥-shortcuts still work normally. ## Does dictation replace my clipboard? For a moment. NovaHUD puts the text on the clipboard, pastes, then restores your previous clipboard text about half a second later. --- # What does the NovaHUD notch do? > The NovaHUD notch on Mac — now playing with Spotify and Music controls, sessions, meetings, a drag-and-drop shelf, clipboard history, 18 shortcuts, and how to customise it. Source: https://novahud.app/docs/notch The notch is a black bar at the top of the display your pointer is on. On MacBooks with a camera notch it blends into it; on other displays it sits in the menu bar. It grows to show what's happening and opens when you hover. ## What shows on the collapsed notch? - **Dictating:** a dictation bar with live level and your words. - **Recording a meeting:** a red dot and the elapsed time. - **Nova speaking:** moving bars and a glow. - **Nova heard you:** an ear with a spinner. - **A meeting started:** a video icon, and the notch opens to ask whether to record. - **Music playing:** album art and bouncing bars. ## What's inside when it opens? - **Now** — what's playing, your running sessions, and your top shortcuts. - **Music** — track, artist, artwork, previous / play-pause / next. If nothing is playing, **Play Spotify** or **Play Music** starts it. - **Sessions** — each running session with **Talk** and mute. - **Meetings** — record or stop, and your recent meetings. - **Shelf** — drop files, links or text on the notch to keep them; drag them back out when you need them. - **Shortcuts** — actions one click away. - **Clipboard** — recent copies (off by default). Anything a password manager marks as concealed is never kept. ## Which shortcuts are available? Dictate, Record, Mute, Search, New session, Meetings, Open Nova, Play / pause, Next track, Screenshot, Lock screen, Sleep display, Mission Control, Claude, New note, Calculator, Terminal and Finder — plus your own apps, folders and websites. Choose which appear in Settings › Shortcuts in the notch. ## How do I customise the notch? Settings (click your name in NovaHUD, or ⌘,) lets you: turn the notch on or off; follow the pointer's display or stay on the main display; open on hover or on click; choose, hide and reorder pages; pick shortcuts; add your own links. ## Can the notch show on the lock screen or while the Mac sleeps? No. macOS does not let any app draw over the lock screen, and apps don't run while the Mac sleeps. --- # How does NovaHUD record meetings and write notes? > Record meetings on Mac or iPhone with NovaHUD — automatic detection for Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, Webex, Slack huddles and FaceTime, local transcription, summaries and action items. Source: https://novahud.app/docs/meetings ## How do I record a meeting on my Mac? Press **Record** in the notch, choose **New › Record a meeting** in the app, or press ⇧⌘R (changeable). Press again to stop. Nova transcribes as it goes and writes notes when you stop. ## Does NovaHUD detect meetings automatically? Yes. It recognises **Zoom, Google Meet (in Chrome, Safari, Arc, Edge, Brave, Firefox, Vivaldi), Microsoft Teams, Webex, Slack huddles and FaceTime** by their meeting window titles. Choose in Settings › Meetings: - **Ask in the notch** (default): the notch opens with "Zoom meeting — record it?" - **Record automatically:** starts recording, and stops when the meeting window closes. - **Off.** Detection reads only window titles of those apps, through the Accessibility permission, and stores nothing. ## What's in the notes? A title, a short summary of what was said and decided, action items, and anything said for Claude ("tell Claude to…"), kept word for word. Notes never invent names, numbers or agreements that weren't said. ## Where are meetings stored? On the Mac, as files in NovaHUD's Application Support folder, listed under Meetings. Meetings recorded on iPhone sync to your other devices through iCloud; the audio stays on the device that recorded it. ## Can I record meetings on my iPhone? Yes — see [Nova for iPhone](iphone). --- # What does Nova for iPhone do? > Nova for iPhone — record meetings and voice notes, import call recordings, on-device transcription and notes, calendar, Claude instructions, and what iOS doesn't allow. Source: https://novahud.app/docs/iphone - **Record** a meeting or a voice note with live, on-device transcription (Apple SpeechAnalyzer — no time limit, no server). - **Import a call recording** and get the same transcript and notes. - **Notes** written on the device by Apple Intelligence where available, or by your Mac when paired (see [Mac engine](mac-engine)), with a built-in summariser otherwise. - **Calendar:** recordings are named after the event you're in, and notes can be added to that event. - **Claude:** anything said for Claude becomes an instruction that NovaHUD on your Mac delivers. - **Meetings, search, playback and sharing**, synced with your Mac and Apple Watch. - **The Nova keyboard** — see [Nova keyboard](keyboard). ## Can Nova answer or record my phone calls automatically? No, and no iPhone app can: iOS does not let third-party apps answer, join or listen to phone calls. What works instead: 1. During the call, tap the **record** button in the Phone app (everyone on the call is told it's being recorded). 2. After the call, open the recording in **Notes**, tap **⋯ › Save Audio to Files**. 3. In Nova, tap **Import a call** and choose the file. Nova then transcribes it, writes notes, sends any Claude instructions to your Mac, and can add the notes to your calendar. Only record people who know they're being recorded; the law differs by place. ## Does Nova upload my recordings? No. Recordings and transcription stay on your iPhone. Only the notes and instructions sync through your own iCloud account, and the iPhone talks to your Mac only on your local network after pairing. ## Which iPhones are supported? iPhones on iOS 26 or later. Apple Intelligence notes need a supported model; other iPhones use your paired Mac or the built-in summariser. --- # How do I use the Nova keyboard on iPhone? > The Nova keyboard for iPhone — setup, the intent space bar that turns text into locations and invites, smart replies, rewrites, and dictation. Source: https://novahud.app/docs/keyboard ## Steps 1. Open **Settings › General › Keyboard › Keyboards › Add New Keyboard…** and choose **Nova**. 2. Tap **Nova** and turn on **Allow Full Access** (needed for smart replies and map previews; nothing you type is stored or sent). 3. In any app, hold the **globe** key and choose **Nova**. ## What is the intent space bar? Type something, then tap **space twice quickly** (or three times — change it in Nova › Settings › Keyboard). Nova turns what you typed into an action: - **A place** ("I'm at Blue Bottle Coffee") → a map preview with **Send location**, which inserts the name and an Apple Maps link. - **A time and a way to meet** ("FaceTime tomorrow at 3pm", "Google Meet Friday 10am") → **Make invite**, which inserts the time and an add-to-calendar link; Google Meet gets a working meet.google.com/new link. - **A phone number, email or link** → a clean, tappable version. If nothing recognisable was typed, Nova says so and leaves your text alone. ## How do smart replies work? Copy the message you want to answer, then tap **Reply to copied** in the keyboard's bar. Nova suggests three replies using Apple's on-device model. iOS doesn't let keyboards read the conversation on screen, which is why replies work from what you copy. ## Can the Nova keyboard rewrite my text? Yes: **Fix**, **Shorter**, **Friendlier** and **Professional** rewrite what you've typed on the current line, on the device. ## How does dictation work in the keyboard? iOS gives keyboards no microphone, so the **Dictate** key opens Nova, which records and transcribes; swipe back to your app and the text is inserted. --- # What does the NovaHUD Apple Watch app show? > The Nova Apple Watch app — Today, Meetings, To do, Claude instructions and Sync, synced from your iPhone and Mac through iCloud. Source: https://novahud.app/docs/apple-watch Scroll the Digital Crown through five pages: 1. **Today** — meetings today, open to-dos, pending Claude instructions, your next calendar event and your latest meeting's summary. 2. **Meetings** — recent meetings; open one for its summary, to-dos, Claude instructions and transcript. 3. **To do** — action items from recent meetings; tap to tick them off (syncs everywhere). 4. **Claude** — instructions waiting for your Mac, delivered, or dismissed; swipe to dismiss. 5. **Sync** — whether iCloud sync is on and how many meetings are stored. ## How do I install it? It comes with the iPhone app. Open the Watch app on iPhone and install **Nova** if it isn't installed automatically. ## Does the Watch app need my iPhone nearby? No. It reads the same iCloud data directly, so it works with your iPhone in another room. --- # How do I use my Mac as the AI engine for Nova on iPhone? > Pair Nova on iPhone with NovaHUD on your Mac so notes are written by the Mac's model and Claude instructions are delivered straight to your sessions over your local network. Source: https://novahud.app/docs/mac-engine When your iPhone and Mac are on the same Wi-Fi, Nova on iPhone can hand work to NovaHUD: meeting notes are written by the model on your Mac, and "tell Claude…" instructions are delivered straight to a running session. ## Steps 1. Open **NovaHUD** on your Mac and **Nova** on your iPhone, on the same Wi-Fi. 2. On the Mac: click your name (or ⌘,) › **General** › **Nova on iPhone** › **Pair iPhone**. A six-digit code appears. 3. On the iPhone: **Settings › Your Mac**. Your Mac appears by name; tap **Pair with this Mac** and enter the code. 4. If macOS asks whether to allow incoming network connections, choose **Allow**. ## Is pairing secure? - The Mac only accepts requests from paired devices. Pairing needs the code shown on the Mac's screen; it expires after five minutes and stops working after five wrong tries. - Each iPhone gets a random 192-bit token, kept in the iPhone's Keychain. - Only three things are possible: pair, write notes, deliver a Claude instruction — and instructions go through the same checks as speaking to Nova. - Traffic stays on your local network. ## What happens when my Mac isn't reachable? Nova writes notes on the iPhone, and Claude instructions wait in iCloud for NovaHUD to deliver them. ## How do I unpair? On iPhone: **Settings › Your Mac › Unpair**. --- # Is NovaHUD private? What runs locally? > What NovaHUD processes on your devices, what syncs through iCloud, what goes over the network, and which permissions it asks for and why. Source: https://novahud.app/docs/privacy ## What runs on my devices? - **Mac:** speech recognition (whisper.cpp), Nova's voice (Kokoro on the Apple Neural Engine), the local model for answers and summaries (Llama 3.2 3B via Ollama), meeting transcription and notes. - **iPhone:** transcription (Apple SpeechAnalyzer), notes and keyboard smart replies (Apple Foundation Models). ## What leaves my devices? - **Instructions you send to Claude Code** go to the Claude Code CLI, which uses Anthropic's service — that is how Claude Code works. - **Meetings and Claude instructions** (text, not audio) sync through **your own iCloud account**. - **Pairing** traffic between iPhone and Mac stays on your local network. - **Licence checks and sign-in** contact NovaHUD's server. ## Why does NovaHUD ask for each permission? - **Microphone:** to hear you. - **Accessibility:** to type dictation into other apps, and to read meeting apps' window titles for meeting detection. - **Automation (Spotify, Music):** to show and control what's playing in the notch. - **Local network (iPhone):** to find and pair with your Mac. - **Calendar (iPhone, Watch):** to name recordings after events and add notes. ## Does the clipboard history keep passwords? No. Anything a password manager marks as concealed or transient is skipped, and clipboard history is off by default. --- # NovaHUD troubleshooting > Fixes for common NovaHUD problems — Nova not responding, instructions not reaching Claude, dictation not typing, the notch not appearing, iPhone pairing, the keyboard missing, and iCloud sync. Source: https://novahud.app/docs/troubleshooting ## Nova doesn't respond when I talk - Check the notch or Home: **Muted** means the microphone is closed (⇧⌘M toggles it). - Start with her name: "Nova, …", or a session's name. - Make sure Ollama is running and `llama3.2:3b` is installed for spoken answers. ## Nova says she's sending, but Claude doesn't get the instruction - A banner saying Claude isn't connected means the Claude Code CLI isn't signed in — press **Connect Claude**. - Name the project: "tell Claude to keep working on Life OS". - If you said "stop", "no" or "cancel" within seven seconds, it was cancelled. ## Dictation doesn't type anything Allow **Accessibility** for NovaHUD in System Settings › Privacy & Security. Until then, dictated text is left on the clipboard — paste with ⌘V. ## The notch doesn't appear Settings › Notch › **Show the notch** must be on. With "Display under the pointer", it moves to whichever display your pointer is on. ## Music doesn't show in the notch Allow NovaHUD under System Settings › Privacy & Security › Automation for Spotify or Music. ## My iPhone can't find my Mac Both need the apps open and the same Wi-Fi. On iPhone, allow **Local Network** for Nova. On the Mac, allow incoming connections if macOS asks. ## I can't find the Nova keyboard iOS never turns on new keyboards automatically: Settings › General › Keyboard › Keyboards › Add New Keyboard › Nova. ## Meetings don't sync between devices Make sure you're signed in to the same iCloud account on each device, and that iCloud is on for Nova. ## The Mac still shows an old app icon macOS caches app icons. Log out and back in, or restart, to refresh it. --- # NovaHUD frequently asked questions > Short answers about NovaHUD — voice control for Claude Code, Mac dictation, the notch, meeting notes, the iPhone app and keyboard, privacy, and pricing. Source: https://novahud.app/docs/faq ### What is the best way to control Claude Code with voice? NovaHUD listens on your Mac, answers questions about your Claude Code sessions, and delivers spoken instructions to the right session by name, with speech processed locally. ### Can I talk to multiple Claude Code sessions at once? Yes. Address one by name or project, or say "everyone" to reach all running sessions. ### Does NovaHUD work with Codex? Yes. Codex sessions active in the last 30 minutes appear alongside Claude Code sessions. ### Is there a Wispr Flow alternative that runs locally on Mac? NovaHUD's dictation types into any app with a shortcut or hold-to-talk key, transcribing on your Mac with whisper.cpp. ### Can I change the dictation shortcut? Yes, in Settings › Dictation, along with the hold-to-talk key and the meeting-recording shortcut. ### Does NovaHUD have a notch app like NotchNook? Yes. Its notch shows music, sessions, meetings, a file shelf and shortcuts, and turns into a dictation bar while you dictate. ### Can NovaHUD record Zoom and Google Meet meetings automatically? It detects Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, Webex, Slack huddles and FaceTime and either asks in the notch or records automatically, stopping when the meeting ends. ### Does my voice get sent to the cloud? No. Speech recognition and voice run on your devices. Only instructions you send to Claude Code reach Anthropic, as with any Claude Code use. ### Do I need an OpenAI or Anthropic API key? No. NovaHUD uses local models and your signed-in Claude Code CLI. ### Can the iPhone app answer my phone calls with AI? No iPhone app can answer or listen to calls. Record calls with the Phone app's built-in recording and import them into Nova for notes. ### Does the Nova keyboard have a number row? Yes, always visible, plus symbols, the intent space bar, smart replies and rewrites. ### What does double-tapping space do in the Nova keyboard? It turns what you typed into an action: a location with a map preview, a meeting invite with a calendar link, or a clean phone number, email or link. ### Is there an Apple Watch app? Yes, with Today, Meetings, To do, Claude instructions and Sync pages. ### Does NovaHUD work on Intel Macs? No. It needs Apple silicon and macOS 14 or later. ### How much does NovaHUD cost? $5 a month, or $3 with a referral code, after a 3-day free trial with no card required. ### Is there light and dark mode? NovaHUD uses a light design in the iPhone 18 Pro Max palette; the notch is always black to match the Mac's camera housing. --- # What's in the NovaHUD Mac app? > A tour of the NovaHUD Mac app — Home search, Sessions, Meetings, To do, History, Calendar, the New menu, and Settings. Source: https://novahud.app/docs/mac-app ## Home The app icon, a greeting, and a search bar for sessions, meetings and actions — results appear as you type. Below it: quick actions, a field to type an instruction to a session, and what's running now. ⌘K opens search from anywhere in the app. ## Sessions Every Claude Code session the app knows about — pinned, running and recent — with what each last said, when, and buttons to talk to it, mute it or pin it. ## Meetings Record, see recordings, and read their notes. ## To do Tasks you add by typing, or by saying "Nova, remind me to…". Tick them off; finished tasks move to Done. ## History Everything you and Nova did, day by day: instructions sent to sessions, questions she answered, dictation, meetings and finished tasks. Use the arrows to look at earlier days. History stays on your Mac. ## Calendar Your next seven days. During an event in progress, **Record** starts recording the meeting. ## The New menu The blue **New** button at the top of the sidebar starts a new Claude Code session, records a meeting, or starts dictation. ## Settings Click your name at the bottom of the sidebar: a menu opens with Settings, Customization, Billing & plan and Help. Each opens in the Settings window. ⌘, opens Settings directly.