Getting Started

1: Check System Requirements

Talon has various system requirements, covering the computer hardware, operating system and microphone hardware.

2: Download & Install Talon

Linux Users

• Download Talon for Linux
• Install by To be completed

note

• Talon, like many tools for automation or accessibility, does not support Wayland
  • You will have to select an X11 session from your login manager.
  • This is supported by Gnome and Plasma and many others, but some environments like sway are explicitly Wayland-only.
• To install the speech engine, you must use Talon's tray icon:
  • If you use stock Gnome, you need to install AppIndicator and KStatusNotifierItem Support to see it
  • If you use i3 or a system tray that doesn't support the StatusNotifierItem protocol, install snixembed to add support.

Mac Users

• Download Talon for Mac
• Install by To be completed

Windows Users

• Download Talon for Windows
• Install Talon by running talon-windows.exe

note

It is recommended that Talon is installed as described above. However, please note that the application is also available as a portable zip file

3: Install a speech recognition engine

Talon uses a local speech recognition engine that translates voice audio to text.

One recognition engine that comes with Talon is known as Conformer D. To install it:

• Run the Talon app
• Click the Talon tray icon and select Speech Recognition → Conformer D.

Screenshot

note

For other engine options, see the speech engine page

4: Install a Talon user file set

important

Talon does not come with voice commands out of the box. So at this point in the installation process, Talon can not do anything useful.

It requires a user file set and for beginners, we strongly recommend that you use the Talon Community user file set.

The whole wiki assumes this repository is used if not otherwise noted.

See the Talon Community README for installation instructions.

5: Test your Talon Setup

• Try a few basic commands.

6: Next steps

• If needed, try ways to improve recognition accuracy
• Customize Talon: learn about how to configure Talon to your liking.
• In addition to Talon Community, you may want to consider installing any of the essential Talon integrations
• If at any point you need help with your Talon setup, join the Talon Voice Slack and ask in the #help channel.
• For earlier access to new features, priority support, and access to additional speech engines, install the beta version.