Published · Jul 11, 2026Mac

v0.5: The system behind speech is now visible

Recording, transcription, capture, paste, storage and agent flows used to run mostly in the background; only the person building the system could see what it was doing. v0.5 brings states, choices, errors, usage and h…

optionOS

This single release brings together every visible change completed between 7 and 11 July 2026.

The Notch surface is beta in this release. It is experimental and may lag on some machines. If you want the stable path, use HUD; HUD can already be dragged to the part of the screen where it stays out of your way.

There is also a Promise area where we say what we will build: on the Promises page you can see the work we plan, and later you will be able to vote on it. The voting structure is not built in this release; for now it is a promise.

Speech, settings and capture share one workspace

The Settings panel, target-app selector and capture queue can be visible at the same time. You choose where your speech goes, while settings, history and captured items stay in the same flow.

optionOS Settings panel, target app selector and capture queue on the same Mac screen — The v0.5 workspace keeps speech, target app, settings and the capture queue together.

This What's New page was made by talking to optionOS

The text and visual decisions on this page were collected while talking to optionOS. Speech, on-screen marks, copied content and preview stayed in one flow; the release story you are reading came directly from that conversation.

Speech, capture actions and a content list while preparing the optionOS What's New page — Speech, capture actions and the content list feeding this page share one working surface.

First launch now shows the next action

The onboarding screen explains one-key dictation: which shortcut starts speech, whether the engine is ready and which permissions come next. Setup becomes a guided path instead of a hidden checklist.

optionOS onboarding screen showing the Compose shortcut, engine readiness and next setup steps — The first onboarding card makes the speech shortcut and required permissions visible.

Long speech is saved continuously so it does not disappear

Losing a 20-minute explanation is terrible. Speech is now saved as continuously as possible. If the app crashes, the computer shuts down, or you have to force quit because something got stuck, the audio recording is preserved.

optionOS recording with a visible Saving timer and capture list — The saving state stays visible while recording, protecting long speech sessions.

Retry from a past conversation

In the dictation screen, click a past conversation and use the context menu to try again. If something unexpected happened in a long speech session, you can find the same recording in history and put it back into the flow.

The optionOS conversation history context menu with Retry and Copy actions — The past-conversation menu gives direct retry and copy actions.

Capture actions stay visible while you talk

Recording, screenshot capture, GIF, scrolling capture, notes, automatic copy and clipboard undo/redo live on one surface. You can see what is available by hotkey or by button. The panel also shows which app the conversation started in and which content landed in the capture list.

In a browser it behaves like a browser flow; in a local app it behaves like a local app flow. Option+Shift+Z and Option+Shift+Y move the last clipboard action backward and forward, with animated feedback.

You can hold the bottom panel and drag it left or right — carry it to any side of the screen. If you have been copying things, moving it somewhere is more useful than closing it.

The optionOS capture actions menu, target app and captured content queue — The capture menu keeps hotkeys, target app and captured items on the same working surface.

Capture, mark up and attach it to what you say

Onboarding now teaches the capture-and-markup flow too. Capture the screen, mark the important area and optionOS adds that visual context to your speech.

optionOS onboarding screen showing the Mark Up by Editing card and Option Shift S shortcut — The Mark Up by Editing card explains the capture-and-markup flow with its shortcut.

Your speech and rectangles stay in sync

For motion, use GIF. For long web pages, use scrolling capture. You can annotate a GIF, but most of the time marking the first frame is enough to show the agent where to look.

When you draw a rectangle while speaking, the label time is attached to the transcript. You do not have to say “one, two, three”; saying it can help, but optionOS already knows when the drawing happened. You stay in the flow and the agent sees the change immediately.

An optionOS transcript showing screenshots, rectangle labels and visual references in sync — Speech, screenshots and drawn labels are readable on the same timeline.

Conversation history and feedback share the same archive

Past conversations inside the app can be shown like transcripts, with tags and badges. If you think of something later, you can click an old image and add a label on top of it; the speech flow stays intact and the agent can understand it.

Issue reporting follows the same idea: send the problem with voice, screenshots and annotations from inside the app. The feedback arrives with the context needed to improve the app together.

An optionOS transcript panel with past speech, file references and a capture list — Past conversations, references and captured items can be found again in the same archive.

The usage card opens speech history

Pressing the Dictation total card now opens an experimental Usage view. The heatmap, weekly totals and selected-day app breakdown stay in one window, so you can inspect speech history by time and app.

Experimental usage and speech-history view opened from the optionOS Dictation total-usage card — The usage card opens speech history with a calendar and app breakdown.

You can share the Dictation usage total

The total-usage card in the Dictation archive now has a share action. Use the share button on that card to turn total time and usage breakdown into a visual share card.

Share button on the total-usage card in the optionOS Dictation archive — The share button starts the flow that turns usage totals into a visual card.

The stats card exports as PNG

The share action creates an optionOS-branded PNG. It shows total speaking time, word count and the top app breakdown, so you can share the usage stat as one image.

Shareable PNG card showing optionOS usage statistics — The share card keeps total speaking time, word count and app breakdown in one image.

HUD actions are visible with their hotkeys

Record, mute, cancel, screenshot, GIF, scrolling capture, OCR and note all live in the HUD. The same surface shows the target app and what has entered the capture queue.

optionOS HUD showing record, capture, GIF, scrolling capture, OCR and note actions — The HUD shows the actions and shortcuts you can use while speaking.

Move the indicator where you want and choose its surface

In Settings → Indicator, you can choose the recording indicator surface and its position on screen. You can also press and drag the small panel directly, so the indicator adapts to your workspace.

optionOS Indicator settings with surface and recording-panel position options — Indicator settings keep the surface and recording-panel position controls together.

The Notch surface gives you a quieter indicator

Choose the Notch surface when you want a more modern indicator that takes up less space. Recording state stays at the top edge of the display without covering the content you are working on.

The optionOS Notch indicator at the top edge of a Mac display — The Notch surface keeps speech state visible in a compact top-edge indicator.

Control sounds and visual feedback separately

Turn visual motion and sound on or off together, then choose individual sounds for ready to paste, pasted, recording cancelled, transcription error, clipboard captured and screenshot captured states.

optionOS Effects settings with visual-motion and dictation-sound controls — The Effects panel shows which state will produce sound or visual feedback.

Trackpad gestures can replace keyboard shortcuts

Use a three-finger tap to start or stop dictation, then map corner clicks to paste, open history or cancel dictation. Each result stays visible beside the gesture and can be tried in the preview above. Because this surface is experimental, unsupported choices remain visibly unassigned.

optionOS Gestures settings with three-finger tap and corner-click actions — The Gestures panel shows which job each trackpad gesture triggers.

Use GIF when you need to show motion

Instead of over-prompting an animation, movement or panel behavior, press Option+G and record a GIF. The GIF carries the changing behavior from start to finish in one recording.

GIF recording that shows the optionOS HUD panel moving on screen — Use one GIF for motion: behavior such as dragging a panel stays visible from start to finish in the same recording.

Component Copy captures what is behind the UI

Component Copy in the capture menu copies the selected UI piece with its component/source tree, not only as a screenshot. The agent can now see which source files, descendants and routes sit behind the thing on screen.

This currently works for optionOS. When the SDK is published, a developer building their own Mac app will be able to add the SDK and describe their own app this way: precise context, with the relevant source code, modes and pieces in the packet.

The optionOS capture menu showing Component Copy and an output panel with a component/source tree — Component Copy carries the selected UI piece together with its component tree and source routes.

The menu bar is reserved for fast actions

The menu bar now holds frequent actions: setup, model selection, transcripts, history folder, settings, issue report, start at login and copy log command. Bigger decisions moved into Settings, so the menu stays compact.

optionOS menu bar with Setup, Model, Transcripts, Settings and Report Issue actions — The menu bar keeps everyday optionOS actions in a compact list.

Settings has been rebuilt from top to bottom

Transcription, Configuration, Indicator, History, General, Keys, Agents, Gestures, Effects, Cursor Follower, Storage & Data and experimental choices now live in one window, separated by the job they affect. Each choice explains what it changes beside the control.

The optionOS settings window showing Transcription, language and transcription-engine choices — The rebuilt Settings panel separates speech and app decisions into readable sections.

Settings is split by job

Settings is no longer one crowded surface. Motor, Language, Configuration, Display, Quota and History carry the speech workflow; General, Keys, Agents, Gestures, Effects, Storage & Data, Experimental, Developer and Ports keep their own decisions separate.

optionOS Settings sidebar with Motor, Language, Configuration, Display, Quota, History and system panes — The Settings sidebar separates speech settings from system-level decisions.

Settings search opens the right section

When you want to change a setting, search for it in the settings bar. Click the suggestion and the matching settings detail opens, without hunting through menus.

The optionOS settings search showing an ElevenLabs engine query, suggestion and detail panel — Settings search opens the matching setting and its detail panel in one flow.

Whisper settings now live in their own section

Choose the Whisper model, processing mode and output behavior in one place. Incorrect outputs such as closing phrases produced during silence have their own list; use the built-in entries or add your own example.

optionOS Whisper settings with model, processing mode, output and incorrect-output rows — Whisper-specific decisions and incorrect-output handling share one detail surface.

See your ElevenLabs account and remaining usage

When you use ElevenLabs, your account plan, used and remaining character allowance, and renewal date are visible in one place. Refresh the account details without removing and adding the account again.

ElevenLabs account card in optionOS showing the plan, character usage and renewal date — The ElevenLabs account card keeps plan and remaining-usage details inside transcription settings.

Storage & Data shows what takes space

See the data kept by the app and the space it uses at a glance. Dictation, Clipboard Capture, Screen Record, Component Capture, Backups and other data are measured separately; open a category to inspect its footprint.

optionOS Storage & Data settings with a usage bar and data categories — Storage & Data makes optionOS data visible by category and size.

Advanced configuration choices are visible

Microphone, silence duration, noise cleanup, paste formatting, page-decoration cleanup and image-text cleanup now have explicit controls. Experimental choices remain visible too, so you decide whether to use a behavior that is not fully reliable yet.

optionOS Configuration settings with microphone, silence, cleanup and paste options — Configuration separates how speech is captured from how text is delivered.

Capture settings are grouped

Everything is no longer shown at once. Clipboard/Copying, Developer and Diagnostics groups open and close, so the menu looks compact and less confusing.

The optionOS capture menu with Clipboard/Copying, Developer and Diagnostics groups — The capture menu groups frequently used actions instead of showing every detail at once.

Screen recording permission now opens with a guide card

When Screen & System Audio Recording permission is needed, optionOS opens a card next to System Settings that shows what to do. Copy the app path, use + in the System Settings list, paste the path, choose OptionOS.app and turn the permission on.

macOS Screen & System Audio Recording settings with the optionOS permission guide card — The permission guide keeps the app path and the next System Settings steps on the same surface.

Turn the cursor follower off whenever you want

Enable or disable the follower that shows recording or writing state beside the pointer from one setting. Separately choose whether it should appear in screenshots and screen recordings.

optionOS Cursor Follower settings for the follower and its visibility in screenshots — Cursor Follower leaves the pointer-side recording indicator under your control.

The menu bar is simpler: fast actions here, settings in the panel

The visual minibar structure is gone. The menu bar now keeps fast actions such as setup, model, transcriptions, history folder, settings and issue reporting. Bigger decisions moved into the new settings panel.

The optionOS menu bar with Setup, Model, Transcriptions, Settings and Report Issue actions — The menu bar is reserved for quick actions; settings and feedback open from here.

Keep your Mac awake during long agent jobs

Turn on Agent Safe Work to prevent the Mac from sleeping while background agents continue after a long prompt. You can still let the display sleep, measure the state again or release the assertion with one action.

optionOS Agents settings showing Mac sleep, display, network and agent states — Agent Safe Work keeps wakefulness during long tasks visible and controllable.

Send SVG as SVG or PNG

When you copy an SVG, optionOS keeps it in the capture list. You can send it to AI as SVG, or turn it into a PNG image. The code form and the visual form stay connected instead of becoming two separate flows.