Getting started with Hush

May 28, 2026 · View on GitHub

End-to-end walkthrough: install → first recording → meeting capture.

1. Install

Hush is not signed with an Apple Developer ID, so macOS will show a security warning on first launch regardless of how you install. The bypass is a one-time step covered in section 1b below.

macOS — DMG

  1. Go to github.com/khawkins98/Hush/releases and download the latest .dmg.
  2. Open the DMG and drag Hush.app into your Applications folder.

The DMG also includes a Read Me First.txt with offline instructions.

Linux / Windows

Download the .AppImage / .deb (Linux) or .msi (Windows) from Releases.

  • Linux: run chmod +x Hush_*.AppImage && ./Hush_*.AppImage, or sudo dpkg -i hush_*.deb.
  • Windows: run the .msi; click More info → Run anyway past the SmartScreen warning.

1b. Bypass the Gatekeeper warning (macOS, one-time)

macOS blocks unsigned apps on first launch. You only need to do this once — all future launches are silent.

Method 1 — right-click (quickest):

  1. Open your Applications folder.
  2. Right-click (or Control-click) Hush.app → choose Open.
  3. Click Open again in the dialog to confirm.

Method 2 — System Settings (if Method 1 is greyed out):

  1. Try to open Hush normally — macOS shows a warning. Click OK to dismiss it.
  2. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security.
  3. Scroll down to find "Hush.app was blocked…" → click Open Anyway, then confirm.

Method 3 — Terminal (works when both above are blocked):

xattr -rd com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Hush.app

Then open Hush normally.

2. First launch and permissions

On first launch Hush shows a welcome screen that walks you through the two permissions it needs:

PermissionWhat it's forWhen it prompts
MicrophoneRecording your voice (dictation + meeting audio)First time you record
Input MonitoringPush-to-talk hotkey while another app is in focusFirst time PTT is armed

Grant both when prompted. If you miss a prompt or accidentally deny one, you can re-grant from Settings → Permissions inside Hush.

No Screen Recording required. System audio (the remote side of calls) uses a CoreAudio process tap that macOS does not classify as screen recording.

3. Dictation (push-to-talk)

  1. Make sure your cursor is in the text field where you want to paste.
  2. Hold Right ⌘ (macOS default) — Hush's HUD appears while you're holding.
  3. Speak. Release the key.
  4. The transcript is on your clipboard and pasted at the cursor automatically.

The hotkey is configurable in Settings → General → Hotkeys. A toggle hotkey (⌃⌥H by default) lets you flip the microphone on/off hands-free instead of holding.

4. Meeting transcription

Hush can transcribe meetings two ways:

Auto-start (on by default): Hush watches for supported apps (Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, Slack, Discord, and others) activating your mic. When one does, recording starts automatically; when the meeting app releases the mic, recording stops. Enable/disable in Settings → Meeting → Auto-start.

Manual start: Click Record in the Hush main window at any time.

Both capture your mic and the call's system audio in parallel and produce a searchable transcript with You / Remote labels. If you enable the optional diarisation model (Settings → Meeting → Speaker identification), multiple remote participants are labelled separately as Speaker 1, Speaker 2…

5. Browsing history

All transcripts — dictation snippets and full meeting sessions — are saved to History. Click the clock icon in the sidebar. Meetings are searchable; dictation entries show the text and timestamp.

6. Check for updates

Hush does not auto-update. To check: Settings → About → Check for updates, or on macOS: Hush menu → Check for Updates…

Troubleshooting

SymptomFirst thing to try
Push-to-talk does nothingSettings → Permissions — check Input Monitoring is green
Microphone prompt never appearedSettings → Permissions → Reset, then re-enable PTT
Meeting auto-start doesn't fireSettings → Meeting → Auto-start is on; supported app list is in ARCHITECTURE.md
"Was granted — now revoked" after an updateSettings → Permissions → Reset, or re-grant in System Settings
System audio silent in meetingsSettings → Meeting → Audio source — select the correct output device

Full TCC / permissions troubleshooting: docs/macos-permissions.md.