> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.scoutvoice.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Introduction

> Scout is a desktop voice-to-text app that types what you say, wherever your cursor is.

Scout turns your voice into text in any app on your computer. Hold a hotkey, speak naturally, and Scout types your words when you release — emails, code comments, Slack messages, documents, anything.

## What makes Scout different

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Private by design" icon="lock">
    Audio streams directly to the speech engine — it never passes through Scout's servers.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Voice commands" icon="microphone">
    Say "new paragraph," "dollar sign," "snake case get user" and Scout formats as you speak. 60+ commands built in.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Magic Edit" icon="wand-magic-sparkles">
    Select text, speak an instruction ("make this more formal"), and AI rewrites it in place.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Lightweight" icon="feather">
    Uses minimal system resources. Starts in under a second.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Quick start

<Steps>
  <Step title="Download Scout">
    Get the installer for [Windows or macOS](https://scoutvoice.ai/download).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Sign in">
    Create an account or sign in with Google. No credit card required.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Grant permissions">
    Allow microphone access when prompted. On macOS, you'll also need to grant Accessibility permission — Scout will guide you through it.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Start dictating">
    Hold **Ctrl+Shift** (Windows) or **Fn** (macOS) and speak. Release to inject text.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Explore the docs

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Voice Commands" icon="terminal" href="/voice-commands/overview">
    Punctuation, symbols, lists, case transforms, and more.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Features" icon="sparkles" href="/features/dictation">
    Dictation, Magic Edit, app styles, dictionary, quick phrases.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Settings" icon="gear" href="/settings/hotkeys">
    Hotkeys, audio, language, and general configuration.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Troubleshooting" icon="wrench" href="/troubleshooting/common-issues">
    Fix permissions, microphone, and common issues.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>