Judgment-based narration
Heard listens to coding agent events, decides what matters in context, and turns that into concise spoken updates instead of a raw transcript.
Heard
Heard is a macOS app that turns Claude Code or Codex activity into spoken updates, with listening modes, custom voices, and mobile pairing.
What Heard is
Heard is a macOS app that gives coding agents a voice. It listens to agent activity in tools such as Claude Code and Codex, then turns the useful parts of that activity into spoken updates so you can stay informed without watching the terminal.
The product is aimed at developers who want ambient updates, quieter focus, or hands-free interaction with their agent sessions. Heard offers different listening modes, customizable voices, and a mobile pairing flow in its higher-tier plan for staying in the loop away from the desk.
Core features
Listening modes
Choose among Co-pilot, Companion, and Focus modes to control how much voice you hear, from short signposts to quiet alerts for approvals or blockers.
Multi-agent awareness
The app follows parallel sessions, uses distinct voices per agent, and can compress background activity into digests so multi-agent work stays understandable by ear.
Voice personas and custom voices
Users can pick from personas such as Aria, Friday, Jarvis, and Atlas, or write their own persona in Markdown to shape the voice and tone.
Agent and key integration
Heard can connect to Claude Code or Codex, supports BYOK with ElevenLabs and Anthropic/OpenAI keys on the free plan, and offers a managed setup with cloud sync on Pro.
Mobile listening and voice control
Power adds Heard Mobile, enabling phone pairing so you can listen, approve, redirect, and pause sessions by voice while the Mac session continues.
Common ways people can use Heard
Stay informed while working in the terminal
Use Co-pilot mode for short spoken signposts while you are actively coding and want awareness without constant interruption.
Catch up without watching the screen
Switch to Companion mode when you want fuller briefings for time away from the screen, such as a walk, commute, or kitchen break.
Reduce noise during deep work
Use Focus mode when you only want to be interrupted for approvals, failures, blockers, or other decisions that need attention.
Handle sessions away from the desk
Pair Heard Mobile in the Power flow to listen, approve, or reply to an agent while the session continues on your Mac.
Follow multiple agents at once
Use distinct voices and digests to keep track of multiple parallel agent sessions without losing which session is doing what.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Converts agent activity into concise speech instead of dumping every event to the user.
- Offers multiple listening modes, which lets users tune how much narration they hear.
- Supports both a managed setup and a self-hosted open-source engine.
- Includes custom personas and built-in voice options, giving users control over tone.
- Adds call-aware auto-pause and hotkeys on the free plan, which are useful for interrupting narration quickly.
Cons
- The richer mobile and hands-free features are tied to the Power tier, which is marked as coming soon.
- The source does not provide a full list of supported integrations beyond Claude Code and Codex.
- Some setup paths depend on whether you use the managed app or self-host with your own keys, so the experience may vary by plan.
FAQ
What does Heard do?
Heard is a macOS app for listening to coding agent activity and turning it into spoken updates. It connects with Claude Code or Codex and can also be used with different listening modes from the menu bar.
Does Heard have a free option?
The source shows a free plan with local Kokoro voices, bring-your-own ElevenLabs and Anthropic/OpenAI keys, built-in voices plus custom personas, hotkeys, and call-aware auto-pause. Managed Pro and Power plans add hosted voices and more features.
Can I self-host Heard?
Heard supports a managed app experience, or you can self-host the Apache-2.0 engine with your own keys and a local Kokoro voice. The managed plans are positioned for users who want less setup.
Can I use Heard away from my desk?
Yes. Heard Mobile is described as a phone pairing flow that lets you listen, approve, and reply while the session keeps running on your Mac. The Power tier includes Heard Mobile and hands-free control.
What platforms and tools does Heard support?
The source says Heard is built for macOS 13 or later, and managed plans require that version or newer. It is also described as integrating natively with Claude Code and Codex CLI and app.
Quick Facts
- Category
- Developer tool
- Platform
- macOS
- Primary use
- Voice narration for coding agents
- Pricing shape
- Free plan, Pro at $12/month, Power at $24/month soon
- Open source
- Apache-2.0 core
- Known integrations
- Claude Code, Codex
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