ClawBB (虾BB)
Hold Globe key. Speak. Text appears. Free voice-to-text built for Vibe Coding.
- 🆓 Free forever — Google Gemini free tier, 250 transcriptions/day
- 🌏 Bilingual — Mixed Chinese + English, perfect punctuation for AI prompts
- 🔴 Live streaming preview — See text appear as you speak (Gemini Live API)
- ⚡ 341KB pure Swift — Zero dependencies, macOS native
- 🧠 LLM engine — Not Whisper ASR. Gemini understands meaning, not just sound.
- 📖 Open source — MIT License, Apple Notarized
Install
Download the Apple Notarized DMG (app release v1.1.3): from GitHub Releases:
curl -L -o /tmp/XiaBB.dmg "https://github.com/dyz2102/xiabb/releases/download/v1.1.3/XiaBB-v1.1.3-macOS-arm64.dmg"
Verify checksum before opening:
echo "ce53a5b0ccc3b0993b284686ab05716f3e616969f98395d1baf8aec083f8d784 /tmp/XiaBB.dmg" | shasum -a 256 -c
Then open the DMG and drag XiaBB.app to Applications:
open /tmp/XiaBB.dmg
The app is signed with Developer ID and Apple Notarized — no Gatekeeper warnings.
Build from source (optional)
If you prefer to inspect and compile yourself:
git clone https://github.com/dyz2102/xiabb.git /tmp/xiabb-build
cd /tmp/xiabb-build
# Review install.sh and native/main.swift before running
cat install.sh
bash install.sh
Requires Xcode Command Line Tools (xcode-select --install).
Setup
Gemini API Key
Get a free key at https://aistudio.google.com/apikey, then configure:
# Recommended: environment variable
export GEMINI_API_KEY="your-key-here"
Or configure via the app's menu bar → "Configure Gemini API Key...".
The key is stored locally at ~/Tools/xiabb/.api-key (chmod 600 recommended).
Permissions
On first launch, macOS will prompt for:
- Accessibility: Required for Globe key detection (CGEventTap)
- Microphone: Required for voice recording
Both are standard macOS permissions for a voice input app. Grant them in System Settings → Privacy & Security.
Usage
| Action | Result |
|---|---|
| Hold 🌐 Globe key | Start recording, HUD shows live preview |
| Release 🌐 Globe key | Transcription pastes at cursor |
| Click HUD 📋 | Copy last result |
Security & Privacy
- Open source: Full source at https://github.com/dyz2102/xiabb — review before use
- Apple Notarized: Signed with Developer ID, verified by Apple
- No account required: No signup, no tracking, no telemetry
- Audio processing: Audio is sent to Google Gemini API for transcription. Review Google's privacy policy if this concerns you.
- Local storage only: API key and config stored locally, never transmitted except to Gemini API
Links
- 🌐 Website: https://xiabb.lol
- 📦 GitHub: https://github.com/dyz2102/xiabb
- 📄 MIT License