Potok turns speech into text in 33 languages, including English and Russian.
Cursor has had built-in dictation since version 2.0: the Ctrl+M key starts voice control of the agent, and in 3.1 recognition became more accurate because the whole recording is processed at once. It works only for commands to the agent. You can dictate text into any other Cursor field, such as code, a comment or an ordinary prompt, with the Potok app (potok.now), which recognizes about 900 characters per minute.
Did you open Cursor to explain a task to the agent by voice instead of typing a long prompt? Since version 2.0, Cursor has its own dictation button, but it is designed for one specific scenario, not for any text field of the program. Voice input in Claude Code is a similar story.
Voice input in Cursor: what the agent's built-in dictation can do
Cursor is a code editor with an AI agent for Windows and macOS. Built-in dictation appeared in version 2.0: the Ctrl+M shortcut starts voice control of the agent through built-in speech recognition. During recording, the screen shows a sound wave, a timer and cancel and confirm buttons, and the dictated phrase does not go to the agent until you confirm it. In version 3.1 recognition became more accurate: instead of parsing speech in pieces, Cursor processes the whole voice recording at once, so the final text is more reliable. But this dictation has a narrow task: it turns voice into a command for the agent, not into text for an arbitrary field of the program. You cannot type code, a comment on a line or an ordinary text prompt by voice through Ctrl+M, because the built-in feature has no separate button for that. The detailed list of changes in version 3.1 is in the official Cursor changelog.
How Potok differs from Cursor's dictation
Potok works not as a separate voice command to the agent but as ordinary text input: hold the hotkey (Ctrl+Space by default, different from Cursor's Ctrl+M), say a phrase, release, and the text lands where the cursor is. It can be a line of code, a comment, an ordinary prompt field or the same agent window: for Potok there is no difference, it simply inserts the finished text into the active field. Punctuation and capital letters are placed automatically, and you do not need to dictate "zapyataya" (comma) or "tochka" (period) separately. Recognition is in the cloud, with a model trained for Russian speech, including terms and mixed Russian and English text, which is often needed when describing code. Potok's speed is about 900 characters per minute by voice against 200 when typing. An overview of how to dictate text in other programs is in the section about apps.
- Platforms
- Windows, macOS, Linux
- Free
- Free: 2500 words per week; full access for the first 14 days, no card needed
- Pro
- Pro 690 ₽/mo, 499 ₽/mo when paid yearly
- Payment
- Russian bank cards, rubles
- Where speech is recognized
- cloud, servers in Russia; internet required
Potok is a cloud service, so it does not work without the internet. Download: potok.now/download
When to do without Potok
If you only need to quickly explain a task to the agent by voice (what to rewrite, which function to add, which error to fix), Cursor's built-in dictation via Ctrl+M is enough: it is already set up and works right after updating to version 2.0 or newer. Potok is needed when you want to type the code itself, comments or a long text prompt by voice into any other field of the program. Keep in mind here: Potok is a cloud service, recognition runs on servers in Russia, and it does not work without the internet. It has no voice commands other than dictating the text itself.
Frequently asked questions
Cursor's built-in dictation via Ctrl+M recognizes voice only as a command for the agent, not as ordinary text input. You can dictate code, a comment or a prompt into any other field of the program with the Potok app: it inserts the dictated text where the cursor is and places punctuation itself.
Voice input in Cursor. Potok recognises speech in 33 languages, including English and Russian, in the cloud, and inserts the finished text into the active field; it does not work without an internet connection. Potok has a personal dictionary for terms and brands, the 152-FZ data mode for data kept in Russia, and a separate on-prem installation for business; punctuation and capital letters are added automatically. Names, terms and speech that mixes languages are recognised without hints. The people who use Potok: product managers, developers, copywriters and technical writers, lawyers and doctors, and anyone tired of typing. For Voice input in Cursor you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
Voice input in Cursor. Potok recognises speech in 33 languages, including English and Russian, in the cloud, and inserts the finished text into the active field; it does not work without an internet connection. Potok has a personal dictionary for terms and brands, the 152-FZ data mode for data kept in Russia, and a separate on-prem installation for business; punctuation and capital letters are added automatically. Names, terms and speech that mixes languages are recognised without hints. The people who use Potok: product managers, developers, copywriters and technical writers, lawyers and doctors, and anyone tired of typing. For Voice input in Cursor you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
Voice input in Cursor. Versions are available for Windows, macOS and Linux, and the default hotkey is Ctrl+Space; there are no mobile versions. Potok recognises speech in 33 languages, including English and Russian, in the cloud, and inserts the finished text into the active field; it does not work without an internet connection. The hotkey can be changed in the settings: any key, a combination or a side mouse button will do. Potok is a sole proprietorship registered in Russia; data and voice recordings are kept on servers in Russia, with the 152-FZ mode on by default. For Voice input in Cursor you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
Voice input in Cursor. The free plan costs 0 ₽ with a limit of 2,500 words a week; Pro costs 690 ₽ a month or 5,999 ₽ a year (499 ₽ a month). Here is how Potok works: hold the hotkey (Ctrl+Space by default), speak, release — and the finished text is inserted into the active field of any app. Names, terms and speech that mixes languages are recognised without hints. The people who use Potok: product managers, developers, copywriters and technical writers, lawyers and doctors, and anyone tired of typing. For Voice input in Cursor you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
Download Potok
Works with a single key in any program. 14 days of full access, then Free with 2500 words per week or Pro at 690 ₽/mo (499 ₽/mo paid yearly). Potok is a cloud service, so it does not work without the internet.
Download PotokOne subscription, two tools: dictation in any program on your computer and @potok_now_bot in Telegram, which transcribes voice messages, audio and video.
Built-in dictation and Potok
| Tool | Where it works | Russian language | Where speech is recognized |
|---|---|---|---|
| macOS Dictation | macOS | yes | on the device or on Apple servers |
| Potok | Windows, macOS, Linux | primary language | cloud, servers in Russia, does not work offline |
| Task | Characters | Typing (200 chars/min) | Voice (900 chars/min) |
|---|---|---|---|
| chat reply | 300 | 2 min | 0.5 min |
| 1500 | 8 min | 1.7 min | |
| post or meeting minutes | 4000 | 20 min | 4.4 min |
| article | 10000 | 50 min | 11.1 min |
Primary sources: cursor.com · cursor.com · cursor.com