Read Cursor Aloud — Hear Composer, Chat & Cmd-K Output
Select any text in Cursor on Mac — a Composer response, a Cmd-K edit plan, a chat panel answer, inline code comments. A floating ▶ appears next to your selection. One click — natural voice reads it with word-level highlight on the real Cursor window.
macOS native · Free · No login · 40+ languages · Works with every Cursor version
The function iterates over the file tree and excludes any path matching the gitignore rules. Once collected, it batches sends to the indexer so the embedding call never stalls on a single large file. This matches the behavior of Cursor's own background indexing.
Highlight tracks each spoken word in Cursor's editor or chat panel.
One App Covers Every AI Coding Tool on Mac
Same gesture, same word-level highlight — across every IDE and CLI developers actually use.
VS Code
Microsoft's editor
Cursor
AI-native IDE
Xcode
Apple's IDE
Windsurf
Codeium AI IDE
Claude Code
Anthropic CLI
Gemini CLI
Google AI CLI
Codex
OpenAI coding CLI
Copilot CLI
GitHub gh copilot
Aider
AI pair programmer
Three Steps — No Extension
CastReader runs as a menu-bar app. Cursor installs nothing extra.
Install
Download CastReader for Mac (.dmg). Grant Accessibility + Screen Recording permission once — Cursor is Electron-based, so word-level alignment uses Vision OCR on a small region.
Select
Drag-select any text in Cursor — Composer output, Cmd-K reply, chat panel message, code comment, documentation tab.
Click ▶
A small play button appears next to your selection. One click — audio starts and highlight glides across the actual Cursor window.
When Cursor Users Add Read-Aloud
Cursor's edge is AI-in-editor: Composer, Cmd-K, chat panel. All three produce long prose. Listening instead of reading frees your eyes for the code.
Hear Composer plans before accepting
Composer often returns a multi-paragraph plan before rewriting files. Listening catches assumption errors (wrong file, wrong framework) faster than reading line-by-line.
Listen to Cmd-K explanations
When Cmd-K explains why it made an edit, audio lets you absorb the rationale while scanning the diff with your eyes.
Audio-scan chat panel responses
Long chat answers with multiple sections are perfect for audio. Select, press ▶, listen at 1.5× while sketching the architecture on paper.
Review PR descriptions in Cursor's terminal
Run gh pr view in Cursor's integrated terminal, select the body, and hear it. Great for post-lunch review when your eyes are tired.
Study AI coding best practices
When Cursor or Claude write long RFCs, listen on replay. Concepts stick better through audio repetition than visual re-read.
Accessibility for AI-heavy sessions
AI output volume has exploded — reading all of it is bad for your eyes. CastReader lets you listen to prose while code stays on screen.
Why CastReader Is The Right Fit for Cursor
Cursor has no native read-aloud. Copy-pasting into ChatGPT's voice or a browser tab breaks your flow. CastReader reads selection in place, no context switch.
Highlight on the real Cursor window
A transparent overlay tracks each spoken word directly inside your Cursor pane — Composer, chat, editor, all the same gesture.
40+ natural voices, auto-detect
Chinese Composer prompts, English AI replies, Japanese docs — CastReader picks a native voice per selection. Kokoro-quality audio.
Adjustable rate, click-to-jump
1.5× to power through long Composer plans, 0.8× for tricky explanations. Click any paragraph to jump playback.
Zero cost, zero signup
No account. No daily word limit. No paywalled voices. Cursor's own subscription covers code — CastReader covers the voice, free.
Common Questions
How do I read Cursor output aloud on a Mac?▾
Cursor ships no native read-aloud. Install CastReader for Mac, grant Accessibility + Screen Recording permission, then select any text in Cursor — Composer output, Cmd-K reply, chat panel, code — and click the floating ▶. Word-level highlight appears on your real Cursor window.
Does it work in Composer, Cmd-K, and the chat panel?▾
All three. Any visible text in Cursor can be selected and read, whether it came from the editor, Composer, Cmd-K, chat, or any documentation tab.
Will it read ghost text / inline suggestions?▾
Ghost text is a rendering trick — it is not part of the selectable document yet. Accept the suggestion first, then select and read the resulting code or prose.
Is the highlight accurate given Cursor is Electron?▾
Yes. CastReader uses Vision-framework OCR on a small region around your selection to map each spoken word to its pixel bbox on screen. Highlight accuracy is comparable to native AX paths like Terminal or Xcode.
Does it interfere with Cursor's own keyboard shortcuts?▾
No. CastReader triggers only when you select text and click the floating ▶ (or your configured hotkey). Cmd-K, Cmd-L, Cmd-I stay untouched.
What about Cursor on Linux or Windows?▾
CastReader is macOS only. This page is about Cursor on Mac. Linux / Windows users: we have a Chrome / Firefox extension that reads Cursor Web and other browser-based surfaces.
Can I read Chinese Composer output aloud?▾
Yes. CastReader auto-detects CJK text and switches to native Mandarin / Japanese / Korean voices. Cursor prompts in Chinese → Chinese voice plays.
Does my code leave the machine?▾
Your selection is sent to the TTS service for voice synthesis. Nothing is stored beyond the playback session. If you prefer fully local, v2 will add on-device Kokoro — roadmap only, not shipping yet.
Is it really free?▾
Yes. 100% free — no account, no credit card, no daily limit. Download the .dmg and use it forever.
Ready to Hear Cursor Speak?
Install once. Select any Composer, chat, or code in Cursor. Click ▶. Listen.