Read Windsurf Aloud — Hear Cascade, Chat & AI Output
Select any text in Codeium Windsurf on Mac — a Cascade agent response, a chat panel reply, an inline edit explanation, a code comment. A floating ▶ appears next to your selection. One click — natural voice reads it with word-level highlight on the real Windsurf window.
macOS native · Free · No login · 40+ languages · Works with every Windsurf version
I analyzed your repo and found three places where the retry logic diverges from the canonical one in utils/http.ts. I'll refactor all three to import from the single source, keep the tests green, and drop the duplicated constants. Confirm to apply all edits.
Highlight tracks each spoken word in Windsurf's editor or Cascade 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 is a menu-bar app. Windsurf installs nothing extra.
Install
Download CastReader for Mac (.dmg). Grant Accessibility + Screen Recording permission once — Windsurf is Electron-based, so word-level alignment uses Vision OCR on a small region.
Select
Drag-select any text in Windsurf — Cascade output, chat panel reply, inline explanation, code comment, documentation tab.
Click ▶
A small play button appears next to your selection. One click — audio starts and highlight glides across the actual Windsurf window.
When Windsurf Users Add Read-Aloud
Windsurf's killer feature is Cascade — a multi-file agent that plans edits across your whole repo. Plans are long prose. Listening catches assumption errors faster than reading.
Hear Cascade plans before confirming
Cascade often returns a multi-file plan. Listening at 1.5× catches 'wrong file' or 'wrong assumption' mistakes that eyes skim past after the fourth plan.
Audio-scan chat panel answers
Long AI explanations break naturally into 2-3 minute audio segments. Select, press ▶, listen while making coffee.
Listen to inline edit explanations
When Windsurf explains why it made a specific edit, audio lets you absorb the rationale while your eyes follow the diff.
Review PR descriptions in Windsurf's terminal
gh pr view in Windsurf's integrated terminal — select the body, press ▶. Post-lunch eye-rest mode.
Study Codeium docs and RFCs
Codeium ships detailed feature docs. Drop them into a markdown tab, drag-select sections, listen on repeat to absorb.
Accessibility for AI-heavy flows
Cascade alone can produce thousands of words of plan + explanation per session. Listening halves the eye strain.
Why CastReader Is the Right Fit for Windsurf
Windsurf has no native read-aloud. Copy-pasting Cascade output into a browser TTS breaks the flow — and Cascade plans change too fast to bookmark. CastReader reads selection in place.
Highlight on the real Windsurf window
A transparent overlay tracks each spoken word directly inside your Windsurf pane — Cascade, chat, editor, same gesture.
40+ natural voices, auto-detect
Chinese prompts, English Cascade plans, Japanese docs — CastReader picks a native voice per selection. Kokoro-quality audio.
Adjustable rate, click-to-jump
1.5× to power through long Cascade plans, 0.8× for tricky code explanations. Click any paragraph to jump playback.
Zero cost, zero signup
No account. No daily word limit. No paywalled voices. Codeium's subscription covers the AI — CastReader covers the voice, free.
Common Questions
How do I read Windsurf output aloud on a Mac?▾
Windsurf ships no native read-aloud. Install CastReader for Mac, grant Accessibility + Screen Recording permission, then select any text in Windsurf — Cascade, chat, editor — and click the floating ▶. Word-level highlight appears on your real Windsurf window.
Does it work in Cascade and the chat panel?▾
Yes. Any visible text in Windsurf — Cascade agent output, chat panel, editor, documentation — can be selected and read with the same gesture.
Is the highlight accurate given Windsurf 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. Accuracy is comparable to native AX paths like Terminal or Xcode.
Does it interfere with Windsurf's own hotkeys?▾
No. CastReader triggers only when you select text and click the floating ▶ or press your configured hotkey. Cascade's Cmd-L, Cmd-I stay untouched.
Will it read ghost text / Supercomplete suggestions?▾
Ghost text is a rendering trick — not yet part of the selectable document. Accept the suggestion first, then select and read the resulting code or prose.
What about Windsurf on Linux or Windows?▾
CastReader is macOS only. This page is about Windsurf on Mac. Linux / Windows users: we have a Chrome / Firefox extension for browser-based surfaces.
Can I read Chinese Cascade prompts aloud?▾
Yes. CastReader auto-detects CJK text and switches to native Mandarin, Japanese, or Korean voices. Chinese prompt → 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. For fully local, v2 will add on-device Kokoro — roadmap only.
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 Windsurf Speak?
Install once. Select any Cascade, chat, or code in Windsurf. Click ▶. Listen.