Read TextMate Aloud — With Word-Level Highlight
Select any function, paragraph, or comment block in TextMate. A floating ▶ button appears next to your selection. One click — natural voice playback starts with a highlight that glides word-by-word across the real TextMate window.
macOS native · Free · No login · 40+ languages
class Invoice(models.Model): amount = DecimalField(max_digits=10, decimal_places=2) # total in the customer's currency.
Highlight follows each word in your actual TextMate document.
One App Covers Every Native Mac Editor
Same gesture, same word-level highlight — across every Mac text editor that exposes its text natively.
TextEdit
Plain / RTF documents
Stickies
Yellow sticky notes
Notes
Apple Notes
Script Editor
AppleScript IDE
BBEdit
Pro text & code editor
CotEditor
Open-source editor
TextMate
GPL code editor
Terminal
zsh / bash shell
Three Steps — No Setup
CastReader runs as a menu-bar app. TextMate stays exactly as it is.
Install
Download CastReader for Mac (.dmg). Grant Accessibility permission once — that is how it reads selected text from TextMate.
Select
Open any source file in TextMate. Drag to select a function, a paragraph, or the whole document.
Click ▶
A small play button appears next to your selection. One click — audio starts with a highlight that tracks each word inside TextMate.
When TextMate Users Add Read-Aloud
TextMate is the classic Mac code editor — Ruby, Python, web dev. CastReader turns it into a listen-while-you-code companion.
Audio code review
Hear your diffs spoken back before committing. Works great for long functions where eyes glaze over.
Proofread README and docs
TextMate is often used for Markdown readmes. Listening catches typos and run-on sentences faster than re-reading.
Follow tutorials with audio
Paste tutorial code into TextMate and hear the comments read. Helps when learning a new stack or API.
Dyslexia-friendly coding
TextMate has no built-in read-aloud. CastReader adds word-level follow-along for developers with dyslexia or visual fatigue.
Why CastReader Beats macOS Built-in Speech
macOS has Edit → Start Speaking in TextMate, but no highlight, no speed control, no natural voices. CastReader fixes every gap.
Word-level highlight on your actual document
A transparent overlay tracks each spoken word directly inside the TextMate window. Your eyes follow the voice — not a separate reader pane.
40+ natural AI voices
Auto-detects the language of your selection. Kokoro-quality voices for English, Mandarin, Japanese, French, German, Spanish and more.
Adjustable rate, jump to any paragraph
Change speed 0.5×–2× on the fly. Click any paragraph to jump playback — not possible with macOS Speech.
Zero cost, zero signup
Free, like TextMate itself. No account, no credit card, no daily limits.
Common Questions
How do I read TextMate documents aloud on a Mac?▾
TextMate inherits macOS Edit → Speech → Start Speaking, but no highlight, no speed control, and only old system voices. For natural voice and word-level highlight overlaid on your document, install CastReader for Mac. Select text, click the floating ▶, and TextMate starts reading.
Does it work with TextMate 1 and TextMate 2?▾
Yes — both. CastReader reads the text rendered by either version via macOS AX APIs. Bundles, scopes, and themes are irrelevant.
Does it read syntax-highlighted code?▾
Yes. CastReader reads the character content, not the colors. Ruby, Python, JavaScript, HTML — all read as regular text.
Does CastReader modify my files?▾
No. CastReader reads your selection through macOS Accessibility APIs and overlays a transparent highlight on top of the real TextMate window. Your file content is never modified, copied, or uploaded anywhere.
Why does CastReader need Accessibility permission?▾
The Accessibility (AX) API is the only way a Mac app can read the currently selected text from another app. CastReader uses it to capture TextMate selections and compute pixel-level bounds for the highlight.
Can it read Chinese, Japanese, or Korean text?▾
Yes. CastReader auto-detects CJK text and uses native Mandarin / Japanese / Korean voices. Mixed-language files switch voice at sentence boundaries.
Is there a keyboard shortcut?▾
Yes. Open CastReader's menu-bar icon → Preferences to bind a global hotkey to 'Read Selection'. The floating ▶ button is optional for pure keyboard users.
Is it really free?▾
Yes. 100% free — like TextMate 2. No account, no credit card, no premium voice gate, no daily word limit. Download the .dmg and use it forever.
Ready to Hear Your TextMate Documents?
Install once. Select any text in TextMate. Click ▶. Listen.