# AI use cases for Sayit (callebtc/sayit)

Repo: [callebtc/sayit](https://github.com/callebtc/sayit) | Use cases: 3 | Page: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/callebtc-sayit/

Say It is a native macOS menu-bar app that reads selected or copied text aloud with open TTS models running locally through MLX Audio on Apple silicon.

This file holds every use case of this repo. Each one starts with a "## " heading and ends with its URL.

- Listen to any selected text on your Mac, offline: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/callebtc-sayit/read-any-selected-text-aloud-privately/
- Speak text from the terminal and shell scripts: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/callebtc-sayit/speak-text-from-terminal-scripts/
- Hear your coding agent's progress out loud: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/callebtc-sayit/hear-coding-agent-progress-spoken/

## How to listen to any selected text on your Mac, offline with Sayit

Repo: [callebtc/sayit](https://github.com/callebtc/sayit) | Difficulty: Beginner | Time: 15 minutes | Basis: From the README

Select text in any app and press a hotkey to hear it with a local open model, with nothing sent to the cloud.

**Who it is for:** A reader with eye strain who wants long articles and emails read aloud without a cloud TTS service.

**The problem:** Cloud text-to-speech sends your text to someone else's servers.

**The outcome:** Spoken audio in a menu-bar player with pause, seek, speed and history, generated on your Mac.

### Steps

1. Install the app and pick the recommended Phonon 31M English model during onboarding
2. Select text in another app and press the selection hotkey, or choose Services then Say It
3. Use the menu-bar player to pause, seek or change speed
4. Revisit earlier readings from history

### Prompt to paste into your agent

```text
Using callebtc/sayit on an Apple silicon Mac, read <document or selection> aloud with the default Phonon voice. Confirm synthesis works with networking off after the model download.
```

### Caveat

Only one model is kept in memory and it unloads after ten minutes of inactivity by default, so the first reading after a break is slower.

Disclaimer: Third-party repos we don't own or vouch for. AI-generated use cases can be wrong: review everything and run at your own risk. Full text: https://dedupedai.com/disclaimer/

URL: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/callebtc-sayit/read-any-selected-text-aloud-privately/

## How to speak text from the terminal and shell scripts with Sayit

Repo: [callebtc/sayit](https://github.com/callebtc/sayit) | Difficulty: Intermediate | Time: 15 minutes | Basis: From the README

Pipe any script output into the Sayit command to hear it read aloud.

**Who it is for:** A developer who wants a long build or batch job to announce its result out loud.

**The problem:** You miss when a long job finishes because you are in another window.

**The outcome:** Command line speech you can drop into any script, with status, pause and resume.

### Steps

1. Install Say It and its command line tool
2. Test it with `sayit "Read this aloud"`
3. Pipe output in with `printf 'Read standard input' | sayit`
4. Control playback with `sayit pause`, `sayit resume` and `sayit status`

### Prompt to paste into your agent

```text
Add callebtc/sayit to <script> so it pipes the final status line into `sayit`. Run the script once and confirm the line was spoken and `sayit status` reports idle afterwards.
```

### Caveat

It runs only on Apple silicon Macs because it depends on MLX.

Disclaimer: Third-party repos we don't own or vouch for. AI-generated use cases can be wrong: review everything and run at your own risk. Full text: https://dedupedai.com/disclaimer/

URL: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/callebtc-sayit/speak-text-from-terminal-scripts/

## How to hear your coding agent's progress out loud with Sayit

Repo: [callebtc/sayit](https://github.com/callebtc/sayit) | Difficulty: Intermediate | Time: 15 minutes | Basis: From the README

Load the bundled Say It agent skill so your coding agent gives live spoken updates while it works.

**Who it is for:** A developer running a coding agent on a long task who steps away from the screen.

**The problem:** You have to keep checking the terminal to know what the agent is doing.

**The outcome:** Short spoken updates from the agent as it reaches milestones.

### Steps

1. Install Say It and confirm `sayit status` works
2. Find the skill with `sayit skill path`
3. Tell your agent: Load the Say It skill and use it for live spoken updates.
4. Start a task and listen for updates

### Prompt to paste into your agent

```text
Run `sayit skill path`, load that skill into your coding agent, and work on <task> with live spoken updates. Verify at least one update was spoken before the task finished.
```

### Caveat

The skill speaks through the local app, so it only works on the Mac where Say It is installed.

Disclaimer: Third-party repos we don't own or vouch for. AI-generated use cases can be wrong: review everything and run at your own risk. Full text: https://dedupedai.com/disclaimer/

URL: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/callebtc-sayit/hear-coding-agent-progress-spoken/