Question 1

What is Parrot Scribe?

Accepted Answer

Parrot Scribe is a professional-grade local transcription tool for macOS. I built it using WhisperKit and optimized it for the Apple Neural Engine to provide 100 percent on-device processing.

Question 2

Is Parrot Scribe private?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Privacy is my core standard. All audio and text stay on your Mac. I never see your data because I designed the app to process everything locally.

Question 3

Does it require a subscription?

Accepted Answer

No. I believe you should own your tools. Parrot Scribe is a one-time purchase with unlimited transcription, no per-minute fees, and no usage caps.

Question 4

What are the system requirements?

Accepted Answer

Parrot Scribe requires an Apple Silicon Mac (M1 or later) running macOS 15 Sequoia or newer.

Question 5

How does it compare to other tools?

Accepted Answer

Unlike cloud-based tools (Otter, Fireflies), Parrot Scribe is 100% private. Compared to other local tools, I offer a native macOS 15 experience with AI-native TOON output and MCP integration for AI agents.

Question 6

What is the TOON format?

Accepted Answer

TOON (Token-Oriented Object Notation) is a compact, human-readable format designed for LLMs. Maximum context, minimum tokens. You can learn more about the standard at github.com/toon-format/toon.

Question 7

What is the MCP server?

Accepted Answer

The MCP (Model Context Protocol) server is built into Parrot Scribe. It lets tools like Claude Desktop and Cursor access your transcripts - both real-time and historical. It uses a Unix domain socket with a signed stdio shim for secure communication, features 3-tier permissions, and is disabled by default for zero attack surface when not in use.

Question 8

How do I move my data to a new Mac?

Accepted Answer

Encryption keys are bound to each Mac's Secure Enclave and cannot be transferred. Your transcripts are device-bound by design. Your license can be deactivated on your old Mac and activated on the new one.

Question 9

What is the difference between Remove and Forget for speakers?

Accepted Answer

Remove deletes a speaker's voice model but preserves their sessions - you can re-enroll them later from session embeddings. Forget is a GDPR deletion that permanently removes the voice model AND all sessions containing that speaker. Forget is irreversible and may affect sessions shared with other speakers.

Welcome to Parrot Scribe

Next Steps

Install

Launch

Transcribe