Fix Mac Dictation Permissions for Mallo

If Mallo is not working correctly on Mac, the fastest path is to check permissions in order: microphone first, then accessibility, then input monitoring.

Most setup problems are not mysterious product failures. They are permission mismatches between what Mallo is trying to do and what macOS is currently allowing.

Those three permissions are the core ones Mallo currently depends on for system-wide dictation: microphone for audio, accessibility for typing at the cursor, and input monitoring for global hotkeys.

Where to check on macOS

Open System Settings > Privacy & Security and check:

• Microphone if Mallo is not hearing you
• Accessibility if Mallo hears you but insertion feels broken
• Input Monitoring if the global hotkey is unreliable

Start with the symptom

Before changing settings, identify what is actually broken.

Common patterns:

• Mallo does not hear your voice at all
• the hotkey does not trigger as expected
• dictation starts, but text does not land in the target field
• the app behaves inconsistently between text fields

These symptoms often point to different parts of the permission stack.

Microphone permission

If Mallo cannot hear you, microphone permission is the first place to look.

This is the basic layer. Without it, there is no real dictation workflow to debug. Confirm that macOS is allowing Mallo to access audio input and that the input device itself is the one you expect.

If voice never seems to start, do not skip this step.

Accessibility permission

If Mallo can listen but the control flow feels broken, accessibility permission is often the next checkpoint.

This layer matters because Mallo is not just recording sound. It is trying to participate in your real Mac workflow: hotkeys, focus, and text insertion behavior all depend on system trust.

When users say "it kind of starts, but it doesn't really work," accessibility is often where the answer lives.

Input monitoring

Input monitoring matters when the trigger path itself is unreliable.

If your shortcut does not fire consistently, or only works in some contexts, this is worth checking carefully. Do not treat it as a background technicality. For a hotkey-first dictation app, input monitoring is part of the product experience. Mallo's public changelog entry Permissions are easier to notice and fix is a useful summary of the recent recovery work here.

The best way to retest

After changing permissions, use a simple retest:

1. Open one app with a normal text field.
2. Put the cursor in that field.
3. Trigger Mallo once.
4. Speak one short sentence.

This removes noise from the test. If the basic loop works there, expand to more demanding workflows after that.

If permissions already look correct

Not every failed dictation is a permission bug.

If all three permissions are granted, check:

• whether the target field is actually editable
• whether another app is stealing the hotkey
• whether the issue happens everywhere or only in one app

That keeps you from reopening privacy settings when the real problem is the target app or shortcut choice.

When to move on

Once permissions are stable, your next question usually becomes workflow choice rather than setup. At that point, microphone permission, input monitoring, and What Is Mallo? are the best follow-up reads.