Variable Recognition

Last updated: September 7, 2026

Available on: Mac, Windows

Flow recognizes code symbols — function, class, and variable names — from your active editor in Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code, so dictation matches your codebase.

Important: Flow does not enable Screen Reader Mode for you — run the command in your IDE. See the setup steps below.

When to use it

Use this feature when you want to:

  • Dictate commit messages or PR descriptions that reference code symbols.

  • Write documentation or notes that mention functions and variables.

How it works in Flow

Overview

Flow adds function, class, and variable names from your active editor to the transcription context and wraps recognized variable names in backticks (inline code formatting) in the dictated output.

Dictation context can also include on-screen text, extracted file and symbol names, and a screenshot taken at dictation time. Secure and password fields are always excluded.

Key behaviors

  • Session-scoped context: Context is collected fresh at the start of each dictation from your IDE's open tabs, editor pane, and sidebar; nothing is cached between sessions, so keep the file open.

  • Case flexibility: Spoken filenames match camelCase or separator-based forms — "my script dot py" matches myScript.py.

  • No toggle in Flow: Variable Recognition has no on/off switch; you enable it by running Toggle Screen Reader Accessibility Mode in your IDE.

Best practices

  • Keep the relevant file open in your active tab for best recognition; sidebar file names may also match.

  • Say variable names clearly and without filler words.

How to set it up

  1. Open your IDE's command palette — Cmd+Shift+P on Mac, Ctrl+Shift+P on Windows.

  2. Run Toggle Screen Reader Accessibility Mode.

  3. Dictate a phrase naming a symbol in your open file. If it appears in backticks, recognition is working.

Limitations and notes

  • This feature is available on Mac and Windows only; recognition quality may be lower on Windows.

  • It works in Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code. VS Code Insiders is not included.

  • It is language-agnostic: Flow reads open tab names that include a file extension, visible editor pane text, and sidebar file names.

  • Recognition accuracy depends on code structure and speech clarity.

  • Password and secure text fields are never read by Flow.

  • If your IDE has a heavily customized UI, Flow may be unable to detect whether Screen Reader Mode is on or off.

  • Flow needs macOS Accessibility permission to read IDE context. Without it, dictation still works but no code context is collected.

  • Very large files are skipped, and off-screen or placeholder text is not read.