Hitoku Draft
Context aware local assistant
Last verified:
What is Hitoku Draft?
Hitoku Draft is a minimalist, context-aware local AI voice writing assistant that lives in your Mac menu bar. It is designed for dictation, editing, and drafting with local LLM capabilities, running entirely on-device without any cloud calls. The app allows users to select text, press a hotkey, and have it polish their writing instantly, or speak to capture notes and draft content directly into third-party applications like Obsidian, email clients, and code editors.
Key features include automatic context awareness where the app intuitively grasps the context of your screen (like drafting a response while reading an email), Action Mode for setting up meetings in Apple Calendar or creating reminders, Text Cleaning Mode for fixing messy formatting and tone, and live display of LLM responses. It supports multiple AI models including Gemma 4 and Qwen 3.5 for text generation, plus multiple speech-to-text backends like Parakeet, Whisper, and Qwen3-ASR. The app also offers model offloading after 5 minutes of inactivity to save memory.
Hitoku Draft is specifically designed for privacy-focused professionals who handle confidential information, including medical professionals (doctors) who need HIPAA-compliant patient record entry, legal professionals (lawyers) who must maintain attorney-client confidentiality, and knowledge workers who use tools like Claude Code, Obsidian, and Apple Notes. It requires no account registration, no telemetry, no cloud storage, and no internet connection, making it ideal for workflows where data sensitivity and low-latency response are critical.
Hitoku Draft pricing
Pricing model: Freemium
Hitoku Draft has a base price of $5 for purchase. Early users can download the compiled version for free using discount codes: HITOKU2026 (original offer for $14.99 one-time fee), HITOKUHN2026 (Hacker News special for $5 base price). The app is a one-time purchase with no subscriptions, no recurring fees, and includes all features. Free tier is available through promotional codes for early users.
Hitoku Draft pros
- Runs entirely locally on Apple Silicon with no cloud calls
- Context-aware - reads your screen and active app automatically
- Minimalist menu bar app with instant activation
- No account registration or user authentication required
- No telemetry, telemetry, or cloud storage
- Works with Obsidian, email clients, and code editors
- Supports Gemma 4 and Qwen 3.5 for text generation
- Multiple STT backends: Parakeet, Whisper, Qwen3-ASR
- Action Mode for Calendar, Reminders, and email drafting
- Text Cleaning Mode fixes formatting and tone instantly
- Live display of LLM responses for verification
- Model offloading after 5 minutes to save memory
- Optimized for Apple Silicon with Neural Engine and GPU
- Low-latency voice recognition without cloud dependency
- Ideal for HIPAA-compliant medical and legal workflows
- Open-source project with community development
- No internet connection required for full functionality
Hitoku Draft cons
- Only works on macOS with Apple Silicon (M1 or later)
- Requires Calendars and Reminders access in System Settings
- No cloud backup - all data stays locally on device
- Limited to Apple Silicon Macs, no Windows or Linux support
- No web version or mobile app available
- Requires hotkey press to activate voice input
- Local AI models may have limitations compared to cloud models
- No multi-device synchronization
- Early user free codes may expire eventually
Frequently asked questions about Hitoku Draft
What is Hitoku Draft?
Hitoku Draft is a minimalist, context-aware local AI voice writing assistant that lives in your Mac menu bar. It is designed for dictation, editing, and drafting with local LLM capabilities, running entirely on-device without any cloud calls or internet dependency.
What systems does Hitoku Draft require?
Hitoku Draft requires an Apple Silicon Mac (M1 or later). It does not work on Intel Macs, Windows, or Linux. Make sure Hitoku Draft has Calendars and Reminders access in System Settings → Privacy & Security for Action Mode features.
How do I activate voice input in Hitoku Draft?
Press the relevant hotkey to activate voice input. For Voice Edit function, use ctrl+Z. For Tool Use function (like querying PDFs), use ctrl+A. Hold to talk and the app will transcribe and process your voice commands.
Does Hitoku Draft send data to the cloud?
No. Hitoku Draft runs entirely locally on your device. No cloud models are used, nothing leaves your machine, and there are no cloud calls. All voice input and text conversion is processed on-device using Apple's native frameworks and hardware acceleration.
What AI models does Hitoku Draft support?
Hitoku Draft supports Gemma 4 and Qwen 3.5 for text generation. For speech-to-text, it supports multiple backends including Parakeet, Whisper, and Qwen3-ASR.
What is Action Mode in Hitoku Draft?
Action Mode allows you to set up a meeting in Apple Calendar, create a quick Reminder, or draft emails (using default email apps like Apple Mail or Thunderbird) right from Hitoku using voice commands. It requires Calendars and Reminders access in System Settings.
Can I query PDF documents with Hitoku Draft?
Yes. Hitoku Draft's context-aware editing means you can prompt it while studying a PDF. Press the Tool Use hotkey (ctrl+A) to query PDF documents while studying, thanks to Hitoku's context understanding of your screen and text.
What is Text Cleaning Mode?
Text Cleaning Mode fixes messy formatting, extra whitespace, and inconsistent tone in one pass. It cleans up your writing instantly when you select text and use the voice editing feature.
Is Hitoku Draft open source?
Yes, Hitoku Draft is an open-source project. The code is available on GitHub at github.com/Saladino93/hitokudraft. It is voice-first, context-aware, and runs entirely locally.
How do I get Hitoku Draft for free?
Early users can download the compiled version for free using discount codes. Use HITOKU2026 for the original free offer (normally $14.99 one-time fee) or HITOKUHN2026 for the Hacker News special (normally $5 base price). These codes are applied at hitoku.me/draft/ when downloading.