read4me

A tiny macOS utility that lets you select any text, hit a hotkey, and hear it read out loud. Great for long emails, docs, or web articles when your eyes need a break.

Why I built this

I don’t enjoy reading long text on my computer. It slows me down and I lose focus. I follow better when I hear the words. I wanted something simple that turns any selected text into speech on demand, without switching apps or pasting into a reader. That’s all read4me does: I select, press a shortcut, and it talks to me. It keeps me moving and makes long passages easier to digest.

What it does

• System‑wide: Works anywhere on macOS with selected text
• Menu bar app: Enable/disable hotkeys and open documentation from the menu bar
• Hotkeys: Speak selection (Cmd+Shift+S) and Stop (Cmd+Shift+X)
• Offline TTS: Uses macOS say (fast, built‑in)
• Clipboard‑friendly: Temporarily copies selection and restores your clipboard
• Single‑file MVP: Simple codebase, easy to hack

Requirements

• macOS (Apple Silicon or Intel): Tested on macOS 26.0.1
• Python 3.10+
• Python packages: rumps, pynput, pyperclip, pyobjc
• Permissions: Accessibility and Input Monitoring (details below)

Install

Option A: Download the app (recommended)

From the GitHub Releases page, download read4me.app (or .dmg: coming later), move it to Applications, and open it.

On first launch, macOS will prompt you for permissions (see Permissions below). After enabling, quit and relaunch if macOS asks you to.

Option B: Run from source (developer mode)

pip install --upgrade pip wheel setuptools
pip install rumps pynput pyperclip pyobjc

python speak_selection.py

First run from Terminal will ask for Accessibility (to send Cmd+C) and may ask for Input Monitoring (to listen for global hotkeys).

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Usage

• Select any text in any app.
• Press Cmd + Shift + S to hear it.
• Press Cmd + Shift + X to stop.

There’s a menu bar item called r4me where you can toggle hotkeys and open the documentation.

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Permissions (macOS)

read4me needs two macOS privacy permissions to work everywhere:

1. Accessibility: lets read4me send Cmd+C to copy your selection from the foreground app.
2. Input Monitoring: lets read4me listen for your global hotkeys.

Configuration

Open speak_selection.py and tweak:

speaker = TextSpeaker(rate_wpm=190, voice=None)  # e.g., "Samantha" or "Alex"
reader = SelectionReader(copy_delay_sec=0.30)    # bump to 0.40–0.50 if an app is slow

• rate_wpm: speaking speed
• voice: choose a macOS voice
• copy_delay_sec: extra time for slower apps to update the clipboard

How it works

• Clears the clipboard (temporarily)
• Sends Cmd+C to copy your current selection
• Waits briefly for the app to write to the clipboard
• Streams that text to macOS say
• Restores your original clipboard

Troubleshooting

• No speech: Ensure both Accessibility and Input Monitoring are enabled for read4me. Also verify that text is actually selected.
• Reads the wrong thing: Some apps are slower. Increase copy_delay_sec to 0.40–0.50.
• Hotkey doesn’t trigger: Shortcut clash. Change the combo in the global hotkey map in speak_selection.py.

Roadmap

• Pause/Resume
• Quick voice switcher
• Menu bar icon + preferences
• Cross‑platform TTS (while keeping high quality on macOS)

Contributing

PRs and issues are welcome. Keep it small, focused, and readable.

License

MIT