talon-development

name	talon-development
description	Expert guidance for Talon voice control development. Use when creating voice commands, defining actions, writing .talon files, testing Talon config, or debugging Talon issues.

Talon Development Guide

This skill provides guidance for developing Talon voice control configurations.

Improving This Skill

When you discover new Talon patterns, best practices, or learn something not covered here, update this skill:

1. Add new patterns or examples to the relevant section
2. Correct any outdated information
3. Add new sections for uncovered topics
4. Update TESTING.md with new testing techniques

The goal is for this skill to grow into a comprehensive local reference.

Key Resources

Talon Code Search

Search across hundreds of Talon repositories for real-world examples:

https://search.talonvoice.com/api/v1/search/?q=<query>&fold_case=auto&regex=false

Returns JSON with matching code snippets and file locations. Use this to find how others implement patterns.

Set regex=true to use RE2 regex patterns in the query (e.g., q=cron\.(after|interval)).

Reference Repositories

Look up patterns and examples in these repositories. Code in active repositories is more reliable than potentially outdated documentation.

Repository	Purpose
talonhub/community	Main community voice command set. The standard reference for Talon patterns.
cursorless-dev/cursorless	Voice-controlled structural code editing. Advanced Talon integration example.

Documentation

Resource	Notes
talonvoice.com/docs	Official API documentation. Covers Module, Context, actions, captures, settings.
talon.wiki	Community wiki. Good for getting started, hardware recommendations.

Note: Online documentation may be outdated. When in doubt, check actual code in repositories or use the code search.

Testing

See TESTING.md for command-line testing instructions, including:

• Using test_talon.sh
• Testing actions with cron.after()
• Test code templates and patterns
• Debugging failed tests

Programmatic Access

See PROGRAMMATIC_ACCESS.md for interacting with a running Talon instance:

• Why direct REPL access isn't available
• Write-and-reload pattern for executing code
• File-based RPC (VSCode integration)

UI Automation

See UI_AUTOMATION.md for inspecting and interacting with application UI elements via Windows UI Automation / macOS Accessibility APIs.

Canvas (Skia Graphics)

See CANVAS.md for drawing overlays, widgets, and visual feedback using Talon's Skia-based Canvas API.

Eye Tracking

See settings/api_exploration/eye_tracking/EYE_TRACKING_API_EXPLORATION.md for the eye tracking API reference.

Project Structure

user/                           # Talon user directory
├── apps/                       # App-specific commands
│   ├── generic/               # Cross-app abstractions (code_editor, browser)
│   └── [app].py/.talon        # App-specific implementations
├── misc/                       # General utilities and commands
├── plugins/                    # Reusable plugins (vimfinity, etc.)
├── settings/                   # Talon settings files
├── utils/                      # Python utility modules
└── test_talon.sh              # Testing script

File Types

.talon Files (Voice Commands)

Define voice commands and their actions:

# Context header (optional - restricts when commands are active)
app: vscode
-
# Commands below the dash
hello world: insert("Hello, World!")
go to definition: user.find_definition()
search <user.text>: user.search(text)

Context examples:

# Match by app
app: vscode
-

# Match by tag
tag: user.code_editor
-

# Match by OS
os: windows
-

# Multiple conditions (AND)
app: vscode
mode: command
-

.py Files (Actions and Logic)

Define actions, modules, contexts, and complex logic:

from talon import Module, Context, actions

module = Module()

# Define a tag that can be enabled/disabled
module.tag("code_editor", desc="Active in code editors")

# Define actions
@module.action_class
class Actions:
    def my_action(arg: str) -> str:
        """Action docstring - shown in help."""
        return f"Result: {arg}"

Common Patterns

Module + Context Pattern

Used to define abstract actions with app-specific implementations:

# In apps/generic/code_editor.py
from talon import Module, Context, actions

module = Module()
module.tag("code_editor", desc="Active in code editors")

@module.action_class
class Actions:
    def find_definition() -> None:
        """Navigate to definition."""
        pass  # Abstract - no default implementation

# In apps/vscode.py
from talon import Context, actions

ctx = Context()
ctx.matches = r"""
app: vscode
"""
# Enable the tag when VSCode is active
ctx.tags = ["user.code_editor"]

@ctx.action_class("user")
class UserActions:
    def find_definition():
        actions.key("f12")  # VSCode-specific implementation

Lists and Captures

module = Module()

# Define a list
module.list("browsers", desc="Web browsers")

ctx = Context()
ctx.lists["user.browsers"] = {
    "chrome": "chrome",
    "firefox": "firefox",
    "edge": "msedge",
}

# Use in .talon:
# open <user.browsers>: user.open_app(browsers)

Settings

from talon import Module, settings

module = Module()
module.setting(
    "my_timeout",
    type=int,
    default=5000,
    desc="Timeout in milliseconds",
)

# Use it:
timeout = settings.get("user.my_timeout")

Import Patterns

# Standard Talon imports
from talon import Module, Context, actions, settings, app, clip, cron, ctrl

# For UI automation
from talon import ui

# For key simulation
actions.key("ctrl-c")
actions.insert("text")

# Internal Talon plugins (fragile - use local imports)
def my_action():
    from talon_plugins import menu
    menu.open_repl(None)

Cron (Scheduled Tasks)

The cron module schedules tasks to run on the main thread. This is important because UI operations (canvas creation, etc.) require the main thread's resource context.

from talon import cron

# Run once after delay
job = cron.after("1s", my_callback)

# Run repeatedly at interval
job = cron.interval("500ms", my_callback)

# Cancel a scheduled job
cron.cancel(job)

Key point: cron.after and cron.interval queue callbacks to run on the main thread. This means:

• Canvas creation/destruction works in cron callbacks
• UI operations are safe in cron callbacks
• The callback executes in a proper Talon resource context

Quick Reference

Common Actions

actions.key("ctrl-c")           # Press keys
actions.insert("text")          # Type text
actions.edit.copy()             # Standard edit actions
actions.user.my_action()        # User-defined actions
actions.app.path()              # Get current file path

Common Talon Syntax

# Simple command
hello: insert("world")

# With capture
say <phrase>: insert(phrase)

# With list
open <user.apps>: user.open_app(apps)

# Optional words
[please] save: edit.save()

# Alternative words
(quit | exit): app.quit()

# Repeater
press enter <number> times: key("enter:number")

Best Practices

Do

• Keep voice commands short and memorable
• Use abstract actions in generic/ with app-specific overrides
• Group related commands in the same file
• Add docstrings to all actions
• Test changes before committing
• Use tags to control command availability
• Search talonhub/community for examples before inventing patterns

Don't

• Put complex logic in .talon files (use Python)
• Create overlapping voice commands
• Forget to remove test code
• Use blocking operations without cron
• Hardcode app-specific keys in generic actions
• Trust potentially outdated documentation over working code

File Locations by Purpose

Purpose	Location
App-specific commands	apps/[app].py + apps/[app].talon
Cross-app abstractions	apps/generic/
General utilities	misc/
Reusable plugins	plugins/
Utility Python modules	utils/
Settings	settings/