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Voice typing in Grafana

A dashboard without text panels assumes everyone reads graphs the same way. Hold a key and talk: Typally transcribes and types it into Grafana without you touching the keyboard.

Yes, we build Typally. That is also why the section on Grafana's built-in option is honest: people who switch after trying both are the ones who stay.
Dictate into Grafana No card, no trial timer. 100 minutes of dictation free every month.
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In short

  • Grafana's own dictation: None. Text panels, annotations and alert descriptions are typed.
  • What Typally does instead: types into the focused window, so it works in Grafana and everywhere else you write.
  • Best used for: text panels explaining a dashboard

Does Grafana have built-in dictation?

None. Text panels, annotations and alert descriptions are typed.

Why dictate in Grafana at all?

Dashboards are built by the person who understands the system and read by everyone else. Without written context, viewers interpret the same graph three different ways, usually wrongly during an incident.

In practice people use it for: Text panels explaining a dashboard, alert rule descriptions, annotations on notable events, and panel descriptions.

How to dictate in Grafana

There is no Grafana extension or add-in involved — Typally behaves like a very fast keyboard:

1

Install Typally

Windows or macOS, then sign in. No card for the free tier.

2

Put the cursor in the Grafana field you are filling

Click first. Typally types into Grafana wherever the caret already is, with no idea what that field is for.

3

Hold the hotkey and talk

Say the whole thought, then let go. No time limit.

4

Read it before you move on

Grafana text panels render markdown, so dictated symbols become formatting.

What Typally adds in Grafana

Typally types into text panels, alert rule descriptions and annotations, so the sentence explaining what normal looks like on a dashboard gets written. That sentence prevents most misreadings during an incident, and it is exactly the kind of thing nobody types while building a dashboard.

What this looks like in practice

A dashboard that had caused two false-alarm escalations gets a spoken text panel explaining that the nightly spike is a scheduled batch job. The escalations stop that week.

One habit that makes it work better

Add one text panel at the top saying what the dashboard is for and what normal looks like. That sentence prevents most misreadings.

What to watch out for in Grafana

Grafana text panels render markdown, so dictated symbols become formatting.

Frequently asked questions

Does Grafana have dictation?

No. All text entry is typed.

Why add text panels to a dashboard?

Because 'normal' is not obvious from a graph if you did not build it. Stating the expected range prevents false alarms.

Can I dictate alert rule descriptions?

Yes, and they end up in the notification, which is where they help most.

Try it in Grafana

There is a permanent free tier of 100 minutes a month. Pro costs $7.99/month and raises the limit.

Try Typally free

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