Munu sleeps until it hears its name. The name is always needed. This guide shows the ways to wake it, the phrases it knows, and how to make it hear you well.
Waking Munu
There are two ways to wake it.
- Name and question together, in one breath. Say “Munu, what time is it?” No pause is needed. This works whether Munu is awake or asleep, and it is the way to use it.
- The name on its own. Say “Munu.” Wait for the short beep, then ask. You have about 10 seconds to start. Once you are talking, Munu waits for you to finish. A pause of about a second and a half ends your question, so know what you want to say before you start.
“Hey Munu, …” and “Wake up, Munu.” work too. “Wake up” without the name does not. Another way: choose Talk now in the Munu menu. That wakes it and starts listening at once, with no name.
Keep the conversation going
While Munu is awake, start each request with its name: “Munu, what’s the weather?” When Munu ends its answer with a question, you can just answer it. You have about 15 seconds, and you do not need the name.
Stop, interrupt and sleep
- Interrupt it. “Munu, stop” makes it go quiet. While Munu talks, it listens only for its name, so a plain “stop” is not heard. The voice pauses the moment it hears something like the name. If that was a mistake, it picks up the same sentence again by itself after a second or two.
- Put it to sleep. Say “Munu, go to sleep”. It also falls asleep by itself after about eight minutes of quiet. To wake it again, say its name.
- Quiet mode. Say “Munu, quiet mode” and replies appear on screen instead of being spoken. “Munu, you can speak now” turns the voice back on.
Phrases worth knowing
| Say | What happens |
|---|---|
| Munu, stop | It stops talking and drops what it was saying. |
| Munu, go to sleep | It goes back to sleep until it hears its name. “Munu, goodbye” works too. |
| Munu, quiet mode | Replies are shown on screen instead of spoken. “Munu, stop talking” does the same. |
| Munu, you can speak now | Spoken replies again. |
| Munu, what time is it? | Answered at once, in your time zone. “What’s the date” works too. |
| Munu, open Spotify | Opens an app installed on this computer, by its name, in any letter case. |
| Munu, open YouTube | Opens a well-known website: YouTube, Gmail, Google, GitHub, Maps and a few more. |
| Munu, search for pizza dough | Opens a web search. “YouTube lofi beats” or “play lofi beats on YouTube” opens a YouTube search. |
| Munu, take a screenshot | Saves a full-size picture of the screen on your Desktop. |
| Munu, shut yourself down | Quits Munu. |
| Munu, switch to the deep model | The deeper model is slower and better at hard problems. |
| Munu, switch to the fast model | Back to the faster model for everyday answers. |
Media controls
These work on whatever is playing. Say one of them after the name.
| Say | What happens |
|---|---|
| “Volume up” / “Volume down” | Louder or quieter. |
| “Mute” | Sound off or back on. |
| “Pause music” / “Play music” | Pause or resume. |
| “Next song” / “Previous song” | Skip forward or back. |
| “Turn the volume up” / “Skip this song” / “Go back a song” | The same, in other words. |
Use these exact phrases. “Pause” or “next” on their own go to the AI like any other request.
When Munu waits for “Munu confirm”
On a Mac, typing a new line or pressing Return in a chat or mail app (Messages, Mail, Slack, Claude and the like) can send a message. So Munu tells you what it is about to do and waits until you say “Munu confirm”. It never sends mail or messages by itself.
If you connect your apps, anything that sends, deletes, creates or changes something waits for “Munu confirm” too. If nothing is waiting and you say it, Munu answers: “Nothing needs confirming right now.” The privacy guide has more on connected apps.
Pick a good microphone
- The computer’s own microphone is fine. Headphones with a microphone, AirPods or a USB microphone that sits close to your mouth usually hear you even better.
- Munu uses your computer’s default microphone unless you pick one. To choose, open the Munu icon, then Settings, then the Voice tab, then Microphone. Choose Save. Munu restarts to use it.
- If the microphone you picked is unplugged, Munu uses the default one instead. Settings shows it as “not connected now” until you plug it in.
- The same tab has the Speaker and the Speaking voice.
Distance and noise
- Speak in your normal voice, facing the computer or the microphone. You do not need to shout.
- The closer the microphone is to you, the better. Music, a TV or a fan nearby makes it harder to hear you.
- If Munu answers itself or seems to hear its own voice, use headphones or turn the speaker down.
What the menu-bar icon tells you
On a Mac, click the icon in the menu bar to read the status in words at the top of the menu. The icon changes shape.
| Icon | It says | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Outline ring | Ready: say “Munu” | Asleep or waiting for its name. |
| Filled disc | Listening… or Speaking… | It is hearing you, or it is talking. Say “Munu, stop” to cut in. |
| Filled disc with dots | Thinking… | It is working on your question. |
| Ring with a slash | Microphone off | You chose Mute microphone. It hears nothing. Choose it again to turn the microphone on. |
| Exclamation mark | Needs your attention | Something is wrong. The status line says what. |
If Munu did not hear you
Just say it again, starting with the name. A repeat is heard. If it keeps missing you:
- Check the icon says “Ready” and not “Microphone off”.
- Move closer, or pick another microphone in Settings > Voice.
- Check that Munu may use the microphone. On a Mac: System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone, then switch on Munu. On Windows: Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone, and allow microphone access and desktop apps.
- If the name still does not wake it, say it a little slower and clearly, then your question.
- Let Munu learn how you say its name: Settings > Voice > Run the checks, then Start on the “Say Munu” page. The same checks also test your microphone and speakers.
Still stuck? The troubleshooting guide lists the messages you may see and what to do about each.
