diff --git a/crates/buzz-relay/src/api/transcribe.rs b/crates/buzz-relay/src/api/transcribe.rs
index ff8af8a99..f66c584e4 100644
--- a/crates/buzz-relay/src/api/transcribe.rs
+++ b/crates/buzz-relay/src/api/transcribe.rs
@@ -82,8 +82,7 @@ pub async fn create_transcribe_session(
         .header("Content-Type", "application/json")
         .json(&serde_json::json!({
             "session": {
-                "model": "gpt-4o-mini-realtime-preview",
-                "modalities": ["text"],
+                "type": "transcription",
                 "input_audio_transcription": {
                     "model": model,
                 },
diff --git a/desktop/src/features/dictation/hooks/useComposerDictation.ts b/desktop/src/features/dictation/hooks/useComposerDictation.ts
index d907062be..808787059 100644
--- a/desktop/src/features/dictation/hooks/useComposerDictation.ts
+++ b/desktop/src/features/dictation/hooks/useComposerDictation.ts
@@ -1,10 +1,13 @@
 import type * as React from "react";
+import { useRef } from "react";
 import { useDictation } from "./useDictation";
 
 interface UseComposerDictationOptions {
-  contentRef: React.MutableRefObject<string>;
-  disabled: boolean;
-  isSending: boolean;
+  /** Ref to a function that syncs contentRef from the Tiptap editor and returns it. */
+  syncContentRef: React.MutableRefObject<() => string>;
+  disabledRef: React.MutableRefObject<boolean>;
+  isSendingRef: React.MutableRefObject<boolean>;
+  isUploadingRef: React.MutableRefObject<boolean>;
   /** Updates contentRef + isContentEmpty state. */
   setComposerContent: (text: string) => void;
   /** Ref to a function that updates the Tiptap editor document. */
@@ -14,18 +17,23 @@ interface UseComposerDictationOptions {
 
 /**
  * Thin wrapper around `useDictation` pre-wired for the MessageComposer's
- * state management (contentRef, setComposerContent, editor, submitMessageRef).
+ * state management (syncContentRef, setComposerContent, editor, submitMessageRef).
  */
 export function useComposerDictation({
-  contentRef,
-  disabled,
-  isSending,
+  syncContentRef,
+  disabledRef,
+  isSendingRef,
+  isUploadingRef,
   setComposerContent,
   setEditorContentRef,
   submitMessageRef,
 }: UseComposerDictationOptions) {
+  const isSendBlockedRef = useRef(false);
+  isSendBlockedRef.current =
+    disabledRef.current || isSendingRef.current || isUploadingRef.current;
+
   return useDictation({
-    text: contentRef.current,
+    getText: () => syncContentRef.current(),
     setText: (text) => {
       setComposerContent(text);
       setEditorContentRef.current(text);
@@ -38,6 +46,6 @@ export function useComposerDictation({
       // holds the dictated text.
       submitMessageRef.current();
     },
-    sendDisabled: disabled || isSending,
+    isSendBlockedRef,
   });
 }
diff --git a/desktop/src/features/dictation/hooks/useDictation.ts b/desktop/src/features/dictation/hooks/useDictation.ts
index abf687704..ad42ef569 100644
--- a/desktop/src/features/dictation/hooks/useDictation.ts
+++ b/desktop/src/features/dictation/hooks/useDictation.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import type * as React from "react";
 import { useCallback, useMemo, useRef } from "react";
 import {
   DEFAULT_AUTO_SUBMIT_PHRASE,
@@ -8,35 +9,33 @@ import {
 import { useRealtimeDictation } from "./useRealtimeDictation";
 
 interface UseDictationOptions {
-  /** Current composer text */
-  text: string;
+  /** Returns the current composer text (must be fresh — synced from editor). */
+  getText: () => string;
   /** Set composer text */
   setText: (value: string) => void;
   /** Send the message */
   onSend: (text: string) => void;
-  /** Whether sending is currently blocked */
-  sendDisabled?: boolean;
+  /** Ref that is `true` when sending is blocked (uploading, preparing mention, etc.) */
+  isSendBlockedRef?: React.MutableRefObject<boolean>;
 }
 
 export function useDictation({
-  text,
+  getText,
   setText,
   onSend,
-  sendDisabled = false,
+  isSendBlockedRef,
 }: UseDictationOptions) {
   const autoSubmitPhrases = useMemo(
     () => parseAutoSubmitPhrases(DEFAULT_AUTO_SUBMIT_PHRASE),
     [],
   );
   const stopRecordingRef = useRef<() => void>(() => {});
-  const textRef = useRef(text);
-  textRef.current = text;
   const lastTranscriptRef = useRef("");
 
   const handleTranscript = useCallback(
     (transcript: string) => {
       const previous = lastTranscriptRef.current;
-      const latest = textRef.current;
+      const latest = getText();
       const merged = replaceTrailingTranscribedText(
         latest,
         previous,
@@ -46,7 +45,6 @@ export function useDictation({
 
       if (!match) {
         setText(merged);
-        textRef.current = merged;
         lastTranscriptRef.current = transcript;
         return;
       }
@@ -60,18 +58,16 @@ export function useDictation({
 
       stopRecordingRef.current();
 
-      if (sendDisabled) {
+      if (isSendBlockedRef?.current) {
         setText(textWithoutPhrase);
-        textRef.current = textWithoutPhrase;
         return;
       }
 
       onSend(textWithoutPhrase.trim());
       setText("");
-      textRef.current = "";
       lastTranscriptRef.current = "";
     },
-    [autoSubmitPhrases, onSend, sendDisabled, setText],
+    [autoSubmitPhrases, getText, onSend, isSendBlockedRef, setText],
   );
 
   const dictation = useRealtimeDictation({
diff --git a/desktop/src/features/messages/ui/MessageComposer.tsx b/desktop/src/features/messages/ui/MessageComposer.tsx
index 96a5003c5..84b84ce11 100644
--- a/desktop/src/features/messages/ui/MessageComposer.tsx
+++ b/desktop/src/features/messages/ui/MessageComposer.tsx
@@ -266,17 +266,17 @@ function MessageComposerImpl({
     emojiAutocomplete.isEmojiAutocompleteOpen;
 
   const submitMessageRef = React.useRef<() => void>(() => {});
-  const setEditorContentRef = React.useRef<(t: string) => void>(() => {});
+  const setEditorContentRef = React.useRef<(text: string) => void>(() => {});
   const dictation = useComposerDictation({
-    contentRef,
-    disabled,
-    isSending,
+    syncContentRef: syncContentRefFromEditorRef,
+    disabledRef,
+    isSendingRef,
+    isUploadingRef,
     setComposerContent,
     setEditorContentRef,
     submitMessageRef,
   });
   const composerScrollRef = React.useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
-
   // Set after `useLinkEditor` exists below; the editor's link-click handler
   // delegates through this ref to break the hook ordering cycle (the editor
   // needs `onEditLink`, but the link editor needs the editor's `richText`).