Dragon Dictate (or Mavericks Dictation): How do they work? Do they have an API? This paper (http://qh.antenna.nl/unimacro/implementation_and_acceptance_of_natlink.pdf) explains how NatLink was made, a Python interface to Dragon NaturallySpeaking, on Windows. NaturallySpeaking exposes a COM interface.

For Mac, does Dictate expose any interface?

I'd like to use it for programming, for which I need to script it. Without buying Windows, and another Dragon product, and VMWare, and setting it all up, etc.

Dragon is more accurate than Dictation, but I really need to have control of the grammar and stuff, like this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SkdfdXWYaI).

(I'd like an HTTP API, but I'll take any API. It's 2014.)

I have burning wrist pain, and dictation is the one thing that has given me hope in the past few months. Thanks for the help!
http://voicecode.io does exactly what you are describing here and is for Mac. It allows you to extend its grammar resulting in very efficient voice control for programmers.

*disclaimer - I'm the creator of VoiceCode