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Recording Modes

Promptimize provides two distinct recording modes. Each mode uses the same microphone capture and OpenAI Whisper transcription, but differs in what happens after transcription and which keyboard shortcut starts recording.

Transcribe vs Promptimize

Transcribe Promptimize
Purpose Voice-to-text only Voice → optimized prompt
Start shortcut Cmd+Alt+V / Ctrl+Alt+V Cmd+Alt+P / Ctrl+Alt+P
Status bar $(mic) Transcribe $(sparkle) Promptimize
Pipeline Record → Whisper → insert raw text Record → Whisper → optimize → insert
Requires optimization No Yes (enablePromptTransformation)
API cost Whisper only (~$0.006/min) Whisper + optimization provider

When to Use Each Mode

Use Transcribe when you want:

  • Raw speech-to-text with minimal processing
  • Exact wording preserved (meeting notes, quotes, dictation)
  • Lower cost (no optimization API call)
  • Quick capture without LLM rewrite

Use Promptimize when you want:

  • Structured prompts for AI coding assistants
  • Filler words removed and intent clarified
  • Technical requirements organized into sections
  • The extension's primary "voice → optimized prompt" workflow

Workflows

Transcribe mode

flowchart LR
    Start["Cmd/Ctrl+Alt+V<br/>or Transcribe button"] --> Record[Recording]
    Record --> Stop[Click status bar<br/>to stop]
    Stop --> Whisper[OpenAI Whisper]
    Whisper --> Insert[Insert raw text]
Loading

Promptimize mode

flowchart LR
    Start["Cmd/Ctrl+Alt+P<br/>or Promptimize button"] --> Record[Recording]
    Record --> Stop[Click status bar<br/>to stop]
    Stop --> Whisper[OpenAI Whisper]
    Whisper --> Transform[Optimization provider]
    Transform --> Insert[Insert optimized prompt]
Loading

Starting and Stopping

Start recording

Action Transcribe Promptimize
Keyboard Cmd/Ctrl+Alt+V Cmd/Ctrl+Alt+P
Status bar Click Transcribe Click Promptimize
Command Palette Promptimize: Start Transcribe Recording Promptimize: Start Promptimize Recording

Note: Keyboard shortcuts start recording only. They do not stop recording.

Stop recording

  • Click the active mode's status bar item while it shows Recording...
  • Run Promptimize: Stop Transcribe Recording or Promptimize: Stop Promptimize Recording from the Command Palette

Cancel recording

  • Press Escape while recording (discards audio without transcribing)
  • Run Promptimize: Cancel Recording from the Command Palette

Status Bar During Recording

While recording, the active mode shows $(record) Recording... (click to stop). The other mode is disabled until recording finishes or is cancelled.

Idle state Recording state
$(mic) Transcribe $(record) Recording... (Transcribe active)
$(sparkle) Promptimize $(record) Recording... (Promptimize active)
$(gear) Settings Settings remains available

Tooltip when idle: Transcription: OpenAI Whisper | Optimization: [Provider]

Configuration Requirements

Mode OpenAI API key (Whisper) Optimization enabled Provider credentials
Transcribe Required Not required Not required
Promptimize Required Required Required when provider needs API key

If Promptimize is disabled in settings, the Promptimize button shows a warning and opens configuration when clicked.

Deprecated Commands

These legacy commands still work but are superseded by mode-specific commands:

Deprecated Use instead
Promptimize: (Deprecated) Start Recording Start Transcribe or Start Promptimize
Promptimize: (Deprecated) Stop Recording Stop Transcribe or Stop Promptimize (routes by active session)

See also: Keyboard Shortcuts · Quick Start · Configuration Guide