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Voice command flow: speech to AI to action
Command Mode runs are capped at 5 per day on the Free plan. Pro removes the cap.

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What is Command Mode?

Command Mode lets you speak instructions to an AI model instead of transcribing your words verbatim. It handles two kinds of work:
  • Text transformations on selected text. Summarize, rewrite, translate, fix grammar, adjust tone, draft replies, format as lists, and more.
  • Real actions on files and your system. Convert images, audio, video, config files, text and Markdown. Zip and unzip archives. Merge PDFs. Compress images. Set timers. Extract color palettes from your screen. Open apps, websites, editors, and macOS settings panels.
Speak naturally and Vowen routes your command to the right action. Default shortcut: Alt + Shift on both macOS and Windows.
If the Command Mode toggle is off, pressing the shortcut does nothing at all. No banner, no sound, no recording indicator, no error. Command Mode is deliberately silent when disabled, so a dead shortcut looks identical to a broken install.Before troubleshooting anything else, open Configure your AI > Command Mode and confirm both of these:
  1. An AI provider is connected (the tab shows a “Connect an AI provider” card if not).
  2. The Command Mode checkbox at the top of the tab is ticked.
The same checkbox is greyed out once a free user has used up their daily runs, which produces the same silent shortcut.
The Configure your AI window on the Command Mode tab, with the Command Mode master toggle at the top of the panel switched on and highlighted

This is the checkbox that has to be ticked. It sits at the very top of the Command Mode tab, above every other control.

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Turning it on

1

Open Configure your AI

In the left sidebar, under Vowen AI, click Configure your AI. The page has three tabs: Configuration, Command Mode, and Memory.
2

Connect a provider on the Configuration tab

Command Mode needs an AI provider. See Setting up AI.
3

Tick Command Mode on the Command Mode tab

The master checkbox sits at the top of the tab, above the screen-context options and the utility cards. It is not in Settings > Shortcuts. That page only rebinds the key.
The Command Mode tab of Configure your AI, showing the Command Mode toggle, the Context-awareness and Drag to capture region rows, and a grid of utility cards such as Convert Media, Merge PDFs and Set Timer

The whole Command Mode tab: master toggle at the top, Context-awareness and Drag to capture region nested beneath it, then the utility cards.

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How it works

1

Start the recording

Hold Alt + Shift (or your own binding). See Ways to start a command for the alternatives.
2

Speak your instruction

Tell the AI what you want done. Be specific and natural.
3

Release

The AI processes your command, and either the result appears in a confirmation banner or an action runs (converting a file, merging PDFs, opening an app).

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Ways to start a command

Hold-to-talk is the default, but it is not the only trigger.
Every one of these paths is subject to the master toggle above. With Command Mode off, the mouse button, the tap-toggle and the idle-pill button are all equally silent.

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Reviewing and refining the result

For text results, Command Mode shows a confirmation banner before anything is pasted, so you can review the output, copy it, refine it, or discard it.
  • Paste: press Tab to paste the result into your focused app
  • Copy everything: click the copy button in the banner’s action bar
  • Copy part of it: select any portion of the response text inside the banner and press Cmd+C (macOS) / Ctrl+C (Windows). Only the highlighted text is copied; with nothing selected, your clipboard is left untouched
  • Dismiss: press Esc to close the banner without pasting
The Command Mode result banner showing a drafted reply, a Hold Option plus Shift for follow-up hint, and an action bar with Paste (Tab), a copy button, and Esc

Nothing is pasted until you press Tab. The copy button sits beside it, and Esc on the right closes the banner and discards the result.

The banner renders Markdown (headings, lists, bold, code, links) when the response looks like Markdown, and keeps plain dictation as plain text. Any links in the output open in your default browser instead of taking over the banner.

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Follow-up questions

You don’t have to start over to refine a result. While the banner is open, hold the Command Mode shortcut again and speak a follow-up like “make it shorter” or “more formal.” Vowen sends your follow-up along with the original request and previous response as context, reuses the same selected text, screenshot, and tone (nothing is re-captured), and replaces the banner with the updated version.
The bottom of the Command Mode banner, where the Paste and Esc buttons have been replaced by a pill reading Listening with an audio waveform icon

While you hold the shortcut, the banner's action bar is replaced by a Listening pill. Speak the refinement and release.

  • A Hold [shortcut] for follow-up hint appears in the banner whenever a Command Mode shortcut is assigned
  • Once you have two or more versions, a version pager (1/2, with prev/next arrows) appears so you can cycle back through earlier versions. Tab pastes whichever version you’re currently viewing, not necessarily the newest
  • While a follow-up is processing (Thinking), press Esc to cancel it. The banner reverts to the previous reply and stays open; press Esc again to dismiss it
A small version pager in the corner of the Command Mode banner, showing a left arrow, the text 2 slash 2, and a right arrow

Check the pager before you press Tab. It tells you which version you are looking at, and that is the one that gets pasted.

Follow-ups are not an unbounded chat.
  • Each follow-up sends the original request plus the latest reply, not the whole thread. Refinements build on the most recent version, so a detail you dropped three versions ago is gone.
  • The saved thread caps at 30 request/response pairs. Past that, the oldest turns drop off the stored entry.
  • Follow-ups produce plain-text refinements only. If a follow-up triggers a tool call (a file action, a timer, and so on), the refinement session ends.

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Switching models on failure

If a Command Mode run or a custom utility fails, including when a provider returns a rate-limit error, the banner shows a “Switch to:” row with a chip for each of your other configured AI providers. Click one to retry the same request against a different model. The retry reuses the original prompt (so a moved selection or clipboard won’t break it), and the provider you pick becomes your new default.
A Command Mode Failed banner reading Rate limit reached, followed by a Switch to row of provider chips for OpenAI, Anthropic, DeepSeek, OpenRouter, Cerebras, AWS Bedrock, Custom API and Gemini

The failure banner quotes what you said and lists every other provider you have configured. One click re-runs the same request on the model you choose.

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Context awareness

Command Mode automatically pulls context from several places so the AI knows what you’re talking about without you having to spell it out.

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Selected text

If you have text selected on screen when you activate Command Mode, that selection is included as context. Phrases like “this”, “it”, “the text” automatically refer to the selection. This is the most common way to give the AI something to operate on. Example workflow:
  1. Select a paragraph of text in any app
  2. Hold Alt + Shift
  3. Say “Make this more concise”
  4. Release, then press Tab to paste the rewrite over your selection.

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Selected files

If you have one or more files selected (in Finder on macOS, Explorer on Windows), Command Mode passes the filenames to the AI. This is what unlocks the file-action tools below (compress this image, merge these PDFs, zip these, convert to webp, and so on).

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Screen context

Command Mode can capture a screenshot and send it to the AI for visual context. This requires two things:
  1. Screen Recording permission granted to Vowen (macOS only)
  2. Configure your AI > Command Mode > Context-awareness toggled on
Until the permission is granted on macOS, the Context-awareness row is disabled and a Grant Screen Recording Permission button sits over it. With both active, you can ask things like “What’s the error message on screen?” or “Draft a reply to this email.”
The old path “Settings > Recording > Include screenshot” no longer exists. The toggle lives on the Command Mode tab and is named Context-awareness.
The Command Mode tab with the Context-awareness row highlighted, labelled Include context from your screen when processing with AI, its toggle switched off

Context-awareness is the screenshot toggle, nested directly under the Command Mode master switch. It is off until you turn it on.

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Drag to capture a region

By default the screenshot captures your whole screen. To pick exactly what the AI sees, turn on Drag to capture region, directly beneath Context-awareness on the same tab. With it enabled, starting a Command Mode recording shows a transparent overlay. Click and drag to select one or more rectangles.
The Command Mode tab with the Drag to capture region row highlighted and its toggle switched on

Drag to capture region is the row immediately below Context-awareness. Its own description spells out that it replaces the full-screen capture.

Captured regions replace the automatic full-screen shot for that command. They are not added on top of it, so you can point the AI at a single chart, error dialog, or paragraph instead of the entire desktop. The overlay needs the same Screen Recording permission as full-screen capture, and it stays open for multiple selections until you finish the command or press Esc.
A small confirmation strip beneath the recording indicator reading Screenshot added, followed by the number 2 in brackets

Each rectangle you drag is confirmed under the recording indicator, with a running count so you can tell how many regions the command will carry.

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Memory

Your saved Memory notes are automatically included as context. Example: if you have a “My Writing Style” note in Memory, say “Rewrite this in my style” and the AI will reference it.
Memory reaches Command Mode and Custom Utilities only. It is never sent to AI Enhancement, meeting summaries, or Ask AI.

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Connectors

If you’ve linked any Connectors (Pro, experimental), Command Mode can read from them while it works, for example looking up a Linear issue or a Notion page.
Connectors are read-only in Command Mode. Only read-shaped tools (list_*, get_*, search_*, fetch_*, read_*, find_*, view_*, query_*, count_*, show_*, retrieve_*) are exposed to the model. Every mutating tool (create, update, delete, add, remove, set, archive, send, post) is filtered out before the model ever sees it. Command Mode cannot create a Linear issue, edit a Notion page, or send anything on your behalf.

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Other automatic context

Command Mode also passes the following to the AI on every call:
  • The 10 most recently added vocabulary entries from your Dictionary, so the AI spells your domain terms correctly. The selection is by recency, not by any ranking. The store is sorted alphabetically, so taking “the top 10” would only ever show the model the start of the alphabet.
  • Active app name and the matching Tone directive (if Tones match), so output adapts to the app you’re working in
  • Language code from your transcription settings, so the AI responds in your language

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Actions

Beyond text manipulation, Command Mode ships 17 tools it can call. Speak any of these naturally and Vowen runs the matching one. Every file tool operates on whatever you have selected in Finder or Explorer.

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Image conversion

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Config file conversion

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Audio conversion

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Video conversion

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Merge PDFs

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Image compression

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Zip files

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Unzip files

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Text to Markdown

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Markdown to PDF

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Open in an editor

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Open an app

Vowen resolves app names differently on each platform, which matters if a launch fails:
Vowen hands the name to LaunchServices. Common spoken shorthands map to real bundle names first. “vs code” and “code” become Visual Studio Code, “chrome” becomes Google Chrome, “word” becomes Microsoft Word, “excel” becomes Microsoft Excel, “powerpoint” becomes Microsoft PowerPoint, “outlook” becomes Microsoft Outlook, “teams” becomes Microsoft Teams, “photoshop” becomes Adobe Photoshop, and “vlc” becomes VLC. Anything else is tried verbatim.
Windows resolves programs through PATH and the App Paths registry, which register executable names, never display names. Asking for “Google Chrome” would fail on a machine that has Chrome installed, so Vowen translates to the exe name first and only then tries the spoken name verbatim.Microsoft Store and UWP apps have no .exe on PATH, so none of the above can find them. When every direct attempt fails, Vowen falls back to searching the Start Menu for an app whose name contains what you said, then launches it by its AppUserModelID through the shell Apps folder. This is what makes Store-installed apps reachable by voice.
Vowen resolves the .desktop entry through gtk-launch, falling back to running the bare command name.
Never use “open an app” to reach a website. Say the address instead and Vowen uses the Open a website tool below, which respects your default browser. Asking to “open Chrome” launches the browser at whatever it was showing.

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Open a website

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Timer

A small dark floating pill showing a stopwatch icon and the remaining time, 4 minutes 5 seconds

The timer becomes a floating countdown pill that stays on screen over whatever you are working in.

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Translation

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Open macOS settings

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Color palette

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Custom utilities

Custom utilities are voice-free AI shortcuts. Each one is a saved prompt bound to its own keyboard shortcut. Press the shortcut and Vowen runs that prompt against whatever you have selected (or on your clipboard), without recording anything. They live on the same Configure your AI > Command Mode tab, below the built-in utility cards.
The utility card grid on the Command Mode tab, with built-in cards such as Convert Media and Merge PDFs, a custom Make it formal card bound to Control Numpad 1, and a highlighted dotted Create custom utility card at the end

Your own utilities sit in the same grid as the built-in ones, each showing its shortcut. The dotted Create custom utility card closes the grid.

The Free plan includes one custom utility. Additional utilities require Pro. Custom utilities also require Command Mode to be connected and enabled. Unlike the Command Mode shortcut itself, a utility that can’t run tells you so with a notification.
1

Click Create custom utility

The Create Custom Utility dialog with Name and Keyboard Shortcut fields and a gallery of templates including Polish text, Rewrite as email, Summarize and Custom prompt

Create Custom Utility: a name, an optional shortcut, and a starting template. Custom prompt is the free-form option.

The dotted card at the end of the utility grid.
2

Name it

The name shows on the card and in shortcut-conflict warnings.
3

Pick a template

Six presets ship, free on every plan: Polish text, Rewrite as email, Fix grammar & spelling, Make professional, Summarize, and Bullet points.The Custom prompt card in the same gallery lets you write the prompt yourself. That card is Pro.
4

Record a shortcut

A shortcut is required, and it must include at least one modifier plus one regular key (for example Option+1 or Ctrl+Shift+P). Vowen refuses a combination already used by another utility, a tone, or a built-in shortcut.

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Prompt variables

Custom prompts support two variables, both captured automatically every run: If your prompt needs selected text and nothing is selected, Vowen tells you to highlight something first rather than sending an empty prompt. Same for an empty clipboard.

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What happens to the result

The result appears in the paste confirmation banner, exactly as a Command Mode result does. There is one output path and no setting to change it. Tab pastes it, Cmd+C / Ctrl+C copies a selection from it, Esc dismisses it. Nothing is written anywhere until you accept it, so a utility can never overwrite your selection behind your back. Esc also cancels a run in flight, and a result that arrives after you canceled is discarded rather than shown.
Custom utilities are the one place besides Command Mode that reads your Memory. The Polish text preset is the exception: it runs on the strict transcription-cleanup prompt, which deliberately gets no Memory context.

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Text-only commands

For pure text transformations (no files or actions), select text in any app and speak the instruction.
Selected text
Just wrapped up the Q3 review. We’re tracking well on the product launch, engineering fixed the major bugs from last sprint, marketing is preparing the press kit for next month, and support tickets are down 20%. Sarah will lead the launch coordination going forward.
→
Summarize
”Summarize this”
Result
Q3 review highlights:
• Product launch on track
• Engineering bugs resolved
• Marketing preparing press kit
• Support tickets down 20%
• Sarah leads launch coordination
Selected text
i should of sent this email yesterday but i forgot, your absolutely right we need to fix this asap, me and the team is on it.
→
Fix grammar
”Fix the grammar”
Result
I should have sent this email yesterday but I forgot. You’re absolutely right, we need to fix this ASAP. The team and I are on it.
Selected text
hey can u look at the PR I sent? lmk what u think, no rush but ideally before EOD
→
Make formal
”Make this more formal”
Result
Hi, could you please review the pull request I sent? Let me know your thoughts. There is no immediate rush, but ideally before end of day.
Selected text
for next week we need to confirm the venue book the catering send the invites finalize the agenda and prepare the slides
→
Format as list
”Turn these into bullet points”
Result
For next week:
• Confirm the venue
• Book the catering
• Send the invites
• Finalize the agenda
• Prepare the slides
Selected text
Hi, I noticed the report you sent was missing the section on customer retention. Could you add it and resend? Thanks, Jamie
→
Draft a reply
”Write a reply to this”
Result
Hi Jamie,

Apologies for the oversight. I’ll add the customer retention section and send the updated report by end of day.

Thanks for catching that!

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Multilingual support

Command Mode works in every language Vowen’s transcription supports. Speak a command in Spanish, Hindi, French, or Japanese and Command Mode understands the instruction and runs the task in that language. File conversions, timers, translations, formatting, and drafting replies all work regardless of the language you spoke. For best results on non-English commands:
  • Pair a multilingual speech model (Whisper Large v3, Groq Whisper, or any of the cloud providers) with a capable multilingual AI model such as Claude Sonnet 4.6, GPT-5.4, or Gemini 3.5 Flash
  • The smallest, fastest models can struggle to follow instructions in low-resource languages
  • Translation commands auto-detect both source and target languages

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Requirements

  • An AI provider must be configured
  • Command Mode must be switched on at Configure your AI > Command Mode. It is off until you enable it, and the shortcut is silent until then
  • Use a model that follows instructions and emits clean JSON reliably. Good picks from the shipping catalogs: GPT-5.4 Mini or GPT-5.4 (OpenAI), Claude Sonnet 4.6 (Anthropic), Gemini 2.5 Flash or Gemini 3.5 Flash (Google), GPT-OSS 120B (Groq or Cerebras) if you want a free option
  • Context-awareness and Drag to capture region additionally need Screen Recording permission on macOS
The smallest tier of any provider can produce inconsistent tool calls, especially on non-English commands. If Command Mode behaves unpredictably, move one model up before changing anything else.

Set up an AI provider

Connect Groq, OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, or any of 10 supported providers.
Running into issues with Command Mode? See AI & API Issues.