> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.vowen.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Custom Instructions

> Customize how AI processes your transcriptions.

<div style={{ marginTop: "-1.5rem" }}>
  <Info>The free plan includes 1 Tone with its own Custom Instructions field, so you can try this <a href="https://vowen.ai" className="font-semibold underline-offset-2" style={{ color: "#8b5cf6", backgroundColor: "rgba(139, 92, 246, 0.12)", border: "1px solid rgba(139, 92, 246, 0.35)", padding: "2px 8px", borderRadius: "6px", fontSize: "0.85em", textDecoration: "none", whiteSpace: "nowrap" }}>Pro feature</a> before upgrading.</Info>
</div>

## Overview

Custom Instructions let you guide how the AI handles your text. They're added to the system prompt used during AI Enhancement and Command Mode.

## Where to Set Instructions

Two scopes, set in different places.

<div className="grid grid-cols-1 md:grid-cols-2 gap-4 my-6">
  <div className="rounded-xl border border-zinc-200 dark:border-zinc-800 p-5">
    <div className="text-violet-600 dark:text-violet-400 font-semibold text-base mb-2">Global</div>
    <div className="font-semibold text-sm text-zinc-800 dark:text-zinc-200 mb-3">Settings > AI Setup > Custom Instructions</div>
    <div className="text-sm text-zinc-600 dark:text-zinc-400 leading-relaxed">Applies to every transcription regardless of which app or mode you're using. Acts as the baseline guidance for all dictation.</div>
  </div>

  <div className="rounded-xl border border-zinc-200 dark:border-zinc-800 p-5">
    <div className="text-violet-600 dark:text-violet-400 font-semibold text-base mb-2">Per-Tone</div>
    <div className="font-semibold text-sm text-zinc-800 dark:text-zinc-200 mb-3">Settings > Tones > \[Tone Name] > Custom Instructions</div>
    <div className="text-sm text-zinc-600 dark:text-zinc-400 leading-relaxed">Applies only when that Tone is active, based on the focused app. See the <a href="/ai-features/tones" className="text-violet-600 dark:text-violet-400 underline underline-offset-2">Tones</a> page for setup and examples.</div>
  </div>
</div>

When a Tone is active, both stacks are sent to the AI together. Global instructions provide baseline guidance and the Tone's instructions add app-specific directives on top.

## What to Include

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Formatting Preferences">
    * "Use bullet points for lists"
    * "Use Oxford commas"
    * "Keep paragraphs to 2-3 sentences"
    * "Format dates as DD/MM/YYYY"
  </Card>

  <Card title="Name Corrections">
    * "My name is spelled 'Ijuel' not 'EOL'"
    * "The product is 'PostgreSQL' not 'post-gress'"
    * "Refer to my company as 'Acme Corp' not 'acmee' or 'akmay'"
  </Card>

  <Card title="Style Directives">
    * "Write in active voice"
    * "Avoid exclamation marks"
    * "Use American English spelling"
    * "Keep sentences under 20 words"
  </Card>

  <Card title="Content Rules">
    * "Never add greetings or sign-offs"
    * "Don't convert technical terms to plain English"
    * "Preserve code-related terms exactly as spoken"
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Examples in action

### Date and number formatting

**Instructions:** *"Format dates as DD MMM YYYY (e.g., '12 May 2026'). Spell out numbers one to nine; use digits for 10 and above. Add a comma in numbers ≥ 1,000."*

**How it helps:** Locks every transcription to a consistent number and date style without you reformatting manually, which is especially useful for reports, status updates, and metrics summaries.

<div className="my-4 flex flex-col md:flex-row gap-3 items-stretch">
  <div className="flex-1 rounded-xl border border-zinc-200 dark:border-zinc-800 p-4">
    <div className="text-xs uppercase tracking-wide text-zinc-500 mb-2 font-semibold">Default output</div>
    <div className="text-sm text-zinc-700 dark:text-zinc-300 leading-relaxed">We launched on May 12 2026 and got 2500 signups in the first 3 days. 3 of the integrations broke and there were 15 customer complaints.</div>
  </div>

  <div className="flex-1 rounded-xl border border-zinc-200 dark:border-zinc-800 p-4 bg-violet-500/5">
    <div className="text-xs uppercase tracking-wide text-violet-600 dark:text-violet-400 mb-2 font-semibold">It writes</div>
    <div className="text-sm text-zinc-800 dark:text-zinc-200 leading-relaxed">We launched on 12 May 2026 and got 2,500 signups in the first three days. Three of the integrations broke and there were 15 customer complaints.</div>
  </div>
</div>

### British English spelling

**Instructions:** *"Use British English spelling throughout: colour, organisation, realise, favour, behaviour, centre, theatre, programme. Maintain British conventions everywhere, including in word endings ('-ise' not '-ize')."*

**How it helps:** Locks every transcription to British conventions without you having to manually fix US spellings each time.

<div className="my-4 flex flex-col md:flex-row gap-3 items-stretch">
  <div className="flex-1 rounded-xl border border-zinc-200 dark:border-zinc-800 p-4">
    <div className="text-xs uppercase tracking-wide text-zinc-500 mb-2 font-semibold">Default output</div>
    <div className="text-sm text-zinc-700 dark:text-zinc-300 leading-relaxed">The organization's color scheme didn't favor the team's behavior; we'll need to realize a new design centered on user feedback.</div>
  </div>

  <div className="flex-1 rounded-xl border border-zinc-200 dark:border-zinc-800 p-4 bg-violet-500/5">
    <div className="text-xs uppercase tracking-wide text-violet-600 dark:text-violet-400 mb-2 font-semibold">It writes</div>
    <div className="text-sm text-zinc-800 dark:text-zinc-200 leading-relaxed">The organisation's colour scheme didn't favour the team's behaviour; we'll need to realise a new design centred on user feedback.</div>
  </div>
</div>

### Brand and jargon preservation

**Instructions:** *"Always spell brand and product names correctly: PostgreSQL (not 'post-gress' or 'postgres q l'), Anthropic (not 'antropic'), TypeScript (not 'type script'), Cloudflare (one word, capital C). Preserve exact technical terms as spoken."*

**How it helps:** Stops the AI from "correcting" technical vocabulary it doesn't recognise, so brand names and product names land right every time.

<div className="my-4 flex flex-col md:flex-row gap-3 items-stretch">
  <div className="flex-1 rounded-xl border border-zinc-200 dark:border-zinc-800 p-4">
    <div className="text-xs uppercase tracking-wide text-zinc-500 mb-2 font-semibold">You speak</div>
    <div className="text-sm text-zinc-700 dark:text-zinc-300 leading-relaxed">We're migrating from post-gress to a new antropic-backed system, with type script and cloud flare in front.</div>
  </div>

  <div className="flex-1 rounded-xl border border-zinc-200 dark:border-zinc-800 p-4 bg-violet-500/5">
    <div className="text-xs uppercase tracking-wide text-violet-600 dark:text-violet-400 mb-2 font-semibold">It writes</div>
    <div className="text-sm text-zinc-800 dark:text-zinc-200 leading-relaxed">We're migrating from PostgreSQL to a new Anthropic-backed system, with TypeScript and Cloudflare in front.</div>
  </div>
</div>

### Active voice rewrite

**Instructions:** *"Convert passive voice to active voice. Identify the actor and restructure the sentence so they're the subject. Keep the original meaning intact."*

**How it helps:** Makes spoken thoughts read more direct and decisive on the page, which is especially useful for status updates, reports, and PRs.

<div className="my-4 flex flex-col md:flex-row gap-3 items-stretch">
  <div className="flex-1 rounded-xl border border-zinc-200 dark:border-zinc-800 p-4">
    <div className="text-xs uppercase tracking-wide text-zinc-500 mb-2 font-semibold">You speak</div>
    <div className="text-sm text-zinc-700 dark:text-zinc-300 leading-relaxed">The bug was identified by the QA team after the deployment was completed by engineering, and a fix has been proposed by the senior developer.</div>
  </div>

  <div className="flex-1 rounded-xl border border-zinc-200 dark:border-zinc-800 p-4 bg-violet-500/5">
    <div className="text-xs uppercase tracking-wide text-violet-600 dark:text-violet-400 mb-2 font-semibold">It writes</div>
    <div className="text-sm text-zinc-800 dark:text-zinc-200 leading-relaxed">The QA team identified the bug after engineering completed the deployment, and the senior developer has proposed a fix.</div>
  </div>
</div>

## Tips

* Be specific: "use bullet points" works better than "format nicely"
* Test your instructions with a few transcriptions and adjust
* Don't over-constrain: too many rules can confuse smaller AI models
* Instructions work best with models that are good at following directions (GPT-4, Claude, Gemini)

<Card title="Set up an AI provider" icon="key" href="/ai-features/ai-setup">
  Connect Groq, OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, or any of 10+ supported providers.
</Card>