Custom
Custom
Take full control of your dictation processing with Custom Mode. Create specialized workflows by combining context-awareness with your own AI instructions for unlimited possibilities.
Key Features
Custom Mode empowers you with:- Complete control over AI processing instructions
- Context-awareness capabilities
- Advanced audio capture options
- Flexible processing for any workflow
Additional Settings
AI Instructions
Beyond selecting your preferred AI model, with Custom Mode you have the option to personalize your own AI processing instructions.
Instructions are empty by default. Select “Change Prompt” to modify them. If left blank, AI will not know what task to perform and may give unexpected results.
Audio Options
- Record from System Audio:
- Perfect for meetings, video content, interviews, or live audio coming your speakers
- When recording system audio, the waves on the recording window do not move. You can always check Superwhisper’s history to verify capture
- Identify Speakers
- Useful for meeting transcriptions
- Speaker separation results appear in the Segments tab of History
Speaker-separated transcripts won’t process through AI automatically within the same mode. See this guide on handling multi-speaker transcripts with AI processing.
Context Awareness
Inside the Change Prompt section, you’ll discover two powerful features:
- Use application context toggle
- Use copied text toggle
These toggles work identically to Super Mode context awareness features.
Prompting Tips
Referencing Content
Referencing Content
When writing AI instructions for use in Superwhisper, you can direct AI’s attention to specific content using these XML-style tags:
These tags let you create targeted instructions for AI. For example:
Instruct AI exactly which content to focus on and what to do with it. You can combine them in your instructions to create powerful workflows:
<user_message>- Contains your dictated text
<application_context>- Includes the data from your active application window
<clipboard_context>- Contains the text you’ve copied
These tags let you create targeted instructions for AI. For example:
- “Translate
<user_message>to Spanish” - “Based on
<application_context>, suggest relevant code comments” - “Format
<user_message>accordingly based on the content found in<clipboard_context>”
If you want AI to know your input is dictated speech, include it explicitly. For example: “The
<user_message> contains dictated text. Please format it into proper paragraphs.”Instruct AI exactly which content to focus on and what to do with it. You can combine them in your instructions to create powerful workflows:
Writing Effective Instructions
Writing Effective Instructions
1
Clear Purpose
Define your AI instructions by starting with a clear role or purpose statement. This sets the foundation for how the AI will process your content.
2
Requirements
Create a detailed list of specific requirements and expectations. Being explicit helps ensure the AI understands exactly what you need.
3
Structure
Organize your instructions using separate sections for different components. This modular approach makes your instructions easier to understand and modify.
4
Keep Simple
Write direct, straightforward instructions without unnecessary complexity. Clear communication leads to better results.
Using XML Tags
Using XML Tags
Add Examples
Add Examples
Examples help you teach AI exactly how to process your input and what kind of output you expect. Located at the bottom of the Change Prompt section, below the context toggles, you’ll find the Add Examples interface.
Each example consists of two parts:
Each example consists of two parts:- Input field: Shows how you’ll phrase your requests
- Output field: Demonstrates your expected AI response
- Click “Add Example” to create your first example pair
- Fill in both the input and output fields
- Add more examples by clicking “Add Example” again
- Right-click any example to duplicate or delete it
Adding 2-3 examples significantly improves AI’s understanding of your needs and leads to more accurate responses.
Advanced Tip
Currently, Custom Mode doesn’t include text selection context like Super Mode. Enable this by editing your mode’s JSON config file - just back up first and use a simple text editor like TextEdit or VS Code.Locate Your Modes Folder
Open Finder and navigate to ~/Documents/SuperWhisper/modes/ to access your modes folder
Find Your Mode File
Use Quick Look (press Space) on JSON files to preview and identify your mode by its “name” field
Enable Selection Context
Open the JSON file and change “context_from_selection” from
false to trueRestart to Apply
Save your changes and restart Superwhisper to activate the selection context feature
<text_selection_context> in your custom instructions, as covered in Prompting Tips.
Unlike other modes, Custom Mode isn’t limited to text formatting. Combine context-awareness with your instructions to create powerful, specialized workflows tailored to your needs.