Optional Claude rewriting
Use an external rewrite only when you choose, and understand the settings, data sent and local fallback.
On this page
Start with local cleanup#
Claude rewriting is off by default. Speech recognition, mode-based cleanup, vocabulary and snippets work without it. Enable it only if you want a model to interpret self-corrections, format lists or apply a writing tone after transcription.
For example, local cleanup may leave “The deadline is Monday, no, make that Tuesday” largely intact. A successful rewrite can resolve the spoken correction into “The deadline is Tuesday.” This is an example of intended behavior, not a guarantee for every utterance.
Configure the optional pass#
- Open Settings → AI cleanup.
- Enter your own Anthropic API key in the key field.
- Enable Rewrite each dictation with Claude before typing it.
- Check the model identifier and timeout.
- In Settings → Modes, select a mode that allows the Claude pass.
- Save and test a short, non-sensitive passage.
A model identifier must be usable by your Anthropic account and compatible with the app’s client. Model availability and API billing are controlled by Anthropic; a TawkType installation does not include API credits.
Literal disallows the rewrite by default. The other modes permit it only when the global switch is enabled and a key is available. A snippet expansion skips the rewrite for that dictation.
What is sent#
The rewrite request includes the raw transcript and a system prompt describing the cleanup task. That prompt can include your preferred spellings, the active mode’s tone and your extra instructions. Audio is not included. Caret context is not included in this request.
Regular local replacements and snippets do not need a cloud call. An expanded snippet causes the rewrite step to be skipped. If you use Clean again in History while cloud rewriting is enabled, the old entry’s raw text can be sent through the same path.
Tone and extra instructions#
| Tone | Intended rewrite style |
|---|---|
| Verbatim | Stay close to the spoken wording while fixing disfluencies and punctuation. |
| Natural | Tidy sentences while keeping the speaker’s voice. |
| Formal | More formal sentences, with fewer contractions and slang. |
| Casual | A relaxed, conversational result. |
The active mode’s tone takes precedence over the general AI cleanup Style field. Choose the mode and edit its tone for predictable behavior.
Extra instructions can express a preference such as “Use British spelling.” They guide the rewrite rather than running commands. The prompt tells Claude to treat your transcript as text to clean, not as a request to answer a question or act as an assistant. Review output because a model can still make mistakes.
Timeouts and fallback#
Give up after (ms) defaults to 2,000 milliseconds. If the provider is unavailable, the key is missing, the request fails or the timeout is reached, TawkType falls back to locally cleaned text.
The current app can quietly fall back instead of presenting a detailed cloud error. Seeing text arrive does not prove that Claude ran. The bar’s rewrite state and metadata-only logs help distinguish the path. A reply that is empty or implausibly long is also rejected in favor of local text.
If a rewrite consistently times out, check the configured model and key, then consider a longer timeout in the permitted range. A longer budget can increase the delay after releasing the recording key.
Key storage and disabling#
A key saved through Settings is stored in apikey.dat, encrypted with Windows DPAPI for your Windows account. It is not written into settings.json. The client can also fall back to the ANTHROPIC_API_KEY environment variable when no stored key exists.
Forget stored key removes the saved key, but an environment-variable key may still be available. To stop rewriting, turn off the global rewrite checkbox and save. You can also forbid the pass for an individual mode.
TawkType does not manage provider-side retention or billing. Those are separate from the app’s local History setting.