Modes
A mode is a named profile that controls how Kalam hears your voice and how it writes. You might use one mode for formal email and another for casual chat — and let Kalam switch automatically based on the app in front of you.
What a mode bundles
| Setting | What it controls |
|---|---|
| Voice recognition | Speech engine (local, cloud, Kalam Cloud) and recognition languages |
| Surroundings | Whether and what context is captured — app content, clipboard, selection, date/time |
| Improve with AI | Whether polish runs, which AI model, and your writing instructions |
| Identity | Name, icon, accent color, optional brand logo |
| Auto-switch | Rules that activate this mode when a matching app or site is focused |
A mode left on Same as Base for voice, AI model, or languages inherits the Base mode's setting.
Built-in modes
Kalam ships six:
| Mode | Improve | Surroundings | Tuned for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base | Off | Off | Plain transcription — the fallback home |
| On | Focused field, clipboard, date/time | Ready-to-send emails with greeting and sign-off | |
| Message | On | App name only | Short chat messages, no email formatting |
| Notes | On | App name only | Bullets, headings, action items |
| Coding | On | Focused field, clipboard, selection | Natural-language prompts for coding agents |
| Document | On | Focused field, selection, date/time | Polished prose for documents and reports |
Built-in modes ship with no auto-switch rules — you add your own. Base cannot be deleted; the others can be removed and restored later from the Dictation page.
Default, active, and auto-switched
These three are easy to confuse:
- Default (starred) is your durable home mode. Kalam returns to it when nothing else applies.
- Active is the mode used for your next dictation — shown on the pill and status bar.
- Auto-switched is a temporary active mode chosen by an auto-switch rule. It changes the active mode but never moves your star; when you leave the matching app, Kalam returns to your default.
Starring a mode sets it as both default and active. Pressing the cycle modes hotkey (Ctrl+Shift+M) also moves your home to the next mode.
Auto-switch rules
Each rule is a pattern matched against the focused app:
| Pattern type | Matches against |
|---|---|
| Process name | The app's process (e.g. slack.exe) |
| Window title | The window's title text |
| Browser URL | The site domain, in a known browser (e.g. gmail.com) |
The easiest way to add a rule is the picker in the mode editor: it lists your open windows and running apps and builds the pattern for you. If two modes could match, the one listed first on the Dictation page wins — the editor warns you about conflicts.
Health and feature chips
Mode cards show two kinds of signal:
- Feature chips (teal) — what the mode has on: AI polish, Context, Auto-switch.
- Health alerts (red) — something is missing: a local engine not downloaded, an API key not set, or a model your plan does not include. Fix these before relying on the mode.
Managing modes
Open Dictation in the sidebar. Create a mode with New mode, click a card to edit its pipeline and rules, star to set default, and use the banner to restore deleted built-ins. Full walkthrough: Dictation modes.