What are the system requirements?+
macOS 14 or later. Saransh needs Microphone and Accessibility permissions. Calendar and Notifications are optional (meeting prompts). Screen & System Audio Recording is optional (Capture meeting audio). Internet is required on first launch to download the on-device Whisper speech model. An AI provider is optional and only needed for AI notes or dictation formatting — cloud BYOK (OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini) or local (Ollama, LM Studio, or Apple Intelligence when available on your Mac).
What permissions does Saransh need?+
Microphone for dictation and conversation capture, and Accessibility to paste transcribed text into the app you are using. Calendar and Notifications are requested only if you enable meeting prompts. Screen & System Audio Recording is requested only if you enable Capture meeting audio — Saransh uses audio only and does not store screen video.
How do calendar meeting prompts work?+
The feature is off by default. When enabled, Saransh reads timed events from macOS Calendar (including Google or Outlook accounts already synced there). At meeting start it shows an on-screen Start/Skip prompt — recording never begins until you tap Start. You can optionally auto-stop when the calendar event ends. Saransh does not join calls as a bot.
Can I fix names and jargon in transcripts?+
Yes. In Settings → Speech, add vocabulary words as Whisper recognition hints and set replacements (e.g. misspelled names → correct spelling). Replacements apply after transcription for both Quick Dictation and Conversations.
Can Saransh capture both sides of a call?+
Yes, when you enable Capture meeting audio in Settings → Conversations. Conversations then mix your microphone with system audio so remote participants are included. This requires Screen & System Audio Recording permission. Quick Dictation stays microphone-only. You are responsible for complying with local consent and recording laws.
What are context modes?+
Quick Dictation formats what you said using instruction profiles bound to apps (by bundle ID). Built-ins include Polish (default for unbound apps), Email, Notes, To-do, and Agent prompt. You can edit instructions and add custom profiles in Settings → Quick Dictation. Formatting needs a configured AI provider; without one, Saransh pastes the raw transcript.
Which Whisper model should I use?+
Saransh offers three on-device tiers in Settings: Fast (~140 MB) for the quickest download and lowest latency, Balanced (~630 MB) as the recommended speed/accuracy tradeoff, and Best Accuracy (~626 MB) for the highest transcription quality. Each tier downloads once; switch anytime in Settings or the menu bar.
Does my audio leave my Mac?+
Transcription runs on-device with Whisper. Audio and transcripts stay in your local SQLite database. If you use a cloud AI provider for enhance or dictation formatting, transcript text is sent to that provider with your API key. Ollama, LM Studio, and Apple Intelligence (when available) keep that step local.
Do I need an API key?+
No. Dictation and conversation capture work without one. Add an OpenAI, Anthropic, or Gemini key only if you want cloud AI formatting or notes. Or choose Ollama, LM Studio, or Apple Intelligence (when available on your Mac) in Settings for local enhance and formatting with no cloud key.
What is local MCP?+
An opt-in, read-only connector for Cursor and Claude Desktop. Enable Allow local MCP for agents in Settings → Agents, copy the config into your client, and agents can list, search, and read Conversations over stdio on your Mac (`Saransh --mcp`). Nothing is uploaded. Quick Dictation is never exposed.
How does the trial work?+
You get a 14-day full trial on first launch with no feature limits. The trial is bound to your Mac, so reinstalling does not reset it. After the trial, capture and enhance require a lifetime license activated from your purchase email. Existing notes remain readable.
How do I activate my license?+
Open Settings → License in Saransh and paste the key from your Lemon Squeezy purchase email. Activation validates with Lemon Squeezy over the network. Each lifetime license activates on one Mac at a time — deactivate in Settings → License before moving to another computer.
What can I export?+
Markdown only (`.md`) for a raw transcript or any AI note. You can also optionally auto-export Conversations as `.md` files into a folder you choose (for example an Obsidian vault). Auto-export is one-way and overwrites the same filename; there is no two-way sync.
What is your refund policy?+
Saransh includes a 14-day full trial before you buy. After purchase, lifetime licenses are non-refundable except for billing errors, activation issues we cannot resolve, or where required by law. See our Refund Policy for details.
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