Getting Started
Get SpokenCode set up and ready to use in a few minutes.
Step 1: Install SpokenCode
If you haven't installed SpokenCode yet, follow the guide for your operating system:
The installation guides walk you through downloading the installer, launching the app for the first time, and entering your API key.
Step 2: First Launch & API Key Setup
When SpokenCode opens for the first time — or any time no API key is saved — a setup modal appears automatically asking for your SpokenCode API key.
Getting Your API Key
- Visit spokencode.dev
- Create a free account
- After registering, your API key is shown once — copy it immediately and save it somewhere safe. You will not be able to see it again.
Your API key looks like this:
sk_live_aBcDeFgHiJkLmNoPqRsTuVwXyZ123456
It always starts with sk_live_ followed by 32 characters.
Entering Your API Key
- Paste your key into the API Key field in the setup modal
- Click Save API Key
- SpokenCode will validate the key and display your current credit balance
Without a valid SpokenCode API key, transcription and voice commands will not work. The app will continue to show the setup modal until a valid key is saved.
Credits
SpokenCode uses a credit system to power transcription and AI features.
| Credit | Audio duration |
|---|---|
| 1 credit | 10 seconds of audio |
Your current credit balance is always shown in the top-right corner of the app window.
When your balance reaches 0, transcription and code generation stop working. Purchase more credits at spokencode.dev.
The App Window
SpokenCode has four tabs in the navigation bar:
| Tab | What it does |
|---|---|
| Home | The main recording interface — see your recording button and last transcription |
| Settings | All configuration options: API key, transcription model, language, behavior |
| History | A log of your last 50 transcriptions |
| About | Current app version and update checker |
System Tray
SpokenCode minimizes to the system tray (bottom-right area of the Windows taskbar) when you close the window. It keeps running in the background so the global hotkey stays active.
To bring the window back, right-click the SpokenCode icon in the system tray. The menu lets you:
- Open Interface — bring the app window back
- Open Settings — jump straight to the Settings tab
- Open History — jump straight to the History tab
- Quit — exit SpokenCode completely
After the first-time setup, you rarely need to open the SpokenCode window. Just use the hotkey from any application and let SpokenCode work in the background.