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API key setup

Set up your Deepgram key

Create a Deepgram account, copy your API key, and paste it into the app. That is the only thing you need before you can start dictating. Your audio goes straight from your microphone to your own Deepgram account, not through Productive Voice's servers, because there are none.

Get your Deepgram key

Deepgram handles the speech-to-text side. Raw dictation mode requires exactly this one key; you do not need anything else to start dictating.

  1. 1

    Create a free Deepgram account

    Go to deepgram.com and sign up for a free account. New accounts receive a signup credit that covers months of typical dictation use at Deepgram's standard rate of roughly $0.006 per minute.

  2. 2

    Open the API keys section and create a new key

    Once signed in, navigate to the API keys section of the Deepgram console. Create a new key (you can name it anything, for example "Productive Voice"). Leave the permissions at their defaults.

    Screenshot: Deepgram console, API keys page
  3. 3

    Copy the key

    Deepgram shows the key once immediately after creation. Copy it now: you will not be able to see the full key again after you close that dialogue. If you miss it, simply delete the key and create a new one.

    Screenshot: Deepgram, copy your new API key
  4. 4

    Paste the key into Productive Voice

    Open Productive Voice, go to Settings, and paste the key into the Deepgram field. The app stores it locally in encrypted form; it never leaves your machine.

    Screenshot: Productive Voice settings, paste your Deepgram key here
  5. 5

    You are ready to dictate

    Raw dictation mode works immediately with just the Deepgram key. Press the default hotkey (Ctrl + Shift + Space), speak, and release. Your text appears at the cursor. That is the whole setup.

Optional: add an AI formatting key

Raw dictation mode works without anything else. If you want Productive Voice to reformat your transcript (for example, turning spoken notes into a structured email or a bullet-point summary), you can add custom formatting styles by connecting an OpenRouter, Anthropic, or OpenAI key.

OpenRouter

Access many AI models through one key. Good option if you want flexibility to switch models without creating new accounts.

Get an OpenRouter key
Anthropic

Direct access to Claude models. Paste your key into the Anthropic field in Settings.

Get an Anthropic key
OpenAI

Direct access to GPT models. Paste your key into the OpenAI field in Settings.

Get an OpenAI key

The process is the same as the Deepgram setup: sign up on the provider's site, copy the key, and paste it into the matching field in Productive Voice's settings. You only need one of these three.

Why bring your own key?

This design means Productive Voice never sees or stores your audio or transcripts. There is no Productive Voice server in the middle, no telemetry, and no markup on your usage. You pay Deepgram directly for what you actually use (roughly $0.006 per minute, with new accounts receiving a free credit that covers months of typical use). Your voice data flows from your machine directly to the provider account you control, and nowhere else.

Next steps

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For system paths, custom style snippets, the phonetics dictionary, and troubleshooting, see the developer documentation.