How to Configure Polish Shortcuts and Custom Prompts

Configure the base Transform shortcut

1. Click the Flow icon in your menu bar (Mac) or system tray (Windows), then open the Hub.

2. Select Transforms from the sidebar.

3. Turn on the Opt in toggle.

4. Click the Transform shortcut card to open its configuration modal.

5. Configure the shortcut in the modal:

   1. Choose a keyboard shortcut for Transform.

   2. Edit the prompt name — type a new name and it saves automatically after a brief delay.

   3. Toggle default Transform rules on or off — standard rules include: Make more concise, Reword for clarity, Reorder for readability, Add structure for readability, Maintain your tone. Pro rules include: Clarify main point, Refine phrasing for impact.

   4. Add custom instructions — open the Custom Instructions tab, type your prompt rule in the text area, and save it. Each instruction can be toggled on or off individually, or deleted when no longer needed.

6. Review the example preview — it shows your original text alongside the transformed version with inline highlights.

Configure the Prompt Engineer shortcut

1. Click the Prompt Engineer shortcut card from the Transforms hub.

2. Review the preset instructions in the modal — these define how Prompt Engineer transforms your drafts.

3. Save any changes, or close the modal to keep the defaults.

Create a custom prompt shortcut

You can create up to 8 custom prompt shortcuts. Each custom prompt slot appears in the Transforms settings — new slots have no default keyboard shortcut assigned, so you need to set one yourself.

1. Click a custom prompt shortcut card from the Transforms hub.

2. Enter a name for your custom prompt.

3. Write your prompt instructions in the text field (up to 50 words).

4. Assign a keyboard shortcut to the prompt.

5. Add custom instructions — open the Custom Instructions tab, type your rule in the text area, and save it. Toggle each instruction on or off, or delete ones you no longer need.

6. Review the writing example preview to see how the prompt affects your text.

Toggle auto-insert

The Auto-insert transforms toggle controls how transformed text is delivered after a Transform shortcut runs:

• Toggle on: The transformed text replaces your original text automatically.

• Toggle off: The transformed text opens in the Scratchpad for you to review before pasting.

Using Auto-Polish to automatically clean up every dictation

You set: Auto-Polish to Default polish using the picker on the Flow Bar.

You dictate: A quick message or email draft.

Flow shows: Polishing… on the Flow Bar while it processes.

Result: Your cleaned-up text is pasted automatically — no shortcut needed.

Using Prompt Engineer to improve a rough AI prompt

You dictate: "write me an email about the project update keep it short and professional"

You press: Opt+2 (Mac) or Win+Alt+2 (Windows)

Result: Prompt Engineer restructures your draft into a clear, specific prompt with context, tone, and format instructions — ready to paste into an AI tool.

Using a custom prompt to reformat text as bullet points

Custom prompt name: "Bullet Points"

Custom prompt instructions: "Reformat the following text as a concise bullet-point list."

Assigned shortcut: Opt+3 (Mac) or Win+Alt+3 (Windows)

You dictate a paragraph, then press the assigned shortcut.

Result: Your dictated paragraph is returned as a clean bullet-point list.

Using Re-transform to convert meeting notes into a structured list

You dictate: A brain dump of meeting notes and run a Transform.

You select: The Turn to list option from the Re-transform options.

Result: Flow reorganizes your notes into a structured outline with headings and bullet points — without you needing to re-dictate.

Reviewing an auto-transform suggestion for a long dictation

You dictate: A lengthy email or document (150+ words).

Flow shows: A Transform ready notification.

You click: Reveal edit to see a diff highlighting what was changed.

Result: Click Accept edits to apply the transformed version, or Dismiss to keep your original dictation.

What is Auto-Polish and how is it different from Transform shortcuts?

Auto-Polish automatically applies a transform to every dictation before pasting — no shortcut needed. You select which option to use (Off, Default polish, Prompt Engineer, or a custom prompt) from the picker on the Flow Bar. Transform shortcuts, by contrast, are triggered manually after you dictate or highlight text.

What happens if I try to polish text that is too short?

If you highlight only a small amount of text and trigger Polish, Flow may automatically select all the text in the field and retry — so you're less likely to see a "text too short" error. This behavior is currently being tested and is not available to all users yet.

How many custom prompt shortcuts can I create?

You can create up to 8 custom prompt shortcuts. New custom slots have no default keyboard shortcut — you assign one when you set up each prompt.

What are Custom Instructions and how are they different from the main prompt?

The main prompt rules (like "Make more concise" or "Reword for clarity") are preset options you toggle on or off. Custom Instructions are your own free-form rules — typed in the Custom Instructions tab — that stack on top of those presets to further shape how Transform rewrites your text. You can add multiple instructions and toggle each one independently.

Do I need to manually save my Transform settings?

No — prompt settings and custom instructions save automatically once a shortcut is assigned. Changes to names and prompt text save after a brief delay (about 2 seconds). For custom prompts, a name, prompt text, and keyboard shortcut must all be set before anything is saved.

What is "Additional Transform"?

Additional Transform gives Transform more freedom to rewrite or cut your text for clarity. Enable it in the Transform settings card for more aggressive edits beyond basic grammar and formatting fixes.

Can I undo a Transform change after it's been inserted?

Yes. After a Transform runs, the diff panel shows an undo shortcut that reverts your text to its original state.

What's the difference between Re-transform and running a Transform again?

Re-transform takes your already-transformed text and rewrites it using a different option — without re-dictating. Running a Transform again applies your configured Transform rules to the original dictation from scratch.

Will Transform change the meaning of what I said?

A standard Transform applies strict default editing guidelines designed to preserve your original meaning. If you add custom instructions, those replace the default guidelines — giving the transform more freedom to rewrite according to your specific rules. Re-transform options (Prompt Engineer, Turn to list, etc.) bypass default rules entirely and use only their own dedicated instructions.

Can I change the keyboard shortcut for viewing diffs?

Yes. Customize the View changes shortcut in the keyboard shortcuts settings dialog, or click the view diff shortcut pill on the Transforms page to open a modal where you can see the current shortcut and rebind it.

My Opt+key shortcuts stopped typing special characters (like ñ or ö) — what happened?

Transform shortcuts (Opt+1, Opt+2, etc.) are only registered after you first interact with the Transforms feature — by clicking "Try it out" or toggling Transforms on. If your international Opt+key characters are affected, reassign your Transform shortcuts to key combinations that don't conflict with your keyboard layout.

I see "Couldn't detect text in your text box" — what do I do?

Click into the text box you want to transform so it's focused, then try running the Transform again. In apps like Slack, make sure your cursor is placed inside the message input field before triggering a Transform.

I see "Flow can't paste right now. Text saved to clipboard" — what does that mean?

This appears when Flow can't insert text directly into the target text box because it isn't editable. Your transformed text has been copied to your clipboard — click into the text field and paste it manually.

I see "Transform timed out" or "Transform returned no text" — what do I do?

Run the Transform again — these are usually temporary issues that resolve on retry.