Settings

Accessing Settings

Click the Parrot Scribe menu bar icon and select Settings....

General

• Interface Language - Language for the Parrot Scribe UI
• Speech Language - Set to Auto (recommended) or English Only for specialized English models on lower-powered systems
• Expected Languages - (Auto mode only) Select languages you expect to hear for improved accuracy
• Show notifications - Display system notifications when transcription starts, stops, or a new session begins. Click the gear icon to open System Settings if notifications aren't appearing.
• Launch at Login - Start Parrot Scribe when you log in
• Auto-capture on Launch - Begin capture automatically when Parrot Scribe starts
• Auto-show speaker identification - Open speaker identification automatically after recordings (requires audio retention)

License

View your license status and manage device activation. See License Management for details.

Sources

• Capture Microphone - Record local voice and room audio
• Capture System Audio - Record audio playing through macOS

Transcription

Switch between Simple and Advanced modes:

Simple Mode

• Speech Detection - Preset for your environment (Natural, Quiet, Noisy)
• Responsiveness - Balance between speed and accuracy (Fast, Balanced, Accurate)

Advanced Mode

• Speech Detection Threshold - Manual slider control for sensitivity
• Transcription Interval - Time between transcript updates

Retention

Retention has two areas:

• Transcript Retention - How long session transcripts and metadata are kept
• Audio Retention - Whether retained audio is stored, and for how long

When you change transcript retention, Parrot Scribe shows an impact preview before applying changes.

Models

• Model - Select the Whisper model for transcription. Larger models are more accurate but require more resources.
• Download, remove, or switch between models. The recommended model is shown based on your hardware.

Shortcuts

Configure global keyboard shortcuts that work even when Parrot Scribe is in the background:

• Start Listening - Start transcription if not already running (default: Control + Command + R)
• Stop Listening - Stop transcription if running (default: Control + Command + S)
• New Session - End the current session and start a new one (default: Control + Command + N)
• Open Library - Open the Library window (default: Control + Command + L)

Click on any shortcut field to record a new key combination.

MCP

• Enable MCP Server only when you want assistant access to local transcript context
• Create one token per client and copy it when shown (tokens are shown once)
• Set each client to Disabled, Enabled, or Trusted based on risk tolerance

For setup examples and tool permissions, see MCP Server.

Updates

• Update Channel - Stable (production releases) or Latest (includes pre-releases and betas)
• Automatic Updates - Manual, Notify when available, or Automatic