Skip to content
Clipboard Recast

First-Time Setup

First-Time Setup

Section titled “First-Time Setup”

After installing Clipboard Recast, you’ll need to configure it with your AI provider credentials. This guide walks you through the initial setup process.

Opening Settings

Section titled “Opening Settings”
  1. Click the Clipboard Recast icon in your menu bar (top-right corner)
  2. Select Settings… from the dropdown menu
  3. The Settings window will open

Alternatively, use the keyboard shortcut Cmd+, to open Settings.

Configuring Your AI Provider

Section titled “Configuring Your AI Provider”

Step 1: Select Your AI Provider

Section titled “Step 1: Select Your AI Provider”

In the Settings window, you’ll see a dropdown menu with all supported AI providers:

  • Claude (Anthropic)
  • OpenAI
  • Google Gemini
  • Google Vertex AI
  • OpenRouter
  • Cerebras
  • Together AI
  • z.ai

Select your preferred provider from the dropdown.

Step 2: Enter Your API Key

Section titled “Step 2: Enter Your API Key”

Each AI provider requires an API key for authentication.

  1. Copy your API key from your AI provider’s dashboard
  2. Paste it into the API Key field in Clipboard Recast settings

Step 3: Optional - Customize Model

Section titled “Step 3: Optional - Customize Model”

Some providers offer multiple models. If you want to use a specific model instead of the default:

  1. Enter the model name in the Model field (optional)
  2. Leave blank to use the provider’s recommended model

Step 4: Vertex AI Additional Configuration

Section titled “Step 4: Vertex AI Additional Configuration”

If you selected Google Vertex AI, you’ll also need to:

  1. Enter your Google Cloud Project ID
  2. Ensure you have the proper authentication set up for Vertex AI

Step 5: Save Your Settings

Section titled “Step 5: Save Your Settings”

Click the Save button to store your configuration.

Testing Your Configuration

Section titled “Testing Your Configuration”

To verify your setup is working:

  1. Copy some text to your clipboard
  2. Press Cmd+Shift+A
  3. Select any transformation from the menu
  4. If configured correctly, you should see the AI transformation result

Setting Up Workflows (Optional)

Section titled “Setting Up Workflows (Optional)”

Workflows allow you to automate transformations based on content type. To configure workflows:

  1. Click the Clipboard Recast menu bar icon
  2. Select Workflows… from the menu
  3. The Workflows window will open

Or use the keyboard shortcut Cmd+R to open Workflows.

Default Workflows

Section titled “Default Workflows”

Clipboard Recast comes with several pre-configured workflows that you can enable or customize. See the Workflows guide for detailed information.

Enabling Auto-Processing (Optional)

Section titled “Enabling Auto-Processing (Optional)”

If you want transformations to happen automatically when you copy content:

  1. Open the Workflows window
  2. Check Auto-process clipboard changes
  3. For each workflow, enable Auto-trigger when matched

Next Steps

Section titled “Next Steps”

You’re all set! Check out the Quick Start guide to learn how to use Clipboard Recast effectively, or explore the User Guide to learn about all available features.