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Improve a note

KeptNote writes a first note on your Mac. With your own AI key, you can have a stronger model write it again, in the shape you pick.

The first note

Every note starts on your Mac. What you get depends on how notes are written. You choose this under Notes are written in Settings, on the Writing tab.

  • On this Mac. Apple Intelligence writes the note, and nothing leaves your Mac. It needs macOS 26 or later with Apple Intelligence. This is the choice you start with.
  • With my own API key. KeptNote keeps a free note from your Mac, and a model from the company you choose can write a better one with your key.
  • Neither. You get local highlights from the transcript, with no writing step. A note like that ends with: Rough highlights. Tap Enhance for a full note.

If your Mac cannot run the on-device writer, KeptNote falls back to the rough highlights. When the writer becomes available, KeptNote may quietly write a better note for meetings from the last 7 days. It tries at most three times for each meeting.

To write a note again on your Mac, open the … menu at the top of the note and choose Rewrite note on this Mac. It needs a transcript, and it does not work during a recording. A rough note also shows a Write full note button when the on-device writer is ready.

Add your key

  1. Open Settings and choose the Writing tab.

  2. Under Notes are written, choose With my own API key.

  3. Choose a Provider: Anthropic, OpenAI, xAI, Google or Custom endpoint.

  4. Paste your key in the box that says Paste your key, and press Save key.

  5. Press Test. KeptNote sends one tiny request and shows whether the key works.

The details are in AI keys and which brain answers.

Improve or rewrite a note

At the top of a finished note, to the left of the date, is one control with two parts.

A finished note for Launch sync, just after it was written. A small shell drawing and the words Kept. Your note is ready. At the top left, a control that reads Rewrite and Auto with an arrow, and the date Oct 8 and 34 min. At the top right, Record, Transcript, Share and a menu button.

The control at the top left of a note. Here it reads Rewrite, because an AI note already exists.

  • Before an AI note exists, it reads Improve with Claude, or Improve with GPT, Improve with Grok or Improve with Gemini, to match your provider. With a Custom endpoint, it reads Improve with AI. A small price estimate may follow it, such as 4¢ or <1¢. It shows only for some Anthropic and OpenAI models.
  • While it works, it reads Improving….
  • After an AI note exists, it reads Rewrite, with Auto or the name of the model you used.

Press the main part to run it with the model you used last. Press the small arrow to open the menu. Without a key, the main part opens Settings. The Note menu has the same action as Enhance (Command-E). KeptNote does not enable it until the note has a transcript and a key.

Improve every meeting by itself

In the same Writing tab, Enhance automatically decides when KeptNote runs your key without a click.

  • Never (I will tap Enhance).
  • Only calendar meetings. Meetings you start by hand wait for you, so a quick test costs nothing.
  • Every meeting.

Saving your first key sets this to Every meeting, and KeptNote tells you. Change it any time. Automatic runs use a mid-size model to keep the cost down. A run you start yourself uses Auto, which is the strongest model available, or the one you pick.

What is sent

A run sends one request to the provider you chose, with your key, over HTTPS. The request holds the meeting title and date, your typed notes with their times, the transcript, the template you chose, and your profile from Settings. It also holds your note language, if you set one. KeptNote never sends audio. It does not send other meetings. If the title is still a guess, a second small request sends the finished note to get a title of 3 to 7 words.

Your provider charges your account for the request. KeptNote has no server in between. Read What stays on your Mac for the whole picture.

Every line the model writes must cite sentences from the transcript. KeptNote drops a point whose citation does not match, and shows the others with their time chips.

If a run fails

KeptNote shows AI enhancement did not finish with the provider’s message. Your free note stays. If you started the run, KeptNote also writes the free note again from your Mac. The note then shows a red line under it with the time and the reason. Press the control to try again. Check your key with Test on the Writing tab if it keeps failing.

Use another AI without a key

You can take the prompt to any AI app yourself. When no key is saved and you chose With my own API key, a note shows a plain button, Copy prompt for your AI. It copies the prompt. Paste it into the AI you like, then choose Import Finished Note… in the File menu and pick the Markdown file it returned. KeptNote saves it with the transcript as the record.

Under Use your own AI app on the Writing tab, you can also connect Claude Desktop or Claude Code to your meetings. Claude reads a meeting only when you ask it to.

Was something unclear? Write to hello@keptnote.com.