VoiceInk custom prompts: the input tags, the system template, and prompts that work

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A VoiceInk prompt tells AI Enhancement what to do with what you dictated. You create one in the Modes editor, under AI Enhancement, Prompt, and a Mode chooses which prompt it uses. Keep Use System Template on for ordinary cleanup, and write only what makes this Mode different. VoiceInk passes your speech and any context to the AI inside named tags, which your prompt can refer to.

I built YapToText, a dictation app for the Mac, so read what I say about VoiceInk with that in mind. Every fact about VoiceInk here comes from its own documentation at tryvoiceink.com, read on October 11, 2026.

Download YapToText on the Mac App StoreThis app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.

Create a prompt

  1. Open the Modes editor.
  2. In the AI Enhancement section, choose Prompt.
  3. Click Add New, or edit an existing prompt.
  4. Name it and write your instructions.
  5. Choose whether to use the system template.
  6. Save.

VoiceInk ships with templates named Default, Chat, Email, Rewrite and Assistant, which you can use as they are or edit.

The tags VoiceInk sends

From VoiceInk's page Creating a Custom Prompt, read October 11, 2026.

TagWhat it holds
<USER_MESSAGE>Your transcription after cleanup, formatting and Word Replacements. Usually the text to transform
<CURRENTLY_SELECTED_TEXT>Text selected in the active app, if that context is on
<CLIPBOARD_CONTEXT>Clipboard text, if that context is on
<CURRENT_WINDOW_CONTEXT>Text extracted from the active window, if Screen context is on
<CUSTOM_VOCABULARY>The names, acronyms and terms saved in your Vocabulary

The context awareness page covers turning each context source on.

Keep the system template on, usually

With Use System Template on, VoiceInk wraps your prompt in its shared dictation cleanup rules, so your prompt only has to describe the task. It is the default for new prompts.

Turn it off only when you want full control: rewriting selected text to custom instructions, answering questions in Assistant Mode, or a workflow that should not behave like cleanup. With it off, your text is used without the shared template. VoiceInk still supplies the user message and can append enabled context and Vocabulary.

Three prompts from VoiceInk's docs

A chat message, with the system template on:

Polish the dictated speech in <USER_MESSAGE> into a concise Slack message.
# Rules
- Keep it friendly and direct.
- Use short lines when helpful.
- Do not add a greeting or sign-off unless one was dictated.

Rewriting selected text by voice:

# Goal
Rewrite the text in <CURRENTLY_SELECTED_TEXT> using the instruction in <USER_MESSAGE>.
# Rules
- Preserve the meaning and important details.
- Follow any tone, length, or format requested in <USER_MESSAGE>.

A reply to an email thread:

Polish the dictated speech in <USER_MESSAGE> into a reply email.
# Rules
- Preserve the user's asks, decisions, dates, numbers, and constraints.
- Do not invent a subject line, deadline, promise, or missing detail.

What makes a prompt work

  • Short and specific. The system template already carries the general rules.
  • Say the output style. Email, chat, notes, summary, support reply.
  • Say the tone and audience. Friendly, concise, professional, technical.
  • Say how to use context. Whether to transform the dictated speech, the selection, or both.
  • Say what not to invent. Dates, names, promises.
  • Say the shape if the output needs a special one.

Where custom prompts do not apply

VoiceInk Refine, its on-device cleanup model, uses fixed cleanup instructions and does not accept custom prompts. Local CLI receives the prompt through environment variables and standard input. The VoiceInk Refine page and the modes page cover those.

Instructions in YapToText

YapToText, the free Mac app I built, has the same idea without tags. Every mode is editable, the built-in ones included: you rewrite its instructions in plain language and the cleanup model on the Mac follows them. A mode can also take context from the app you are dictating into, the text you have selected and your clipboard. There is no provider to choose and nothing to wire up, and there is also no cloud model to reach for when you want a stronger rewrite than a small on-device model gives. The modes guide shows the editor.

Download YapToText on the Mac App StoreThis app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.

The short version

  • Where. Modes editor, AI Enhancement, Prompt.
  • Default. Use System Template on, and describe only the task.
  • Main tag. USER_MESSAGE, your dictated text.
  • Context tags. Selection, clipboard, window, vocabulary.
  • Not for. VoiceInk Refine, which has fixed instructions.

If VoiceInk changes its prompt tags, open an issue on GitHub and I will update this page. Every one gets read.

Download YapToText on the Mac App StoreThis app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.

About the author. Ryleigh Newman is a developer whose hands make typing difficult and who dictates every day with YapToText, the app this site describes. Facts about other apps come from their own sites, with the date they were read. More about the project.

Sources

Questions

How do I create a custom prompt in VoiceInk?

Open the Modes editor, choose Prompt in the AI Enhancement section, click Add New, write your instructions and save.

What is Use System Template in VoiceInk?

A switch that wraps your prompt in VoiceInk's shared dictation cleanup instructions. It is on by default for new prompts.

What tags can a VoiceInk prompt use?

USER_MESSAGE for the dictated text, plus CURRENTLY_SELECTED_TEXT, CLIPBOARD_CONTEXT, CURRENT_WINDOW_CONTEXT and CUSTOM_VOCABULARY when those are enabled.

Do custom prompts work with VoiceInk Refine?

No. VoiceInk Refine uses its own fixed cleanup instructions.