LinguaAI Help

What is LinguaAI?

LinguaAI is a Bring Your Own Key (BYOK) AI assistant that lives in your menubar. Access powerful AI models from any Mac app with a simple keyboard shortcut. Your API keys stay on your device, and your data goes directly to the AI provider—we never see it.

Universal Features

Available for all AI models

Personal Styles

Create consistent AI writing tones and styles that are automatically applied to your prompts, ensuring the AI responds in your preferred manner. Configure in Settings → Preferences.

Memory Context

AI remembers conversation history and important information across chats, providing continuity in your interactions. Configure in Settings → Preferences.

Temperature Control

Adjust response creativity vs precision. Lower values (0.0-0.4) provide focused, consistent responses. Higher values (0.6-1.0) enable more creative, varied outputs. Configure per shortcut in Shortcut Settings.

Anthropic Features

Available only for Claude models

Prompt Caching

Faster responses and cost savings. First message costs +25%, but subsequent messages within 5 minutes are 90% cheaper. Requires minimum 1024 tokens to activate. Automatically enabled for shortcuts (can be disabled per shortcut), enable for chats in AI Providers → Account Management.

Reasoning

Enhanced analysis and problem-solving capabilities. Provides more thoughtful responses but increases processing time and output token costs. Best for complex tasks requiring deep thinking. Enable globally in Settings → Preferences or per shortcut in Shortcut Settings.

Web Search

Real-time internet information access. Claude can search the web to provide current information and cite sources. Additional costs apply for web search usage. Enable globally in Settings → Preferences or per shortcut in Shortcut Settings.

Automatic Optimizations

Features handled automatically

GPT-5 Prompt Caching

OpenAI GPT-5 includes automatic prompt optimization and caching. No additional configuration needed - the model handles efficiency improvements automatically.

Getting Started

Set up AI Account: Add your API key in AI Providers → Account Management
Choose Default Model: Select your preferred AI model for general use
Create Prompts: Build a library of reusable prompts for different tasks
Set Up Shortcuts: Create keyboard shortcuts for instant AI assistance
Explore Chat: Use personal styles and memory context for better conversations

Tips & Best Practices

Use specific prompts for better results - be clear about what you want
Enable prompt caching for frequently used shortcuts to save costs
Set personal styles for consistent AI personality across conversations
Use reasoning for complex analysis, disable for quick simple tasks
Web search works best for recent information and current events
Lower temperature (0.1-0.3) for factual tasks, higher (0.7-0.9) for creative work

Troubleshooting

Problem: Shortcuts not working

Solution: Check accessibility permissions in System Preferences → Security & Privacy → Accessibility. LinguaAI needs access to monitor keyboard shortcuts.

Problem: API errors or timeouts

Solution: Verify your API key is valid and has sufficient credits. Check your internet connection. Some models may have rate limits or temporary outages.

Problem: High costs with Claude

Solution: Enable prompt caching for frequently used shortcuts, use shorter prompts, or consider switching to other AI providers for cost savings. Monitor usage in your Anthropic dashboard.

Problem: Slow responses

Solution: Disable reasoning if enabled (it increases processing time). Check your internet connection. Consider using a different AI model. Some complex queries naturally take longer.