WriteCrisp Guide — Setup & Usage for Desktop and Chrome

Install the app

Head to the download page and grab the build for your OS:

Windows — run the .exe installer.
macOS — open the .dmg and drag WriteCrisp into Applications.
Linux — make the .AppImage executable and run it, or install the .deb.

WriteCrisp runs quietly in your menu bar / system tray, ready whenever you need it.

Connect your AI (bring your own key)

On first launch a short onboarding wizard opens. In the Provider step, choose your service and paste your key:

Any OpenAI-compatible endpoint (OpenAI, OpenRouter, Perplexity, DeepInfra, local Ollama / LM Studio, …)
Anthropic Claude (native Messages API)
Azure AI Foundry

Enter the Base URL, API key, and model, then run the connection test. Your key is encrypted at rest on your device and is sent only to the provider you configured — never to us.

Improve your writing — anywhere

Because it's native, WriteCrisp works in every app — email clients, editors, Slack, your IDE:

Select the text you want to improve in any app.
Press the global hotkey (set in Settings → General). The overlay appears with your selection captured.
Pick a mode — Grammar G, Enhance Prompt P, Caveman C, or type a free-text Custom instruction.
Review the result as a word-level diff (Clean / Side-by-side / Inline). Edit the Clean copy inline if you like.
Click Accept — with "Paste on Accept" enabled, the result is pasted straight back into the app you came from.

Nothing is sent until you pick a mode, and nothing is pasted until you click Accept. Switching windows mid-generation won't lose your result.

Explain anything

Select any text, press the Explain hotkey, and WriteCrisp streams a plain-language explanation (in your chosen target language). Explain is a reading tool — use the Copy button to grab the explanation; it's never pasted over your text.

Make it yours

In Settings you can:

Rebind the writing and explain hotkeys.
Create custom modes — reusable instructions with their own quick-key.
Enable/disable built-in modes, set the Explain language and Caveman intensity.
Tune temperature, max tokens, and theme (light / dark).

Install the extension

WriteCrisp is coming soon to the Chrome Web Store — the install link will appear here as soon as the listing is live. It works in any Chromium browser — Chrome, Edge, Brave. Pin it to your toolbar for one-click access to settings.

Connect your AI (bring your own key)

Click the WriteCrisp toolbar icon to open the dashboard. A first-run wizard walks you through it, or open the Provider tab directly:

Any OpenAI-compatible endpoint (OpenAI, OpenRouter, Perplexity, local Ollama / LM Studio via localhost, …)
Anthropic Claude (native Messages API)
Azure AI Foundry

Enter the Base URL, API key, and model, then run the connection check. Your key lives only in your browser's local storage and is sent only to your configured provider.

Improve your writing

WriteCrisp watches text fields on any HTTPS page — emails, docs, forums, AI chats:

Pause while typing and a subtle indicator pill appears (after your idle delay), or press your keyboard shortcut to open the picker directly.
Choose a mode — Grammar G, Enhance Prompt P, Caveman C, or a free-text Custom instruction.
Review the streamed result as a word-level diff (Clean / Side-by-side / Inline) and edit the Clean copy if needed.
Click Accept to insert the text — it works even in rich editors like Google Docs, Notion, and Slack.

Nothing is ever sent until you choose a mode, and nothing is inserted until you click Accept.

Explain anything

Select any text on a page and press the Explain shortcut (Alt + E by default) to stream a plain-language explanation in your chosen language. Use Copy to grab it — Explain never edits the page.

Make it yours

In the dashboard you can:

Set and rebind the writing and explain shortcuts, and toggle the idle indicator.
Create custom modes with their own quick-key.
Enable/disable built-in modes, set the Explain language and Caveman intensity.
Tune temperature, max tokens, and theme (light / dark).