Vendor setup · Intelligence · On-device
Set up Apple Intelligence
Apple Intelligence shapes your transcript into your note using Apple's built-in on-device Foundation Models — no account, no API key, no per-token cost. In its default mode the note is shaped entirely on your Mac and the transcript never leaves the device.
Intelligence (note-shaping) On-device — no BAA needed No API cost
- Role in DirectScribe
- Intelligence — molds the transcript into your note template.
- Where the text goes
- In On-device mode, nowhere: Apple's model runs on your Mac, so the transcript never leaves the device.
- Privacy paperwork
- None for on-device use — there is no external vendor to sign an agreement with.
- Cost
- No API fee. It uses your Mac's built-in model.
- Requirements
- A Mac on macOS 26 or later with Apple Intelligence turned on in System Settings, on Apple-Intelligence-capable hardware.
Apple Intelligence covers note-shaping, not transcription. At launch, transcription is still a cloud step — pair Apple Intelligence with a transcription vendor such as Deepgram.
Turn it on
Enable Apple Intelligence
In macOS System Settings → Apple Intelligence & Siri, turn Apple Intelligence on. The on-device model downloads once; DirectScribe shows its readiness in Settings.
Choose it in DirectScribe
Open Settings → Providers → Intelligence and choose Apple Intelligence. There is no key to enter.
Pick a processing mode
Choose how notes are processed:
- On-device only (default) — the note is shaped entirely on your Mac; the transcript never leaves the device.
- Automatic — on-device first, falling back to Apple's Private Cloud Compute only if the on-device model can't handle a note.
- Private Cloud Compute — always use Apple's private servers.
Private Cloud Compute — planned
The Automatic and Private Cloud Compute modes rely on Apple's Private Cloud Compute (Apple's privacy-preserving server inference), which requires macOS 27 and is not enabled in the current build. Until then, DirectScribe runs Apple Intelligence fully on-device. When Private Cloud Compute is used, DirectScribe shows a clear "Processed with Private Cloud Compute" indicator and records it in the transparency log — so you always know whether a note left your Mac.