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What are formatting modes?

Formatting modes let you customize how Hermes formats your dictation based on which app you’re using. Each mode has its own style—casual for Slack, formal for email, minimal for code. Hermes includes built-in modes, and you can create your own.

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Built-in modes

ModeApps includedStyle
MessagingSlack, Discord, Teams, iMessage, WhatsApp, TelegramCasual — lowercase OK, relaxed punctuation
EmailMail, Gmail, Outlook, SparkFormal — proper capitalization, professional tone
CodingVS Code, Xcode, Cursor, Terminal, GitHubMinimal — preserves technical terms, light formatting
WritingNotes, Word, Pages, Notion, ObsidianSemi-casual — clear structure, proper formatting
AI AssistantsChatGPT, Claude, GrokCasual — conversational prompts
Disabled(Your choice)No formatting — raw transcription

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Web apps

Modes work with web apps too. When you’re in a browser, Hermes detects the website:
  • mail.google.com → Email mode
  • slack.com → Messaging mode
  • github.com → Coding mode
  • notion.so → Writing mode
  • chat.openai.com → AI Assistants mode

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Formatting styles

Each mode has a formatting style that controls how aggressively Hermes formats your speech:
StyleBehavior
CasualMinimal corrections — slang preserved, no periods, contractions encouraged
Semi-CasualFix errors and spelling, keep contractions and natural tone
FormalFull grammar, expand contractions, professional polish
CustomYour own rules via custom instructions
You can set a style when creating or editing a mode. If you choose Custom, your custom instructions define the formatting behavior entirely.

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Creating a custom mode

1

Open Formatting Modes

Go to Settings → AI Formatting → Modes.
2

Click Add Mode

Click + or Add Mode.
3

Name your mode

Give it a descriptive name like “Work Slack” or “Personal Notes”.
4

Add apps

Add the apps or websites that should use this mode:
  • For native apps: Select from the app list
  • For web apps: Enter the domain (e.g., mycompany.slack.com)
5

Choose a formatting style

Pick Casual, Semi-Casual, Formal, or Custom.
6

Add instructions (optional)

Write specific formatting rules for this mode. Required if you chose Custom as your style.

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Instructions

You can add specific rules to any mode. These are natural language instructions that Hermes follows when formatting.

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Examples

For Email mode: 
Always start with a greeting.
Expand contractions (don't → do not).
End with a professional sign-off.
For Slack mode: 
Keep messages under 50 words.
Use emoji sparingly.
Don't capitalize the first word.
For Coding mode: 
Preserve all technical terms exactly.
Don't add periods at the end.
Keep variable names intact.

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Where to add instructions

Go to the Instructions section in Hermes to add rules for specific modes.

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Editing built-in modes

You can modify the built-in modes:
  • Add or remove apps — Customize which apps use each mode
  • Add instructions — Layer your own rules on top
Changes only affect your account. The original defaults remain available.

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The Disabled mode

The Disabled mode skips all AI formatting. Use it for apps where you want raw transcription. To disable formatting for an app:
  1. Go to Settings → AI Formatting → Modes → Disabled
  2. Add the app to this mode
  3. Dictation in that app will be unformatted

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Mode priority

If an app matches multiple modes, Hermes uses the most specific match:
  1. Custom URL match — mycompany.slack.com beats slack.com
  2. Custom mode — Your modes take priority over built-in ones
  3. Built-in mode — Default modes as fallback

AI Formatting

How context detection and formatting works.

AI Formatting Settings

All AI formatting options.