HAINT User Guide

First Launch

1. Installation: Run HAINT_Setup.exe
2. Sign In: Right-click tray icon → Settings → Account tab → "Sign in via Browser"
3. Check Balance: Hover over the tray icon (tooltip) or open Settings → Account
4. Select Mode: Settings → General → Operation Mode (AI Hints / Translate / Steno)

First Use

1. Connect headphones: HAINT outputs voice hints only to safe headphones/headsets for privacy. Output to laptop speakers is unsupported by design.
2. Start recording: Press Shift (captures microphone + system audio)
3. Get response: Press Ctrl to submit request and receive AI hints

Note: Microphone and output device are selected automatically (safe headphones + paired headset mic). There is no manual device picker in Settings.

Basic Actions

Key	Action	When to Use
Shift	Start / restart recording	New question or restart current audio capture (microphone + WASAPI system loopback)
Ctrl	Submit request / Pause TTS	While recording → submit request to AI; while speaking → pause/resume TTS narration
Esc	End session (soft reset)	Reset session; may open session memo dialog
Alt	Show / hide text window	Quickly toggle subtitle display visibility
Home	Center text window	Return subtitle window to screen center
Hold Right Alt	Screenshot (replace)	Capture visual context. If not recording, HAINT starts recording first
Hold Right Alt + Right Ctrl	Screenshot (append)	Append up to 4 screenshots for a single request. Auto-starts recording if needed

Chord Rule

Hotkeys fire on key release and only if no other keys are held.

• ✅ Works: Press Shift → release Shift
• ❌ Ignored: Shift+A → release Shift (prevents accidental triggers while typing)

Tray Icon States

• 🟢 Green — response playing (speaking)
• 🟠 Orange — recording in progress
• 🟣 Purple — processing request
• ⚪ Gray — ready / idle
• 🟡 Yellow — screenshot captured
• 🔴 Red — critical connection error

Selected under Settings → General → Operation Mode. Note: Changing mode or response language requires an app restart.

▶ AI Hints (prompter)

When to use: Interviews, presentations, negotiations — short real-time hints.

1. Shift — start recording
2. Speak or listen (system audio + mic)
3. Ctrl — send request to AI
4. Receive hints in headphones and/or text overlay

Settings (General → AI Hints panel): Response Detail Level (Just Keywords / More Informative), Narration Mode (Continuous / Beep on separators / Pause on separators |), and User Context text/file (up to 20 KB).

▶ Translate (translator)

When to use: Multilingual meetings, international calls, foreign-language media.

1. Shift — start recording
2. Ctrl — receive compact translation summary (essence, not literal)
3. With auto-start capture enabled, recording continues immediately without pressing Shift again

Settings: Auto-start capture after translation (Ctrl) — available only when Audio narration is OFF.

▶ Steno (steno)

When to use: Extract key facts (names, dates, numbers, decisions) into a sliding audio window.

1. Shift — record into sliding window
2. Ctrl — extract facts
3. Recording restarts automatically

Notes: Voice playback (TTS) is always disabled; text responses are always saved. Context window options: Short (45s) / Normal (90s) / Long (150s).

▶ AI Secretary (Telegram)

Async text assistant in Telegram (not an audio mode):

1. Sign in under Settings → Account
2. In Telegram, send /link to the bot to receive a 6-digit code
3. Enter the code in Settings → Secretary tab to link Telegram
4. Edit AI Secretary Context document in the desktop app and click Save
5. Chat with your bot in Telegram grounded in your personal context

• General: Operation Mode, Response Language, Text display / Audio narration toggles, Local History options, Full Call Recording, and Voice package warning (with link to Windows Language Settings if language TTS voice is missing).
• Narration: Voice Gender (Male / Female), Accelerate playback toggle, Acceleration speed multiplier (1.1x–2.5x).
• Text Display: Font size (13–21), Background Transparency (0–100%), Text Outline, Live preview panel.
• Hotkeys: Fixed key bindings reference table.
• Tray Icons: Visual legend of status indicator colors.
• Saved Sessions: Browse local history under %LOCALAPPDATA%/HAINT/History/, view HTML chat reports, edit session memos, delete sessions.
• Secretary: Telegram account linking and personal AI Secretary context editor.
• Account: OAuth browser login, remaining balance / minutes, top-up link, logout.
• About: Application version info and startup splash screen toggle.

▶ Full Call Recording

Continuous audio archive independent of short Shift/Ctrl capture bursts:

• Setup: Settings → General → Full Call Recording
• Tracks: Continuously record microphone and/or incoming system audio
• Auto-start on call: Automatically begins recording when known call apps (Telegram, WhatsApp, Zoom, Teams) become active
• Contact memo: Esc memo pre-fills messenger contact names (e.g. Telegram: Name)
• Manual control: Tray menu → Start Call Recording / Stop Call Recording

▶ Screenshots as Visual Context

Attach screen captures for visual questions:

• Hold Right Alt: Capture screenshot (replace). If not recording, HAINT starts recording first
• Right Alt + Right Ctrl: Append screenshot (up to 4 frames)
• Monitor selection: Settings → General → Screenshot Capture

▶ User Context (AI Hints)

Settings → General (AI Hints mode) → Edit User Context…

Paste text or load a .txt / .md file (max 20 KB). AI prioritizes this reference context (price lists, resumes, briefs) during responses.

Q: Why doesn't HAINT hear Zoom/Teams audio?
A: Ensure system audio plays in Windows. HAINT captures system sound via WASAPI loopback. Microphone and safe audio output are paired automatically at startup.

Q: Can I output hints to laptop speakers?
A: No — safe headphones/headset only, so others on the call cannot hear the hints.

Q: Where are history and recordings stored?
A: Stored strictly on your local disk in %LOCALAPPDATA%/HAINT/History/. Open via Settings → Saved Sessions.

Q: Can I switch modes during a session?
A: Press Esc to end the session first. Changing mode or response language in Settings restarts the application.

Q: Where is my balance?
A: Hover over the tray icon (tooltip) or check Settings → Account.

Interviews (AI Hints)

1. Load your resume / job description into User Context
2. Use Right Alt screenshots whenever code or slides are shown
3. Set TTS acceleration to ~1.3x–1.5x for faster hints

Translations (Translate)

1. Turn Audio narration OFF and enable auto-capture for continuous translation flow
2. Turn Audio narration ON if you prefer spoken translations
3. Enable Save Text in Local History to review translations in Saved Sessions

Meetings & Calls (Steno / Full Call Recording)

1. Use Steno 90s context window for extracting facts during meetings
2. Enable Full Call Recording for complete continuous audio archives
3. Add session memos via Esc after call completion