How Vibe Typer Paste Preferences Works

Understand Vibe Typer's insertion modes and how to control text behavior per application from Paste Preferences.

Vibe Typer can insert text in multiple ways so it works reliably across terminals, IDEs, browsers, chat apps, and document editors.

The key idea is simple: not every application handles text insertion the same way, so Vibe Typer lets you choose the best insertion mode globally and per app.

Insertion modes

Vibe Typer supports four insertion modes:

  1. Automatic

    • Action: Uses paste insertion and chooses the paste shortcut for the target app.
    • Clipboard usage: Uses paste flow.
    • Best for: Most users and mixed app workflows.
    • Why default: It uses the standard paste shortcut in normal apps and automatically switches to a terminal-safe paste shortcut where Ctrl + V would be misread. On Linux that means Ctrl + Shift + V in known terminals, and Shift + Insert for Konsole, Electron-based editors like VS Code and Cursor (their built-in terminals reserve Ctrl + V), and apps Vibe Typer cannot identify on Wayland.

  2. Always Type

    • Action: Simulates typing keystrokes.
    • Clipboard usage: Avoids the clipboard when direct typing succeeds. Vibe Typer may fall back to clipboard paste for unsupported characters or platform failures, then restore the previous clipboard snapshot when possible.
    • Best for: Apps where paste shortcuts fail or insert text in the wrong way.
    • Note for non-Latin text: If typing simulation is slow for Cyrillic or other non-Latin dictation, check that your active keyboard layout matches the language you are dictating. See why typing simulation can be slow with the wrong keyboard layout.

  3. Always Plain Text

    • Action: Simulates plain-text paste, such as Ctrl + Shift + V on Windows/Linux or Command + Option + Shift + V on macOS.
    • Clipboard usage: Uses paste flow.
    • Best for: Terminals, code editors, and markdown fields where formatting should be stripped.

  4. Always Paste

    • Action: Simulates standard paste, such as Ctrl + V on Windows/Linux or Command + V on macOS.
    • Clipboard usage: Uses paste flow.
    • Best for: Editors and chat tools where normal paste behavior is preferred.

Default behavior

Vibe Typer starts with Automatic as the default insertion mode on every platform.

Automatic does not choose between Type and Paste. It uses paste insertion, then picks the paste shortcut that best fits the target app. On Linux:

  • Known terminal apps get the plain-text paste shortcut (Ctrl + Shift + V) because terminals usually reserve Ctrl + V for control input.
  • Konsole and Yakuake get Shift + Insert, which KDE terminals handle more reliably than a simulated Ctrl + Shift + V.
  • Electron-based editors such as VS Code and Cursor also get Shift + Insert. Their built-in terminals often run command-line AI tools that treat Ctrl + V as an image paste, while Shift + Insert pastes text everywhere in the app.
  • On Wayland, apps Vibe Typer cannot identify get Shift + Insert too, since the focused window could be a terminal.
  • Everything else uses standard paste (Ctrl + V).

You can change this any time in Paste Preferences.

Paste Preferences screen

You can configure this in:

  1. Open Vibe Typer.
  2. Go to Settings.
  3. Select Paste Preferences.

Inside this screen, you can control insertion in two layers:

  • Default insertion mode

    • Used for apps that do not have a custom rule yet.
    • Initial default: Automatic.

  • App preferences

    • Set a different mode for specific applications.
    • Useful when one app behaves better with plain text paste while another works best with standard paste.

Why per-app preferences matter

Many tools have multiple input surfaces. For example, an IDE may include editor panes, terminals, and chat inputs, and each surface can react differently to paste shortcuts.

Per-app preferences let you keep a reliable default while tuning exceptions for apps that need a different insertion method.

Practical setup

If you are deciding how to configure things, this is a good starting point:

  • Leave Automatic as your default for most apps.
  • Use Always Type for specific apps where paste shortcuts fail or behave strangely.
  • Use Always Plain Text for apps where formatting should always be stripped.
  • Use Always Paste for apps where normal paste behavior is ideal.
  • For long Cyrillic or non-Latin dictation while keeping an English keyboard layout active, prefer Automatic, Always Plain Text, or Always Paste over Always Type.

If text still does not appear

Most insertion issues are resolved by switching that app to Always Type in Paste Preferences.

If needed:

  1. Click directly into the target text field.
  2. Change that app's mode to Always Type.
  3. Try dictation again.