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Auto-Detect & App Detection

LotusQ identifies your active application and chooses how to insert text, with no configuration needed.

How Auto-Detect Works

When you dictate, LotusQ inspects the window that currently has focus. Based on the application type, it selects a paste strategy so your text arrives cleanly, whether you're in a terminal, a chat app, or a code editor.

Auto-Detect is the default. Most users never need to change it.

Paste Strategies

LotusQ uses three different methods to insert text depending on the target app:

Ctrl + V (Standard Paste)

Used for most desktop applications: browsers, office suites, note-taking apps. The text is placed on the clipboard and pasted with a standard keystroke.

Ctrl + Shift + V (Terminal Paste)

Used automatically when a terminal emulator is detected. Terminals intercept Ctrl+V for other purposes, so LotusQ sends the Shift modifier to ensure a clean paste.

Single-Paste Mode (Electron Apps)

Apps built on Electron (Discord, Slack, Notion, etc.) consume the clipboard on paste. LotusQ sends exactly one paste attempt and re-sets the clipboard for any follow-up edits, preventing duplicate text.

Detected Terminal Apps

The following terminal emulators are detected automatically. When any of these are focused, LotusQ switches to the Ctrl+Shift+V strategy:

  • Windows Terminal
  • CMD
  • PowerShell
  • Alacritty
  • WezTerm
  • Hyper
  • Mintty
  • Kitty
  • Tabby
  • GNOME Terminal
  • Konsole
  • Xfce4 Terminal
  • Tilix
  • Terminator
  • Foot
  • Sakura
  • Guake
  • Yakuake
  • Rio
  • Ghostty

Detected Electron & Rich-Text Apps

These applications use Electron or rich-text editors that need special clipboard handling. LotusQ uses single-paste mode with extended timing to avoid double-paste or lost text:

  • Discord
  • Slack
  • WhatsApp
  • Telegram
  • Signal
  • Microsoft Teams
  • Notion
  • Obsidian
  • Figma
  • Spotify
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Outlook

Detected IDEs with Embedded Terminals

Code editors that embed terminals get special treatment on Linux. LotusQ detects them and applies Electron-aware timing plus terminal paste shortcuts when appropriate:

  • VS Code
  • Cursor
  • Chromium
  • Google Chrome
  • Brave Browser
  • Microsoft Edge

Switching Paste Mode Manually

If auto-detect doesn't pick the right strategy for a particular app, you can override it:

  1. Open Settings in LotusQ
  2. Go to System → Paste shortcut
  3. Choose automatic, Ctrl+V, or Ctrl+Shift+V

On macOS, paste always uses Cmd+V and auto-detect is not needed. The setting is hidden.

Platform Support

  • Windows: Full auto-detect by executable name. Supports terminal, Electron, and standard app detection.
  • macOS: Universal Cmd+V paste. No auto-detect needed, all apps use the same shortcut.
  • Linux: Auto-detect via WM_CLASS (X11). Detects terminals and Electron apps by window class name.

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