Troubleshooting and FAQ
Find your problem below. Each answer says what is happening and what to do about it.
When a rewrite does not land
When a rewrite fails PlainSpeak's checks, you see The rewrite didn't land. above the rewrite panel, with the reason. Your text is kept exactly as it was, so you lose nothing. Select Try again to run the same rewrite again.
The rewrite read more generated than your text
What is happening: the model added more AI tells than your draft had, so PlainSpeak kept your text.
What to do: select Try again. If it happens again, open the recipe and pick a different model. Models from a different family than the one that wrote your draft usually do better.
Only some of the words came back
What is happening: the model returned far fewer words than you sent, so most of your copy would have been lost. Some models shorten text even when asked not to.
What to do: select Try again, or choose a different model in the recipe. For a long piece, a model with a larger context window helps.
The model returned the text unchanged
What is happening: the model sent your text back without fixing anything.
What to do: select Try again. If the model keeps doing it, choose a different one in the recipe.
The model returned nothing
What is happening: the model's reply was empty. This is usually a passing problem with the model or the provider.
What to do: wait a moment and select Try again, or choose a different model.
The stream from the model failed partway
What is happening: the connection to your provider dropped while the rewrite was arriving.
What to do: check your internet connection, then select Try again.
Keys and providers
API key rejected
Your provider did not accept the key. Open Settings, check that Provider matches the company the key came from, and paste the key into API key again. Keys are easy to copy with a missing character.
No API key set
Rewriting needs a key from an AI provider. Add one in Settings, on the Account tab. See Get started.
Out of credits
Your provider account has run out of credit. Top it up with your provider. For OpenRouter, that is at openrouter.ai.
Rate limited
Your provider is limiting how fast you can send requests. Wait a minute and try again.
Model not found
The model in your recipe no longer exists, or its name has changed. Open the recipe and choose a model from the list.
No response in time
The model took too long to answer. Try again, or choose a faster, cheaper model in the recipe. Very long pieces take longer.
Why do the audit and Find sources need OpenRouter?
Both pick models from OpenRouter's catalogue: the audit chooses two from families other than the one that wrote your rewrite. They only run when OpenRouter is your provider, so your text and key never go to OpenRouter unless you chose it.
Your licence
Rewriting is locked
Scanning is free. Rewriting, fact checks and source checks need a licence. Add your licence key or purchase code in Settings, on the Account tab, then select Save key. See Get started.
That key is not valid
Paste the whole key, exactly as your key page shows it. Copying a key from an email or a chat can add or drop characters.
That purchase code was not recognised
Paste the whole code from your Polar receipt email. You can also paste the licence key from your key page instead.
Could not reach the key service
A purchase code is checked online once. Check your internet connection and try again in a minute. A licence key needs no connection.
I lost my licence key
Your purchase code works in its place. It is in your Polar receipt email, and in your purchases on Polar, where you sign in with the email you bought with. There, Copy shows the code, and Rotate replaces it with a new one if you think someone else has it.
My licence covers versions up to a date
Each licence includes the versions released in the 12 months after you bought it. A version released after that needs a new licence. You can keep using any version your licence covers, as long as you like.
Your licence key is for a newer version of PlainSpeak
Your key was made for a newer PlainSpeak than the one installed. Update PlainSpeak, then paste the key again.
Bringing in text
A link will not import
PlainSpeak can only fetch pages anyone can open. For a Notion page, open Share in Notion and set it so anyone with the link can view. If it still fails, copy the text from the page and paste it in.
That's a lot of text
One rewrite takes up to 512 KB of text, which is far more than most pieces. Split very long documents and rewrite them in sections.
Installing, updating and starting
Windows protected your PC
Windows shows this for software from a publisher it has not seen many downloads from yet. Select More info, check that the publisher is The KAM Coach Ltd, then select Run anyway. If the publisher shows anything else, do not run the file.
How do updates work?
PlainSpeak checks for updates by itself and downloads them in the background. When one is ready, a bell appears at the top right. Select it to restart and install now, or leave it: the update installs when you quit. Your draft and your History are kept. To check by hand, open Settings, and on the Account tab select Check for updates.
Version 0.6.0-beta.1 or beta.2 does not update itself
Those two early versions shipped without the file updates need. Download and install the newest version once from the downloads page. From then on PlainSpeak updates itself.
PlainSpeak could not start
If PlainSpeak shows PlainSpeak could not start., select Copy diagnostics and paste the result into an email to us. Open log folder shows the logs, which are in %APPDATA%\PlainSpeak\logs.
Questions
Why are there no em dashes in my rewrite?
Readers now take the em dash as a sign of AI writing, so PlainSpeak takes em dashes out of a rewrite, even when a model writes them. Quotations and code are kept exactly as written, dashes included.
Does PlainSpeak send my writing anywhere?
Only to the AI provider you chose, when you rewrite. Scanning happens on your computer. See exactly what PlainSpeak sends, and where.
Does a clean score mean my text will pass an AI detector?
No. The score counts wording a reader is likely to notice. PlainSpeak makes no claim about what a detection service would say.
I need more help
Email hello@thekamcoach.com. If something went wrong, say what you did and what you saw. Never include your API key or licence key.