---
title: "Choose who writes your summary"
description: "Compare the built-in local model, installed assistants and a configured API before choosing a provider."
updated: "2026-10-09"
canonical: https://docs.recordstead.app/summaries/who-writes-your-summary
---

# Choose who writes your summary

The **Built-in** model writes summaries on your Mac by default. Before
Recordstead sends transcript text to another service, you confirm that route;
audio is not sent. Choose a provider based on where you want
the text processed.

## The four choices

| Provider | Where the transcript goes |
|---|---|
| **Built-in** | Stays on this Mac. No account or connection is needed after the model is downloaded. |
| **Claude Code** | To an installed, signed-in Claude Code CLI and then its provider under your own account. |
| **Codex** | To an installed, signed-in Codex CLI and then its provider under your own account. |
| **OpenAI-Compatible API** | To the address you configure. A server on this Mac needs no confirmation; a remote address must use HTTPS. Its operator controls what happens there. |

[Set up an installed assistant](https://docs.recordstead.app/summaries/use-an-installed-assistant)
if you choose one. [What leaves your Mac](https://docs.recordstead.app/your-data/what-leaves-your-mac)
describes the data boundaries for each route.

## Switch between them

1. Open **Settings** (⌘,) → **Summary**.
2. Choose a **Provider**. Its settings appear below the picker; switching
   away does not erase the choices you made for another provider.
3. If the choice sends text to another service, read and confirm its notice.
   Without confirmation, summaries are not generated there.

**Your result:** future summaries use the selected provider, and so does the search for [your tasks](https://docs.recordstead.app/meetings/your-tasks) that follows each summary. **Summary
language** controls the write-up's language separately from the spoken
language and transcript, and offers the same
[25 languages](https://docs.recordstead.app/transcription/languages) Recordstead transcribes. It is the language for new meetings; you can
[change one meeting's summary language](https://docs.recordstead.app/summaries/change-a-meetings-language)
on its Summary tab.