# Pick a context automatically based on the app you are in

Source: https://help.contextli.com/articles/auto-activate-a-context-by-app

Turn on **Auto-activate context** in a supported context's **Advanced settings**. After that, when you record with your main hotkey while a matching app is in focus (for example Gmail or Slack), Contextli uses that context automatically.

## Turn on auto-activate

1. Click **Contexts** in the sidebar.
2. Click the context you want, for example **Email**. If it is off, clicking it turns it on and opens the editor.
3. Open **Advanced settings**.
4. Switch on **Auto-activate context** ("Pick this context when a related app is in focus").
5. Click **Save changes**.

![New Context editor with name, global hotkey, instructions and live preview](https://cdn.kamaan.io/kamaan/sites/6ae9f572170cd8d9857a277c/images/contextli-new-context-editor.webp)

## Use it

1. Click into the app you want to write in, for example a Gmail reply.
2. Press your **main recording hotkey** (Option+Space on Mac, Ctrl+Space on Windows and Linux by default).
3. Speak. Contextli detects the app and formats your words with the matching context.

Auto-activate only works with the main hotkey. A context's own hotkey always uses that context.

## Which contexts and apps are supported

Auto-activate is available on these built-in contexts. Custom contexts do not have the option.

| Context | Detected apps |
|---|---|
| Email | Mail, Outlook and webmail such as Gmail |
| Slack | Slack and Discord |
| LinkedIn | LinkedIn |
| Prompt Engineer | VS Code, Cursor, and AI chats such as ChatGPT and Claude |
| Executive: Meeting Notes | Zoom and Teams |

Browser tabs are detected on Chrome, Safari, Arc, Edge and Brave.

## Troubleshooting

- **It used the plain transcript instead**: check that the context itself is turned on and that **Auto-activate context** is switched on in its Advanced settings.
- **The wrong app was detected**: click inside the window you want to write in before pressing the hotkey, so it is the app in focus.
- **I don't see the toggle**: the context you opened does not support auto-activate. Use its own hotkey instead.

## Related articles

- [Turn on built-in contexts like Email and Slack](/articles/enable-built-in-contexts)
- [What are contexts?](/articles/what-are-contexts)
- [Change your recording hotkey](/articles/change-your-recording-hotkey)
- [Give the AI screen context with screenshot capture](/articles/use-screen-context-with-screenshot-capture)