Word Integration¶

Recall inserts pinned excerpts, Clerk output, and citations directly into Microsoft Word. Integration is built into the Flutter UI — it uses native platform mechanisms, not an HTTP API — and it works on both macOS and Windows.

The platform implementations are different; what you see in Settings and Setup depends on which OS you're on.

How it works¶

Platform	Mechanism	Status indicator
Windows	COM automation via the Recall Word Bridge. Starts with the app.	Word is green when the Word Bridge has a live connection to an open Word document.
macOS (Recommended)	Apple Events. One-time Automation permission required.	Word is green when Apple Events can reach Word.
macOS (Advanced)	Local HTTPS task-pane add-in. Requires trusting Recall's cert and installing a manifest.	Word is green when the add-in has a live WebSocket to Recall.

Open Word, have a document active, and the status pill shows green. If Word is closed or the connection is broken, the pill goes red and insertion actions are disabled.

First-time setup¶

The Setup Wizard walks you through Word integration on first launch. If you skipped it, or you're reconnecting, re-run it from the gear menu → Setup Wizard.

Windows¶

There's nothing to configure on Windows. The Word Bridge starts automatically with the app. Open Word; Recall will see it. If it doesn't, check the troubleshooting page.

macOS — Recommended (Apple Events)¶

In Settings → Word Integration, make sure Recommended — Apple Events is selected.
Click Request Word Permission. macOS shows the Automation permission prompt.
Click Allow on the OS prompt.
Click Test Connection to confirm.

If you ever denied the permission and now need to grant it, the OS won't show the prompt again automatically. Re-run Request Word Permission to trigger it explicitly; otherwise go into macOS System Settings → Privacy & Security → Automation → Recall and toggle Microsoft Word on.

macOS — Advanced (Word Add-in)¶

Use Advanced only if Recommended doesn't work on your Mac.

In Settings → Word Integration, select Advanced — Word Add-in.
Trust Recall's HTTPS certificate when prompted. The cert lives at ~/Library/Application Support/Recall/system/certs/.
Follow the add-in installation instructions shown in the setup step — copy the manifest URL, open Word, install the add-in from the task pane menu.
Keep the add-in task pane open in Word while you work.

Inserting pins¶

With Word connected and a pin selected in Recall:

In the left pane (Write mode), right-click the pin.
Pick an insertion style:
- Insert Inline Quote — the excerpt as a quoted phrase followed by a citation
- Insert Cite Only — just the formatted citation, no excerpt
- Insert Block Quote — the excerpt as a set-off block (no automatic citation)
- Insert Parenthetical Cite — citation followed by a Clerk-generated parenthetical
Recall pushes the formatted text to Word at your cursor position.

The citation uses the matter's citation style (federal or california) and the document's citation metadata. Italic ranges (case names, article titles) are preserved in the inserted text.

For all three styles that include a citation (Inline Quote, Cite Only, Parenthetical Cite), Recall automatically applies context-aware citation logic — see the next section.

Each pin tracks an insertionCount that increments on every insert.

Parentheticals¶

Pick Parenthetical as the insertion style and Recall asks Clerk to build a short explanatory phrase from the pin's excerpt. Output is 8–20 words, lower-case present participle — e.g. holding that summary judgment is appropriate when the movant demonstrates no genuine dispute. Recall wraps it in parentheses and appends it to the citation.

Parenthetical generation requires a generator model. If Generation is set to Disabled, the option is unavailable.

Context-aware citations¶

When you insert a pin into Word using Inline Quote, Cite Only, or Parenthetical Cite, Recall automatically reads the text immediately before your cursor in Word and asks Recall Core to pick the right citation form:

First reference to this authority → full citation
Subsequent reference → short form
Immediately after the same authority → Id. with pinpoint if different

If the lookup fails (Word busy, COM error), Recall falls back to a full citation. Block Quote inserts the excerpt only, so context-aware logic doesn't apply.

See Citations — Context-aware citations.

Table of Authorities¶

Once your draft is in Word:

Place your cursor where the Table of Authorities should go.
In Recall, trigger the Table-of-Authorities action (from the Word integration menu or the pin pane's ToA option).
Recall scans the Word document for citations (known ones from your matter, plus any it can parse from the text), groups them into sections — Federal Cases, State Cases, Federal Statutes, State Statutes, Other Authorities — and produces a formatted table per the matter's citation style.
Insert the table into Word.

The table is a one-shot insert. Add or remove citations in Word after and you'll need to regenerate.

Connection status¶

The Word indicator in the status pill polls every 3 seconds. States:

State	Meaning
Green	Word is open and Recall can talk to it
Red — Word not open	Open Word and a document
Red — Permission needed (macOS Recommended)	Click Request Word Permission in Settings
Red — Add-in disconnected (macOS Advanced)	Open the add-in task pane in Word
Red — Bridge not running (Windows)	Restart Recall or the Word Bridge process

Click the status pill for a popover with specifics.

Tips¶

Keep both apps running. Recall and Word can be in different workspaces; they just both need to be open.
Work from one matter at a time. Insertion uses the active matter's citation style and document metadata. Switching matters mid-draft is fine, but the citations that follow will use the new matter's style.
Review formatting after heavy insertion. Recall inserts plain-ish Word formatting; if your document has a custom style set, apply your styles to inserted blocks afterward.
Regenerate ToA last. Build the draft, verify citations, then generate the Table of Authorities once.