Reader overview
Every control on the document reader at /library/[documentId], including billing and how each tool works.
The document reader is the full-screen page at /library/[documentId]. The main app sidebar is hidden. This is where you listen, edit, ask questions, create versions, translate, share, and export.
This page maps every area of that screen. Linked guides go deeper on a single tool.
Introduction
This sentence is highlighted during playback.
The following paragraph continues…
Layout
| Area | What it does |
|---|---|
| Header | Back to home, clickable title (rename), version switcher |
| Side toolbar (left) | New version, outline, edit, export, More (⋯) |
| Main column | Markdown reader, edit mode, PDF processing, or a failed-import panel |
| Playback bar | Play, skip sentences, timeline, speed, voice (Eco/Cloud), mic, Ask questions |
| Ask questions panel (right) | Opens from the playback bar; resizable |
| Dialogs and sheets | Rename, new version, translate, share, download audio, unsaved changes |
A first-visit tour highlights the toolbar, player, Eco/Cloud voice, and progress slider. Dismissing it once stores sd-document-tour-seen in the browser; it does not show again on that device.
Header
| Control | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Back | Returns to home. Playback stops. If you have unsaved edits, Speechdash asks to save or discard |
| Title | Opens rename (title, version name, document language) |
| Version switcher | Lists every version. A spinner means import or generation is still running. Switching pauses playback and loads that version’s text, voice settings, and last sentence |
Each version keeps its own text, skip list, voice settings, and resume position. See Switch versions and Resume playback.
If the document id is unknown or you cannot access it, the reader shows Document not found and a link home.
Side toolbar
The floating left toolbar stays visible in read and edit mode. Full item list: Document side toolbar.
| Control | What happens | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| New version | Opens the version sheet: Natural, Lecture, Conversational, or Original (copy / language-model translation) | Tokens + 1 credit surcharge per generation. Estimate shown before confirm |
| Outline | Headings H1–H3. Disabled when there are none. Click a heading to jump playback | Free |
| Edit / Stop editing | Toggles edit mode. Playback pauses when you enter edit | Free to edit. Enhance on a selection uses tokens + 1 credit |
| Export | PDF, DOCX, TXT always; SRT when timings exist; Download audio (MP3 or WAV); Advanced Export (CSV, VTT, section timestamps) | Text formats are free. Audio uses the MP3 export rate |
| More → Copy text | Copies the current version as plain text (respects Show timestamps) | Free |
| More → Show timestamps | Reader-only toggle for transcriptions. Hides · 0:34 headers without rewriting stored text | Free |
| More → Translate | New completed version in another language. Separate from New version → Original | Same rate as MP3 export: 0.5 credits per started 30s of estimated speech (min 0.5). Refunded if translation fails |
| More → Share | Unlisted read-only link. Visitors see text only; no billed audio | Free |
| More → Chat with | Opens ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, or Grok with a summarize prompt and the library URL | Free (those products bill on their side) |
| More → Rename / folder / star / delete | Rename, move, star, or permanently delete | Free |
Create folders in Library before Move to folder has destinations.
Main column (read mode)
Speechdash splits the version into sentences, highlights the one being spoken, and lets you click a sentence to jump. Code blocks are skipped automatically; skip markers sit in the left gutter. Details: Sentence highlighting and Skip sentences.
Other main-column states
| State | What you see | Playback bar |
|---|---|---|
| Edit mode | Lexical editor and floating selection toolbar | Hidden until you leave edit |
| PDF processing | Progress panel while text is extracted | Hidden until the import completes |
| Import failed | Error panel with the failure message | Hidden |
| Version generating | You stay on the current version; the header spinner tracks the new one | Unchanged on the current version |
PDF details: PDF import processing. Failed imports: PDF import failed.
Playback bar
Hidden while editing or while a PDF is still processing. On mobile it docks full-width at the bottom; on desktop it is a centered pill.
| Control | Behavior | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Previous / Next | Jump one spoken sentence (skipped sentences are omitted) | Free |
| Play / Pause | Starts or stops audio. Buffering shows a spinner on the play button | Eco: 0. Cloud: ~1 credit per minute at 1×; replays of sentences already cached on the server cost 0 |
| Timeline | Scrub by sentence across the version | Same as play for Cloud sentences you have not heard yet |
| Speed | 0.5×–2.5× for this version, applied immediately | Cloud cost scales with spoken time, not wall-clock speed |
| Voice popover | Preset voice, listening language, Eco or Cloud | Eco is local and free. Cloud uses the Cloud rate. Saved on this version |
| Voice load status | Eco may show a model-download bar on first use | Free (download, not wallet) |
| Mic | Click to record a question; click again to stop. Opens Ask questions and fills the box (not auto-sent). Pauses playback | Speech-to-text for the question is not billed as Cloud playback |
| Ask questions | Opens or closes the right panel | Sending a question bills tokens + 1 credit per assistant reply |
If Eco cannot run (mobile or missing WebAssembly), Cloud is used when available. If Cloud is down, the player can fall back to Eco. See Eco vs Cloud and Live playback customization.
Playback stops when you leave the reader.
Ask questions panel
Closed by default. Drag the divider to resize (about 18–50% of the width).
| Control | Behavior | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Message list | Grounded in this document (retrieval). Enter inserts a newline; Send submits | Tokens + 1 credit per assistant message |
| Speak-aloud | Auto-plays each reply once; you can replay from the message | Same as document playback: Eco free, Cloud ~1 credit/min |
| Clear history (brush) | Deletes saved messages for this file | Free; later questions send a smaller context |
| Close | Hides the panel; history stays until you clear it | Free |
Guides: Ask questions, How asking questions works, Voice input, Assistant speak-aloud, Clear history.
Edit mode (selection toolbar)
Select text to format, skip, or enhance. Paste from chat or code editors is cleaned up automatically.
| Action | Credits |
|---|---|
| Headings, bold, italic, strikethrough, code, clear formatting | Free |
| Skip / Narrator on the selection | Free (changes what is spoken) |
| Enhance (optimize for audio, summarize, fix spelling) | Tokens + 1 credit per run |
Save re-segments sentences and can invalidate Cloud audio cache for changed lines. Unsaved edits: Unsaved changes.
Translate vs New version
| Path | Result | Billing |
|---|---|---|
| More → Translate | A finished version in another language, named after that language | MP3-export rate on estimated speech; refund if translation fails |
| New version → Original with another output language | Language-model rewrite/copy into that language | Tokens + 1 credit |
| New version Natural / Lecture / Conversational | AI listening styles | Tokens + 1 credit |
Share
More → Share publishes {origin}/share/document/{id}. Anyone with the link can read the current completed version. They cannot edit, ask questions, or play billed audio. Share a document.
Billing on this screen (summary)
| Action | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Eco listen, edit, copy, share, outline, timestamps, star, rename, folders, delete, text export | 0 credits |
| Cloud listen / Cloud speak-aloud | ~1 credit/min at 1×; cached sentence replay 0 |
| Ask questions | Tokens + 1 credit per reply |
| Enhance selection | Tokens + 1 credit per run |
| New version (AI types / Original) | Tokens + 1 credit |
| Translate | 0.5 credits per started 30s of estimated speech (min 0.5) |
| Download audio (MP3/WAV) | 0.5 credits per started 30s per sentence (min 0.5); Cloud-cached sentences 0 |
Wallet details: What uses credits. Out of credits: Out of credits.
Estimates in dialogs use the coins icon and match display credits in Settings → Billing.