AnchorCast Documentation

AnchorCast is a free, open-source AI-powered desktop app for Windows that listens to your preacher in real time, detects Bible verses, and displays them on screen automatically — with no internet connection required after install.

Installation

Download the latest installer from the download page or from the GitHub releases page.

1. 1

   Run AnchorCast-Setup-1.2.0.exe and follow the installer prompts.

2. 2

   On first launch, AnchorCast sets up its internal components (Whisper AI model, Bible index, etc.). This takes 1–3 minutes.

3. 3

   When the main window opens, the interactive tutorial will guide you through the interface. Restart it anytime from Settings → Help → Restart Tutorial.

Your First Session

When AnchorCast opens, you'll see the main dashboard with six panels:

To get started:

1. 1

   Click Start Transcript in the Live Transcript panel.

2. 2

   Select your microphone when prompted (or set it in Settings → Microphone beforehand).

3. 3

   Start speaking or play a sermon — detected verses appear in the AI Detections panel.

4. 4

   Click the ▶ icon on any detected verse to send it to Preview.

5. 5

   Press L or click Go Live to broadcast it to your display output.

Transcription

AnchorCast uses Whisper AI to transcribe sermon audio in real time. Choose between two modes:

Offline Mode (Recommended)

Whisper AI runs 100% locally on your PC. No audio ever leaves your machine. Works without internet. Requires a capable CPU or GPU — see System Requirements.

Online Mode

For faster transcription on lower-spec machines, audio can be streamed to a cloud speech-to-text service. Requires an internet connection.

Microphone Setup

Go to Settings → Microphone to select your audio input device. AnchorCast remembers your selection between sessions.

Confidence Indicators

Verse Detection

AnchorCast detects Bible verses in two ways, combining both for maximum coverage:

Direct Reference Detection

When the speaker says something like "Turn to John 3:16" or "In the book of Psalms, chapter 23", AnchorCast picks it up immediately using pattern matching. Works for standard references, spoken references, abbreviated book names, and context-aware references. Detection is near-instant (under 5ms).

Semantic Search (AI Detection)

When the speaker quotes or paraphrases scripture without giving a reference, AnchorCast uses AI to find the matching verse. Spoken text is converted to an embedding and searched against an index of 31,000+ Bible verses. Takes 200–400ms for new queries; common queries are cached for near-instant results.

Confidence Scores

Bible Search

The Scripture Search panel lets you look up verses manually. Toggle between two modes with the Tab key.

Book Mode

Look up a specific verse when you know the reference. Type a book name, chapter, and verse — AnchorCast autocompletes book names as you type.

Context Mode

Find a verse by topic, theme, quote, or paraphrase. Uses the same AI-powered semantic search as automatic detection — searching "God's love for humanity" will find John 3:16 even without those exact words in the verse text.

Supported Translations

Song Manager

AnchorCast includes a full song library and projection system. Access it from the Songs tab in the main window.

• Import songs from plain text, CCLI SongSelect, or OpenLyrics format
• Search by title, artist, or first line
• Project songs slide-by-slide with keyboard navigation (→ / ←)
• Control font size, background, and layout per song

Display & Output

AnchorCast can send its verse display to external screens and broadcast software using several methods.

Auto Mode

Automatically displays the highest-confidence detected verse. A 2.5-second cooldown prevents rapid flickering. Best for mid-week Bible studies or hands-off operation.

Manual Mode

Nothing goes to broadcast until you explicitly send it. Detected verses still appear in the AI Detections panel and queue, but you decide which ones to display and when. Best for Sunday services.

You can switch between Auto and Manual mode at any time during a session.

Countdown Timer

A standalone countdown timer window that can be displayed on a separate monitor or projected to the congregation before the service.

• Set any countdown duration
• Syncs with the main projection output
• Fully customizable font, color, and background
• Controlled via Wi-Fi remote or keyboard shortcuts

Wi-Fi Remote Control

AnchorCast runs a local web server on your PC. Open any browser on a phone or tablet on the same Wi-Fi network to control the app remotely.

1. 1

   Enable Wi-Fi Remote in Settings → Remote Control.

2. 2

   Note the IP address shown (e.g., 192.168.1.10:8080).

3. 3

   Open that address in a browser on your phone or tablet.

The remote lets you advance song slides, send verses to live, control the timer, and toggle On Air status.

NDI Output

AnchorCast can send its output as an NDI source to any NDI-compatible software on your network — including OBS Studio, vMix, Resolume, and ProPresenter.

The NDI source appears as "AnchorCast Main" in your software's source list. Supports alpha transparency, configurable FPS (24/30/60), and resolutions up to 4K.

Keyboard Shortcuts

System Requirements

Troubleshooting

Transcription is slow or laggy

Try switching to the tiny or base Whisper model in Settings → Transcription → Model Size. Smaller models use less CPU but are slightly less accurate. If you have an NVIDIA GPU, ensure CUDA is enabled.

Verse detection is missing references

Check your microphone levels in Settings → Microphone. Low input gain or background noise significantly impacts detection. Consider using a direct audio feed from your mixer board.

NDI source not appearing in OBS

Ensure both machines are on the same local network. Try disabling the Windows Firewall temporarily to test. Install NDI Tools and use NDI Monitor to verify AnchorCast is broadcasting.

App crashes on startup

Delete the %AppData%\AnchorCast\models folder and relaunch — this forces AI models to re-download and can fix corrupted installs. If the issue persists, open a GitHub issue.

FAQ

Is AnchorCast really free?

Yes — completely free, forever. No subscription, no trial period, no credit card required. AnchorCast is MIT-licensed open-source software.

Does it work without internet?

Yes. After the initial setup (which downloads AI models), AnchorCast runs entirely offline. No audio, no data, nothing leaves your machine in offline mode.

Does AnchorCast work on Mac or Linux?

Not officially yet — the current release is Windows only. macOS and Linux builds are planned. Follow progress on GitHub Discussions.

How accurate is verse detection?

Very accurate for direct scripture references (90–100% confidence). Semantic detection of paraphrased scripture varies based on audio quality and how closely the speaker's words match the verse text. A clean audio feed from your mixer board makes a significant difference.

Can I use AnchorCast with ProPresenter or MediaShout?

Yes, via NDI. AnchorCast sends its output as an NDI source that you can pull into any NDI-compatible presentation software. You can also use HDMI output to a secondary monitor.

How do I contribute or report a bug?

Open an issue or pull request on GitHub. We welcome contributions of all kinds — code, documentation, translations, and bug reports.