Here are the questions we hear most often about Vies, with straight answers.

What is Vies?

Vies (pronounced “Veez”) is an AI-powered sermon companion that listens to live preaching, detects Bible verse references in real time, and projects them automatically. It replaces the frantic manual verse-searching that happens at the projection desk during every service. The minister speaks, and the right verse appears on screen.

What platforms does Vies run on?

Windows 10 and Windows 11. There is no macOS or Linux version at this time. Vies is a native Windows desktop application that you install and run locally.

Does it work offline?

In the default Local AI mode, yes. Speech recognition, verse detection, and projection all run entirely on your computer with no internet connection.

If you enable Cloud AI mode, an internet connection is needed to send transcript text to Gemini for enhanced verse matching. No audio is sent — only the transcribed words. You can read more about how this works in Privacy and On-Device Processing.

Do I need to create an account?

No. Download the installer, run it, and you are ready to go. There is no signup, no login, and no account of any kind required.

What Bible translations are supported?

KJV is included by default and ready to use out of the box. The verse matching and reference parsing work against the full KJV text.

What are the system requirements?

You need Windows 10 or later, at least 8 GB of RAM, and a microphone. The AI models require disk space:

  • Best engine: 1.5 GB download, dedicated GPU required (NVIDIA recommended)
  • Standard engine: 834 MB download, runs on GPU or CPU
  • Lite engine: 466 MB download, works on any machine without a GPU

A direct audio feed from your mixing console gives the best results, though a room mic works too.

Does Vies replace my projection software?

No. Vies is not a slide manager. It works alongside whatever you already use — EasyWorship, FreeShow, OpenLP, ProPresenter, or any NDI-capable tool. Vies adds real-time verse detection and sends the results to your existing projection setup. Your current workflow stays intact.

Can multiple people use it on different computers?

Each computer needs its own installation. If you want multiple devices to share verse detections, enable Network Sharing in the Scripture Listener settings. One device hosts the transcription session and broadcasts detected verses to other Vies instances on the same local network — no internet or server required. Devices that receive verses can display them in the verse log, overlay, and NDI canvas, and auto-forward them to projection software.

Is my audio recorded or sent anywhere?

Audio is processed on your machine in real time and never uploaded to any server — even in Cloud AI mode, only the transcript text (not audio) is sent to Gemini.

Vies saves a plain text transcript of each session to your Documents/ViesScribe/ folder when you stop listening. No audio files are stored. You can delete these transcripts at any time. Read the full details in Privacy and On-Device Processing.

How accurate is the verse detection?

Very good when the audio is clear and the minister quotes scripture or names a reference directly. Vies uses two parallel detection strategies that together cover most of the ways preachers cite the Bible. Accuracy drops with heavy background noise, crosstalk, or vague allusions that do not include enough of the verse text. For a deeper look, read What Happens When Vies Gets a Verse Wrong?.

Is it really free?

Vies is free to download and use. All features including AI-powered verse detection are available during the current preview period.

How do I report a bug or request a feature?

Send an email to our support address or open an issue on the Vies GitHub repository. We read everything and prioritize based on how many churches are affected.

What are the AI model downloads?

On first launch, Vies downloads the speech engine models it needs. You choose a quality tier — Best (1.5 GB, GPU required), Standard (834 MB), or Lite (466 MB, no GPU needed). A small Voice Activity Detection model (~1 MB) and a verse-matching AI model (~469 MB) are also downloaded. This is a one-time setup. After that, everything runs locally.

What is Voice Activity Detection?

VAD (powered by Silero) filters out silence, hymns, and background noise before audio reaches the speech engine. It reduces false verse detections and is enabled by default. You can toggle it in the Scripture Listener settings.

What is Cloud AI mode?

An optional enhancement that sends transcript text (not audio) to Google’s Gemini AI for improved verse matching. You bring your own Gemini API key. No audio leaves your machine. This is strictly opt-in — local processing is the default.

Does Vies support speaker recognition?

Yes. Vies can tell different voices apart during a sermon. It focuses on the primary speaker so that background chatter or congregational responses do not trigger false verse detections.

Can I share verses to another computer?

Yes. Enable Network Sharing in the Scripture Listener settings. Set one device as Host (it runs transcription and broadcasts verses) and other devices as Client (they receive and display verses). Clients discover the host automatically via mDNS — no IP entry needed. Both devices must be on the same local network.

Does Vies filter inappropriate language?

Yes. A built-in profanity filter catches swear words that the speech engine occasionally hallucinates from ambient noise. Detected profanity is redacted in the transcript and blocked from triggering verse matches. Words like “hell” and “damn” pass through when they appear in Biblical context.

Does Vies work with OpenLP?

Yes. Select OpenLP as your presentation target in settings and enter the host IP and port (default 4316). Vies sends detected verses directly to OpenLP’s REST API. OpenLP’s Remote Plugin must be enabled.

Can FreeShow run on a different computer?

Yes. In the presentation target settings, enter the IP address of the machine running FreeShow instead of the default 127.0.0.1. Vies sends verses over HTTP to FreeShow’s REST API on port 5506.

Get Started

Ready to try it? Download Vies and follow the Getting Started guide to have verse detection running in under five minutes.