How to Check Grammar and Spelling in Every App on Linux in 2026 (Private, On-Device)
You can check grammar and spelling across your Linux desktop without sending your writing anywhere. Scribe, in Off Grid AI Desktop (OGAD) Pro, checks your text on your own machine: in every OGAD text box, in your other a
You can check grammar and spelling across your Linux desktop without sending your writing anywhere. Scribe, in Off Grid AI Desktop (OGAD) Pro, checks your text on your own machine: in every OGAD text box, in your other apps, and on any selection you hand it with Ctrl+Alt+Space. A model on your computer writes the rewrites, so nothing goes to a cloud service.
The Scribe screen says it plainly: "Writing help in every text box. It runs on this computer; your writing never leaves it."
Get Pro for $34.99 once Β· Download Off Grid AI for Linux
What you need
- An x64 Linux machine. OGAD ships as an AppImage and a .deb.
- OGAD 0.0.57 or later. Get it from the download page.
- Off Grid AI Pro. Enter your licence key and click Activate. Pro is $34.99 once, a limited-time price down from $119, or $7.99 a month, for up to 5 devices.
- A chat model for rewrites, downloaded in Models. Spelling and grammar checks don't need one.
X11 or Wayland
Scribe works on both, in slightly different ways:
| Session | In OGAD | In other apps |
|---|---|---|
| X11 | Underlines, fixes and rewrites | Live underlines over the app's text box, plus Ctrl+Alt+Space |
| Wayland | Underlines, fixes and rewrites | Ctrl+Alt+Space rewrites any selection |
On Wayland, OGAD registers the shortcut through your desktop's global shortcuts portal, so your desktop may ask you once to allow it.
Step 1: Open Scribe and try it
Click Scribe in the sidebar. The Try it box already holds a paragraph with a few mistakes, so underlines appear straight away.
Hover an underline to see the fix. Press Tab to take it, Esc to close the card, and β β to move between issues. Every fix you take shows in Recent fixes.
Step 2: Turn it on for your other apps
In Where it runs:
- Off Grid AI covers Chat, Notes and every text box in OGAD.
- Other apps covers your mail, notes and chat apps.
- Browser shows whether the Off Grid AI extension is connected.
Turn on Other apps. On X11, open your mail app and type a misspelled word in a reply. Scribe underlines it over the app's own text box, and the fix goes into the email.
The switch at the top of Where it runs turns Scribe on or off everywhere.
Step 3: Rewrite with one shortcut
Select text in any app, your browser included, and press Ctrl+Alt+Space. Scribe rewrites it on your machine and pastes the result over the selection, then restores your clipboard. Where an app has no copy shortcut to read from, Scribe falls back to the text you highlighted.
Inside OGAD, pause in a paragraph or press Alt+Enter for an improved version. Select text and click Rewrite for Improve, Clearer, Shorter, Longer, Fix grammar, Persuasive or Translate, plus a tone: Same tone, Formal, Casual, Friendly or Confident. Turn on Lay out to break a wall of text into paragraphs and lists. Click Replace to swap it in.
The Models card names the chat model rewrites use. If it reads "Rewrites need a chat model," click Load a model.
Step 4: Teach it your words and your voice
Mark a wrong fix Wrong and Scribe learns the word. The Learned tab lists what it picked up, and you can remove any of it.
Add a house style under Style guides: click Add a guide (.md) and pick a Markdown or text file, such as brand_voice.md. Every rewrite follows it.
Where Scribe stays quiet
Scribe skips password fields, password managers, terminals, code editors, spreadsheets, settings, search fields and rename boxes. They hold no prose.
If something doesn't work
| What you see | Why | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| No underlines in other apps | You're on Wayland, or Other apps is off | Use Ctrl+Alt+Space, or log in to an X11 session |
| Ctrl+Alt+Space does nothing on Wayland | The portal prompt was dismissed | Allow the shortcut in your desktop's settings |
| "Rewrites need a chat model" | No chat model is loaded | Click Load a model |
| Scribe shows the upgrade screen | Pro isn't active | Enter your licence key and click Activate |
FAQ
Is there a private grammar checker for every app on Linux?
Yes. Scribe in Off Grid AI Desktop Pro checks spelling and grammar on your own Linux machine. On X11 it underlines mistakes in your other apps, and on any session one shortcut rewrites the text you select.
Does it work on Wayland?
Yes, through the shortcut. Select text and press Ctrl+Alt+Space, and Scribe rewrites it in place. Wayland doesn't let apps draw over other windows, so the live underlines in other apps need an X11 session.
Which Linux packages are there?
Off Grid AI Desktop ships for x64 Linux as an AppImage and a .deb, on the download page.
Does Scribe check passwords or code?
No. It skips password fields, terminals, code editors, spreadsheets and password managers, because they hold no prose.
What do I need?
An x64 Linux machine, Off Grid AI Desktop 0.0.57 or later, and an Off Grid AI Pro licence. Rewrites also need a chat model downloaded in Models.
Related guides
- How to Dictate Into Linux Apps With Local AI in 2026
- How to Keep Private Markdown Notes With Backlinks and a Graph on Linux in 2026 (Opens Your Obsidian Vault)
- Best Private Grammarly Alternatives in 2026 (Grammar Checks That Stay on Your Computer)
Get Off Grid AI Pro, open Scribe and select a sentence anywhere. Press Ctrl+Alt+Space and watch it rewritten on your own machine.
Originally published by Dev.to AI. Aggregated on AIWithGhost for educational purposes β full credit and traffic to the original publisher.