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Installation

1. Pre-requisites​

OpenAI​

Scribe supports models from OpenAI via both:

  • OpenAI API
  • Azure OpenAI API

To use either:

  • Create an account on OpenAI or Azure.
  • Obtain your API key.
  • If using Azure:
    • Create an Azure OpenAI resource.
    • Deploy the required models (e.g., whisper-1 for transcription, gpt-4.1 for chat).
    • Note down the endpoint URL and API version.

Google Cloud​

Scribe supports Google Cloud only through Vertex AI.

Steps:

  1. Create a Google Cloud project.

  2. Enable the Vertex AI API.

  3. Authenticate:

    • Dev Environment: Use gcloud auth login. It creates the necessary credentials file automatically.
    • Production:
      • Create a service account with appropriate Vertex AI permissions.
      • Download the credentials JSON file.
      • Set the environment variable: 
        export GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS=/path/to/credentials.json
      • If you prefer not to use a file, convert the credentials to base64 and set: 
        export GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS_B64=<base64-string>

Note: These environment variables are consumed by Care, not directly by Scribe.

2. Backend Setup​

Step 1: Set up Care​

Follow the Care installation guide. We recommend using Docker for consistency.

Step 2: Clone Scribe Plugin​

Clone the care_scribe plugin into the root of your Care installation:

care/
├── care_scribe/
│ └── scribe files...
├── care/ (main application)

Step 3: Enable Plugin Loading​

Update plugs/manager.py:

Change the plugin install line to:

subprocess.check_call([sys.executable, "-m", "pip", "install", "-e", *packages]) # noqa: S603

Step 4: Configure Scribe Plugin​

Create or update plug_config.py in Care's root:

from plugs.manager import PlugManager
from plugs.plug import Plug

scribe_plug = Plug(
    name="care_scribe",
    package_name="care_scribe",
    version="",
    configs={
        "SCRIBE_API_PROVIDER": "openai", # or "azure" or "google"
        "SCRIBE_PROVIDER_API_KEY": "your-api-key", # not needed for Google

        # Model configs (skip for Google)
        "SCRIBE_AUDIO_MODEL_NAME": "whisper-1",
        "SCRIBE_CHAT_MODEL_NAME": "gpt-4.1",

        # Azure-specific
        "SCRIBE_AZURE_API_VERSION": "2024-03-01-preview",
        "SCRIBE_AZURE_ENDPOINT": "https://<your-endpoint>.openai.azure.com/",

        # Google-specific
        "SCRIBE_GOOGLE_PROJECT_ID": "your-gcp-project-id",
        "SCRIBE_GOOGLE_LOCATION": "us-central1",
    },
)

plugs = [scribe_plug]
manager = PlugManager(plugs)

⚠️ Security Note: Never commit plug_config.py to a public repo—it may contain sensitive keys.

Step 5. Build and Run Care​

Rebuild your Docker environment:

make re-build # If Care is already running

# OR

make up # To start fresh

If it's your first time setting up Care, don’t forget:

make load-fixtures

Step 6. Verify Installation​

Open http://localhost:9000/swagger.
You should see Scribe endpoints listed under the API documentation.

3. Frontend Setup​

Scribe frontend uses the microfrontend architecture to integrate with Care.

Step 1: Install Care Frontend​

Follow the Care frontend installation guide to setup Care's frontend.

Step 2: Configure Scribe Frontend​

Clone the frontend plugin into any directory. This can be outside the Care directory.

git clone https://github.com/ohcnetwork/care_scribe_fe.git

Step 3: Install Dependencies​

Navigate to the cloned directory and install dependencies:

cd care_scribe_fe
npm install

Step 4: Run the plugin server​

Start the plugin server:

npm run dev

Step 5: Configure Care Frontend​

Update the .env.local file in your Care frontend directory:

REACT_ENABLED_APPS="ohcnetwork/care_scribe_fe@localhost:4173"

Then run

npm run setup

Then you can run Care normally by

npm run dev

Note: Plugins do not support hot reloading. You will need to refresh the page to see changes.

4. Enable Scribe for Users​

To enable Scribe functionality:

  1. Visit http://localhost:9000/admin.
  2. Go to the User Flags section.
  3. Add the following flags for the appropriate users:
    • SCRIBE_ENABLED
    • SCRIBE_OCR_ENABLED (optional)

To enable for an entire facility, use the Facility Flags section.

✅ You're Done!​

Scribe should now be integrated into Care. You can start using transcription and chat capabilities via the Scribe Plugin.