Transcribe meetings locally on your Mac.
Muesli captures your microphone and the audio playing through your Mac, then runs speech recognition on-device. It works with calls in Zoom, Google Meet, and Teams without adding a meeting bot. You can review the transcript and export it after the call.
Updated
Setup and export instructions checked against Muesli 0.8.3 source and release documentation. Permission names can vary with macOS and the capture method.
How to record and transcribe a meeting
Install and choose a model
Apple Silicon Mac, macOS 14.2 or later. Some models require a newer macOS version. Move Muesli to Applications, open it, and complete onboarding. Download the speech model you plan to use.
Allow microphone and system audio
Follow the permission prompts. Microphone access captures you; system-audio access captures the people you hear through the meeting app. Relaunch Muesli if macOS asks you to.
Start a short test call
Join the call and tell the participants you are transcribing. In the Muesli menu bar menu, choose Start Meeting Recording. Speak, then ask the other person to speak.
Check the transcript
Choose Stop Meeting Recording and open the saved meeting. Check that your speech and the remote voice were captured before relying on the setup for a longer call.
Review, summarize, or export
Review names, numbers, and speaker labels. Generate notes with your configured provider if needed, then export the transcript or notes.
Which macOS permissions do I need?
Scroll the table sideways to compare all columns.
| Permission | Purpose | If something is missing |
|---|---|---|
| Microphone | Captures your side of the conversation. | Check the selected input and Microphone access in System Settings > Privacy & Security. |
| System audio | Captures speech from the call. Muesli 0.8.3 uses a CoreAudio tap with a ScreenCaptureKit fallback. | Check the recording permission requested by your macOS version. A fallback may require Screen & System Audio Recording or Screen Recording access. |
| Accessibility and Input Monitoring | Used for dictation paste and global hotkeys. | If dictation fails after setup, check both permissions and quit and reopen Muesli from Applications. |
| Calendar, optional | Shows upcoming events and meeting links. | You can start a recording manually without connecting a calendar. |
What should I check when a voice is missing?
If only your voice appears, check that the call audio is playing on this Mac and that Muesli has system-audio access. If only the other people appear, check Microphone permission and the input device. After changing headphones or microphones, run another short capture test.
If speech appears twice, check whether your microphone is picking up the speakers and try headphones. Overlapping voices and noisy audio can still cause transcription or speaker-label errors. Review important quotations against the recording.
Export a transcript as Markdown or PDF
Open a saved meeting and select the Transcript tab. Choose Export Transcript from the export menu. For notes and transcript together, choose Export Full Meeting. The save dialog lets you choose Markdown or PDF.
Markdown exports include a title, date, duration, word count, and the selected content. The example below uses fictional dialogue to show the file structure. It is not a recording or an accuracy test.
# Project check-in
**Date:** September 9, 2026
**Duration:** 2m 0s
**Words:** 15
---
## Raw Transcript
You: I will send the draft today.
Speaker 1: I will review it tomorrow morning.What works offline?
With the required models downloaded, local capture, transcription, transcript review, and file export can run without a transcription service. An online call still needs its own connection.
For local summaries, configure Ollama on your Mac and download its model in advance. Optional OpenAI, OpenRouter, and ChatGPT summaries need a connection and receive transcript text. Calendar sync and optional iCloud text sync also use the network.
Frequently asked questions
What does local meeting transcription mean?
The speech-recognition model runs on your computer. Recording audio on a Mac alone does not establish where transcription happens. Muesli uses on-device speech models for its local meeting workflow.
Can it transcribe a call playing on my phone?
System-audio capture records audio playing on the Mac. For this workflow, join the call on the Mac so Muesli can capture the remote participants.
Does Muesli identify every speaker correctly?
Speaker diarization separates voices, but labels can be wrong when people overlap, change microphones, or sound similar. Review speaker assignments before quoting or sharing the transcript.
Do I need a calendar integration?
No. Start and stop a meeting recording from the Muesli menu bar menu. Calendar access is optional.