Automatic Meeting Notes | Groupthink Docs
Automatic Meeting Notes
Last updated Mon Sep 07 2026
Once a Groupthink notetaker is on your call, the rest is automatic. It captures the conversation, builds a full transcript, files notes against the items you discuss, and generates a recap after the meeting ends. You do not have to type anything to get notes, and you can still edit or add to them yourself at any time.
Heads up: Starting a notetaker, whether the visible bot or private desktop capture, requires an active trial or paid plan. Without one, the notetaker will not start.
Overview
There are two ways Groupthink can take notes on a meeting:
- Public with Bot: Groupthink joins your call as a visible participant and shares notes with everyone on the agenda.
- Private with App: Groupthink records locally through the desktop app. Nothing joins the call, and the notes are visible only to you.
Both paths produce the same things automatically: a transcript, notes attached to the agenda, and a recap once the meeting is over.
Getting Automatic Notes Working
You have two ways to get a notetaker onto a meeting.
Option 1: Set it and forget it
Choose how Groupthink attends your meetings once, and it applies to your future calls. This setting lives in User Settings > Calendar, under the heading How should Groupthink attend your meetings?
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Privately Take Notes | Groupthink records privately through the desktop app. No bot joins the call and other participants do not see Groupthink. |
| Automatically Join All Meetings | The Groupthink notetaker joins your meetings as a visible participant and shares notes with attendees. |
| Let Me Choose Each Time | Nothing joins automatically. You add the notetaker to specific calls yourself when you want notes. |
To attend scheduled meetings this way, connect your Google Calendar first so Groupthink can see your meetings and their conferencing links.
Option 2: Start a notetaker on a single meeting
Open the meeting and click Start Notetaker, then pick one:
- Public with Bot: Groupthink joins your call as a participant to take and present notes.
- Private with App: Groupthink records the meeting locally on your desktop.
If you choose Private with App, you will need the Groupthink desktop app installed. Groupthink will prompt you to download it if it is not already running.
What Groupthink Captures
While the notetaker is on the call, Groupthink:
- Transcribes the conversation as it happens.
- Files notes against the agenda item being discussed, matched by when each part of the conversation happened. You do not need to add a description to an item for this to work.
- Generates a recap, including topics, decisions, and follow-ups, automatically once the meeting ends.
You can edit any note by hand. Every note item is a free-form text field, so you can add thoughts, questions, or anything else alongside what Groupthink captured.
Private vs. Shared Notes
The capture mode you choose determines whether anything joins the call, and which agenda the meeting lands on. Who can read the notes afterwards follows from the agenda: see Note Access and Permissions.
Private notes (Private with App)
- Recorded through the Groupthink desktop app. Nothing joins the call.
- Visible only to you, because the meeting lands on an agenda with only you on it.
- Marked ✨ Private on the meeting's card and header (hover: Private Recording).
- A good fit for confidential calls or your own running notes.
The 📝 Private notes (only you) label is a different thing and is not a privacy indicator for the meeting. It labels the personal notes box, which appears on every agenda — shared ones too — and means only that the box itself is yours alone.
Shared notes (Public with Bot)
- Created when the Groupthink bot joins your meeting.
- Visible to everyone on the agenda by default.
- Support collaborative editing during and after the meeting.
Switching Between Private and Shared
You can switch a meeting between private and shared capture from the meeting's three-dot menu on your calendar:
- Open the calendar event.
- Click the three-dot menu.
- Choose Swap to Invisible Note Taker to go private, or Swap to
Joining to go shared. - Confirm in the dialog that appears ( Switch to Private Notes? or Switch to Shared Notes?). For a recurring meeting, you can apply the change with Switch For This Event or Switch For All In Series.
A few things to know before you switch:
- Switching to private removes everyone else. All other users immediately lose access to the agenda and its notes. Their content is not copied into a separate private agenda.
- Switching to shared starts fresh. Your private agenda stays private, and a new blank shared agenda is created. If you want anything from your private notes in the shared one, move it over yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why didn't the notetaker take any notes?
A notetaker has to actually be on the call. Either set an attendance option under How should Groupthink attend your meetings?, or start one manually with Start Notetaker. Starting a notetaker also requires an active trial or paid plan.
Do I need to describe each agenda item for notes to land in the right place?
No. Notes are filed against agenda items based on timing, not on what you wrote in the item. You do not need to add a description.
Can other people see my private notes?
No. Private notes recorded through the desktop app are visible only to you and carry a 📝 Private notes (only you) label.
What happens to shared notes if I switch a meeting to private?
Everyone else loses access to that agenda and its notes. The shared content is not moved into your private notes, so switching to private is not a way to keep a copy for yourself.
Getting Help
Questions about automatic notes? Email support@groupthink.com.