Capture meetings without installing bots or asking participants for permission.
Local recording runs locally on your Mac during Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams calls - no bot joins the call, so participants never see a notetaker. Video, audio, and speaker-identified transcripts upload automatically after each meeting ends.
How it works
Detects when you join meetings and captures:
Screen video (everything visible in the meeting window)
System audio (what you hear from other participants)
Microphone audio (your voice)
Speaker identification uses macOS accessibility API because meeting platforms don't expose participant data directly. The app reads display names shown on screen—Zoom participant panels, Google Meet name labels, Teams attendee lists. Names matching existing contacts link automatically. Unmatched names create new person records.
Processing happens locally during the meeting. After the meeting ends, video and transcript upload to Clarify. Upload takes 2-5 minutes per hour of recording.
Transcripts are generated in the language spoken - see Multi-language meeting support.
The app detects when you're in a call on Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams - even if the meeting isn't on your calendar - and prompts you to record it. If the meeting isn't already in Clarify, it creates one for you. Scheduled meetings on your connected calendar are also detected automatically, and you can start any recording manually with Quick Record.
Recording meetings
While recording, a floating Clarify Widget appears on screen showing the recording status, with pause and stop controls. Use it to pause or stop a recording.
Scheduled meetings
Notification banner appears when meetings start.
Start recording:
From notification: Click "Start recording"
From menu bar: Clarify icon → "Start recording"
Stop recording:
Clarify Widget → Stop recording
Video and transcript upload automatically after stopping.
Unscheduled meetings
Quick Record captures meetings not on your calendar - impromptu calls, unscheduled demos, or meetings in personal calendar apps not connected to Clarify.
Start Quick Record:
Join your meeting (Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams)
Click Clarify menu bar icon → "Quick Record"
Clarify creates a new meeting and starts recording instantly
ℹ️ Quick Record detects conference meetings automatically if the meeting platform is already open. If no conference meeting is detected, recording treats it as an in-person meeting and captures audio only (no video).
Add participants:
Click "Edit participants" in the Meeting
Search by name or email
Select contacts to link them to the recording
ℹ️ Edit participants during or after recording. For scheduled meetings detected from your calendar, participant editing isn't available.
Stop recording:
Clarify Widget → Stop Recording
After stopping:
Edit the meeting name in the recording tab
Video and transcript upload automatically (2-5 minutes per hour)
Meeting appears in activity feed and calendar view
AI insights generate after processing completes
Requirements and limitations
System requirements
macOS 14 or later
500MB free disk space per hour of recording (temporary, deleted after upload)
Setup requirements
Calendar connected: Settings > Account > Connected accounts
Screen recording permission: System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen Recording
Microphone permission: System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone
Internet connection: Uploads take 2-5 minutes per hour at typical speeds
Recording behavior
Only captures what's visible on screen (switching windows records those windows)
Recording fails silently without screen recording permission
Cannot record if meeting platform isn't visible on screen
Upload queues locally if offline, retries when connection restores
For video recording: Conference meeting (Zoom, Meet, Teams) must be open before starting Quick Record
Audio-only fallback: If no conference meeting is detected, Quick Record captures audio only (treated as in-person meeting)
Meeting page opens automatically in your browser when recording stops
Speaker identification
Cannot retroactively edit participants for scheduled meetings
Quick Record meetings allow participant editing
Upload and processing
Upload requires internet connection (queues locally if offline)
Upload: 2-5 minutes per hour of recording
AI insights processing: 2-3 minutes after upload completes
Failed uploads retry automatically when connection restores
Platform limitations
Works with Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and any platform visible on screen
Meeting bot recording and local recording cannot run simultaneously on the same meeting
Scheduled meeting detection requires calendar connection
Desktop app settings
Access settings at Settings → Desktop in the Clarify app.
General
Launch at startup — Start Clarify automatically when you log in to your Mac. Off by default.
Quick Record shortcut — Trigger Quick Record from anywhere on your Mac, even when Clarify isn't focused. Default: Shift+Option+Command+R. Customizable in Settings → Desktop.
Command search shortcut — Open Clarify search from anywhere on your Mac. Default: Shift+Command+K. Customizable in Settings → Desktop.
Multiple windows — Open additional Clarify windows from the menu bar. Each window keeps its own set of tabs and remembers its size and position between sessions. Use multiple windows to compare records side by side or keep Rep open in a dedicated window while you work.
Restart Clarify — Performs a clean restart without quitting and reopening the app manually. Useful when something isn’t behaving as expected.
Dock badge — The Clarify dock icon shows a badge with your inbox unread count.
For the full list of keyboard shortcuts across Clarify - including these desktop ones - see Keyboard shortcuts. Press ⌘ / in the app to open the cheat sheet anytime.
Common issues
Menu bar icon not visible: macOS hides menu bar icons when too many are present. Use a menu bar manager like Ice (icemenubar.app) or reduce other menu bar apps.
Meeting not detected: For scheduled meetings, your calendar must be connected at Settings > Account > Connected accounts and the meeting must appear in your Clarify calendar (the app checks every 60 seconds). Meetings you're already in are detected from the call itself, even when they're not on your calendar.
Recording didn't upload: Check internet connection and verify Clarify app is still running. Failed uploads retry automatically when connection restores.
Video is blank or black: Screen recording permission required. Enable at System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen Recording. Use the Restart Clarify button in Settings → General (or quit and reopen) after enabling.
Quick Record only captured audio (no video): Conference meeting must be open before starting Quick Record. Open Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams first, then start Quick Record. If no conference meeting is detected, recording defaults to audio-only (in-person meeting mode).
Installation
Download: https://www.clarify.ai/desktop or Settings > Download desktop app
Install with Homebrew
If you use Homebrew, you can install the Clarify desktop app from the command line:
brew install --cask clarify
Clarify updates itself automatically, so there's no need to run brew upgrade — the app updates in place.
After installation:
Grant screen recording permission when prompted
Grant microphone permission when prompted
App runs in menu bar (look for Clarify icon)
Uninstall:
Quit app from menu bar
Move Clarify.app from Applications to Trash