Summaries
Where the summary of a meeting is written — on this Mac, another computer you own or a cloud service — and by which model.
The Summaries page decides who writes the notes after a meeting — the summary, the action items and their descriptions. Recording and transcription always stay on this Mac.
Where summaries are written
The row says where they are written now — On this Mac by default — and Change… opens a short setup with three cards:
- On this Mac (Stays on this Mac): the servers found on this Mac, with their models. Set up Ollama… installs one if nothing is running yet.
- Another computer you own (Over your network): type its name or address. The port and the server type are found automatically; Advanced lets you set them yourself.
- A cloud service (Leaves this Mac): a service you choose, with its key kept in the macOS Keychain and sent only to that address.
Each card has Try it, which summarises a made-up meeting so you can compare, and Use this. A server off this Mac is only used after you confirm, once, that meeting text may go to it.
When to change it: when another computer you own has a stronger model, or this Mac is short of memory.
If it fails: a server that cannot be reached is named in the summary area, and nothing is sent anywhere else. Details on Summary servers.
When summaries are written
Shown here, set on After recording: automatically after the transcript (the default) or only when you ask, with Summarize now on the meeting. The action item descriptions are switched there too.
Advanced
- Server and Model: the server in use and the model it runs; the default is the one chosen at setup, sized to the memory this Mac has. Without a model, recording and transcripts still work and the summary waits. If the model does not fit in the memory that is free right now, the summary waits and starts by itself once there is room. See Local models.
- Status with Refresh, and Try a test summary.
- Allow Ollama cloud models: off by default. Models marked ☁︎ run on ollama.com, and the meeting's text leaves this Mac for them.
- Also send vault meetings off this Mac: off by default. Off, a meeting kept in the encrypted vault is summarised only on this Mac, and its summary area says why.
For the curious
- Ollama on this Mac listens on
127.0.0.1:11434. Other servers are any with an OpenAI-compatible API; only loopback addresses count as this Mac. - A recording pauses summary work; an interrupted summary is queued again when it ends. The Activity button in the toolbar shows and stops what runs.
- The summary is written to the meeting's
summary.mdandsummary.json.
What leaves your Mac
Nothing with the default: the model runs on this Mac. With a server off this Mac or a cloud model, the meeting's text goes there for the summary, action items and descriptions — after you confirmed it. Audio never leaves, and transcription never does.
Related
- Summaries and action items — what the notes contain.
- Summary servers — every server type and how it is checked.
- Local models — Ollama, memory and the setup.
Transcript quality
How accurate your transcripts are against how lightly the Mac makes them, chosen by outcome, and the Neural Engine on Apple silicon.
After recording
What happens once a recording ends — the final transcript, speaker names, the summary, action items — and when that work runs: right away, on the charger or when the Mac is not in use.