Getting Started

Get autorec installed and recording in under five minutes.

Installation

Linux

AppImage (all distros):

  1. Download the .AppImage from the downloads page. The download is free; a license key only lifts the free-tier limits.
  2. Make it executable: chmod +x autorec-*.AppImage
  3. Run it: ./autorec-*.AppImage

The AppImage uses your system’s WebKitGTK 6.0 and libadwaita. If it reports either as missing, install them:

sudo dnf install webkitgtk6.0 libadwaita            # Fedora
sudo apt install libwebkitgtk-6.0-4 libadwaita-1-0  # Debian / Ubuntu
sudo pacman -S webkitgtk-6.0 libadwaita             # Arch

Debian / Ubuntu (.deb):

sudo apt install ./autorec_*.deb

Fedora / openSUSE (.rpm), one package for all RPM distros:

sudo dnf install ./autorec-*.rpm                            # Fedora
sudo zypper install --allow-unsigned-rpm ./autorec-*.rpm   # openSUSE

Windows

  1. Download the .msi installer (or the .exe) from the downloads page
  2. Run the installer and follow the prompts
  3. Launch autorec from the Start menu

macOS

Apple Silicon (M1 and later), macOS 12.3 or newer. Intel Macs aren’t supported.

  1. Download the .dmg and open it
  2. Drag autorec to your Applications folder
  3. Right-click autorec in Applications and choose Open. The build isn’t notarized by Apple yet, so double-clicking it the first time gets refused; right-click → Open gives you a dialog with an Open button. You only do this once.
  4. macOS asks for Screen & System Audio Recording and Microphone permission the first time autorec records. Both live in System Settings → Privacy & Security if you want to grant them ahead of time.

To record system audio (the other people on the call, rather than just your mic), macOS needs a virtual loopback device such as BlackHole. Without one, autorec records your microphone only.

First Launch

When you launch autorec for the first time:

  1. The autorec window opens on Settings → License. Paste your key, or skip it: the free tier allows 3 recordings per 24 hours, 40 minutes each.
  2. Autorec sets itself to launch at login (Settings → General → Launch Autorec at login), and from then on it starts hidden in the system tray.
  3. Closing the window keeps autorec running in the tray. Quit in the tray menu exits.

Recording Your First Meeting

  1. Join a meeting in Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Proton Meet, Jitsi, Signal, Element or Telegram
  2. Autorec detects the meeting and shows a consent reminder with a 10-second countdown. Click Record now or Don’t record, or let it run out and recording starts.
  3. The tray icon switches to recording
  4. When the meeting ends, recording stops and a prompt offers to name and transcribe it
  5. The recording appears in the Library, the first screen of the autorec window

What Happens After Recording

After each recording, autorec:

  • Generates a thumbnail for the library
  • Transcribes the recording if Auto-transcribe recordings is on (it is off by default) and the selected model is downloaded. Otherwise the prompt after the recording offers it.
  • Writes a .txt transcript and, unless you turn it off, .srt subtitles next to the video
  • Generates an AI summary if Auto-summarize after transcription is on and an API key is set

Next Steps