Cana Desktop
Meeting notes
Record a meeting from your microphone, your computer's audio or both, follow a live transcript, and get a summary, decisions and action items you can export, chat with or turn into tasks.
How it works
The idea in 4 steps
- 1
Cana listens to the call
You start a recording yourself, or accept the prompt when Cana notices a meeting has begun. It can capture your microphone, your computer's audio, or both, so everyone on a call is heard.
- 2
The transcript is written as people speak
Speech is turned into text live, in the language you set, so you can follow along or catch up on what you missed.
- 3
The transcript becomes results
When the recording stops, the transcript is analysed into a short summary, the topics covered, the decisions made, and action items with owners and priorities.
- 4
Results feed your other work
Action items can become project tasks, the agent can read the meeting when you mention it in a chat, and the notes export as PDF or Markdown.
Tutorial
Step by step
Before you start
- Cana Desktop installed and signed in, with a project open for saving tasks
- Microphone access for Cana, and on macOS Screen Recording access to capture other speakers
- Everyone on the call agrees to it being recorded
- 1
Open Meetings
Click Context in the left rail, then Meetings in the section list.
You'll see: Your past meetings listed, with a New Recording button at the top.
- 2
Start a recording
Click New Recording. Under Audio Source pick Both (recommended) for a call, or Microphone only for a room, then click Start Recording.
You'll see: A Stop Recording button and a running timer, with the transcript filling in below as people speak.
Tip: Both (recommended) only appears when your computer allows system audio capture; otherwise it records your microphone.
- 3
Or let Cana spot the meeting
In Settings, Meetings, switch on Auto-detect meetings and Show recording prompt when meeting is detected. When a call starts, click Record on the prompt.
You'll see: A small panel offering Microphone, System audio or Both, then a recording that starts in the background.
- 4
Stop when the meeting ends
Click Stop Recording. If analysis does not start by itself, click Analyze Transcript.
You'll see: The meeting's results: Summary, Action Items and Decisions, with owners and priorities on each action item.
- 5
Turn action items into tasks
Click Save All to Plan above the action items, or save one item at a time with its Save to Plan button.
You'll see: The items appear in your project's tasks, and each saved item is marked Saved to Plan.
- 6
Ask the agent about it
Click Chat with Summary, or Chat with Transcript when you need exact wording, then ask a question such as "Draft the follow-up email".
You'll see: A chat opens with the meeting loaded, and the agent answers from what was said.
- 7
Export the notes
Click the download button and choose Download as PDF or Download as Markdown (.md).
You'll see: A file with the summary, decisions and action items saved to your computer.
Worked example
A client call that ends with a sent follow-up
You have a 30-minute call with a client on a video app. You want to listen, not take notes, and send a clear follow-up the moment it ends.
You type
Draft a short follow-up email to the client: thank them, list the three decisions we made, and the action items with owners and dates.
- 1.Context, Meetings, New Recording, pick Both (recommended), Start Recording
- 2.Click Stop Recording when the call ends and wait for the results
- 3.Click Save All to Plan for the action items
- 4.Click Chat with Summary and send the request
Result: Minutes after the call you have the summary and decisions on screen, the action items in your project's tasks, and a follow-up email draft ready to send.
Troubleshooting
If something doesn't work
- Only my voice is in the transcript
- You recorded the microphone only. Pick Both (recommended) next time. On macOS, allow Cana under Screen Recording in System Settings so it can capture call audio.
- No action items appeared after I stopped
- Click Analyze Transcript. To have it run every time, switch on Automatically analyze transcript after recording stops in Settings, Meetings.
- The transcript is in the wrong language
- Set Transcription language in Settings, Meetings before the next recording. It applies to new recordings, not ones already made.
- Cana didn't notice my meeting starting
- Check Auto-detect meetings is on in Settings, Meetings. Lower the Detection poll interval to check more often, or click New Recording yourself.
For you
Decisions captured and acted on, with records kept on your computers
Meetings produce a reliable record of decisions and owners, and action items flow straight into project work. Audio is transcribed by a cloud transcription service; the transcripts and results are then stored in a local database on each person's computer.
Accountability
Each meeting's decisions and action owners documented without extra effort.
Faster follow-through
Action items become tasks the moment the meeting ends.
Local records
Meeting data is kept in a local database on the person's own computer.
What changes for leaders: Better follow-through on decisions, with meeting records kept close.
Technical details
What it connects to, and the controls you have
- Audio sources
- Microphone, system audio or both
- Platforms
- macOS 13 or later (system audio needs Screen Recording permission) and Windows
- Transcription
- Live, in a choice of languages including English, Spanish, French, German, Hindi, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Arabic and Russian, using a cloud transcription service
- Analysis
- Summary, topics, decisions and action items with owner and priority; you choose which AI models run the analysis
- Detection
- Optional automatic meeting detection with a prompt to start recording; the check interval is adjustable from 2 to 60 seconds
- Use it elsewhere
- Export as PDF or Markdown, save action items as project tasks, and let the agent read a meeting when you mention it in a chat
- Storage
- Meetings, transcripts and their results are kept in a local database on your computer
Why Cana
What you get here
- Records microphone, system audio or both, so both sides of a call are captured
- Action items keep their owner and priority and can be saved as project tasks
- The agent can read any meeting you mention in a chat
- Optional meeting detection prompts you to start recording
