Granola
AI meeting notepad that turns transcripts into structured notes
A local recorder plus Whisper transcription plus an LLM note template covers the core personal loop in one sitting. The paid product is mainly polish, meeting context, sync, and team workflow.
Build verification: not recorded. How we judge buildability
What you give up
- sync across devices
- the mobile app
- automatic calendar joins
- someone else's servers & support
Why people still pay
They pay because it is always on, nicely integrated with calendar/work calls, and trustworthy enough not to lose meeting history.
Your build guide
The stack, security requirements, and agent rules for a focused replacement.
Before you start
- macOS, Xcode and a selected deployment target. Ask for each OS permission only when its feature is enabled; code signing and distribution are separate release tasks. Screen/microphone permission when recording and a downloaded compatible local transcription model.
- Implementation components: Swift, SwiftUI and focused AppKit integrations for a macOS utility. SQLite or Codable files for local settings and history; macOS Keychain for credentials. ScreenCaptureKit/AVFoundation recording and a documented local speech-model executable; optional remote summary adapter only after transcript approval.
- Scope boundary: sync across devices; the mobile app
Use these project rules and optional skill references alongside the prompt. Review each skill before adding it to your agent; the AGENTS.md export includes the same guidance.
Optional external skill: swiftui-expert-skill — Build and review native SwiftUI views, state management, navigation, accessibility and rendering performance. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission.
Optional external skill: swift-concurrency — Design Swift async tasks, actors, isolation, cancellation and safe data sharing, including Swift 6 migration. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission.
Optional external skill: sharp-edges — Review security-sensitive APIs and configuration for dangerous defaults and easy-to-misuse interfaces. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission.
Project rule — data model: recording sessions, local audio tracks, rough notes, timestamped transcript segments and accepted summaries
Project rule — preserve this invariant: The authored notes are never overwritten; recording permission is explicit and remote processing requires a separate action.
Project rule — acceptance evidence: Deny microphone access and create no empty successful recording; reject a summary and keep raw notes and audio, with every accepted quotation linked to a transcript segment.
Implementation plan
Phase 1
Scope and fixtures. Implement this bounded workflow: Record consented microphone/system audio with an always-visible status, transcribe locally and place the transcript beside the user's rough notes. Show the exact text before any optional remote summarization request. Record prerequisites, select representative user-owned fixtures and document the unsupported features: sync across devices; the mobile app
Phase 2
Durable model. Model recording sessions, local audio tracks, rough notes, timestamped transcript segments and accepted summaries Add migrations or a versioned document format, explicit validation, stable IDs and a visible import-error report. Preserve this rule: The authored notes are never overwritten; recording permission is explicit and remote processing requires a separate action.
Phase 3
Complete the first useful path. Implement the workflow's input, review and output interface, with clear controls and explicit empty/error states. Keep UI state on the main actor, cancel obsolete background tasks, and avoid blocking system callbacks. Record only the selected feature scope, with clear retention controls.
Phase 4
Permissions and integration failure. Start recording only after explicit microphone/system-audio selection and consent. Show a persistent recording indicator and stop control, document retention and keep raw audio/notes out of logs. Preview selected transcript text before any remote summary request; no keystroke or clipboard monitoring is needed. Request integration credentials and permissions only for the enabled feature; show a disconnected state instead of mock results.
Phase 5
Portable handoff. Export settings and explicitly selected history without secrets. Preserve the last working configuration and provide a reset that does not delete user source files. Include setup, operating limits, fixture walkthrough and shutdown/restart instructions in the README.
Phase 6
Acceptance scenarios. Deny microphone access and create no empty successful recording; reject a summary and keep raw notes and audio, with every accepted quotation linked to a transcript segment. Repeat the workflow after restart and with a denied permission or unavailable dependency; show recoverable failure rather than a success placeholder.
WORKING SLICE Record consented microphone/system audio with an always-visible status, transcribe locally and place the transcript beside the user's rough notes. Show the exact text before any optional remote summarization request. Build this scoped Granola-inspired workflow with a documented data model and visible failure states. Architecture - Swift, SwiftUI and focused AppKit integrations for a macOS utility. - SQLite or Codable files for local settings and history; macOS Keychain for credentials. - ScreenCaptureKit/AVFoundation recording and a documented local speech-model executable; optional remote summary adapter only after transcript approval. Prerequisites and limits macOS, Xcode and a selected deployment target. Ask for each OS permission only when its feature is enabled; code signing and distribution are separate release tasks. Screen/microphone permission when recording and a downloaded compatible local transcription model. Outside this release: sync across devices; the mobile app Data model and correctness recording sessions, local audio tracks, rough notes, timestamped transcript segments and accepted summaries Invariant: The authored notes are never overwritten; recording permission is explicit and remote processing requires a separate action. Keep UI state on the main actor, cancel obsolete background tasks, and avoid blocking system callbacks. Record only the selected feature scope, with clear retention controls. Security and privacy Start recording only after explicit microphone/system-audio selection and consent. Show a persistent recording indicator and stop control, document retention and keep raw audio/notes out of logs. Preview selected transcript text before any remote summary request; no keystroke or clipboard monitoring is needed. Recovery and export Export settings and explicitly selected history without secrets. Preserve the last working configuration and provide a reset that does not delete user source files. Implementation order 1. Phase 1 — Scope and fixtures. Implement this bounded workflow: Record consented microphone/system audio with an always-visible status, transcribe locally and place the transcript beside the user's rough notes. Show the exact text before any optional remote summarization request. Record prerequisites, select representative user-owned fixtures and document the unsupported features: sync across devices; the mobile app 2. Phase 2 — Durable model. Model recording sessions, local audio tracks, rough notes, timestamped transcript segments and accepted summaries Add migrations or a versioned document format, explicit validation, stable IDs and a visible import-error report. Preserve this rule: The authored notes are never overwritten; recording permission is explicit and remote processing requires a separate action. 3. Phase 3 — Complete the first useful path. Implement the workflow's input, review and output interface, with clear controls and explicit empty/error states. Keep UI state on the main actor, cancel obsolete background tasks, and avoid blocking system callbacks. Record only the selected feature scope, with clear retention controls. 4. Phase 4 — Permissions and integration failure. Start recording only after explicit microphone/system-audio selection and consent. Show a persistent recording indicator and stop control, document retention and keep raw audio/notes out of logs. Preview selected transcript text before any remote summary request; no keystroke or clipboard monitoring is needed. Request integration credentials and permissions only for the enabled feature; show a disconnected state instead of mock results. 5. Phase 5 — Portable handoff. Export settings and explicitly selected history without secrets. Preserve the last working configuration and provide a reset that does not delete user source files. Include setup, operating limits, fixture walkthrough and shutdown/restart instructions in the README. 6. Phase 6 — Acceptance scenarios. Deny microphone access and create no empty successful recording; reject a summary and keep raw notes and audio, with every accepted quotation linked to a transcript segment. Repeat the workflow after restart and with a denied permission or unavailable dependency; show recoverable failure rather than a success placeholder. Acceptance Deny microphone access and create no empty successful recording; reject a summary and keep raw notes and audio, with every accepted quotation linked to a transcript segment. Use real source data or clearly labeled fixtures. Explain unsupported input and provider failures; do not fabricate analytics, delivery receipts, accuracy claims or security guarantees. Optional agent guidance Optional external skill: [swiftui-expert-skill](https://github.com/AvdLee/SwiftUI-Agent-Skill/blob/main/skills/swiftui-expert-skill/SKILL.md) — Build and review native SwiftUI views, state management, navigation, accessibility and rendering performance. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission. Optional external skill: [swift-concurrency](https://github.com/AvdLee/Swift-Concurrency-Agent-Skill/blob/main/skills/swift-concurrency/SKILL.md) — Design Swift async tasks, actors, isolation, cancellation and safe data sharing, including Swift 6 migration. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission. Optional external skill: [sharp-edges](https://github.com/trailofbits/skills/blob/main/plugins/sharp-edges/skills/sharp-edges/SKILL.md) — Review security-sensitive APIs and configuration for dangerous defaults and easy-to-misuse interfaces. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission. Project rule — data model: recording sessions, local audio tracks, rough notes, timestamped transcript segments and accepted summaries Project rule — preserve this invariant: The authored notes are never overwritten; recording permission is explicit and remote processing requires a separate action. Project rule — acceptance evidence: Deny microphone access and create no empty successful recording; reject a summary and keep raw notes and audio, with every accepted quotation linked to a transcript segment.
$ open in your agent (prompt prefilled, you press enter), copy the prompt or copy or download AGENTS.md
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Alternatives to building your own
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Granola pricing
| plan | monthly | annual (per mo) | what you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| basic | $0/user | $0/user | Unlimited meetings; only the most recent 30 days of meeting history remain accessible.Older notes remain stored but are inaccessible until upgrading. |
| business | $14/user | — | Unlimited meetings and unlimited meeting-history access.Monthly-only. |
| enterprise | $35/user | — | Starts at $35/user/month; unlimited meetings/history plus SSO and admin controls.Monthly custom contract starting price. |
free tierUnlimited meetings, but only the latest 30 days of meeting history are accessible.
billingmonthly only, no annual plan; subscriptions are per workspace and seats are prorated
hidden costsThe same person can be billed separately in multiple paid workspaces. Active seats are prorated when added or removed; pending invitations are not billed. No per-minute, storage or meeting overage fees are published.
pricing sources checked 2026-08-11 · pricing source ↗
Questions about Granola
Can you build your own Granola with AI?
The verdict is yes for the scoped workflow. A local recorder plus Whisper transcription plus an LLM note template covers the core personal loop in one sitting. The paid product is mainly polish, meeting context, sync, and team workflow.
What does the Granola build prompt cover?
The prompt starts with this scope: Record consented microphone/system audio with an always-visible status, transcribe locally and place the transcript beside the user's rough notes. Show the exact text before any optional remote summarization request. Full-product capabilities excluded from the comparison include: sync across devices; the mobile app; automatic calendar joins. Follow the implementation plan and its prerequisites before expanding the build.
How do I use the prompt, AGENTS.md and agent skills?
Start with the Granola prerequisites and stack, then copy the prompt into your coding agent. Save the project rules as AGENTS.md in the project root. Linked skills are optional packages or source instructions for specific tasks; review their current contents and install only those matching the chosen stack. A skill does not supply API credentials or verify the finished app.
How long will this Granola project take?
The catalogue estimate is one sitting for the limited scope. Setup, integration approvals, debugging, deployment and ongoing maintenance can add time. This is an estimate, not a delivery guarantee.
What would I give up by replacing Granola?
sync across devices; the mobile app; automatic calendar joins; someone else's servers & support. They pay because it is always on, nicely integrated with calendar/work calls, and trustworthy enough not to lose meeting history.
What price is this guide comparing against?
The recorded Business plan is $14/mo per seat (monthly per user), checked 2026-08-07. Check the linked pricing source before buying. Building your own also has hosting, API and maintenance costs; the recorded amount is not a guaranteed saving.
What can I use instead of building Granola?
Meetily: A local meeting recorder that writes the transcript and summary without inviting a bot or your legal department. Anarlog: Granola rearranged, literally: local recording, local transcript and your own model. OpenWhispr: A cross-platform local notepad that records the call, separates speakers and keeps searchable notes. Compare all listed options at https://howtovibecodeit.dev/granola/alternatives. Check each option's license, hosting needs and feature limits.