Granola Install & Auth

Overview

Install Granola, the AI notepad that captures meeting audio directly from your device (no bot joins the call), transcribes with GPT-4o/Claude, and produces structured notes with action items. Supports Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, Slack Huddles, and WebEx.

Prerequisites

macOS 12+ or Windows 10+ (iOS/Android for mobile)
Google Calendar or Microsoft Outlook account
Active internet connection for initial auth

Instructions

Step 1 — Download and Install

# macOS via Homebrew
brew install --cask granola

# Or download directly
open "https://www.granola.ai/download"

Windows: download the installer from granola.ai/download and run the .exe.

Step 2 — Create Account and Authenticate

Launch Granola
Click Sign up — authenticate with Google or Microsoft
Granola uses WorkOS for SSO; enterprise users may see their IdP login (Okta, Azure AD)

Step 3 — Grant System Permissions

macOS (critical — both required):

System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone
  → Enable Granola

System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen & System Audio Recording
  → Enable Granola

The Screen Recording permission is required because macOS bundles system audio capture under that category — Granola does not record your screen.

Windows: Microphone permissions are granted automatically. Confirm at:

Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone → Granola enabled

Step 4 — Connect Calendar

Granola Settings (avatar bottom-left) > Calendar
Connect Google Calendar or Microsoft Outlook
Select which calendars to sync (personal, work, shared)
Granola detects meetings from synced calendars with video/conference links

Step 5 — Verify Audio Capture

# macOS — confirm Granola is running
pgrep -l Granola

# Check installed version
defaults read /Applications/Granola.app/Contents/Info.plist CFBundleShortVersionString 2>/dev/null || echo "Check Granola > About"

Join or start any meeting (Zoom, Meet, Teams). Granola shows a floating notepad when it detects a calendar event with a conferencing link. Verify the live transcription indicator appears.

Step 6 — Configure Preferences

Setting	Location	Recommended
Auto-start with calendar	Preferences > General	On
Default template	Preferences > Templates	Match your meeting type
AI model	Uses GPT-4o/Claude	No configuration needed
Auto-update	Preferences > General	On

Output

Granola installed and running on login
Calendar connected with meeting auto-detection
System audio + microphone permissions granted
Live transcription verified on a test call

Error Handling

Error	Cause	Fix
No audio captured	Missing Screen & System Audio permission (macOS)	System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen & System Audio Recording > enable Granola, then restart
Calendar not syncing	OAuth token expired or wrong account	Disconnect calendar in Settings, re-authenticate
App won't launch	macOS Gatekeeper block	Right-click Granola.app > Open, or `xattr -cr /Applications/Granola.app`
Meeting not detected	Event has no video link	Add a Zoom/Meet/Teams link to the calendar event
Bluetooth audio drops	BT device causes transcription stops	Switch to built-in mic or wired headset

Granola Architecture (How It Works)

Your Device Audio ──→ Granola Desktop App ──→ Granola Cloud (transcription)
                           │                        │
                     Local notepad            GPT-4o / Claude
                     (your typed notes)       (enhance + summarize)
                           │                        │
                           └────── Merged Output ───┘
                                   │
                          Structured meeting notes
                          with action items

Audio is transcribed server-side; Granola does not store raw audio after processing
Your typed notes are merged with the transcript for context-aware summaries
No bot joins your meeting — capture happens via system audio

Resources

Next Steps

After installation, proceed to granola-hello-world for your first meeting capture.

granola-install-auth