v0.26.0: Recall from the right meeting library

v0.26.0: Recall from the right meeting library

Minutes 0.26.0 fixes sample and custom-folder consistency reports, skips speech-model downloads when trying the sample, and improves local transcription setup on Apple Silicon. It also includes background processing and desktop assistant fixes.

What changed

Meeting reports use the library you selected

The consistency report now uses the same meeting folder as search and list. This fixes sample and custom-folder configurations that could read a different default library or report that the folder was missing. The sample configuration also skips speech-model downloads, so trying recall does not prepare a recording engine you have not chosen to use. The CLI is still required for meeting access checks. (#938)

Automatic transcription can use Parakeet v3 on Apple Silicon

The default transcription engine is now auto. With engine = "auto", Minutes selects the local sherpa Parakeet v3 engine when the build, plugin, and model are ready. It uses Whisper otherwise. The signed desktop app and macOS sherpa archive include the plugin; bare CLI assets, the Homebrew formula, and Cargo installations need a compatible plugin before using this engine. Explicit engine choices keep their meaning. Standalone live transcription using the inherited auto preference continues to use Whisper. MCP installation now selects the macOS archive with the signed plugin when available. (#922, #923)

Optional community-1 speaker models

A new opt-in diarization model set uses community-1 segmentation and WeSpeaker embeddings. The legacy model remains the default. Voice profiles are separated by embedding model, so users switching model sets need to enroll voice profiles for the selected model. (#920)

Recall and integration fixes

Stopped live meetings can finish processing in the background. Calendar preparation uses assistant mode, and Recall distinguishes terminal replies from user input. Bounded meeting reads use a timeout derived from the supported corpus workload, reducing refusals on slower storage while retaining authorization checks. Agent documentation includes OpenClaw and Hermes, and the plugin includes meeting-recall and governed X1 closeout workflows. (#902, #904, #918, #919, #928, #934)

Desktop assistant guidance now uses bounded current-speech reads on demand and distinguishes provisional wording from finalized evidence. It checks session identity and freshness and does not promise continuous monitoring. (#937)

The MCP package also updates its bundled fast-uri and qs parsers to patched versions.

Who should care

People connecting an existing assistant to their meeting files, Apple Silicon users setting up local transcription, and users whose meeting libraries live on slower storage.

CLI / MCP / desktop impact

• CLI: minutes consistency --dir <folder> selects an explicit corpus. Automatic engine selection and optional diarization models are described above.
• MCP: consistency reports require the new CLI capability. MINUTES_MCP_AUTO_SETUP=0 disables speech-model provisioning for recall-only hosts. MCP and CLI should be updated together.
• Desktop: background live-meeting processing and Recall fixes are included. Apple Speech remains disabled in product settings; the signed-worker changes add acceptance paths, not general availability.
• Website: clearer installation, local/cloud processing boundaries, comparisons, and the sample-to-real-meeting walkthrough.

Breaking changes or migration notes

Automatic transcription selection can choose a different engine when the required local plugin and model are available. Explicit whisper and sherpa settings remain supported. Community-1 is opt-in and uses separate voice profiles. Existing meeting files and the context database require no migration. Configurations that omit the transcription engine now use auto; set transcription.engine = "whisper" to retain an explicit Whisper preference. Switching to community-1 requires voice enrollment for that model set.

Auto-update remains off. Install the update explicitly.

Known issues

The following pre-existing reports remain open on September 5: speaker labels can be dropped on recordings over two hours (#789); concurrent normal MCP starts can race model downloads (#871); records with type: note are excluded from meeting listing/search (#897); Windows correction-store permission repair and processing-stage guidance remain incomplete (#880, #879); Coach prerequisite failures need clearer setup guidance (#865). Windows desktop builds remain unsigned previews.

Install / update

Download the macOS DMG or Windows installer from the release assets. For the CLI, use brew upgrade silverstein/tap/minutes or cargo install minutes-cli --version 0.26.0. For MCP, use npx -y minutes-mcp@0.26.0, or replace the Claude Desktop extension with the new minutes.mcpb and restart the host.

For the Claude Code plugin, run /plugin marketplace update minutes, then /plugin update minutes@minutes, and restart Claude Code. The plugin has its own version cadence.

Full comparison: v0.25.6...v0.26.0