Minutes Setup

/minutes-setup

Walk the user through first-time Minutes setup, step by step.

Setup steps

1. Check current state first

Run the verify skill's script to see what's already done:

bash "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/minutes-verify/scripts/verify-setup.sh"

Skip any steps that already pass.

2. Build the binary (if needed)

cd ~/Sites/minutes
export CXXFLAGS="-I$(xcrun --show-sdk-path)/usr/include/c++/v1"
cargo build --release

The binary lands at target/release/minutes. The user should add it to their PATH or create a symlink.

3. Download a whisper model

Ask the user which quality level they want using AskUserQuestion:

Model	Size	Speed	Quality	Best for
tiny	75 MB	~10x real-time	Low	Quick tests, short memos
small	466 MB	~4x real-time	Good	Daily meetings (recommended)
medium	1.5 GB	~2x real-time	Great	Important meetings, accents
large-v3	3.1 GB	~1x real-time	Best	Legal, medical, foreign language

Then run:

minutes setup --model <chosen-model>

4. Create directories

mkdir -p ~/meetings/memos

5. Audio input (if recording calls)

For in-person conversations, the built-in mic works fine. For Zoom/Meet/Teams:

1. Install BlackHole: brew install blackhole-2ch
2. Open Audio MIDI Setup (Spotlight → "Audio MIDI Setup")
3. Create a Multi-Output Device combining speakers + BlackHole
4. Set the Multi-Output Device as system output
5. Set BlackHole as Minutes' input (or system default input)

See minutes-record/references/audio-devices.md for the full guide.

6. Verify

Run verify again to confirm everything passes:

bash "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/minutes-verify/scripts/verify-setup.sh"

7. Test recording

minutes record --title "Test recording"
# Speak for 10-15 seconds
minutes stop

Check the output file exists in ~/meetings/ and has a transcript.

Gotchas

• macOS 26 (Tahoe) requires CXXFLAGS — The whisper.cpp build needs the C++ include path set explicitly. This is a known Apple SDK issue.
• First model download can be slow — The small model is 466 MB. On slow connections, tiny is a good starting point (75 MB).
• BlackHole setup is the hardest part — Most users struggle with the Audio MIDI Setup step. Offer to walk through it if they get stuck.