Step 2: Install and Start the Backend 4. Download the backend:

• From the same releases page
• Download the backend zip file (e.g., meetily_backend.zip)
• Extract the zip to a folder like C:\meetily_backend\

5. Prepare backend files:

   • Open PowerShell (search for it in Start menu)
   • Navigate to your extracted backend folder:

     cd C:\meetily_backend
     

   • Unblock all files (Windows security requirement):

     Get-ChildItem -Path . -Recurse | Unblock-File
     

6. Start the backend services:

   .\start_with_output.ps1
   

   • This script will:
     • Guide you through Whisper model selection (recommended: base or medium)
     • Ask for language preference (default: English)
     • Download the selected model automatically
     • Start both Whisper server (port 8178) and Meeting app (port 5167)

What happens during startup:

• Model Selection: Choose from tiny (fastest, basic accuracy) to large (slowest, best accuracy)
• Language Setup: Select your preferred language for transcription
• Auto-download: Selected models are downloaded automatically (~150MB to 1.5GB depending on model)
• Service Launch: Both transcription and meeting services start automatically

✅ Success Verification:

1. Check services are running:
   • Open browser and visit http://localhost:8178 (should show Whisper API interface)
   • Visit http://localhost:5167/docs (should show Meeting app API documentation)
2. Test the application:
   • Launch Meetily from desktop/Start menu
   • Grant microphone permissions when prompted
   • You should see the main interface ready to record meetings

Alternative Installation Methods:

Option A: MSI Installer (if exe is blocked)

• Download the .msi file instead of .exe from releases
• MSI installers are typically less likely to be blocked by Windows Defender

Option B: Windows Defender Issues If Windows Defender blocks the installer:

1. Open Windows Security → Virus & threat protection
2. Click Manage settings under Virus & threat protection settings
3. Scroll to Exclusions → Add or remove exclusions
4. Add the downloaded installer file as an exclusion
5. Run the installer manually

macOS Users (5-7 minutes)

!!! If you already have a working meetily app, please upgrade to the latest version

Installing fresh

# One command installs everything (frontend + backend)
brew tap zackriya-solutions/meetily
brew install --cask meetily

# Start the backend server
meetily-server --language en --model medium

To update existing installation:

# Update Homebrew and get latest package information
brew update

# Update to latest version
brew upgrade --cask meetily
brew upgrade meetily-backend

If you find the following error

Error: meetily-backend: SHA-256 mismatch
Expected: f6453947bfb90ecce91990f898e46f3f94d96b3eecba6176b9adea4efb989c70
  Actual: 1c79a7d7d24f166fa29bd4c9dba36ace7a3cc28a0d08699c4a18c0b8023e2252
    File: /Users/seth/Library/Caches/Homebrew/downloads/39fb3e9ff98c94bf97003752ef3bc770d455cca44b6e5a96e29a873c369429f5--meeting-minutes-main.zip
To retry an incomplete download, remove the file above.

Please refer to the instruction in https://github.com/Zackriya-Solutions/meeting-minutes/issues/148#issuecomment-3183332698

⚠️ Data Backup Warning: You are upgrading from Meetily 0.0.4 to 0.0.5. This upgrade will automatically migrate your data to a new persistent location, but it's recommended to backup your data first.

Current Data Location (Version 0.0.4):

• Database: /opt/homebrew/Cellar/meetily-backend/0.0.4/backend/meeting_minutes.db

New Persistent Location (Version 0.0.5+):

• Database: /opt/homebrew/var/meetily/meeting_minutes.db

What Happens During Upgrade:

• ✅ Your data will be automatically migrated to the new persistent location
• ✅ Data will survive future upgrades
• ✅ The old data in the Cellar directory will be cleaned up

Backup Recommendation: The upgrade ensures data loss doesn't happen, but it's always better to backup your data before proceeding.

Common issue*

SHA Missmatch solution

Please try the following

Run

brew cleanup && brew update

Before running

brew install --cask meetily

If you still find issues, delete the cache by following

rm Users/<your_user_name>/Library/Caches/Homebrew/downloads/39fb3e9ff98c94bf97003752ef3bc770d455cca44b6e5a96e29a873c369429f5--meeting-minutes-main.zip

Then run

brew install --cask meetily

Please let me know if this worked for you.

Then open Meetily from Applications folder.

✅ Success Check: App opens and you can start recording immediately.

🐳 Option 2: Docker Installation (Easier Dependencies)

Best for: Developers, testing, or when you want automatic dependency management Performance Note: 20-30% slower than native installation

Quick Start (5-10 minutes)

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/Zackriya-Solutions/meeting-minutes
cd meeting-minutes/backend

# Windows (PowerShell)
.\build-docker.ps1 cpu
.\run-docker.ps1 start -Interactive

# macOS/Linux (Bash)
./build-docker.sh cpu
./run-docker.sh start --interactive

What you get:

• Automatic dependency management
• No need to install Python, CMake, or build tools
• Consistent environment across all platforms
• Interactive model selection
• Both services running: http://localhost:8178 and http://localhost:5167

🔧 System Requirements

• Minimum: 8GB RAM, 4GB disk space
• Recommended: 16GB+ RAM, 10GB+ disk space
• Docker: 16GB+ RAM allocated to Docker

✨ Major New Features

🎨 Modern User Interface

• shadcn/ui components: Beautiful, accessible interface throughout
• Enhanced settings: Intuitive model configuration and transcript settings
• Better navigation: Improved sidebar and user interactions
• Loading states: Clear progress feedback during operations

📊 Privacy-First Analytics (New!)

• User-controlled tracking: Complete opt-in control over data collection
• GDPR compliant: Transparent privacy policy and data handling
• Analytics disabled by default: Privacy first approach
• Usage insights: Optional performance metrics and feature tracking

🐳 Complete Docker Support (New!)

• Multi-platform containers: CPU, GPU, and macOS optimized builds
• One-click deployment: Docker Compose for instant setup
• Automated scripts: Streamlined build and deployment
• Interactive setup: Guided model and language selection

🛠 Enhanced Backend

• Robust database handling: Better error recovery and data integrity
• Improved transcript processing: More reliable and efficient processing
• Schema validation: Comprehensive input validation
• Better sorting: Fixed summary generation ordering issues

📚 Installation Troubleshooting

Windows Issues

• Windows Defender blocking: Right-click installer → Properties → Unblock
• PowerShell errors: Run Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force
• Build failures: Use pre-built backend instead of building from source

macOS Issues

• Permission errors: Run chmod +x on script files
• App won't open: Run xattr -cr /Applications/meetily-frontend.app
• Port conflicts: Check if ports 8178/5167 are available with lsof -i :8178

Docker Issues

• Containers crashing: Increase Docker RAM to 12GB+
• Port conflicts: Run ./run-docker.sh stop to clean up
• Model download failures: Manually download with ./run-docker.sh models download base.en

🚀 What's Improved

Installation Experience

• Pre-built releases: No more complex build processes for most users
• Automated scripts: Windows PowerShell scripts handle dependencies
• Better documentation: Step-by-step guides with success checks
• Docker option: Alternative installation method with easier dependency management

Performance & Reliability

• Enhanced error handling: Better recovery from issues
• Improved processing: More reliable transcript and summary generation
• Database robustness: Better data integrity and error recovery
• Cross-platform compatibility: Verified across Windows, macOS, and Linux

Developer Experience

• Comprehensive documentation: Enhanced README and setup guides
• Build automation: Improved scripts and Docker configurations
• Better debugging: Enhanced logging and error reporting

🔄 Migration Notes

• No breaking changes: Existing installations continue to work
• Opt-in features: New analytics and Docker deployment are optional
• Easy upgrade: Download new release and follow installation steps
• Data preservation: All existing meeting data and settings maintained

This release makes Meetily significantly easier to install and use while adding powerful new features and maintaining our commitment to privacy-first design.