Add Groupthink to Specific Meetings

Groupthink gives you control over which meetings the notetaker attends. You can let it join automatically based on your calendar, or add it yourself one meeting at a time. This doc covers three ways to add the notetaker to a single meeting: starting it on a meeting happening today, adding it ahead of time to a meeting on a later day, and pasting a link for a call that is not on your calendar.

Heads up: Adding the Groupthink notetaker to a meeting requires an active trial or paid plan. Without one, the notetaker will not join.

Set Your Attendance Preference

Your attendance setting decides what happens by default. Go to Today > Calendar & booking and find the How should Groupthink attend your meetings? section. There are three options:

Option	What it does
Privately Take Notes	Groupthink records privately through the desktop app. No bot joins the call and other participants do not see Groupthink.
Automatically Join All Meetings	The Groupthink notetaker joins your meetings as a visible participant and shares notes with attendees.
Let Me Choose Each Time	Nothing joins automatically. You add the notetaker to specific calls yourself when you want notes.

If you want to decide meeting by meeting, choose Let Me Choose Each Time. Nothing will join on its own, and you add the notetaker to the calls you pick using the steps below.

Add the Notetaker to a Meeting Today

Use this path for a meeting on today's calendar. It starts the notetaker right away, so do it when the call is starting.

1. Click Today in the sidebar and find the meeting under Prep for today.
2. Click Open agenda on the meeting's card.
3. On the agenda, click Start Notetaker.
4. Choose how the notetaker should attend:
   • Public with Bot sends the notetaker into the call as a visible participant. If the meeting has a call link, the Start the Notetaker window opens with the link already in the Meeting URL field. Click Start Notetaker. If the meeting has no call link, the window opens with the field empty so you can paste one. If you use Google Calendar, Groupthink instead creates a new Google Meet for the meeting and opens it in a new tab.
   • Private with App records the call locally through the Groupthink desktop app, with no visible bot in the call.

If the agenda shows a form and no Start Notetaker button, you are on the web and either the meeting's scheduled end time has passed or the notetaker was removed from this meeting earlier. Check that the call link is in the Meeting URL field, paste it if not, and click Start Notetaker. If you use Google Calendar, click Already in a meeting? Add your Meet, Teams, or Zoom URL first to reach that field.

Add the Notetaker to a Meeting on a Later Day

Use this path to schedule the notetaker ahead of time for a meeting on your connected calendar. Add Notetaker appears on meetings on later days. For a meeting today, use the steps above.

1. Click Today in the sidebar, then use the › arrow to step forward to the day of the meeting.
2. Find the event you want and click Add Notetaker on it. This opens a short menu.
3. Choose how the notetaker should attend:
   • Add Groupthink Bot to your conferencing provider (for example Add Groupthink Bot to Zoom, Meet, or Teams). The bot joins the call as a visible participant and shares notes with everyone.
   • Add Invisible Note Taker to privately take notes on your desktop (Windows or macOS) without a visible bot in the call.

Groupthink will join that event when it starts. To take the notetaker back out of an event, see Remove Groupthink from a Meeting.

Add the Notetaker to an Impromptu Call

Use this path for a call that is not on your calendar, or one that is already running. You paste the meeting link and Groupthink joins right away.

1. Open the agenda you want to use and click Start Notetaker.
2. Choose Public with Bot from the menu.
3. In the Start the Notetaker window, paste your meeting link into the Meeting URL field. The placeholder reads Paste your Google Meet, Zoom, or Teams link here.
4. Click Start Notetaker.

On the web, an agenda with no upcoming calendar event shows this form on the page itself, with no Start Notetaker menu to open first. If you use Google Calendar, click Already in a meeting? Add your Meet, Teams, or Zoom URL to reach the Meeting URL field.

Groupthink joins the call as a participant and begins taking notes. The same flow works for Google Meet, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams links.

Capture a Meeting Without a Visible Bot

If you would rather not send a visible bot into the call, you can still capture the meeting privately.

• On a calendar event on a later day, click Add Notetaker and choose Add Invisible Note Taker to record locally on your desktop.
• From the Start Notetaker menu, choose Private with App to record the current call locally instead of sending the bot.

In both cases, Groupthink records through the desktop app, so other participants do not see a bot in the meeting.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Add Notetaker and Start Notetaker?

Both add the same notetaker. Add Notetaker schedules it ahead of time for a meeting on a later day. Start Notetaker starts it right away, for a meeting today or for a call whose link you paste.

Why did the notetaker not join?

A few things have to be in place: the meeting needs a valid Google Meet, Zoom, or Teams link, your attendance setting has to allow the notetaker to join, and your workspace needs an active trial or paid plan.

Do I need a paid plan?

Yes. Adding the Groupthink notetaker to a meeting requires an active trial or paid plan. If your trial has ended, upgrade from User Settings > Account > Billing to keep capturing meetings.

Can I add the notetaker to a call that is not on my calendar?

Yes. Click Start Notetaker, choose Public with Bot, and paste the meeting link. The call does not need to be on your calendar.

How do I capture a meeting without a visible bot?

Choose Add Invisible Note Taker on a later day's calendar event, or Private with App from the Start Notetaker menu. Groupthink records through the desktop app and no bot appears in the call.

How do I take the notetaker out of a meeting?

See Remove Groupthink from a Meeting.

Getting Help

Questions about adding Groupthink to a specific meeting? Email support@groupthink.com.