Purpose: Trace is a macOS menu bar app that turns any conversation (meeting, call) into a formatted Markdown transcript and can generate summaries, suited to users who want recording and transcription to stay on their own machine and don't want a bot joining the meeting.
Main capabilities: Captures the microphone, system audio, and optional screenshots, transcribes locally on the Mac using speech models, outputs a Markdown transcript and summary, and inlines marked key moments at the corresponding timestamps. The default model supports 99 languages and selects automatically, and can translate in real time or after the fact. During recording, press ⌘ K to enter a short note and pin the current moment; press ⌘ / to view the live transcript of the last few minutes (including marked moments). Summaries and follow-up questions both run on the local model, and answers are based only on the transcript content and include jumpable timestamps. Transcription is separated by speaker, and real names can be assigned afterward and remembered. Each session is saved as audio and Markdown files in Home, and can be moved, searched, and hosted on git. It can export to PDF, Word, web page, subtitles, or spreadsheet, and can automatically detect and remove sensitive information such as names, emails, phone numbers, and addresses before export.
How to use: Requires macOS 14.4 or later and an Apple chip. A single keyboard shortcut brings it up over any app, such as Zoom, Teams, Meet, Slack, without opening the app or arranging windows. The tracecli command-line tool can read past transcripts and summaries on disk and drive Trace to execute commands such as start, stop, and summarize, making it convenient for scripts and AI agents to call. Trace also appears in Shortcuts and Spotlight, supporting actions such as start, stop, pause, mark key moments, and get the latest transcript or summary, and can trigger a custom shortcut when transcription completes. Keys can be remapped. Calendar connection is optional, read-only, and off by default; once connected, recordings automatically inherit the event title and remind one minute before the meeting.
Limitations: No account, no telemetry, and audio is not uploaded; when purchasing the direct version, the app connects to its own small server to validate the license and check for updates, sending the license key and a one-way fingerprint of the Mac, with no audio or transcript content. macOS will request system audio recording permission.
