Capturing a call on Linux in four steps
Chromium-based browsers share tab audio internally, bypassing PipeWire and PulseAudio sink headaches.
Open the call in Chrome, Chromium or Edge
Google Meet, Microsoft Teams web, Zoom web ("Join from your browser"), Slack huddles, and Jitsi all run in a tab on Linux.
Open MeetingSidekick in a second tab
Go to meetingsidekick.ai, sign in free or use the 5-minute trial. Tick the consent box, press Start, and allow your microphone.
Share the meeting tab with audio
In the browser picker, select the tab running your call and keep "Also share tab audio" switched on. Your mic and the tab audio mix automatically.
Press Stop for the summary
When the meeting ends, press Stop for the full transcript, decisions and action items, saved audio replay, and a chatbot for the meeting.
No `.deb`, no Flatpak portals, no virtual sinks
Because audio capture happens inside the browser process, your display server does not get in the way.
Wayland & X11 alike
Sharing a browser tab's audio stays inside Chromium, so xdg-desktop-portal quirks on Wayland (GNOME, KDE, Sway, Hyprland) do not break audio capture.
PipeWire & PulseAudio
No need to wire up `pactl` loopback modules or `pw-link` graphs before a stand-up. Press Start, pick the tab, and talk.
Any distribution
Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Arch, NixOS, Pop!_OS, Mint. If a Chromium-based browser runs on it and can use your mic, MeetingSidekick works.
Phone companion for in-person
Walking into a physical conference room or whiteboard review? Open meetingsidekick.ai on your Android or iPhone browser and record from the table.
The limits on Linux, before you start
Use a Chromium browser for online calls. Google Chrome, Chromium, Brave, Vivaldi, and Microsoft Edge for Linux all support "Share tab audio". Firefox does not implement tab-audio capture, so Firefox only records your microphone.
Share the browser tab, not the whole desktop. On Linux, whole-screen sharing often omits system audio depending on your PipeWire portal version, whereas sharing a specific browser tab captures that tab's audio reliably every time. Join Zoom, Teams, or Meet in a browser tab rather than a standalone native client.
Let participants know. Nothing joins the call as a bot participant, so tell the people on the call that you are taking notes and follow your company and local recording rules.
AI meeting notes on Linux, answered
Is there a bot-free AI meeting notetaker that works on Linux?
Yes. While desktop notetaker apps like Granola, Fathom, tl;dv and Circleback only ship macOS and Windows installers, MeetingSidekick runs in a browser tab. If your Linux desktop runs Chrome, Chromium, Brave, or Edge, it works out of the box.
How does call audio capture work on Linux?
Join your Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, or Zoom call in a Chrome, Chromium, or Edge tab. Open meetingsidekick.ai in a second tab, press Start, and pick the call tab with "Also share tab audio" turned on. Browser tab-audio capture works under both PipeWire/Wayland and PulseAudio/X11.
Does it work on Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian, and Arch?
Yes. Because it uses standard WebRTC tab-audio and microphone APIs inside Chromium-based browsers, the Linux distribution, kernel, and package format (.deb, .rpm, Flatpak) do not matter.
What if I use Firefox on Linux?
Firefox on Linux works for microphone-only recording (in-person meetings or calls on speaker), but Firefox does not implement sharing a browser tab's audio. Keep Chrome, Chromium, or Brave handy for online calls.
How much does MeetingSidekick cost?
Free is 2 hours of recording, one time, with no credit card. Pro is $15 a month or $120 a year for 30 hours a month, speaker names, search across all your meetings and audio replay. Max is $50 a month for unlimited recording. A one-time 5-hour pack is $9 and never expires.
Try it on your Linux desktop.
Free to start, no credit card. Open a tab in Chrome, Chromium or Edge and press Start.
Start free →