AI Meeting Notes in Obsidian: Record, Transcribe, Get Action Items

Obsidian has no AI meeting notes built in, but three pieces get you there: a meeting note template, a transcript of the meeting, and an AI plugin that turns the transcript into decisions and action items in that note.

• Free: Obsidian's core Templates plugin, a transcript your meeting app already makes or one from a free plugin, and SystemSculpt chat with your own Claude Code or Codex to write the summary.
• One step, with credits: record the meeting in Obsidian and run SystemSculpt's Meeting brief, which writes the outcome, decisions, action items and open questions, linked to a timestamped transcript.
• Other plugins: Granola sync if you already use Granola, Scribe or Whisper with your own OpenAI key.

We make SystemSculpt. The SystemSculpt steps below match version 6.18.10, checked November 3, 2026; other plugin facts are from each plugin's README and the Obsidian plugin directory on the same day.

Ask everyone before you record a meeting. Recording laws differ by place, and many require consent from every person on the call.

Step 1: Start every meeting from a template

Templates make each meeting note look the same, so decisions and action items are easy to find later.

1. Download our free meeting note template and put it in a folder such as Templates.
2. Open Settings → Core plugins, turn on Templates, and set Template folder location to that folder.
3. Create a note named after the meeting, then run Templates: Insert template from the command palette and pick the meeting note.

The template has properties for the date, attendees and project, and sections for Agenda, Notes, Decisions and Action items. Add each attendee as a link, such as "[[Alex Rivera]]", so the meeting shows up on that person's note. Our Obsidian templates guide has the template and nine more.

If you use Outlook Classic on desktop, the free Outlook Meeting Notes plugin makes the note for you: drag a meeting from your Outlook calendar onto its ribbon icon, and it fills in the subject, time and attendees.

Step 2: Get a transcript

Pick whichever source you already have:

• Your meeting app's transcript. If your video call app saves a transcript, download it and paste it into the meeting note under Notes, or save it as its own note and link to it. This costs nothing extra.
• Record in Obsidian. The core Audio recorder plugin records from your microphone into the open note for free, with no transcript. SystemSculpt's recorder records and transcribes; see step 3.
• A recording file. Drop the audio into your vault and transcribe it with SystemSculpt, Whisper or Speech Kit, which our voice to text guide compares.

Obsidian records from your microphone, so on a call it captures what your speakers play only if your microphone picks it up. Your meeting app's own recording or transcript is usually clearer.

Step 3: Turn the transcript into notes

With a recording: SystemSculpt Meeting brief

1. Install SystemSculpt free from Settings → Community plugins → Browse, and sign in under Settings → SystemSculpt AI → Account.
2. Record with Toggle audio recorder in the command palette, and wait for Recording saved. Or use a recording you already have.
3. Run Open audio processor and choose Audio. Pick the recording from your vault, or upload one from your device.
4. Choose Meeting brief, check the quote and start.

The result is a short note with the outcome, a summary, decisions, action items and open questions, linked to a full timestamped transcript. Processing continues on SystemSculpt's service after the upload, so you can close Obsidian; finished results wait 7 days for you to open Obsidian and save them. Audio Processor takes files up to 1 GB and 8 hours, and uses credits. Eligible new accounts can claim 500 one-time starter credits with no card; Monthly ($9 a month) and Yearly ($90 a year) include a monthly credit allowance. See pricing.

With a transcript you already have: SystemSculpt chat, free with Claude Code or Codex

If you use Claude Code or Codex on desktop, SystemSculpt runs them in a chat pane in Obsidian with no SystemSculpt plan.

1. Open the meeting note, then select Open chat in the ribbon.
2. In the run line below the message box, choose Claude Code or Codex.
3. Type @ and attach the meeting note, or the transcript note.
4. Ask:

Read the transcript in this note. Fill in Decisions and Action items in the same note. Write each action item as a task with its owner and due date, only if the transcript names them. List anything unclear under Open questions.

Claude Code and Codex ask before they change your note, depending on the mode you pick. To see the summary in chat first, choose Plan only for Claude Code or Read only for Codex, then ask it to write the note once you're happy. Our summarize notes guide covers the modes.

Read the transcript before you share the summary. Check names, dates, numbers and who agreed to what: a summary can turn a proposal into a decision.

Step 4: Keep action items findable

Write action items as tasks, - [ ] Alex: send the draft by Friday, as the template does. Obsidian's search then finds every open one across your meetings: search task-todo:Alex for Alex's open items. Link each meeting from your daily note so you can find it by date.

Other meeting plugins

Questions

Does Obsidian have AI meeting notes? Not built in. Obsidian has a core Audio recorder and Templates plugin, but no transcription or AI. A plugin such as SystemSculpt, Scribe or Granola's sync adds transcripts, summaries and action items.

Can Obsidian record a meeting? Yes. The core Audio recorder plugin records from your microphone into the open note. It doesn't transcribe; SystemSculpt, Scribe and Whisper record and transcribe.

How do I get action items from a meeting transcript in Obsidian? Attach the transcript in an AI chat plugin and ask for decisions and action items as tasks. With SystemSculpt, that's free if you use your own Claude Code or Codex. SystemSculpt's Meeting brief does it from a recording in one step, with credits.

Is there a free way to do AI meeting notes in Obsidian? Yes. Use the core Templates plugin, your meeting app's transcript, and SystemSculpt chat with your own Claude Code or Codex. Speech Kit can also transcribe a recording on your computer for free.

Does it work on iPhone and Android? Yes, for recording and transcribing. SystemSculpt and Scribe record in Obsidian mobile; keep Obsidian open while you record. SystemSculpt's Claude Code and Codex chat runs on desktop only, and its hosted AI works on mobile with credits.

Where are my meeting notes stored? In your vault, as ordinary Markdown notes and audio files. Audio you send for transcription goes to that plugin's service: SystemSculpt's for Meeting brief, OpenAI's or AssemblyAI's for Scribe.

Install SystemSculpt free from the Obsidian plugin directory, or compare its plans for hosted transcription and Meeting brief.

Sources

Checked November 3, 2026.

• Obsidian: Templates, Audio recorder, Search operators
• Granola Meetings Simple Sync: README
• Outlook Meeting Notes: README
• Scribe: README
• Whisper: README
• Speech Kit: README
• SystemSculpt: audio transcription docs, pricing, privacy policy