Pensieve
Local desktop app that records, transcribes, and summarizes meeting audio using Whisper and local LLMs.
Capture desktop audio, transcribe with Whisper, and query meeting notes without sending data to the cloud.
Pensieve is a local-first desktop application designed to record, transcribe, and summarize audio from meetings and applications directly on your computer. It suits legal professionals who handle sensitive client calls and require strict confidentiality without sending audio to external vendors.
What it is
Pensieve runs in your system tray to capture application audio, generating local transcripts using Whisper. It builds searchable meeting summaries using a local Ollama instance or OpenAI, and includes a built-in chat view and MCP server to query your meeting archives.
Who it's for
It suits privacy-conscious legal practitioners, corporate counsel, and researchers needing offline meeting records without cloud compliance risks. It does not suit teams looking for automated cloud calendar bots or multi-party cloud recording workflows out of the box.
Key features
Local Whisper Transcription
Converts captured meeting audio into text directly on your device using whisper-cpp and FFmpeg.
Ollama & OpenAI Integration
Summarizes meeting transcripts using a local Ollama LLM instance or optional ChatGPT API key.
Built-in MCP Server
Connects your local transcript repository directly to external tools using the Model Context Protocol.
Interactive Chat View
Lets you search and ask specific questions across past meeting recordings directly within the app.
Up and running in 3 steps
Our honest verdict
What's great
- Runs entirely offline when configured with local Ollama, preventing client data leaks
- Includes a built-in MCP server for integrating transcripts into broader workflows
- Provides an interactive chat interface to query historic meeting transcripts
- Operates quietly from the system tray for rapid recording control
Where it falls short
- Requires manual installation of system dependencies like FFmpeg and whisper-cpp via Homebrew on macOS
- Demands sufficient local computer hardware to run Whisper and Ollama LLMs smoothly
- Lacks built-in automated calendar bot invites typical of hosted recording services
- No explicit open-source license is provided in the repository metadata
Pricing & license
Pensieve is free to download and run locally. The only potential external cost occurs if you choose to connect an optional paid OpenAI API key for summarization instead of using local Ollama.
Open remote AI-training roles
876 open remote AI-training roles, updated November 15, 2026; most pay $20–$170 an hour. Zekai lists them free; the application goes to the employer’s platform.
Alternatives
Use it, or have us set it up
FAQ
Does Pensieve send my meeting audio to external servers?
No, if you select local Whisper for transcription and Ollama for summarization, all audio processing and notes remain entirely on your local machine.
How does Pensieve handle transcript queries?
It features an interactive Chat view within the desktop app and includes a built-in MCP server to share context with external tools.
