Zackriya-Solutions/meeting-minutes test on GitHub

This major release focuses on making Meetily easier to install and use, with significant improvements to the installation process, Docker support, enhanced UI, and privacy-focused analytics.

📦 Installation Guide

🎯 Option 1: Easiest Installation (Recommended)

Windows Users (5-10 minutes)

Step 1: Install the Frontend Application

Download the installer:
- Go to Latest Releases
- Look for and download the file ending with x64-setup.exe (e.g., meetily-frontend_0.0.5_x64-setup.exe)
Prepare the installer:
- Navigate to your Downloads folder
- Right-click the downloaded .exe file → Properties
- At the bottom, check the Unblock checkbox → Click OK
- This prevents Windows security warnings during installation
Run the installation:
- Double-click the installer to launch it
- If Windows shows a security warning:
  - Click More info → Run anyway, OR
  - Follow any permission dialog prompts
- Follow the installation wizard steps
- The app will be installed and available on your desktop/Start menu

Step 2: Install and Start the Backend
4. Download the backend:

From the same releases page
Download the backend zip file (e.g., meetily_backend.zip)
Extract the zip to a folder like C:\meetily_backend\

Prepare backend files:
- Open PowerShell (search for it in Start menu)
- Navigate to your extracted backend folder:
```
cd C:\meetily_backend
```
- Unblock all files (Windows security requirement):
```
Get-ChildItem -Path . -Recurse | Unblock-File
```
Start the backend services:
```
.\start_with_output.ps1
```
- This script will:
  - Guide you through Whisper model selection (recommended: base or medium)
  - Ask for language preference (default: English)
  - Download the selected model automatically
  - Start both Whisper server (port 8178) and Meeting app (port 5167)

What happens during startup:

Model Selection: Choose from tiny (fastest, basic accuracy) to large (slowest, best accuracy)
Language Setup: Select your preferred language for transcription
Auto-download: Selected models are downloaded automatically (~150MB to 1.5GB depending on model)
Service Launch: Both transcription and meeting services start automatically

✅ Success Verification:

Check services are running:
- Open browser and visit http://localhost:8178 (should show Whisper API interface)
- Visit http://localhost:5167/docs (should show Meeting app API documentation)
Test the application:
- Launch Meetily from desktop/Start menu
- Grant microphone permissions when prompted
- You should see the main interface ready to record meetings

Alternative Installation Methods:

Option A: MSI Installer (if exe is blocked)

Download the .msi file instead of .exe from releases
MSI installers are typically less likely to be blocked by Windows Defender

Option B: Windows Defender Issues
If Windows Defender blocks the installer:

Open Windows Security → Virus & threat protection
Click Manage settings under Virus & threat protection settings
Scroll to Exclusions → Add or remove exclusions
Add the downloaded installer file as an exclusion
Run the installer manually

macOS Users (5-7 minutes)

# One command installs everything (frontend + backend)
brew tap zackriya-solutions/meetily
brew install --cask meetily

# Start the backend server
meetily-server --language en --model medium

Then open Meetily from Applications folder.

✅ Success Check: App opens and you can start recording immediately.

🐳 Option 2: Docker Installation (Easier Dependencies)

Best for: Developers, testing, or when you want automatic dependency management
Performance Note: 20-30% slower than native installation

Quick Start (5-10 minutes)

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/Zackriya-Solutions/meeting-minutes
cd meeting-minutes/backend

# Windows (PowerShell)
.\build-docker.ps1 cpu
.\run-docker.ps1 start -Interactive

# macOS/Linux (Bash)
./build-docker.sh cpu
./run-docker.sh start --interactive

What you get:

Automatic dependency management
No need to install Python, CMake, or build tools
Consistent environment across all platforms
Interactive model selection
Both services running: http://localhost:8178 and http://localhost:5167

🔧 System Requirements

Minimum: 8GB RAM, 4GB disk space
Recommended: 16GB+ RAM, 10GB+ disk space
Docker: 16GB+ RAM allocated to Docker

✨ Major New Features

🎨 Modern User Interface

shadcn/ui components: Beautiful, accessible interface throughout
Enhanced settings: Intuitive model configuration and transcript settings
Better navigation: Improved sidebar and user interactions
Loading states: Clear progress feedback during operations

📊 Privacy-First Analytics (New!)

User-controlled tracking: Complete opt-in control over data collection
GDPR compliant: Transparent privacy policy and data handling
Analytics disabled by default: Privacy first approach
Usage insights: Optional performance metrics and feature tracking

🐳 Complete Docker Support (New!)

Multi-platform containers: CPU, GPU, and macOS optimized builds
One-click deployment: Docker Compose for instant setup
Automated scripts: Streamlined build and deployment
Interactive setup: Guided model and language selection

🛠 Enhanced Backend

Robust database handling: Better error recovery and data integrity
Improved transcript processing: More reliable and efficient processing
Schema validation: Comprehensive input validation
Better sorting: Fixed summary generation ordering issues

📚 Installation Troubleshooting

Windows Issues

Windows Defender blocking: Right-click installer → Properties → Unblock
PowerShell errors: Run Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force
Build failures: Use pre-built backend instead of building from source

macOS Issues

Permission errors: Run chmod +x on script files
App won't open: Run xattr -cr /Applications/meetily-frontend.app
Port conflicts: Check if ports 8178/5167 are available with lsof -i :8178

Docker Issues

Containers crashing: Increase Docker RAM to 12GB+
Port conflicts: Run ./run-docker.sh stop to clean up
Model download failures: Manually download with ./run-docker.sh models download base.en

🚀 What's Improved

Installation Experience

Pre-built releases: No more complex build processes for most users
Automated scripts: Windows PowerShell scripts handle dependencies
Better documentation: Step-by-step guides with success checks
Docker option: Alternative installation method with easier dependency management

Performance & Reliability

Enhanced error handling: Better recovery from issues
Improved processing: More reliable transcript and summary generation
Database robustness: Better data integrity and error recovery
Cross-platform compatibility: Verified across Windows, macOS, and Linux

Developer Experience

Comprehensive documentation: Enhanced README and setup guides
Build automation: Improved scripts and Docker configurations
Better debugging: Enhanced logging and error reporting

🔄 Migration Notes

No breaking changes: Existing installations continue to work
Opt-in features: New analytics and Docker deployment are optional
Easy upgrade: Download new release and follow installation steps
Data preservation: All existing meeting data and settings maintained

This release makes Meetily significantly easier to install and use while adding powerful new features and maintaining our commitment to privacy-first design.

Zackriya-Solutions/meeting-minutes test Major Release: Enhanced Installation, Docker Support & New Features on GitHub