In short
There are two ways to get a record of a Slack huddle. Slack's own AI notes, available on paid plans, write a summary and embed a transcript in a canvas in the huddle thread.
Or you can record the huddle's audio on your Mac with a separate app and transcribe it there, which is what Notey does. The first is shared with the channel by design; the second stays on your Mac.
This guide covers both, describing Slack from its help centre article on AI huddle notes as of September 2026. Plans and features change, so check it before deciding.
The short answer
| Slack AI huddle notes | A recorder on your Mac (Notey) | |
|---|---|---|
| Slack plan | Paid plans | Any, including free |
| Who can start it | Members, not guests | You |
| Others are told | Yes, Slack notifies everyone | No — tell them yourself |
| Where the result goes | A canvas in the huddle thread | Your Mac |
| Transcript | Embedded in the canvas | Yes, made on your Mac, with the audio kept |
Option 1: Slack's AI huddle notes
According to Slack's help centre, as of September 2026:
- AI huddle notes are available on paid plans.
- All members, but not guests, can start AI notes.
- By default, someone in the huddle has to turn notes on. Members can choose to start AI notes automatically for all huddles in particular channels.
- Everyone in the huddle is notified when notes are started, stopped or cancelled, and the notice stays up until the huddle ends or notes stop.
- After the huddle, the notes — who was there, topics discussed, action items and more — are shared in a canvas in the huddle thread.
- The transcript is embedded in the notes canvas, but it does not show up in search results.
The strength of this is that the notes land where the team already is. Everyone who can see the thread can see them, which is exactly what you want for a working huddle and exactly what you do not want for a conversation you did not mean to share.
Option 2: Record the huddle on your Mac with Notey
Notey is a Mac app that records your microphone and the sound your Mac is playing as two separate tracks, and transcribes both on the Mac. It does not join the huddle and does not use any Slack feature, so it works on any Slack plan.
Set it up once
- Download Notey and open it. It runs on Apple silicon Macs with macOS 26 or later. You do not need an account to record.
- Allow Microphone when macOS asks, and allow audio recording for what your Mac plays. Notey never asks for Screen Recording; it captures the Mac's audio through a Core Audio process tap.
Record a huddle
- Start or join the huddle in the Slack app.
- Notey's floating button says a call has started in Slack and asks whether to record. Nothing is saved until you choose Allow.
- While it records, a red dot and the elapsed time show in the Notey window, the menu bar and the floating button, with Stop beside them.
- When the huddle ends, the button offers to finish. Choose Keep recording if the conversation carries on, or let the countdown run out.
If you are in Slack in a browser rather than the app, Notey notices the call in Chrome, Safari, Arc or Edge when the browser uses the microphone, and asks in the same way.
What you get
- A transcript on your Mac, your side as You and everyone else as Them, because they arrive on separate tracks. When several people spoke, a pass after the recording tells their voices apart and you name them.
- The recording, kept on your disk, with every transcript line playable.
- Live transcription in ten languages; after an English huddle, Notey reads the recording again on your Mac and keeps the words the recognisers agree on.
- AI notes when you ask, with an account and a paid Notey plan: a summary with action items, minutes, a follow-up message and more. Only transcript text is sent, never audio, and the AI's writing is labelled.
Getting notes back into Slack
Notey has no Slack integration and does not post anywhere. To share, export the summary or a note as Markdown, or the transcript as plain text, to the clipboard and paste it into the thread yourself. The labels for what the AI wrote and what you edited go with it. Sharing meeting notes with a team has more on what to share and what to keep back.
Choosing between them
Slack's notes fit when the huddle is team work in a channel, everyone expects notes, and you want them in the thread without another step.
A recorder on your Mac fits when you are on a free Slack plan, you want the audio kept, you want the transcript to stay on your machine, or you want to choose what reaches the channel after reading it.
There is no reason not to use both on the same huddle.
Tell people you are recording
Slack's AI notes tell everyone. Notey does not appear in the huddle and its red dot is visible only to you, so say it: "I'm recording this so I can write it up — all right?" Huddles are informal, which is why an unannounced recording of one feels like a breach when people find out. Whether you also need everyone's agreement legally depends on where they are. How to ask for consent to record has wording that works in a chat message as well as out loud.
Get a usable recording
- Headphones keep other people's voices off your microphone track. On speakers they bleed in; in Notey you can move a misplaced line to the other side.
- Check the input. Slack's huddle settings and System Settings › Sound › Input can point at different microphones.
- Bluetooth headsets often switch to a lower-quality mode when their microphone is used. Try the Mac's microphone for speaking.
The same approach works on every other call app; recording a Zoom meeting on a Mac goes through the options for Zoom in detail.
Frequently asked questions
Can Slack take notes in a huddle?
Yes, on paid plans. Slack's help centre says someone in the huddle turns on AI notes, and afterwards the notes are shared in a canvas in the huddle thread. Everyone in the huddle is notified when notes start, stop or are cancelled.
Is there a transcript of a Slack huddle?
When AI notes are on, Slack's help centre says the transcript is embedded in the notes canvas, but it does not appear in search results. Without AI notes there is no Slack transcript.
Can guests turn on Slack huddle notes?
No. Slack says all members can start AI notes, but not guests.
Does Notey record Slack huddles automatically?
No. It notices a huddle in the Slack app and asks. Nothing is saved until you press Allow, unless you have ticked "Always record" for Slack, which is listed where you can change it back.