Do I still have to tell people if there's no bot in the call?

Yes. With a bot-based notetaker, the bot joining the call is itself a visible signal that something is capturing the meeting. A bot-free tool like Canary reads your computer's system audio with nothing dialing in, so there's no visible signal at all — which means the disclosure is entirely on you. 'No bot' is not the same as 'no one knows,' and the honest move is to say so upfront.

What's a good one-line script to disclose an AI notetaker?

Keep it short and matter-of-fact. Good options: 'Quick heads up — I'm using an AI tool to take notes so I can stay present.' or 'I've got an AI notetaker running for my own summary; let me know if you'd rather I turn it off.' Offering the opt-out signals that you're being transparent, not sneaky, and almost no one ever asks you to stop.

Where should I put the disclosure — verbally or in writing?

Either works, and both is best for recurring meetings. A verbal heads-up in the first 30 seconds covers the moment; a line in the calendar invite or a team norm ("we use AI notetakers on internal calls") covers it durably so you don't have to repeat yourself every time. The goal is simply that no participant is surprised to learn notes were captured.

How do I tell participants I'm using an AI notetaker?

Q: How do I tell participants I'm using an AI notetaker?

Tell participants before the meeting starts, and keep it to one plain sentence — 'Heads up, I'm using an AI tool to take notes.' Say it out loud at the top of the call, or add a line to the calendar invite so no one is surprised. This matters even with a bot-free tool like Canary that captures your computer's system audio with no bot in the call: because nothing announces itself, the disclosure is on you. A short, upfront heads-up keeps you on the right side of both meeting etiquette and recording-consent rules, which vary by region.

Tell participants before the meeting starts, and keep it to one plain sentence: “Heads up, I’m using an AI tool to take notes.” Say it out loud at the top of the call, or put a line in the calendar invite so no one is caught off guard. That single step is all it takes to handle disclosure well — for etiquette and for the law.

The exact wording

Disclosure works best when it’s short, casual, and offered without apology. Any of these is plenty:

“Quick heads up — I’m using an AI notetaker so I can stay present and not scramble to write things down.”
“I’ve got an AI tool running for my own summary of the call; let me know if you’d rather I turn it off.”
“Just so everyone knows, I’m capturing AI notes for myself on this one.”

Adding the opt-out line (“let me know if you’d rather I turn it off”) is the detail that makes it land as transparency rather than a formality. In practice almost no one asks you to stop — but offering shows you’re informing people, not working around them.

When and where to say it

Verbally, in the first 30 seconds. This covers the specific call and the people actually on it. Do it before substantive discussion starts, not after.
In the calendar invite. A single line (“AI notes will be taken on this call”) sets the expectation before anyone joins and saves you from repeating it live.
As a team norm. For recurring internal meetings, agreeing once that “we use AI notetakers” means you don’t re-disclose every time. New attendees should still get the heads-up.

The bar you’re clearing is simple: no participant should be surprised to learn notes were captured. Meet that and you’ve done it right.

Why this matters even with a bot-free tool

It’s tempting to think disclosure is only needed when a bot visibly joins the call. The opposite is closer to the truth. With a bot-based notetaker (Otter, Fireflies, and similar), the bot appearing in the participant list is itself a signal that something is recording. A bot-free tool like Canary captures your computer’s system audio locally — no bot in the call, no plugin, no virtual audio device — so nothing announces itself. That’s great for keeping the meeting normal, but it means the responsibility to disclose sits entirely with you.

This is why we frame Canary around transparency, never secrecy. The point of capturing system audio isn’t to listen in unnoticed — it’s to get a live, multi-resolution rolling summary so you can catch up the instant your name is called without disrupting the conversation. Disclosing that you’re taking notes costs you one sentence and forfeits none of that benefit.

The etiquette and the law overlap here

Telling people isn’t only courteous — in most places it’s also what keeps you compliant. Recording-consent rules range from one-party consent (one person, which can be you, must agree) to all-party consent (everyone must agree), and on remote calls participants are often in different jurisdictions at once. A clear upfront heads-up satisfies the consent requirement under essentially every regime, so you don’t have to memorize a regional matrix. For the full breakdown, see is it legal to record a meeting? — and note this is general information, not legal advice.

If you’d rather not keep a stored recording at all, that’s also an option: taking meeting notes without a bot lets you get live awareness from a real-time summary without archiving the call. You should still disclose that you’re capturing notes, but you reduce what you’re storing in the first place.

Comparing tools? Disclosure applies to all of them

Every AI notetaker — bot-based or bot-free, real-time or after-the-fact — involves capturing what was said, so the disclosure habit travels with you regardless of which tool you pick. If you’re weighing options, see how Canary compares to Otter and Granola; both produce their summaries after the meeting ends rather than during it, while Canary’s whole point is awareness while the call is still happening.

Bottom line

Say one honest sentence before the meeting starts, offer the opt-out, and put it in the invite for recurring calls. Whether your tool joins as a bot or quietly reads system audio like Canary, the rule is the same: be the reason no one is surprised. Transparency is cheap, it builds trust, and it keeps you on the right side of the consent rules everywhere.