Meeting Minutes Taker

Transform raw meeting transcripts into comprehensive, evidence-based meeting minutes through iterative review.

Quick Start

Pre-processing (Optional but Recommended):

Document conversion: Use doc-to-markdown skill to convert .docx/.pdf to Markdown first (preserves tables/images)
Transcript cleanup: Use transcript-fixer skill to fix ASR/STT errors if transcript quality is poor
Context file: Prepare context.md with team directory for accurate speaker identification

Core Workflow:

Read the transcript provided by user
Load project-specific context file if provided by user (optional)
Intelligent file naming: Auto-generate filename from content (see below)
Speaker identification: If transcript has "Speaker 1/2/3", identify speakers before generation
Multi-turn generation: Use multiple passes or subagents with isolated context, merge using UNION
Self-review using references/completeness_review_checklist.md
Present draft to user for human line-by-line review
Cross-AI comparison (optional): Human may provide output from other AI tools (e.g., Gemini, ChatGPT) - merge to reduce bias
Iterate on feedback until human approves final version

Intelligent File Naming

Auto-generate output filename from transcript content:

Pattern: YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>-<type>.md

Component Source Examples

Date Transcript metadata or first date mention 2026-01-25

Topic Main discussion subject (2-4 words, kebab-case) api-design , product-roadmap

Type Meeting category review , sync , planning , retro , kickoff

Examples:

2026-01-25-order-api-design-review.md
2026-01-20-q1-sprint-planning.md
2026-01-18-onboarding-flow-sync.md

Ask user to confirm the suggested filename before writing.

Core Workflow

Copy this checklist and track progress:

Meeting Minutes Progress:

Note: <output_dir> = directory where final meeting minutes will be saved (e.g., project-docs/meeting-minutes/) Note: <transcript-name> = name derived from transcript file (e.g., 2026-01-15-product-api-design)

Step 1: Read and Analyze Transcript

Analyze the transcript to identify:

Meeting topic and attendees
Key decisions with supporting quotes
Action items with owners
Deferred items / open questions

Step 1.5: Speaker Identification (When Needed)

Trigger: Transcript only has generic labels like "Speaker 1", "Speaker 2", "发言人1", etc.

Approach (inspired by Anker Skill):

Phase A: Feature Analysis (Pattern Recognition)

For each speaker, analyze:

Feature What to Look For

Word count Total words spoken (high = senior/lead, low = observer)

Segment count Number of times they speak (frequent = active participant)

Avg segment length Average words per turn (long = presenter, short = responder)

Filler ratio % of filler words (对/嗯/啊/就是/然后) - low = prepared speaker

Speaking style Formal/informal, technical depth, decision authority

Topic focus Areas they discuss most (backend, frontend, product, etc.)

Interaction pattern Do others ask them questions? Do they assign tasks?

Example analysis output:

Speaker Analysis: ┌──────────┬────────┬──────────┬─────────────┬─────────────┬────────────────────────┐ │ Speaker │ Words │ Segments │ Avg Length │ Filler % │ Role Guess │ ├──────────┼────────┼──────────┼─────────────┼─────────────┼────────────────────────┤ │ 发言人1 │ 41,736 │ 93 │ 449 chars │ 3.6% │ 主讲人 (99% of content)│ │ 发言人2 │ 101 │ 8 │ 13 chars │ 4.0% │ 对话者 (short responses)│ └──────────┴────────┴──────────┴─────────────┴─────────────┴────────────────────────┘

Inference rules:

占比 > 70% + 平均长度 > 100字 → 主讲人
平均长度 < 50字 → 对话者/响应者
语气词占比 < 5% → 正式/准备充分
语气词占比 > 10% → 非正式/即兴发言

Phase B: Context Mapping (If Context File Provided)

When user provides a project context file (e.g., context.md ):

Load team directory section
Match feature patterns to known team members
Cross-reference roles with speaking patterns

Context file should include:

Team Directory

Name	Role	Communication Style
Alice	Backend Lead	Technical, decisive, assigns backend tasks
Bob	PM	Product-focused, asks requirements questions
Carol	TPM	Process-focused, tracks timeline/resources

Phase C: Confirmation Before Proceeding

CRITICAL: Never silently assume speaker identity.

Present analysis summary to user:

Speaker Analysis:

Speaker 1 → Alice (Backend Lead) - 80% confidence based on: technical focus, task assignment pattern
Speaker 2 → Bob (PM) - 75% confidence based on: product questions, requirements discussion
Speaker 3 → Carol (TPM) - 70% confidence based on: timeline concerns, resource tracking

Please confirm or correct these mappings before I proceed.

After user confirmation, apply mappings consistently throughout the document.

Step 1.7: Transcript Quality Assessment (Optional)

Evaluate transcript quality to determine processing depth:

Scoring Criteria (1-10 scale):

Factor Score Impact

Content volume

10k chars: +2, 5-10k: +1, <2k: cap at 3

Filler word ratio <5%: +2, 5-10%: +1, >10%: -1

Speaker clarity Main speaker >80%: +1 (clear presenter)

Technical depth High technical content: +1

Quality Tiers:

Score Tier Processing Approach

≥8 High Full structured minutes with all sections, diagrams, quotes

5-7 Medium Standard minutes, focus on key decisions and action items

<5 Low Summary only - brief highlights, skip detailed transcription

Example assessment:

📊 Transcript Quality Assessment:

Content: 41,837 chars (+2)
Filler ratio: 3.6% (+2)
Main speaker: 99% (+1)
Technical depth: High (+1) → Quality Score: 10/10 (High) → Recommended: Full structured minutes with diagrams

User decision point: If quality is Low (<5), ask user:

"Transcript quality is low (碎片对话/噪音较多). Generate full minutes or summary only?"

Step 2: Multi-Turn Initial Generation (Critical)

A single pass will absolutely lose content. Use multi-turn generation with redundant complete passes:

Core Principle: Multiple Complete Passes + UNION Merge

Each pass generates COMPLETE minutes (all sections) from the full transcript. Multiple passes with isolated context catch different details. UNION merge consolidates all findings.

❌ WRONG: Narrow-focused passes (wastes tokens, causes bias)

Pass 1: Only extract decisions Pass 2: Only extract action items Pass 3: Only extract discussion

✅ CORRECT: Complete passes with isolated context

Pass 1: Generate COMPLETE minutes (all sections) → version1.md Pass 2: Generate COMPLETE minutes (all sections) with fresh context → version2.md Pass 3: Generate COMPLETE minutes (all sections) with fresh context → version3.md Merge: UNION all versions, consolidate duplicates → draft_minutes.md

Strategy A: Sequential Multi-Pass (Complete Minutes Each Pass)

Pass 1: Read transcript → Generate complete minutes → Write to: <output_dir>/intermediate/version1.md Pass 2: Fresh context → Read transcript → Generate complete minutes → Write to: <output_dir>/intermediate/version2.md Pass 3: Fresh context → Read transcript → Generate complete minutes → Write to: <output_dir>/intermediate/version3.md Merge: Read all versions → UNION merge (consolidate duplicates) → Write to: draft_minutes.md Final: Compare draft against transcript → Add any remaining omissions → final_minutes.md

Strategy B: Parallel Multi-Agent (Complete Minutes Each Agent) - PREFERRED

MUST use the Task tool to spawn multiple subagents with isolated context, each generating complete minutes:

Implementation using Task tool:

// Launch ALL 3 subagents in PARALLEL (single message, multiple Task tool calls) Task(subagent_type="general-purpose", prompt="Generate complete meeting minutes from transcript...", run_in_background=false) → version1.md Task(subagent_type="general-purpose", prompt="Generate complete meeting minutes from transcript...", run_in_background=false) → version2.md Task(subagent_type="general-purpose", prompt="Generate complete meeting minutes from transcript...", run_in_background=false) → version3.md

// After all complete: Main Agent: Read all versions → UNION merge, consolidate duplicates → draft_minutes.md

CRITICAL: Subagent Prompt Must Include:

Full path to transcript file
Full path to output file (version1.md, version2.md, version3.md in transcript-specific subdirectory)
Context files to load (project-specific context if provided, meeting_minutes_template.md)
Reference images/documents if provided by user
Output language requirement (match user's language preference, preserve technical terms in English)
Quote formatting requirement (see Quote Formatting Requirements section below)

Why multiple complete passes work:

Each pass independently analyzes the SAME content
Different context states catch different details (no single pass catches everything)
Pass 1 might catch decision X but miss action item Y
Pass 2 might catch action item Y but miss decision X
UNION merge captures both X and Y

Why isolated context matters:

Each pass/agent starts fresh without prior assumptions
No cross-contamination between passes
Different "perspectives" emerge naturally from context isolation

Progressive Context Offloading (Use File System)

Critical: Write each pass output to files, not conversation context.

Path Convention: All intermediate files should be created in a transcript-specific subdirectory under <output_dir>/intermediate/ to avoid conflicts between different transcripts being processed.

CRITICAL: Use transcript-specific subdirectory structure:

<output_dir>/intermediate/<transcript-name>/version1.md <output_dir>/intermediate/<transcript-name>/version2.md <output_dir>/intermediate/<transcript-name>/version3.md

Example: If final minutes will be project-docs/meeting-minutes/2026-01-14-api-design.md , then:

Intermediate files: project-docs/meeting-minutes/intermediate/2026-01-14-api-design/version1.md
This prevents conflicts when multiple transcripts are processed in the same session
The intermediate/ folder should be added to .gitignore (temporary working files)

// Create transcript-specific subdirectory first mkdir: <output_dir>/intermediate/<transcript-name>/

// Launch all 3 subagents IN PARALLEL (must be single message with 3 Task tool calls) Task 1 → Write to: <output_dir>/intermediate/<transcript-name>/version1.md (complete minutes) Task 2 → Write to: <output_dir>/intermediate/<transcript-name>/version2.md (complete minutes) Task 3 → Write to: <output_dir>/intermediate/<transcript-name>/version3.md (complete minutes)

Merge Phase: Read: <output_dir>/intermediate/<transcript-name>/version1.md Read: <output_dir>/intermediate/<transcript-name>/version2.md Read: <output_dir>/intermediate/<transcript-name>/version3.md → UNION merge, consolidate duplicates, INCLUDE ALL DIAGRAMS → Write to: draft_minutes.md

Final Review: Read: draft_minutes.md Read: original_transcript.md → Compare & add omissions → Write to: final_minutes.md

Benefits of file-based context offloading:

Conversation context stays clean (avoids token overflow)
Intermediate results persist (can be re-read if needed)
Each pass starts with fresh context window
Merge phase reads only what it needs
Human can inspect intermediate files for review - Critical for understanding what each pass captured
Supports very long transcripts that exceed context limits
Enables post-hoc debugging - If final output is missing something, human can trace which pass missed it

IMPORTANT: Always preserve intermediate versions in transcript-specific subdirectory:

<output_dir>/intermediate/<transcript-name>/version1.md , version2.md , version3.md
Each subagent output
These files help human reviewers understand the merge process
Do NOT delete intermediate files after merge
Human may want to compare intermediate versions to understand coverage gaps
Add intermediate/ to .gitignore
These are temporary working files, not final deliverables
Transcript-specific subdirectory prevents conflicts when processing multiple transcripts

Output Requirements

Chinese output with English technical terms preserved
Evidence-based decisions - Every significant decision needs a supporting quote
Structured sections - Executive Summary, Key Decisions, Discussion, Action Items, Parking Lot
Proper quote formatting - See Quote Formatting Requirements section below
Mermaid diagrams (STRONGLY ENCOURAGED) - Visual diagrams elevate minutes beyond pure text:
ER diagrams for database/schema discussions
Sequence diagrams for data flow and API interactions
Flowcharts for process/workflow decisions
State diagrams for state machine discussions
Diagrams make minutes significantly easier for humans to review and understand
Context-first document structure - Place all reviewed artifacts (UI mockups, API docs, design images) at the TOP of the document (after metadata, before Executive Summary) to establish context before decisions; copy images to meeting-media/<meeting-name>/ folder and embed inline using syntax; include brief descriptions with the visuals - this creates "next level" human-readable minutes where readers understand what was discussed before reading the discussion
Speaker attribution - Correctly attribute decisions to speakers

Key Rules

Never assume - Ask user to confirm if unclear
Quote controversial decisions verbatim
Assign action items to specific people, not teams
Preserve numerical values (ranges, counts, priorities)
Always use multiple passes - Single turn is guaranteed to lose content
Normalize equivalent terminology - Treat trivial variations (e.g., "backend architecture" vs "backend", "API endpoint" vs "endpoint") as equivalent; do NOT point out or highlight such differences between speakers
Single source of truth - Place each piece of information in ONE location only; avoid duplicating tables, lists, or summaries across sections (e.g., API list belongs in Discussion OR Reference, not both)

Step 3: Self-Review for Completeness

After initial generation, immediately review against transcript:

Completeness Checklist:

All discussion topics covered?
All decisions have supporting quotes?
All speakers attributed correctly?
All action items have specific owners?
Numerical values preserved (ranges, counts)?
Entity relationships captured?
State machines complete (all states listed)?

If gaps found, add missing content silently without mentioning what was missed.

Step 4: Present to User for Human Review

Present the complete minutes as a draft for human review. Emphasize:

Minutes require careful line-by-line human review
Domain experts catch terminology conflicts AI may miss
Final version emerges through iterative refinement

User may:

Accept as-is (rare for complex meetings)
Request deeper review for missing content
Identify terminology issues (e.g., naming conflicts with existing systems)
Provide another AI's output for cross-comparison

Step 5: Cross-AI Comparison (Reduces Bias)

When human provides output from another AI tool (e.g., Gemini, ChatGPT, etc.):

This step is valuable because:

Different AI models have different biases - Each AI catches different details
Cross-validation - Content appearing in both outputs is likely accurate
Gap detection - Content in one but not the other reveals potential omissions
Error correction - One AI may catch factual errors the other missed (e.g., wrong date, wrong attendee name)

Comparison Process:

Read the external AI output carefully
Identify items present in external output but missing from our draft
Verify each item against original transcript before adding (don't blindly copy)
Identify items where external AI has errors (wrong facts) - note but don't copy errors
UNION merge valid new content into our draft
Document any corrections made based on cross-comparison

Example findings from cross-AI comparison:

Missing decision about API authentication method ✓ (add to our draft)
Missing naming convention specification ✓ (add to our draft)
Wrong date (2026-01-13 vs actual 2026-01-14) ✗ (don't copy error)
Wrong attendee name ✗ (don't copy error)
Missing database performance concern ✓ (add to parking lot)

Step 6: Iterate on Human Feedback (Critical)

When user requests deeper review ("deep review", "check again", "anything missing"):

Re-read transcript section by section
Compare each section against current minutes
Look for: entities, field names, numerical ranges, state transitions, trade-offs, deferred items
Add any omitted content
Never claim "nothing missing" without thorough section-by-section review

When user provides another version to merge:

Merge Principle: UNION, never remove

Keep ALL content from existing version
Add ALL new content from incoming version
Consolidate duplicates (don't repeat same info)
Preserve more detailed version when depth differs
Maintain logical section numbering

Aggressive Diagram Inclusion (CRITICAL)

During merge phase, MUST aggressively include ALL diagrams from ALL versions.

Diagrams are high-value content that took effort to generate. Different subagents may produce different diagrams based on what they focused on. Missing a diagram during merge is a significant loss.

Merge diagram strategy:

Inventory ALL diagrams from each version (v1, v2, v3)
Include ALL unique diagrams - don't assume a diagram is redundant
If similar diagrams exist, keep the more detailed/complete one
Check every section that could contain diagrams: Executive Summary, Discussion, API design, State machines, Data flow, etc.

Common diagram types to look for:

Sequence diagrams (data flow, API interactions)
ER diagrams (database schema, table relationships)
State diagrams (state machines, status transitions)
Flowcharts (decision flows, process workflows)
Component diagrams (system architecture)

Example: Missed diagram from v3 If v3 has a flowchart for "Status Query Mechanism" but v1/v2 don't have it, that flowchart MUST appear in the merged output. Don't assume it's covered by other diagrams.

Output Language

Primary: Match the language of the transcript (or user's preference if specified)
Preserve in English: Technical terms, entity names, abbreviations (standard practice)
Quotes: Keep original language from transcript

Reference Files

File When to Load

meeting_minutes_template.md First generation - Contains template structure

completeness_review_checklist.md During review steps - Contains completeness checks

context_file_template.md When helping user create context.md - Contains team directory template

Project context file (user-provided) When user provides project-specific context (team directory, terminology, conventions)

Recommended Pre-processing Pipeline

Full pipeline for .docx transcripts:

Step 0: doc-to-markdown # Convert .docx → Markdown (preserves tables/images) ↓ Step 0.5: transcript-fixer # Fix ASR errors (optional, if quality is poor) ↓ Step 1+: meeting-minutes-taker # Generate structured minutes

Commands:

1. Install markitdown (one-time)

uv tool install "markitdown[pdf]"

2. Convert .docx to markdown

markitdown "录音转写.docx" -o transcript.md

3. Then use meeting-minutes-taker on transcript.md

Benefits of combo workflow:

Tables preserved: markitdown converts Word tables to Markdown tables
Images extracted: Can be embedded in final minutes
Cleaner quotes: transcript-fixer removes ASR typos before quote extraction
Accurate speaker ID: Style analysis works better on clean text
正交设计: Each skill does one thing well, composable pipeline

Common Patterns

Architecture Discussions → Mermaid Diagrams (Next-Level Minutes)

Diagrams elevate meeting minutes beyond pure text. They make complex discussions immediately understandable for human reviewers. Always look for opportunities to add visual diagrams.

When to Use Diagrams:

Data flow discussions → Sequence diagram
Database schema discussions → ER diagram
Process/workflow decisions → Flowchart
State machine discussions → State diagram
System architecture → Component diagram

Example: Data Flow (Sequence Diagram)

sequenceDiagram participant FE as Frontend participant BE as Backend participant SVC as External Service participant DB as Database FE->>BE: Click "Submit Order" BE->>SVC: POST /process (send data) SVC-->>BE: Return {status} BE->>DB: Save result BE-->>FE: Return success

Example: Database Schema (ER Diagram)

erDiagram ORDER ||--o{ ORDER_ITEM : "1:N" ORDER { uuid id PK string customer_name decimal total_amount } ORDER_ITEM { uuid id PK uuid order_id FK int quantity }

Example: Version Switching (Workflow Diagram)

sequenceDiagram participant User participant System Note over System: Current: V2 Active User->>System: Create V3 (inactive) User->>System: Set V2 inactive User->>System: Set V3 active Note over System: New: V3 Active

Quote Formatting Requirements (CRITICAL)

Quotes MUST use proper markdown blockquote format on separate lines:

❌ WRONG: Inline quote format

Quote: > "This is wrong" - Speaker

✅ CORRECT: Blockquote on separate lines

Quote:

"This is the correct format" - Speaker

✅ CORRECT: Multiple quotes

Quote:

"First quote from the discussion" - Speaker1 "Second quote supporting the same decision" - Speaker2

Key formatting rules:

- Quote: on its own line (no quote content on this line)
Blank line NOT needed after * Quote:
Quote content indented with 2 spaces, then > prefix
Speaker attribution at end of quote line: - SpeakerName
Multiple quotes use same indentation, each on its own line

Technical Decisions → Decision Block

2.X [Category] Decision Title

Decision: Specific decision made
Logic:
- Reasoning point 1
- Reasoning point 2
Quote:

"Exact quote from transcript" - Speaker Name

Deferred Items → Parking Lot

Items with keywords like "defer to later", "Phase 2", "not in MVP" go to Parking Lot with context.

Human-in-the-Loop Iteration (Essential)

Meeting minutes are not one-shot outputs. High-quality minutes emerge through multiple review cycles:

Why Human Review is Critical

Terminology conflicts: Humans know existing system naming (e.g., "Note" already means comments in the existing system)
Domain context: Humans catch when a term could be confused with another (e.g., "UserProfile" vs "Account")
Organizational knowledge: Humans know team conventions and prior decisions
Completeness gaps: Humans can request "deep review" review when something feels missing

Example Iteration Pattern

Round 1: Initial generation └─ Human review: "Check original transcript for missing items" Round 2: Deep transcript review, add omitted content └─ Human review: "UserProfile conflicts with existing Account entity naming" Round 3: Update terminology to use "CustomerProfile" instead └─ Human review: "Note field conflicts with existing Comment system" Round 4: Update to use "Annotation" instead of "Note" └─ Human approval: Final version ready

Key Principle

The AI generates the first draft; humans refine to the final version. Never assume the first output is complete or uses correct terminology. Always encourage human review and be ready for multiple iteration cycles.

Anti-Patterns

❌ Single-pass generation - One turn through transcript will absolutely lose content
❌ Divided sections without overlap - Each pass must cover FULL transcript, not split by sections
❌ Narrow-focused passes - Each pass must generate COMPLETE minutes (all sections), not just one section type (wastes tokens, causes bias)
❌ Generic summaries without supporting quotes
❌ Action items assigned to "team" instead of specific person
❌ Missing numerical values (priorities, ranges, state counts)
❌ State machines with incomplete states
❌ Circular debate transcribed verbatim instead of summarized
❌ Removing content during multi-version merge
❌ Claiming "nothing missing" without section-by-section review
❌ Treating first draft as final without human review
❌ Using terminology without checking for conflicts with existing systems
❌ Shared context between subagents (causes cross-contamination and missed content)
❌ Keeping all intermediate outputs in conversation context (causes token overflow, use file system)
❌ Pure text minutes without diagrams - Architecture/schema discussions deserve visual representation
❌ Deleting intermediate files after merge - Preserve for human review and debugging
❌ Blindly copying external AI output - Always verify against transcript before merging
❌ Ignoring cross-AI comparison opportunity - Different AI models catch different details
❌ Sequential subagent execution - MUST launch v1, v2, v3 subagents in PARALLEL using multiple Task tool calls in a single message
❌ Flat intermediate directory - MUST use transcript-specific subdirectory intermediate/<transcript-name>/ to avoid conflicts
❌ Inline quote formatting - Quotes MUST use blockquote format on separate lines, not inline > "quote"
❌ Omitting diagrams during merge - MUST aggressively include ALL diagrams from ALL versions, even if they seem similar
❌ Highlighting trivial terminology variations - Do NOT point out differences like "backend architecture" vs "backend" or "API" vs "endpoint" between speakers; these are equivalent terms and highlighting such differences is disrespectful
❌ Duplicate content across sections - Do NOT repeat the same information in multiple sections (e.g., API endpoint table in both "Discussion" and "Reference"); place content in ONE authoritative location and reference it if needed
❌ Creating non-existent links - Do NOT create markdown links to files that don't exist in the repo (e.g., doc.md ); use plain text for external/local documents not in the repository
❌ Losing content during consolidation - When moving or consolidating sections, verify ALL bullet points and details are preserved; never summarize away specific details like "supports batch operations" or "button triggers auto-save"
❌ Appending domain details to role titles - Use ONLY the Role column from Team Directory for speaker attribution (e.g., "Backend", "Frontend", "TPM"); do NOT append specializations like "Backend, Infrastructure" or "Backend, Business Logic" - all team members with the same role should have identical attribution

Next Step: Export to Deliverable Format

After structuring meeting minutes, suggest exporting:

Meeting minutes complete: [N] decisions, [M] action items captured.

Options: A) Export as PDF — run /pdf-creator (Recommended for sharing) B) Export as slides — run /ppt-creator (for presentation) C) No thanks — the markdown is sufficient

meeting-minutes-taker

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Copy this and send it to your AI assistant to learn

Team Directory

1. Install markitdown (one-time)

2. Convert .docx to markdown

3. Then use meeting-minutes-taker on transcript.md

2.X [Category] Decision Title

Source Transparency

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