Convert Meeting Notes

Turn a recorded meeting into a note people actually use: what was decided, who does what by when, and what is still open, with each item traceable to the transcript.

Reasoning Framework

A transcript with headings is not notes. A useful note answers three questions: what did we decide, who owns what by when, and what is still unresolved. A script compacts the raw transcript (about a third to half smaller, speakers merged); the model extracts commitments and cites a timestamp for each, so nothing is invented and anything can be checked.

Output Contract

Artifact	Format	Handed to
Meeting note	Markdown with YAML frontmatter, Obsidian-compatible (- [ ] tasks, optional [[wikilinks]])	User's notes folder or vault
Follow-up draft (optional)	Plain text recap for the user to send	User

When to Use

• After a recorded meeting with a transcript file (Zoom and Teams export .vtt)
• When the user pastes meeting text and wants decisions and actions pulled out
• When building a searchable meeting archive in Obsidian

When NOT to Use

• User research interviews: use analyze-user-interview (research synthesis, not action items)
• A meeting that hasn't happened yet: use prompts/claude/meeting-prep-brief.xml

Inputs

1. Transcript: path to a .vtt (preferred) or .txt/.md file, or pasted text.
2. Meeting title and date: from the filename or calendar; ask if unclear.
3. Attendees and roles (optional): helps resolve speaker labels.
4. Your own notes (optional): merged in; they often capture decisions the transcript misses.
5. Output folder: Obsidian vault path, default ~/Desktop. Ask whether to use [[wikilinks]] for people.

Steps

1. Find the transcript. If an email or calendar connector (Outlook, Microsoft 365, Google) is available in this session, you may use it read-only to find the recording notice, transcript, and meeting metadata. Otherwise ask for the file path. Never send messages or accept invites.
2. Compact it (script) for .vtt files:

   python3 scripts/vtt_to_transcript.py <meeting.vtt> -o <tmp>/transcript.md
   

   Read the printed summary first. If a label looks like a room or device ("Conference Room 4B", "iPhone"), ask who was there, then rerun with --rename "Conference Room 4B=Dana Lee". For plain text, read it directly.
3. Read the compact transcript plus any user notes.
4. Extract, citing [hh:mm:ss] for each item:
   • Decisions: what was decided and by whom.
   • Action items: owner, task, due date. Use a date only if one was stated or clearly agreed; otherwise write "no date".
   • Open questions: and who can answer them.
   • Discussion: 3–7 bullets, each stating an outcome or position, not a topic ("Agreed export is the Q4 priority", not "Discussed export").
   • Risks and blockers, and follow-ups (next meeting, documents to share).
5. Don't guess. An unclear owner or date goes in "Needs confirmation", not into the task.
6. Write the note with the template below. Filename: YYYY-MM-DD Title.md. If the file exists, add a suffix instead of overwriting.
7. Optional recap. Draft a short follow-up (decisions plus action items) for the user to send themselves.

Note Template

---
type: meeting
date: 2026-09-22
title: Q4 roadmap sync
attendees: [Dana Lee, Priya Shah, Sam Ortiz]
source: 2026-09-22-roadmap-sync.vtt
tags: [meeting]
---

# Q4 roadmap sync (2026-09-22)

**Attendees:** Dana Lee (PM), Priya Shah (Eng), Sam Ortiz (Design) · **Length:** 00:52

## TL;DR
Two or three sentences: the most important decision and the most important next step.

## Decisions
- Export performance is the Q4 priority; bulk edit moves to Q1. Decided by Dana. [00:14:05]

## Action items
- [ ] Priya: estimate the export rewrite (due 2026-09-26) [00:20:11]
- [ ] Sam: share the bulk-edit flows with support (no date) [00:31:40]

## Open questions
- Do enterprise contracts promise bulk edit this year? Dana to check with sales. [00:36:02]

## Discussion
- ...

## Risks and follow-ups
- ...

## Needs confirmation
- Owner for the migration dry run was not named. [00:44:18]

For the Obsidian Tasks plugin, write due dates as 📅 2026-09-26. Use [[Dana Lee]] wikilinks only if the user opted in.

Examples

• "Turn this Zoom VTT into notes for my vault at ~/Notes/Meetings." Compact, resolve a room label, extract, and save 2026-09-22 Q4 roadmap sync.md there.
• "Here's the transcript text from Teams." Read the pasted text directly and produce the same note.

Guardrails

• No invented owners, dates, or decisions. Every item carries a timestamp or comes from the user's notes.
• Quote only verbatim text inside quotation marks.
• HR, compensation, legal, or other sensitive content: ask before writing it to a synced vault.
• Keep transcripts and notes local. Never commit them to this public repo.
• Never send email or messages. Drafts are for the user to send.

Related Skills

• analyze-user-interview: research-grade synthesis of an interview
• decision-brief: when the meeting surfaced a decision that still needs making
• prompts/claude/teams-meeting-summarizer.xml: copy-paste version for chat tools
• library/lenny-podcast/lenny-running-effective-meetings/SKILL.md: making the meeting itself better