Trace is a shortcut‑driven Mac app that records and transcribes meetings entirely on‑device. After struggling with MacWhisper’s pre‑call setup, the developer created a translucent bar that pops up with a single global shortcut. A second shortcut flags key moments with inline notes, keeping the workflow in one invisible pane.

Each session captures mic and system audio as two tracks, then runs on‑device diarization to label speakers as Speaker 1, Speaker 2, etc. Users can summon a live recap of the last two minutes with ⌘?, which stitches subtitles and marked moments. All transcription models download once—about 500 MB from Hugging Face—and then run offline.

Trace ships for £9.99 on the macOS App Store and requires macOS 14 or later on Apple silicon. No accounts, no cloud uploads, no telemetry—audio and markdown files live only on the user’s disk. The developer invites feedback after months of daily use, noting the app has tightened his workflow by keeping note‑taking and summarization within a single keyboard‑driven tool.

Users can also link Google Calendar to auto‑name sessions, though it requires a network call only on the first run for model download. The sidebar menu offers quick access to past transcripts, allowing users to copy, reveal in Finder, or reopen without switching apps. With markdown output, the text can be pasted into Notion, Obsidian, or any LLM for further processing.