Use Patter
Settings has five tabs: General, Calendar, Models, Library, and Agents. Switching tabs keeps your edits. Use Save changes for model, template and reminder preferences; zoom and agent permissions apply immediately. Connection and backup messages stay beside the relevant controls, and setup help is expandable.
Notes and history
Create a conversation, edit its title and notes, mark actions complete, and search your library. Saved versions remain available in history; restoring an earlier version creates a new version. Archive hides a conversation from the active list and can be undone.
Use Export conversation for a JSON copy of a conversation and its saved history. Use a library backup to include the original audio.
Recordings and transcription
On launch, the packaged app offers Set up access when microphone permissions are missing. You can grant access, open macOS settings or choose Later. The check never starts recording. See permissions and recovery.
Use Record here in the selected conversation, Record… beside an Upcoming meeting, or the sidebar’s Record. The confirmation names the conversation that will receive the audio. Choose Record a new conversation instead for a separate note. Use Stop when finished; Patter finalizes and saves the recording, then automatically transcribes the new audio and creates a summary using your selected local models and template. Earlier notes, audio and transcript segments are kept. It retains audio chunks and imported originals in its local library; computer-audio capture does not save screen video.
Progress appears in the conversation. If processing fails or Patter closes partway through, use Resume transcription and summary or Retry summary. A summary retry keeps the completed transcript. Empty or failed captures do not trigger processing; very short transcripts are saved without an automatic summary. Model downloads and configuration remain in Settings.
Import audio adds a file to the currently selected conversation. Choose and download a model under Settings → Models → Transcription, then use Transcript → Transcribe recording. Local models and templates covers Parakeet v3, Whisper, download verification and repair.
Test a short disposable recording and playback before an important meeting. Live capture, long sessions and accuracy across devices still need supervised checks.
Summaries and calendar
Connect a local OpenAI-compatible model server under Settings → Models → Summaries, then use Summary → Create summary. Choose default template guidance in Settings or expand Template in a conversation to override it. Summary setup explains local server addresses, templates and preserved generated versions.
Connect calendars already present in Apple Calendar, including a Google account added to macOS Internet Accounts. Upcoming events can open notes, and Google Meet or Zoom events can offer Join. Configure reminder timing, sound, title visibility and calendars under Settings → Calendar. Patter must remain open to send reminders. Calendar and meetings explains linking, joining and recording from reminders.
Zoom and keyboard shortcuts
Choose Settings → General → Zoom, use the View menu, or press:
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| ⌘+ (or ⌘=) | Zoom in |
| ⌘− | Zoom out |
| ⌘0 | Reset to 100% |
Patter supports 75% to 200% and remembers zoom on each Mac. It applies immediately and is separate from library backup preferences. When a Settings tab has keyboard focus, use Left/Right arrows to switch tabs, or Home/End to select the first or last tab.
Move from Anarlog
Copy your Anarlog 1.0.27 Content folder and use Settings → Library → Import from Anarlog to preview and import it. Patter preserves the source and skips unchanged repeat imports. Follow storage and Anarlog import for transfer steps, retained files, backup formats and migration limits.
Connect an agent
Patter's local MCP server lets Codex, Claude or another stdio client search and work with your library while Patter is open. Access starts off, with separate read, edit and processing switches. The agent connection guide includes copyable setup prompts and commands; check the connection with patter_status before reading conversations.