Shorthand

Setup guide

Set up live notes.

If you already pay for Claude, ChatGPT, or Cursor, that subscription covers the note writing. Install the matching tool once (Claude Code, Codex, or Cursor CLI) and sign in.

Shorthand records and transcribes on your computer. The assistant writes the note. No separate API key. It sees the transcript and the note text, never the audio.

Do these steps before your first capture. Skip them and you still get recording and a transcript, but no note.

01

Install an assistant and sign in

Open PowerShell on Windows, or Terminal on Mac or Linux. Sign in with the account that has your subscription. It remembers you.

Claude Code

Claude Pro and Max

  1. Follow Install Claude Code.
  2. Sign in:
    claude auth login

Codex

ChatGPT Plus and Pro

  1. Follow Codex CLI: getting started.
  2. Sign in:
    codex login

Cursor CLI

Cursor subscription

  1. Follow Install Cursor CLI.
  2. Sign in:
    agent login
02

Connect Obsidian

  1. Install the Shorthand community plugin. In Obsidian choose Install, then Enable. Prefer that. Or in Shorthand, open Notes and choose Install in Obsidian.
  2. In the plugin settings, set Enhancement backend to the assistant from step 1: Claude Code (default), Codex, or Cursor CLI.

Advanced options under the same setting: an ACP agent, or LLM provider for an API key, Ollama, or another OpenAI-compatible endpoint.

No Obsidian yet? Get it at obsidian.md, then come back to the plugin link above.

03

Take your first note

  1. Keep Shorthand running and open a Markdown note in Obsidian.
  2. Open the command palette (Ctrl+P on Windows, Cmd+P on Mac) and run Shorthand: Start meeting capture on this note.
  3. Talk. The note fills in as you go.
  4. When you're done, open the command palette again (Ctrl+P / Cmd+P) and run Shorthand: Stop capture.

Solo thinking instead of a meeting? In Shorthand turn on Assisted notes under Modes → Notetaking, then use the command palette (Ctrl+P / Cmd+P) for Shorthand: Start assisted notes capture on this note.

The plugin only edits its own section of the note. Anything you write outside that stays put.

If the note never appears

Work down the list. The first fail is usually the cause.

  1. Is the assistant installed and signed in? In a new terminal, run claude auth status, codex login status, or agent status. "Not found" usually means the install didn't finish, or that terminal was opened before it did.
  2. Does the plugin point at the one you installed? Check Enhancement backend in the plugin settings.
  3. Does Notes in Shorthand show the plugin installed and enabled? If not, choose Install in Obsidian again.
  4. Is the transcript empty? Open History in Shorthand. Empty transcript is a mic or model problem, not the assistant. Check Capture and Transcription in settings.

Install on macOS

The Mac builds aren't code-signed yet, so macOS quarantines the download. Clear that once and you're good. Needs macOS 14.6 or later.

  1. Download the build for your Mac: Apple silicon or Intel. Not sure which? Apple menu → About This Mac: a Chip line means Apple silicon; a Processor line means Intel.
  2. Open the .dmg and drag Shorthand into Applications.
  3. In Terminal, clear the quarantine:
    xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Shorthand.app
  4. Open Shorthand from Applications.

Prefer not to use Terminal? Open Shorthand once, let macOS refuse it, then go to System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down, and choose Open Anyway.