granola-common-errors

name	granola-common-errors
description	Troubleshoot common Granola errors — audio capture failures, transcription issues, calendar sync problems, and integration errors. Platform-specific fixes for macOS and Windows. Trigger: "granola error", "granola not working", "granola not recording", "fix granola", "granola troubleshoot".
allowed-tools	Read, Write, Edit, Bash(pgrep:*), Bash(ps:*), Bash(system_profiler:*), Bash(defaults:*)
version	1.13.0
license	MIT
author	Jeremy Longshore <[e-mail]>
tags	["saas","granola","troubleshooting"]
compatibility	Designed for Claude Code, also compatible with Codex and OpenClaw

Granola Common Errors

Overview

Diagnose and fix the most common Granola issues. Each error includes platform-specific symptoms, root causes, and step-by-step remediation. Granola captures audio from your device's system audio output (not via meeting platform APIs), so most issues trace back to audio permissions or device configuration.

Prerequisites

• Granola installed (even if malfunctioning)
• Terminal access for diagnostic commands (macOS) or PowerShell (Windows)
• Admin/sudo access for permission changes

Instructions

Step 1 — Quick Diagnostic Check

# Is Granola running?
pgrep -l Granola

# What version?
defaults read /Applications/Granola.app/Contents/Info.plist CFBundleShortVersionString 2>/dev/null

# Audio devices available
system_profiler SPAudioDataType 2>/dev/null | grep -A2 "Default Input"

Step 2 — Match Your Symptom

---

Audio / Transcription Issues

"No Audio Captured" — Transcript is Empty

Root cause: Granola cannot hear system audio. On macOS, this is almost always a permissions issue.

macOS fix:

1. System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen & System Audio Recording
2. Enable Granola (this grants system audio access despite the misleading name)
3. System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone > Enable Granola
4. Restart Granola after changing permissions (right-click menu bar icon > Restart)

# Nuclear option — reset Core Audio if devices are confused
sudo killall coreaudiod
# coreaudiod restarts automatically

Windows fix:

1. Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone > Ensure Granola is enabled
2. Check that the correct audio device is set as default output
3. Right-click sound icon > Sound settings > ensure no audio enhancements are enabled

"Transcription Starts Then Stops" (4-5 Minutes In)

Root cause: Granola stops transcription when it detects no new audio for ~15 minutes, or when the computer sleeps.

Fix:

• Keep your machine awake during meetings (disable sleep/screen lock)