Show HN: ExtraBrain - local-first desktop copilot for live calls
4 comments
If you ever need diarization on top of your local transcription capabilities, speech-swift (which I maintain) offers a headless pyannote diarization module that could complement ExtraBrain's live workspace. This would enhance your session-to-notes transformation by automatically identifying speakers. https://soniqo.audio/guides/diarize
intersting, I will check it, thanks
Been running something similar called LiveSuggest (livesuggest.ai) for a while. The browser-only vs native desktop tradeoff is interesting. No install means anyone can try it in 30 seconds and it works on any OS, but you give up the local-first angle. Curious if you considered a web extension route at any point, or if local model support was always the requirement that pushed you toward a native app.
Hi, some people just need a little extra help in those live calls. Specially more nervous and introverted people. Will there be abuse by some, yeah probably...
I built it because I kept running into the same problem in high-pressure live conversations: the call moves faster than my notes. By the time I’ve captured the prompt, constraints, edge cases, or action items, the conversation has already shifted.
ExtraBrain is a Mac desktop app that gives you a private live workspace during interviews, meetings, lectures, and research calls. It can transcribe the session, keep track of context, help structure answers or follow-ups, and turn the session into notes afterward.
A few things I cared about while building it:
It’s local-first: transcripts, screenshots, prompts, and notes can stay on your Mac. It supports local transcription / local models where installed and compatible. You can bring your own OpenAI, Anthropic, Claude, Codex, or compatible provider access. It does not join your meeting as a bot. The free version is usable; Pro adds workflow/history/profile features. I know the interview-assistant category is sensitive. My intent is not to help people misrepresent their skills. I’m trying to build a tool for live thinking, accessibility, note-taking, preparation, and post-session review. People should still follow the rules of their interview, school, workplace, or platform.
I’d especially love feedback on:
whether the local-first/privacy model is clear enough whether the setup feels too heavy for a normal Mac user what responsible-use boundaries you’d expect from a tool like this whether “meeting copilot” or “interview copilot” better explains the product
Mac version is available now: https://extrabrain.app
Happy to answer questions, and genuinely curious where HN thinks this kind of tool should draw the line.