Notetaker Didn't Join

If the AskElephant notetaker isn't appearing in your meeting — or it joined but never started recording — walk through these checks in order. The waiting room is the most common cause by a wide margin.

Start with the waiting room

This is the #1 reason notetakers don't record. Check your meeting's waiting room and click Admit.

Google Meet (March 2026 change). Google's safeguarded guest admit flow may show Deny as the default. To admit the bot:

1. Open the people panel.

2. Find the AskElephant bot request.

3. Click the three-dot menu (⋮) next to it.

4. Select Allow.

Only the host or co-host sees this option. If you're not the host, ask them to admit the bot.

To prevent this going forward:

• Zoom: Settings → Security → Turn off "Waiting Room for all participants".

• Teams and Google Meet: waiting rooms are off by default; check if yours was changed.

Check the status indicator

In My Meetings, find your meeting and look at the colored dot:

• Blue: preparing (normal).

• Yellow: trying to join — wait 30 seconds.

• Green: recording.

• Red: failed to join.

If it's red, send the notetaker manually: click Send Notetaker in the left sidebar, paste the meeting URL, then admit the bot from the waiting room.

Verify the calendar event has a meeting link

The notetaker only joins events that have a meeting URL. No link means no notetaker, and the meeting shows as Will not be recorded in Upcoming Meetings beforehand.

1. Open the calendar event and click it to view the details.

2. Check for a Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Meet link.

3. If there is no link, edit the event, add one, and save.

4. If you are not the organizer, ask them to add a link, or use Send Notetaker with the URL pasted in.

Wrapped or redirected URLs

If your company uses email security (Mimecast, Proofpoint, etc.), meeting links may be rewritten to redirect through url.us.m.mimecastprotect.com or similar. AskElephant can't follow wrapped links.

Fixes:

• Use Send Notetaker and paste the direct URL (one that starts with teams.microsoft.com, zoom.us, or meet.google.com).

• For recurring meetings, ask IT to bypass URL wrapping for meeting domains in calendar invites.

• For external meetings you can't edit, use manual Send Notetaker each time.

Last-minute calendar edits

If you add or change the meeting link shortly before the meeting starts, the notetaker may not pick up the update in time. Add links at least a few minutes before the start, or use Send Notetaker manually.

Bot joined but no one else did

The notetaker requires at least one other participant. If the bot sits alone for 15-20 minutes, it leaves automatically — no recording is generated. If other attendees show up after that, you'll need to record manually or re-send the notetaker.

Workspace vs. personal settings

Click Your Name → Workspace → Notetaker Settings and verify:

• Join Offset: set to join a few minutes before start.

• When to Record: All Meetings, or your preferred scope.

• Recording Mode: Audio Only, Speaker View, or Gallery View (all work).

If your workspace records external meetings only but you want to record internal ones, flip the Use workspace settings toggle off under your personal Notetaker settings, then set your own preference.

Host permissions

If you're not the meeting host, the host's recording settings take precedence. Ask the host to admit the bot and confirm their settings allow recording.

Still stuck?

Check the event log on the meeting page — it usually tells you exactly why the notetaker didn't record (nobody admitted it, wrong link, bot timed out alone, etc.). If it's still unclear, contact support with the meeting link. See Meeting recording & transcription for the full troubleshooting guide.