granola-common-errors

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

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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)
• Ensure meeting audio is playing through your default output device
• Bluetooth devices can cause dropouts — try built-in speakers or wired headset
• Right-click Granola icon > Restart Granola, then reopen the note

"Poor Transcription Quality"

Cause	Fix
Background noise	Use noise-cancelling headset or quiet room
Echo/reverb	Smaller room, soft furnishings
Crosstalk (multiple speakers)	One person speaks at a time
Low mic volume	Position mic within 12 inches, check input levels
Non-English accents	Granola accuracy varies — speak clearly, slower

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Calendar / Meeting Detection Issues

"Meeting Not Detected"

Symptoms: Granola doesn't show the floating notepad when you join a call.

Checklist:

1. Calendar connected? Settings > Calendar — reconnect if expired
2. Event has video link? Granola only detects events with Zoom/Meet/Teams/WebEx links
3. Right calendar synced? Check that the meeting's calendar is in the sync list
4. Force refresh: Click the sync icon in Granola, wait 30 seconds
5. Manual start: Click Granola menu bar icon > Start Recording to bypass detection

"Calendar Authentication Failed"

Fix:

1. Settings > Calendar > Disconnect
2. Clear browser cookies for accounts.google.com or login.microsoftonline.com
3. Reconnect calendar in a private/incognito browser window
4. If using Google Workspace with admin restrictions, IT may need to approve Granola's OAuth app

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Integration Errors

Slack — "Channel Not Found" or Post Fails

1. Verify the channel exists and hasn't been renamed
2. Invite the Granola bot to the channel: /invite @Granola
3. Reconnect Slack at Settings > Integrations > Slack

Notion — "Database Missing" or Share Fails

1. Granola creates its own database on first connect — don't delete it
2. Reconnect Notion: Settings > Integrations > Notion > Disconnect > Reconnect
3. Granola can only write to its own database (you cannot pick a custom database)

HubSpot — "Contact Not Matched"

1. The attendee's email must match a HubSpot Contact record
2. Granola does not create new contacts automatically
3. Create the contact in HubSpot first, then re-share the note
4. For auto-creation, use Zapier with a "Find or Create Contact" action

Zapier — "Trigger Not Firing"

1. Verify Granola connection in Zapier (reconnect if needed)
2. Check that the folder name in the trigger matches exactly
3. For "Note Added to Folder" trigger, ensure the note is actually in that folder
4. Add a 2-minute delay step — notes may still be processing when the trigger fires

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App Issues

App Crashes or Freezes

# Force quit and restart
pkill -9 Granola
open -a Granola

# Clear caches if crashes persist
rm -rf ~/Library/Caches/Granola

App Won't Start After Update

# Clear preferences (you'll need to re-authenticate)
defaults delete ai.granola.app 2>/dev/null
rm -rf ~/Library/Caches/Granola

# Reinstall
brew reinstall --cask granola

"Processing Stuck" — Notes Never Finish

• Normal processing takes 1-2 minutes per meeting
• Wait up to 15 minutes for long meetings (2+ hours)
• Check internet connectivity
• Check status.granola.ai for service outages
• Restart Granola and reopen the note

Output

• Root cause identified for the specific Granola issue
• Platform-specific fix applied and verified
• Meeting capture confirmed working after remediation

Error Quick Reference

Symptom	Most Likely Cause	First Fix
No transcript	Missing Screen & System Audio permission	Grant permission, restart Granola
Transcript stops mid-meeting	Computer sleep or Bluetooth dropout	Keep awake, try wired audio
Meeting not detected	No video link in calendar event	Add conferencing link or manually start
Slack post missing	Bot not in channel	/invite @Granola
HubSpot sync fails	Contact doesn't exist	Create contact in HubSpot first
App crashes	Corrupted cache	Delete ~/Library/Caches/Granola

Resources

• Transcription Troubleshooting
• How Transcription Works
• Granola Status Page
• Granola Updates (Known Issues)

Next Steps

Proceed to granola-debug-bundle for creating comprehensive diagnostic reports.