You know that feeling when you are on a call, trying to listen and scribble notes at the same time, and you end up doing both badly? This Toolbox pick fixes exactly that. This week: Granola.
“I run Granola on my AI, Eh? calls and don't take a single note myself. It captures the whole conversation and writes it all up for me. Then I connect it to Claude and have it build that into my own template, with a summary, the talking points, and the action items. What used to be half an hour of cleanup after a call is now a couple of minutes of reading and tweaking.”
That's genuinely how I use it, not the highlight reel.What it does
Granola is an AI notepad for meetings and calls. It listens while you talk, transcribes the whole conversation, and turns it into clean, organized notes when you are done. You can type a few notes of your own along the way if you like, but you do not have to. Unlike a lot of note-taking tools, it does not send a bot into your call. It just quietly runs on your own computer.
That also means it does not care what you are calling on. Teams, Zoom, Google Meet, whatever your workplace or your family happens to use, it works the same way. And it is not just for video calls. Sitting down for an in-person meeting? Open the app on your phone and it takes notes right there in the room. It even works from a smartwatch.
Those few minutes are for reading it over. It will occasionally mishear a name or a number, so do not skip that part.
How I've actually used it
The big win for me is being able to actually listen. On my AI, Eh? calls I used to spend half my attention typing. Now I don't type at all. I just have the conversation and let Granola capture it.
The part that really sold me is pairing it with Claude. Granola connects to Claude directly, so I can ask it to pull the full write-up from a call and build it into a template I set up once, with a summary, talking points for next time, and the action items I actually agreed to. That combo is now a standard part of how I wrap up a call. If ChatGPT is more your thing, Granola connects to it too.
The honest caveat
Because there is no bot in the call, nobody else knows Granola is listening unless you tell them. So tell them. Every time. That goes double for in-person meetings, where there is no screen or recording light to tip anyone off. Whether it is one person across the table or a whole room, a quick “mind if I use an AI note-taker?” at the start is the right thing to do, and in plenty of situations it is expected.
I also turn it off completely when a conversation gets sensitive. If you would not want it written down somewhere, do not give it to a note-taker. And on the free plan, you can only look back at your recent notes, so anything you want to keep long term is worth saving somewhere else.
Would I recommend it? Yes.
If you spend any real time on calls, it gives you your attention back. Just use it with your eyes open.
Try it yourself
Free plan, no card needed. Try it on your next call or in-person meeting, whether that is a chat with a contractor, a volunteer board meeting, or a sit-down with your financial planner.
- Go to granola.ai, download the app and sign up for free.
- Before you start, let everyone know you are using an AI note-taker, whether you are on a call or sitting in the same room.
- Start Granola, then just have your conversation. It builds the full notes when you are done.
- Read the notes over and fix any names, dates or numbers it got wrong.
- Bonus if you use Claude or ChatGPT: add Granola as a connector in the settings, then ask it to “pull my notes from today's call and list the action items.” You may need a paid plan.
Coming up
The Toolbox keeps going, one tool at a time, tested the same honest way.
Whatever AI produces for you, always read it, verify it, and make it sound like you. AI is an incredible first draft machine. Your judgment, your voice, and your values are always the final layer.