Strandweave

Troubleshooting

If something isn't working as expected, work through the steps below. If you can't resolve the issue, contact support with a description of the problem and the details listed on that page.

Microphone not available

If Strandweave reports that no microphone is available or you cannot start a recording, check the following:

  • Strandweave has Microphone permission — go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone and make sure Strandweave is enabled.
  • The correct input device is selected — open Settings → Recording in Strandweave and choose your preferred microphone from the input picker. Press Refresh Inputs if your device was connected after the app launched.
  • If using a USB or Bluetooth microphone, confirm it is powered on and recognised by macOS before launching Strandweave.
  • If you are using a virtual audio device or VM audio, check that the device appears in System Settings → Sound → Input first.

After changing any permission, quit and relaunch Strandweave for the change to take effect.

Recording has no audio

If a session records but the audio file is silent or very quiet:

  • Confirm the correct input device is selected in Settings → Recording → Preferred input.
  • Check your Mac's input volume — go to System Settings → Sound → Input and ensure the input level meter responds when you speak.
  • Test the microphone in another app (such as Voice Memos) to rule out a hardware or system issue.

Global recording shortcut does not work

  • Open Settings → Recording and confirm the shortcut is enabled as a global shortcut.
  • Grant Strandweave Accessibility permission under System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility.
  • Make sure the shortcut includes at least one modifier key and is not already used by macOS or another app.
  • Use Reset & Re-grant, then quit and reopen Strandweave if macOS shows permission as granted but the shortcut still does nothing.

Audio, video or URL import fails

  • For a local file, confirm it is M4A, WAV, MP3, AAC, AIFF, CAF, MOV or MP4.
  • MOV and MP4 files must contain an audio track. A silent video or muted screen recording cannot be transcribed.
  • For a podcast or episode URL, first enable podcast import under Settings → Batch Automation, then use a valid RSS feed or direct episode audio URL. This import needs an internet connection.
  • Open the Import Queue to check progress or cancel an item that is no longer needed.

Transcription won't start — missing model or runtime

If the Transcribe Offline button is unavailable or Strandweave reports a missing Whisper model or runtime:

  • Open Settings → Transcription and check the Model status and Runtime status fields.
  • If no model is configured, open Model Library, choose a model suited to your Mac and download it before trying again.
  • Open Settings → Privacy & Retention → Check Strandweave Storage to verify the local storage folders and model path are accessible.

AI summaries or provider checks fail

If summarisation does not start, first confirm that a transcript exists and the session is eligible for AI processing. Sessions marked as excluded from AI exports, or sessions where consent was declined, are blocked from cloud summarisation.

  • For Claude or OpenAI, check that your API key is present in Settings → AI Providers.
  • For local Ollama, confirm Ollama is running and the selected local model is available.
  • Use the provider health check and recovery actions shown in the Summary UI or Settings.
  • Open Settings → Sessions → Semantic Search and download the local model. The first download needs an internet connection.
  • Related Meetings needs at least two eligible sessions with approved summaries.
  • If matches are too broad or too narrow, adjust Match Sensitivity in the same settings area.
  • Sessions excluded from AI exports or intelligence processing are not used for related-memory results.

Obsidian or Second Brain export issues

Obsidian and Second Brain workflows write Markdown files to a folder or vault you choose. Strandweave never writes inside .obsidian/. If export fails, confirm the destination exists, is writable and has not been moved.

In Suggest Filing Mode, low-confidence or invalid destinations fall back to the inbox. Conflict-safe updates only touch Strandweave-managed blocks and may ask you whether to keep, replace, save as new or manually merge.

Calendar or meeting prompt does not appear

  • For calendar reminders, confirm Apple Calendar shows as connected under Settings → Calendar Sync and that the session is linked to an upcoming event.
  • Turn on Prompt to record calendar meetings and check that Strandweave can show notifications in macOS System Settings.
  • For Zoom or Webex detection, turn on Prompt to record Zoom / Webex meetings and grant Accessibility permission.
  • Strandweave must be running for either prompt to appear. No prompt starts recording automatically; use the explicit Start Recording action.

Claude, Codex or another local agent cannot connect

  1. Open Settings → MCP / Local Agent Access and confirm Enable local MCP access is on.
  2. Run the matching setup action again under Set up local agents.
  3. Fully quit and restart the local agent.
  4. If Strandweave is not in Applications, confirm the configured helper path points inside the copy of Strandweave you actually use.

If the agent connects but returns no sessions, approve at least one summary and check the session's consent, sensitivity and intelligence-processing settings. Excluded or unapproved content remains unavailable. See the local agent setup guide.

Backup or restore fails

  • Confirm the destination folder exists, is writable and has enough free space.
  • Try a backup without audio if recordings make the archive too large.
  • Keep Strandweave open until the operation completes.
  • Restore only from a Strandweave library backup. Restoring replaces the active library, so create a current backup first when possible.

Transcript missing, incomplete or delayed

Wait for processing to finish

Transcription runs locally on your Mac after recording stops. Longer recordings take more time. Keep Strandweave open while it processes and avoid putting your Mac to sleep.

Check available disk space

Transcription needs free space on your startup disk. Check storage in System Settings → General → Storage, free up space if needed, then try transcribing again.

Audio quality

Low audio quality or heavy background noise can reduce transcription accuracy. For best results, use a dedicated microphone and record in a quiet environment.

Playback does not start

If a session's audio does not play back:

  • Check your Mac's output volume — adjust it using the volume keys or the Sound menu in the menu bar.
  • Confirm the correct output device is selected in System Settings → Sound → Output.
  • Close the session and reopen it.
  • Quit and relaunch Strandweave.

Storage folder missing or moved

If Strandweave cannot find your sessions after you moved or renamed the storage folder:

  • Open Settings → Privacy & Retention and use Change Folder to point Strandweave to the new location.
  • Use Check Strandweave Storage to verify the folder structure is intact.

App is not launching

macOS security prompt

If macOS shows a message like "Strandweave cannot be opened because it is from an unidentified developer", go to System Settings → Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway next to the Strandweave entry.

Force quit and relaunch

If the app is unresponsive, press ⌘ Option Esc, select Strandweave in the Force Quit window, force quit it, then relaunch.

Reinstall the app

If the app does not launch at all, drag Strandweave from your Applications folder to the Trash, download a fresh copy from the download page, and install it again.

Export issues

If an export fails or produces no output:

  • Check that you have permission to write to the chosen destination folder. Try exporting to your Desktop first to rule out a folder permissions issue.
  • Make sure the destination folder exists and is accessible (for example, an external drive that may have been disconnected).
  • Check that your disk has enough free space for the exported file.
  • If using Choose Folder and the export fails, try Export Now to write to the session's default exports folder instead.

macOS microphone permission

Strandweave requires Microphone access to record audio. This is managed in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone.

If you have revoked the permission and need to re-enable it:

  1. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone.
  2. Find Strandweave in the list and enable the toggle.
  3. Quit and relaunch Strandweave.

Licence key not accepted

Licence activation requires an internet connection because the app validates with Lemon Squeezy. Double-check that you are copying the key exactly as it appears in your confirmation email — watch for leading or trailing spaces. If you have reached the activation limit, deactivate on another Mac first. If the key is still not accepted, contact support with your order reference and we will look into it.

If a trial expires or a licence cannot be recognised, Strandweave falls back to unlimited Free rather than blocking access to your local recordings, transcripts, notes or basic exports.

Still stuck?

If none of the above resolves your issue, please contact support. Include your macOS version, your Mac model, your Strandweave app version, a description of what you were doing, and any error messages you saw. The more detail you can share, the faster we can help.