Build a Zoom Real-time transcription bot with Recall.ai

A real-time transcription bot that integrates Recall.ai with AssemblyAI to provide live transcription of Zoom meetings.

Quickstart

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# 1. Clone and install
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git clone https://github.com/AssemblyAI/assemblyai-recallai-zoom-bot.git
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cd assemblyai-recallai-zoom-bot
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npm install
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# 2. Run ngrok and copy the ngrok URL
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# ngrok http 8000
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# 3. Configure your .env file and edit it with your API keys and ngrok URL
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cp .env.example .env
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# 4a. Open a new terminal and run
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# node webhook.js
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# 4b. Open another terminal and run
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# node zoomBot.js

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v14 or higher)
• ngrok - Installation guide
• Recall.ai API key with AssemblyAI configured

Step-by-step

Follow this step-by-step guide to set up and run the transcription bot.

Step 1: Get your API keys

1.1 Choose your Recall.ai region and get your API Key:

1.2 Configure AssemblyAI in your Recall.ai dashboard:

• Get an AssemblyAI API key from assemblyai.com
• In your Recall.ai dashboard (same region as step 1.1), navigate to the transcription providers section
• Add your AssemblyAI API key to enable AssemblyAI as a transcript provider

Step 2: Clone the example repo and install dependencies

Open a new terminal and run the following commands:

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git clone https://github.com/AssemblyAI/assemblyai-recallai-zoom-bot.git
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cd assemblyai-recallai-zoom-bot
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npm install

Step 3: Configure environment

Set up your environment variables using the example .env file in the repo:

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cp .env.example .env

Edit .env with your Recall values.

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RECALL_API_KEY=your_recall_api_key
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RECALL_REGION=us-west-2

Step 4: Start ngrok tunnel

In a new terminal, start ngrok to create a public URL for your webhook:

$
ngrok http 8000

The output should look like this:

ngrok by @inconshreveable
Session Status                online
Account                       your-account@email.com
Version                       2.3.40
Region                        United States (us)
Web Interface                 http://127.0.0.1:4040
Forwarding                    https://abc123.ngrok.io -> http://localhost:8000
Forwarding                    http://abc123.ngrok.io -> http://localhost:8000

Copy the https URL (e.g., https://abc123.ngrok.io) - you’ll need this for the next step.

Step 5: Update Webhook URL

Edit your .env file and set WEBHOOK_URL to your ngrok URL:

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WEBHOOK_URL=https://abc123.ngrok.io

Step 6: Start webhook server

In another terminal, start the webhook server (receives transcripts):

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node webhook.js

Step 7: Start the bot CLI

In another terminal, start the bot CLI (manages meeting connection):

$
node zoomBot.js

Once you run this command, you’ll see this output:

[BOT] Starting Recall.ai bot for Zoom → AssemblyAI integration
[BOT] Configured for region: us-west-2
[BOT] API endpoint: https://us-west-2.recall.ai/api/v1
[BOT] Starting application...
[BOT] Validating configuration...
[BOT] ✓ Configuration valid
[BOT] ✓ Region: us-west-2
[BOT] ✓ Webhook: https://abc123.ngrok.io
[BOT] Ready to join meeting and start transcription
What is your meeting URL?:

Step 8: Join meeting and start transcription

Enter your Zoom meeting URL when prompted:

What is your meeting URL?: https://zoom.us/j/123456789

And your terminal will look like this:

[BOT] Creating bot for meeting: https://zoom.us/j/123456789
[BOT] Webhook endpoint: https://abc123.ngrok.io/meeting_transcript
[API] POST /bot - Creating bot with AssemblyAI integration
[API] Bot created successfully
[BOT] Bot ID: bot_abc123
[BOT] Status: joining_call
[BOT] ✓ Bot deployed successfully
[BOT] Bot is joining meeting and will start sending transcripts to webhook
[BOT] Check Terminal 2 for real-time transcripts
Type "STOP" to end transcription:

In your second terminal (running webhook.js), you should see a meeting transcript of your participants:

[WEBHOOK] Server running on port 8000
[WEBHOOK] Ready to receive transcripts from Recall.ai
[WEBHOOK] Integration: Zoom → Recall.ai → AssemblyAI → This webhook
[TRANSCRIPT] PARTIAL - John Doe: Hello everyone
[TRANSCRIPT] PARTIAL - John Doe: Hello everyone, welcome to
[TRANSCRIPT] FINAL - John Doe: Hello everyone, welcome to today's meeting.
[TRANSCRIPT] FINAL - Jane Smith: Thanks for joining, let's get started with the agenda.

Step 9: Stop transcription

To stop transcribing, type “STOP” to end transcription on your third terminal running node zoomBot.js:

Type "STOP" to end transcription: STOP

Troubleshooting

Environment Variable Errors

RECALL_API_KEY not found in .env file

Solution: Make sure you copied .env.example to .env and added your API key.

RECALL_REGION must be one of: us-west-2, us-east-1, eu-central-1, ap-northeast-1

Solution: Check your .env file and ensure RECALL_REGION matches where you got your API key

Bot Creation Errors

AssemblyAI not configured

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Failed to create bot: { recording_config: { transcript: { provider: [Object] } } }

Solution: Configure AssemblyAI in your Recall.ai dashboard (Step 1.2)

Webhook Issues

No transcripts appearing

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[WEBHOOK] Server running on port 8000
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[WEBHOOK] Ready to receive transcripts from Recall.ai
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[WEBHOOK] Integration: Zoom → Recall.ai → AssemblyAI → This webhook
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(no transcript output)

Solution:

• Verify WEBHOOK_URL in .env matches your ngrok URL exactly
• Ensure ngrok is still running (it may timeout after inactivity)
• Check that the webhook server was started before the bot

ngrok connection refused

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Failed to complete tunnel connection

Solution:

• Restart ngrok: ngrok http 8000
• Update WEBHOOK_URL in .env with the new ngrok URL
• Ensure port 8000 is available

Common network issues

Timeout connecting to Recall.ai

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timeout of 10000ms exceeded

Solution:

• Check your internet connection
• Verify your RECALL_REGION is correct
• Try again after a few seconds

Bot appears to join but no transcripts

Solution:

• Ensure people are speaking in the meeting
• Check that meeting participants have unmuted their microphones
• Verify AssemblyAI is properly configured in Recall.ai dashboard

Stuck? Contact our support team at support@assemblyai.com or create a support ticket.