How to Clone the Meetily Repository: Complete Setup Guide

Clone the Meetily repository using git clone https://github.com/Zackriya-Solutions/meetily.git, then initialize submodules if exploring the legacy backend, and install dependencies via pnpm and Cargo to build the privacy-first AI meeting assistant locally.

Meetily is an open-source, privacy-first AI meeting assistant built with a Tauri-based desktop stack. To start contributing or running the application locally, you must first clone the Meetily repository from GitHub. This guide walks through the complete process from initial clone to running the development server, including optional submodule initialization and dependency installation.

Prerequisites

Before you clone the Meetily repository, ensure your system meets the following requirements:

• Git installed (for cloning and submodule management)
• Node.js (v18 or later) and pnpm (preferred) or npm/yarn
• Rust toolchain (latest stable) with Cargo
• Operating System: macOS, Linux, or Windows

Cloning the Meetily Repository

Basic Clone Command

Open your terminal and run the following command to download the full codebase:

git clone https://github.com/Zackriya-Solutions/meetily.git

This creates a local meetily directory containing the complete source tree. Navigate into the project folder:

cd meetily

Initializing Git Submodules (Optional)

Meetily includes an archived Python/FastAPI backend as a Git submodule. If you plan to explore this legacy code, initialize the submodules:

git submodule update --init --recursive

Note: Most modern development targets the Tauri desktop application (Rust + Next.js), so you can skip this step if you only need the current active stack.

Project Structure Overview

After you clone the Meetily repository, you'll find the following key directories:

• frontend/ – Contains the Tauri desktop application with Rust core and Next.js UI

  • Core Tauri entry: frontend/src-tauri/src/lib.rs – registers commands and manages the application lifecycle
  • Audio processing: frontend/src-tauri/src/audio/pipeline.rs – handles audio mixing and VAD processing
  • Transcription engine: frontend/src-tauri/src/whisper_engine/whisper_engine.rs – orchestrates Whisper model loading
  • UI entry point: frontend/src/app/page.tsx – React/TypeScript interface for initiating recordings

• backend/ – Archived Python/FastAPI service (legacy, not required for current builds). Reference backend/README.md for historical context.

• docs/ – Architecture and build documentation

  • docs/architecture.md – High-level component overview and data flow
  • docs/BUILDING.md – Platform-specific compilation instructions
  • docs/GPU_ACCELERATION.md – GPU optimization for transcription

Installing Dependencies

Once inside the cloned directory, install the required dependencies for both the frontend and Rust backend.

Frontend Dependencies (Node.js)

Navigate to the frontend directory and install Node packages:

cd frontend
pnpm install

You may substitute npm install or yarn install if you prefer those package managers, though pnpm is recommended according to the source configuration.

Rust/Tauri Backend (Cargo)

Build the Rust core that powers the desktop application:

cd frontend/src-tauri
cargo build

For optimized production builds, use cargo build --release instead.

Building and Running the Application

Meetily provides convenience scripts to streamline development and production builds.

Development Mode

Run the application with hot-reloading UI and debug logging enabled:

macOS/Linux:

./clean_run.sh

Windows:

clean_run_windows.bat

For verbose debugging output, append the debug flag on macOS/Linux:

./clean_run.sh debug

Production Build

Create a distributable release build:

macOS/Linux:

./clean_build.sh

Windows:

clean_build_windows.bat

After the build completes, the Tauri desktop application launches automatically, allowing you to record, transcribe, and summarize meetings using local AI processing.

Summary

• Clone the Meetily repository with git clone https://github.com/Zackriya-Solutions/meetily.git to obtain the full source code
• Initialize submodules only if exploring the archived Python backend; skip for standard Tauri development
• Install Node dependencies via pnpm install in the frontend/ directory
• Compile the Rust core using cargo build in frontend/src-tauri/
• Run locally using ./clean_run.sh (Unix) or clean_run_windows.bat (Windows) for development, or ./clean_build.sh for production

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to initialize the Git submodules to run Meetily?

No, initializing submodules is optional. The git submodule update --init --recursive command only retrieves the archived Python/FastAPI backend code. The current active development stack resides entirely in the frontend/ directory as a Tauri application (Rust + Next.js), making submodule initialization unnecessary for standard usage.

What is the difference between clean_run.sh and clean_build.sh?

The clean_run.sh script launches the application in development mode with hot-reloading enabled for the Next.js frontend and debug logging for the Rust backend, ideal for active development. The clean_build.sh script compiles an optimized production release suitable for distribution, which takes longer but produces better performance and smaller binary sizes.

Where is the main entry point for the Rust/Tauri backend?

The main entry point is located at frontend/src-tauri/src/lib.rs. This file registers Tauri commands, initializes the audio pipeline from frontend/src-tauri/src/audio/pipeline.rs, and sets up the Whisper transcription engine referenced in frontend/src-tauri/src/whisper_engine/whisper_engine.rs.

Can I use npm instead of pnpm to install dependencies?

Yes, while pnpm is the preferred package manager for the Meetily project, you can substitute npm install or yarn install when installing dependencies in the frontend/ directory. However, pnpm offers faster installation speeds and better disk space efficiency for this monorepo structure.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}