AI notetaker bots › Fireflies.ai
Fred from Fireflies: what it is and how to remove it
“Fred” is Fireflies’ AI notetaker. It is invited through the address fred@fireflies.ai, and in the call it appears as “Fireflies.ai Notetaker”. The host can remove it from the participant list; the Fireflies user can stop it from their dashboard or set auto-join to “Only when I invite fred@fireflies.ai”. Checked 25 Sep 2026.
Why is Fred in my meeting?
Someone on the call uses Fireflies. Either their calendar is connected with auto-join on — the options are all meetings with a web-conferencing link, only meetings they own, only meetings with teammates, or only when they invite fred@fireflies.ai — or fred@fireflies.ai was added to the invitation by hand (Fireflies help). Fireflies waits to be admitted if the meeting has a waiting room or lobby, and it starts recording only once it is in.
Who gets Fred’s notes?
By default, everyone on the invitation. Fireflies’ recap email setting “Send email recap to” starts at “Everyone on the invite”, internal and external guests alike; the Fireflies user can narrow it to their team or to themselves (Fireflies help). Of the six bots we track, it is the only one whose help pages document sending notes to every invitee as the default.
Is it always called “Fireflies.ai Notetaker”?
No. A custom name is a paid add-on on Pro and Business and included on Enterprise, up to 30 characters, and it shows only in meetings that user hosts or invites Fireflies to (Fireflies help). So a renamed Fireflies bot can carry any name; fred@fireflies.ai on the invitation is the surer sign.
What the Fireflies bot looks like in the call
How do you remove the Fireflies bot from a meeting?
Fireflies.ai’s own instructions: Remove it from the participant list, stop it from the live-meeting banner in the Fireflies dashboard, or take fred@fireflies.ai off the invitation; removed within 3 minutes, it creates no transcript. On the platform side:
Remove the Fireflies bot in Zoom
Removed within its first 3 minutes, Fireflies creates no transcript or notes, per Fireflies' own help page.
- Host or co-host: open Participants, hover over the bot, click More and choose Remove. A removed participant can't rejoin unless you allow participants to rejoin. Zoom support
- Or choose Put in waiting room from the same menu to hold it outside the call. Zoom support
Keep the Fireflies bot out of the next Zoom meeting
- Turn on the waiting room for "Users not in your account" or "Users not on the meeting invite", and admit people one by one. Zoom support
- Turn on "Only authenticated users can join meetings" (Settings › Meeting › Security), or "Require authentication to join" for one meeting. Zoom support
- Account owners and admins can block users authenticated with specific domains from joining meetings the account hosts. Zoom support
These settings filter by account, invitation and domain. None of the Zoom pages above describes recognising a bot as a bot, so a bot that is on the invite can still pass them.
Remove the Fireflies bot in Google Meet
Take fred@fireflies.ai off the calendar invitation first. While the bot waits to join, Meet may list it under "With potential risks" — choose Deny.
- Open People, click More options next to the bot and choose Remove from the call. While it is still asking to join, choose Deny. Google Meet Help
Keep the Fireflies bot out of the next Google Meet meeting
- Set the meeting access type to Restricted and turn off "Anyone can ask to join": "third-party bots, like note takers, that attempt to use 'Ask to join' are automatically denied". Google Workspace Learning Center
Restricted still lets in anyone invited through the Google Calendar event, so a bot whose address is on the invitation is not stopped by it. Take that address off the invite first.
Remove the Fireflies bot in Microsoft Teams
Removed within its first 3 minutes, Fireflies creates no transcript or notes, per Fireflies' own help page.
- Organizer or presenter: open Participants, click More options next to the bot and choose Remove from meeting. Otter help center
Keep the Fireflies bot out of the next Microsoft Teams meeting
- Teams detects many external bots and holds them in the lobby until someone admits them — whatever the lobby setting. This is the default ("When detected, require approval before joining"); admins set it with ExternalBotAccessMode. Microsoft Learn
- Let only organizers and co-organizers admit people from the lobby, so a presenter can't let a bot in by mistake. Microsoft Learn
Microsoft says some external bots may not be detected, and a detected bot still gets in once someone admits it: the documented default holds bots in the lobby, it does not block them.
Platform steps checked 25 Sep 2026.
If you use Fireflies.ai yourself and want notes without a bot
Fireflies’ Chrome extension records Google Meet in Chrome without the bot; for Zoom and Teams it still uses the bot (Fireflies help). No bot joins your calls: the Chrome extension records web calls on macOS, Windows, Linux and ChromeOS, and the Windows desktop app also captures system audio from any app.
Fireflies.ai next to the other notetaker bots
| Tool | Joins the call as a participant? | What others see (default name) | Its way to record without a bot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Otter.ai | Yes, in bot mode | "[Your Name]'s Notetaker (Otter.ai)"; in some workspaces "[Workspace Name]'s Notetaker (Otter.ai)"checked 25 Sep 2026 | Bot (OtterPilot), or bot-free desktop app for Mac and Windows (Zoom, Google Meet, Slack Huddles, in person)checked 25 Sep 2026 |
| Fireflies.ai | Yes, in bot mode | "Fireflies.ai Notetaker", invited through the address fred@fireflies.aichecked 25 Sep 2026 | Bot for Zoom and Teams; bot-free Chrome extension for Google Meet in Chrome onlychecked 25 Sep 2026 |
| Fathom | Yes, in bot mode | "(NAME)'s Fathom Notetaker"checked 25 Sep 2026 | Bot-free capture is Mac-only and in beta; on Windows, Fathom records through its bot todaychecked 25 Sep 2026 |
| Read AI | Yes, in bot mode | "read.ai meeting notes"checked 25 Sep 2026 | Desktop and mobile apps capture audio on the user's device; in those modes Read AI does not join as a participantchecked 25 Sep 2026 |
| tl;dv | Yes, in bot mode | "[First name]'s AI Notetaker" — "Grace's AI Notetaker" for Grace Joneschecked 25 Sep 2026 | Bot, or bot-free desktop app for Mac and Windows — records system audio, no meeting bot requiredchecked 25 Sep 2026 |
| Notta | Yes, in bot mode | "Notta Bot"checked 25 Sep 2026 | Notta Bot for Zoom, Google Meet, Teams and Webex, or bot-free Notta Desktop on Windows 10 (1903+) and macOS 13+checked 25 Sep 2026 |
| Granola | No | Nothing — no bot joins | Bot-free desktop app for Mac and Windows, using your computer audio; the Chrome extension "Granola Companion" works with the desktop appchecked 25 Sep 2026 |
| Jamie | No | Nothing — no bot joins | Bot-free: runs on your device, no meeting bot joins the callchecked 25 Sep 2026 |
| tactiq | No | Nothing — no bot joins | Live capture via Chrome/Edge browser extension, no bot; native macOS app in beta for Zoom desktop callschecked 24 Sep 2026 |
| MeetWave | No | No bot — nothing appears in the participant list. | No bot joins your calls: the Chrome extension records web calls on macOS, Windows, Linux and ChromeOS, and the Windows desktop app also captures system audio from any app. |
Read on each vendor’s help pages; the dates show when. Full list with how to remove each bot →
Comparing tools rather than removing one? MeetWave vs Fireflies.ai. All notetaker bots and how to spot a renamed one.