To use the Coffee desktop recorder on macOS, you need to grant three system permissions. Coffee records directly from your computer — no bots join your call.
Permissions required
Coffee needs the following permissions to record meetings:
Microphone — to transcribe meeting audio
Accessibility — to detect when a meeting starts automatically
Screen Recording — to record meeting video
Granting permissions on first open
The first time you open Coffee, a Permissions screen appears. You must enable all three permissions before you can continue.
Click Enable Microphone. macOS will prompt you to allow access — click Allow.
Click Enable Accessibility. macOS will open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility. Toggle Coffee on.
Click Enable Screen Recording. macOS will open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen & System Audio Recording. Toggle Coffee on.
Once all three permissions are enabled, the Continue button becomes active. Click it to proceed.
⚠️ Tip: If Coffee doesn't appear in the Screen Recording list in System Settings, click the + button, open your Applications folder, select Coffee, and click Open. Then restart the app.
If you skipped or denied a permission
If you dismissed a prompt or clicked Don't Allow, you can grant permissions manually at any time.
Screen & System Audio Recording
Open System Settings
Go to Privacy & Security → Screen & System Audio Recording
Toggle Coffee on
Restart the Coffee app if prompted
Microphone
Go to Privacy & Security → Microphone
Toggle Coffee on
Accessibility
Go to Privacy & Security → Accessibility
Toggle Coffee on
If Coffee doesn't appear in the list
In the permission screen, click the + (plus) button
Open your Applications folder
Select Coffee and click Open
Enable the toggle
Restart the Coffee app
After enabling all permissions
Restart Coffee if prompted
Your meetings will now be detected and recorded automatically
Need help? Contact us at [email protected].