Onboarding

Overview

First launch has one job: give Overshow the local access it needs for complete meeting transcripts and automatic meeting detection. Capture remains paused while setup is incomplete.

After account sign-in, the desktop app first shows three required permissions. Each grant has a direct action, its current status, and a concise explanation of what it enables. If macOS needs extra attention, Overshow shows recovery guidance only for the next incomplete permission rather than several troubleshooting panels at once.

Once those grants are ready, setup asks which installed apps Overshow may capture. A starter set is already selected. Search filters both the Not captured and Captured columns; click an app or drag it between columns to change the selection.

The final optional step lists detected MCP clients that can use read-only Overshow memory search. Connect a client there, or choose Set up later and manage clients from Settings.

The three permissions

Microphone

Microphone access captures your side of a meeting for on-device transcription.

Screen Recording

macOS groups system audio and screen access under Screen Recording (shown as Screen & System Audio Recording on some versions). Overshow uses it to capture the other people you hear in a meeting and to read on-screen text from your active windows. No screenshots or video are stored.

macOS may require a full Overshow restart after this permission is granted. Setup returns to the same point after restart.

Accessibility

Accessibility lets Overshow recognise meeting windows and call state so recording can start and stop with the meeting. Overshow does not use it to record keystrokes.

Completing setup

The permissions Continue action stays disabled until all three permissions are available and any Screen Recording restart has completed. The screen states how many grants remain.

Review the preselected apps, move any that should stay outside capture into Not captured, then choose Continue. On the AI tools step, connect any detected client you want to use or choose Set up later. Finish and start capturing saves the allow-list, enables capture, and opens Meetings. Overshow then waits for a meeting; audio capture stays idle outside an active or manually started meeting.

Calendar connection is optional and does not interrupt first run. Connect Microsoft 365 later from Meetings → Setup if you want scheduled meeting titles, attendees, and correlation. Google Calendar controls remain hidden from general users while Google OAuth verification is in progress.

Changing access later

You can revoke any macOS grant in System Settings → Privacy & Security. Overshow surfaces missing access in Settings and can reopen the relevant macOS pane.

Use Settings → App → Run onboarding again when you want to review the setup flow and captured-app choices without changing permissions. Your account, local captures, existing macOS grants, per-pipeline capture pause state, and ordinary settings are kept.

Use Settings → App → Reset macOS permissions when you need a genuinely fresh permission setup. After confirmation, Overshow resets the macOS privacy decisions associated with the current app bundle, restarts safely, and opens onboarding from the beginning. This includes Microphone, Screen & System Audio, Accessibility, Automation, and Full Disk Access. It does not delete the encrypted local database, sign you out, clear your captured-app list, or change your per-pipeline capture pause preferences. Notification preferences remain separately managed in macOS System Settings.

Allowed apps can be changed later in Settings → Capture. Website and category exclusions, document indexing, connected sources, and other optional controls remain in Settings rather than first-run onboarding.

Related

• Installation
• Permissions
• Meetings