Getting Started with VaultMemo
Requirements
- macOS 14 Sonoma or later on Apple Silicon (M1 or newer). Intel Macs are not supported.
- Ollama — for Obsidian mode only (summarisation, tagging, digests)
- Whisper models — download from the in-app carousel on first use
- Obsidian — optional; notes save to memos/ in your vault
Step 1 — Install Ollama
Open Terminal and run:
curl -fsSL https://ollama.ai/install.sh | shThat's it. Ollama is now installed. Open VaultMemo, go to the Transcribe tab, and download a summarisation model from the Ollama carousel — Qwen 3 8B is a solid default, but you can pick any model you think produces the best summaries.
Choose your models
On the Transcribe tab, each model carousel shows storage (and RAM for Ollama) so you can make informed choices.
Whisper (transcription): use tiny when you want fast turnaround on long memos; base for everyday use; large-v3 or turbo when accuracy matters most. Switch anytime — smaller models download faster and use less disk.
Ollama (summarisation): pick whichever model writes summaries and tags the way you like. Memo summarisation and daily digests can use different models. To pull a model not in the carousel, use Pull a model not listed above with the exact tag from ollama.com/library.
Step 2 — Install VaultMemo
Download the DMG, open it, and drag VaultMemo into your Applications folder. The app lives in your menu bar (top-right, near the clock) — it won't appear in the Dock.
First launch: Right-click VaultMemo → Open → Open. You'll only need to do this once — it's a standard Mac security step for apps downloaded outside the App Store.
If you don't see the menu bar icon, click the >> overflow button on the right side of the menu bar.
Download VaultMemoStep 3 — Configure folders
Click the menu bar icon → Open Window. In Obsidian mode (default), choose your vault folder — notes are saved to memos/ and digests to Digests/.
- Vault / output folder — your Obsidian vault in Obsidian mode, or any folder in simple mode
- Processed audio — where originals move after successful transcription
- Digests — daily rollup notes (Obsidian mode)
Prefer plain transcription? Turn off Obsidian mode and choose an output folder — no Ollama needed.
Step 4 — Drop a file
Drag voice memos, audio files, or text notes onto the window — or click Add files… to pick multiple at once. Whisper transcribes audio locally; in Obsidian mode, Ollama summarises and tags each note. Double-click an activity log entry to review the title and tags before saving.
Voice tagging: while speaking, say tag pottery or tag pottery studio to add tags explicitly. The phrase is stripped from the transcript.
Daily digests (optional)
Switch to the Digest tab to generate daily rollup notes from your memos/ entries. Digests are saved to Digests/ in your vault and include Notes, Running Threads, Open Questions, Consolidated Tasks, Mood & Energy, and Narrative Arc.
Troubleshooting
“Processing failed”
Make sure Ollama is running. In Terminal, run ollama serve and leave that window open, then try again.
Whisper downloading on first use
This is normal. VaultMemo downloads the Whisper model the first time you transcribe. It can take a few minutes depending on your connection.
Right-click to open on first launch
macOS blocks unknown developers by default. Right-click → Open is only required once; afterward the app opens like any other.
Can't find the menu bar icon
VaultMemo runs from the menu bar, not the Dock. Click the >> overflow button on the right side of the menu bar to reveal hidden icons.
Ollama model not found
Open the Transcribe tab and download a model from the Ollama carousel (default: Qwen 3 8B). Make sure Ollama is running — check for the menu bar icon or run ollama serve in Terminal.