> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.piperai.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Recording Bot: Configure Activation and Bot Behavior

> Control when Piper's bot joins your meetings, what it says when it arrives, and how to handle edge cases like late joins or silent meetings.

Piper's recording bot joins your calendar meetings automatically, captures the conversation, and hands the transcript off for processing. You control exactly which meetings it joins, which it skips, what name it appears under, and what message it sends to attendees when it arrives. All bot settings live under **Settings → Recording**.

## Bot Activation

Navigate to **Settings → Recording → Transcription Bot → Enable the Bot** and choose one of the following activation modes:

| Mode                              | Behavior                                                                                           |
| --------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Do not activate automatically** | The bot never joins on its own. You send it manually from the Home Page when needed.               |
| **All events**                    | The bot joins every calendar event that has a video conference link.                               |
| **Internal events**               | The bot joins only meetings where all attendees share your email domain.                           |
| **External events**               | The bot joins any meeting that includes at least one attendee from outside your email domain.      |
| **Owned events**                  | The bot joins only meetings you created. Meetings you were invited to by someone else are skipped. |

<Tip>
  Most sales teams use **External events** — it catches every customer-facing call automatically while leaving internal standups and 1:1s bot-free.
</Tip>

## Bot Deactivation Rules

Even with a broad activation mode, you can carve out exceptions. Under **Settings → Recording → Bot Deactivation Rules**, define rules that prevent the bot from joining specific meetings.

**Keyword rules** — Enter words or phrases that, if found in the meeting title, cause the bot to skip. For example: `Lunch`, `☕️`, `Off-site`, `Interview`.

**Email pattern rules** — Enter a string containing `@`. Piper treats it as an email domain pattern and checks every attendee's address. If any attendee matches, the bot skips the meeting. For example: `@recruiting-agency.com` keeps the bot out of any meeting that includes someone from that domain.

<Note>
  You can also set deactivation rules at the Meeting Type level (under **Settings → Meeting Types → \[type] → Bot Deactivation Rules**), which gives you even more granular control over which call types are recorded.
</Note>

## Bot Connection Message

When the bot joins a meeting, it sends a message to let attendees know the call is being recorded. You can customize both the bot's display name and the message it sends.

By default the bot joins as **PiperAI** and sends this consent message:

> *"Hi! This video call will be automatically recorded and its content may be processed by third-party providers. If you do not consent to this, please let the organizer know so that this feature can be turned off. For more information visit [www.piperai.com](http://www.piperai.com)"*

To customize for a specific user, go to **Settings → Users**, find the user, and update their bot name and connection message. Setting an honest, friendly message builds attendee trust and keeps you compliant with recording consent norms.

## Bot Status and the Activity Card

The Home Page Activity Card shows the current status of the bot for each upcoming and recent meeting. Each status is colour-coded for a quick visual read:

| Status                 | Colour    | What it means                                                                                                                                |
| ---------------------- | --------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Scheduled**          | Blue      | The bot is queued and will join at the meeting start time.                                                                                   |
| **Joining**            | Blue      | The bot is connecting to the meeting room.                                                                                                   |
| **Waiting in lobby**   | Orange ⚠️ | The bot reached the meeting but is waiting for the host to admit it.                                                                         |
| **Active / Recording** | Blue 🔴   | The bot is in the meeting and recording. A pulsing red dot appears alongside the status label while recording is live.                       |
| **Left**               | —         | The bot has left and processing has begun.                                                                                                   |
| **Failed to join**     | Red       | The bot was unable to enter the meeting. A diagnostic message explains why (e.g., host did not admit, unsupported platform, wrong password). |

## Sending the Bot Manually

You can send the bot to any currently active meeting directly from the Home Page:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Find the meeting on your Activity Card">
    On the Home Page, locate the meeting in your Activity Card.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Send Bot">
    Click **Send Bot** on the activity card for that meeting.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  The manual **Send Bot** option only works for meetings that are currently active (in progress). It cannot schedule a bot for a future meeting — use the automatic activation settings or calendar sync for future meetings.
</Warning>

## Late Additions and Timing

The bot is scheduled to join at each meeting's start time. If a meeting is added at the last minute and the bot doesn't join on its own, use the manual **Send Bot** button from the Home Page Activity Card once the meeting has started.

## Silence Detection

The bot leaves automatically after an extended period with no one talking, so it won't sit in an empty meeting after a call has wrapped up.

If the bot leaves due to silence but the meeting resumes, use **Send Bot** from the Activity Card to bring it back (the meeting must still be active).

## Uploading Audio or Video Manually

If you record a call outside of Piper's bot — on a phone or in a separate recorder — you can still run it through Piper's full processing pipeline.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Click the upload button">
    Click the upload button in the top-right corner of the Home Page.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select your file">
    Choose your audio or video file. Piper supports common formats including MP3, M4A, WAV, MP4, MOV, and AVI, up to 2 GB and 4 hours 15 minutes long.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the transcription title and Meeting Type">
    Give the upload a title and select the appropriate Meeting Type so Piper applies the right notes template, scoring rubric, and CRM fields.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm the upload">
    Piper processes the file exactly like a bot-recorded call — you'll get a full transcript, notes, email draft, and CRM field extraction.
  </Step>
</Steps>