macOS Menu Bar App

You don't know
who's recording.
Now you will.

Fade scans your calendar, monitors meeting participants, and detects local recording apps — three layers of protection that catch AI bots before, during, and after your meetings. Object with one click.

Download for macOS Free tier · macOS 13+ · 100% on-device
Fade
3 Bots Detected
Calendar + Meeting + Local
C
Otter.ai Calendar attendee
Pre-meeting
F
Fireflies Meeting participant
In call
G
Granola Local recorder
2m ago
Object & Log Evidence
100% on-device
No network calls
180+ Bot signatures
3 Detection layers
0 Network calls made
1-click Legal objection
3 Layers of Protection

Before. During. Always.

Fade catches AI bots at every stage — from the calendar invite to the live call to the stealth recorder running in the background.

Layer 1

Calendar Shield

Know before you join.

Fade scans your calendar for AI bot attendee emails — the ones services like Otter, Fireflies, and Gong sneak into meeting invites. Get alerted before you even open the call.

30+ calendar bot signatures
Layer 2

Meeting Guard

Real-time protection.

Reads Zoom, Teams, and Meet participant lists via the Accessibility API. Detects bots that have joined your live call — even if they joined silently.

100+ participant bot signatures
Layer 3

Local Scan

Nothing hides.

Finds stealth recorders like Granola and Cluely running on your Mac. These apps capture audio locally without joining your meeting — invisible to other participants.

50+ desktop app signatures

Recording Indicators

Detects active "Recording", "AI Companion", "Copilot", and "Gemini" indicators across Zoom, Teams, and Meet.

Proactive Objection

Don't just detect.
Object.

One click to assert your legal rights. Fade copies a non-consent statement and logs everything with timestamps for legal proof.

One-Click Objection

I do not consent to AI recording or transcription of this conversation pursuant to California Penal Code Section 632.

Copied to clipboard — paste into meeting chat

Evidence Logging

Every detection and objection is logged with precise timestamps, bot names, and detection sources. Exportable for legal proceedings.

Timestamped Proof

Your objection is recorded the moment it happens. Date, time, meeting context, and which bots were present — all preserved.

Legal Standing

Establishes documented non-consent under two-party consent laws. Critical for attorneys, executives, and compliance teams.

How It Works

Four steps. Under a minute.

Fade runs silently in your menu bar. Minimal configuration, maximum protection.

1

Install Fade

Download the DMG. Drag to Applications. Done in 30 seconds. No account, no sign-up, no email.

2

Grant permissions

Calendar access to scan for bots. Accessibility to read participant lists. Both optional but recommended for full protection.

3

Fade watches

Sits silently in your menu bar. Scans calendar events, monitors meeting participants, and checks running processes — all locally.

4

Alert & object

The moment a bot is detected, you get notified. One click copies your non-consent statement and logs the evidence. Done.

Detection Database

180+ signatures. 4 detection modes.
Updated regularly.

Calendar bots, meeting participants, recording indicators, and local processes — Fade knows them all.

Calendar Bots

AI services that add bot email addresses to your calendar invites before the meeting starts.

Otter.ai Fireflies.ai Read.ai Fathom Gong.io Chorus.ai +24 more

Meeting Participant Bots

Bots that join your Zoom, Teams, or Meet calls as participants. Detected in real-time via participant list monitoring.

Otter.ai Fireflies Gong tl;dv Grain BrightHire Salesloft +93 more

Recording Indicators

Active recording and AI assistant indicators surfaced by Zoom, Teams, and Meet during live calls.

Recording AI Companion Copilot Gemini Transcription

Local Processes

Stealth apps that capture system audio directly on your Mac. No bot visible in the meeting — completely invisible to others.

Granola Cluely Pluely Hyprnote Plaud Note Reclaim.ai +44 more
Built for Trust

Privacy isn't a feature.
It's the architecture.

Fade was designed from day one to be the privacy tool that doesn't require you to trust it.

100% on-device

Everything happens on your Mac. Calendar data, participant lists, process scans — nothing ever touches a server. Fully air-gappable.

Zero network calls

Fade makes zero outbound connections. No analytics, no telemetry, no update pings. Verify it yourself with Little Snitch or Wireshark.

Calendar data stays local

Your calendar is scanned on-device. Calendar event content is processed in memory only. Detection logs are stored locally on your device for your records.

No account required

No email, no sign-up, no login. Download, install, run. Your identity is irrelevant to Fade — by design.

No microphone access

Fade never touches your microphone. It detects bots through signatures and UI inspection, not audio analysis.

Open audit welcome

We encourage security professionals to inspect Fade's behavior. You'll find exactly zero network connections and zero data exfiltration.

Who It's For

Built for people who take
consent seriously.

Lawyers

Protect attorney-client privilege. Know immediately if an AI bot is transcribing a confidential client call. Log your objection for the record.

Compliance Officers

Maintain audit trails and ensure recording consent policies are followed. Export timestamped evidence logs for governance.

Executives

Board discussions, M&A conversations, strategy sessions — ensure sensitive topics stay in the room. Get warned before you even join.

Privacy-Conscious Professionals

Anyone who believes meeting participants deserve to know when AI is listening and recording. Take back informed consent.

Pricing

Start free. Upgrade for full protection.

Local process detection is free forever. Unlock calendar scanning, meeting monitoring, and objection tools with Pro.

Free
$0
forever
  • Local process monitoring
  • 50+ local bot signatures
  • Menu bar notifications
  • 100% local, zero permissions
  • Calendar analysis
  • Meeting participant detection
  • One-click objection
Download Free
Save 18%
Pro Annual
$49
per year
  • Everything in Pro Monthly
  • 2 months free vs. monthly
  • Priority signature updates
  • Support ongoing development
Start 14-Day Free Trial $4.08/mo billed annually
FAQ

Questions you should ask.

Does Fade record my meetings?

No. Never. Fade is a detector, not a recorder. It never accesses your microphone, never captures audio, never records screen content. It reads calendar data, participant lists, and process names — that's it. It exists to protect your privacy, not compromise it.

What permissions does Fade need?

Calendar access allows Fade to scan upcoming meeting invites for bot attendee emails. Accessibility access lets Fade read Zoom/Teams/Meet participant lists to detect bots in real-time. Both are optional — local process detection works with zero permissions.

Can Fade detect bots on other people's computers?

Fade detects bots that join your meetings, wherever they come from. If someone on the call has Otter or Fireflies running and it adds a bot to the meeting, Fade sees it in the participant list. For local recorders on other people's machines (like Granola running on a coworker's Mac), no tool can detect that — and we're honest about it.

Is my calendar data safe?

Your calendar data never leaves your device. Fade reads events locally through macOS Calendar APIs, checks attendee emails against its bot database, and discards the data. Nothing is stored beyond what you see in the app. Nothing is ever transmitted.

Does it work without granting permissions?

Yes. Local process detection works with zero permissions — it reads the same process list visible in Activity Monitor. Granting Calendar and Accessibility permissions unlocks the calendar scanning and meeting participant layers, but they're optional. You choose how much protection you want.

Does Fade work with Zoom, Teams, and Google Meet?

Yes, all three. Fade monitors participant lists across Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet. Calendar scanning works with any calendar that syncs to macOS Calendar (Google, Outlook, iCloud). Process detection works regardless of which meeting platform you use.

What does the objection feature do exactly?

When Fade detects a bot, you can click "Object" to copy a legal non-consent statement to your clipboard (ready to paste into the meeting chat). Simultaneously, Fade logs the objection with the exact timestamp, which bots were detected, and the detection source. This creates a documented evidence trail for legal proceedings under two-party consent laws.

What macOS version do I need?

Fade requires macOS 13 (Ventura) or later. It's a universal binary that runs natively on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.

Know what's listening.
Object when it matters.

Three layers of detection. One-click objection. Zero compromises on privacy.

Download for macOS Free tier available · macOS 13+ · No account required