Show HN: PingMeBud – A macOS app that listens to meetings so you don't have to (opens in new tab)

I'm a developer who spends way too much time in meetings, and most of the time I'm not needed. But I have to stay there half-listening in case someone mentions me. Because of that, I can neither do actual work nor zone out in peace.

I realized I needed a way to safely not care about my meetings. So I built an app.

PingMeBud lets you completely zone out of a meeting and pings you when someone says your name or any keyword(s) you care about. The idea is simple: You join a meeting, hit start, minimize, and go do deep work (or go make coffee). When a keyword is detected, you get a native macOS notification with enough surrounding context to jump back in without looking lost. There's also an optional full-screen red border flash that grabs your attention even if you're deep in another app.

Technical details:

* Uses Whisper (local AI) to transcribe meeting audio purely as a means to detect keywords. Optimized for Apple Silicon (M1-M4).

* Audio captured via ScreenCaptureKit (system audio only, not your mic). You can even have your speakers muted and still get alerts.

* Everything runs locally. Nothing leaves your machine. Transcripts live in RAM only and are wiped when you end the session or close the app.

* No cloud, no accounts, no telemetry.

* Try it free for 7 days, then $29 one-time

* Only network call: a license ping to Polar.sh every 7 days. Between pings, the app can work fully offline.

* Supports wildcard * keyword matching (e.g., meet* for "meeting", "meetings", "meetup”, or *sync for `async`, `nsync` etc).

* You can also track silences, perfect for when someone asks a question and is waiting for a reply.

* For macOS 12.3+, Apple Silicon required. Made in Electron + React.

It's perfect if you're the kind of person managing lots of meetings, or multiple overlapping meetings (perfect for OE devs).

Happy to answer any questions!