Install the CLI

The fmtr executable contains both the command-line interface and the MCP server.

Install it from the desktop app

On macOS, open Settings → Developers and click Install. The app installs the bundled command at ~/.local/bin/fmtr.

If your shell cannot find it, add that directory to PATH:

export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"

Note

The app uses fmtr-dev and fmtr-staging for development and staging builds, so those channels do not overwrite the stable command.

Build it from source

You can install the CLI directly from the repository:

git clone https://github.com/bart6114/free-meeting-transcriber.git
cd free-meeting-transcriber
cargo install --locked --path apps/cli
fmtr --version

Cargo normally writes commands to ~/.cargo/bin. Add that directory to PATH if needed.

There is no published Homebrew formula, standalone CLI download, or Windows package at this time.

Connect to the vault

Open the desktop app at least once before using the CLI. By default, fmtr looks in Free Meeting Transcriber’s application-data directory. If you moved the vault in the app, the CLI follows the vault_path value in global.json.

You can override the path for one command:

fmtr --vault-path /path/to/vault --json meetings list

Or set it in the environment:

FMTR_VAULT_PATH=/path/to/vault fmtr --json meetings list

--base /path/to/vault is an older equivalent, but --vault-path is clearer and takes precedence when both are present.

The CLI reads and writes the vault: fmtr meetings new, fmtr import, and fmtr meetings note --set create and edit meeting data in the same format the desktop app writes, and fmtr transcribe replaces a meeting’s transcript. The MCP server stays read-only. See the CLI reference for every command.