Cluely AI Settings Every New User Must Configure

Your Cluely AI setup isn’t complete the moment you sign up — it’s complete the moment you’ve fine-tuned the core settings that shape how it listens, coaches, and delivers value in every meeting. Skipping configuration means missing out on real-time speaking feedback, accurate transcription, personalized coaching insights, and seamless integration with your workflow. Whether you’re preparing for high-stakes interviews, refining sales pitches, or leading remote team standups, these foundational Cluely AI settings determine whether your AI meeting assistant is merely present — or truly effective.

This guide walks through six essential Cluely AI settings every new user should configure within their first 15 minutes. We’ll cover why each matters, where to find it in the Cluely dashboard, and exactly what to choose — no guesswork, no jargon overload. Think of this as your personalized Cluely tutorial checklist for unlocking maximum ROI from day one.

1. Set Your Primary Meeting Platform Integration

Cluely AI doesn’t work in isolation — it thrives when connected to the tools you already use. The most impactful first step is linking your primary video conferencing platform: Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams.

Why it matters

Without a verified integration, Cluely can’t join meetings automatically, capture speaker-separated audio, or surface live coaching cues (like “pause after questions” or “speak slower”). You’ll get generic summaries — not context-aware insights.

How to configure it

1. Go to Settings > Integrations in your Cluely dashboard.
2. Click the blue “Connect” button next to your platform.
3. Sign in using your work account (e.g., your company Google Workspace or Zoom admin credentials).
4. Grant permissions — specifically “Join meetings”, “Read transcripts”, and “Access microphone/camera” (Cluely uses these only during active sessions, never for recording outside meetings).

✅ Pro tip: If you use multiple platforms, connect all three. Cluely intelligently detects which service is running and activates the right connector — no manual switching required. For deeper guidance, see our browse Getting Started tutorials.

2. Define Your Core Coaching Goals

Cluely AI adapts its real-time feedback based on your stated objectives. This isn’t a one-size-fits-all AI meeting assistant — it’s a coach trained for your role and goals.

Why it matters

Selecting “Improve Sales Closing Rate” triggers different prompts than “Reduce Interview Nervousness”. Cluely analyzes speech patterns, filler word frequency, question-to-answer ratio, and even vocal tonality — then tailors micro-coaching in real time.

How to configure it

1. Navigate to Settings > Coaching Preferences.
2. Choose up to three priority goals from the dropdown (e.g., “Speak with more confidence”, “Ask better discovery questions”, “Stay within time limits”).
3. Optional but powerful: Add a custom goal using the “+ Add Goal” field (e.g., “Use fewer corporate buzzwords” or “Pause for 2 seconds after key points”).

💡 Real-world example: A sales rep at SaaS startup Vanta configured “Increase prospect engagement” and “Reduce monologue duration”. Within two weeks, Cluely flagged 73% more instances where they spoke >90 seconds without pausing — helping them rebalance conversation flow and boost demo-to-meeting conversion by 18%.

3. Calibrate Your Audio & Microphone Settings

Clear audio = accurate transcription = trustworthy coaching. Cluely AI relies on clean input — and many users unknowingly sabotage accuracy with default OS-level mic settings or background noise filters.

Why it matters

Poor audio causes misattributed speakers (“Alex said X” when it was actually Sam), missed action items, and false positives on filler words (e.g., flagging “um” when it was actually a cough). In a recent Cluely review analysis, 62% of users who reported “inconsistent coaching” had uncalibrated mic settings.

How to configure it

1. Go to Settings > Audio & Devices.
2. Click “Test Microphone” and speak naturally for 10 seconds (“Hi, this is my voice in a quiet room”).
3. Watch the real-time waveform: aim for consistent green (not red peaks or flat gray lines).
4. Adjust input volume slider until green fills ~70% of the bar during normal speech.
5. Toggle “Noise Suppression” ON — Cluely’s proprietary model removes keyboard clicks, AC hum, and distant traffic without flattening vocal nuance.

⚠️ Important: Disable third-party noise suppression (e.g., Krisp, NVIDIA RTX Voice) while using Cluely — overlapping filters degrade voice clarity and confuse speaker diarization.

4. Customize Your Summary & Transcript Preferences

Cluely generates rich post-meeting assets — but defaults may not match your team’s rhythm. Tweak these to control what’s delivered, how it’s structured, and who sees it.

Why it matters

A 45-minute engineering sync needs bullet-point technical decisions — not verbatim quotes. A customer success call requires direct quotes and sentiment tags. One-size summaries waste time and dilute insight.

How to configure it

1. Open Settings > Summary & Transcript.
2. Under Summary Style, choose:
   • Executive: Key decisions, owners, deadlines — ideal for leadership reviews.
   • Action-Oriented: Clear “Who does What by When”, auto-extracted from dialogue.
   • Verbatim + Highlights: Full transcript with bolded insights (e.g., “Client expressed concern about pricing → [timestamp]”).
3. Toggle “Include Speaker Labels” ON (critical for multi-person meetings).
4. Enable “Auto-Tag Topics” to let Cluely categorize discussion themes (e.g., “Budget”, “Timeline”, “Security Compliance”) — especially useful for compliance-heavy industries.

📌 Bonus: In the same section, set “Default Sharing Permissions”. Choose “Private”, “Team-Only”, or “Shared with Participants” — all governed by your organization’s SSO and data residency policies.

5. Enable Smart Notifications & Coaching Triggers

Cluely AI doesn’t just wait for you to open the app — it proactively delivers value when it matters most. But notifications only help if they’re relevant and timely.

Why it matters

Getting 12 “You used ‘just’ 5 times” alerts per meeting trains you to ignore all feedback. Strategic triggers — like “You spoke over the client 3x in last 5 mins” or “No clear next step defined” — drive behavior change.

How to configure it

1. Go to Settings > Notifications & Triggers.
2. Under Real-Time Alerts, enable only 2–3 high-impact triggers:
   • ✅ “Speaking pace exceeds 180 WPM” (ideal for non-native English speakers)
   • ✅ “No acknowledgment phrase after client question” (e.g., “That’s a great point…”)
   • ✅ “Meeting ended without summarizing next steps”
3. Disable low-signal triggers like “Detected 1 filler word” unless you’re in intensive speech training mode.
4. Set delivery method: Slack (for team visibility), email (for reflection), or in-app banner (for immediacy).

🔁 Pro tip: Revisit this section every 3 weeks. As your habits improve, swap in advanced triggers — e.g., “Detected hedging language (‘maybe’, ‘sort of’, ‘I think’) in commitment statements.”

6. Review & Lock Data Privacy Controls

Cluely AI processes sensitive conversations — investor pitches, HR discussions, legal negotiations. Understanding and configuring privacy settings builds trust and ensures compliance.

Why it matters

Cluely complies with SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, and HIPAA (with Business Associate Agreement), but you control retention, access, and export rights. Misconfigured settings could mean transcripts linger longer than needed — or critical insights aren’t shared with your manager.

How to configure it

1. Visit Settings > Privacy & Security.
2. Set Transcript Retention: Choose “30 days” (default), “90 days”, or “Manual Delete Only”. Most regulated industries opt for 30 days + auto-delete.
3. Toggle “Allow Admin Access to Transcripts” ON only if your IT team requires auditability.
4. Under Export Controls, enable “Encrypted Export to Google Drive” — Cluely encrypts files with AES-256 before upload, and adds password protection visible only to you.
5. Scroll down to “Consent Management”: Enable “Require verbal consent before recording” if your region mandates it (e.g., California, Illinois, Germany). Cluely will prompt participants with a clear, branded voice announcement at meeting start.

🔐 Did you know? Every Cluely AI summary includes an immutable “Privacy Score” — a visual indicator showing how compliant your current settings are with ISO 27001 standards. It’s displayed in the bottom-right corner of every exported PDF.

Final Thoughts: Your Cluely AI Setup Is a Living System

Configuring Cluely AI isn’t a one-and-done task — it’s the foundation for continuous improvement. The six settings above transform Cluely from a passive recorder into an adaptive, role-specific AI meeting assistant. You’ll notice sharper insights after your first configured meeting, stronger habit formation by week two, and measurable communication gains by month one.

Don’t treat this as setup homework. Treat it as your first coaching session — one where you set the agenda, define success, and own the outcomes.

For more practical implementation strategies, explore more tutorials — including deep dives on Cluely for interview prep, sales coaching playbooks, and remote facilitation workflows. And if your team needs help scaling these settings across 10+ users, contact us for customized rollout support.

Key Takeaways

• Link your primary meeting platform before your first scheduled call — it unlocks live coaching and speaker separation.
• Coaching goals must reflect your actual role and growth targets — generic selections dilute feedback relevance.
• Audio calibration takes <90 seconds but impacts >80% of transcription accuracy.
• Summary style should match your use case — not Cluely’s default.
• Notification triggers work best when selective, contextual, and tied to measurable behaviors.
• Privacy settings aren’t optional overhead — they’re part of your professional credibility and compliance posture.

Cluely AI shines brightest when intentionally shaped — not left to defaults. Invest those first 15 minutes. Your future self (and your next meeting) will thank you.