October Release: Smarter Meeting Recaps, Recurring Meetings and More

This release went live on October 17. Most of it covers what happens after a meeting ends. Clones now take the recap list straight from the calendar invite, and anyone they miss gets a backup recap. A clone invited to a weekly meeting now follows the whole series. The release also brings safer file handling, larger Skill Forge operators, an easier way to extend Microsoft connections, cleaner PowerPoint decks and a new default look for clone.org. Every change below is live for every organization.

#Meeting recaps reach the right people

Before this release, recaps sometimes went to too few people, or to nobody. A comment made during the meeting, like "send it only to the organizer," could cut everyone else off the list.

Now the calendar invite decides who gets the recap:

• The invite sets the list. Your clone joins from the emailed invite and keeps its organizer and attendees, external guests included. If it rejoins the same meeting, it keeps that list and doesn't send duplicate emails.
• Instructions in the meeting change what the recap says, not who gets it. "Send it only to me" no longer shrinks the list.
• You can still add or remove people by asking. "Add Dana to the recap" and "take Sam off" both work during the meeting. Anyone can ask the clone to add someone. Only a verified member of your organization can take someone off.
• No more silent failures. The clone won't send an email with nobody in the "To" line, including one that only has CC recipients. It fixes the email instead.

The After meetings setting in Studio now spells out exactly who gets the recap.

#A backup recap for anyone the clone missed

If the clone's recap misses someone on the invite, the platform now emails that person a short recap of its own, from the clone's address. Each missed attendee gets one backup recap and never a second one. Backup recaps go to no more than 25 people. A recap the clone sends through a connected Outlook or Gmail mailbox counts as sent.

If a meeting ends and no recap went out at all, the clone's owner gets a new Needs attention item. Before, nothing caught this and the owner never heard about it.

#Clones follow recurring meetings

Invite a clone to a weekly meeting and it now joins every occurrence by itself. Before, each invite covered one meeting, and later meetings were missed unless someone forwarded the invite again.

The clone books each next occurrence. It handles moved and cancelled meetings, and it handles a cancelled series too. To stop it, tell the clone "stop attending this series" or cancel the series.

There are a few limits. Series following works for invites sent to the clone's own Clone address, from a verified organizer or from the person who forwards the invite. If the clone gets invites through a connected Gmail or Outlook mailbox, it still joins one occurrence at a time. A series pauses after 3 occurrences where nobody let the clone into the meeting.

#Sending when Microsoft access is read-only

Some organizations only allow read access to Microsoft 365. Until now, a clone in one of those organizations would offer to send through Outlook, then say an admin had turned Microsoft off and stop.

Now the clone explains that your organization only allows read access and offers to send from its own address. For a recap in Recap + email attendees mode, it simply sends. It also no longer offers Outlook sending tools your organization can't use.

#Emailing your clone

Three changes make it easier to email a clone and to control who can:

• Clearer guidance when the clone can't tell who you are. If the clone doesn't recognize a sender, it asks them to write from the address they sign in with, or to ask in Studio. The clone can't confirm aliases or automatic forwards.
• An updated Access panel. Signed-in users now shows as working for email, and the panel warns you before you pick a risky setting.
• Address renames that stick. A renamed clone email address now saves in lowercase, stays in place and keeps the clone's access settings. After a rename, the old address stops receiving mail.

For now, sender recognition covers the clone's own Clone address.

#Safer files and bigger Skill Forge operators

If a file is missing, your clone now stops and asks for it again. It won't send the email without the attachment.

More file types from operators now arrive as downloadable files:

Skill Forge can now build larger operators, and it builds them more safely. New builds can include up to 30 skills, up from roughly 7 to 18 before. They also never retry an action that writes or changes something.

#Microsoft connections: Add permissions

You can now give an existing Microsoft connection more access without creating a second one. Go to Connections, open your Microsoft connection and select Add permissions. Permissions marked as needing admin approval still need a Microsoft admin to sign off.

#PowerPoint operator improvements

Two PowerPoint updates produce cleaner decks and let the operator edit decks it built.

• Version 1.0.6 adds number formats on charts and clearer error messages. When you ask for a specific element, it no longer quietly swaps in something else.
• Version 1.0.8 stops shapes and tables from landing on top of body text. It adds slide backgrounds and theme colors. You can edit or delete elements on an existing slide, and the operator duplicates slides along with their speaker notes. It also tells you what it changed.

Coming next are better image placement on some layouts and automatic sizing for long text.

#clone.org gets a Blue & Black look

The clone.org app now opens in the Blue & Black color scheme. To go back to the old look, open Settings → Appearance → Warm. Your browser remembers the choice. This change only affects the clone.org app.

#More honest email confirmations

When a clone confirms an email, it now says the email was "accepted for delivery" instead of claiming it arrived. The clone also records each recipient. When an email leaves, the clone knows it was accepted, so that's what it reports.

#What you may notice this week

• A second, shorter recap email for anyone the clone missed. It's written from the meeting transcript, so it may read differently from the main recap. It can arrive up to about 45 minutes after the meeting.
• A new Needs attention item for owners when a meeting ended and no recap went out.
• Clones joining every occurrence of a recurring meeting they were invited to.
• "Accepted for delivery" instead of "sent" in email confirmations.
• A clone refusing to send an email that only has CC recipients, or asking for a missing attachment again.
• A new message for unrecognized senders asking them to write from the address they sign in with.

#Tips

1. Invite your clone with the calendar invite, not just a meeting link. The invite gives it the attendee list.
2. Email your clone from the exact address you sign in with, not an alias. A normal forward from that address works.
3. Re-attach the file if your clone says one is missing.
4. Tell your clone "stop attending this series" when you no longer need it in a recurring meeting.
5. Set After meetings to Owner recap for meetings where attendees shouldn't get an email automatically.

• Product
• Release Notes
• Meeting Recaps
• Microsoft 365
• Skill Forge