talat keeps you informed about whether a recording is in progress without you having to open the main window. The signal lives in the menu bar (Mac) or system tray (Windows) and is always on; no setting can turn it off.

## The icon

When idle, talat’s menu/tray icon shows the regular brand logo. While a recording is running, the central circle is slightly larger and filled, making it obvious at a glance that capture is active. The swap happens the moment recording starts and reverts the moment it ends.

## Status menu

Click the icon to open the menu. The first item describes the current state: _talat is recording_ while a meeting is in flight, _talat is ready_ the rest of the time. Below that, _Stop recording_ ends the current meeting without needing to open the main window.

## Recording duration

**Mac only.** _Settings → Appearance → Show recording duration in menu bar_ adds the elapsed time of the current meeting next to the icon (for example `3m` or `1h5m`). The label only appears while a recording is running, so the menu bar stays uncluttered the rest of the time. Windows tray icons don’t support adjacent text labels, so this option is Mac-only.