How 1:1s work in Windmill
Windmill automatically finds all of your upcoming 1:1s from your calendar. In order for this to work, you’ll need to connect either Google Workspace or Outlook Calendar to your account. If a 1:1 is missing, you can add it manually from the 1:1s page or the employee’s profile. You can also create ad-hoc 1:1s without a calendar event, which is useful for impromptu conversations or when you want to track a 1:1 that isn’t on your calendar. To give 1:1s a consistent agenda structure, use 1:1 Templates. Templates can pre-populate agendas with sections and questions for recurring topics like wins, blockers, priorities, feedback, and career growth.
Shared agenda
Each 1:1 has a shared agenda, visible to both the manager and the employee. You can add discussion topics, work through them live, and capture action items — whether that’s a formal agenda, a template-driven structure, or free-form content for the meeting. Anything in the shared agenda is visible to both participants. For things you want to keep to yourself — observations, coaching thoughts, or reminders — use Private Notes instead. Admins cannot see 1:1 content just because they are Admins. Admins can apply company templates across 1:1s, but shared 1:1 agendas and notes remain visible only to the two participants or people with explicitly enabled audit access. Private Notes are only visible to the person who created them. After the meeting, you can always go back and edit or append agenda items, ask Windy for a summary, or revisit the history of past agendas. If the meeting was recorded on a connected platform, the transcript will attach automatically — see Recordings for details.Add images
Add screenshots, diagrams, or other visual context directly to the shared agenda. Type/ and select Image, paste an image, or drag and drop one into the agenda.
After the image uploads, select it and drag a corner handle to resize it.
Tag the other participant
Type@, then select the other participant to draw their attention to a note or action item. Windmill sends them an email after a short delay with the surrounding note and a link back to the 1:1.
You can also ask Windy to add a note and tag the other participant.
Version history
Windmill automatically saves a version of your 1:1 notes as you and the other participant edit them, so nothing is lost if content is changed or removed. To view past versions, open the 1:1’s Actions menu (the ••• icon) and select View History. The Version history panel lists each saved version with when it was saved and who contributed to it. Select a version to preview it, then click Restore to bring that version back into the current notes. Version history follows the same visibility rules as the 1:1 itself — only the two participants can view or restore versions. Admins don’t get access just for being Admins.Does Windy join 1:1s as a notetaker?
No. Windy never joins your 1:1 meeting as a notetaker, and Windmill does not add Windy as a participant to calendar events. Instead, Windmill uses the 1:1 agenda, notes you write in Windmill, and transcripts or notes from connected recording tools when they are available. If you record the meeting with a connected platform such as Zoom, Google Meet, Roam, or Granola, the transcript or notes can attach to the 1:1 after the meeting.Audit access for manager/direct 1:1s
1:1 content stays private by default. When your company needs controlled visibility for compliance, employee relations, or manager support, an Admin or HR Admin can enable 1:1 auditability for manager/direct 1:1s. Audit access is read-only. It lets authorized auditors review shared 1:1 notes and history, but it does not let them edit the agenda or join the 1:1 as a participant.Who can audit 1:1s
Auditability is controlled by two independent company settings:- Managers can audit manager/direct 1:1s within their reporting subtree when manager audit access is enabled.
- HR Admins can audit all manager/direct 1:1s when HR Admin audit access is enabled.
Audit access only includes the shared 1:1 notes and history. It does not include Private Notes, participant-specific prep topics, Catch Me Up reports, or recording access.
Configure audit access
Admins and HR Admins with audit configuration access can update auditability from 1:1 settings.1
Go to 1:1 settings
Open 1:1 settings.
2
Open Manager/direct 1:1 access
Click Configure access in the Manager/direct 1:1 access row.
3
Choose who can audit
Select Managers, HR Admins, or both, then click Save changes.
Review and export audit history
Authorized auditors can review eligible pairs from the 1:1 pairs page. Click Audit 1:1 on an eligible pair to open the read-only audit history. The audit history shows shared notes by meeting, including historical 1:1s. Use Export CSV to download the pair’s shared 1:1 history.Catch Me Up
Every 1:1 includes a Catch Me Up panel — a concise, cited briefing on the person you’re meeting. It pulls from your connected systems — GitHub, Slack, and others — alongside Continuous Feedback, Pulses, Performance Reviews, and any relevant Windy interactions, with citations showing where each item came from. Catch Me Up is available to everyone, not just managers. You can catch up on a direct or indirect report, prep for a 1:1 with your own manager, or get context on a peer before a cross-functional meeting. The report adapts to your relationship with the person, and only ever summarizes information you already have access to. Windy auto-generates Catch Me Ups for manager-to-report 1:1s. For peers and for meeting your own manager, you generate the report manually from the panel — and you can regenerate any report on demand. See Catch Me Ups for the full breakdown of how the report changes by relationship.Explore 1:1s
- Calendar — How Windmill identifies 1:1s from your calendar, and how to create or remove them manually
- Catch Me Ups — Get a cited briefing on anyone you’re meeting, framed to your relationship with them
- Templates — Give your 1:1s a consistent structure with company and personal templates
- Recordings — How meeting recordings attach to your 1:1s in Windmill
- Notifications — Control when Windy sends prep notifications and optional last-minute reminders before your 1:1s
- Importing History — Bring existing 1:1 history from Notion, Google Docs, or other tools
- 1:1 Meetings analytics — Track 1:1 patterns across your organization from the Analytics section
- Prep (Deprecated) — Legacy Slack-based prep system, being replaced by Templates
FAQs
How do I add a missing 1:1?
How do I add a missing 1:1?
1:1s are usually pulled in automatically from your connected calendar. If a 1:1 is missing, go to the 1:1s page or the employee’s profile, click Actions, and choose Add 1:1 from Calendar.
Can Windmill detect a 1:1 outside my reporting line?
Can Windmill detect a 1:1 outside my reporting line?
Yes. A recurring meeting with someone in another department can still be detected as a 1:1, even if neither person reports to the other in your HRIS. HRIS reporting structure affects manager-only features, not whether a meeting is identified as a 1:1.
What can Admins see in 1:1s?
What can Admins see in 1:1s?
Admins cannot see 1:1 content just because they are Admins. They can apply company templates across 1:1s, but shared 1:1 agendas and notes remain limited to the two participants or people with explicitly enabled audit access. Private Notes are not visible to Admins.