> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.gowindmill.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # 1:1s > Run more effective 1:1 meetings in Windmill with Slack-based prep, agenda building, calendar detection, notes, recordings, and AI summaries from Windy. 1:1s are most effective when both the manager and employee come prepared. Without preparation, meetings often turn into surface-level recaps of recent work instead of meaningful conversations about priorities, challenges, and growth. Windmill does that prep work for you. Agendas are clear before the meeting starts, and Windy pulls in relevant context from Continuous Feedback, Pulses, Performance Reviews, and your connected tools. Both participants walk in informed, so the time you have together is spent on the conversation that matters. ## 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](/integrations/google-workspace) or [Outlook Calendar](/integrations/outlook-calendar) to your account. If a 1:1 is missing, you can add it manually from the [1:1s page](https://app.gowindmill.com/COMPANY/one-on-ones) 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](/features/1-on-1s/templates). Templates can pre-populate agendas with sections and questions for recurring topics like wins, blockers, priorities, feedback, and career growth. A 1:1 in Windmill showing the shared agenda, the Suggested Topics panel, and the Catch Me Up panel with citations ## 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](/features/1-on-1s/templates), 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](/features/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](/features/1-on-1s/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. If both settings are off, nobody outside the participants can audit 1:1 notes. 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. Open [1:1 settings](https://app.gowindmill.com/COMPANY/config/one-on-ones/settings). Click **Configure access** in the **Manager/direct 1:1 access** row. Select **Managers**, **HR Admins**, or both, then click **Save changes**. Only enable audit access when your company needs it for compliance or HR purposes. ### Review and export audit history Authorized auditors can review eligible pairs from the [1:1 pairs page](https://app.gowindmill.com/COMPANY/config/one-on-ones/pairs). 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](/features/1-on-1s/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](/features/1-on-1s/catch-me-up) for the full breakdown of how the report changes by relationship. ## Explore 1:1s * [Calendar](/features/1-on-1s/calendar) — How Windmill identifies 1:1s from your calendar, and how to create or remove them manually * [Catch Me Ups](/features/1-on-1s/catch-me-up) — Get a cited briefing on anyone you're meeting, framed to your relationship with them * [Templates](/features/1-on-1s/templates) — Give your 1:1s a consistent structure with company and personal templates * [Recordings](/features/1-on-1s/recordings) — How meeting recordings attach to your 1:1s in Windmill * [Notifications](/features/1-on-1s/notifications) — Control when Windy sends prep notifications and optional last-minute reminders before your 1:1s * [Importing History](/features/1-on-1s/importing-notes) — Bring existing 1:1 history from Notion, Google Docs, or other tools * [1:1 Meetings analytics](/features/analytics/one-on-one-meetings) — Track 1:1 patterns across your organization from the Analytics section * [Prep (Deprecated)](/features/1-on-1s/prep) — Legacy Slack-based prep system, being replaced by Templates ## FAQs 1:1s are usually pulled in automatically from your connected calendar. If a 1:1 is missing, go to the [1:1s page](https://app.gowindmill.com/COMPANY/one-on-ones) or the employee's profile, click **Actions**, and choose **Add 1:1 from Calendar**. 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. 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.