The KUDO bot connects your Microsoft Teams meeting to KUDO. It joins as an external guest through the Teams lobby and captures meeting audio, camera video and shared screen content. KUDO uses that content for AI translation, recording and transcription.

This guide walks you through setting up your KUDO session, getting the bot into the meeting, and checking that translation works before your session starts.

Two roles share this work:

• The Teams host sets up the KUDO session, manages the Teams meeting and admits the bot from the lobby.
• The KUDO Operator is a member of the KUDO team. Operators monitor your session from the KUDO dashboard, where they can use meeting controls and watch the feed the bot is capturing.

Before you begin

• Add the KUDO app to your meeting and sign in. You can do this, and complete the setup below, ahead of time from the meeting in your Teams calendar. See Add the KUDO app to a Microsoft Teams meeting.
• Use a supported meeting. Scheduled meetings, including recurring meetings, are supported in the Teams desktop and mobile apps. Some meeting types aren't supported. See Which Teams meeting types and apps support KUDO?
• Decide on your languages. Know which languages people will speak and which languages participants need. You can't change languages after the meeting begins.
• Plan who will admit the bot. Make sure someone who can admit people from the lobby will join before the meeting starts.

1. Set up your KUDO session

In the KUDO panel in Teams:

1. Under Meeting type, select AI Translation.

2. Under Translation type, choose an option:

   • AI Speech and Captions: translated audio and live captions.
   • AI Captions Only: translated captions only.

   Important: You can't change the translation type after the meeting is created.

3. Under Languages, set the following:
   • Speaker language(s): the languages people will speak in the meeting.
   • Translation language(s): the languages participants will listen to or read as captions.
4. Select Save.

KUDO now appears as an app in your Teams meeting.

2. Set up lobby admission

1. In Teams, open the calendar event and go to View event > Options > Meeting access.
2. Review Who can bypass the lobby. Select Everyone for the bot, and Teams participants, to bypass the lobby and join.
3. Review Who can admit from the lobby. Make sure the person who will admit the bot is included.

3. Join early and admit the bot

The KUDO bot tries to join about 10 minutes before the scheduled start time.

Important: If the bot waits in the lobby for more than 10 minutes after the configured start time, it leaves. You'll then need to recall it and admit it again.

1. Join the Teams meeting and open People.
2. Look for the bot in the participant list and in the lobby.
3. If the bot is waiting in the lobby, select Admit. Teams labels it as a bot and asks you to confirm.
4. If the bot is missing and the KUDO session is active, recall it. In the KUDO app in Teams, select + Add Bot. Your KUDO Operator can also recall it by selecting Restart Bot Service in the KUDO dashboard.
5. If you recalled the bot, admit it when it reaches the lobby.
6. Wait for the bot to connect.

Once the bot appears in the participant list, it has joined. That doesn't confirm that translation is working, so run a sound check next.

4. Run a sound check

1. Have someone speak in the Teams meeting.
2. In the Teams meeting toolbar, select KUDO, then select Captions and choose a language. Check that captions appear as the person speaks.
3. If you selected AI Speech and Captions, ask an attendee to select Voice, choose a language and confirm they can hear translated speech.

If an attendee can't hear translated speech, see Why is KUDO translation playing through the wrong device in Teams? For important meetings, run a full rehearsal first. See Rehearse KUDO translation before a Teams meeting.

Share participant instructions

Once the bot is in the meeting, participants choose captions and translated speech from the KUDO tab in the Teams toolbar. Send them Use KUDO translation and captions in a Microsoft Teams meeting before the session.

When another organization hosts the meeting

Tell the external organizer ahead of time that the KUDO bot will join, and ask them to admit it. Their organization's policies control admission, and you may not be able to admit the bot yourself.

During breaks and schedule changes

• If everyone leaves Teams: The bot may leave because of inactivity while the KUDO session stays active. It doesn't rejoin on its own. When participants return, select + Add Bot, admit the bot from the lobby and repeat the sound check.
• If you change the meeting date or time: Select Sync Meeting.
• If you cancel the Teams meeting: Also select Cancel Meeting.
• When translation is finished: Select Stop Meeting to stop the KUDO session and disconnect the bot.

You'll find Sync Meeting, Cancel Meeting and End Meeting in the KUDO app on the meeting in your Teams calendar. Only the person who added KUDO to the meeting can see them.

Troubleshooting

Related content

• Add the KUDO app to a Microsoft Teams meeting
• Rehearse KUDO translation before a Teams meeting
• Use KUDO translation and captions in a Microsoft Teams meeting
• Allow the KUDO bot in your organization's Teams policies