sales-grain

What this skill does

# Grain Platform Help

## Step 1 — Gather context

If `references/learnings.md` exists, read it first for accumulated Grain knowledge.

1. **What are you trying to do?**
   - A) Configure Grain account/team/plan or understand pricing tiers
   - B) Build a backend integration (API, Zapier, MCP Server)
   - C) Troubleshoot bot joining / recording issues
   - D) Push transcripts/recordings into CRM, data warehouse, or Slack
   - E) Set up AI coaching, trackers, or deal board features
   - F) Evaluate Grain vs alternatives — **route to `/sales-note-taker`**

2. **Which Grain plan?**
   - A) Free (20 meetings, 1 notetaker seat)
   - B) Starter ($15-19/seat — unlimited recordings, Slack/Zapier/Productboard)
   - C) Business ($29-39/seat — CRM sync, coaching, API, trackers, deal board)
   - D) Enterprise (SSO, full API, dedicated CS)
   - E) Not sure yet

3. **What platforms do you record on?**
   - A) Zoom
   - B) Google Meet
   - C) Microsoft Teams
   - D) Webex
   - E) Slack Huddles
   - F) Uploaded recordings

Skip-ahead rule: if the user's prompt already has enough context, skip to Step 2.

## Step 2 — Route or answer directly

| User situation | Route to |
|---|---|
| "Grain vs Fathom vs Fireflies — which should I pick" | `/sales-note-taker {question}` |
| "Review this Grain recording and score it" | `/sales-call-review {question}` |
| "Build a coaching program using Grain recordings" | `/sales-coaching {question}` |
| "Build a generic Zapier/Make/n8n workflow" | `/sales-integration {question}` |
| Anything Grain-platform-specific (API, MCP, pricing, integrations, bot behavior) | Stay here |

When routing, use the exact command: `/sales-{skill} {user's original question}`.

## Step 3 — Grain platform reference

**Read `references/platform-guide.md`** for the full platform reference — modules, pricing tiers, integrations, plan-gated features, MCP Server setup, API access.

Answer using only the relevant section. Don't dump the entire reference.

## Step 4 — Actionable guidance

Once you have the relevant reference content:

1. **For API questions** — note that API access requires Business plan (since Dec 2025) or Enterprise. Base URL is `api.grain.com`. Auth via Bearer token (`GRAIN_API_TOKEN`). Developer docs are at `developers.grain.com`. Rate-limit guidance: 1 req/sec recommended based on official examples.
2. **For MCP Server setup** — point to the native integration URL `https://api.grain.com/_/mcp` for Claude, or the `mcp-remote` config for Cursor/Windsurf. Free for all plans. Built-in prompts: Voice of Customer, Pipeline IQ, SPICED/MEDDICC, Sales Skill Scorecards.
3. **For CRM sync** — HubSpot and Salesforce require Business plan ($29/seat annual). Sync is activity-level (notes attached to contacts/deals), not structured field-level updates like Gong or Avoma. For structured CRM field enrichment, suggest using the API + Zapier to map specific transcript data to CRM fields.
4. **For bot issues** — Grain bot auto-joins via calendar integration. To stop it: disconnect calendar in Grain settings, remove the Grain app from Zoom/Meet/Teams. Known issue: bot can persist after uninstall — check for lingering calendar integrations and app marketplace connections.
5. **For Zapier workflows** — rebuilt March 2026 with workspace-level connections and enhanced trigger controls. Starter plan required. Cannot export video recordings via Zapier (only data like summaries/transcripts).

If you discover a gotcha, workaround, or tip not covered in `references/learnings.md`, append it there with today's date.

## Gotchas

*Best-effort from research (2026-04) — review plan-gated features and integration gotchas that may be outdated.*

- **API is Business+ only.** Free and Starter plans cannot use the REST API. Developer docs at `developers.grain.com` are Notion-hosted and may load slowly.
- **CRM integrations (HubSpot, Salesforce) require Business plan.** Starter only gets Slack, Productboard, and Zapier. Aircall also requires Business.
- **Free plan caps at 20 meetings.** After 20 meetings, you need a paid seat. Free *viewer* seats are unlimited but cannot record.
- **Downgrading locks recordings.** Users report losing access to recordings/meetings when downgrading from a paid plan. Export data before downgrading.
- **Viewer seat paywall.** Grain eliminated the option to add non-recorder users for free on paid plans — colleagues who only view highlights must now have paid seats (or use the free viewer tier with limited access).
- **Transcript copy-paste formatting is poor.** Copying text directly from Grain transcripts produces badly formatted output. Export via API or download as file for cleaner results.
- **Bot takes a participant slot.** The Grain recorder bot occupies a visible meeting slot, which can be disruptive. Desktop capture mode avoids this but requires the Grain desktop app.
- **Zapier cannot export video recordings** — only meeting data (summaries, transcripts, metadata). Use the API for video/recording access.

## Related skills

- `/sales-note-taker` — Picking a note-taker (Fathom vs Fireflies vs Avoma vs Gong vs Otter vs Fellow vs Grain vs Sembly vs Read.ai) and cross-vendor integration patterns
- `/sales-call-review` — Review a specific Grain recording and score against MEDDPICC/SPIN/Challenger
- `/sales-coaching` — Use Grain recordings in coaching programs, onboarding, certifications
- `/sales-integration` — Zapier/Make/n8n workflows to move Grain data to other tools
- `/sales-do` — Not sure which skill to use? The router matches any sales objective to the right skill. Install: `npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-do -a claude-code -y`

## Examples

### Example 1: Bot keeps joining after I removed Grain
**User says**: "I uninstalled Grain but the bot still joins my Zoom calls — how do I stop it?"
**Skill does**:
1. Checks if calendar integration is still connected (Google Calendar or Outlook) — this is the auto-join trigger
2. Walks through disconnecting calendar in Grain settings, then removing the Grain app from Zoom Marketplace
3. Notes that lingering Google Meet/Teams app permissions may also trigger the bot
4. Suggests desktop capture mode as a non-invasive alternative if they still want to use Grain
**Result**: Bot removed by disconnecting all trigger sources.

### Example 2: Setting up MCP Server in Claude
**User says**: "How do I connect Grain to Claude so I can query my meetings?"
**Skill does**:
1. Points to the native integration: add "Grain" in Claude settings with URL `https://api.grain.com/_/mcp`
2. Lists the four built-in prompts: Voice of Customer, Pipeline IQ, SPICED/MEDDICC, Sales Skill Scorecards
3. For Cursor/Windsurf: provides the `mcp-remote` config JSON
4. Notes it's free for all plans — no Business tier required
**Result**: MCP Server connected with ready-to-use one-click reports.

### Example 3: CRM sync only showing activity notes
**User says**: "Grain syncs to HubSpot but it just logs an activity — I need specific fields like next steps and deal amount updated"
**Skill does**:
1. Confirms Grain's native HubSpot sync is activity-level (notes/recordings on contact/deal timeline)
2. Explains this is less structured than Gong or Avoma which can map to specific CRM fields
3. Proposes a Zapier workflow: Grain meeting → extract action items via API → update HubSpot deal properties
4. If structured CRM enrichment is critical, suggests evaluating Avoma or Gong via `/sales-note-taker`
**Result**: Workaround via Zapier + API, with upgrade path if native field mapping is essential.

## Troubleshooting

### Grain bot won't stop joining meetings
**Symptom**: Bot appears in Zoom/Meet/Teams calls even after uninstalling Grain
**Cause**: Calendar integration (Google Calendar or Outlook) is still connected, triggering auto-join
**Solution**: In Grain settings, disconnect all calendar integrations. Then remove the Grain app from your video platform's marketplace (Zoom App Marketplace, Google Workspace Marketplace, Teams Adm