# Inquiry regarding Recording Status and missing CHAT/TRANSCRIPT files in Zoom API **URL:** \ **Category:** API and Webhooks\ **Created:** [April 10, 2026, 11:32am UTC](https://devforum.zoom.us/t/inquiry-regarding-recording-status-and-missing-chat-transcript-files-in-zoom-api/142923 "2026-04-10T11:32:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 2
**Author:** ![amanda-recallai](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/devforum.zoom.us/amanda-recallai/32/44747_2.png) [@amanda-recallai](https://devforum.zoom.us/u/amanda-recallai)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2026, 11:59pm UTC](https://devforum.zoom.us/t/inquiry-regarding-recording-status-and-missing-chat-transcript-files-in-zoom-api/142923/2 "2026-04-13T23:59:20Z")
I wouldn’t treat `recording_files.status = "completed"` as a reliable readiness signal for `CHAT` or `TRANSCRIPT`. Zoom notes that the [audio transcript](https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0064927) can become available after the cloud recording itself, and Zoom staff has also reproduced cases where `recording.completed` only included MP4, M4A, and TIMELINE while [recording.transcript\_completed](https://devforum.zoom.us/t/how-to-access-meeting-transcript-from-recording-completed-webhook-event/103087/5) delivered the TRANSCRIPT file. For transcript handling, that event is the safer trigger than the per-file `status` field. For chat, I could not find doc-backed proof of a dedicated chat-completed webhook. The best first check is [saving in-meeting chat](https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0067312), because Zoom only saves public messages sent while cloud recording was active. That means a missing `CHAT` file can be expected if no public chat was sent, or if chat happened before cloud recording started. I also could not find a documented causal link between [meeting.alert](https://developers.zoom.us/blog/not-receiving-webhooks/) and missing chat or transcript files. Zoom treats that as a separate webhook flow, not as a recording-generation signal. If the transcript or chat is visible in Recordings & Transcripts but absent from API results, that’s strong support-case material with the meeting UUID, host account, end time, and webhook delivery logs. If you do not want to handle this integration complexity yourself, you may want to consider Recall.ai’s [Meeting Bot API](https://www.recall.ai/product/meeting-bot-api?utm_source=zoom&utm_medium=forum_answer). It provides a simple way to access Zoom recordings and transcripts, both in real time and after the meeting has ended. --- _[View the full topic](https://devforum.zoom.us/t/inquiry-regarding-recording-status-and-missing-chat-transcript-files-in-zoom-api/142923)._