OpenPets Documentation

Install OpenPets, connect coding agents, build desktop pets, and ship SDK v3 plugins for the open-source companion platform.

OpenPets is an open-source desktop companion platform. It puts animated pets on your desktop, lets local coding agents update them, and gives plugin authors a sandboxed SDK for adding companion behavior.

OpenPets is built around companion pets, plugins, and local agent integrations.

This documentation is built from the public OpenPets repository. The codebase is the source of truth, and these pages explain the current contracts around the desktop app, local IPC, pets, agent integrations, plugins, and SDK v3.

Start here

Quickstart

Install OpenPets, open the Control Center, pick a pet, and optionally connect a coding assistant.

Install OpenPets

Choose the right release asset for macOS, Windows, or Linux and launch the desktop app.

Architecture

Learn the runtime model: Electron desktop app, local IPC, npm packages, pet windows, plugin host, and integration packages.

Desktop app

Understand the tray app, Control Center, app state, pet windows, security, logging, and update behavior.

Official plugins

See the reviewed companion plugins in the catalog, which ones are bundled, and the behavior rules they follow.

Agent integrations

Connect Claude Code, OpenCode, Cursor, Pi, or any MCP-capable assistant to local pet reactions.

Plugin SDK v3

Build plugins with manifest v3, capability permissions, host-rendered UI, storage, schedules, events, AI, voice, OAuth, and the test harness.

For users

Install the desktop app from the latest OpenPets release.
Choose or install pets from the built-in gallery.
Enable official plugins for focus, reminders, virtual pet state, mood checks, water reminders, small games, and launcher shortcuts.
Optionally connect an AI coding assistant through MCP or a dedicated integration.

For developers

Use @open-pets/cli to configure projects, check desktop connectivity, send reactions, run the MCP server, and scaffold plugins.
Use @open-pets/plugin-sdk for SDK v3 types and the deterministic plugin test harness.
Keep behavior changes and docs changes together so the public documentation stays aligned with the code.

Source of truth

The most authoritative files are still the package and app sources:

packages/sdk/src/index.ts defines the public SDK v3 type contract.
packages/cli/src/index.ts defines CLI command routing.
apps/desktop/src/ implements the Electron app and plugin host.
plugins/official/ contains first-party SDK v3 plugin examples.