alvinunreal/openpets

What it solves

OpenPets provides a way to bring animated desktop companions to a user's workspace to reduce loneliness and add utility. It transforms these pets into functional tools—such as focus timers, reminders, or coding assistants—through a modular plugin system and optional AI agent integrations.

How it works

The platform consists of an Electron-based desktop application that renders animated pets. It features a sandboxed JavaScript/TypeScript SDK that allows developers to create plugins to give pets new abilities. For AI functionality, it uses a Model Context Protocol (MCP) layer, allowing external AI agents (like Claude Code or Cursor) to trigger pet animations and speech bubbles locally without exposing sensitive data.

Who it’s for

• General Users: People who want a customizable, interactive desktop pet for productivity or companionship.
• Developers: Those looking to build custom pet behaviors using the provided SDK.
• AI Power Users: Developers who use AI coding agents and want a visual, reactive companion that reflects the agent's current state (e.g., thinking, editing, or success).

Highlights

• Modular Plugin System: Includes official plugins for Pomodoro timers, hydration reminders, and Tamagotchi-style pet stats.
• Agent Integration: Supports MCP for seamless connectivity with AI agents like Claude Code, OpenCode, and Cursor.
• Sandboxed Security: Plugins run in a restricted environment with a strict permissions model to protect user privacy.
• Local-First Approach: No accounts or central servers required; AI features use the user's own configured providers and keys.
• Developer Tooling: Includes a CLI for scaffolding, validating, and testing plugins with a deterministic test harness.