Petdex CLI
A gallery of animated companions for coding agents: a CLI installs a pet in one command, and a desktop app shows it reacting to the agent's activity
- 4,354 ★ on the repository
- Last commit
- MIT
Extended access
Why this level
- The npx CLI downloads sprites from the Petdex gallery into ~/.petdex/pets
- The desktop app watches agent activity to switch animations
Install
- Works in
Manual install
npx petdex install bobaInstalls the chosen pet's sprites into ~/.petdex/pets, slugs are listed on petdex.dev.
Access and checks
How we reviewExtended accessThe tool runs code or makes network calls and only reads external data.
- The npx CLI downloads sprites from the Petdex gallery into ~/.petdex/pets
- The desktop app watches agent activity to switch animations
This is third-party code. Review the repository files before installing.
What it does
Petdex is an open gallery of pets in a sprite format, a CLI to install them, and a desktop app that floats the chosen pet over the desktop. npx petdex install drops sprites and metadata into ~/.petdex/pets, and the desktop app hooks into the coding agent's activity to switch the pet's animation between idle, running, waiting and reacting to a failure. Every pet is just two files, a pet.json with metadata and a spritesheet, so a new one can be packaged and sent to the gallery with npx petdex submit.
Who it is for. For developers who want a more visible sense of what the agent is doing right now, beyond just watching logs.
Good fit when
- You want a visual indicator that the agent is busy, waiting for input or just failed
- You want an easy way to make long agent sessions feel less monotonous
- You want to build and publish your own pet for others to use
Not a fit when
- The desktop is already crowded with other overlays and one more floating element would get in the way
- You need a serious agent-monitoring tool rather than a decorative indicator
Example request
Install the boba pet with petdex and connect it to my CodexLimitations
The desktop app with the floating pet is available for macOS, Linux and Windows but needs a separate download beyond the CLI. Pets are user-submitted fan art, Petdex claims no rights to the underlying characters and removes a pet within 48 hours on a rights holder's request.
How to disable. Remove the ~/.petdex folder and uninstall the desktop app the normal way for your OS.
FAQ
Do I need a terminal to configure the desktop app?
No, once the app itself is installed, picking a pet and connecting agents is done with clicks in its settings.
Can I make my own pet?
Yes, using the tools at petdex.dev/create or the hatch-pet skill inside Codex, and a finished package is submitted with npx petdex submit.
Discussion
No questions or reviews yet.
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Comparison with similar tools
Cards that share the main search query, and how they differ.
| Tool | Official | Repository stars | Main difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petdex (this card) | no | 4,354 | |
| OpenPets | yes | 1,395 | a desktop pet that reacts to Claude Code |
| PocketMen with You | no | 294 | a Codex skill that builds an animated companion from two or more of |
README in short
The README presents Petdex as three connected things: a web gallery at petdex.dev, a CLI for installing and submitting pets, and a desktop app that floats the chosen pet over the screen and reacts to the agent's activity. It gives a step-by-step install checklist, a command table for users, and a section for anyone building on top of Petdex via the public manifest HTTP API or the pet package format. It notes that 21 third-party projects already build on these surfaces. Code is MIT licensed, pet artwork stays with its submitters.