# Desk-Pet – a local-first desktop pet powered by MiniCPM5

> Source: <https://github.com/OpenBMB/MiniCPM-Desk-Pet>
> Published: 2026-07-07 22:25:52+00:00

**English** | [简体中文](/OpenBMB/MiniCPM-Desk-Pet/blob/main/README.zh-CN.md)

A local-first desktop pet powered by MiniCPM. Download, complete the guided setup, and chat with a tiny companion that lives on your desktop.

**Local by default**— after the model is downloaded, everyday chat runs on your machine.** Zero manual setup**— first launch guides you through environment check, model download, and warm-up.** Desktop companion**— open a floating chat bubble, talk with MiniCPM, and keep the pet on screen while you work.** Agent-aware reactions**— the pet can react to coding activity from tools such as Cursor, Claude Code, and Codex.** Task narration**— when a coding-agent session finishes, the pet summarizes what the AI just did in a speech bubble, so you can catch up at a glance.**Idle alerts**— if a coding agent has been waiting for your input, the pet plays a bell animation and sound to get your attention.** Auto-detect agents**— the app scans your machine for installed coding agents and prompts you to connect them in one click.** Smart model download**— the app can download from Hugging Face or ModelScope and choose the better source for your network.** Persona support**— switch or import character adapters from** Settings -> MiniCPM**.

| Item | Recommended |
|---|---|
| macOS | 14.0+, Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4), about 2 GB disk space |
| Windows | x64 with Vulkan support, about 2 GB disk space |
| Network | Required on first launch unless you already have a local model file |

macOS Apple Silicon is the primary tested platform. A Windows installer is also available — feedback is welcome.

**macOS**

- Go to
[Releases](https://github.com/OpenBMB/MiniCPM-Desk-Pet/releases)and download the latest`MiniCPM Desk Pet-*-arm64.dmg`

. - Open the DMG and drag
**MiniCPM Desk Pet** into`Applications`

. - Launch the app and follow the setup guide.

If macOS blocks the first launch, right-click the app and choose **Open**. If needed, remove the quarantine flag:

```
xattr -cr /Applications/MiniCPM\ Desk\ Pet.app
```

**Windows**

- Go to
[Releases](https://github.com/OpenBMB/MiniCPM-Desk-Pet/releases)and download the latest`.exe`

installer. - Run the installer and complete the wizard.
- Launch the app and follow the setup guide.

MiniCPM Desk Pet includes a complete first-launch guide:

**Environment Check** -> **Model Download** -> **Model Warm-up** -> **Ready to Use**

The default model is [MiniCPM5-1B-GGUF](https://huggingface.co/openbmb/MiniCPM5-1B-GGUF). You can let the app download it automatically, or choose an existing local `.gguf`

file.

Use the floating chat bubble to talk with MiniCPM from your desktop. Once setup is complete, your normal conversations do not need a remote inference service.

Useful shortcuts (macOS uses `Cmd`

, Windows uses `Ctrl`

):

`Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+M`

— open or close the MiniCPM chat bubble`Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+T`

— show or hide thinking mode`Esc`

— close the bubble when input is focused

MiniCPM Desk Pet can stay beside your workspace and react to coding-agent activity: thinking, working, finishing tasks, waiting for attention, or going idle.

The MiniCPM settings page lets you:

- download the default model or choose a local model file
- rerun onboarding
- manage character/persona adapters
- restart the local model runtime when needed

The app includes a neko-style persona adapter. You can switch adapters or import your own from **Settings -> MiniCPM**.

- Broader Linux validation.
- More persona presets.
- Clearer model download diagnostics and retry guidance.
- Faster first launch and smaller app footprint.
- Richer desktop-pet narration for long-running coding sessions.

- The primary tested release target is macOS Apple Silicon. Windows is supported with a bundled installer; report issues if something does not work on your setup.
- First launch requires an internet connection unless you provide a local model file.
- Response speed depends on your chip, memory pressure, and selected model.
- Coding-agent reactions depend on each tool's integration behavior and may vary by version.

For development setup, packaging, and repository layout, see [ docs/development.md](/OpenBMB/MiniCPM-Desk-Pet/blob/main/docs/development.md).

- Desktop pet UI is based on
[rullerzhou-afk/clawd-on-desk](https://github.com/rullerzhou-afk/clawd-on-desk). Full attribution is listed in.`NOTICE.md`

- Model weights come from the OpenBMB MiniCPM model family and are downloaded separately.
- The bundled neko persona uses the
**neko30k** dataset ([liumindmind/NekoQA-30K](https://huggingface.co/datasets/liumindmind/NekoQA-30K)) for fine-tuning data.

This repository is distributed under [GNU AGPL-3.0-only](/OpenBMB/MiniCPM-Desk-Pet/blob/main/LICENSE).

MiniCPM model weights are downloaded separately and governed by the [OpenBMB MiniCPM Model License](https://github.com/OpenBMB/MiniCPM/blob/main/MiniCPM%20Model%20License.md). Artwork, third-party code, and datasets keep their own notices; see [ NOTICE.md](/OpenBMB/MiniCPM-Desk-Pet/blob/main/NOTICE.md) and

[.](/OpenBMB/MiniCPM-Desk-Pet/blob/main/clawd-on-desk/NOTICE.md)

`clawd-on-desk/NOTICE.md`