# TouchGrass AI: An Open-Source AI Companion to Help You Touch Grass

> Source: <https://dev.to/arkendukundudev/touchgrass-ai-an-open-source-ai-companion-to-help-you-touch-grass-46op>
> Published: 2026-10-10 16:46:09+00:00

**live demo:** [https://touchgrass-ai.vercel.app/](https://touchgrass-ai.vercel.app/)

**github repository:** [https://github.com/arkendukundu-dev/touchgrass-ai](https://github.com/arkendukundu-dev/touchgrass-ai)

**#hf26challenge #hacktoberfest #opensource #ai #react #python**

we spend so much time looking at screens that sometimes we forget to experience the world outside them.

many of us want to spend more time outdoors, explore new places, build healthier habits, or simply take a break from endless scrolling. but knowing we should take a break isn't always enough.

i wanted to turn that simple idea into something fun and actionable.

touchgrass ai is an open-source, ai-powered wellness app that encourages people to step away from their screens and reconnect with the real world through small, achievable activities.

instead of just telling you to spend less time online, it gives you little outdoor quests to complete in real life.

i used the following technologies:

for a project focused on digital well-being, i didn't want the solution to depend entirely on a closed-source ai service.

using an open-weight model such as qwen 2.5 3b through ollama gives developers the freedom to experiment with local inference, customize model behavior, and explore different models without depending on a paid proprietary ai api.

local inference can also help keep prompts on a user's own machine when configured that way. the model is replaceable, which makes the project easier to experiment with and extend.

i also wanted the basic experience to remain useful without ai. the built-in quests provide a fallback, so the app's core idea doesn't disappear when a model is unavailable.

🌐 **live demo:** [https://touchgrass-ai.vercel.app/](https://touchgrass-ai.vercel.app/)

💻 **open-source code:** [https://github.com/arkendukundu-dev/touchgrass-ai](https://github.com/arkendukundu-dev/touchgrass-ai)

the project is built with an extensible architecture, and there's plenty of room to improve quest personalization, add achievements, and introduce more ways to encourage offline exploration.

some ideas i'd love to explore:

ai doesn't always need to keep us glued to a screen. sometimes, it can help us find a reason to put the screen down.

that's the idea behind touchgrass ai: **use technology to make more room for real life.**

i'd love to hear your feedback and ideas. what feature would make you more likely to step away from your screen and explore the world?