My Pet Buddy 🐾

A tiny virtual pet that walks across your screen and keeps you company while you work — now on your browser AND your Mac & Windows desktop. 🎉

Pick your buddy — cat, dog, bunny, hamster, or birdie — click 'em for a burst of hearts, catch a little motivational nudge when you need it, and let them parade around while you grind. No ads. No sign-up. 100% free and open source. Just vibes. 🐱🐶🐰

🖥️ NEW: it broke out of the browser — now on Desktop!

Your buddy doesn't need a browser tab anymore. The desktop app puts a pet on your whole screen, strolling over every app you've got open (yeah, even while you're buried in VS Code 😏). Same cute pets, now living in your menu bar (Mac) / system tray (Windows) — click the icon and a little popover pops right out.

Get it
🍎 macOS	Download the .dmg
🪟 Windows	Download the installer · 1-min install guide
🍺 Homebrew	brew tap nycanshu/tap && brew trust nycanshu/tap && brew install --cask my-pet-buddy

First launch (unsigned build). The app isn't code-signed yet, so macOS/Windows warn you once — this is expected, not a problem. One time only:

• macOS: open System Settings → Privacy & Security → scroll down → "Open Anyway". (Or run xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "/Applications/My Pet Buddy.app" in Terminal, then open it.) This applies to .dmg and Homebrew installs alike.
• Windows: click More info → Run anyway.

Walks over any app · click for hearts 💕 · motivational nudges ✨ · dark mode 🌙 · picks up where it left off. Free forever.

✨ Features

• 🎨 Multiple Pet Types: Choose from cats, dogs, birds, rabbits, and more
• 🖼️ PNG Image Support: High-quality pet images with smooth animations
• 🎯 Interactive Pets: Hover over pets to see them pop and play
• 📍 Position Control: Place pets at bottom, middle, or top of your screen
• ⚡ Lightweight: Optimized for performance with minimal resource usage
• 💾 Persistent Settings: Your preferences are saved across browser sessions
• 🎨 Modern UI: Clean, professional popup interface with consistent design
• 🔧 Easy Customization: Add new pet types by simply adding images to the pets folder

🚀 Quick Start Guide

🛒 Install from Browser Stores (Recommended)

Chrome Users:

1. Visit Chrome Web Store:
   • Click the Chrome badge above or visit: Chrome Web Store
   • Click "Add to Chrome" button

Microsoft Edge Users:

1. Visit Microsoft Edge Add-ons:

   • Click the Edge badge above or visit: Microsoft Edge Add-ons
   • Click "Get" button

2. Confirm Installation:

   • Review permissions and click "Add extension"
   • The extension will be automatically installed and enabled

3. Start Using:

   • Click the "My Pet Buddy" icon in your browser toolbar
   • Toggle the extension ON/OFF using the switch at the top
   • Select your preferred pet position (Bottom/Middle/Top)
   • Choose your pet companion from the gallery
   • Navigate to any webpage to see your pets parading!

🔧 For Developers (Local Installation)

If you want to contribute or test locally:

1. Clone the Repository:

   git clone https://github.com/nycanshu/my-pet-buddy.git
   cd my-pet-buddy

2. Load in Browser:

   • Chrome: Navigate to chrome://extensions/
   • Edge: Navigate to edge://extensions/
   • Enable "Developer mode" (toggle in top-right corner)
   • Click "Load unpacked" and select the project folder

3. Test the Extension:

   • Follow the same usage steps as above

🎮 How to Use

1. Install: Get the extension from Chrome Web Store or Microsoft Edge Add-ons
2. Enable: Toggle the switch in the popup to activate pets
3. Choose Position: Select where you want pets to appear (Bottom/Middle/Top)
4. Select Your Pet: Click on any pet from the gallery to choose your companion
5. Enjoy: Navigate to any website and watch your pet parade along the screen!
6. Interact: Hover over your pet to see it pop and play

🐛 Troubleshooting

• Pets Not Appearing: Ensure the extension is enabled and a pet is selected
• Images Not Loading: Check that images are in the pets/ folder with correct naming
• Animation Issues: Verify that the webpage allows content scripts
• Storage Issues: Clear extension data in Chrome settings if needed
• Performance: This extension is optimized for minimal resource usage

🌐 Browser Compatibility

• Chrome: 88+ (Manifest V3 support) - Install from Chrome Web Store
• Microsoft Edge: 88+ (Manifest V3 support) - Install from Microsoft Edge Add-ons
• Other Chromium-based: Brave, Opera, etc. (via Chrome Web Store)
• Firefox: Not supported (uses Chrome-specific APIs)

🖥️ Desktop App (macOS & Windows)

Want your pet to walk across your whole screen, over every app — not just web pages? My Pet Buddy also ships as a lightweight desktop app built with Electron.

• 🐾 A pet paces the bottom of your screen, floating over any app (VS Code, browsers, …)
• 💕 Click the pet for floating hearts, plus periodic motivational messages
• 🧭 Lives in the menu bar (macOS) / system tray (Windows) — no window clutter, no close button
• ⚙️ Pick your pet + theme, settings persist, optional launch-at-login, auto-updates

Install: grab the latest .dmg (macOS) or .exe (Windows) from Releases. Windows users: see the step-by-step Windows install guide.

Develop / build: see desktop/README.md.

📋 Contribution Guidelines

see our CONTRIBUTING.md file.

📄 License

This project is open source and available under the MIT License.

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🎉 Get Started Now!

Made with ❤️ for pet lovers and animal enthusiasts!

Bring joy to your browsing experience with adorable virtual companions! 🐾