🐾 PixelPaw

a tiny pixel cat who lives on your desktop 🐱✨

 /\_/\
( o.o )   < mrrp! i live here now >
 > ^ <

floats over your screen · follows your cursor · kneads while you type · naps · and shouts your reminders in the cutest little speech bubble

_{made with Electron + a lot of pixel love · no telemetry · 100% local}

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🌸 What is this?

PixelPaw is a little desktop buddy that hangs out on top of everything you're doing. It's not a tracker, not a notification spammer, not Clippy — just a soft, squishy pixel cat that reacts to you. It watches your cursor, gets the zoomies, kneads happily when you type, rolls out toilet paper when you scroll, and gently reminds you to take breaks. 🧶

Think of it as a Tamagotchi that lives in the corner of your monitor and quietly keeps you company. 💛

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✨ Features

🐈 4 switchable cats	Tuxedo, Orange tabby, Grey & Calico — swap anytime from the controller or tray.
🎨 Full customization	Two body colors + gradient, paw color, and coat pattern (tuxedo / tabby / solid / calico).
📏 Adjustable size	Resize from 1% to 250% with a live slider — teeny pocket cat or absolute unit.
👀 Cursor follow	Eyes and gaze track your mouse, and the cat pounces when you move fast.
🐾 Typing knead	Pats two little pads with a happy > < squint. Type too much and it overheats — turns red with stress marks + steam. 😤
🧻 Scroll = toilet paper	Scroll and watch a roll unfurl down the side. Chaos cat.
🙆 Horizontal stretch	Flops out long on all four legs in a big satisfying stretch.
🖱️ Drag to move	Grab the cat and place it anywhere on your screen.
🛌 Perch & nap	Sits on top of the screen and dozes off, and idles into a nap on its own.
🏷️ Pet name	Give it a name — shown on a little tag below the cat.
🍅 Pomodoro timer	A red Focus 00:00 badge floats just above its head while you grind.
📣 Reminders	Fire as a cat shout (no boring OS popup). Add / edit / delete in the controller.
📌 Pinned message + notes	Keep a little sticky thought with you all day.

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🚀 Run it

npm install
npm start

🟢 Requires Node.js 18+. npm install downloads Electron, so it needs internet the first time.

…and that's it — your new tiny friend appears. 🐾

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📦 Build a shareable installer

Want to send PixelPaw to a friend? It uses electron-builder. Build on the OS you're targeting:

# 🪟 Windows  ->  dist/PixelPaw-1.2.0-win.exe   (NSIS installer)  + a portable .exe
npm run dist:win

# 🍎 macOS    ->  dist/PixelPaw-1.2.0-mac.dmg    (+ .zip)
npm run dist:mac

# 🐧 Linux    ->  dist/PixelPaw-1.2.0-linux.AppImage
npm run dist

The finished installers land in the dist/ folder. Share the .exe (Windows), .dmg (macOS), or .AppImage (Linux) and anyone can install it. 🎁

• 🪟 The Windows NSIS installer lets users pick the install folder and creates desktop + Start Menu shortcuts.
• 🥡 A portable Windows .exe is also produced — no install needed, just double-click and go.
• 🔓 Builds are unsigned, so the OS may warn on first launch:
  • macOS: right-click the app → Open.
  • Windows: More info → Run anyway.

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🎛️ Controls

• 🐈 Tray icon → choose a cat, pet it, jump, stretch, perch, start a Pomodoro, or open the controller.
• ⌨️ Global shortcuts:
  • Ctrl/Cmd + Alt + P → Pomodoro 🍅
  • Ctrl/Cmd + Alt + S → stretch 🙆
  • Ctrl/Cmd + Alt + C → controller 🎛️
• 🖱️ Drag the cat to move it. It's click-through everywhere else, so it never gets in your way.

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🐭 Optional: reactions in any app

By default the cat reacts to typing and scrolling inside its own window. To make it react to keyboard/scroll activity everywhere, install the optional helper:

npm install uiohook-napi

🍎 On macOS you'll need to grant Accessibility permission: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility.

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🛠️ Tech

Electron · HTML5 Canvas pixel renderer · zero telemetry · all settings stored locally in your user-data folder. 🔒

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made with 🧶 and a little

meow
(\_/)
( ^.^ )  thanks for adopting me!
(")_(")

if PixelPaw makes you smile, give it a little head pat 🐾