Which OpenPets Mac download should I choose?

Download Apple Silicon DMG (mac-arm64.dmg) for M1, M2, M3, or M4 Macs. Select Intel DMG (mac-x64.dmg) for older Intel-based Macs.

Where does OpenPets run on macOS?

OpenPets sits quietly in the top macOS Menu Bar (StatusItem). Click the menu icon anytime to open the Control Center, swap pets, or configure plugins.

Can I connect Mac terminal tools like Claude Code or Cursor?

Yes. OpenPets includes a local stdio MCP server executable inside the macOS bundle (/Applications/OpenPets.app/Contents/Resources/openpets).

Desktop Pets for Mac: Apple Silicon and Intel DMGs

macOS Architecture Guide

Choosing the Correct Mac DMG Build

OpenPets releases two distinct native binaries for macOS: an Apple Silicon build optimized for M-series processors and an Intel build for older Mac hardware. Both DMG packages contain a self-contained macOS application bundle with zero runtime dependencies.

Architecture	Processor Compatibility	Release DMG	Download Link
Apple Silicon Recommended	M1, M2, M3, M4 (Base, Pro, Max, Ultra)	`mac-arm64.dmg`
Intel Mac	Intel Core i5, i7, i9, Xeon (2012–2020 Macs)	`mac-x64.dmg`

Not sure which Mac processor you have? Click the Apple menu () in the top left corner of your Mac screen, select About This Mac, and check the Chip or Processor line.

macOS Desktop Companion Architecture

On macOS, OpenPets operates as a status menu app in the top menu bar. It creates lightweight, click-through overlay windows that allow companions to walk freely across your wallpaper, title bars, and desktop icons without stealing window focus.

Pixel-art editorial illustration of Apple Silicon and Intel Mac download choices and desktop companion workflow — **Figure 1:** Editorial overview of OpenPets on macOS, detailing native menu bar controls and DMG installation packages.

Live macOS Desktop Demo

Watch OpenPets in motion on macOS. The desktop companion walks on active window borders, reacts to coding events, and provides ambient notifications alongside your work:

OpenPets macOS Desktop Companion Demo MACOS DEMO

Installation & macOS Permission Setup

Follow these four steps to install OpenPets on macOS and grant the required accessibility permissions:

Download Matching DMG

Select Apple Silicon (mac-arm64.dmg) for M-series Macs or Intel (mac-x64.dmg) for older Intel Macs.

Drag to Applications

Double-click the downloaded DMG file and drag OpenPets.app into your macOS /Applications folder.

Grant Accessibility Rights

Open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Accessibility and grant OpenPets permission for desktop roaming.

Access via Menu Bar

OpenPets launches into your macOS Menu Bar. Click the menu icon to open the Control Center.

Why does OpenPets request Accessibility Permissions on macOS?

To walk along the top of active application windows (like VS Code, iTerm2, or Xcode), OpenPets uses the macOS Accessibility API (`AXUIElement`) to read window titles and screen bounds. OpenPets does not record keystrokes, capture screen content, or transmit telemetry.

macOS Companion Features & Control Center

OpenPets includes the complete Control Center interface on Mac, accessible via the top menu bar icon:

macOS Menu Bar Companion

OpenPets runs quietly in the top menu bar (StatusItem). Left-click for quick actions, pet selection, and state toggles without cluttering your Dock.

Title-Bar Window Walking

Using the macOS Accessibility API (`AXUIElement`), pets automatically detect the active window borders of VS Code, Terminal, Safari, and Xcode to walk along title bars.

Spaces & Mission Control

Pets follow your active virtual desktop (macOS Space) seamlessly, staying visible as you swipe between fullscreen IDEs and browser spaces.

Mac Terminal MCP Hooks

Connect Claude Code CLI in Ghostty, Warp, or iTerm2 via standard stdio MCP or local Unix socket (`~/.openpets/openpets.sock`).

OpenPets Control Center dashboard on macOS showing the primary companion, activity overview, and system health — **Figure 2:** OpenPets Control Center dashboard on macOS: primary companion, activity overview, reaction mix, and system health.

OpenPets Pets tab on macOS with the searchable pet catalog and install, default, and remove actions — **Figure 3:** The Pets tab on macOS: browse the catalog, import custom pets, and pick your default desktop companion.

OpenPets Integrations tab on macOS with setup cards for Claude Code, OpenCode, Cursor, and Pi — **Figure 4:** The Integrations tab on macOS: connect Claude Code, OpenCode, Cursor, and Pi to your desktop companions.

Connecting Mac Terminal Tools (Claude, Cursor, CLI)

Mac developers can connect Claude Code, Cursor, or terminal CLI commands directly to OpenPets. The OpenPets macOS binary includes a built-in MCP server listener.

~/.claude/claude_desktop_config.json / .mcp.jsonjson

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openpets": {
      "command": "/Applications/OpenPets.app/Contents/Resources/openpets",
      "args": ["mcp", "serve"]
    }
  }
}

Once added to your MCP configuration file, Claude Code CLI or Claude Desktop will automatically communicate with OpenPets whenever tools execute in your Mac terminal.

Desktop Pets for Mac