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Clawd

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Clawd is a pixel-art desktop pet for Windows. It lives on top of your taskbar, wanders about, waves, dances, writes code on a tiny laptop, naps and does backflips, and it plays ping pong, badminton and chess with you.

A fan-made project, not affiliated with Anthropic. Windows 10 or 11 only.

Install

Download the installer from qlinter.org (clawd-setup-0.1.0.exe), or take clawd.exe from the latest GitHub release and double-click it. The single exe needs no install.

From source (needs Rust):

cargo build --release

The program ends up in target\release\clawd.exe.

Quick start

Start clawd.exe. Clawd drops in from just above the taskbar and starts doing its own thing. Right-click it for the menu.

What you can do

Do this Clawd does
Drag it Picks it up. Let go mid-swing to throw it; it bounces off the screen edges.
Click it Hops and shows a heart. Click again mid-hop for a backflip.
Wiggle the cursor over it Giggles (tickling).
Right-click it Opens the menu: games, tricks (pet, dance, code, backflip), nap, wander on or off, quit.

Left alone, it idles, walks, waves, dances, writes code, looks around and yawns before a nap.

Games

Start any game from the right-click menu.

  • Ping pong. A table a quarter of your screen in size. Your paddle on the left follows the mouse up and down; Clawd plays the right. First to 5. Esc stops.
  • Badminton. The whole screen is the court, seen from the side, with the net standing on the taskbar in the middle. Your racket follows the mouse around the left half and tilts as you move. Swinging through the shuttle adds the racket's speed to the shot. A rally ends when the shuttle lands, flies out or drops off the net, and the rally's winner serves next. First to 7. Esc stops.
  • Chess. You play white: click a piece, then where it should go. Clawd plays black and types on its laptop while it thinks. Full rules, including castling, en passant and draws; pawns promote to queens.

How it works

Clawd is one Rust program built directly on the Win32 API (the windows crate), with no game engine. Clawd and every game piece are drawn pixel by pixel into layered, always-on-top windows with UpdateLayeredWindow. Fully transparent pixels are click-through, so only Clawd itself catches the mouse. It finds the monitor's work area (the screen minus the taskbar) so it can stand on the taskbar.

Every frame waits for the vertical blank of the monitor Clawd is on, so animation and dragging run at that monitor's exact refresh rate (60, 144, 165 Hz and so on). While you drag, the cursor is sampled once per frame right after the vertical blank, which keeps Clawd glued to the pointer without jitter.

The chess opponent generates legal moves, detects the end of the game, and searches with alpha-beta (negamax with a quiescence search, looking a little deeper at checks). It stops when its time budget runs out.

Settings

Clawd has no settings file. Wander is toggled from the menu.

Variable Meaning
CLAWD_LOG=<path> Appends the measured frame rate to that file once a second.
CLAWD_RACKETS=<path.ppm> Saves the badminton racket drawn at a few tilts (a debugging aid).

Limits and troubleshooting

  • Windows only.
  • Clawd stays on top of other windows. Turn wander off or quit it from the right-click menu if it gets in the way.
  • Esc ends a running game.
  • Run the tests with cargo test --release.

Worked examples

Play a game of chess. Right-click Clawd and pick chess. A board appears; you're white. Click your e-pawn, then two squares ahead. Clawd opens its laptop and types while it thinks, then moves. Castle by moving the king two squares; capture en passant by moving onto the square the pawn skipped. A pawn reaching the last rank becomes a queen.

Throw Clawd across the screen. Press on Clawd, drag quickly sideways and let go while still moving. It flies off with your speed and bounces off the screen edges before landing back on the taskbar.

Get a backflip. Click Clawd once so it hops, then click again while it's in the air.

Keep it still while you work. Right-click and turn wander off. Clawd stays where it is and keeps idling. Pick a nap from the menu if you want it to sleep.

Win at badminton. Move the mouse fast through the shuttle as it reaches you: the racket's speed is added to the shot. A rally ends when the shuttle lands, flies out or drops off the net.

Edge cases

  • Several monitors: Clawd stands on the taskbar of the monitor it's on, and its frame rate follows that monitor's refresh rate.
  • Taskbar on the side or hidden: Clawd uses the monitor's work area, the screen minus the taskbar, as its floor.
  • Full-screen apps: Clawd's windows are always on top, so it can show over a full-screen window. Quit it or turn wander off while you game or present.
  • Clicking through Clawd: only Clawd's own pixels catch the mouse; empty space around it is click-through.
  • Ending a game early: press Esc, or use the menu.

FAQ

Does it need installing? No. clawd.exe runs on its own. The installer adds a Start menu entry, an optional desktop shortcut and an uninstaller.

Does it start with Windows? Only if you tick "Start Clawd when I sign in to Windows" in the installer.

Does it use much CPU? It draws one frame per monitor refresh. Set CLAWD_LOG to log the measured frame rate if you want to check.

Is it affiliated with Anthropic? No, it's fan-made.

Does it work on a Mac? No, it's Windows only.

How do I quit it? Right-click it and pick quit.

Version and source

This page describes Clawd 0.1.0.

Clawd 是 Windows 上的像素風桌面寵物。它住在工作列上方，到處走動、揮手、跳舞、在小筆電上寫程式、打盹、後空翻，還會陪你打乒乓球、羽毛球和下西洋棋。

粉絲自製專案，與 Anthropic 無關。僅限 Windows 10 或 11。

安裝

從 qlinter.org 下載安裝程式（clawd-setup-0.1.0.exe），或從 GitHub 最新版本 取得 clawd.exe 並雙擊執行。單一 exe 不需要安裝。

從原始碼建置（需要 Rust）：

cargo build --release

程式會放在 target\release\clawd.exe。

快速開始

執行 clawd.exe。Clawd 會從工作列上方掉下來，開始做自己的事。對它按右鍵可以打開選單。

你可以做什麼

這樣做 Clawd 會
拖曳它 把它抓起來。甩動中放開就會把它丟出去；它會在螢幕邊緣反彈。
點它 跳一下並冒出愛心。跳到半空中再點一下會後空翻。
在它上面來回晃動游標 咯咯笑（搔癢）。
對它按右鍵 打開選單：遊戲、把戲（摸摸、跳舞、寫程式、後空翻）、打盹、開關走動、結束。

不理它時，它會發呆、走路、揮手、跳舞、寫程式、東張西望，打盹前還會打呵欠。

遊戲

從右鍵選單開始任何遊戲。

  • 乒乓球。 球桌約為螢幕的四分之一大。左邊的球拍跟著滑鼠上下移動；Clawd 在右邊。先得 5 分者勝。按 Esc 停止。
  • 羽毛球。 整個螢幕就是球場，從側面看，球網立在中間的工作列上。你的球拍跟著滑鼠在左半邊移動，並隨移動傾斜。揮拍穿過羽球時，球拍的速度會加到這一球上。羽球落地、出界或掛網時這一分結束，贏得這一分的人發下一球。先得 7 分者勝。按 Esc 停止。
  • 西洋棋。 你執白：點一個棋子，再點它要去的位置。Clawd 執黑，思考時會在筆電上打字。完整規則，包括入堡、吃過路兵和和局；兵升變為后。

運作原理

Clawd 是一個直接建立在 Win32 API（windows crate）上的 Rust 程式，沒有遊戲引擎。Clawd 和所有遊戲物件都是逐像素畫進分層、永遠置頂的視窗，使用 UpdateLayeredWindow。完全透明的像素可以點穿，所以只有 Clawd 本身會接到滑鼠。它會找出螢幕的工作區（螢幕扣掉工作列），以便站在工作列上。

每一格畫面都會等待 Clawd 所在螢幕的垂直空白，所以動畫和拖曳會以那個螢幕確切的更新率（60、144、165 Hz 等）執行。拖曳時，游標在每次垂直空白後取樣一次，讓 Clawd 緊貼著指標而不抖動。

西洋棋對手會產生合法步、偵測對局結束，並用 alpha-beta 搜尋（negamax 加上 quiescence search，遇到將軍時看深一點）。時間預算用完就停止。

設定

Clawd 沒有設定檔。走動從選單開關。

變數 意思
CLAWD_LOG=<path> 每秒把測得的影格率附加到該檔案。
CLAWD_RACKETS=<path.ppm> 把幾種傾斜角度的羽毛球拍存成圖（除錯用）。

限制與疑難排解

  • 僅限 Windows。
  • Clawd 會蓋在其他視窗上面。礙事時，從右鍵選單關掉走動或結束它。
  • 按 Esc 結束進行中的遊戲。
  • 用 cargo test --release 執行測試。

實例

下一盤西洋棋。 對 Clawd 按右鍵，選西洋棋。棋盤出現，你執白。點你的 e 兵，再點前方兩格。Clawd 打開筆電，邊想邊打字，然後走棋。把國王移兩格就是入堡；移到對方兵剛跳過的格子就是吃過路兵。走到最後一排的兵會變成后。

把 Clawd 丟過螢幕。 按住 Clawd，快速往旁邊拖，在還在移動時放開。它會帶著你的速度飛出去，在螢幕邊緣反彈，然後落回工作列上。

讓它後空翻。 點 Clawd 一下讓它跳起來，在半空中再點一下。

工作時讓它待著別動。 按右鍵關掉走動。Clawd 會留在原地繼續發呆。想讓它睡覺，就從選單選打盹。

羽毛球贏球。 羽球飛到你這邊時，快速把滑鼠穿過它：球拍的速度會加到這一球上。羽球落地、出界或掛網時這一分結束。

特殊情況

  • 多個螢幕： Clawd 站在它所在螢幕的工作列上，影格率跟著那個螢幕的更新率。
  • 工作列在側邊或自動隱藏： Clawd 以螢幕的工作區（螢幕扣掉工作列）當作地面。
  • 全螢幕 App： Clawd 的視窗永遠置頂，所以可能出現在全螢幕視窗上。玩遊戲或簡報時，請結束它或關掉走動。
  • 點穿 Clawd： 只有 Clawd 自己的像素會接到滑鼠；它周圍的空白處可以點穿。
  • 提早結束遊戲： 按 Esc，或使用選單。

常見問題

需要安裝嗎？ 不需要。clawd.exe 可以單獨執行。安裝程式會加入開始功能表項目、可選的桌面捷徑和解除安裝程式。

會隨 Windows 啟動嗎？ 只有在安裝程式中勾選「Start Clawd when I sign in to Windows」時才會。

很吃 CPU 嗎？ 它每次螢幕更新畫一格。想確認的話，設定 CLAWD_LOG 記錄測得的影格率。

和 Anthropic 有關嗎？ 沒有，這是粉絲自製的。

能在 Mac 上用嗎？ 不能，僅限 Windows。

怎麼結束它？ 對它按右鍵，選結束。

版本與原始碼

本頁說明 Clawd 0.1.0。