SAN FRANCISCO: Anthropic has made it possible for small, low-cost hardware devices to work directly with Claude. Developers can now connect ESP32-S3 microcontroller boards to the Claude desktop app using Bluetooth. No internet connection or API keys are required.
To make this easy, Anthropic has released a free, open-source project called Claude Desktop Buddy. It comes with ready-to-use firmware that gets the device up and running quickly. The whole setup works over a simple Bluetooth Low Energy connection, keeping things lightweight and offline.
Right now, the project works on the M5StickC Plus, a small ESP32 board that costs around $30. Anthropic also suggests the ESP32-S3 M5Stack Cardputer for those who want to build more advanced physical AI devices. All the code and guides are freely available on Anthropic’s GitHub page for anyone to explore and build upon.
The device acts as a companion for Claude Cowork and Claude Code on desktop. It sits on a desk and displays real-time updates on the AI agent’s activity. Users approve or deny permission requests through physical buttons without switching screens.
The feature solves a persistent friction point in agentic AI workflows. Coding agents frequently pause to request user approval for sensitive actions. The hardware buddy surfaces those prompts physically, keeping interaction fast, local, and private.
The firmware turns the board into a Tamagotchi-style desk pet with animated moods. The character sleeps when idle, sweats during active sessions, and grows impatient awaiting approvals. Celebration animations trigger every 50,000 tokens the agent processes.
The Buddy began as a hidden Easter egg inside the Claude Code command-line tool. Anthropic planned the April Fools’ joke for April 1 before an accidental npm leak. Strong developer interest pushed the company to expand the concept into open hardware.
Espressif supports the project directly through its ESP-IDF software development kit. The chipmaker also publishes a dedicated ESP Desktop Buddy library for developers. The open Bluetooth standard lets makers build custom versions on other boards.
The release reflects Anthropic’s growing push into the developer hardware and maker community.
Previous
