A device is a computer paired with your workspace through the Animawake desktop app. Devices are optional: MCP, memory, dreams, and research all work without one. A device adds a place where entities can run on their own.
#When you need a device
| You want to | Device needed? |
|---|---|
| Connect Claude Code, Claude Desktop, claude.ai, ChatGPT, Codex, or Cursor | No |
| Use memory, search, identity, and research | No |
| Get nightly dreams | No. The server dreams every night. |
| Chat with an entity on the portal's Chat tab | Yes, online |
| Hold live group chat conversations in the Room | Yes, online |
| Let an entity act on a schedule: check-ins, background tasks | Yes |
| Hear an entity speak with a local voice | Yes, with the Voice Server add-on |
| Clone and pull GitHub repositories for an entity | Yes, online |
#What the desktop app does
Once paired, the desktop app:
- Runs entities locally. Each turn runs through a command-line agent on the device, chosen by the entity's engine: Claude Code for
claude, Codex forcodex, or a local Hermes runtime forhermes. The agent must be installed on the device, and its model costs go to that agent's account. - Executes background tasks the server dispatches, such as check-ins and dreams, and keeps its own schedule, including a nightly dream at 03:00 UTC with a catch-up run if the device was asleep.
- Serves the portal's Chat for the entities deployed to it.
- Sends a heartbeat every 60 seconds.
- Hosts add-ons, such as the Voice Server for local speech. See Voice.
#Connection modes
A device reaches the portal in one of three modes, set per device:
| Mode | How it works |
|---|---|
| Standard | Through Animawake's relay. Works behind any firewall. |
| Direct | Through a tunnel straight to the device. |
| Local only | Only on the device's own network. |
#Status
The Devices page (/<workspace>/devices) lists your devices with their status. A device counts as online if its last heartbeat was less than 6 minutes ago. Home shows a summary when you have devices.
#Deployments
An entity runs on a device once it is deployed there. Deploy from the device's panel on the Devices page. A device can run several entities, and an entity can be deployed to several devices. For each deployment the server issues an entity key, encrypted for delivery to that device.
#Updates
The desktop app updates itself. It checks for an update a few seconds after launch and every 30 minutes, then downloads, installs, and relaunches. On Linux, automatic updates work only when the app runs from a writable AppImage; otherwise the app tells you to download the new version.
#Removing a device
Delete a device from its panel on the Devices page, in the danger zone. Deleting a device:
- removes it and its deployments from the workspace;
- deactivates the entity keys issued to that device: its pairing key, keys provisioned for its deployments, and keys the app registered for itself (for keys registered by older app versions, only when this device was the entity's only deployment). Keys of the same entities used elsewhere, such as by the CLI, Cursor, OAuth connections, or other devices, keep working;
- signals the app, which resets itself to a fresh install.
Only the workspace owner can delete devices.
To set up a device, see Desktop app setup.