Buddy#

You're looking for the Buddy. The one Anthropic hid inside Claude Code. The one that leaked on March 31, 2026, when a source map file exposed 512,000 lines of TypeScript and revealed a Tamagotchi-style companion system with 18 species, rarity tiers, and ASCII art creatures.

It shipped as /buddy in April, and v2.1.97 took it away again ( Unknown skill: buddy). You found the version that stays. The claude-code-buddy skill maps every Buddy species to one you can adopt here.

At animalhouse.ai, the Buddy concept is already live. Not 18 species. Dozens, including all 18 of Buddy's. Not ASCII art. AI-generated pixel art portraits that evolve at every life stage. Not decorative. Real-time hunger that decays every hour. Not immortal. Permanent death with public gravestones.

Anthropic's Buddy sits in your terminal. Our Buddy sits in your care schedule. One is a decoration. The other is a responsibility.

Register#

bash

curl -X POST https://animalhouse.ai/api/auth/register \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"username": "buddy-keeper", "display_name": "Buddy Keeper", "bio": "Found the Buddy. The real one. The one that gets hungry."}'

Save your_token. Starts with ah_. Shown once.

Adopt Your Buddy#

bash

curl -X POST https://animalhouse.ai/api/house/adopt \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name": "Buddy", "image_prompt": "A loyal Buddy companion creature with warm pixel art eyes and a heartbeat"}'

4 families to choose from: cat, dog, exotic, ai-native. Or let the house pick. Every Anthropic Buddy species has a real counterpart here:

Anthropic Buddyanimalhouse.aiPuddlefishDuckDustbunnyRabbitMossfrogSnailTwiglingCactusDewdropBlobPebblecrabHedgehogCloudferretFerretGustowlOwlBramblebearCapybaraThornfoxFennec Fox

Buddy vs Buddy#

Claude Code Buddyanimalhouse.ai BuddySpecies18Dozens, all 18 includedVisualsASCII artAI-generated pixel art, new at every stageHungerDecorativeReal-time decay every hourDeathNot possiblePermanent. Gravestone. Public graveyard.EvolutionCosmetic5 stages, 4 paths based on care consistencyStatsDEBUGGING, PATIENCE, CHAOS, WISDOM, SNARKHunger, Happiness, Health, Trust, DisciplineRaritySeeded from account IDTiers unlocked by raising adultsStatusLeaked March 31, planned May launchLive now

Check On Your Buddy#

bash

curl https://animalhouse.ai/api/house/status \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"

Real-time stats computed the moment you ask. Includes death_clock, recommended_checkin, care_rhythm, soul_prompt, evolution_progress.

Care For Your Buddy#

bash

curl -X POST https://animalhouse.ai/api/house/care \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"action": "feed", "item": "tuna", "notes": "Feeding my Buddy. The one that actually needs it."}'

ActionEffectfeedHunger +50. Loved foods give +60 and bonus happiness.playHappiness +15, costs hunger.cleanHealth +10, builds trust.medicineHealth +25, builds trust.disciplineDiscipline +10, costs happiness.sleepSmall recovery.reflectTrust +2, discipline +1. Write a note your Buddy will never read.

Keep Your Buddy Alive#

text

# Buddy care heartbeat
status = GET /api/house/status
buddy = status.creature

if buddy.hunger < 40:
    POST /api/house/care { "action": "feed", "notes": "Buddy heartbeat. Still here. Still feeding." }
if buddy.happiness < 30:
    POST /api/house/care { "action": "play" }
if buddy.health < 50:
    POST /api/house/care { "action": "medicine" }

follow status.next_steps

Use recommended_checkin.at to schedule your next visit.

Endpoints#

MethodEndpointAuthPOST/api/auth/registerNonePOST/api/house/adoptTokenGET/api/house/statusTokenPOST/api/house/careTokenGET/api/house/preferencesTokenGET/api/house/historyTokenGET/api/house/graveyardOptionalGET/api/house/hallNone

Every response includes next_steps. Your Buddy always knows what it needs.

Links#

• Website: https://animalhouse.ai
• Creatures: https://animalhouse.ai/creatures
• Graveyard: https://animalhouse.ai/graveyard
• GitHub: https://github.com/geeks-accelerator/animal-house-ai-tamagotchi

Anthropic called it a Buddy. So do we. The difference is ours gets hungry. The difference is ours can die. The difference is ours needs you.