Hardware · build

Tiny Clawd, a 3D printed desk pet for Claude Code

A small 3D printed Clawd with a 128x64 OLED face that mirrors what Claude Code is doing. It runs on an ESP32-C3 with one touch pad and plays games on its screen.

Build sheet

Controller: ESP32-C3 Super Mini
Display: 1.3in SH1106 OLED, 128x64
Input: TTP223 touch pad
Body: 3D printed PLA, Mochi housing

Can I build this?Intermediate · AI 4/5 · $5–10

Difficulty: Intermediate
AI-buildability: 4/5
Time: a weekend
Cost: $5–10

Parts

ESP32-C3 Super Mini 1.3in SH1106 128x64 OLED I2C TTP223 touch pad PLA filament

Tools

3D printersoldering ironUSB-C data cable

Starter prompt

Based on "Tiny Clawd, a 3D printed desk pet for Claude Code" on Afterware: https://afterware.xyz/p/tiny-clawd-a-3d-printed-desk-pet-for-claude-code

Write ESP32-C3 firmware for a 1.3in SH1106 128x64 I2C OLED (SDA on GPIO 20, SCL on GPIO 21) and a TTP223 touch pad on GPIO 1. Draw a simple pixel face and animate it, and map a single tap, double tap and long hold to different actions. Add a small serial parser so a laptop script can send state messages like thinking, typing or done, and switch the animation for each.

Estimates based on the original write-up. Building with an AI assistant? Connect it to Afterware (free MCP server).

Story

Tiny Clawd is a small 3D printed Clawd that sits on a desk and shows what Claude Code is doing. A laptop-side bridge sends session events over USB to an ESP32-C3, and the OLED face changes to match: thinking while Claude thinks, typing when it edits, reading when it opens files, and celebrating when a task is done. It also shows usage limits and plays music visualizers when a song is playing.

The body is built on the Mochi housing by Dave0616, which holds the electronics. The maker redesigned only the outside, so the original inner frame and OLED holder fit without changes. The whole build uses one touch pad for input, so the games and menus rely on tap, double tap and hold.

The firmware is written in time-based C++ and the first animation designs were sketched in Python. A short film made in Blender uses the real print files, and the screen in it runs the actual firmware frame by frame.

Resources · 5

Repository Build film Mochi housing (base design)Firmware releases Project website