# shinyflvre/Mate-Engine

A free Desktop Mate alternative with a lightweight interface and custom VRM support, though with more features.

Repository: https://github.com/shinyflvre/Mate-Engine
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/mate-engine
Homepage: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3625270/MateEngine/
Language: ShaderLab
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Topics: anime, desktop, desktop-mate, desktop-pet, pet, mate-engine
Last push: 2026-01-20T18:46:07+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 55/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:39:23.370411+00:00)
- activity 63, release rhythm 54, longevity 37
- inputs: {"age_days": 531, "days_push": 225, "days_rel": 226, "gap_med": 1, "n_releases_24m": 62}
- flags: no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 3586, forks 303 (observed 2026-08-28T04:08:11.104955+00:00)

## What it is
Mate Engine is a free, open-source desktop companion (desktop pet) app that displays 3D anime-style VRM avatars on your screen with idle animations, window/taskbar sitting, and drag-and-dance interactions. It is a lightweight alternative to Desktop Mate with custom VRM model support, custom shaders, and community modding.

## Use cases
- display an anime desktop pet on my screen
- use custom VRM avatars as a desktop companion
- free alternative to Desktop Mate
- make a 3D character sit on my taskbar or windows
- mod a desktop mascot app with custom models and dances
- run a lightweight desktop companion with low resource usage

## When to choose
- you want a free, open-source desktop pet with custom VRM model support
- you want modding, custom shaders, and community-made content
- you want a lightweight Desktop Mate alternative without per-character charges

## When to avoid
- you need official Linux support (only an unofficial port exists)
- you want a fully permissively licensed app (mixed AGPL v3 / MateProv2 licensing and restricted default avatar)
- you need a production or business tool rather than a desktop companion

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: gui, animation, graphics, llm-inference, plugin-system
- domain: desktop-applications, entertainment, gaming-tools, artificial-intelligence
- platform: windows, cross-platform
- tags: desktop-pet, vrm, vtuber, anime-avatar, desktop-mate-alternative, modding, shimeji, unity, steam, desktop

## Member repositories
- shinyflvre/Mate-Engine (main) score 55

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:11.104955+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T18:33:54.233905+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/shinyflvre/Mate-Engine (fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:11.104955+00:00, sha 98a6d5e04cdf)
  - homepage: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3625270/MateEngine/ (fetched 2026-08-29T09:27:18.991036+00:00, sha fd1f28a33ec9)
  - site_page: https://store.steampowered.com/about?snr=1_5_9__global-responsive-menu (fetched 2026-08-29T09:27:19.000605+00:00, sha 03903de5911a)
  - site_page: https://store.steampowered.com/about?snr=1_5_9__global-header (fetched 2026-08-29T09:27:19.005070+00:00, sha 03903de5911a)
  - site_page: https://help.steampowered.com/faqs/view/10BB-D27A-6378-4436 (fetched 2026-08-29T09:27:19.002919+00:00, sha df279750ca7d)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.