# penecho/penecho

Think with AI beyond the chat box. A shared canvas for handwriting, equations, diagrams, and spatial reasoning.

Repository: https://github.com/penecho/penecho
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/penecho
Homepage: https://penecho.ai
Language: JavaScript
License: AGPL-3.0
License Family: copyleft
Topics: ai, canvas, claude, codex, education, handwriting, nodejs, visual-thinking
Last push: 2026-08-25T19:30:35+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 79/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 98, longevity 3
- inputs: {"age_days": 50, "days_push": 8, "days_rel": 12, "gap_med": 2, "n_releases_24m": 6}
- flags: young
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 2137, forks 263 (observed 2026-08-28T04:06:17.455234+00:00)

## What it is
PenEcho is an open-source visual AI workspace: a shared canvas where handwriting, equations, diagrams, and spatial context become part of an AI conversation. It ships as desktop apps for macOS and Windows or via npm, with a Canvas Agent that generates and refines editable visual content in place.

## Use cases
- sketch math equations and get AI explanations beside them
- generate architecture diagrams and refine them with pen or prompt
- handwrite notes and diagrams on an infinite canvas with AI assistance
- collaborate with others on a shared visual thinking canvas
- create interactive lessons and explainers visually
- self-host an AI whiteboard with my own API keys

## When to choose
- you think visually and want AI context beyond a chat thread
- you need handwriting, equations, and diagrams in one workspace
- you want local/self-hosted use where API keys stay on your device
- you teach or explain concepts with diagrams and interactive visuals

## When to avoid
- you only need a plain text chat with an LLM
- you need a lightweight note-taking app without AI features
- you require a permissive license for proprietary derivative work (AGPL-3.0)
- you need offline AI without any model provider or API key

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: chat-interface, nlp, data-visualization, gui, developer-tools
- domain: artificial-intelligence, education, developer-tools, data-visualization
- platform: windows, cross-platform, self-hosted
- tags: whiteboard, handwriting, canvas, visual-thinking, ai-agent, diagrams, equations, collaboration, macos, nodejs

## Member repositories
- penecho/penecho (main) score 79

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:17.455234+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 2026-08-30T02:51:51.043572+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/penecho/penecho (fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:17.455234+00:00, sha 9c2252392477)
  - homepage: https://penecho.ai (fetched 2026-08-29T10:32:08.740941+00:00, sha fae6974d5e93)
  - registry_npm: https://registry.npmjs.org/penecho (fetched 2026-08-29T10:32:08.752238+00:00, sha a7913e1ec68b)
  - site_page: https://penecho.ai/downloads.html (fetched 2026-08-29T10:32:08.750133+00:00, sha 7ab90de71843)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.