STstephanieriggs·Mar 19, 2026Submission
Show HN: PearlOS: we gave AI a talking desktop environment instead of a text box
AI is awesome in the terminal but many people aren't comfortable using command lines - which means they can't access or utilize the full power of AI.
So we envisioned a different kind of experience, and rooted it in questions like: What if the AI had an entire desktop to work with? What if AI was the experience rather than the tool? And what if that experience was fun, delightful, and intuitive? Today we dropped a first look video of what we created.
PearlOS is a browser based desktop environment where the AI companion (Pearl) talks to you to open apps, manage windows, build characters, research, takes notes, searches the web, and controls the whole UI. You just talk to her and things happen on screen.
It's early. But the core works and our entire (small) team uses it for daily tasks
Walkthrough Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKO5
Read the rest
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GitHub: https://github.com/NiaExperience/PearlOS/
We want to build this out into “personal pearls” that everyone can have with no coding/AI experience at all needed.
Looking for architecture feedback, contributors, and honest criticism.
What you get when you open it: * A desktop environment with apps (notes, browser, YouTube, file manager, calculator, music player), all * A voice you can talk to naturally. Interruption handling, turn taking, real conversation. * Persistent memory. Pearl remembers your projects, preferences, and past conversations across sessions. She picks up where you left off. * Sub-agent swarms. Pearl can break complex tasks into parallel agent jobs that run in the background while you keep talking.
Stack: * Next.js frontend (the desktop runs in a browser) * Multi-model routing (fast model for chat, heavier model for complex reasoning, configurable) * Pipecat for real-time voice (Deepgram STT, PocketTTS for local TTS) * OpenClaw for agent orchestration * Bring your own API keys, swap in any LLM
What it's not: * Not another ChatGPT wrapper * Not a terminal with an AI bolted on * Not collecting your data (runs on your hardware, no telemetry)
Thanks everyone!
Stephanie & the PearlOS team