diff --git a/skills/productivity/petdex/SKILL.md b/skills/productivity/petdex/SKILL.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..416e0c6c2ca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/skills/productivity/petdex/SKILL.md
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+---
+name: petdex
+description: Install and select animated petdex mascots for Hermes.
+version: 1.0.0
+author: Hermes Agent
+license: MIT
+platforms: [linux, macos, windows]
+metadata:
+  hermes:
+    tags: [petdex, mascot, display, cli, tui, desktop]
+    category: productivity
+    homepage: https://petdex.dev
+---
+
+# Petdex Skill
+
+Browse, install, and select animated "pet" mascots from the public
+[petdex](https://github.com/crafter-station/petdex) gallery. An installed pet
+reacts to agent activity (idle, running a tool, reviewing, error, done) across
+the Hermes CLI, TUI, and desktop app. This skill drives the `hermes pets` CLI
+and the `display.pet` config — it does not generate sprites.
+
+## When to Use
+
+- The user wants a desktop/terminal mascot or asks about "pets" / petdex.
+- The user wants to change, preview, or disable the active pet.
+- Diagnosing why a pet isn't showing (terminal graphics support, config).
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+- Network access to `petdex.dev` for the gallery/manifest (read-only, no auth).
+- Pillow (a core Hermes dependency) for sprite decoding — already installed.
+- For full-fidelity terminal rendering: a graphics-capable terminal (kitty,
+  Ghostty, WezTerm, iTerm2, or sixel). Otherwise a truecolor Unicode
+  half-block fallback is used automatically.
+
+## How to Run
+
+Use the `terminal` tool to run `hermes pets <subcommand>`.
+
+## Quick Reference
+
+| Goal | Command |
+| --- | --- |
+| Browse the gallery | `hermes pets list` (add a substring to filter: `hermes pets list cat`) |
+| List installed pets | `hermes pets list --installed` |
+| Install a pet | `hermes pets install <slug>` (add `--select` to make it active) |
+| Set the active pet | `hermes pets select <slug>` (omit slug for a picker) |
+| Resize the pet everywhere | `hermes pets scale <factor>` (e.g. `0.5`, clamped 0.1–3.0) |
+| Preview/animate in terminal | `hermes pets show [slug] [--cycle] [--state run]` |
+| Disable the pet | `hermes pets off` |
+| Remove a pet | `hermes pets remove <slug>` |
+| Diagnose setup | `hermes pets doctor` |
+
+## Procedure
+
+1. Find a pet: `hermes pets list <query>` and note its `slug`.
+2. Install + activate: `hermes pets install <slug> --select`.
+3. Preview it: `hermes pets show` (Ctrl+C to stop).
+4. Confirm setup: `hermes pets doctor` — shows the resolved pet, configured
+   render mode, detected terminal graphics protocol, and effective mode.
+
+Pets install into `<HERMES_HOME>/pets/<slug>/` (profile-aware). Selecting a pet
+writes `display.pet.slug` + `display.pet.enabled` to `config.yaml`.
+
+## Configuration
+
+Under `display.pet` in `config.yaml`:
+
+- `enabled` (bool) — master on/off.
+- `slug` (str) — active pet; empty = first installed.
+- `render_mode` — `auto` (detect) | `kitty` | `iterm` | `sixel` | `unicode` | `off`.
+- `scale` (float) — on-screen size of the native 192×208 frames (default 0.33,
+  clamped 0.1–3.0). One knob resizes every surface; set it with
+  `hermes pets scale <factor>`, the `/pet scale` slash command, or the desktop
+  Appearance slider.
+- `unicode_cols` (int) — width in columns for the Unicode fallback.
+
+## Pitfalls
+
+- A pet only shows once one is installed AND selected (`enabled: true`).
+- Inside a pipe/redirect (no TTY) terminal rendering is disabled by design.
+- The petdex npm CLI installs to `~/.codex/pets`; Hermes uses its own
+  profile-scoped `<HERMES_HOME>/pets/` instead — install through `hermes pets`.
+
+## Verification
+
+- `hermes pets doctor` reports `✓ ready` when a pet is installed, selected,
+  enabled, and Pillow is importable.
diff --git a/website/docs/reference/skills-catalog.md b/website/docs/reference/skills-catalog.md
index 5ccb1f5f5ca..09bb32ee472 100644
--- a/website/docs/reference/skills-catalog.md
+++ b/website/docs/reference/skills-catalog.md
@@ -125,6 +125,7 @@ If a skill is missing from this list but present in the repo, the catalog is reg
 | [`nano-pdf`](/docs/user-guide/skills/bundled/productivity/productivity-nano-pdf) | Edit PDF text/typos/titles via nano-pdf CLI (NL prompts). | `productivity/nano-pdf` |
 | [`notion`](/docs/user-guide/skills/bundled/productivity/productivity-notion) | Notion API + ntn CLI: pages, databases, markdown, Workers. | `productivity/notion` |
 | [`ocr-and-documents`](/docs/user-guide/skills/bundled/productivity/productivity-ocr-and-documents) | Extract text from PDFs/scans (pymupdf, marker-pdf). | `productivity/ocr-and-documents` |
+| [`petdex`](/docs/user-guide/skills/bundled/productivity/productivity-petdex) | Install and select animated petdex mascots for Hermes. | `productivity/petdex` |
 | [`powerpoint`](/docs/user-guide/skills/bundled/productivity/productivity-powerpoint) | Create, read, edit .pptx decks, slides, notes, templates. | `productivity/powerpoint` |
 | [`teams-meeting-pipeline`](/docs/user-guide/skills/bundled/productivity/productivity-teams-meeting-pipeline) | Operate the Teams meeting summary pipeline via Hermes CLI — summarize meetings, inspect pipeline status, replay jobs, manage Microsoft Graph subscriptions. | `productivity/teams-meeting-pipeline` |
 
diff --git a/website/docs/user-guide/features/pets.md b/website/docs/user-guide/features/pets.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..bd23c41f9ee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/website/docs/user-guide/features/pets.md
@@ -0,0 +1,190 @@
+---
+sidebar_position: 11
+title: "Pets (Petdex Mascots)"
+description: "Adopt an animated mascot that reacts to agent activity across the CLI, TUI, and desktop app"
+---
+
+# Pets
+
+Hermes can show an animated **pet** — a small mascot sprite that reacts to what
+the agent is doing (idle, running a tool, thinking, finishing, failing) across
+the **CLI**, **TUI**, and **desktop app**. Pets come from the public
+[petdex](https://github.com/crafter-station/petdex) gallery.
+
+Pets are purely cosmetic. They have **no effect on prompt caching, tokens, or
+the agent's behavior** — the sprite is a display concern only. The feature is
+**off by default** and stays dormant until you install and select a pet.
+
+## How it works
+
+- Pets are installed into your profile's `pets/` directory
+  (`<HERMES_HOME>/pets/<slug>/`), so each [profile](../profiles.md) keeps its
+  own set.
+- Selecting a pet writes `display.pet.slug` and `display.pet.enabled` to
+  `config.yaml` — nothing is stored as a secret or env var.
+- Each surface watches the activity it already tracks and maps it to one of six
+  animation states. The mapping lives in one place so every surface behaves the
+  same:
+
+  | Agent activity | Pet state |
+  | --- | --- |
+  | A tool/turn just failed | `failed` |
+  | A plan finished (all todos done) | `jump` (celebrate) |
+  | A turn finished cleanly | `wave` |
+  | A tool is executing | `run` |
+  | The model is thinking/reading | `review` |
+  | Turn in flight (unspecified) | `run` |
+  | Blocked on you (a clarify/approval prompt is open) | `waiting` (falls back to `idle` on legacy 8-row sheets) |
+  | Nothing happening | `idle` |
+
+## Rendering
+
+In the terminal (CLI/TUI), Hermes renders the sprite at full fidelity when your
+terminal supports a graphics protocol (**kitty**, **Ghostty**, **WezTerm**,
+**iTerm2**, or **sixel**). Otherwise it falls back automatically to a truecolor
+Unicode **half-block** rendering. Inside a pipe or redirect (no TTY), terminal
+rendering is disabled by design.
+
+The desktop app draws the pet as a floating sprite on a canvas and toggles it
+from **Settings → Appearance**.
+
+## Quick start (CLI)
+
+```bash
+# Browse the gallery (filter by substring)
+hermes pets list
+hermes pets list cat
+
+# Install a pet and make it active in one step
+hermes pets install boba --select
+
+# Preview / animate it in your terminal (Ctrl+C to stop)
+hermes pets show
+
+# Check your setup
+hermes pets doctor
+```
+
+## `hermes pets` commands
+
+| Goal | Command |
+| --- | --- |
+| Browse the gallery | `hermes pets list [query] [--limit N]` |
+| List installed pets | `hermes pets list --installed` |
+| Install a pet | `hermes pets install <slug> [--select] [--force]` |
+| Set the active pet | `hermes pets select [slug]` (omit slug for a picker) |
+| Resize the pet everywhere | `hermes pets scale <factor>` (e.g. `0.5`, clamped 0.1–3.0) |
+| Preview/animate | `hermes pets show [slug] [--state <s>] [--cycle] [--once] [--mode <m>] [--scale <f>]` |
+| Disable the pet | `hermes pets off` |
+| Remove an installed pet | `hermes pets remove <slug>` |
+| Diagnose setup | `hermes pets doctor` |
+
+`hermes pets show` flags:
+
+- `--state` — play a single state (`idle`, `wave`, `run`, `failed`, `review`,
+  `jump`).
+- `--cycle` — cycle through every state.
+- `--once` — play once instead of looping.
+- `--mode` — override the render protocol (`kitty`, `iterm`, `sixel`,
+  `unicode`, `auto`).
+- `--scale` — override the on-screen scale (`0` = use config).
+
+## `/pet` slash command
+
+Inside the CLI and TUI you can manage the pet without leaving the session:
+
+- `/pet` — toggle the pet on/off (adopts the first installed pet if none is
+  active).
+- `/pet list` — browse the gallery.
+- `/pet scale <factor>` — resize the pet everywhere (e.g. `/pet scale 0.5`).
+- `/pet <slug>` — adopt a specific pet.
+- `/pet off` — disable the pet.
+
+In the TUI, `/pet list` opens an interactive picker overlay; in the desktop app
+it opens the Cmd+K pet palette.
+
+## Desktop app
+
+In the desktop app you can manage the pet two ways:
+
+- **Cmd+K → "Pets…"** — browse, search, adopt, and toggle pets without leaving
+  the keyboard (mirrors the theme picker).
+- **Settings → Appearance** — the same gallery plus a **size slider** that
+  resizes the floating mascot live as you drag.
+
+Both adopt/toggle/resize the floating mascot in place — size changes apply
+instantly; adopting a new pet lights it up within a moment.
+
+### Pop-out overlay
+
+**Shift-click** the floating pet to pop it out into its own transparent,
+always-on-top desktop window. Out there it stays visible while Hermes is
+minimized (Codex-style), so a glance tells you what the agent is doing.
+
+Gestures once it's popped out:
+
+| Gesture | Action |
+| --- | --- |
+| **Drag** | Move the pet anywhere on screen, even outside the app. Its spot and in/out state persist across restarts. |
+| **Single-click** | Open a mini composer to send a prompt to the most recent session — without surfacing the app. |
+| **Double-click** | Toggle the app window: minimize it if it's up front, restore it if it's hidden. |
+| **Shift-click** | Pop the pet back into the window. |
+| **Mail icon** | Appears only when a turn finished while you were away; click to raise the app on the most recent thread (and mark it read). |
+
+Only the popped-out pet shows a **speech bubble** (`working…`, `thinking…`,
+`your turn`, …) — in-window the app itself is the surface, so the pet stays
+quiet there.
+
+The overlay is a pure puppet of the in-app pet — it carries no separate gateway
+connection and never appears in the dock or app switcher.
+
+## Configuration
+
+All settings live under `display.pet` in `config.yaml`:
+
+```yaml
+display:
+  pet:
+    enabled: false        # master on/off (true once you select a pet)
+    slug: ""              # active pet; empty = first installed
+    render_mode: auto      # auto | kitty | iterm | sixel | unicode | off
+    scale: 0.33           # master size knob (relative to native 192x208 frames)
+    unicode_cols: 0       # hard override for terminal width (0 = derive from scale)
+```
+
+- **`scale`** is the single master size knob. One number shrinks every surface:
+  the desktop canvas scales its pixels by it, and the CLI/TUI derive their
+  terminal column width from it. The half-block fallback clamps to a legibility
+  floor — it can't shrink as far as true-pixel kitty/GUI rendering without
+  turning to mush, so the same `scale` looks crisp under kitty but is floored in
+  half-blocks.
+- **`render_mode: auto`** detects kitty/iTerm2/sixel and falls back to unicode
+  half-blocks. Set it explicitly to force a protocol or `off` to disable
+  terminal rendering while keeping the pet on the desktop.
+- **`unicode_cols`** pins the terminal column width independently of `scale`;
+  leave it at `0` to derive width from `scale`.
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+Run `hermes pets doctor` — it reports:
+
+- the pets directory and which pets are installed,
+- `display.pet.enabled`, `display.pet.slug`, and the resolved active pet,
+- the configured `render_mode`, the detected terminal graphics protocol, and the
+  effective mode for a TTY,
+- whether Pillow (used for sprite decoding) is importable.
+
+It prints `✓ ready` once a pet is installed, selected, enabled, and Pillow is
+available.
+
+Common gotchas:
+
+- A pet only shows once one is **installed AND selected** (`enabled: true`).
+- Inside a pipe/redirect (no TTY), terminal rendering is disabled by design.
+- The petdex npm CLI installs to `~/.codex/pets`; Hermes uses its own
+  profile-scoped `<HERMES_HOME>/pets/` instead — install through `hermes pets`.
+
+## See also
+
+- The [`petdex` skill](../skills/bundled/productivity/productivity-petdex.md)
+  lets the agent install and switch pets for you on request.
diff --git a/website/docs/user-guide/skills/bundled/productivity/productivity-petdex.md b/website/docs/user-guide/skills/bundled/productivity/productivity-petdex.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..56ed48d0886
--- /dev/null
+++ b/website/docs/user-guide/skills/bundled/productivity/productivity-petdex.md
@@ -0,0 +1,105 @@
+---
+title: "Petdex — Install and select animated petdex mascots for Hermes"
+sidebar_label: "Petdex"
+description: "Install and select animated petdex mascots for Hermes"
+---
+
+{/* This page is auto-generated from the skill's SKILL.md by website/scripts/generate-skill-docs.py. Edit the source SKILL.md, not this page. */}
+
+# Petdex
+
+Install and select animated petdex mascots for Hermes.
+
+## Skill metadata
+
+| | |
+|---|---|
+| Source | Bundled (installed by default) |
+| Path | `skills/productivity/petdex` |
+| Version | `1.0.0` |
+| Author | Hermes Agent |
+| License | MIT |
+| Platforms | linux, macos, windows |
+| Tags | `petdex`, `mascot`, `display`, `cli`, `tui`, `desktop` |
+
+## Reference: full SKILL.md
+
+:::info
+The following is the complete skill definition that Hermes loads when this skill is triggered. This is what the agent sees as instructions when the skill is active.
+:::
+
+# Petdex Skill
+
+Browse, install, and select animated "pet" mascots from the public
+[petdex](https://github.com/crafter-station/petdex) gallery. An installed pet
+reacts to agent activity (idle, running a tool, reviewing, error, done) across
+the Hermes CLI, TUI, and desktop app. This skill drives the `hermes pets` CLI
+and the `display.pet` config — it does not generate sprites.
+
+## When to Use
+
+- The user wants a desktop/terminal mascot or asks about "pets" / petdex.
+- The user wants to change, preview, or disable the active pet.
+- Diagnosing why a pet isn't showing (terminal graphics support, config).
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+- Network access to `petdex.dev` for the gallery/manifest (read-only, no auth).
+- Pillow (a core Hermes dependency) for sprite decoding — already installed.
+- For full-fidelity terminal rendering: a graphics-capable terminal (kitty,
+  Ghostty, WezTerm, iTerm2, or sixel). Otherwise a truecolor Unicode
+  half-block fallback is used automatically.
+
+## How to Run
+
+Use the `terminal` tool to run `hermes pets <subcommand>`.
+
+## Quick Reference
+
+| Goal | Command |
+| --- | --- |
+| Browse the gallery | `hermes pets list` (add a substring to filter: `hermes pets list cat`) |
+| List installed pets | `hermes pets list --installed` |
+| Install a pet | `hermes pets install <slug>` (add `--select` to make it active) |
+| Set the active pet | `hermes pets select <slug>` (omit slug for a picker) |
+| Resize the pet everywhere | `hermes pets scale <factor>` (e.g. `0.5`, clamped 0.1–3.0) |
+| Preview/animate in terminal | `hermes pets show [slug] [--cycle] [--state run]` |
+| Disable the pet | `hermes pets off` |
+| Remove a pet | `hermes pets remove <slug>` |
+| Diagnose setup | `hermes pets doctor` |
+
+## Procedure
+
+1. Find a pet: `hermes pets list <query>` and note its `slug`.
+2. Install + activate: `hermes pets install <slug> --select`.
+3. Preview it: `hermes pets show` (Ctrl+C to stop).
+4. Confirm setup: `hermes pets doctor` — shows the resolved pet, configured
+   render mode, detected terminal graphics protocol, and effective mode.
+
+Pets install into `<HERMES_HOME>/pets/<slug>/` (profile-aware). Selecting a pet
+writes `display.pet.slug` + `display.pet.enabled` to `config.yaml`.
+
+## Configuration
+
+Under `display.pet` in `config.yaml`:
+
+- `enabled` (bool) — master on/off.
+- `slug` (str) — active pet; empty = first installed.
+- `render_mode` — `auto` (detect) | `kitty` | `iterm` | `sixel` | `unicode` | `off`.
+- `scale` (float) — on-screen size of the native 192×208 frames (default 0.33,
+  clamped 0.1–3.0). One knob resizes every surface; set it with
+  `hermes pets scale <factor>`, the `/pet scale` slash command, or the desktop
+  Appearance slider.
+- `unicode_cols` (int) — width in columns for the Unicode fallback.
+
+## Pitfalls
+
+- A pet only shows once one is installed AND selected (`enabled: true`).
+- Inside a pipe/redirect (no TTY) terminal rendering is disabled by design.
+- The petdex npm CLI installs to `~/.codex/pets`; Hermes uses its own
+  profile-scoped `<HERMES_HOME>/pets/` instead — install through `hermes pets`.
+
+## Verification
+
+- `hermes pets doctor` reports `✓ ready` when a pet is installed, selected,
+  enabled, and Pillow is importable.
diff --git a/website/sidebars.ts b/website/sidebars.ts
index dec160700e2..bea46c7ed56 100644
--- a/website/sidebars.ts
+++ b/website/sidebars.ts
@@ -102,6 +102,7 @@ const sidebars: SidebarsConfig = {
             'user-guide/features/vision',
             'user-guide/features/image-generation',
             'user-guide/features/spotify',
+            'user-guide/features/pets',
             'user-guide/features/tts',
             'user-guide/features/deliverable-mode',
           ],
@@ -277,6 +278,7 @@ const sidebars: SidebarsConfig = {
                     'user-guide/skills/bundled/productivity/productivity-nano-pdf',
                     'user-guide/skills/bundled/productivity/productivity-notion',
                     'user-guide/skills/bundled/productivity/productivity-ocr-and-documents',
+                    'user-guide/skills/bundled/productivity/productivity-petdex',
                     'user-guide/skills/bundled/productivity/productivity-powerpoint',
                     'user-guide/skills/bundled/productivity/productivity-teams-meeting-pipeline',
                   ],