Feature request: Add Stay and Draggable modes for Codex pets

Open 💬 2 comments Opened Jul 11, 2026 by Crystal32378

Summary

Codex Desktop pets currently evade the pointer when the user approaches them. This makes it difficult to click, grab, or reposition the pet, and turns a companion into something the user has to chase.

Please add two explicit interaction modes:

  1. Stay — the pet remains in place when the pointer approaches. This should be the default.
  2. Draggable — the pet can be clicked and dragged directly without first triggering flee or movement behavior.

Why these two modes

A pet is primarily a companion and status indicator. It should remain reachable and should not block basic interaction.

The current flee-on-hover behavior causes several problems:

  • the pet disappears or moves before the user can grab it
  • repositioning becomes frustrating and unpredictable
  • users may interpret the behavior as a rendering bug
  • directional animations can be triggered when the user only intended to drag the pet
  • the interaction is especially confusing for custom pets with incomplete directional rows

Even with a complete spritesheet, mandatory evasion is still undesirable for users who want a calm desktop companion.

Expected behavior

Stay

  • pointer approach does not trigger movement
  • pet continues its current state animation
  • clicking or hovering does not make it flee
  • suitable as the default interaction mode

Draggable

  • pointer down immediately captures the pet
  • drag begins without triggering move_left, move_right, running-left, or running-right
  • releasing the pointer places the pet at the new position
  • no evasive animation occurs before or during drag

Suggested setting

A per-user or per-pet setting such as:

Pet interaction
- Stay (default)
- Draggable

These two modes are enough for users who want the pet to behave as a stable companion rather than a mini-game.

A companion should be reachable. The user should not have to chase it in order to move it.

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